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CNN —Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday night, making landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm. The intense hurricane spawned tornadoes, dumped rain across much of the state, left millions without power and claimed at least 12 lives, including five people in St. Lucie County. Milton is the third hurricane to hit Florida this year — which has only happened during five other hurricane seasons since 1871. Many areas in Florida are also recovering from the aftermath of a Milton-spurred torrent “supercharged” tornadoes, according to National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan. Milton was the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the United States this year, joining Category 1 Beryl, Category 1 Debby, Category 2 Francine and Category 4 Helene.

Persons: Hurricane Milton, Lucie County, Helene, Deanne Criswell, Michael Brennan, “ We’ve, Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin, CNN’s Jim Acosta, “, I’ve, Hurricane Irma, Milton, Beryl, Debby, Francine Organizations: CNN, Hurricane, NASA, Climate, FEMA, National Hurricane Center, National Weather Services Locations: Coast, St, Lucie, Siesta, Milton, Florida, Gulf, Mexico, St . Petersburg, Hillsborough, Lucie County, Port St, Tampa Bay , Melbourne, Miami, Hurricane, Hardee, Highlands, Tampa, Petersburg, Sarasota, United States

☆ ‘Just too burnt out’: Child care crisis crunches providers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Meena Duerson | Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Nationwide, the average yearly cost of care rose to $11,582 per child last year, according to Child Care Aware of America’s latest annual report. The basic costs of employing enough staff to comply with legal and safety requirements in child care centers are already high. The typical hourly wage for a child care worker in Wisconsin is $13.78, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Facing a “child care cliff”The historic $24 billion federal investment helped more than 225,000 providers nationwide — or more than 8 in 10 licensed child care centers — and affected as many as 10 million children. My First Adventure Child Care and Preschool serves 60 families but will close this summer.

Persons: Susan Elandt, ” Elandt, I’m, “ It’s, “, Elandt, what’s, ”, Lydia Higgins, Higgins, ” Higgins, she’s Organizations: CNN, Nationwide, of Columbia, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Century Foundation Locations: Waupaca , Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Waupaca

FORT LAWN, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina state Sen. Mike Fanning likes to talk to people. Politically, South Carolina varies from its neighbors. No explanation is offered for the inertia, which leaves South Carolina and Wyoming as the only states in the nation without such a law. South Carolina Republicans, meanwhile, have taken advantage of the changing national priorities of both parties. They took over the South Carolina Senate in 2000 by getting a Democrat to switch parties.

Persons: Sen, Mike Fanning, he's, Fanning, Jim Clyburn, Republicans —, “ I'm, “, hasn’t, Shane Massey, “ Ole Yella, ” Fanning, —, Franklin Roosevelt, Strom Thurmond's, Jaime Harrison, Lindsey Graham, Harrison, Joe Cunningham, Henry McMaster, Cunningham, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, It's, Drew McKissick, ” McKissick, McKissick, Todd Hardee, David Beasley, Hardee, Biden, ” Organizations: —, Democrat, Democratic, Republican, Chevrolet, Democratic U.S, Republicans, South Carolina Republicans, GOP, Columbia, Old, Senate, Democratic Party, South Carolina voters, State Democratic Party, U.S, Democrats, South Carolina House, South Carolina Senate, South Carolina Republican, Trump Locations: — South Carolina, Great Falls, Washington, South Carolina, Charlotte , North Carolina, Columbia, Georgia, North Carolina, Palmetto, Black, Fanning’s, Fanning's, Wyoming, Rock Hill, Spain, U.S, Charleston, South, Darlington

Jones mandated Black majorities in one additional congressional district, two additional state Senate districts and five additional state House districts. Political Cartoons View All 1277 Images“A minority opportunity district must be a district where a single racial group is a majority," Echols said Monday. “District 7 was a minority opportunity district in our view. Besides congressional districts, minority coalitions could also be an issue in Georgia’s new state legislative maps, which are moving toward final passage. “And it’s all over this map from District 10 to congressional District 7.

