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Americans’ confidence in US economy falls

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ confidence in the economy fell this month as gas prices resumed their climb after the U.S. and Iran stepped up their fighting. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 90.8 in July from 92.2 in June. That’s essentially the same tepid range its been in since the beginning of the year. In late 2024 and early 2025 the readings were well above 100. Consumer attitudes had improved modestly in June as gas prices came down to around $3.70 a gallon from more than $4.50 a gallon in late April and early May. But as fighting ...

Johnson & Johnson agrees to $5.5 billion talc settlement

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $5.5 billion to tie up remaining lawsuits that claim its talc products caused ovarian cancer. The drugmaker, which has been fighting talc-related lawsuits for more than a decade, said that the settlement is conditioned on at least 95% of remaining claimants participating. A U.S. bankruptcy court judge denied a $9 billion settlement proposed by company subsidiary Red River Talc last year that would have been one of the biggest mass tort settlements in history. Johnson & Johnson decided not to appeal that ruling and instead fight on in court. A ...

Cracker Barrel CEO steps down a year after logo debacle

Cracker Barrel’s CEO is stepping down nearly a year after an attempted rebrand of the chain led to a fierce customer backlash. Cracker Barrel said Monday that CEO Julie Masino will step down next month but remain with the company until Oct. 9 in an advisory capacity. David Deno will succeed Masino on Aug. 10 as CEO. Deno served as the CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, which owns Outback Steakhouse and other chains, from 2019 until he retired in 2024. He has also held executive roles as Best Buy and Yum Brands, which is the parent company of KFC and Taco Bell. Lebanon, Tennessee-based ...

Fuel costs unchanged across Northeast Ohio

Staff report Gas prices are stable in Northeast Ohio this week at $3.917 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report on Monday. A year ago, average prices in the region were $3.143 per gallon. The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline Monday in Niles was $3.882 per gallon and $3.90 in Youngstown. According to GasBuddy.Com, motorists reported the following prices Monday afternoon involving Sheetz convenience stores: Austintown — North Canfield-Niles Road, $3.85, and Mahoning Avenue, $3.89; Boardman — Boardman-Poland Road, $3.73; Calcutta — St. ...

Calling for backup

DETROIT — Winter Storm Uri, the multiday freeze that slammed Texas in February 2021 and pummeled the state’s power grid, has been on Kenneth Kovar’s mind ever since. Though the resident of New Braunfels, northeast of San Antonio, didn’t lose power at the time, he wasn’t able to run ...

Center creates pathways for student collaboration, industry experience

A new initiative at Youngstown State University is bringing together students, faculty and industry partners to tackle real-world challenges while giving participants valuable hands-on experience outside the classroom. The Youngstown Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center was created to connect students from a variety of disciplines with opportunities in applied research, product development and manufacturing projects. Led by Bharat Yelamanchi, assistant professor and program coordinator of industrial and systems engineering at YSU, the center is designed to foster ...