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Forget the celebrities. Meet LA's small businesses that depend on the Oscars

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — For more than 20 years, Sherman Oaks florist Mark’s Garden has designed the towering greenery and blooming displays seen at the Oscars.

Getting that Hollywood awards-season work is key, particularly during the business’ typically slow first quarter of the year. And the free advertising that comes with your floral ...Read more

Kia Motors/Kia Motors/TNS

Larry Printz: Kia reveals more electric vehicles for the US market

Business / Business News /

TARRAGONA, Spain – While many of the world’s automakers are slowing their ramp-up of electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide, Kia Motors is not one of them. The Hyundai Motor Group subsidiary is expecting to produce an additional one million units worldwide by 2030, all of them EVs.

“Customers still face limited choices with many OEM EVs,” ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Maryland governor's signature EV program at risk as Trump withholds $330M from state

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is withholding $330 million in previously approved federal grant awards for about 30 Maryland transportation projects, according to the state Transportation Department, which is urgently asking the administration to reconsider.

Among the projects placed in limbo are key elements of Gov. Wes Moore’s ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

Danel Howes: Why Trump tariff threat promises rough ride for Detroit autos

Business / Business News /

To dispel any doubt, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform Thursday to confirm that, yes, tariffs on vehicles, parts and other products made in Canada and Mexico "will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled" next week.

That's why Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley, Stellantis NV Chairman John Elkann and General Motors Co. CEO Mary ...Read more

Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/TNS

Econometer: Is it time to step away from the California high-speed rail project?

Business / Business News /

The Trump administration has launched a review of California’s high-speed rail project, with some officials questioning if it is time to walk away from the project.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced recently that the Federal Railroad Administration will conduct the review. Only 119 miles of the planned 776-mile railroad have ...Read more

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The Goldilocks truck: Ram says the Ramcharger REEV is just right for the electrified age

Business / Business News /

In the electrified era, common acronyms include EV, HEV and PHEV. Get used to a new term: REEV.

Ram on Tuesday introduced its new Range Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV), the 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger. The Ramcharger is a truck for customers who want electric vehicle (EV) performance but with the range of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Its ...Read more

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Auto review: Chevy Equinox discovers a new identity

Business / Business News /

Chevy’s Equinox may be a hot item in the U.S. carmaker’s lineup — second in sales only to the Silverado pickup — but it lagged in pizzazz and tech among rivals in the super-competitive compact-crossover field.

The fourth-generation 2025 Equinox addresses just that. Chevrolet redesigned the Equinox inside and out (at long last — it’s...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2025 GMC Sierra deserves luxury truck accolades

Business / Business News /

With the pickup market improving in terms of both consumer utility and exterior aesthetics, one of the sticking points is price. This week in Grasso’s Garage we consider the 2025 Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate. While GMC’s parent company, General Motors, has done a fantastic job with recent releases, this truck is one outstanding machine. It's ...Read more

Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Target set to reveal its plan to jump-start growth. Investors hope it will be enough

Business / Business News /

All eyes will be on Target on Tuesday as the Minneapolis-based retailer unveils its latest plan to jump-start growth and recapture ground lost to competitors over the past few years.

Investor pressure is high. Target’s reliance on shoppers’ discretionary spending has put pressure on margins. Analysts are hoping for a strong reset in ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Fast 'n' fashionable Genesis GV70 isn't afraid to put on snow boots

Business / Business News /

OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — The delicious 2024 Genesis GV70 Sport Prestige has tailpipes the size of bazookas, jewel-like dials, seats that hug you in Sport mode, split headlights and a spine-tingling welcome chime from the TV series "Westworld."

But with winter temperatures below freezing and half a foot of snow on the roads, all that really ...Read more

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Mattel wins back lucrative rights to make DC-themed action figures, other toys

Business / Business News /

Mattel has reclaimed highly coveted rights to create action figures and collectibles based on DC characters such as Batman and Superman starting in the second half of 2026.

"It's a huge deal. You're dealing with some of the greatest superheroes and some of the best action figure potential in the industry, and we're incredibly excited by that," ...Read more

Rob Kim/Getty Images North America/TNS

Former ABC News executive Tom Cibrowski tapped as president of CBS News

Business / Business News /

Tom Cibrowski, who oversaw ABC's "Good Morning America" during one of its most successful eras, is joining CBS News as president and executive editor.

The storied news division, which has been reeling over its legal battle involving President Trump, announced Thursday that Ciabrowski will oversee newsgathering and programming.

Cibrowski will ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

California insurance regulators urge State Farm to expand coverage in exchange for rate hikes

Business / Business News /

After meeting with State Farm executives in Oakland on Wednesday, California’s top insurance regulator said he expects to decide within two weeks whether to approve the insurer’s emergency request for a steep rate hike while also promising to press company officials for guarantees of expanded coverage should it be allowed to charge higher ...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Largest investor pulls out of Nevada lithium mine project

Business / Business News /

Rhyolite Ridge’s biggest investor has pulled out of the project saying it did not meet their pricing assumptions.

South African precious metals mining company Sibanye-Stillwater has pulled out of the lithium-boron project from company Ioneer Limited. Located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, Rhyolite Ridge is the largest known lithium and boron ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'Experiential' retail surges as landlords try to lure customers back to the mall

Business / Business News /

SANTA MONICA, California — In a former clothing store, young entrepreneurs hawk products live on TikTok, sometimes in marathon sessions that last many hours. Fans and customers can stroll onto the floor that was once filled with racks of trendy women's apparel to watch them work and perhaps buy some of their wares.

Nearby, people play ...Read more

Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Paramount expects to complete Skydance deal by summer

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — Paramount Global expects to finalize its sale to David Ellison's Skydance Media by summer, the company said Wednesday, slightly adjusting its timeline after encountering static at the Federal Communications Commission.

The company had hoped to complete its sale by mid-April.

The update came as Paramount reported fourth-quarter ...Read more

Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Toll Brothers CEO says company is ready to take on challenge of low housing supply

Business / Business News /

Douglas C. Yearley Jr. was in elementary school when siblings Robert I. and Bruce E. Toll built their first two model homes in 1967 in the Philadelphia suburb Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Yearley, 65, joined Toll Brothers in 1990 and has served as CEO since 2010.

“We’re America’s Luxury Home Builder,” he said, touting the brand’s ...Read more

Austin rents tumble 22% from peak on massive home building spree

Business / Business News /

Yasmine Acebo makes her living by hooking up renters with deals on Austin apartments. In recent months, they haven’t been hard to find.

In the midst of a pandemic-era population surge, rents jumped a staggering 25% in 2021 in the Texas capital for one of the biggest increases in the nation. But a development boom and new policies encouraging ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Booting car traps second vehicle in garage. In an emergency, are HOA and towing company liable?

Business / Business News /

Q: Our homeowners association has decided to boot vehicles instead of having them towed for various violations. Our community has single car garages and a space in front of the garage for the second car. Could the association and tow company be at risk for a lawsuit if both cars are out of service in case of an emergency, the booted one and the ...Read more

Karen Ducey/The Seattle Times/TNS

Downtown Seattle has escaped the 'doom loop,' still off pre-pandemic norm

Business / Business News /

Downtown Seattle is headed toward a “bloom loop,” business boosters and government officials cheered Tuesday.

Jon Scholes, president of the Downtown Seattle Association and vocal supporter of the city’s business community, coined the phrase, playing off a term that became common place amid the COVID-19 pandemic: the “doom loop.”

As ...Read more