On September 9, 2026, Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) reported fiscal first-quarter revenue of $5.68 billion, up 24.3% year over year, and earnings per share of $7.37, beating the $6.78 ******* yst consensus. Yet shares fell roughly 10-15% after same-store sales grew just 3.2%, below the 3.8% Wall Street had expected.
CEO Darren Rebelez described a "volatile" fuel environment during the quarter. Same-store fuel gallons sold declined 0.3% as elevated prices pushed customers toward fewer gallons per visit, more frequent trips, and cheaper fuel grades.
Fuel profitability more than offset softer gallon volumes. Fuel gross profit jumped 19.6% to $446.9 million as the fuel margin expanded to 47.8 cents per gallon from 41.0 cents a year earlier. It shows Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)'s pricing discipline can protect profitability even when customers buy fewer gallons. Prepared food added another source of margin strength, with same-store sales rising 4.8% and margins expanding to 59.3% from 58.0%.
Strong earnings growth gives Casey's a solid start to fiscal 2027. EBITDA grew 17.1% to $485.1 million, while net income rose 27.1% to $273.7 million. It shows that Casey's can grow earnings despite softer same-store sales. The firm also delivered $5.68 billion of revenue, up 24% year over year and above the $5.56 billion ******* yst estimate. It gives investors evidence that the overall business remains capable of producing strong growth.
Casey's is expanding its store base and integrating Fikes. The business said the Fikes integration remains ahead of schedule and maintained its plan to open at least 120 stores in fiscal 2027 through construction and acquisitions. Ongoing unit growth can expand Casey's geographic reach, increase purchasing scale, and support long-term revenue growth even if mature-store sales remain uneven.

#fuel #revenue

LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) announced an exclusive healthcare collaboration on September 15 that initially makes virtual-health membership benefits available to approximately 29 million eligible AT&T wireless and fiber customers across 11 states. Customers must be 18 or older, and some services have additional eligibility and state restrictions. A nationwide expansion planned for January 2027 would extend eligibility beyond 100 million customers.
The $19 monthly membership fee is waived, but customers must enroll. Visits, prescriptions, and other services remain separately payable. For LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD), the opportunity is converting access to a large audience into recurring demand for paid care.
The partnership gives LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) a distribution channel through the website, mobile app and customer-benefits program of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Reaching customers through an established relationship could reduce reliance on advertising and lower acquisition costs per paying patient.
Removing the membership charge also reduces the financial commitment required to try the service. Announced visit prices start at $29 for message-based care, $49 for urgent and primary care video visits, and $79 for specialty care. Customers may use insurance, Medicare, or discounted cash-pay rates for visits and prescriptions.
LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) could benefit from repeat consultations and prescription fulfillment when clinically appropriate. Primary care, chronic-condition management and other services create opportunities for continuing patient relationships. If satisfied patients return, the revenue earned over those relationships could exceed the cost of acquiring and serving them.

#Services

Veteran ******* yst Jim Cramer sees something in Apple's (AAPL) latest launch that is more than a reason for its customers to buy another replacement phone.
After visiting Apple's Manhattan store, the CNBC host praised the iPhone 18 but reserved his strongest enthusiasm for the foldable Duo. He plans to buy it as a second phone, a distinction that gives his excitement an intriguing business angle.
Apple shares have already gained around 23.6% this year through September 18, raising the stakes for turning product excitement into sales.
For context, Apple unveiled its iPhone 18 Pro lineup and first foldable iPhone on September 9. The Pro models reached stores on September 18; Duo availability follows on October 23.
For Cramer, the bigger opportunity goes beyond better cameras and battery life. His reaction suggests Apple could give loyal customers a fresh reason to spend, even when their existing phones still work perfectly well.

#reason #phone #veteran

Pricing alone does not decide where people buy their clothes.
With a number of retail chains competing for the off-price, on-trend fashion crown, it's easy for one brand to fall out of favor. Consumers seem to have an enduring love for Marshalls and TJ Maxx, while the popularity of Ross Dress for Less has grown steadily in recent years.
These brands drive sales by foot traffic, and that's a battle the aforementioned chains have been winning.
"Off-price apparel remained on solid footing in Q2 2026, with Ross leading the segment. Visits to Ross Dress for Less rose 16.4% year over year (YoY), while dd's DISCOUNTS grew 8.4%. TJX's TJ Maxx and Marshalls, meanwhile, saw visits hover around last year's levels — significantly outperforming traditional apparel, which declined 3.5% YoY," according to data from Placer.ai.
In the battle for customers looking for deals on trendy, fashionable clothes, Cato has been struggling, and now plans to close about 15% of its retail stores.

