Latest news with #GeorgeBrown
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kroger addresses concerns about rodents in Midtown store
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Kroger says there is no rodent issue at its Union Avenue store, despite WREG showing the company a video of a mouse running down an aisle away from employees Wednesday morning. This comes two weeks after someone posted a video of a bread bag with holes in it, claiming the Midtown store was infested with mice and rats. Another person also posted a video of a mouse running across what looked like a store aisle. 'The video that you had from yesterday was taken to the pest control company, and the goal is to find out how that mouse got into the building and make sure it doesn't happen again,' said Associate Communications and Engagement Manager George Brown. Brown said as soon as Kroger saw the social media posts, they contacted a pest control company to investigate, and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture did not find any signs of rodents in the building. 'We really want to thank the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which came out right away. They didn't find any rodent activity in any of the food areas, which was great because we could confidently serve our customers,' said Brown. The TDA told WREG its Food Safety office has not received any consumer complaints, but decided to inspect the store after also noticing the social media posts. During a May 14 visit, the TDA reported that no rodent activity was observed, but acknowledged that a store manager had previously reported seeing signs of rodent activity. Kroger said it has taken steps to protect the property from rats spotted outside near a former fast-food restaurant next door. The business has been closed for years, and it appears that homeless individuals have been staying there, leaving behind food and trash. Several rats were spotted in the shrubs surrounding the vacant property on Thursday. 'As you saw, that abandoned property is attracting rodents and other issues. We contacted the health department and reported that we want to protect our business, and we also want to protect the neighborhood, because if that building stays that way, the problem could get worse,' Brown said. Several rat traps have been placed around the former restaurant. Kroger has also placed traps around the back of its store. A spokesperson for the city stated that another company has purchased the restaurant property, but code enforcement is referring the matter to environmental court through the Neighborhood Preservation Act. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said it will conduct a follow-up visit to the Kroger store within the next 30 days. Kroger said they always want customers to feel safe in their stores and know that the food they are getting is safe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority, Wilkes-Barre City officials give tour of new Kirby Park maintenance facility
May 27—WILKES-BARRE — Nearly a year after the completion of a new maintenance and storage facility in Kirby Park, members of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority (LCFPA) and officials from Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday gave a tour of the building, which was a joint project between the two entities. "What you see here today is what happens when people work together," Mayor George Brown said. According to Wilkes-Barre Grants Coordinator Mark Barry, the old facility was torn down in September of 2023 and the new building finished construction in August 2024. The new space spans 6,500 square feet and contains a common area, public restrooms and storage for the city's Department of Public Works. Most importantly, officials said it is located just a quarter mile from the Market Street Bridge, which will help reduce the authority's response time during flooding events. The new facility also houses LCFPA's trailers that contain the Market Street Bridge flood walls, which act as a barrier to prevent flood waters from reaching the city. "Prior to this being build, the flood walls to the Market Street Bridge where [stored] outside in the elements and if something had to be done in the winter months, there'd be snow and ice on it," said Flood Authority Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi. "So this helps the flood fighting efforts of the Flood Protection Authority." According to the city, the project cost a total of $920,000. Wilkes-Barre contributed $250,000, which was paid out of the Kirby Foundation. The rest of the project was covered by LCFPA, through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Defunct Grocery Store Chain Was The Supermarket Wannabe New Yorkers Dreamed Of
