Chemical plant fire in Georgia forces 90,000 residents to take shelter | Fast Company

October 1, 2024September 30, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.

The haze and chemical smell had spread to Atlanta by Monday morning, prompting firefighters to use detectors to check the quality of air in various parts of the city, Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Closer to the source of the fire, officials said chlorine, a harmful irritant, had been detected in the air from the fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, the Rockdale County government said in statement early Monday. The plant is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of downtown Atlanta.

Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets | Small Business Trends

September 27, 2024September 26, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa, accusing the company of monopolizing debit network markets in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Visa’s dominance in the debit network markets has allowed it to maintain a monopoly through exclusionary and anticompetitive conduct, undermining choice and innovation in payment systems.

According to the complaint, Visa controls over 60% of debit transactions in the United States, generating more than $7 billion in fees annually from processing these transactions. The Justice Department claims Visa illegally uses its dominance to stifle competition by imposing restrictive agreements on merchants and banks, penalizing them for using alternative debit networks. These practices allegedly protect Visa’s market position and prevent the growth of smaller, lower-priced competitors.

“We allege that Visa has unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Merchants and banks pass along those costs to consumers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service. As a result, Visa’s unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing – but the price of nearly everything.”

Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down Illinois Tax Preparer | Small Business Trends

September 27, 2024September 26, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A federal court in the Northern District of Illinois has permanently enjoined Sir Michael Joseph Davenport, a tax preparer from Joliet, Illinois, and his company, My Unity Tax Financial & Tax Preparation LLC (My Unity Tax), from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Davenport is also barred from owning or operating any tax return preparation businesses in the future. The permanent injunction was agreed to by Davenport and his business.

The civil complaint filed in this case alleges that Davenport and My Unity Tax prepared false and fraudulent federal tax returns with the intent to reduce customers’ tax liabilities or obtain undeserved tax refunds. The complaint claims that Davenport and his company regularly reported fictitious businesses, minimal or no income, and fabricated or manipulated expenses on customers’ tax returns to fraudulently reduce taxable income. According to the complaint, many of these businesses did not exist.

US to ban Chinese tech in cars | BBC News

September 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The US is planning to ban certain hardware and software made in China and Russia from cars, trucks, and buses in the US due to security risks.

Officials said they were worried that the technology in question, used for autonomous driving and to connect cars to other networks could allow enemies to “remotely manipulate cars on American roads”.

There is currently minimal use of Chinese or Russian-made software in American cars.

But Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the plans were “targeted, proactive” steps to protect the US.

SpaceX disputes $633K FAA fine, citing ‘systematic challenges’ with agency | TechCrunch

September 20, 2024September 19, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

SpaceX sent a letter to top congressional leaders on Wednesday denying allegations that it violated its launch licenses on two separate occasions last year, which has resulted in regulators seeking $633,009 in penalties from the company.

Instead, the company asserts that the inability of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) to process “relatively minor” license updates is further proof that the agency is unable to keep pace with the space industry’s — but chiefly SpaceX’s — rapid growth.

Apple Intelligence is now live in public beta. Here’s what it offers and how to enable it. | TechCrunch

September 20, 2024September 19, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Apple Intelligence took another major step toward mainstream availability Thursday with the launch of the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 public betas.

Starting Thursday, those who are enrolled in Apple’s public beta program will be able to experience the generative AI-fueled platform the company has been talking up since June.

For the time being, Apple Intelligence is only available in U.S. English. The feature is also indefinitely unavailable in both the EU and the People’s Republic of China, owing to regulatory hurdles. Those in the States can access the feature with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any member of the newly unveiled iPhone 16 line.

Brexit is ‘stifling’ Britain’s trade with Europe and the problem is getting worse | CNN Business

September 17, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Brexit is having “profound and ongoing stifling effects” on goods trade between the United Kingdom and the European Union, according to a new report that adds to evidence of the economic damage wrought by Britain’s exit from the world’s largest trading bloc.

Researchers at Aston University in England estimated that between 2021 and 2023, annual UK exports of goods to the EU were 17% lower than they would have been had Brexit never happened. Exports in most sectors have decreased since 2021, according to the report.

“The study highlights that the negative impacts of (Brexit) have intensified over time, with 2023 showing more pronounced trade declines than previous years,” the researchers wrote in the paper published Tuesday.

Southern California wildfires burn homes and ski resort | Fast Company

September 12, 2024September 11, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Two Southern California wildfires torched dozens of mountain homes, tore through a ski resort, and forced thousands to evacuate in towns and cities east of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Around 40 homes and cabins burned in the villages of Mount Baldy and Wrightwood, and flames swept through the nearby Mountain High ski resort in San Bernardino County, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

The blaze, named the Bridge Fire, exploded to more than 48,000 acres, becoming the largest in the state and one of four burning within sight of each other. The Southern California fires have blackened 105,000-plus acres of scrub, brush, and forest, an area a third the size of Los Angeles.

NFIB Jobs Report: Small Business Job Growth Stalls in August | Small Business Trends

September 10, 2024September 9, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

According to the latest NFIB Jobs Report, small business job openings remained high in August, with 40% of business owners reporting positions they could not fill, up two points from July. Labor quality concerns also grew, with 21% of owners citing it as their top issue, the highest level reported since January 2024.

“Job openings on Main Street remain historically high as small business owners continue to lament the lack of qualified applicants for their open positions,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.

In August, 62% of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire, an increase of five points from July. However, 56% of those hiring reported few or no qualified applicants for open positions, with 31% seeing few qualified candidates and 25% seeing none.