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McLean candy giant Mars makes $1.3 billion veterinary acquisition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

McLean, Virginia-based Mars, best known for its candy empire including M&Ms and Snickers bars, also owns a large pet care business, and it’s adding to it with a $1.3 billion acquisition of veterinary diagnostic company Heska.Mars’ pet care business is one of the largest in the country. Its pet food brands include Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas. It also owns a growing chain of pet hospitals and pet diagnostic services.Heska will become part of Mars’ Science and Diagnostics division of Mars Petcare.More Business and Finance NewsMore Consumer NewsLoveland, Colorado-based Heska was founded in 1988. It manufactures, markets and supports diagnostic and specialty solutions for veterinary practitioners.Heska had $257.3 million in revenue for 2022. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2023.Mars is the largest privately-held company in the D.C. region, with annual sales of $45 billion.Source

Walmart lays off 2,000 warehouse workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

Walmart is laying off more than 2,000 workers at five US warehouses that fulfill website orders, weeks after America’s largest private employer warned it’s in for a tough year ahead.The retail giant is cutting more than 1,000 jobs in Texas, 600 jobs in Pennsylvania, 400 in Florida and 200 in New Jersey, according to Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) filings. Reuters first reported last month that the job cuts were because of reductions and elimination in evening and weekend shifts.Walmart didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. It’s unclear whether this is just the beginning or end of layoffs that have been affecting many large companies.In the company’s most recent earnings, Walmart told investors to expect slower sales and profit growth. It also recently announced that it will raise its average minimum wage from $12 to $14 an hour as it tries to retain store workers in a tight labor market for lower-wage industrie...

Terror convict back in prison after meetings with Lindh

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia man convicted on terrorism charges as a teenager has been sent back to prison for a year after violating conditions of his release by meeting with convicted Taliban supporter John Walker Lindh and others linked to terrorism.Prosecutors had sought a two-year term at a hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Alexandria for Ali Shukri Amin of Dumfries, citing a wealth of evidence that Amin immediately began meeting and corresponding with convicted terrorists after he was released from prison in 2020. The terms of Amin’s release barred him from meeting with known extremists.Amin was just 17 years old when he pleaded guilty in 2015 to helping the Islamic State group by using social media to support them. He also admitted helping a classmate, 18-year-old Reza Niknejad, travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.Prosecutions of minors are rare in federal courts.He was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison but later had his sentence ...

Wall Street drifts lower following weaker reports on economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting lower on Wall Street Tuesday after two reports on the economy came in weaker than expected. The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 112 points, or 0.3%, at 33,489, as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower. Investors are still split on whether the U.S. economy will fall into a recession and how badly corporate profits are set to fall. The biggest question remains what the Federal Reserve will do next with interest rates after hiking them furiously over the last year to get high inflation under control. The reports on job openings and factory orders released Tuesday may have heightened recession fears. But they may also give the Fed reason to hold rates steady at its next meeting in May for the first time in more than a year, offering a possible upside for markets.One report showed employers advertised 9.9 million job openings in February, a sharper fall-off than...

Trump indictment live coverage: Former president set to be arraigned in NY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An extraordinary moment in U.S. history will unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender and be arraigned on criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.The booking and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan should be relatively brief — though hardly routine — as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty. Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won't be allowed in the courtroom.Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander-in-chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.Protesters argue at the Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan District Attorney's off...

‘Inseparable’ dog, goat duo find forever home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

WAKE COUNTY, North Carolina (WSVN) – A pair of furry friends that went viral because of their unsuspected friendship have found their forever home. Cinnamon the goat and Felix the dog are practically inseparable: they play, sleep and eat together. That’s why the Wake County Animal Center in North Carolina was searching for a home where the two could live out their lives together. The Animal Center reached out to a long-time national rescue partner and a local foster family they’d previously worked with, and now, these four-legged friends have found their forever home at a farm, the Animal Center said in a news release. “I’m so excited they will be living their dream life in Johnston County with their new family,” said Shinica Thomas, chair, Wake County Board of Commissioners. “The Wake County Animal Center has a fantastic rescue network and they focused on the best solution for this pair after getting custody of them. This was the best outcome we could hope for...

Child, woman hospitalized after being struck by vehicle in Aventura

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

A child and and woman were transported to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle. Police arrived at the scene of the incident at 2750 NE 183rd St., Tuesday morning. According to police, the woman was pushing a baby stroller when she and the child were struck by a pickup truck. 7Skyforce hovered over the scene where the black pickup truck had police tape across it. The stroller was also seen near a sidewalk. The victims were transported as trauma alerts and were sent to an area hospital for treatment.Officials are investigating the incident. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story

Jacinda Ardern is back — as ‘special envoy’ for anti-terror initiative

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has appointed his predecessor Jacinda Ardern as special envoy for the Christchurch Call, he announced Tuesday. “The newly created position will represent New Zealand’s continued commitment to push for greater protection online from terrorist and violent extremist content,” the New Zealand prime minister’s office said in a statement.The Christchurch Call is a nonbinding initiative led after the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks by Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron, and aimed at curbing the spread of terrorist content on the internet. It’s backed by countries including the United States and Canada; tech giants such as Google and Meta are participants. Macron welcomed Ardern’s appointment. “My dear Jacinda Ardern, I am pleased that you will continue to work alongside us as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call as we fight terrorist and violent extremist content online, and for an open, free and...

The barcode is turning 50, but who gets the credit for it is up for debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

(CNN) — Beep! The barcode, that rectangle of thick and thin parallel lines seen on seemingly every grocery product, package, prescription bottle and piece of luggage is turning 50 years old.Since its invention, the Universal Product Code has become the most prevalent tracking tool for products around the world. Billions of items are scanned every day in industries from airlines to pharmacies to movie theaters. The laser-powered technology behind UPCs has changed the retail industry in particular, making big-box stores, easy returns, global inventories and (unpopular) self check-outs possible.The barcode’s impact has been “revolutionary” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. It’s “more efficient and cost-effective” for retailers to use them and they offer “flexibility in terms of pricing. There’s hardly any products now that don’t use a barcode for identification.”Who got there first?Of course,...

New Mass. law requires drivers to provide 4 ft. of space when passing ‘vulnerable road users’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

A new law in Massachusetts requires drivers to provide at least four feet of space when passing “vulnerable road users.”This includes people walking and biking, roadside workers, and those using wheelchairs, motorizes scooters, skateboards, horse-drawn carriages, and farm equipment. Massachusetts is the 36th state to set a safe passing parameter of at least three feet.