#less #retail

This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable.
From here you can either hit the "back" ****** on on your browser to return to the previous page, or visit the ABCNews.com Home Page. You can also search for something on our site below.

#exist #currently

Pricing alone does not decide where people buy their clothes.
With a number of retail chains competing for the off-price, on-trend fashion crown, it's easy for one brand to fall out of favor. Consumers seem to have an enduring love for Marshalls and TJ Maxx, while the popularity of Ross Dress for Less has grown steadily in recent years.
These brands drive sales by foot traffic, and that's a battle the aforementioned chains have been winning.
"Off-price apparel remained on solid footing in Q2 2026, with Ross leading the segment. Visits to Ross Dress for Less rose 16.4% year over year (YoY), while dd's DISCOUNTS grew 8.4%. TJX's TJ Maxx and Marshalls, meanwhile, saw visits hover around last year's levels — significantly outperforming traditional apparel, which declined 3.5% YoY," according to data from Placer.ai.
In the battle for customers looking for deals on trendy, fashionable clothes, Cato has been struggling, and now plans to close about 15% of its retail stores.

#price

GE Aerospace's $11.75 billion purchase of Consolidated Precision Products, announced September 8, is billed as fixing the castings bottleneck behind the company's $170 billion services backlog and a spare-parts delinquency rate that grew 20% sequentially in the second quarter.
The deal will not close until the second half of 2027, covers roughly a quarter of GE's airfoil needs, and CFO Rahul Ghai has told investors twice this month that "broad vertical integration is not the solution," calling CPP a "unique situation."
Sell-side price targets jumped hard after the announcement, with the mean target rising from $350.95 on June 30 to $401.00 by September 16, pushing the target-to-price ratio to 128.2%, the widest gap in over a year.
Over that same window, GE's share price fell from $373.73 to $312.90 and its NTM P/E multiple compressed to 37.16x, below its own two-year average of 39.31x and well off the roughly 50x peak reached a year earlier, even as consensus EPS estimates kept climbing smoothly through 2030 with no visible step-up.
GE Aerospace's (GE) own numbers make the case for urgency. Services backlog sits near $170 billion, internal shop visit capacity is running 40% oversubscribed, and spare-parts delinquency, shipments delayed by material shortages, grew 20% sequentially in the second quarter even as revenue rose. Management has said engines removed but not yet inducted into shops are up 60% year over year. That is the backdrop against which GE agreed to buy CPP, the world's third-largest maker of precision castings used in turbine blades and vanes.

#year #billion

McDonald's (MCD) stock fell 14.2% over the past 12 months, versus roughly 14.3% for the S&P 500, and now sits near its 52-week low. Over roughly the same stretch, management changed how it explains weak traffic. It used to point at customers outside its control. It now points at its own restaurants, and that makes the stock a different bet.
Who Did McDonald's Say Was Pulling Back?
About a year ago, on the second-quarter 2025 call, the lead worry sat outside the company. The CEO put it this way: "Visits across the industry by low-income consumers once again declined by double digits." The value message of that period leaned on core menu pricing, which management said shapes how customers judge value most.
So What Does McDonald's Say Went Wrong Instead?
In the latest call, for the second quarter of 2026, low-income consumers did not come up by name. The backdrop still comes up: industry traffic in several of its largest markets stayed flat to negative. The lead, though, is a miss of its own making. U.S. comparable sales grew 0.8%, and the CEO said the company did not execute at the level it needed.

#TRAFFIC

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) reported a widening split between dining and entertainment in its September 14 second-quarter results. Food-and-beverage revenue increased to $211.5 million from $192.9 million, while entertainment revenue fell to $332.6 million from $364.5 million.
For the fiscal quarter ended August 4, 2026, total revenue declined 2.4% to $544.1 million. Operating income dropped to $19.4 million from $53 million. The GAAP net loss was $12.5 million, versus net income of $11.4 million a year earlier. Stronger restaurant sales are providing support, but the investment question is whether they can also bring customers back to the games.
Food-and-beverage revenue grew approximately 9.6%, giving Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) an identifiable source of momentum. A more appealing dining experience could encourage repeat visits, group occasions, and longer stays, creating additional opportunities to sell entertainment.
Management reported ongoing growth in food-and-beverage and special-events sales, alongside improving comparable-sales trends in July and the third quarter to date. That suggests the recovery effort has some traction beyond a single revenue category, although the later sales improvement was not quantified.
Management also said remodeled locations continued to outperform the system on comparable sales. That supports selective investment in existing venues, provided the additional revenue earns adequate returns on remodeling costs.

