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☆ Dollar General's troubles have snowballed into cluttered aisles and stores forced to close by fire marshals. Employees tell us what went wrong.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Current and former employees who spoke to Insider say clutter at Dollar General stores has gotten worse over the last few years. The clutter is one of the reasons that the Department of Labor labeled Dollar General a "severe violator" in March. In January, a Dollar General clerk was charged with manslaughter after police said he shot and killed an armed robber. Despite the problems on the ground, Dollar General continues to earn positive feedback from analysts on Wall Street. Do you work or shop at a Dollar General store or have a story to share?

☆ Why Do Cats Hold Such Mythic Power in Japan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Hanya Yanagihara | Kyoko Hamada | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Now the sun was fading, and Mihoko and I went to a coffeehouse to discuss the lack of cats. (Later, I also thought that the cats’ relative scarcity made them more precious; at one number, they were curiosities. Or maybe, even, it was possible to believe that the cats knew something we didn’t. Although Tokyo, with its 14 million residents, remains one of the largest cities in the world, other parts of Japan are emptying of humans. But although the humans hadn’t been able to replace themselves after a certain point, the cats had had no such problems.

☆ How much 2 professional dancers who create content for TikTok on the side have earned from brand deals — and how the app has opened doors for them into TV and film
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dance trends helped TikTok gain traction when the app first exploded in early 2020. TikTok has also helped several trained dancers earn income through brand deals and land jobs. From January to March, she made $1,500 in paid brand deals, according to documentation viewed by Insider. TikTok has also helped Mahale get more opportunities as a professional dancer. Tay Marquise, who has 606,800 followers on TikTok, said he's also landed multiple brand deals and part-time opportunities because of his dance videos on the app.

☆ It’s Long Past Morning In Biden’s America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Kenneth L. Khachigian | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden and his team are working hard to reprise that historic win. Mr. Biden’s ad team is so enamored of Reagan’s “Morning in America” commercial they produced a copycat. The video announcing the Biden re-election bid is replete with images of smiling children and folks flying the American flag in small towns. But while the 1984 commercial—crafted by Reagan’s “Tuesday Team” of admen—was simple and affecting, Mr. Biden’s video is an amateurish pastiche of quick cutaways and amped-up music. Without the closed captioning, viewers may not have been able to understand the rapid-fire word mangles spilling from Mr. Biden’s mouth.

☆ Willy Chavarria and Omar Apollo on Faith and Heartbreak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Juan A. Ramírez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Three days after his fall 2023 runway show in February, while on his way to meet Omar Apollo at a photographer’s house in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the 55-year-old fashion designer Willy Chavarria studied the 25-year-old musician’s Wikipedia page. What Chavarria lacked in detailed knowledge about Apollo’s career, he made up for with an immediate paternal tenderness. “And on all-Latino models,” Apollo says. And yet the pair saw eye to eye on more than just success. Some similarities were obvious: Both are gay and Mexican American, and both were born in small towns where dreams of artistic stardom seemed impossibly distant.

☆ Allen, Texas shooting:New details emerge about Texas outlet mall shooter Mauricio Garcia as investigators continue to probe for motive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Josh Campbell Ed Lavandera Elizabeth Wolfe Sara Smart | Josh Campbell | Ed Lavandera | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Christian LaCour was working as a security guard in the mall when he was killed, his family said. Brianna SmithIn addition to an AR-15 style firearm and another weapon found with Garcia, police also discovered several more weapons in his car, the law enforcement source told CNN. Neighbors of an address matching that of Garcia’s parents told CNN that police and the FBI arrived at the home about an hour after the attack and had the street blocked off for several hours. As part of his work, Garcia received Level II and Level III security training. He found a surviving child whose mother had been struck and killed as she shielded him from bullets, Spainhouer told CNN affiliate KTVT.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is introducing a bill on Thursday to raise the minimum wage to $17 an hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25, and it's remained unchanged since 2008. Sanders has long pushed for a higher federal minimum wage, although he's been more recently stymied by centrist Democrats. Scott said in a statement at the time that even before the pandemic, "the $7.25 federal minimum wage was economically and morally indefensible." Mandating a $15 minimum wage would put many of them out of business."

☆ Explosions Rock Kyiv After Russian Strike: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Marc Santora | Malachy Browne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Image Emergency workers at the scene of a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Uman, Ukraine, on Friday. A flurry of missiles fired by both sides this weekend appears to mark the next phase of the conflict. Credit... Brendan Hoffman for The New York TimesExplosions echoed across the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Monday as Ukrainian officials warned of a large-scale Russian missile attack. Air defences intercepted 15 of 18 cruise missiles that Russia aimed at Ukraine, according to the military. The explosions in Kyiv on Monday were a few hours after Russia attacked Pavlograd in central Ukraine, sparking a massive fire that lit up the night sky.