For over a century, Waldbaum's was a supermarket that exemplified the authentic New York City experience. Its progressive hiring mindset and diverse leadership made it the kind of local fixture that New Yorkers loved, along with late co-owner Julia Waldbaum's hands-on presence and personal touch through regular in-store visits. The store's wide selection of imported Italian and kosher goods also reflected the city's cultural richness -- a much-appreciated quality among its middle- to upper-middle class customer base. Long before it became a household name, Waldbaum's was a modest shop in Brooklyn, opened in 1904 by Israel Waldbaum, who primarily sold butter and eggs. A chance encounter with a store regular, Julia Leffel, and a personal sugar delivery led Israel and Julia into romance and soon marriage. Julia began working in the store, eventually becoming the face of the growing brand. Her photo appeared in weekly circular flyers and on many of Waldbaum's branded food products, all while creating a personal connection with customers. In 1938, Waldbaum's made a historic breakthrough by promoting Black identical twin brothers, Ernest and George Brown, from stockboys to checkout clerks. This was during a time when it was unusual for Black checkers to be working in predominantly white neighborhoods. Despite this, the Brown brothers would advance their careers with Waldbaum's and become a vice-president and assistant vice-president, respectively, during the 1960s. Through this blended approach of personal touch and an inclusive mindset, Waldbaum's continued to grow, becoming one of the most unique grocery stores of its time. The modest egg and milk shop would soon evolve into one of New York City's largest chain stores. Read more: 12 Kirkland Products With The Lowest Quality Ingredients Waldbaum's had continued to expand throughout New York City, eventually reaching down the East Coast and even into California. Julia held the title of company secretary and remained the heart of the brand. She took pride in her stores, personally inspecting each location, dusting shelves while properly front-facing products. By the 1960s, Waldbaum's had grown. It wasn't the largest grocery store chain in the United States, but it had evolved into a respectably sized supermarket chain with private-label goods making up 20% of its grocery revenues. In the 1980s, Waldbaum's transitioned into a megastore, adding general merchandise items within dramatically larger retail spaces. However, the chain's success didn't last. Waldbaum's pleaded no contest in 1984 to a coupon-related price-fixing conspiracy charge, for which it was fined $700,000 and distributed $7.5 million worth of customer coupons as part of the settlement. Two years later, the company was sold to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) for $287.1 million, with the family holding a 60% stake. This sale became tainted, however, when Ira Waldbaum's son-in-law leaked information about the deal, leading to an insider trading conviction for the stockbroker who benefited from the tip-off. Moreover, the 1990s saw Waldbaum's fail nearly half of its sanitation inspections, along with multiple issues related to labor laws. After these events and declining performance, members of the Waldbaum family gradually left the company. Waldbaum's closed its doors in 2015, and while its website references a relaunch in 2018, that never appears to have happened after the A&P grocery chain bankruptcy. For many, Waldbaum's remains only a beloved memory, a symbol of neighborhood pride and family-run grocery stores. Read the original article on Chowhound.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wilkes-Barre hotel project moved from former Hotel Sterling site to old Martz Trailways building on Public Square
May 15—WILKES-BARRE — A long-awaited hotel and convention center originally planned for the former Sterling Hotel site will now be located in a vacant office building on Public Square, project officials announced Thursday. During a press conference at Wilkes-Barre City Hall, Mayor George Brown, along with developer Hysni 'Sam' Syla and project engineer George Albert, unveiled plans to use the old Martz Trailways building at 46 Public Square as the location for the $20 million project. "The hotel will be a milestone for Wilkes-Barre. The project will attract tourists, business travelers and large events, while creating good jobs for our residents. It's the perfect fit for our city's vibrant downtown and strategic location, making Wilkes-Barre a go-to destination for Northeastern Pennsylvania," Brown said. Renovations are expected to begin in the fall of this year, with a grand opening slated for mid-fall 2026. According to project officials, the hotel will feature 110 rooms and a 10,000-square-foot banquet hall capable of hosting 500 guests. Amenities are to include a fitness center, restaurants and a business lounge. According to Albert, the building has over 100 surface parking spaces located in the rear. Additionally, more parking is available at a public parking garage on North Main Street. Albert also said the hotel will be under a national brand, but it was too early in the process to release information on the name. Plans for the Sterling site are now once again up in the air, but Syla told the Times Leader Thursday that he is developing new plans for the site that should be announced soon. H&N Investments LLC originally purchased the property from the city in 2018 and later announced plans to construct a Gateway Hyatt Place Hotel and Conference Center there. Over the years since then, updates on the project came in fits and starts, with the last one in December 2024, when the developers were approved for several variances by the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board to build a parking garage and lot on the proposed site. Stephen Barrouk, a commercial real estate broker, who Albert said is now no