McDonald’s plans $5 meal deal to counter customer frustration over high prices

May 17, 2024

(AP) — McDonald’s plans to introduce a $5 meal deal in the U.S. next month to counter slowing sales and customers’ frustration with high prices. The deal would let customers get a four-piece McNugget, small fries, a small drink and either a McDouble burger or a McChicken sandwich for $5 in most areas, according to a person familiar with the deal who wasn’t authorized to discuss its details. The month-long deal is scheduled to begin June 25 and will be advertised nationally. Some stores with higher costs, like those in California or Hawaii, may charge more, the person ...

Barge hits bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island, causing collapse and oil spill

May 16, 2024

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although ...

Eight dead and at least 40 injured as farmworkers’ bus overturns in central Florida

May 15, 2024

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck and overturned in central Florida on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said. The converted school bus was transporting 53 farmworkers at about 6:40 a.m. when it ...

Dozens of Red Lobster locations close across the U.S. just months after ‘endless shrimp’ losses

May 15, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of Red Lobster locations across the U.S. are on the chopping block. Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced this week that it would be auctioning off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed as part of the seafood chain’s “footprint rationalization.” The locations span across more than 20 states — cutting back on Red Lobster’s presence in cities like Denver, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Sacramento, California. It’s unclear if Red Lobster plans to shutter any additional restaurants in the near future. The ...

Melinda French Gates resigns as Gates Foundation co-chair, 3 years after her divorce

May 14, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Melinda French Gates will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the nonprofit she and her ex-husband Bill Gates founded and built into one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations over the past 20 years. “This is not a decision I came to lightly,” French Gates posted on the X platform on Monday. “I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world.” She praised the foundation’s CEO, Mark Suzman, and the foundation’s board ...

Homeless woman was living inside Michigan rooftop store sign with computer and coffee maker

May 10, 2024

(AP) — Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer and coffee maker, police said. “She was homeless,” Officer Brennon ...