☆ What John Blake discovered when he met the White mother he never knew
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

It’s a story about my mother, and the White relatives who shunned me at birth—and still somehow became family. I now know one of the reasons my family didn’t tell me about my mom’s illness is because they didn’t know how. I vividly recall thinking as I looked at my mom: I didn’t know a White person could suffer like this. I saw White, Black, and brown people hug and call each other “brother” and “sister” after worship service. John Blake is a Senior Writer at CNN and the author of “More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.”

☆ Explosions Over Kyiv as Ukraine Braces for Broad Russian Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Marc Santora | Malachy Browne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Explosions echoed across the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Monday as Ukrainian officials warned of a large-scale Russian missile attack aimed at targets nationwide. About an hour later, a Ukrainian military official confirmed that all of the missiles and drones were destroyed and there were no reports of damage or injuries in Kyiv. The air raid sirens were turned off at about 6:30 a.m. after blaring for three hours.The attacks follow a weekend of explosions deep behind Russian lines, including one at an oil depot in Russian-occupied Crimea on Saturday. The spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said the depot fire is part of preparations for “the broad, full-scale offensive that everyone expects” Ukraine to launch soon. Both sides have said they are preparing for a counteroffensive that would likely renew attempts to gain territory.

☆ DeSantis threatened to put a prison next to Disney, but it may not be as scary an idea as he thinks — and in fact small Florida towns could probably use it way more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But it's unclear how much, if at all, a prison would actually impact Disney. A prison could also bring jobs to small towns that don't have a local employer as large as Disney. Ron DeSantis's threat to put a state prison next to the "Happiest Place on Earth" may not be as menacing as he thinks. But it's unclear how much a state prison close to Disney would actually impact the resort and theme park. As for how a prison could impact Disney World, she speculated that the primary factor would be how it impacts the company's brand and tourists' perception of safety.

☆ Small Towns Chase America’s $3 Trillion Climate Gold Rush
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Phred Dvorak | Amrith Ramkumar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WALTERBORO, S.C.—Colleton County in South Carolina is a quiet rural district best known for its hunting, fishing and, recently, a sensational murder trial. Now it is also a player in America’s new gold rush: a scramble for $1 trillion in federal tax incentives and loans for green energy that is fueling a flood of corporate investments and reshaping local economies.

☆ It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From small towns in Iowa and New Hampshire to the grand stages of interest groups’ conventions, the 2024 presidential campaign is underway, whether or not Americans are ready. The past week has brought at least four declared or likely candidates to New Hampshire, three to Iowa and one to South Carolina. Nine addressed the National Rifle Association’s annual forum in Indianapolis, and three attended a Republican donor retreat in Nashville. On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee, in a surprise to no one, chose Fox News to host the party’s first debate this August. The declared candidates filed their quarterly fund-raising reports late this week, revealing the first big campaign finance error of the season.

☆ Want a fixer-upper in Japan? You could nab one of millions of country houses for sale for just $25,000.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Japan has a glut of abandoned homes in rural areas and small towns. Japan has a glut of older, abandoned homes in rural areas, as Insider has previously reported. The country has at least 8.5 million such "akiya," the Japanese word for unoccupied home, according to government data from 2018. They're increasingly buying up these houses and restoring them, the New York Times reported. In 2020, he co-founded a real estate consultancy, called Akiya & Inaka, that markets and sells akiya and other traditional homes, the Times reported.

☆ Why banning TikTok could be a bad idea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Download Insider's app here. Screenshots from Lemon8 app, Ese Nuesiri / Shantania Beckford1. The rise of Lemon8 proves how pointless a TikTok ban would be. The US government wants to ban TikTok, but its parent company ByteDance is coming out with a new app aimed at the US market. Paayal writes that even if the US banned TikTok, Lemon8 would still exist.

☆ Cyclone Ilsa threatens to hit Western Australia as strongest storm in a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tourists staying along the portion of coast between Broome and Port Hedland have been told to move from the projected path of the storm. Broome and Port Hedland are relatively small towns with a combined population of around 30,000 people. Many people employed by the iron ore mines live and work in Port Hedland. On Tuesday, the Pilbara Port Authority said it was clearing boats from all berths in the inner harbor of the Port Hedland port, and urged recreational boat owners to secure their vessels. Darren Klemm, Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner of Western Australia, said it had been 10 years since a cyclone of that size had hit the WA coast.

