By Lorie Hailey
Associate Editor
If the idea of eating a taco in a shell made of Doritos appeals to you, apparently you’re not alone. Taco Bell’s new take on the taco, featuring orange Doritos dust, has helped put the sizzle back in its U.S. sales after a nearly yearlong slump, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Sales at Taco Bell stores open at least a year rose 6 percent in this year’s first quarter. Its parent company, Yum Brands Inc., on Thursday predicted even more robust sales gains for the Mexican-style chain in the current second quarter.
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Sapphire Coal Co. in Whitesburg plans to close its Advantage mine in the area and lay off its 163 workers, reports the Lexington Herald Leader.
The actions are expected to be taken by June 16. A company official said market conditions are the reason for the closure.
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More counties gained funding than lost it under the Kentucky legislature’s rewritten road plan, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal in an analysis of the legislation.
Clinton County, with an additional $86 million, was the biggest winner in the road plan as passed by the General Assembly on April 12 versus the plan originally proposed by Gov. Steve Beshear in January.
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With claims of mismanagement by officials, Hostess employees in London, Ky., took their discontent to the streets last week, reports the Sentinel-Echo.
A representative for the Teamsters Union of which Hostess is involved said the company has recently gone into its second bankruptcy since 2004. But, he said, just prior to filing bankruptcy this year, company CEOs approved an extravagant raise for themselves — while employees are putting their own money back into the company to save their jobs.
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Keeping their budgets in check, Americans are taking a simpler approach to home renovation, making targeted rather than extreme makeovers, reports USA Today.
Home remodeling is expected to pick up and post solid growth in the second half of this year, making 2012 the strongest year since 2006, according to a report Thursday by the remodeling futures program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Driving the market will be midsize kitchen and bath projects, maintenance work and energy-efficiency upgrades.
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More young women in the U.S. are seeking high-paying careers, according to a study from the Pew Research Center.
Two thirds of 18- to 34-year-old women say being successful in a high-paying career is “one of the most important things” or “very important” in their lives, reports USA Today. Women with that attitude surpass their male counterparts: 59 percent of young men have the same stance.
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