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LOS ANGELES — Jurors in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube. At the core of the Los Angeles case is a 20-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits will play out. KGM and the cases of two other plaintiffs have been selected to be bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to ...

Eddie Bauer files for bankruptcy

NEW YORK — The operator of roughly 180 Eddie Bauer stores across the U.S. and Canada has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming declining sales and a litany of other industry headwinds. The bankruptcy filing marks the third time in a little over two decades for the storied-but-now-tired brand that began as a Seattle fishing shop, later outfitted the first American to climb Mount Everest and made thousands of newfangled down jackets and sleeping bags for the military during World War II. Eddie Bauer LLC said Monday it had entered into a restructuring pact with its secured ...

A Sweet Thing: Candy still tops Valentine’s Day gifts

Candy remains the most popular Valentine’s Day gift, as 56% of shoppers plan to buy some sweet treats for their sweetheart. “Valentine’s Day is a cornerstone of the chocolate industry, and for us, it’s our third-largest holiday — trailing only Christmas and Easter. With Feb. 14 ...

JARI board names Galiote new president/CEO

JOHNSTOWN — The board of directors of Johns­town Area Regional Industries has appointed Brian Galiote as its new president/CEO, effective Feb. 16. Galiote, a lifelong resident of the area, brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the defense and manufacturing industries, with ...

Bubble bursting on AI social site

You are not invited to join the latest social media platform that has the internet talking. In fact, no humans are, unless you can hijack the site and roleplay as AI, as some appear to be doing. Moltbook is a new “social network” built exclusively for AI agents to make posts and interact with each other, and humans are invited to observe. Elon Musk said its launch ushered in the “very early stages of the singularity “ — or when artificial intelligence could surpass human intelligence. Prominent AI researcher Andrej Karpathy said it’s “the most incredible sci-fi ...

What you need to know before making financial gifts

Whether you’re giving cash or investments, be aware of the logistics and tax implications. If you have gifting to loved ones on your mind, here are some considerations related to taxes and logistics. Gifting logistics Unless you’re writing a check from your bank account, the logistics of gifting funds can get a bit complicated. If you want to gift from your IRA, your only option is to sell a chunk of it, then pay any taxes due, then write a check. That’s not terrible, so long as you understand the tax implications. IRA withdrawals are typically subject to ordinary income ...