#entertainment #dave

Updated on: September 17, 2026 / 11:45 PM EDT / CBS News
Matt Bell, 52, has been farming for more than half his life in central North Carolina. He grows soybeans, corn and wheat and raises beef cattle on more than 1,000 acres. But Bell, who voted for President Trump, says soaring prices for fuel, fertilizer, and equipment are hurting his farm and leading some of his fellow farmers to consider calling it quits once this growing season ends.
"I've done this 34 years. I have never worried and stressed like I have the last year," Bell told CBS News in an interview on Wednesday at his farm in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
Bell has been forced to make significant changes to his operation as a result of the high costs. He's shifting some of his acreage, trying to stretch out the lifespan of his equipment and producing his own fertilizer. His children have also opened up a storefront where visitors can pick pumpkins and take hayrides in the fall. But Bell is still feeling the pinch.
"We've cut everything we can cut," he said. "The last several years in agriculture have been terrible, and we have, you know, just cut the fat anywhere we could. But we're just getting to the point now there's nothing left to cut. You cannot run without fuel. You cannot run without fertilizer. You have to have that."

#bell #fertilizer #fuel #years

When planning for retirement, most people account for housing, travel, daily living expenses and general healthcare costs. However, it's easy to overlook one retirement expense: the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, commonly known as IRMAA.
If you have a large pension, substantial tax-deferred retirement accounts, or other variables that may elevate your retirement income, IRMAA is a factor you may encounter starting in your mid-60s. While it is unlikely to derail a well-constructed financial plan, failing to understand IRMAA and how to plan ahead for it can lead to frustrating annual surprises.
In the United States, most adults become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65. Medicare is divided into several parts, but IRMAA specifically applies to two of them: Part B (which covers doctor visits, outpatient care and preventive services) and Part D (prescription drug coverage).
For the average retiree, Medicare Part B carries a standard monthly base premium ($202.90 per month in 2026). Part D coverage varies depending on the specific private plan selected, but carries a national average base premium of roughly $38.99 per month. Combined, a standard retiree pays roughly $242 per month for basic Part B and Part D coverage, per Medicare.
However, Medicare premiums are not one-size-fits-all. If your income exceeds specific threshold limits set by the federal government, you will be required to pay an additional surcharge on top of your base monthly premiums. That additional surcharge is IRMAA.

#income #base

A small, spotted tiger cat from Bolivia may just be
the beginning of a wave of new small cat species.
In 2016, Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a biologist and National Geographic Explorer working in Bolivia, received a call from a local wildlife sanctuary that had just been given what they described as “a weird cat.” It came from a local man who found it as a kitten on a road near a forest. The man took the animal home, believing it to be a domestic breed. But after about a year of living with the clearly wild animal, he realized it would be better off at a sanctuary.
As the lead scientist and founder of the Bolivian Felids Research Program (Programa de Investigación de Félidos Bolivia), Nogales-Ascarrunz was intrigued. The animal had a small, scrunched-up face, short and round ears, and long whiskers. It was, indeed, too small to be a housecat, and, most notably, it was covered in leopard-like spots. So she went to visit the creature at the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary on the subtropical flank of the Bolivian Andes.
“I took a hundred pictures of it,” remembers Nogales-Ascarrunz. “I was so fascinated.”
What she couldn’t know at the time was that this curious cat had a secret. It would become the first new species of felid (i.e. the cat family) discovered in over 100 years, according to a study published today in the journal Current Biology. What’s exciting is the discovery is not a validation of a species proposed in the distant past, nor a previously recognized subspecies raised to species status—which are both more commonly reported and important findings. No, this cat was something totally new to science.