Persons: Rep Lucy McBath, Steve Jones, Jones, Shelly Echols, Echols, ”, Ken Lawler, McBath, Carolyn Bordeaux, Sen, Tonya Anderson Organizations: ATLANTA, Georgia Republicans, U.S, Supreme, Democratic U.S, Rep, District, Gainesville Republican, Circuit, Appeals, Democratic, Republicans, Democrat Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia's, ”, Gainesville, U.S, Florida, Alabama, Hardee County , Florida, Gwinnett County, Fulton County, Cobb, Douglas, Fulton, Fayette counties, “, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Galveston County , Texas, Michigan, Atlanta’s, Five

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers' improbable comeback from a torn Achilles tendon has taken the next step. The New York Jets opened the 21-day practice window for the quarterback on Wednesday — exactly 11 weeks after he had surgery — with Rodgers cleared for some football activities. Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut with the Jets on Sept. 11 and had surgery two days later. Sure, but that's OK. That's his ‘why’ — that's why he's (doing it). “I promise Aaron is not going to do anything that puts himself in harm’s way if he's not healthy to play,” Saleh said.

Persons: — Aaron Rodgers, Rodgers, Robert Saleh, Saleh, there's, Aaron, ” Saleh, ”, “, He's, Mekhi Becton, Achilles, Pat McAfee, “ It’s, Tim Boyle, Zach Wilson, Cam Akers, Justin Hardee, Wes Schweitzer, Allen Lazard, ___ Organizations: New York Jets, Jets, Washington, ”, warmups, AFC, NFC, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, Super, Atlanta Locations: FLORHAM, N.J

☆ Subway's CEO eats at the chain 3 times a week. His favorite sandwich is the Turkey Cali Club.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Subway CEO John Chidsey told the WSJ he eats at the chain three times a week. His favourite sandwiches are the Turkey Cali Club and its controversial tuna sub. John Chidsey, who's served as CEO of the sandwich chain since 2019, eats there about three times a week, he told The Wall Street Journal. Chidsey told The Journal that his favorite sandwich on Subway's menu is the Turkey Cali Club, which is made with turkey, bacon, mozzarella, smashed avocado, and salad and released as part of its menu overhaul. He told CNN in 2021 that his other favorite sub from the chain was its controversial tuna sandwich.

Persons: John Chidsey, —, who's, Chidsey, Fries, Chris Kempczinski, Andrew Puzder, Carl's Jr, Greg Brenneman Organizations: Turkey Cali Club, Service, Wall Street, CNN, Burger King Locations: Turkey, Miami

☆ Fast food chains are improving their drive-thru speed, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Wendy’s saw a reduction in 88 seconds, Chick-fil-A by 73 and Carl’s Jr. by 43. Fast food giants have been racing to improve their drive-thrus in a race to speed up service. Service time also decreased by 4 seconds, while total drive-thru time decreased by 29 seconds. But Chick-fil-A continued to dominate in fastest total time by car, which divides the average total time by the average cars in line. McDonald’s test location lagged behind in accuracy compared to other fast food restaurants, the survey found.

Persons: Carl’s Jr, Dunkin ’, Sarah Beckett, Taco Bell, Dunkin Organizations: New, New York CNN, Intouch, KFC, Taco Bell, Intouch Insight, Bell, Taco, Intelligence Locations: New York, White, Wendy’s, Burger, Brooklyn Park , Minnesota, Fort Worth , Texas

☆ Fast-food drive-thru lanes speed up as fewer drivers wait in line
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fast-food drive-thru lanes are speeding up as fewer customers choose to order their meals and milkshakes sitting in their car, according to an annual study by Intouch Insight released Monday. The average total time spent in a drive-thru lane shrank by 29 seconds this year. In other words, Carl's Jr and Yum Brands' Taco Bell and KFC were only speedier because their drive-thru lanes weren't as popular. But across the board, drive-thru lanes have waned in demand since the pandemic began. Despite those efforts, this year's total drive-thru times still lag 2019 times by 15 seconds.

Persons: Carl's Jr, Dunkin, Taco, Wendy's, Carl's Organizations: Intouch, KFC, Taco Bell, Yum Brands, Bell, Taco Locations: Arby's, Burger, Fort Worth, Taco Bell, Brooklyn Park , Minnesota

☆ The email templates an HBCU student-athlete who's landed 86 NIL deals has used to pitch brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Eastbay deal gave Smith a bigger audience, leading to partnerships with companies including Coach, Heydude, Boost Mobile, and Hardee's. He mixes up his content with get-ready-with-me and workout videos, and posts about football, track, comedy — or his NIL deals. "People say they want NIL deals," Smith said, "but don't post on social media … Well, to get NIL deals, you have to post. "Don't let anybody tell you you can't get NIL deals at a smaller school," Smith said he tells other student-athletes. He said he's cofounding a new NIL marketplace that he plans to release this fall, hoping to specifically connect HBCU athletes with brand deals.

