New Jersey State

Mountain View, CA

Vay isn’t a traditional ride-hailing or car-sharing startup, nor does it operate a robotaxi service. And yet, when customers in Las Vegas or Berlin open the Vay app and hail a car, it arrives without a human behind the wheel. The Berlin-based startup, which was founded in 2019 and...

Driverless car-sharing startup Vay steers toward B2B services

Lang said they realized that software providers were trying to build their own booking platforms, à la OpenTable. “We fundamentally didn’t believe this was the right approach for beauty and wellness,” Lang told TechCrunch. The founders envisioned all-in-one software that booked appointments and then automated ongoing text communications that could do everything from appointment reminders to sending care instructions prior to a skincare procedure.

How a cold email to a VC helped salon software startup Mangomint raise $35M

And it was facing a problem: When Chandarana thought about how he might expand the operation, his bank-based financial arrangement came up short. “Banking in India is collateral-based,” Chandarana explained. “Your volumes may grow according to the business you’re doing, but the bank payments will only increase according to the value of your collateral.”

Drip Capital, a fintech that provides working capital to SMBs, picks up $113M

The “starter” problem Calyxia is tackling is staggering at global scale: Microplastics are polluting everything around the world, from soils, rivers and beaches to the icy waters of the Arctic — they’re even getting inside our own bodies and brains. Beyond that, the traditional production methods...

French clean tech startup Calyxia nets $35M to tackle microplastics pollution

Florida State

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Gainesville, FL

Akeena

Big changes are coming to Florida’s home improvement scene as LL Flooring, the company once known as Lumber Liquidators, is shutting down five of its stores across the state. This isn’t just a Florida issue—LL Flooring is going through a massive restructuring nationwide after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which will affect 94 stores in 31 states.

A home improvement store chain to shut down 5 locations in Florida due to bankruptcy issues

Washington, DC

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community_voice

NewsNinja

A woman says she overheard Texas Roadhouse corporate managers plotting to terminate an employee who is in the intensive care unit (ICU) by baiting her husband with a fake benefits package. The story has sparked outrage in a now-viral TikTok.

Woman catches Texas Roadhouse managers allegedly scheming to terminate an injured worker

Earlier in July, a Ferrari executive was flooded with a barrage of WhatsApp messages that appeared to come from his boss, the carmaker’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna. But the Ferrari executive didn’t recognize the number, and he couldn’t be sure it was really his boss. Suspicious of the...

For security, we have to stop picking up the phone

Lake Panasoffkee, FL

Catfish Johnny’s, a beloved seafood restaurant known for its fresh catches and lively atmosphere, faced a temporary shutdown following a state inspection. This popular dining destination, which has delighted locals and tourists alike for 33 years, was briefly closed after the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) flagged multiple violations.

Florida’s Favorite Seafood Spot Closed After State Inspection

Kansas State

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Missouri State

CJ Coombs

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 1,467 children have been reported missing in the U.S. since January 1, 2024, a drop since the figure of 1,533 previously reported. That drop indicates 66 cases were resolved.

15 missing children in Missouri since June 2024: some cases resolved and more added

In addition, the inbox — or DMs (direct messages) — are a competitive feature for social apps, including Meta’s Threads, which is taking on Twitter/X. While other startups like Bluesky are integrating DMs directly into their app, Threads is still relying on Instagram’s existing DMs for those who want to connect privately.

Instagram jazzes up its DMs with stickers, photo editing, and themes

Georgia State

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Augusta, GA

Daily Coffee Press

Six defendants from the Augusta area have been sentenced to significant federal prison terms for their involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking operation. - James Andrew McPherson, 30, of Hephzibah, GA, the ringleader, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine. He will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term.

Six Georgia Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Long Federal Terms in Major Meth Operation Bust

According to officials with the Southern District of Georgia, two recently unsealed federal indictments have charged 23 defendants in a series of broad conspiracies involving the use of drones to smuggle methamphetamine, marijuana, and cell phones into state prisons in Georgia.

23 Defendants Charged in Federal Indictments for Drone-Smuggling Drug Operation in Georgia

Aurora, CO

Users in NewsBreak’s Contributor Program who have verified their accounts by showing hard news writing experience on other platforms.

David Heitz

The City of Aurora’s plan for a homeless navigation campus focusing on “work first” is coming together. The City Council will vote during its study session Monday on a resolution sponsored by council member Dustin Zvonek that spells out how the campus will operate. “The City of Aurora wishes to pursue an alternative to the ‘Housing First’ approach, by setting requirements and expectations for housing to include participation in addiction recovery, mental health, and job training programs to better address homelessness,” the resolution states. “It is inhumane and economically unwise to allow individuals experiencing homelessness to remain on the streets, or simply offer unconditional housing, rather than providing them with the necessary support services that offer a structured path to self-sufficiency and housing.”

Aurora’s ‘work first’ homeless plan: Instilling responsibility

Denver, CO

An opinion piece appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA this week illustrates why the drug problem among people experiencing homelessness in Denver may be so severe. It's because many homeless people aren't addicted to just one drug, but two, according to the viewpoint's author, Benjamin A. Howell of Yale School of Medicine and colleagues.

Fentanyl-meth combo ravages homeless in Denver, so why aren't there better treatments?

Colorado State

Uncovering Florida

Today, Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against the Biden-Harris administration for failing to provide public documents requested through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filing. The March 2024 FOIA request sought records related to policies allowing the release of dangerous criminal illegal aliens from U.S. prisons into the general population rather than deporting them.

FL Attorney General Sues Biden-Harris Administration Over Release of Criminal Illegal Aliens

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

J. Souza

A recent TikTok video has gone viral, highlighting the strict drug policies enforced by Carnival Cruise Line. In the clip, a passenger named Gloria (@coppertoneqt) recounts an incident involving a drug-sniffing dog that detected illicit substances in a fellow traveler's luggage.

Cruise Passenger Warns of Strict Drug Policies: "Carnival is not playing with y’all"

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Starting in late September, the federal government will relaunch its at-home COVID-19 test program that makes every U.S. household eligible for four free COVID-19 tests to be sent directly to their home.

Every household can get four free COVID-19 tests by mail, starting late September

Saturday, Aug. 31 is Overdose Awareness Day. Unfortunately, we are all too aware of overdoses at Fusion Studios, the homeless hotel run by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless where I live.

Opinion: Denver homeless hotel diary: Overdoses common here

Salem, OH

Every day, 8-year-old Emma sits in a small garden outside her grandmother’s home in Salem, Ohio, writing letters to her mom and sometimes singing songs her mother used to sing to her.

Thousands of parents die of overdoses; advocates say their kids need more help

NewsBreak

Public EV startup with an indicted CEO is looking to raise an additional $100 million

All this is happening even as the CEO of the company, Wellen Sham, has been indicted by the Taiwanese government on 11 criminal charges. It’s all...

Public EV startup with an indicted CEO is looking to raise an additional $100 million

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