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Saturday, mar 15
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Business
Bags No Longer Fly Free: Southwest Scraps Most Famous Perk, Adds New Fees
Southwest Airlines is grounding one of its most famous perks, marking a major shift in its identity after more than five decades. Southwest will no longer offer free checked bags for all passengers, the company said in a news release on Tuesday, Mar. 11. The new luggage policy will begin for tickets purchased on or after Wednesday, May 28. The airline has had its well-known "Bags Fly Free" perk since it was founded in 1971. "We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs, attract new customer segments we don't compete for today, and return to the levels of profita…
Business
Allegiant Apologizes After Passengers Spend 6 Hours Stuck On NY Tarmac: 'We Are Very Sorry'
Some Allegiant Air passengers are demanding answers after they spent over six hours stuck on a New York tarmac. The agonizing ordeal unfolded at Albany International Airport on Monday, Feb. 17, aboard the discount airliner’s Flight 848, which had been bound for Punta Gorda, Florida. Originally scheduled for takeoff at 3:30 p.m., the flight instead remained grounded for over six hours before passengers were finally told to deplane at around 10:15 p.m., the airline confirmed. During the long wait, passengers were initially denied food and water until one passenger informed the flight attend…
Business
Restaurant In Region Closing After 4 Years: 'Thank You To All Of Our Wonderful Customers'
A Capital Region restaurant is calling it quits after three years in business. In Schenectady County, Tequila’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Niskayuna will permanently close on Saturday, Feb. 15, the restaurant announced on its website. “To all our loyal customers, family and friends, we will be permanently closing our doors…” husband-and-wife owners Everardo Sosa-Mendoza and Maria Sosa wrote. “We will be continuing our passions in the restaurant business and focusing our attentions on our next steps in our journey. Thank you to all of our wonderful customers for making us such a great success…
News
Gerber Recalls, Discontinues Teething Sticks Sold In NY After Child Sent To ER
Gerber is recalling and discontinuing all batches of its teething stick due to a potential choking hazard for babies and young children, authorities said. Gerber and the Food and Drug Administration announced the recall for Soothe N Chew Teething Sticks in news releases on Friday, Jan. 31. The recall follows consumer complaints, including one involving a child brought to an emergency room. The affected products were distributed nationwide and in stores across several states, including Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The …
Business
'Absolutely Disgusting': Aldi Employees' Refusal To Accept $2 Bills Irks Hudson Valley Customer
A routine grocery trip turned into a viral controversy. A New York man claims that cashiers at an Aldi store refused to accept his $2 bills, believing them to be counterfeit. Sullivan County resident Richard Scott Steger, of Wurtsboro, recounted his frustrating experience at the Monticello Aldi store in a post on the "Uncensored Sullivan County New York News and Politics" Facebook group Monday, Jan. 27. According to Steger, a cashier outright rejected his legal tender and another employee doubled down, refusing to even check the bills with a counterfeit detection pen. “So g…
Business
Canadian Airline Expands To LGA, Offering Daily Flights To Toronto Without Middle Seats
A Canadian airline will soon fly from LaGuardia Airport for the first time. Porter Airlines is expanding its presence in New York City with the launch of year-round service between LGA and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), the company said in a news release on Monday, Jan. 27. Porter will fly roundtrip up to three times daily starting on Thursday, May 1. The flights will be on 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 planes, featuring no middle seats, free high-speed WiFi, and complimentary beer and wine. "We have built a strong passenger base over more than 15 years for those travelling b…
Business
Revealing Clothes, Offensive Tattoos May Now Get You Kicked Off This Airline's Flights
Travelers on Spirit Airlines may not be allowed on flights with offensive clothing or tattoos, according to a new policy. Spirit made the change in its Contract of Carriage, which was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The new rules allow the airline to deny boarding or remove passengers whose attire or body art is deemed "lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature." The changes, outlined in section 4.3 of the contract, could prevent a flyer from boarding or forcing that person to leave a plane for not following the policy. Passengers removed for violating these rules will not be elig…
Business
Store Closings Surge To Highest Level Since Pandemic: Why 2025 Could Be Worse
