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Red Lobster Revival? Restaurant Chain Exits Bankruptcy With $60M In Funding, New CEO Red Lobster Revival? Restaurant Chain Exits Bankruptcy With $60M In Funding, New CEO
Red Lobster Revival? Restaurant Chain Exits Bankruptcy With $60M In Funding, New CEO Four months after its Chapter 11 filing, restaurant chain Red Lobster says it has exited bankruptcy led by new management. The company announced on Monday, Sept. 16 that it's been acquired by lender group RL Investor Holdings with $60 million in new funding backed by Fortress Investment Group. Damola Adamolekun, former chief executive officer at Asian fusion casual dining chain P.F. Chang’s, is now running Red Lobster. The move comes after the chain, founded in 1968, abruptly closed dozens of locations earlier this year. It still has 544 locations across 44 US states and four provinces in…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents' Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents'
Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents' Millions of teenage Instagram users are being forced into private accounts with enhanced security features aimed at limiting their exposure to harmful content. Meta, the social media platform’s parent company, unveiled its “Teen Accounts” feature on Tuesday, Sept. 17, automatically placing anyone under the age of 18 into a default private account. Teens with a private account must accept new followers and people who don’t follow them can’t see their contact or interact with them. It also comes with strict messaging settings, making it so they can only receive messages from people they foll…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Stanley-Branded Kids Garden Sets Sold At Costco Subject To Recall For Lead Poisoning Hazard Stanley-Branded Kids Garden Sets Sold At Costco Subject To Recall For Lead Poisoning Hazard
Stanley-Branded Kids Garden Sets Sold At Costco Subject To Recall For Lead Poisoning Hazard More than 450,000 Stanley-branded kid's garden sets sold nationwide at Costco are subject to a recall due to the possible presence of lead paint on some of the products, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). An alert was issued by federal officials this week advising that 459,200 "Stanley Jr. Kids Wheelbarrow and 7-piece Garden Sets" that were exclusively sold at the wholesale giant between February and June this year before the defect was discovered. According to the CPSC, the painted long hoe and rake of the recalled garden set contain levels of lead that exceed…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Company Recalling 866K Spa Pumps Sold Nationwide That Pose Injury Risk, Caused Fatal Fire: CPSC Company Recalling 866K Spa Pumps Sold Nationwide That Pose Injury Risk, Caused Fatal Fire: CPSC
Company Recalling 866K Spa Pumps Sold Nationwide That Pose Injury Risk, Caused Fatal Fire: Cpsc Hundreds of thousands of AirJet and HydroJet Spa Pumps sold across the country are subject to a recall due to a fire hazard that resulted in at least one death, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  This week, CSPC and Hong Kong-based Bestway International announced that they are recalling approximately 866,000 pumps that can overheat, causing its plastic housing to ignite, increasing the risk of fire or injury. CPSC says that there have been at least three fires reportedly involving the spa pumps, including one that led to a massive house fire in January 2024 in…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Boar's Head Shuts Down Plant Tied To Deadly Listeria Outbreak, Will No Longer Make Liverwurst Boar's Head Shuts Down Plant Tied To Deadly Listeria Outbreak, Will No Longer Make Liverwurst
Boar's Head Shuts Down Plant Tied To Deadly Listeria Outbreak, Will No Longer Make Liverwurst The Boar’s Head plant at the center of a recall of millions of pounds of deli meat that has led to nine deaths due to Listeria contamination will be shut down.The company made the announce early Friday afternoon, Sept. 13. "Major deficiencies" at the facility in the rural southern Virginia town of Jarratt posed an “imminent threat” government inspectors warned after discovering "rusted equipment, condensation dripping on the floor and green mold on a wall" about two years before the initial recall on Friday, July 26, according to The Washington Post. But the US Agriculture Department did n…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Popular Fast Casual Dining Chain Files For Bankruptcy Popular Fast Casual Dining Chain Files For Bankruptcy
Popular Fast Casual Dining Chain Files For Bankruptcy A popular fast casual dining chain has filed for bankruptcy after months of reporting financial distress. BurgerFi International, Inc., announced the Chapter 11 filing on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The Florida-based company is also the parent company of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. All 144 locations of the two brands across the the nation will remain open and continue normal operations. BurgerFi makes up 93 of the eateries, and Anthony's the other 51. The Chapter 11 filing includes the 67 corporate-owned locations of both brands. "BurgerFi and Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings are dyn…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Acclaimed Restaurant Closing In Capital Region After Decade: 'We Are Forever Touched' Acclaimed Restaurant Closing In Capital Region After Decade: 'We Are Forever Touched'
Acclaimed Restaurant Closing In Capital Region After Decade: 'We Are Forever Touched' For husband-and-wife team Nick and Sarah Suarez, it’s about to be a wrap on a decade of culinary excellence. Their Columbia County restaurant – Gaskins in Germantown — will hold its final dinner service on Sunday, Nov. 24, the couple announced on Facebook. “Deciding to close has been the hardest decision of our life,” they said in their post Wednesday, Sept. 11. “As strange as it feels to say goodbye, we know that what we have created, with all of you, has been truly spectacular.” The Suarezes said there was no single reason for the closure, “rather an understanding that after 10 years of …