Persons: Rayquan Smith, Smith, He's, he's, That's, who's, hasn't, I'm Organizations: Norfolk State, Smart, Boost Mobile, Twitter, Eastern Athletic Conference, Virginia State University, Black Sports Locations: TikTok, Instagram

☆ From taking orders to cutting avocados, AI is solving the labor shortage problem for fast-food chains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Checkers & Rally'sLast year, Checkers & Rally's became one of the first big chains to implement widespread use of AI-powered voice assistants. Out of the 803 Checkers and Rally's restaurants, voice AI was live in 390 as of August. AdvertisementAdvertisementSoundHound, best known as a music-recognition app, has spent years perfecting its conversational voice AI bots. Sister burger chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's also announced plans to test Presto's AI voice bots this year. Hardee's and Carl's Jr. are also testing voice AI bots by OpenCity.

Persons: DoorDash, Deloitte, Keyvan Mohajer, it's, Mohajer, Schier, Rally's, Domino's, ConverseNow, SoundHound, SoundHound's Mohajer, Beef, Chippy, Rebecca Harrington, McDonald's, Carl's Jr, Del, Carl's, Hardee's, Presto, Taco, Chris Turner, Turner, Taco Bell Organizations: Service, Chipotle, Industry, National Restaurant Association, Deloitte, Wingstop Tech, Anthony's, Slim, Dialog, Taco Bell, Taco, Yum Brands Locations: White, Wall, Silicon, McDonald's, Texas, California , Texas, Florida, Chicago, Thai, Newport Beach , California, Del Taco, Mexican, Southern California, Taco Bell's

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man already charged with murder has been indicted for the killing of a Lyft driver whose car he allegedly stole in an attempt to escape, authorities announced Wednesday. An Okeechobee County grand jury this week indicted Mathew Flores with first-degree murder and armed robbery for the Jan. 30 slaying of 74-year-old Gary Levin. Flores is being held without bail on both murder charges. Levin's body was found five days after his slaying by investigators who retraced his ride with Flores, Lawson said. Lawson said that because Flores was in custody for the Martinez slaying, there was no need to bring charges quickly in the Levin case.

Persons: Mathew Flores, Gary Levin, Flores, Levin, Kia, Eli Lawson, Jose Carlos Martinez, “ Mathew Scott Flores, ” Lawson, Martinez, Christopher Boldt, Lawson, “ Organizations: Police, Florida Department of Law, Associated Press Locations: BOYNTON BEACH, Fla, Florida, Okeechobee County, Palm Beach County, Lake Okeechobee, North Carolina, Hardee County, Orlando, U.S, Asheville

Hostess, the maker of snack classics like Twinkies and HoHos, is being sold to J.M. Hostess Brands Inc. shareholders will receive $30 in cash and 0.03002 shares of The J.M. Smucker Co. stock for each share of stock that they own. The rest, including Twinkies and other Hostess cakes, was acquired by Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo, for $410 million. Smucker Co. and Hostess have both approved the deal, which is expected to close in Smucker's fiscal third quarter.

Persons: Andy Callahan, Twinkies, Hostess, XX, Wonder, Leon Black, Carl’s, Chef Boyardee, Bee, Morgan Stanley's Pam Kaufman Organizations: Hostess Brands Inc, Associated Press, Flowers Foods, McKee Foods, Metropoulos, Apollo Global Management, Pabst Brewing Co, Hostess Locations: Smucker, America, , Kansas

☆ I tried IHOP's new biscuits. It's clear Chick-fil-A and Cracker Barrel have nothing to worry about.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The chain's latest expansion includes its first biscuit menu. We tried the sweet and savory biscuits to see whether they would entice newcomers to the brand. But it is going out on a limb with biscuits, entering a food category with some fierce competitors, such as Chick-fil-A, Cracker Barrel, and Hardee's. The chain's new biscuit lineup includes a breakfast biscuit sandwich, a chicken biscuit sandwich, a strawberries-and cream biscuit, and biscuits and gravy. I even went behind the scenes at Carl's Jr. years ago to learn how it made its scratch biscuits.