#ascarrunz #bolivian

Dick's Sporting Goods has been one of the big success stories in the brick-and-mortar retail ***** e.
At a time when many rivals have been shrinking their physical store counts, the sporting goods giant has leaned into stores, creating new experiential concepts and generally rethinking its retail strategy.
The chain has selectively built House of Sport locations that offer running tracks, batting cages, golf simulators, and other interactive options.
"House of Sport locations now seeing 5-6 times the number of visits per location compared to the rest of the chain. For reference, the average ***** 's Sporting Goods store is roughly 50K square feet square feet compared to 100K-120K square feet for House of Sport, indicating that House of Sport is also outperforming on a visit per square foot basis," according to 2024 data from Placer.ai.
That's a win, and the overall company delivered a nearly 5% comparable store sales gain in the second quarter. Chairman Edward Stack celebrated that success during the chain's second-quarter earnings call.

#square

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is stripping tens of millions of dollars in U.S. military ******* istance from countries in Europe and the Middle East to support conservative-leaning governments in Central and South America.
The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress that it will reprogram $52 million in foreign military financing from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week and pledged to them additional support as the Trump administration has prioritized the Western Hemisphere in its foreign policy with an emphasis on combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
It is just the latest in a series of moves that have reduced either money or troop deployments to Europe in response to President Donald Trump's complaints about NATO allies not spending enough on their defense budgets and other matters. Both North Macedonia and Slovakia are NATO members.
But it also comes as the administration has put particular attention on the Western Hemisphere, aligning deeply with right-wing governments as Trump celebrates a renewal of the 19th century Monroe Doctrine establishing Washington's dominance in the Americas.

#Trump #Europe #slovakia

Newly declassified FBI documents are providing a clearer picture of the gunman who nearly ****** assinated President Donald Trump at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The documents reveal the shooter visited a gun range alone a day before the ****** assination attempt, shooting targets at a range of 100 yards. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports for TODAY.

#president #donald #Trump #pennsylvania

Why Fever-Lynx doubleheader could decide WNBA's No. 1 seed originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Minnesota Lynx have spent most of the 2026 season looking like the WNBA's team to beat. Finishing the job will not be simple. Minnesota returns from the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup break with a league-best 31-9 record. The Lynx have already clinched a playoff berth, but they have not secured the No. 1 seed or home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
Golden State sits only two games behind Minnesota at 29-11. The Lynx own the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving them control of the race, but their final four games are considerably more difficult than the Valkyries' remaining schedule.
Minnesota hosts the New York Liberty on Friday before visiting the eliminated Connecticut Sun. The season then could be decided by two games against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever over three days. The Lynx visit Indiana on Sept. 22 and host the Fever in the regular-season finale Sept. 24.
The playoff math is straightforward.

#minnesota #playoff

Inter Milan produced another rousing comeback to beat Udinese 5-3 at San Siro and continue their perfect start to the new Serie A campaign.
Udinese had taken a shock 2-0 lead through James Abankwah's early header and then a close-range strike from Jurgen Ekkelenkamp.
The Nerazzurri - who had come from 2-0 down to beat Napoli late on in their last Serie A game - fought back as Carlos Augusto drilled in a long-range effort and Nicolo Barella equalized before half-time.
Marcus Thuram's sweeping finish completed the turnaround in the 57th minute, before England defender John Stones - making a first start since his free transfer move from Manchester City - limped off having pulled up after chasing an Udinese breakaway.
Pio Esposito and substitute Ange-Yoan Bonny then wrapped things up, with Idrissa Gueye scoring a late consolation for the visitors, as Cristian Chivu's men kept pace with leaders Roma on a 100% record from four league games.

#Milan

An Ohio congresswoman is facing major blowback online after suggesting that lynchings are on the rise in the United States, despite that claim being widely debunked last week.
"In the last year, there's been an alarming increase in Black Americans found dead hanging from trees. We know what that has meant throughout our history," said Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, on X. "That's why I've joined [Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.] to demand a federal investigation into possible lynchings."
Fox News Digital reviewed some high-profile cases after Pressley's letter to the DOJ demanding "thorough, transparent, and comprehensive federal investigation into every hanging death of a Black individual across the United States." Last week, Pressley and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., posted about the letter on their X accounts, drawing blowback and widespread debunking of the suggestion that there has been an uptick in lynchings.
Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, takes her seat for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing with "Sanctuary State Governors" in the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Governor Blames Activists In Nolan Wells Case For 'Stoking Division,' Official Says Fbi Probing Threats

