DOE selected two demonstration projects in Louisiana and Oklahoma for up to $134M to extract rare earths from industrial waste and bolster domestic supply chains. The awards name a Gramercy, LA plant and an Ardmore, OK demo with MIT.

The Cumberland Barnes & Noble will close Aug. 19 after roughly 30 years; hundreds queued for closing-sale discounts as RaceTrac prepares to redevelop the site.

Republic National Distributing will close three Ohio facilities, eliminating more than 50 jobs as the distributor pursues market sales and asset transfers.

An Eagan-based Long John Silver’s operator filed for bankruptcy after closing the Mall of America outpost; court papers list the mall as a top creditor.

ERock filed an amended S‑1 setting IPO terms for 27.9M shares at $20–$23, potentially raising about $642M as it scales Houston assembly to convert a $1.3B backlog.

A Starbucks has opened inside Atrium Two in downtown Cincinnati, becoming the chain’s third full-service downtown location months after a Fourth-and-Vine closure. Photos and job listings indicate the store began serving customers in late May.

WalletHub places Texas at No. 8 in 2026, powered by exports and payroll gains even as innovation scores and unemployment lag. The result is scale with uneven local benefits.

Shareholders rebuked Nikesh Arora’s compensation plan in December, marking another rift at the Bay Area cybersecurity giant.

WalletHub’s new ranking places Utah third nationwide, driven by high adjusted median income, startup growth and a large STEM talent pool.

Bank of America added binding arbitration to its online-banking agreement effective May 18, 2026. Customers have 60 days to opt out to preserve court access.

Toshiba filed a WARN notice saying 67 positions will be cut at its Houston motors and power‑electronics campus in September. Local Rapid Response teams will help affected workers.

Delta’s decision to end a food‑service contract in Atlanta led to about 70 layoffs, highlighting how airline service cuts ripple through local vendor jobs.

The Pentagon awarded Lockheed’s Fort Worth division about $879 million to produce missile launchers, bomb racks and other F-35 armament hardware through Feb. 2030.