longer involved with the project, told the Downtown Residents Association back in March that he expected to break ground on the project in a few months. However, Albert explained at the press conference that the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the dynamic of the hospitality business, causing supply chain issues and labor shortages that are still affecting the industry today. "The hotels essentially shut down, ultimately making it almost impossible or very challenging to obtain financing for the project and ultimately resulting in cost increases of almost a hundred percent for construction," Albert explained. The engineer said what was once a $20 million project ballooned to over $40 million this year. "Ultimately, over time, the project scope there got chiseled away," Albert said. "We had a big rooftop bar, we had multiple restaurants, we had a huge banquet facility. And as the dollars rose and the cost increased, we continued to squeeze out the scope of that project to only being a hotel with a small internal restaurant." There also wasn't adequate parking at the Sterling site and Albert said construction of a parking garage on the property would have compromised half of it. However, with the recent acquisition of the building on Public Square, project officials are planning to return to their original, grander plans for the project. In closing, Albert thanked Brown, city council and the community at large for helping move the project forward for the last roughly 6 years. "We want to see the city succeed and this is our goal," Albert said. Syla also expressed his gratitude to the mayor and the city, as well as to Sen. Marty Flynn Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski for their continued support. "Today I am very happy. Not just for me, for myself, which I do something. But six years ago, I promised here to everybody, to people, we're gonna do hotel," he said. Additionally, Flynn expressed his commitment to securing state resources to ultimately finish the project. He said the hotel will fill a demand that has yet to be fulfilled in the city. He continued, "You know, the downtown is really buzzing, but the investment in downtown has been historic year after year for the past 10 years. And we — this will be a wonderful addition to downtown Wilkes-Barre and we're interested in getting this to the finish line." Pashinski expressed similar sentiments. "The bottom line is, I think what's going to occur with this development is gonna be very, very important, very special to Wilkes-Barre and also to the surrounding areas," he said. According to previous reporting, 46 Public Square was previously scheduled for online auction beginning April 7. The building once housed the Martz bus terminal before it moved to the nearby James Conahan Intermodal Facility and also was home to Mimmo's Pizza, which closed last April after 42 years.
Zawya
15-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Sterling rises after upbeat UK GDP data
(Reuters) - The pound climbed against the U.S. dollar on Thursday after data showed the British economy grew faster than expected, further making the case for fewer interest rate cuts from the Bank of England. Sterling rose 0.2% to $1.327 against a sluggish dollar as excitement faded over the U.S.-China trade deal announced earlier this week. Official figures showed the British economy expanded 0.7% between January and March, up sharply from 0.1% growth in the last three months of 2024, and beating the 0.6% growth forecast by the BoE and a Reuters poll of economists. In March alone, the economy unexpectedly expanded by 0.2% from February, compared with the flat reading expected by economists. However, the global impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and British businesses warning of a hit from an increase in UK employment taxes that came into effect last month could weigh on the outlook. Speaking after the data, finance minister Rachel Reeves said there were clearly economic headwinds approaching, while emphasising the significance of the government's recently-announced trade agreements with the United States and India. "While a UK-U.S. trade deal will see the U.S. lower tariffs on some goods, the UK, as a highly open economy, will still suffer from any global slowdown," said George Brown, senior economist at Schroders. Against the euro, sterling was flat at 84.27 pence after hitting a six-week high earlier this week. After the BoE lowered rates by a quarter point last week, traders have scaled back 2025 rate cut bets. Money markets have priced in 44 basis points of easing by the BoE by December from 70 bps of easing expected a week ago. A hawkish tilt in comments from BoE policymakers Catherine Mann and Huw Pill this week also influenced those bets. BoE policymaker Swati Dhingra is expected to deliver a speech in Brussels at 1400 GMT. Dhingra has been the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee member who has voted most often for looser monetary policy since she joined in August 2022. Focus will also be on a spate of U.S. data at 1230 GMT including retail sales that could offer clues on U.S. Federal Reserve's rate trajectory. At a UK-EU summit next week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping to clinch a new defence agreement with the bloc and improve post-Brexit trade ties.