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Big Lots Expands Store Closures Amid Bankruptcy Filing: Here's Rundown Of NY Closures Big Lots Expands Store Closures Amid Bankruptcy Filing: Here's Rundown Of NY Closures
Big Lots Expands Store Closures Amid Bankruptcy Filing: Here's Rundown Of NY Closures Discount retail chain Big Lots has filed for bankruptcy as its list of planned store closures expands. It currently has around 1,425 stores nationwide. The company announced on Monday, Sept. 9 that it will sell its assets to an affiliate of private equity firm Nexus Capital Management. In announcing initial store closures late in late July, Big Lots said a bankruptcy filing could be coming. Stores in the Northeast now slated for closure are as follows: New York Delaware Avenue, Buffalo South Ogden Street, Buffalo Route 5 & 20, Canandaigua  Voice Road, Carle Place Centereach …

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
$2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy $2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy
$2M Con Job: NY Contractor Admits Defrauding Victims Of Hurricane Sandy A former New York contractor confessed to stealing millions of dollars from homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy to fund his lavish lifestyle. Alexander Almaraz, age 56, who formerly lived on Long Island in Freeport, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, Sept. 5. Prosecutors said Almaraz, who owned Design Concepts Group (DCG) in Freeport, targeted homeowners who suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and later received relief funds from the governor’s office. Earlier Report: Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar,…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Store In Region Permanently Closes After 37-Year Run Store In Region Permanently Closes After 37-Year Run
Store In Region Permanently Closes After 37-Year Run After 37 years of business in the region, a popular discount store has decided to close its doors permanently. Located in Ulster County, the Kingston Just-A-Buck and Beyond store at 264 Plaza Road in Kingston Plaza said it has decided to close this location.  "We are so grateful for the wonderful staff and customers we have met and shared the last 37 years with," store officials said. "We will surely miss you all. Much thanks for all of your support throughout the years, it has been greatly appreciated." The store held deep discount sales until the final day in the last week of Augus…

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by Kathy Reakes
Business
Person Who Consumed Recalled Boar’s Head Products May Have Permanent Injuries, Lawsuit Says Person Who Consumed Recalled Boar’s Head Products May Have Permanent Injuries, Lawsuit Says
Person Who Consumed Recalled Boar’s Head Products May Have Permanent Injuries, Lawsuit Says A person in the New York metropolitan area who purchased and consumed recalled Boar's Head products is believed to have permanent injuries, a new lawsuit alleges. Manhattan-based injury and food safety attorney John Beatty has been retained to file the suit against Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. for a client who suffered severe health consequences due to Listeria contamination. The person, whose precise place of residence has not been released, contracted Listeria, leading to a near-fatal case of meningitis and an almost month-long hospital stay, according to Beatty. "The client is belie…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Toyota Recalling 43K Vehicles Due To Faulty Tow Hitch Covers Toyota Recalling 43K Vehicles Due To Faulty Tow Hitch Covers
Toyota Recalling 43K Vehicles Due To Faulty Tow Hitch Covers Tens of thousands of Toyota SUVs are subject to a sizeable recall due to a faulty tow hitch cover that may increase the possibility of a crash, officials say. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a recall of approximately 43,400 Toyota Sequoia Hybrids that may have tow hitch covers that can detach from the bumper and fall into the roadway, causing a hazard for other drivers. Recalled models include vehicles produced in 2023 and 2024. "The subject vehicles are equipped with a resin tow hitch cover held in place by molded clips to the rear bumper," according t…

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by Zak Failla