DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Florida's school cellphone ban stokes controversy in Parkland
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( Bruna Horvath | Bruna Horvath Is An Intern On Nbc News' Tech Team. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Over the summer, Florida’s Broward County Public Schools made the decision to ban students from using cellphones and other communication devices for the entire school day. It's a particularly sensitive topic in Broward County after the 2018 Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which is in the district. Carline Dumoulin, a mother of two students at Broward’s Cypress Bay High School, is one of those signatories. Broward County school board member Debra Hixon was present at the meeting where the rule was approved, but had left before the vote. Last year, a video of several students fighting at West Broward High School circulated online, gaining thousands of views on X.

Persons: “ I’ve, ” Dominique Mayorga, Marjory Stoneman, Instagram, Dumoulin, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Rhona Wise, Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa, ” Alhadeff, “, Alhadeff, ”, Ron DeSantis, Debra Hixon, Hixon, Chris, Allen Zeman, ” Zeman, Max Schachter, Alex, ” Schachter, Marjory Stone, Leo Jimenez, Jimenez, it’s, ” Jimenez, they’re, ” Hixon, who’s, Zeman, Mayorga, Marlena, she’s, ” Marlena, there’s Organizations: Florida’s Broward County Public Schools, Parkland, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, High, Getty, Broward, Florida Gov, West Broward High School, National, Progress, Marjory Stone Douglas High School Public, NBC News, Cooper City High School, Broward County Schools, South Broward High School, Orange County Public Schools, Broward County Public Locations: Florida’s Broward, Broward County, Cypress, Parkland, Fla, U.S, Indiana, Ohio, California, Florida, Orange, lunchrooms

As of Thursday night, two tornado reports had been made in Indiana and five in Ohio, according to the Storm Prediction Center. More than 10,000 homes and businesses in Indiana and nearly 37,000 in Ohio were without power late Thursday night, according to PowerOutage.us. In Winchester, Indiana, state police were helping with search and rescue efforts after a tornado likely struck the area, and temporary shelters have been set up for residents, agency spokesperson Sgt. State police Superintendent Doug Carter described the storm in Winchester as a “terrible, terrible event” with many reports of significant injuries. The tornado reports in Indiana and Ohio came as a system of strong thunderstorms swept across parts of the central and eastern US on Thursday.

Persons: CNN —, Injuries, wouldn’t, Scott Keegan, Doug Carter, Carter, “, ”, Mary Rutan, David Crissman, Crissman, Alena Roberts, Mike Robbins, Robbins, CNN’s Taylor Ward, Raja Razek, Andy Rose, Jamiel Lynch, Jason Hanna Organizations: CNN, Storm Prediction, Authorities, Emergency Management Agency, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service, Mary Locations: Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Winchester , Indiana, Winchester, Selma , Indiana, Delaware, Ohio’s Auglaize, Logan, Wilmington , Ohio, Ohio’s Logan County, Indian Lake, Lakeview, Logan County, Bellefontaine, Parts, Mercer, Celina, Indiana and Ohio, Oklahoma , Arkansas, Missouri

A challenge to that ban is expected to come to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, though Planned Parenthood has been offering abortions since September based on a circuit court judge's interpretation of the law. As Wisconsin's attorney general, Schimel supported laws in Indiana and Ohio that limited abortion access. He also defended Republican-drawn legislative maps that are being challenged before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Before being elected attorney general, Schimel spent 25 years as a Waukesha County prosecutor. Bradley, 73, was first elected to the Supreme Court in 1995 and is the longest-serving justice on the court.

Persons: —, Brad Schimel, Ann Walsh Bradley, Bradley, Schimel, ”, Janet Protasiewicz, Donald Trump, Josh Kaul, Scott Walker, Protasiewicz's, ” Schimel, “ Organizations: Republican, Wisconsin Supreme, University of Wisconsin, Republicans Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin, Waukesha, Waukesha County, Indiana, Ohio

☆ Why doesn’t the US have more passenger trains?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Today, the United States’ passenger rail system is an echo of its former self, with swathes of the network unused or surrendered to freight. In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act, which removed the requirement that private rail companies provide passenger service. Mike Segar/ReutersBut many American towns and cities have lost access to passenger trains. Can passenger trains make a comeback? A passenger rides an Amtrak train passing near the Pacific Ocean on November 9, 2021 near Oceanside, California.

