MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

What the federal rate hike means: The good, the bad, the possibilities

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

For the third time this year — and the eighth time in three years — the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates. The most recent hike, which occurred during the last week of September, increases the federal funds rate a quarter percentage point, to a range of 2 to 2.25 percent. The hike brings good news, bad news, and financial planning opportunities.

Trump to visit Hurricane Michael’s war zone aftermath

Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

Last Wednesday is a day that will be marked in history books. Like Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, Maria and Florence before it, another historic social and environmental disaster is upon us: Hurricane Michael. It’s the largest U.S. hurricane since 1969, touching down on the Florida panhandle and the southeastern U.S. on Oct. 10. Florida’s panhandle, including Mexico Beach and Panama City, was hit so hard by Hurricane Michael’s almost category 5 winds, with storm surges reaching 14 feet, that the media routinely compares the region to a “war zone.”

Is facial recognition needed for school security?

Bambi Majumdar Education

The unfortunate increase in school shootings across the country has thrust the school security debate into the spotlight. Parents, teachers, administrators, and the government are concerned about security and safety of all present at school premises. A Seattle-based company, RealNetworks, recently made headlines in this regard. It has introduced facial recognition technology to increase security at one Seattle school as a part of a preliminary service experiment. The experiment has fueled a fierce debate about privacy concerns.

UN climate report warns of catastrophe by 2040

Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

As climate change goes, we have heard it all. Tales of rapidly melting sea ice form the backdrop of a world spinning out of control towards more catastrophes: water and food shortages, massive wildfires, flooding, and skyrocketing temperatures. All of this will affect poor and frontline communities more, of course. The plot of a new science fiction film? No. Just the latest from the freshly convened U.N. Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last week in Incheon, South Korea.

The $13 billion plan to rebuild New York’s JFK Airport

Matt Falcus Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

Seven years of construction work are slated to tackle the growing problems at New York’s JFK Airport in a plan announced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Oct. 4 that will see two new terminals and a raft of changes to improve the experience for passengers. This is the next stage of the program to upgrade JFK, first announced in January 2017, when Cuomo promised that the airport was "next in line" following work starting on LaGuardia.

After Vegas shooting anniversary, we are closer to a federal bump stock…

Michelle R. Matisons Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

Just over one year ago on Oct. 1, 2017, people watched in horror as a Las Vegas gunman open fire on a large crowd gathered for a country music concert. This incident is now known as the United States' deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual. Of course, it didn’t take long for gun control reformers to seize on the moment and call for stricter gun safety laws, such as stronger background checks. Another agenda item is the banning of firearms enhancements, like bump stocks. The Vegas shooter used 12 bump stocks to enhance his weapons, and the devices are now under greater public scrutiny.

Exploring California’s new transparency bills

Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed two law enforcement transparency bills into law on Sept. 30, marking a historic new era for in law enforcement in the Golden State. At a time when police and community relations are at best tenuous, a law like this can go a long way to assuage public concerns about safety and civil rights. The two bills in the spotlight will increase access to law enforcement records and body camera footage.

September nonfarm payrolls grow by 134,000; jobless rate drops to 3.7 percent

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 134,000 in September vs. 201,100 in August, as the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent from August’s 3.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. In September, the number of unemployed workers declined to 6 million compared with 6.2 million in August. September’s BLS data does show growth in wage income, though with room for improvement, according to economist Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute.

How new US tariffs will affect big business and consumers

Dr. Samantha Bietsch Civil & Government

We have heard a lot recently about the new U.S. tariffs on imported goods and services and how they will affect American business. While some in business favor the new tariffs, others do not. Some of these opinions are based on facts; others are not. Although improving the domestic economy sounds like a great idea, increasing tariffs on U.S. imports does not come without retaliation from other nations. Just as Americans buy foreign products, other nations buy American-made products and crops.

We have good EU F-Gas regulations, now we need good regulating

Andrew Gaved Civil & Government

At RAC’s recent Cooling Industry Awards, I ended my speech on a bit of a call to arms. The gist of it is that we as an industry deserve the respect of having our F-Gas regulations properly enforced. I am sure you don’t need me to remind you, as I seem to have been writing about it for months, that the EU’s F-Gas regulatory regime has proved quite a tough prospect for the industry, with its combination of HFC phasedown and bans intended to drive the market towards lower-GWP options at quite a pace.

Industries