Retail store closures surged in 2024, reaching their highest levels since the start of the pandemic, a new study said. A total of 7,325 U.S. stores closed in 2024, driven by inflation and an increasing shift toward online shopping, according to retail data firm Coresight Research. The closings marked the steepest decline in brick-and-mortar retail since nearly 10,000 stores closed in 2020. While 5,970 stores opened—the highest yearly number since 2012—closures outpaced openings by a net loss of 1,355 stores. "Retailers that were unable to adapt supply chains and implement t…
Business
No Coffee, No Bathroom: Starbucks Ends Open-Door Policy For Non-Customers
Starbucks is ending its open-door policy, prioritizing access for paying customers and employees. The coffeehouse chain will no longer allow just anyone to hang out in its cafes or use its bathrooms. Starbucks has created a new Coffeehouse Code of Conduct, requiring people to buy something to use the cafe, patio, or restrooms. Starbucks said it hopes the change will improve the overall coffeehouse experience. "We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores," company spokesperson Sam Jefferies said in a statement to Daily Voice. "Implementing a Coffeehouse Code of Conduct i…
Business
AI Workforce Shake-Up: Nearly Half Of Companies Plan Job Cuts Within Years
Nearly half of companies worldwide are planning to cut jobs within the next few years as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries and automates millions of positions, according to a new global report. The World Economic Forum’s "Future of Jobs Report 2025" outlines the seismic shifts AI will bring to the global workforce, revealing both challenges and opportunities: Job Displacement: The report says 41 percent of companies intent to downsize their workforce globally between 2025 and 2030, particularly in industries reliant on routine and manual tasks such as manufacturing, customer …
Business
H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC
H&R Block will pay $7 million in federal fines for deceptive practices and must implement sweeping changes to its filing services in time for the 2025 tax season, officials said. H&R Block reached the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency announced in a news release on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The order requires the company to revamp its services and pay $7 million to compensate its customers. The settlement stemmed from a February 2024 complaint accusing H&R Block of forcing users to contact customer service to downgrade products. The tax filer was also a…
Business
Shake Shack Offers Free Burgers With Purchase During Holiday Promotion
Shake Shack is launching a limited-time promotion offering free burgers with a qualifying purchase during the holiday season. The “Holiday Burger Blitz” will run from Monday, Dec. 16, to Tuesday, Dec. 24, providing customers with a free burger each day when they spend a minimum of $10 and use the code BURGERBLITZ at checkout. The promotion features a different burger each day, including popular items like the ShackBurger, SmokeShack, and Avocado Bacon Burger. The schedule for the free offerings is as follows: Monday, Dec. 16: ShackBurger Tuesday, Dec. 17: SmokeShack Wednesday, Dec. …
Business
Stop & Shop Issues New Guidance To Customers After Massive Boar's Head Deli Meat Recall Expands
Stop & Shop has issued new guidance to customers after a massive recall of Boar's Head deli meats has expanded by seven million pounds due to the threat of Listeria contamination. The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the recall expansion includes 71 products produced between Friday, May 10, and Monday, July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. The products, all made at Boar's Head's facility in Jarratt, Virginia, have “sell by” dates ranging from 29 July 2024 to 17 Oct. 24. The products shipped to retailers bear the …
News
Viral Photo Shows 'Gem' Flight Attendant Comforting Nervous Flier On Trip To JFK
Blocking a plane’s aisle is usually frowned upon, but passengers on a recent flight to New York made an exception for a heroic Delta flight attendant seen in a viral photo comforting a very nervous flier. The photo, captured by North Carolina resident Molly Simonson Lee and shared on Facebook, shows flight attendant Floyd Dean-Shannon sitting on the floor and holding a woman’s hand on a flight from Charlotte to JFK. “Check out this gem of a flight attendant,” Lee said. “This woman was so nervous about flying, so he explained every sound and bump and even sat here holding her hand when it s…
News
Stranded, Seething: 2.5K Southwest Flight Cancellations Leave Passengers In Post-Christmas Mess
More than 2,500 Southwest Airlines flights were canceled and 8,3072 delayed as of Wednesday, Dec. 28, leaving even more passengers across the US stranded and seething. Processes and computer systems that haven't changed since the 1990s are to blame, Captain Casey Murray, the president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, tells CNN. “It’s phones, it’s computers, it’s processing power, it’s the programs used to connect us to airplanes," he said, "that’s where the problem lies, and it’s systemic throughout the whole airline." The federal government said it plans on investigating. Cu…
News
Caught In Historic Blizzard, NY Mom, Kids Find Overnight Refuge At Target Store (Photos)
