The Latest in Financial & Business News

A billboard advertising a "Weed Drive Thru" from a Pawtucket, R.I., cannabis vendor is seen along Interstate 95 near Providence.

Drive-thru cannabis? At Mother Earth Wellness in R.I., it’s ‘like getting a cup of coffee’

The drive-thru model has a certain appeal for customers who might be anxious about going into a cannabis dispensary, the owner of the Pawtucket, R.I., outlet said.

BUSINESS
8 interesting things you can get at a drive-thru
Beyond fast food, coffee, and banking, there’s a world of businesses prioritizing customer convenience and helping people fit more into their busy lives. Here are some of the drive-thru services we found across the country.

Massachusetts labor force grows amid signs hiring might be slowing
The state’s primary economic resource — its pool of available workers — expanded in March, recording the largest gain in 13 months as hiring showed signs of cooling off.

Japan-based restaurant group opens first US location in Back Bay
Boston’s Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern a starting point for US expansion, company says

Steward lenders identified as struggling hospital system faces payment deadline
US senators from Massachusetts pressed the lending consortium to modify the loan terms to allow Steward’s eight Massachusetts hospitals to keep operating.

Who still uses a landline? Massachusetts residents. A lot of them.
While wide swaths of the country have left landline phones behind, people in the state remain loyal to theirs, a new study has found.

In Holyoke, a home of her own: One woman’s struggle to build a life in the state’s poorest place

During a coastal flooding warning in January, cars traveled through flood waters along Atlantic Avenue.

Boston’s defenses against rising seas lean on private development. What happens when the money dries up?

Trump Media, owner of Truth Social, is a textbook meme stock.

Psst. Investing in Trump’s Truth Social is a no-brainer.

Gen Z in Boston

In Chapter One of BoZton, we’ll touch on the burdens of soaring rent, the scramble to find an apartment, and the elusive dream of homeownership as it pertains to young people of the city.

BoZton, a video series for The Hub's Gen Zers

In Chapter One, we break down the burdens of housing for the city's Gen Z population.

Watch the trailer Can young people make it in Boston?

tech power players 50

Tech Power Players 50 list of 2023

Our second annual ranking spotlights leaders keeping New England’s technology scene vibrant in a challenging climate.

See who ranked No. 1Explore the full project

BOLD TYPES

Jarred Johnson, head of TransitMatters, believes in a ‘data-driven but people-centered’ approach to fixing the MBTA.

Jarred Johnson talks transit advocacy

Globe reporter Janelle Nanos sits down with leaders in the city’s business community to talk career paths, accomplishments, and visions for Boston’s future.

Explore the full series

ON THE STREET

A heart sculpture on display near Framingham's downtown, with "welcome" written in a variety of languages.

Framingham is once again reinventing itself

The On the Street series looks at the past, present, and future of neighborhoods in Greater Boston.

Framingham’s public schools offer a pipeline for inclusionExplore the full series

Listen to Globe Opinion's new podcast, ‘Say More with Shirley Leung’

Congress Street in Boston's Financial District on July 29, 2020.

Sign up for Trendlines, the business newsletter from Larry Edelman

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RHODE MAP

Cranston, R.I., native Aram Zobian wins the 2024 U.S. Poker Open.

A Cranston, R.I., native is one of the world’s best poker players

Aram Zobian was just crowned the US Poker Open Series champion after winning more than $600,000 in four tournaments during the series. 9:24 a.m.

A Tesla sign is seen at Tesla in Buena Park, California, in 2023.

Tesla recalling more than 3,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks due to faulty pedal

The 2024 Cybertrucks are being recalled because of the possibility that a pedal can get stuck and cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash. 9:20 a.m.

shirley leung

A photograph of Doris Kearns Goodwin and her husband Dick Goodwin rests on a bookshelf at her home in Boston.

Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about the love of her life — and their unfinished love story with America

The historian and her late husband, Richard Goodwin, were among Boston’s legendary power couples. Her new book fulfills a promise to write the book he never got to finish. 9:15 a.m.

