On Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s public calendar this week, one item might have stood out to Seattleites: a Wednesday meeting with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol.

Ferguson’s office declined to share the agenda, but it almost certainly included Starbucks’ big new office in Nashville, Tennessee, where taxes are lower and where the Seattle-...Read more

This is the season when David Benowitz is mulling a new menu — and higher prices — at his family of Twin Cities neighborhood restaurants.

The twice-yearly refresh has often been a chance to pass rising costs, from food and alcohol to insurance and wages, on to customers. But this time around, the Craft & Crew Hospitality co-owner said, his ...Read more

It’s been a rough decade for Nissan Motor Corp. as sales plummeted 40% in the United States, CEO Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan, and the brand’s planned EV transformation, beginning with the Ariya SUV, flopped.

So for the 2027 model year, Nissan is going back to basics — beginning with the return of the dirt-chewing, Mississippi-...Read more

HOLLY, Michigan — When I was a kid, I’d spin toy tanks in my sandbox, slinging sand while mimicking real tank turns. WHEEE! As I’ve grown older, my sandboxes have gotten bigger.

At Holly Oaks ORV Park, I stopped my 2026 Rivian R1T Quad pickup in the dirt and selected ALL-TERRAIN mode in the 15.6-inch console screen. I selected the KICK ...Read more

It’s been nearly a decade since California voters legalized recreational cannabis, but production and sales remain outlawed in most of the state — and the black market dominates.

In fact, eight times more marijuana is cultivated illegally than through approved channels. It’s a far cry from the vision of Prop. 64, the 2016 ballot ...Read more

If your recent encounter with the IRS has left you feeling like a medieval peasant who just paid tribute in both coin and dignity, yet you still require modern transportation, take heart. There is a brand-new automobile with an MSRP that doesn’t require having to auction off a kidney. It’s the 2026 Hyundai Venue, proof that the modern auto ...Read more

As gas prices soared in California last month, Irvine resident Marc Tan realized his Mercedes SUV was getting too expensive to refuel.

He decided to save money at the pump and purchased a used Tesla last month.

"I had to trade in my SUV, " said Tan, who works as a nurse. "It was just too expensive."

Tan has bought two electric vehicles this ...Read more

A Prius enters Grasso’s Garage this week for the first time ever.

Our 2026 taxi cab, I mean Prius Nightshade, is wrapped in a hip-looking Karashi, a honey-mustard twist on taxi-cab yellow. Two other color options are available, while a black interior is standard.

Hybrid engines are the easy choice for 2026 consumers. As EV sales tanked in ...Read more

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings plans to leave the company to focus on philanthropy and other efforts, the streaming company said Thursday.

Hastings, who currently serves as chairman of the Los Gatos company’s board, told Netflix he will not stand for re-election when his term expires in June, the company said in a letter to shareholders ...Read more

Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison made his case directly to theater owners Thursday, pledging to release a minimum of 30 films a year from the combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery company during a speech at the CinemaCon trade convention in Las Vegas.

“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my...Read more

Stellantis NV and Microsoft Corp. said Thursday they have inked a five-year deal to work together on artificial intelligence initiatives across several of the carmaker's divisions.

Joint teams will "co-develop more than 100 AI initiatives across sales, customer care and operations," the announcement said.

They will focus on tools to improve ...Read more

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined UAW President Shawn Fain and other labor leaders Thursday to warn of the risks artificial intelligence poses for American workers, a topic they said policymakers are not paying enough attention to.

"We are looking at the most consequential and significant technological revolution in the history of ...Read more

Chicago may be taking another quantum leap forward in its technology aspirations.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and IBM announced a renewed research partnership Thursday to advance artificial intelligence and quantum technology, with the city at the center of the ongoing project.

The second phase of the 10-year, $100 million IBM-...Read more

Countertop maker Cambria and seven other U.S. manufacturers won a resounding victory from the International Trade Commission, which ruled that a significant increase of cheaper quartz imports from Pacific Rim countries seriously undercut their ability to be profitable.

This is the second big trade win for Cambria, the giant in the U.S. quartz ...Read more

Two former Amazon employees accused the company of underpaying female employees, levying complaints similar to those in an ongoing lawsuit filed in 2023.

Gayatri Srinivas and Amy Cisneroz say they faced a discriminatory system at Amazon that saw roles held by women underpaid based on job classifications, according to a proposed class-action ...Read more

QVC Group announced Wednesday that it plans to file for bankruptcy. The news follows weeks of speculation about the shopping network’s financial distress.

The company announced its plans in its annual report filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission. It had delayed filing the report twice, most recently noting “that there ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon wants Michigan automakers to play a bigger role in U.S. defense manufacturing, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The Journal reported Wednesday that Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley and General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra have been involved in discussions with top Defense Department officials about the automakers...Read more

Avid Technology, the editing software company, is the latest entertainment industry player to introduce AI into its toolbox.

The company behind industry-standard platforms Pro Tools and Media Composer said it is entering a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud.

The goal is to implement both generative and agentic AI so that users can turn ...Read more

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week, indicating that layoffs remain largely limited.

Initial claims decreased by 11,000 to 207,000 in the week ended April 11, marking the biggest one-week drop since February, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. Claims data can be volatile around holidays, and the latest ...Read more