Persons: IHOP, it's, Kieran Donahue, Carl's Jr Organizations: Service, Biscuits, Dine Brands Locations: Wall, Silicon, Nashville , Tennessee, Charleston , South Carolina

☆ AI Fuels New Brand-Safety Worries, and Would-Be Solutions, for Marketers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Across the country AI chatbots are now taking fast-food drive-thru orders. WSJ’s Joanna Stern put the tech through a series of tests at a Hardee’s—including blasting dog barking sounds and asking some crazy questions. Generative artificial intelligence has captivated marketers’ attention by promising to help them conduct research and produce campaigns more efficiently. But it is also poised to further complicate some of their most thankless tasks, such as ensuring that their ads run only near content they want and that their digital marketing materials stay on-brand.

Persons: WSJ’s Joanna Stern

☆ How restaurants such as Panera and Chipotle are dipping into A.I. to streamline food prep and ordering
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

From drive-thru to back-of-house operations to predictive ordering for consumers, restaurant brands are starting to pilot artificial intelligence to streamline food service. McDonald's , for its part, sold McD Tech Labs to IBM in 2021, entering a strategic partnership to help bring AI technology to drive-thru lanes. McD Tech Labs, which was formerly known as Apprente before McDonald's acquired it, used AI to understand drive-thru orders. Del Taco is also using voice-activated AI for orders at its drive-thru, as is Wingstop for orders placed by phone. For Panera, it's a question of, "How do we redeploy our people to higher value, higher quality guest experiences," said Chief Digital Officer George Hanson.

Persons: there's, TD Cowen, Andrew Charles, Cowen, Charles ., Carl's Jr, CKE, Dragontail, McDonald's, George Hanson, Hanson Organizations: National Restaurant Association, Presto, Brands, Tech Labs, IBM, Miso Robotics, CNBC Locations: U.S, Del

☆ AI drive-thrus may be good for business. But not for the rest of us
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New AI technology at the drive-thru at a Carl's Jr. location. In real-world situations, reactions to AI drive-thrus are still mixed. “We expect AI to augment the competitive advantages of restaurants with digital culture.”Short-staffed restaurants may see AI as a way to fill in the gaps. “There aren’t enough at-scale examples of voice AI in action, especially in this use case,” to say that people would prefer AI to an employee, said McAllister. By the time those examples exist, AI in drive-thrus may already be the norm.

Persons: CKE, Carl’s Jr, Wendy’s, Joel Angel Juarez, it’s, ” Thomas Kurian, ”, Christina McAllister, Forrester, upsells, Krishna Gupta, Presto, “, Todd Penegor, Penegor, Yong Suk Lee, “ it’s, Brandon Bell, McAllister Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, USA, Wall Street, Indiana White, Wall Street Journal, Presto Automation, CKE, Presto, Presto Voice, University of Notre Dame, Intouch Locations: New York, White, Wendy’s, Columbus , Ohio, The Republic

☆ I applied to McDonald's and 4 other fast food jobs, but the chatbots and automated process made it impossible for me to get hired
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Amanda Claypool | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Over the past few months, I've applied to five fast food jobs: Crumbl Cookies, McDonald's, Wendy's, Hardee's, and Waffle House. Unfortunately, the jobs that made me apply with AI chatbots left me annoyed and uncertain. The automated application process at Crumbl Cookies seems short, but it wasn't easyI applied to be a baker at Crumbl Cookies. McDonald's uses AI chatbots to automate its hiring process, but it made things more complicatedI applied to McDonald's and answered the questions the chatbot named Olivia asked me. To be fair, AI chatbots can make it easier to screen applicants and schedule interviews.

Persons: Amanda Claypool, —, I've, Claypool, chatbots, McDonald's, Olivia, they're, chatbot, wouldn't, didn't Organizations: Waffle, Service, Waffle House, House Locations: United States, McDonald's

☆ Carl's Jr. and Hardee's to roll out Presto's A.I. drive-thru ordering nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations will roll out automated drive-thru ordering nationwide using Presto's artificial intelligence software. Together, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have about 2,800 restaurants across 44 U.S. states. Hardee's locations are mostly in the Midwest and South, while Carl's Jr. restaurants are found in the West. CKE tested the software last year at a handful of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations. CKE operates about 250 of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants, while franchisees run the rest.