☆ How TikTok became a 'gold mine' for dancers looking to get discovered and changed the way they make money
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"This app is a gold mine for artists like me who are still looking for their big break," Dharmapuram said. As TikTok has ascended, popular artists from Dua Lipa to Lizzo have integrated TikTok dances into their promotional strategies and seen their songs go viral. TikTok creators, professional dancers, choreographers, and dance companies who spoke with Insider said the app had changed the way they choreographed, helped them earn more money, and given them access to career opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. TikTok has also given dance companies and agents access to talent they otherwise wouldn't have known about. Even dance companies like American Ballet Theatre have gotten on the bandwagon.

☆ Question: How are some bars boosting profits? Answer: Trivia nights
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

In February, she begged friends to come to Talea's first trivia night, fearing only a few players would show up. NYC Trivia League, which hosts trivia at over 100 venues across New York City, recently surpassed its weekly event count from early 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Brooklyn Brewery has been hosting trivia nights with the NYC Trivia League since 2019. Bumpy road to recoveryWith so many new venues hosting trivia nights, Kostyo cautioned bars may "cannibalize each other" as more businesses try to plant their flag in the trivia space. On a trivia night, we are easily doubling our sales from the previous night.

☆ How TikTok has changed the dance industry, becoming a 'goldmine' for performers looking for their big breaks and driving choreography that fits the frame
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"This app is a goldmine for artists like me who are still looking for their big break," Dharmapuraum said. As TikTok has ascended, popular artists from Dua Lipa to Lizzo have integrated TikTok dances into their promotional strategies and seen their songs go viral. TikTok has also given dance companies and agents access to talent they otherwise wouldn't have known about. Even dance companies like American Ballet Theatre have gotten on the bandwagon. As more people have hopped on TikTok dance trends, creators, especially those of color, have called for proper crediting for choreography, which the app has tried to address with more tools.

☆ American, Delta, and United have collectively dropped 74 US airports since the pandemic — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Taylor Rains | Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have exited 74 airports since 2020. Some of the airports are in the Essential Air Service program and are now served by a new airline. In September 2022, the company's research revealed American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines had exited 59 airports. In total, American has left 19 airports, Delta has exited 17, and United has departed 38. American, Delta, and United have all cut routes in recent years, citing poor performance and the pilot shortage as contributing factors.

Humanity will prevail," Zelenskiy said, leading a ceremony at which the Ukrainian flag was raised in Bucha. Zelenskiy described Bucha as a "symbol of the atrocities" of Russian occupying forces. Fighting rages on in the east and south of Ukraine, where Russian forces hold swathes of territory captured after they invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian forces have dug in and held out for now in the city of Bakhmut and are expected to launch a counteroffensive soon. This is part of Russia's planned strategy to destroy Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation," he said.

San Francisco, like some of the country’s other big cities, saw its population decline slow down from mid-2021 to mid-2022. Big cities lost fewer residents last year as more immigrants moved in, fewer people died and more babies were born there, according to new census data that shows the urban exodus that gained steam early in the pandemic is cooling. The suburbs of big cities and small and medium-size metropolitan areas continued to claim most of the country’s growth, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of population estimates released Thursday for the year that ended June 30. Rural areas and small towns collectively remained nearly flat.

☆ I bought a crumbling Victorian townhouse for $18,000 and transformed it into my dream home — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Kiera Fields | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Betsy Sweeny bought a 3,025-square-foot crumbling Victorian house when she was 27 for only $18,000. Sweeny's living room during renovations. Betsy SweenySweeny's renovated living room with replica curved glass windows. It wanted staged after photos, so within 12 weeks, I finished one bathroom, the living room, the dining room, the foyer, and the exterior. The primary bedroom, living room, dining room, and baths were completely finished — the kitchen was ugly.

While Xiaomi remained focused on selling mobile phones under 10,000 rupees ($120), Indian consumers were willing to pay up for better looking models with richer features. According to Counterpoint, the market share of the sub-$120 phones in India fell to 26% in 2022 from 41% two years ago. And premium phones - priced above 30,000 ($360) - saw their share double to 11% in the same period. Xiaomi and Samsung both count India as a key growth market, with smartphones their top selling electronic device. And premium phones accounted for only 0%-1% of Xiaomi's total India phone shipments in the last two years, when Samsung's higher-end phones more than doubled their share to 13%, Counterpoint data showed.

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