America’s offshore wind infrastructure is modest: the only turbines in the ocean today power a small community’s worth of homes from a wind farm off Block Island. But within two years, the number of American homes powered by the renewable energy source could grow to nearly half a million. Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Pedersen says […]
Business
Posted inArticle, Business, South Coast Bureau
Lockheed Martin will close factory in Marion, moving 400 jobs out of state
Lockheed Martin announced it will close a factory next year in Marion, Massachusetts that employs more than 400 workers. The defense contractor is the largest employer in the coastal town of 5,000, where a mix of factory and office workers manufacture underseas weapons for the U.S. Navy. The company said it will offer most employees […]
Posted inArticle, Business, Newport Bureau
Newport prepares for summer season as many businesses remain ‘on the brink of closure’
Snow is still melting, but Newport is already planning for its peak summer season. Business leaders say these months could make or break the island’s already hard-hit hospitality industry.
Posted inArticle, Business
2020 was a record year for new businesses in Rhode Island
Rhode Island saw an unprecedented number of business closures in 2020, but it was also a record year for new business filings in the state.
Posted inArticle, Business, South Coast Bureau
America’s largest scallop company sues New Bedford over waterfront expansion
An owner of the world’s largest scallop fleet is fighting New Bedford’s plans to expand a portion of the city’s waterfront.
Posted inArticle, Business
West Virginia newspaper publisher sues Google, Facebook
A West Virginia news publisher has filed an antitrust suit against Google and Facebook, who dominate the online ad market. The company, HD Media, owns several papers in the state, including the Herald-Dispatch in Huntington and the Charleston Gazette-Mail. HD Media filed in federal court in West Virginia and asked for a jury trial. The company does not specify the impact on its business of the behavior of Facebook and Google beyond saying that it has hurt its ability to “effectively monetize its content” because Google is enabled to take an uncompetitive share of its ad revenues. A lawyer for the company declined to speak on the record.
Posted inArticle, Business
Corporations with Rhode Island ties reviewing political donations
Last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol is prompting corporations across the state to reconsider how they donate to politicians.
Posted inArticle, Business
Businesses rethink political donations after Capitol siege
Businesses are rethinking political contributions in the wake of the deadly Capitol siege by President Donald Trump’s supporters on Wednesday. Citigroup is pausing all federal political donations for the first three months of the year. In a memo to employees, Citi’s head of global government affairs Candi Wolff said the company wanted its employees to be assured that Citigroup will not support candidates “who do not respect the rule of law.” The trade group representing Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, meanwhile, said it’s suspending political contributions to lawmakers who voted last week to reject the Electoral College results that cemented Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
Posted inArticle, Business
Trump orders ban on transactions with more Chinese apps
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps including Alipay and WeChat pay. The order goes into effect in 45 days, at which point Joe Biden will be the president, so the order’s fate is unclear. The orders follow two others Trump signed in August banning dealings with the popular video app TikTok as well as WeChat. The order’s follow two others Trump signed in August, banning dealings with the popular video app TikTok as well as WeChat. The fate of those apps in the U.S. is still unclear.
Posted inArticle, Business, Health
Twitter to start removing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
Twitter says it will begin removing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations from its site. That includes false claims that the virus is not real, debunked claims about the effects of receiving the vaccine. It will also remove baseless claims suggesting immunizations and vaccines are used to intentionally cause harm or to control people. Twitter said in a blog post Wednesday that it will start enforcing the new policy next week. If people send tweets in violation of the rules, they will be required to delete them before they are able to tweet again. Before the offending tweet is removed, Twitter will hide it from view.