☆ Mixed emotions as McDonald's leaves Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Workers remove the logo signage from a restaurant of McDonald's in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 6, 2023. Food Solutions KZ, the Kazakh licensee of McDonald's Corp, will no longer operate under the U.S. corporation's brand due to supply issues. "I doubt any other company will be able to compete with McDonald's in Kazakhstan at the moment as no other fast food chain can replicate the menu that McDonald's had for the same price." Many Kazakhs, proud of their meat-focused cuisine, expressed incredulity that McDonald's Kazakh licensee, Food Solutions KZ, could not source its beef patties locally and imported them from Russia until the war forced it to stop and ultimately shut down. Food Solutions did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

K9s for Warriors, an organization that has rescued over 1,500 dogs from shelters and trained them as service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, matched Romero with Puppy — an Australian shepherd — in June. His wife, Brenda, who is a nurse practitioner in psychiatry, encouraged him to apply for a service dog. So far, O’Haire said, research based on participants from K9s for Warriors is showing that veterans with service dogs are struggling significantly less. And for those who are employed, there’s five times less absenteeism from work due to health.”But getting a service dog for veterans with PTSD is still a challenge. “The waitlist for service dogs on average tends to be two years.

☆ MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he was late to a conservative event because a door on his private jet fell off
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lindell told Insider he was traveling from Texas to Missouri when a luggage storage door fell off. "I was supposed to be here earlier, but actually, uh, the plane door fell off of my plane on the ground," Lindell said to laughter from the audience. Then we got it back on, and it took another day when we got back to the shop to complete the intensive check," Lindell told Insider. "I gave her a ride — on the cyber symposium, I give rides from people all over the country," Lindell told 9News. The seizure was linked to the investigation into Peters, Lindell told Insider.

☆ From Chick-fil-A to Taco Bell, these are the fastest and slowest fast food drive-thrus in America
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

But as fast food connoisseurs know, not all chains are created equal. The fried chicken chain has the slowest average drive-thru experience at 8 minutes and 29 seconds. The fastest, on the other hand, was KFC, which got customers in and out in an average of 5 minutes and 2 seconds. That's according to the 22nd annual Drive-Thru Study from QSR and Intouch Insights, which assessed the 10 top fast food franchises in categories including service, speed and accuracy by analyzing 1,500 orders. In addition to the top chicken slingers, the survey also assessed hundreds of orders from the drive-thru windows of McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Dunkin', Arby's, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants.

☆ Four people plead guilty in North Carolina ballot probe of 2016 and 2018 elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

RALEIGH, N.C. — Four people pleaded guilty on Monday to misdemeanors for their roles in absentee ballot fraud in rural North Carolina during the 2016 and 2018 elections. It is generally against the law in North Carolina for anyone other than the voter or a family member to handle someone’s completed ballot. The state investigation also led to charges of similar absentee ballot activities in Bladen for the 2016 general election and 2018 primary. Each of the four originally had been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit felony obstruction of justice and possessing illegally an absentee ballot that belonged to someone else. Hendrix, who was indicted for both the 2016 and 2018 elections, met Dowless while she worked at a Hardee’s in Bladen County, according to Freeman.

☆ An appeals court decision against Donald Trump came back to bite MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in a separate case
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A judge rejected MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's request for DOJ to return his seized cellphone. The judge cited an appeals court decision against Trump in his lawsuit over the Mar-a-Lago search. Trump appointed Judge Eric Tostrud, who denied Lindell's bid to get his phone back. Ruling against Lindell, Tostrud did not have to look far to find legal precedent backing up his conclusion that the phone should remain in the Justice Department's hands. Rarely does an appeals court decision so rapidly grow legs that it is cited in a separate case within 24 hours.

Goodman told jurors that he’d been with the Capitol Police for 15 years and he previously was deployed to Iraq for the U.S. Army. Footage released during Trump's second impeachment trial showed Goodman directing Romney to turn around just after the mob had breached the building. The Senate chamber itself went through sweeps by K-9s and bomb squads so that Congress could resume its work, Goodman said. He told jurors to expect to see video of Jensen telling officers to do their job throughout the trial. The FBI has arrested more than 850 defendants in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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