Jessica Sypniewski was a mom on a mission. She had to find some place – any place – where she and her boyfriend, along with their 11-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, could take refuge from the blinding snow and howling winds of an historic, deadly blizzard that had barreled down in western New York just before Christmas, and lasted days. The Erie County resident, 33, of West Seneca, had set out Friday morning, Dec. 23, to pick up a relative on the other side of town, she told Daily Voice. But on the way back, they found themselves caught in one of the worst winter storms the region has…
Business
Sports Schmear? NY Bagel Shop Owner Denies Harassing Customers Over Mets Gear
Kent Strickland welcomes all types of patrons at his Long Island bagel shop, and yes, he told Daily Voice, that even includes Mets fans. That’s why Strickland, who has owned Miller Place Bagels & Deli in Miller Place, on Route 25A, for four-and-a-half years, was baffled to see a recent post on the Facebook group, Long Island Foodies. “What do you think about an owner of a business harassing customers for wearing a hat of a sports team he doesn’t like and demanding you take it off?” reads a post from Amy Lee, of Stony Brook, that has garnered nearly 400 comments. “The first time he did…
Business
Bed Bath & Beyond Accused Of Scaling Back AC In Stores Amid Drop In Sales
Bed Bath & Beyond is being accused of cutting air conditioning in its stores in an attempt to lower company expenses, according to a new report from CNN. The news outlet said in a report on Tuesday, June 28, that Bank of America conducted store visits and found that the stores are cutting the AC to try to recover for lower sales. Representatives for Bed Bath & Beyond told CNN that "... no Bed Bath & Beyond stores were directed to adjust their air conditioning and there have been no corporate policy changes in regard to utilities usage." CNN reported that the analysts from Bank …
Lifestyle
Popular Bakery Has Been A Hudson Valley Staple For Three-Quarters Of A Century
A longtime Hudson Valley bakery has made a name for itself thanks to its fresh bread and wide variety of baked goods. The owners of Rockland Bakery established their first location more than 75 years ago, according to the bakery's website. The owners now operate several distribution centers across New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including one located in Rockland County hamlet of Nanuet. Guests have praised the Nanuet location for its fresh bread and good service. "It's seriously impossible to not give a bakery 5 stars when there's endless amounts of fresh bread coming out eve…
News
Southwest Cancels 1,800-Plus Weekend Flights, Citing Air Traffic Control Issues, Weather
Southwest Airlines has canceled more than 1,800 of its flights this weekend, citing bad weather and air traffic control issues. According to a report from CNBC, the airline canceled 1,000-plus flights on Sunday, Oct. 10, after canceling 808 on Saturday, Oct. 9. "ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation," the airline tweeted on Saturday. "We appreciate your patience as we accommodate affected Customers, and Customer Service wait times are longer than usual." ATC issues and disruptive w…
News
NY Reaches Record Settlement With Broadband/Cable Provider Altice Over Tropical Storm Response
New York State has reached a record-setting settlement with broadband and cable provider Altice for the company’s muted response to Tropical Storm Isaias, which left some without service for upwards of two weeks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday, March 18 that the state has reached the near $72 million settlement for Altice’s failure to adequately prepare for and restore broadband and cable television service after the storm struck in August last year, leaving 400,000 customers without service. The settlement is the largest-ever in New York State for any company under …
Lifestyle
'Frank'-ly Speaking, Popular Area Eatery Has Lots More Than Hot Dogs
When you gotta have a hot dog, you gotta have a hot dog. And these days foodies and Yelpers are heading to a small Rockland County spot in Pearl River that not only offers dogs of all kinds, but also a 25-item salad bar. The spot, the Hot Dog Express, at 184 Brightwood Ave., in Pearl River, is known for their great prices as much as for their yummy, mouth-watering dogs. Some Yelpers said they found Hot Dog Express by spotting a sandwich board along the road and decided to give it a try. Hot Dog Express in Pearl River.Hot Dog Express "So being hungry, we stopped in and met the owner, B…
News
Man Says He Found Joint In Chicken Sandwich At Popeye's In Manhattan
A New Yorker is crying “fowl” after he allegedly received an unwanted ingredient in his Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich last week: a half-smoked joint. Jeremy Merdinger took to social media to share a photo of the joint, which he found inside his sandwich a few bites in. “Do all your chicken sandwiches come with a joint in them? Found this in my sandwich the other day in NYC. Just wanted to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Merdinger posted on Twitter, noting the incident on Monday, Nov. 4. Merdinger reportedly ordered a spicy and regular chicken sandwich from a Manhattan Popey…
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