#ohio #states

Taxes paid by pubs, hotels and cinemas in Wales will fall after the Welsh government announced a 30% cut in some business rates.
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said hospitality, accommodation and leisure venues would receive the permanent cut in rates from April 2027.
"It is about helping businesses like this to thrive, so our communities can thrive," ap Iorwerth said on a visit to a pub in Cardiff.
The cut, which will be funded by an increase in the rates paid by businesses with the highest-value properties, was welcomed by UK Hospitality Cymru. But the trade body warned businesses still faced "massive amounts of taxation coming from all areas".
Pubs will be among the hospitality businesses in Wales to receive a permanent tax cut from April [Getty Images]

#april

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – WKBN Sports stopped by Brookfield High School to visit with senior Devin Reardon ahead of Friday night's Game of the Week against Liberty.
Watch the video above to hear from this WKBN Big 22 2026 contender!
This year marks the 21st season for our WKBN Big 22, one of the most prestigious high school football awards in the state.
At the end of the season, we honor 22 of the best high school players from the 57 local teams in our coverage area, as voted on by the head coaches and members of the local media.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.

#high #school #Media #head

The 2026 home campaign for the Salt Lake Bees (24-44/63-79) came to a close this week as they welcomed the Round Rock Express (Triple-A, Texas Rangers). Known as the "E-Train," the Lone Star side steamrolled their way to a dominant series victory, winning five of six. Outside of a 11-1 thrashing on Thursday, the Bees never held a lead in the other five contests. The Express (38-31/69-75) collected their first road series win in Salt Lake since 2021, when they swept the Bees in a six-game set.
Despite a quality start from Bees starter Ryan Costeiu, Round Rock earned a 5-1 series opening victory on Tuesday. The visitors scored in four different frames, while Niko Kavadas helped Salt Lake avoid a shutout with a fifth-inning solo blast. Wednesday was more of the same, as the Express tallied a 6-1 victory. MLB rehabber Josh Jung punctuated the win with a solo blast in the eighth, as the Bees were held to just a trio of hits for the second straight game.
As mentioned above, the Salt Lake bats came alive on Thursday with an 11-1 rout. The team tied their season-high with four homers, spotlighted by Kavadas' second multi-homer night of the campaign. The infielder's surge was part of a four-hit night, his first at any level since 2022. On the mound, Joel Hurtado turned in 6.2 innings of one-run ball, finally collecting his first Triple-A win in his eighth try. After falling behind 5-0 on Friday, the Bees nearly completed a comeback, coming up just short in a 5-4 defeat. Salt Lake got the winning run on base in the ninth, but ultimately fell short.
The final Saturday and Sunday at home in 2026 were near carbon copies of each other. Big first innings for Round Rock put them in the driver's seat, leading 6-0 and 4-0, respectively. Saturday's output was more than enough for the visitors as they added seven more runs over the course of the game to shutout the Bees 13-0. On Sunday's home finale, Salt Lake battled and answered every time the Express scored. They closed the gap to 6-4 before Round Rock gained some length with Aaron Zavala's two-run blast in the sixth, the only longball of the evening. The Bees did not go down without a fight, bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth. A flyball was tracked down for the 27th and final out of the finale, completing the Express' 9-6 victory.
The 74th and final home game saw 7,853 fans come through the turnstiles of The Ballpark at America First Square — the largest crowd in ballpark history. Salt Lake finished 35-39 at home this season, winning or splitting nine of their 13 total home series. The Bees were victorious in at least one game against every opponent who came to South Jordan, avoiding a sweep for the second straight season as the hosts.

#lake #express

LSU visiting Ole Miss would likely have been considered the top matchup for Week 3 of the college football season with the Tigers ranked No. 7 and the Rebels right behind them at No. 8 in the AP Top 25 poll.
But Saturday's game also comes with a significant dose of intrigue and potential drama with Lane Kiffin returning to Oxford, Mississippi after leaving Ole Miss for LSU before the end of last season.
How Kiffin will be greeted by Rebels fans is the great question leading up to Saturday night's SEC clash. Some are even concerned that the tensions could get out of hand with outraged fans wanting to lash out at Kiffin.
Included among those is Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. Well, sort of. While he acknowledged that feelings will surely be heightened, the governor joked about what measures might be necessary to ensure the safety of Kiffin and the LSU football team.
"I'm thinking about having to send him in on an F-16 and maybe the team on a C-130," Landry said to ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "Security is going to be really tight. You know, we might need the National Guard out there to protect our team. I think it's going to be an interesting weekend."