A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas in 2023.

Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom

Complaints about pregnant women being turned away from emergency rooms spiked in the months after states began enacting strict abortion laws following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. 8:52 a.m.

HOUSING

Providence Representative David Morales, a progressive Democrat, spoke at a tenants rights rally outside of Kent County Court in Warwick, R.I., on April 16.

Will tenants unions make a difference in Rhode Island’s housing crisis?

“Working-class people can use the courts and the political system,” said Daniel Denvir, cofounder of Reclaim R.I. “But nothing beats actual, collective organization and the sort of power that can wield.” 5:53 a.m.

Google said it will combine the software division responsible for Android mobile software and the Chrome browser with the hardware division known for Pixel smartphones and Fitbit wearables. It is part of a broader push to integrate artificial intelligence more broadly throughout the company.

Google is combining its Android software and Pixel hardware divisions to more broadly integrate AI

In a letter to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the changes will “turbocharge the Android and Chrome ecosystems” while helping to spur innovation. 10:13 p.m.

A view of The Connector, a publicly accessible space in Winthrop Center.

Winthrop Center promised a public space open seven days a week. The city is trying to hold them to it.

The BPDA gave developer Millennium Partners a slap on the wrist this week, claiming that its three-story-high lobby, dubbed The Connector, was locked on weekends when it's supposed to be open seven days a week. 5:48 p.m.

Construction workers look to secure a beam that fell at the South Station Tower project last month.

Work resumes at South Station Tower project after pair of safety incidents

Suffolk Construction, the company leading the 51-story project, said it voluntarily stopped work on the tower on April 9 to complete “a comprehensive safety audit” after the small fire. 4:38 p.m.

TALKING POINTS

The Fallon Co. has inked a master development agreement to build up 30 acres on the Nashville riverfront.

Boston-based The Fallon Co. to redevelop part of Nashville riverfront

Stories you may have missed from the world of business. 3:56 p.m.

The Google building is seen in New York on Feb. 26.

Google fires 28 workers in aftermath of protests over big tech deal with Israeli government

The firings, confirmed by Google late Wednesday, came a day after nine employees were arrested during sit-in protests at offices in New York and Sunnyvale, Calif., after the company called police. 3:33 p.m.

Good Samaritan Medical Center, a Steward Health Care hospital in Brockton.

Steward temporarily shuts cancer unit at Good Samaritan hospital, in latest sign of stress

Financially troubled Steward Health Care has closed a standalone hematology oncology infusion center in Brockton, forcing scores of patients being treated for cancer and blood disorders to look elsewhere for care. 1:23 p.m.

Larry Edelman | Trendlines

The DUA has worked hard to improve service. But it’s bogged down battling an onslaught of unemployment fraud.

Ron Iacobucci has a good idea for helping jobless workers. The state doesn’t seem to care.

MassHire career centers would be good sites for the Department of Unemployment Assistance to provide much-needed in-person customer service. 11:00 a.m.

A hiring sign in Riverwoods, Ill., on Tuesday.

The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits holds steady as labor market remains strong

Massachusetts reported 4,484 “advance” initial claims for unemployment insurance last week. 9:52 a.m.

The Prudential Building, left, and One Dalton in the setting sun.

Want to live in the Back Bay, the heart of America’s most expensive ZIP code? Here’s what it will cost you.

In December, the median home price was approximately $2,663 per square foot, according to data from Realtor.com that was reported by The Wall Street Journal earlier this year. 9:15 a.m.

FOOD & DINING in RI

Chili crisps and crunches are characterized by flavorful, crunchy bits in oil.

‘No one should be able to trademark something so ingrained in a culture’: R.I. chefs on the Momofuku chili crunch controversy

Celebrity chef David Chang has apologized for sending cease-and-desist letters to small companies and restaurants that sell chili crunch. But the damage to his brand may have already been done. 8:53 a.m.