National Spotlight
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Hershey plans to focus on core brands
In an effort to cut costs amid rising cocoa prices, Hershey Co. has announced plans to re-focus on core brands like Reese’s and Kit Kat. CEO Michele Buck told the Wall Street the company hopes to cut the number of holiday varieties and displays it provides to retailers in half and make a smaller number for distribution…
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Tech Talk: Facebook didn’t read terms and conditions for data-gathering app
Facebook told British lawmakers Thursday it never read the terms and conditions for the app that allowed Cambridge Analytica to access the personal information of 87 million users. Jo Stephens, a member of Parliament, asked Facebook if it had read and evaluated the terms and conditions for the app, called ThisIsYourDigitalLife, before allowing it on…
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Tech Talk: Increasing productivity by regulating technology use
Technological innovations that can increase worker productivity may also introduce distractions into the workplace. Four methods business can use to to limit screen time can help workers regain their focus, writes Justin Wetherill at forbes.com. [uam_ad id=”54865″] Wetherill recommends limiting time on email; creating separate communication channels for each department, as well as general office…
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Tech Talk: Google gather more personal info than Facebook
Despite recent controversy over Facebook’s hunger for personal data, as well the publicity surrounding CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony before Congress, Google gathers far more information on its users and has greater reach in its tracking and the time people spend on its sites and apps. New regulations, particularly in Europe, are driving Google and others to disclose more…
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Tech Talk: IRS extends filing deadline due to computer glitch
The Internal Revenue Service announced late Tuesday it will let taxpayers submit tax returns without penalty through Wednesday due to technical problems. A computer glitch at the IRS knocked offline the agency’s ability to process many tax returns filed electronically, a breakdown that left agency officials flummoxed and millions of Americans baffled, write Jeff Stein, Damian…
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Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO, to visit Philadelphia men to apologize
He’s made no excuses, did not try to spin the story in the least. So it’s no surprise that Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson is traveling to Philadelphia to do damage control after a video showing two black men arrested at one of the Seattle-based coffee company’s Center City locations went viral over the weekend. A video captured…
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Tech Talk: Disabled users talk about problems with the digital experience
Lack of inclusivity in tech design can have real-world consequences for people with disabilities. Accessibility experts and users with disabilities have identified six major hurdles that prevent the disabled from enjoying a seamless digital experience, writes Roberto Torres at technical.ly. [uam_ad id=”54865″] Accessibility expert Austin Seraphin, who is visually impaired and the cofounder of Philly Touch Tour,…
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Tech Talk: Salesforce adopts blockchain electronic ledger
The Salesforce company is working on adopting the use of blockchain, the electronic ledger that tracks Bitcoin or other digital currencies, company co-founders Marc Benioff and Parker Harris said recently in an interview. Benioff told a story of being at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland where a bit of serendipity led him to start thinking…
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Tech Talk: Bitcoin and nonprofits
Adopting bitcoin can broaden the ways a nonprofit receives donations. The biggest incentive for most nonprofits to accept bitcoin is that most major payment processors, like Coinbase, don’t charge any processing fees for donations to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and charities, write Stephen Jackson and Wes Holing at blog.techsoup.org. [uam_ad id=”54865″] In addition, bitcoin’s relatively instant transfers can make…
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Food Hall concept coming to a suburb near you
Shopping mall owners used to believe that food courts were an amenity for customers who came out to see the stores. That wisdom now seems to have been stood on its head, writes Jon Banister at bisnow.com. [uam_ad id=”54865″] A new report from Cushman & Wakefield projects the food hall market will nearly triple in size…
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Tech Talk: Wireless technology helps build a better mousetrap
Victor, the iconic mousetrap company, is using a Comcast network to build what it calls “connected pest control.” The company’s new battery-powered trap zaps rats or mice with electricity and then sends an alert through a new Comcast wireless network that allows building supervisors or pest-control contractors to monitor the kills on an app, writes…
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Insurers expect explosion of sexual harassment complaints
Insurance industry experts are predicting a surge of sexual harassment complaints this year and are urging businesses both to bolster their coverage and examine their corporate cultures. Emboldened by the #metoo movement, more and more victims are breaking their silence about sexual misconduct in the workplace, writes Sam Wood at philly.com. [uam_ad id=”54865″] Employment Practice…
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Small grocery store chains are a casualty of the grocery wars
At the Tops Market on Main Street recently, there was a “Mega Meat Sale” — buy one pork chop and get another free. There were specials on avocados, paper towels and fried fish. Craft beer shared shelf space in the brightly lit store with cases of Genesee, a local favorite. Tops was cutting prices even…
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Tech Talk: Former Uber CEO to invest $150M to rehab real estate
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has announced his new 10100 investment fund has earmarked $150M to take control of a startup focused on redeveloping distressed real estate assets. City Storage Systems is composed of two business units, CloudKitchens and CloudRetail, and focuses on repurposing assets like vacant parking lots and abandoned industrial spaces to modernize them for food…
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Amazon looks to Whole Foods for distribution hubs
Online retail giant Amazon is looking to invest in larger Whole Foods stores to serve as distribution points. There currently are three Whole Foods stores in Montco. Though the locations would be Whole Foods stores, they would also include storage facilities that would hold electronics, books and fitness gear from Amazon’s website, writes Lara O’Keefe…
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Tech Talk: Cheddar, the financial news service for millennials, plans expansion
Cheddar, CNBC’s financial news streaming service aimed at millennials, has raised $22 million for a planned expansion, the company announced this week. The service is preparing to launch a new channel on Snapchat Discover, in addition to expanding to the UK, writes Benjamin Mullin at wsj.com. [uam_ad id=”54865″] Founder and Chief Executive Jon Steinberg, the…
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New York City’s clock master keeps classic timepieces up to the minute
A 78-year-old man is responsible for maintaining all the clocks belonging to New York City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Marvin Schneider, the city’s clock master, has perhaps the coolest job title in the five boroughs, writes Ann Kadet at wsj.com. [uam_ad id=”54980″] Schneider, who looks after about a dozen clocks, has the most part-timey…
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Tech Talk: Bitcoin now in use for direct investments
Bitcoin investors are now using the cryptocurrency to make purchases in the real world. Most earlier transactions involved the buyer converting Bitcoin into U.S. dollars to make the purchase — a liquidation of assets, much in the same way a first-time homebuyer might use investment dollars to afford a down payment, writes Andrew Zeleski at…
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