Community leaders honored at United Way's Philanthropic 5 awards: Photos
The Milwaukee Business Journal is accepting nominations for its C-Suite Stars and Executive of the Year awards, which recognize the work of corporate leaders in a range of functions.
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Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Judge orders liquidation of Infowars to pay Sandy Hook families
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up AVIATION Advertisement Startup Merlin Labs valued at $800 million in deal to go public Merlin Labs wants to test its autonomous aviation software at Hanscom. Photo courtesy of Merlin Labs Autonomous aviation startup Merlin Labs will soon be soaring into the public markets now that it has signed a deal to merge with a blank-check company early next year. The terms of the deal, with a special purpose acquisition company managed by New York-based Inflection Point, values Boston-based Merlin at $800 million, prior to the results of a follow-on private purchase of shares. Merlin chief executive Matt George says the money raised by going public will help Merlin add more employees to its 170-person workforce and also provide capital for future acquisitions. Merlin is working on tech that will allow commercial and military planes to be flown with only one pilot, and eventually without one at all. George said the firm is close to signing a lease to take over much of a former Navy hangar in Bedford at Hanscom Field, once used to house a corporate jet fleet for defense contractor Raytheon (now RTX). Merlin could eventually employ as many as 200 people there. Last year, the company landed a $105 million contract with the Department of Defense to integrate Merlin Pilot software into the C-130J airlifter manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Inflection Point chief executive Mike Blitzer will join the Merlin board as a result of the upcoming deal; Inflection Point's recent successes include two other companies launched through similar SPAC deals, USA Rare Earth (current market cap of $1.7 billion) and Intuitive Machines (worth $1.6 billion today). — JON CHESTO Advertisement HEALTH CARE Costco will not sell abortion pills after pressure from conservatives A Costco Wholesale store in Everett. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe Costco will not dispense a key abortion pill at its pharmacies, a long-awaited win for conservatives trying to limit access to medication abortion. For more than a year, Costco deliberated over whether to become certified to dispense mifepristone, the drug used first in the typical two-step regimen for a medication abortion. The procedure, often easier and cheaper than the surgical alternative, is the option women in America most frequently choose to end pregnancies. Costco received pressure from groups on both sides of the issue, many of them investors in the nationwide grocery giant. The company's decision not to sell the pill, first reported by Bloomberg, is a victory for antiabortion advocates — but a narrow one. Despite lawsuits and letters pleading to lawmakers, their campaign to thwart access to abortion pills has otherwise been slow-moving. Patients can still access medication abortion in all 50 states, even those where the procedure is illegal, because of laws allowing the pills to be remotely prescribed and mailed. In a statement Thursday, Costco said the decision was 'based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients.' The company did not answer further questions from The Washington Post about the influence of outside groups. — WASHINGTON POST Advertisement SPORTS LA Olympics to sell naming rights to some venues in game-changing deal for 2028 Organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics will sell naming rights for a handful of its venues in deals expected to bring multiple millions of dollars to the 2028 Games while breaking down the International Olympic Committee's long-sacrosanct policy of keeping brand names off its arenas and stadiums. The organizing committee announced the landmark deal Thursday, saying contracts were already in place with two of its founding partners — Honda, which already has naming rights for the arena in Anaheim that will host volleyball, and Comcast, which will have its name on the temporary venue hosting squash. LA28 chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman said revenue from the deals goes above what's in LA's current $6.9 billion budget. He portrayed the deal as the sort of paradigm-shifting arrangement that Los Angeles needs more than other host cities because, as is typical for American-hosted Olympics, the core cost of these games aren't backed by government funding. — ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSING Average rate on a 30-year mortgage drops to lowest level since October A "for sale" sign displayed in front of a single-family home on July 17, 2025, in Derry, N.H. Charles Krupa/Associated Press The average rate on a 30-year US mortgage fell this week to its lowest level in nearly 10 months, giving prospective homebuyers a sorely needed boost in purchasing power that could help inject life into a stagnant housing market. The long-term rate fell to 6.58 percent from 6.63 percent last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.49 percent. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell. The average rate dropped to 5.71 percent from 5.75 percent last week. A year ago, it was 5.66 percent, Freddie Mac said. Elevated mortgage rates have helped keep the US housing market in a sales slump since early 2022, when rates started to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the pandemic. Home sales sank last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. This is the fourth week in a row that rates have come down. The latest average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at its lowest level since Oct. 24, when it averaged 6.54 percent. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement PHILANTHROPY Nike cofounder Phil Knight and wife give record $2 billion to Oregon cancer center, university says In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, Nike cofounder Phil Knight watched from the sidelines during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Oregon and Utah in Eugene, Ore. Ryan Kang/Associated Press Nike cofounder Phil Knight and his wife Penny Knight have pledged to donate $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science University's Knight Cancer Institute, the university announced Thursday, describing it as a record-breaking gift. 'This gift is an unprecedented investment in the millions of lives burdened with cancer, especially patients and families here in Oregon,' OHSU President Shereef Elnahal said in a statement. The donation will help ensure patients have access to various resources, including psychological, genetic, and financial counseling, symptom management, nutritional support and survivorship care, the university statement said. The university described it as the 'largest single donation ever made to a US university, college or academic health center.' It surpasses the $1.8 billion given by Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins in 2018, described by that university at the time as the largest single contribution to a US university. Bloomberg also donated an additional $1 billion to Johns Hopkins last year, covering tuition, living expenses, and fees for students from families under certain income levels. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement CONSUMER SAFETY Werner recalls more than 100,000 ladders due to potential fall and injury hazard Werner on Thursday said it is recalling more than 100,000 faulty ladders due to a locking mechanism that can fail, potentially causing users to fall and injure themselves. In cooperation with federal consumer product regulators, Werner is recalling 122,250 Multi-Max Pro ladders that come in 20-foot and 24-foot sizes. The ladders were sold exclusively at Home Depot between November of 2021 and February of 2024 with prices between $200 and $281. The Illinois-based company said owners of the ladders being recalled should stop using them immediately and register at to begin the process for a full refund. Once owners have properly disposed of their ladders per Werner's instructions, the company said it will issue a check for a full refund. The ladders are silver with a blue top and a blue label on the side rail with an oval containing the word 'Werner' and 'MULTI MAX PRO.' The size and model numbers are ALMP-20IAA or ALMP-24IAA and have a long black rope in the back. Werner said it has received 18 reports of falls, including 14 reports of injuries resulting in bruising, lacerations, head injuries, and fractures to the wrist, leg, and ribs. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kellogg says it will remove artificial dyes from cereals by the end of 2027
NEW YORK (AP) — WK Kellogg Co. plans to remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the next two and a half years, according to the company and the attorney general of Texas. The maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks gave the timeline as U.S. food producers face increasing pressure from the U.S. government and consumers to phase out synthetic colorings from their products. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that Kellogg had signed an agreement assuring his office that the Michigan-based company would 'permanently remove toxic dyes" from its cereals by the end of 2027. Paxton launched an investigation earlier this year into whether Kellogg violated state consumer protection laws by continuing to use blue, red, yellow, green, and orange artificial dyes. Around the same time, U.S. health officials said that they would urge foodmakers to voluntarily work toward removing petroleum-based colors. Both Kellogg and General Mills, another major U.S. cereal maker, said they would. General Mills later joined Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Smuckers and some other food manufacturers in announcing target dates for making all their products without artificial dyes. But Paxton's office said Kellogg was the first to sign a 'legally binding' agreement. 'Following months of investigating and negotiating, I'm proud to officially say Kellogg's will stop putting these unhealthy ingredients in its cereals,' the attorney general said in a statement. Details about the terms of the agreement Kellogg signed, which is legally known as an assurance of voluntary compliance, were not immediately clear. The company did not comment on it directly when reached by The Associated Press on Thursday but said it appreciates 'the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Texas AG's office and share their focus on health and wellness.' Kellogg also pointed to its earlier commitment to phase out FD&C dyes, which are synthetic additives that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for use in food, drugs and cosmetics. It said it already planned to stop launching new products with the dyes in January. 'We have announced we are reformulating our cereals served in schools to not include FD&C colors by the 2026-27 school year,' Kellogg said in an emailed statement Thursday. By the end of 2027, 'we will completely remove FD&C colors from the small percentage of our foods that contain them today.' According to Kellogg's website, 85% of the cereal the company sells contains no FD&C colors — and none of its products have included Red No. 3 for years. Federal regulators banned that dye from food in January. Synthetic dyes have long been used to make brightly colored cereals, drinks, candies, baked goods and even products like cough syrup. But health advocates have called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA has maintained that its currently approved dyes are safe and that 'the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.'
6 hours ago
Kellogg says it will remove artificial dyes from cereals by the end of 2027
NEW YORK -- WK Kellogg Co. plans to remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the next two and a half years, according to the company and the attorney general of Texas. The maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks gave the timeline as U.S. food producers face increasing pressure from the U.S. government and consumers to phase out synthetic colorings from their products. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that Kellogg had signed an agreement assuring his office that the Michigan-based company would 'permanently remove toxic dyes" from its cereals by the end of 2027. Paxton launched an investigation earlier this year into whether Kellogg violated state consumer protection laws by continuing to use blue, red, yellow, green, and orange artificial dyes. Around the same time, U.S. health officials said that they would urge foodmakers to voluntarily work toward removing petroleum-based colors. Both Kellogg and General Mills, another major U.S. cereal maker, said they would. General Mills later joined Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Smuckers and some other food manufacturers in announcing target dates for making all their products without artificial dyes. But Paxton's office said Kellogg was the first to sign a 'legally binding' agreement. 'Following months of investigating and negotiating, I'm proud to officially say Kellogg's will stop putting these unhealthy ingredients in its cereals,' the attorney general said in a statement. Details about the terms of the agreement Kellogg signed, which is legally known as an assurance of voluntary compliance, were not immediately clear. The company did not comment on it directly when reached by The Associated Press on Thursday but said it appreciates 'the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Texas AG's office and share their focus on health and wellness.' Kellogg also pointed to its earlier commitment to phase out FD&C dyes, which are synthetic additives that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for use in food, drugs and cosmetics. It said it already planned to stop launching new products with the dyes in January. 'We have announced we are reformulating our cereals served in schools to not include FD&C colors by the 2026-27 school year,' Kellogg said in an emailed statement Thursday. By the end of 2027, 'we will completely remove FD&C colors from the small percentage of our foods that contain them today.' According to Kellogg's website, 85% of the cereal the company sells contains no FD&C colors — and none of its products have included Red No. 3 for years. Federal regulators banned that dye from food in January. Synthetic dyes have long been used to make brightly colored cereals, drinks, candies, baked goods and even products like cough syrup. But health advocates have called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA has maintained that its currently approved dyes are safe and that 'the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.' Pressure on the food industry has increased since Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken critic of such synthetic additives, became President Donald Trump's health secretary.