Persons: you’ll, Biden, ”, Miguel Medina, JP Morgan, Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Christian Wolmar, “, Yonah Freemark, Bing Guan, Freemark, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Harvey Weber, Paul Hammond, Hammond, Richard Nixon, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Mike Segar, Ulysses S, Grant, Al Drago, Joe Biden, ” Freemark, Robert Puentes, It’s, ” Puentes, Mario Tama, Brightline, Carline Jean, Tony Coscia Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Washington , D.C, Brightline, Miami, US Department of Transportation, du, Getty, Amtrak, US, Transcontinental Railroad, Central Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad, Railroad, CNN, Bloomberg, United States Senate, Newsday, Colorado Railroad Museum, Rail, Service, Hall, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Washington DC, Eno Center for Transportation, Private, Las, Passengers, West Palm Beach, Fort, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Tribune Locations: Europe, Asia, America, United States, Boston, Washington ,, Orlando, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Swedish, Paris, AFP, France, Japan, China, Promontory Point , Utah, Compton , California, American, Levittown , New York, Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Indiana, Ohio, Baltimore, Baltimore , Maryland, Potomac, Delaware, Oceanside , California, South Florida, Las Vegas, West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, South

Three of the 11 Crop Watch producers increased their corn yield expectations this week, the most notable coming in eastern Iowa. A 3.77 for average Crop Watch corn yield is still below what was expected in July and August, and it would land above the 2022 yield but below that of 2021. Producers in Indiana and western Iowa also increased their Crop Watch corn expectations this week based on results from other fields. Final Crop Watch soybean yield for 2023 is likely to end at 3.5, up from 3.48 a week earlier. Only five of the 22 Crop Watch fields have yet to be touched, all corn: Both Dakotas, western Iowa, Indiana and Ohio.

Persons: Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: . Crop Watch, Crop Watch, Producers, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, Kingsbury , South Dakota, Freeborn , Minnesota, Burt , Nebraska, Rice , Kansas, Audubon , Iowa, Cedar , Iowa, Warren , Illinois, Crawford , Illinois, Tippecanoe , Indiana, Fairfield , Ohio, The North Dakota, Griggs County, Stutsman County

☆ GM furloughs another 160 workers due to UAW strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Striking United Auto Workers (UAW) members from the General Motors Lansing Delta Plant picket in Delta Township, Michigan U.S. September 29, 2023. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 2 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) said Monday it was indefinitely laying off about 160 workers at plants in Indiana and Ohio because of the impact of the United Auto Workers strike on some facilities. The UAW on Friday said it would strike at GM's Lansing Delta Township assembly plant that makes the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs after previously striking at GM's Missouri assembly plant and 18 parts distribution centers. The new GM furloughs include 130 at its Parma, Ohio Metal Center and 34 at its Marion, Indiana Metal Center. The UAW strike on Monday was entering its 18th day after the chief executives of GM and Ford blasted the UAW on Friday, hours after the union escalated the strike.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Shawn Fain, Mary Barra, Jim Farley, David Shepardson, Ed Osmond, Bernadette Baum Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, General Motors Lansing Delta Plant, Michigan U.S, REUTERS, General Motors, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Detroit automaker, GM, Ohio Metal Center, Marion , Indiana Metal Center, Detroit, Ford, Chrysler, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Delta Township, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, GM's Lansing Delta, GM's Missouri, Fairfax , Kansas, Parma, Marion ,, Lansing, Chicago

Nine of the 11 Crop Watch corn fields should be tasseling within the next 10 days or so. Although cool July weather generally supports big crop yields, a couple of the Crop Watch producers mentioned that their fields could benefit from some heat and sun. The weekly increase was Crop Watch corn’s largest since late June 2021, when much-needed rain finally fell in the central Corn Belt. Soybean conditions jumped to 4.05 from 3.73 in the prior week, Crop Watch beans’ biggest-ever weekly improvement but similar to that same week in June 2021. Photos of the Crop Watch fields can be tracked on my Twitter feed using handle @kannbwx.

Persons: Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Crop, Crop Watch, U.S . Department of, Watch, Southeastern Illinois, Nebraska, South, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Ohio, North Dakota, Nebraska , Kansas, Indiana, Illinois . North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota , Kansas, Illinois, North Dakota , Kansas , Indiana, Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kingsbury , South Dakota, Freeborn , Minnesota, Burt , Nebraska, Rice , Kansas, Audubon , Iowa, Cedar , Iowa, Warren , Illinois, Crawford , Illinois, Tippecanoe , Indiana, Fairfield , Ohio, The North Dakota, Griggs County, Stutsman County

Each week the Crop Watch producers assign condition scores to their fields on a 1-to-5 scale. Crop Watch conditions do not incorporate yield assumptions, which will come later in the season. The North Dakota corn is in Griggs County and the soybeans are in Stutsman. Photos of the Crop Watch fields can be tracked on my Twitter feed using handle @kannbwx. Crop Watch 2023 ProducersKaren Braun is a market analyst for Reuters.

