A-Town Magazine
McDonald’s sued over AI tool that recommends prices to US franchisees
McDonald’s is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges its AI-enhanced pricing tool violates antitrust laws because it shares nonpublic data with franchisees who might be competing in the same market. The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Illinois, said McDonald’s pricing tool uses artificial intelligence to collect data that competing franchises wouldn’t normally share, like […]
The enduring popularity of Elvis Presley’s Graceland is a monument to his legacy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Paul Simon sang about going there to ease an aching heart in 1986 on a Grammy-winning album titled, well, “Graceland.” A year later, Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen wrote their own song about a trip to Graceland that was decidedly less reverent, with lyrics like, “Goin’ to Graceland/It’s […]
With violins, trumpets and the guitarrón, Las Vegas is training the mariachi educators of tomorrow
LAS VEGAS | Axel Rodríguez Olivas nervously steps on stage, carrying a violin. He raises his bow and begins to play, his nerves melting away. Mariachi music explodes throughout the room as violins, trumpets, the guitarrón, and a stringed instrument called the vihuela launch into an upbeat melody. There they are joined by a warm […]
Paramount and Warner Bros are now one Hollywood giant: Skydance. Here’s how we got here
CHICAGO | It’s official: Skydance-owned Paramount has closed its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies completed the deal on Tuesday, ushering in a new Hollywood giant with the now shorter “Skydance” nametag. The merger brings two of America’s oldest moviemaking studios together. And HBO Max, titles ranging from “Harry Potter” to “Sinners” […]
One income, two retirements: How couples can protect their future
For a lot of people, a one-size-fits-all retirement plan just doesn’t fit. Their family circumstances call for a more custom-made approach. That’s the case with couples who have one income. Christine Benz and Valentina Djeljosevic recently discussed the retirement planning needs of these couples, including emergency funding and Social Security filing decisions. Valentina Djeljosevic: For […]
What to Stream: Oasis doc, Pitbull, ‘Carrie’ series, ‘Gears of War: E-Day’ and ‘Disclosure Day’
“Disclosure Day” and a new album from Pitbull are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger,” Troye Sivan’s fourth album and the highly […]
Michael Douglas on ‘immortality,’ Kirk Douglas and the memories he once avoided
NEW YORK | Michael Douglas, the award-winning actor and producer, recently turned 82. He is a cancer survivor, a recovered addict, a married man, the father and son of actors. He is also an author, who begins his memoir with a message of thanks to his family — past and present and future — for […]
A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a new Trump makeover. Gold flourishes abound
WASHINGTON | It’s glitzier. And there’s way more gold. The People’s House museum exhibit has overhauled its replica Oval Office for visitors to experience President Donald Trump’s second-term design choices. Gleaming vases, golden-hued swirling onlays, two dozen portraits in heavy gilded frames and knickknacks crowding nearly every available surface: the same rococo flourishes that Trump […]
Wagging tails fill a Philippine church where priests bless pets for St. Francis feast
MANILA, Philippines | It’s a day for wagging tails, happy faces and a special annual blessing at a church in the Philippine capital. Every Oct. 4, Catholics mark the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, remembered for his humility, compassion and deep love for all living things. […]
PEN America: Nearly 12,000 school book bans in a year, a record high
NEW YORK | Nearly 12,000 bans took place in public schools over the past year, according to a new study from PEN America, the highest total since the free expression organization began tracking removals five years ago. For the second straight year, Stephen King was the author most likely to have his work withdrawn. Many […]