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E-commerce giant Amazon recently reported fourth-quarter sales beating analysts’ estimates, but reported its first unprofitable year since 2014 due largely to its fizzling investment in electric truck builder Rivian. The company’s sluggish first-quarter guidance has caused its stock to drop more than four percent in morning trading. CNBC reports that e-commerce giant Amazon recently reported higher-than-expected revenue for the fourth quarter, but the stock fell after the company provided first-quarter guidance that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Workers pack and ship customer orders at the 750,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center on August 1, 2017 in Romeoville, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) In its 25 years as a publicly traded company, the e-commerce behemoth experienced its slowest year of growth. Blaming inflationary pressures and rising rates that affect consumer spending, the company’s annual … [Read more...] about Not So Prime: Amazon’s Sluggish Growth Forecast Causes Stock to Drop

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 7 COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Recreational marijuana sales in Missouri officially began Friday after the state health department unexpectedly began approving dispensary permits early. Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since a ballot measure passed in 2018, but voters went a step further this November by approving a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug for anyone 21 or older. The new law made Missouri the 21st state to allow recreational use. Under the amendment, non-medicinal pot use became legal in the state in December. But sales were stalled because the health department had until Friday to issue business licenses. Almost all of the state's medical marijuana dispensaries applied to sell recreational pot, according to Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Senior Services. Of the medical marijuana facilities that applied to … [Read more...] about Legal recreational pot sales begin for Missouri adults

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jay Kornegay was behind the counter in 2004 when someone approached with $5,000 to bet on the Super Bowl but had no idea how to decide. The man, not a regular sports bettor, thought for a few moments and decided to put it all on the Carolina Panthers to score exactly 29 points at 30-1 odds. Kornegay couldn't believe it, but took the man's money — and later returned it plus the winnings. The bet cashed when the Panthers scored that amount in a three-point loss to the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl draws a larger portion of casual bettors than other American sporting events, and the numerous proposition options each year underscore how the game's mass appeal goes well beyond professional gamblers and hardcore fans. “We’re certainly going to write a lot more tickets on the propositions than the game,” said Kornegay, vice president of race and … [Read more...] about Super Bowl prop betting increasing in popularity

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The new Republican majority on North Carolina's Supreme Court agreed on Friday to rehear redistricting and voter identification cases less than two months after the court's previous edition, led by Democrats, issued major opinions going against GOP legislators who had been sued. The extraordinary decisions, granted in orders backed by five justices with the Republican voter registrations on the seven-member court, mean the issues will return to the court for oral arguments in mid-March. With hopes of getting new legal results, lawmakers led by House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger asked two weeks ago that the justices rehear the litigation. The two Democratic justices lamented the orders and said they stood against more than 200 years of court history in which rehearings have been exceedingly rare. They said it appeared it was happening simply because the court's partisan makeup had changed. Two new Republican justices took office in early … [Read more...] about N. Carolina Supreme Court to rehear voter ID, redistricting

Nothing says “family bonding” like a road trip through a robot apocalypse. At least that’s the case for the Mitchells in the quirky and riotously funny Netflix animated film “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.” Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson), a movie buff with a lengthy filmography of YouTube videos, is heading off to college to find “her people”: fellow tech-savvy, meme-loving cinephiles. She clashes with her nature-obsessed father, Rick (Danny McBride), who pitches Katie a last-minute family road-trip to her school along with Linda (Maya Rudolph), Katie’s aggressively positive mother; Aaron (Mike Rianda), Katie’s dinosaur-obsessed little brother; and Monchi, their chunky walleyed pug. As the family embarks on its awkward journey, a well-meaning tech genius in Silicon Valley introduces a device upgrade that leads to a robot takeover, à la “ I, Robot ,” that only the Mitchells can stop. Think “ The Incredibles ” — but instead of a family of heroes, here’s a family of … [Read more...] about ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ Review: When Bots Attack

12 Crime & Safety The early-morning burglary did not result in the five suspects taking any cash and no weapon was used in the incident, police said. Jeff Arnold , Patch Staff Posted Replies OAK FOREST, IL — Oak Forest Police are searching for five suspects who police said smashed the front window of a local 7-Eleven convenience store this week, removed items, and then ran, police said. The burglary took place at 2:51 a.m. on Tuesday at the 7-Eleven on 167th Street just off Cicero, Oak Forest Police Chief Jason Reid said. Five suspects smashed out a window at the store and escaped with items from the store before fleeing the area. No weapons were involved in the incident and no cash was taken, Reid said on Wednesday. The burglary remains under investigation by police and anyone with information about the suspects or that has information about the incident is asked to call the Oak Forest Police Department’s number … [Read more...] about 5 Suspects Smash Out Oak Forest 7-Eleven Window, Escape With Items: PD