Persons: Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Crop, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, South, Kansas, Indiana, Producers, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, U.S, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, Indiana , Illinois , Iowa, Kingsbury , South Dakota, Freeborn , Minnesota, Burt , Nebraska, Rice , Kansas, Audubon , Iowa, Cedar , Iowa, Warren , Illinois, Crawford , Illinois, Tippecanoe , Indiana, Fairfield , Ohio, The North Dakota, Griggs County

☆ US labor market cooling; leading indicator flashes recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Though measured, the loss of labor market momentum added to slumping retail sales and manufacturing activity in heightening the risks of a recession as soon as the second half of the year. Jobless claimsNevertheless, the labor market is fraying around the edges. It also said contacts reported the labor market becoming less tight, noting "a small number of firms reported mass layoffs," which were "centered at a subset of the largest companies." Philly FedDespite cracks in the labor market, economists did not expect widespread job losses. The claims data covered the period during which the government surveyed business establishments for the nonfarm payrolls portion of April's employment report.

Florida could soon become the 26th state to allow individuals to carry concealed loaded guns anywhere without permits — a growing trend that has alarmed gun safety groups. “Constitutional carry” and “permitless carry” laws eliminate the requirement. Permitless carry laws get rid of that requirement. “Permitless carry causes harm, and there is data to prove it,” said Shannon Watts, a board member at the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety. She pointed to multiple studies showing that states that have implemented permitless carry have had upticks in both gun violence and police shootings.

☆ Abortion rights are on the ballot in these states. Here's what you need to know for the midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Michigan is poised to become a safe haven of constitutionally protected abortion rights in the Midwest, where access is shrinking. Democrats have made abortion rights central to their campaign to maintain control of Congress and expand their majorities in the midterms. This means reinstating abortion rights at the federal level is unlikely in the near term. Kansas, which is also a very conservative state, resoundingly rejected a ballot measure in August that would have stripped abortion rights from its state constitution. MichiganIn Michigan, voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to protect not just abortion but reproductive rights broadly.

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Oct 27 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden contrasted his economic plan with Republicans' on Thursday in a last-ditch effort days before U.S. midterm elections to convince voters that Democrats are best equipped to battle inflation and create jobs. "The previous president made a string of broken promises in places like Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio," Biden said. "I would argue it's reckless and irresponsible and will make inflation worse, if they succeed," Biden said. His trip comes at a time when the White House optimism that Democrats could buck history and retain control of one or both houses of Congress has waned. Voters identify rising prices as their biggest concern amid inflation that has hit four-decade highs.

☆ A merger with Albertsons could bring Kroger's tech initiatives, like automated warehouses and smart carts, to over 5,000 locations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Kroger is building its own tech infrastructure, including automated warehouses for delivery orders. Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. Another partnership, this one with the autonomous-car startup Nuro, has stationed self-driving vehicles to deliver grocery orders in certain cities since 2018.

☆ Abortion: Clinics in 14 of 15 states have stopped providing services, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The survey found that among 15 states that were enforcing either total abortion bans or near-total abortion bans between the decision and October 2, nearly two-thirds of clinics that once provided abortion care – 66 of 79 – had been forced to stop offering abortion services. That means there are no providers offering abortions in 14 of the 15 states, says Rachel Jones, principal research scientist at Guttmacher. The 15 states included in the survey are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The impacts of these closures are being felt far beyond these 15 states. States where abortions are still legal have seen large influxes of people who are traveling to get the procedure.

However, cooler temperatures this week in eastern areas could slow things down, which was already a factor this past week for the Crop Watch locations in Indiana and Ohio. The Kansas Crop Watch location got more than an inch of rain this past week, helpful for winter wheat planting prospects. The 11 Crop Watch corn fields were planted an average of 11 days later than in 2021 and the soybeans 12 days later. The 2019 season also featured similar challenges, but soybeans were the bigger problem that year for the Crop Watch producers. Photos of the Crop Watch fields can be tracked on my Twitter feed using handle @kannbwx.

☆ Kroger is doubling down on its subscription delivery business as it weans itself off of Instacart. Here's a rundown of its other initiatives, from ghost kitchens to smart carts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. ClusterTruckGhost kitchensIn December 2019, Kroger began improving its prepared meals offering by partnering with ghost kitchen startup ClusterTruck. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. But the firm, which tracks where consumers shop, said Kroger stores with the ghost kitchens are seeing an uptick in visits compared to neighboring Kroger branches.

Search resuls for: "Indiana and Ohio"

16 mentions found