Companies Consumer Report
May 21, 2013 8:07am

JPMorgan Chase Shareholder Showdown

Morning Business Memo… A shareholder showdown today at the annual meeting of JPMorgan Chase in Tampa. A vote is expected on a proposal to separate the jobs of chairman and CEO at the big bank. If the effort started by several large pension funds is… Read More »

Consumer Report
May 21, 2013 6:00am

Florida Man Bags Record Python

After a fierce battle near the Everglades, a Florida man bagged a record 18-foot, 8-inch python, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Jason Leon, an amateur python collector, said he was driving in the northwestern part of Miami-Dade County – where the… Read More »

Consumer Report
May 20, 2013 7:43pm

Gas Prices Spike Ahead of Memorial Day

It’s almost Memorial Day and the price of driving for the first holiday weekend of the summer just got a bit higher. The weekly average price of a gallon of regular gas is $3.67, up 7 cents from a week earlier, according to the Department… Read More »

Companies
May 20, 2013 11:57am

Colgate Planning Caffeinated Toothbrush? Maybe, Maybe Not

News reports suggest Colgate-Palmolive applied to patent a caffeinated toothbrush, but the actual patent application only referred to a proposed device that hypothetically could release caffeine or any other substance or flavoring, and create sensations in a user’s mouth. So maybe they did plan a… Read More »

Companies Economy
May 20, 2013 8:02am

Is Yahoo Paying Too Much for Tumblr?

Morning Business Memo… Yahoo is spending $1.1 billion to buy the six-year-old blogging site Tumblr. The acquisition is the biggest yet for Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and is part of her continuing push to give Yahoo credibility with a younger crowd, and make it a… Read More »

Consumer Report
May 17, 2013 6:01pm

Record-Breaking Week on Wall Street

Stocks finished out another record-breaking week. The Dow, S&P and NASDAQ stock indexes have posted four straight weeks of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial average ended the day up 121 points to close the week at 15,354. Year-to-date, the Dow is up 17 percent.  … Read More »

Consumer Report
May 17, 2013 2:56pm

Steak n’ Shake Waitress Scores $446 Tip on $6 Check

If service with a smile results in a good tip, then Steak n’ Shake waitress CeCe Bruce is smiling from ear to ear. Bruce, a waitress for the past two years at a Steak n’ Shake in Indianapolis, is $446 richer after a longtime customer… Read More »

Economy
May 17, 2013 2:06pm

Unemployment: How Does Your State Rank?

More signs that the job market is slowly recovering: 40 states showed a drop in unemployment in April. Louisiana, Tennessee and North Dakota showed an increase in the unemployment rate, while rates were unchanged in seven states, according to the Labor department. The country’s unemployment… Read More »

By Abby Ellin

Consumer Report
May 17, 2013 2:02pm

Taco Bell Sued By Prisoner for ‘Stealing’ Doritos Locos Idea

 Where do wildly popular fast food ideas come from? According to Gary Cole: Prison. That is the contention of Cole, who claims that it was he who invented Taco Bell’s famous Doritos Locos tacos while doing time in maximum security federal prison in Florence Colorado.  He… Read More »

Companies
May 17, 2013 12:50pm

Bill Gates Regains Title of World’s Richest Person

Bill Gates has regained his title as richest man in the world after five years out of the top spot, beating Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. The net worth of Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, hit a five-year… Read More »