#team

On September 10, Shoe Station Group (NASDAQ:SHOE) held its first earnings call under its new name, and the numbers told a story of a company still finding its footing. Second quarter net sales fell 7.2% to $284.3 million from $306.4 million a year earlier, with comparable sales down 7.1%. But buried in the report was a sharper signal: August comparable sales improved to a 2.7% decline, a real jump from the second quarter's pace, and management is pointing to store-by-store product changes as the reason why.
Shoe Station's turnaround argument rests on giving up the idea that every store should look the same. Interim CEO Clifton Sifford said the company had been running nearly identical ***** ortments across its stores even though its two banners serve very different customers, and that approach stopped working. The shift already shows up in the numbers. Once the company localized its athletic ***** ortments ahead of back-to-school, adult athletic sales moved from a low single-digit decline in the second quarter to a low single-digit increase in August.
Running shoes comped positive in both men's and women's categories, and men's work boots, a replenishment category with loyal repeat buyers, grew 2%. Management believes this fall's boot lineup is the best it has fielded in years, heading into what Sifford expects to be a bigger nonathletic fashion cycle. E-commerce sales grew 18.8% even as store traffic fell, and in-store conversion actually improved, evidence that customers who show up are buying; they just are not showing up in the same numbers yet. The company also ended the quarter debt-free with $131.6 million in cash, up $39.7 million from a year ago, giving it room to fund the localized rollout without straining the balance sheet.
The flip side is that the entire second quarter was ugly across the board. Shoe Carnival branded stores, still 63% of revenue, saw sales fall 6.5%, while the newly converted Shoe Station banner dropped 8.4%. Gross profit margin fell 690 basis points to 31.9%, a mix of a promotional footwear market and management's decision to accelerate liquidation of aged inventory, trading margin for cash. That combination cut net income to $6.3 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, down from $19.2 million and $0.70 a year earlier.
Management is not projecting relief anytime soon. Sifford said plainly, "We are not ***** uming the environment improves," and CFO Kerry Jackson noted that gross margins in fiscal August were still running below last year's levels at a pace comparable to the second quarter. Full-year gross margin guidance of 32.5% to 32.7% implies 390 to 410 basis points of compression for the year. Store impairment charges reached $6.7 million on 11 stores year to date, and management has already conceded that the core problem is not price, since conversion rates rose while total customer visits kept falling. That points to a marketing and trust problem rather than a demand problem, and fixing it will take more tha

As Florida State prepares to visit Alabama football Saturday to complete the back end of a home-and-home series, its football coach, Mike Norvell, is firmly planted on the hottest seat in the ACC. As it turns out, however, athletics director Michael Alford's seat was even hotter.
The school fired Alford Monday after just four years on the job − he got less time than the most high-profile football coaches and less than Norvell himself. Alford's predecessor, David Coburn, had a four-year run of his own. Prior to that, Stan Wilcox lasted just five years in the role. One departure was a resignation, another a retirement, and the third a firing, but collectively, they represent a lot of administrative upheaval.
MOVING ON: Florida State AD Michael Alford fired after four years
BACK FOR MORE: Does Alabama football want 'revenge' heading into Florida State week?
Alabama has been there. And it doesn't want to go back.

#four #years #michael

SZA and Vans are inviting the public to step into the world of the soon-to-launch, and aptly named, Vansza collection with an elaborate New York Fashion Week experience.
While the collection doesn't launch until Oct. 22, the Vansza activation will open its doors at 260 Bowery significantly sooner. Visitors will have the chance to take in the unique experience starting Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. local time. Following an 8 p.m. shutdown that night, the Vansza world will restart on Sept. 11 at 12 p.m. local time before wrapping for good at 4 p.m.
In a statement shared with Complex, SZA teased the forthcoming collection, which features footwear and apparel, as "a reflection" of how she lives and what inspires her on a daily basis.
COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.
"I wanted to create pieces that feel comfortable, functional, and expressive, whether you're on a trail, in the city, or discovering something new about yourself," the seven-time Grammy winner said. "Working with Vans gave me the freedom to explore ideas rooted in creativity, curiosity, and play, and my hope is that people feel inspired to step outside their comfort zone, trust their instincts, and have fun making something uniquely their own."

