PYMNTS

Credit infrastructure provider Setpoint has raised $31 million in a Series B round. The funding round, led by 645 Ventures, will help fuel research and development, with an emphasis on expanding Setpoint’s engineering and data science teams, the company said in a Wednesday (Aug. 14) news release. Setpoint said...

Setpoint Raises $31 Million to Shore Up Credit Infrastructure

Former Google CEO and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is reportedly not a fan of remote work. Speaking to students at Stanford University, Schmidt said that Google’s offering of remote work has caused it to fall behind in the artificial intelligence (AI) competition, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday (Aug. 14), citing a video of the event.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt: Successful Startups Work in Offices

Branded resale company Trove has acquired Recurate, a “significant” player in its industry. “This acquisition underscores Trove’s commitment to making branded resale more accessible and easier to launch and scale for brands,” the company said in a Tuesday (Aug. 13) news release. The deal, Trove said,...

Trove Acquires Recurate to Expand Branded Resale Market Presence

Stablecoin-centric money transfer app Sling Money has raised $15 million in new funds. Sling’s app combines stablecoin technology “with a user-friendly interface” and integration with fiat payment systems for easier money movement, according to a Thursday (Aug. 15) news release. “With Sling Money, users can easily send...

Sling Money Raises $15 Million for Money Transfer App

This year has seen three fledgling AI firms swallowed up by Big Tech companies. As the Financial Times (FT) notes in a report Wednesday (Aug. 14), it is a pattern that threatens to leave venture capitalists (VCs) on the outside looking in at the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. AI companies...

AI Firms’ Big Tech Deals Leave VC Investors in the Cold

Polk County, FL

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

Fort Meade, FL

Uncovering Florida

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

writer

J. Souza

According to cruise industry reports, the world's largest cruise ship is sailing well above 100% capacity, thanks to more beds being filled on recent sailings. Royal Caribbean’s newest flagship, the Icon of the Seas, is proving to be an unprecedented success, with occupancy rates far exceeding expectations.

The Largest Cruise Ship in the World is Sailing at 132% Capacity: How This is Even Possible

As consumers bear the burden of inflation, PYMNTS Intelligence reveals that nearly all individuals living paycheck to paycheck are making trade-offs when it comes to restaurant spending. The latest installment of PYMNTS Intelligence’s series “New Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report,” the “How Consumer Perception of Inflation Forces Many to Trade...

98% of Financially Strained Restaurant Customers Are Cutting Back

Denver, CO

No, pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness don’t fold into caskets. It’s a question a reader posed one of the first times I wrote about pallet shelters. I find the pallet shelters to be more palatable than ice fishing tents. The Colorado Village Collaborative operates both micro-communities and the so-called Safe Outdoor Spaces with the tents. We all learned the tents are not safe when a fire roared through a CVC Safe Outdoor Space, destroying the compound quickly. Officials never disclosed a cause of the fire.

Opinion: No, pallet shelters for homeless in Denver, Aurora don’t fold into caskets

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

Morristown Minute

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Florida State

In a divided vote on Senate Bill 1084, which would make a variety of regulatory changes including putting a ban on lab grown meat state-wide, Florida’s Senate and House ultimately decided to pass it, sending it on to Governor DeSantis for approval. DeSantis officially approved it on May 1, 2024, and the law came into effect on July 1, 2024.

DeSantis Signed New Florida Law: Selling Lab Grown Meat Is Now A Second Degree Misdemeanor

Apache Junction, AZ

Suzy Jacobson Cherry

When I studied Anthropology in college, I learned that teeth have been indicators of economic status just about forever. Archaeologists look at the teeth in ancient skeletons and know who the rich were based on their tooth decay. During the Renaissance period, it became fashionable for women to blacken their teeth to look like they were better off than they were, because the royals and aristocrats, who could afford sugar and sweets, had more rotten and missing teeth than the poor.

Opinion: Stop Stereotyping Bad Teeth as a Sign of Drug Addiction

Starbucks said Tuesday (Aug. 13) that it has appointed Chipotle Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol as CEO, effective Sept. 9, succeeding Laxman Narasimhan, who stepped down as CEO and director Tuesday. Niccol will leave Chipotle effective Aug. 31, at which time Chipotle Chief Operating Officer Scott Boatwright will become the...

Starbucks Appoints Chipotle Head Brian Niccol as CEO

Newark, NJ

NEWARK, N.J. – Nygee Johnson, also known as “Gito,” a 25-year-old member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, has admitted his role in a racketeering conspiracy. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. Johnson pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court on July 17, 2024, to a superseding indictment charging him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy.

Rollin' 60s Crips Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

Klarna is reportedly ready to tap Goldman Sachs to help it go public next year. The Swedish buy now, pay later (BNPL) company is in deliberations with the banking giant to help lead its initial public offering (IPO), Bloomberg reported late Wednesday (Aug. 14), citing unnamed sources. Klarna was in...

Klarna Reportedly Close to Choosing Goldman Sachs to Lead IPO

Email remains a cornerstone of communication, especially within business-to-business (B2B) relationships. This reliance on email, however, has also made it a prime target for savvy cybercriminals. And with the news that Luxembourg-based chemicals and manufacturing giant Orion SA lost around $60 million after being targeted by a presumed criminal business...

Why Business Email Compromise Scams Target Valuable B2B Relationships

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

NewsBreak

Huma Gets $80 Million to Build ‘Shopify for Digital Health’

Healthcare AI startup Huma has raised $80 million to develop its new digital health cloud platform. The platform, announced Tuesday (July 16), is designed to bolster...

Huma Gets $80 Million to Build ‘Shopify for Digital Health’

Comments / 0