#time

Rory McKenzie "can feel the pain" of fellow Kilmarnock fans, especially as the 32-year-old midfielder fears Saturday's Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat by Aberdeen "could be the last chance I get" to play at Hampden Park again.
Having held the Dons to a goalless draw in their previous game in the Scottish Premiership, Kilmarnock failed to take advantage of the visitors being reduced to 10 men and exited after a penalty shoot-out.
"I'm a fan, I feel it," McKenzie, who made his debut for the Ayrshire club in 2011, said. "One of the best days I've ever had was going to Hampden. I'm getting on in my career and it could be the last chance I get.
"Believe me, I feel their pain. I know how it feels.
"We won't get a better chance of getting to a semi-final than that. It was on a plate for us, 1-1, man sent off. We just failed to capitalise and didn't play with enough intensity.

#chance #mckenzie #kilmarnock #play

India will look to seal the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan when the two teams meet in the second match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

India lead the series 1-0 after a convincing seven-wicket win in the first T20I. Afghanistan will need a much better performance to keep the series alive.
Afghanistan were in trouble early in the first T20I after losing five wickets for 43 runs inside the Power-play. Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi then put the innings back on track with an 83-run partnership.

Omarzai remained unbeaten on 64 off 44 **** as Afghanistan finished with 156/8. However, the total was not enough against India's strong batting line-up.

Arshdeep Singh was India's best bowler, taking 3/9. Jasprit **** rah also made an impact on his return to international cricket by picking up an early wicket. Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy also took wickets as Afghanistan struggled to build momentum.
India made the chase look easy thanks to an explosive innings from Abhishek Sharma.

The left-handed opener smashed 82 off just 32 **** , hitting seven fours and seven sixes. Ishan Kishan also made a useful contribution with 42.

India reached 157/3 in only 13.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Afghanistan's biggest concern will be their top order.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck in the first over of the opening T20I. Afghanistan will need their top-order batters to give the team a stronger start and provide a platform for players such as Omarzai, Nabi and Rashid Khan.

The visitors have several match-winners in their squad, including Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Naveen-ul-Haq.

Captain Ibrahim Zadran, who is leading Afghanistan in his first series as full-time T20I captain, will hope his team can turn its individual talent into a more disciplined performance.
India also have some selection decisions to make despite their comfortable win in the first T20I.

Abhishek's 82 has strengthened his position at the top of the order, while Sanju Samson scored only 10 runs.

Ishan Kishan also scored 42, giving India another option in the batting line-up. Teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could also be in contention after missing the first T20I.

India will also be without Harshit Rana, who has been ruled out after suffering a rectus femoris strain. Yash Thakur has joined the squad as his replacement.

A win on Tuesday will give India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Afghanistan, meanwhile, need a victory to take the series into a decider.

#first #lead #seven #need

A man who stabbed his housemate to death over a £10 phone debt has been jailed for life.
Mark Jesse, 51, attacked Charlie Belsham at their address on Castle Road in Chatham on 1 November 2025, after Jesse became angered about a row between his victim and Ashley Robinson - a visitor to the property - regarding the sale of a mobile.
Kent Police said Jesse later went to Belsham's room, then reportedly emerged saying: "I've stabbed him in the ribs."
Having previously been found guilty of murder, Jesse was jailed for a minimum of 20 years at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday for "unjustifiable and rash" actions which "tragically cut short someone's life over a simple argument", according to police.
Police said Belsham, who was in his 40s, was found with a single fatal stab wound to the chest.

#belsham #stabbed #found #charlie

Although the Colts lost their season opener, they made winners out of Chicken McNuggets fans across the state.
That's because McDonald's of Greater Indiana is giving fans free McNuggets whenever the Colts score a touchdown in an NFL game this season.
Visitors can get a free 10-piece McNuggets order with a minimum $2 purchase through the McDonald's app starting the day after the Colts score a touchdown. The offer is available for up to six days after the game.
Contact Midwest Connect reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjacksonusatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com:cherylvjackson, Bluesky:cherylvjackson.bsky.social or Threads:cherylvjackson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How to get free McDonald's McNuggets after Colts games

#season #touchdown

The "big positive" of a free week has helped align Motherwell's new-look squad with the club's principles, says ****** istant coach Max Rogers.
An attempt to qualify for the Conference League meant the Fir Park side were playing three games a week for much of the start of their season.
Despite that, Alfred Johansson's men have still been able to collect eight points from their opening five league matches.
After a 1-0 loss at Rangers last time out, Motherwell have had nine days to recover and train before Tuesday's visit of Aberdeen.
"It was obviously such a hectic start, an enjoyable one with the European games and one that we all wanted," Rogers said. "But with that free week, we had plenty of time to rest and train.

#start #time