Relinquished: The Louisiana Office of State Parks is no longer operating one of its parks in north Louisiana, The Town Talk reports. The property of Hodges Gardens State Park, which was said to be in danger of closing for months, reverted to the A.J. and Nona Triggs Hodges Foundation as of the start of October, the state agency says in a three-line notice. Supporters sought to keep the state revenue streams for the park intact, but the Legislature did not appropriate full funding for the park this fiscal year. A compromise agreement between the foundation and third-party agencies also could not be reached in a timely manner, a spokesperson for the office says. Read more.
Remote access: Amazon—much like its competitor Wal-Mart—is exploring ways to deliver items to your car trunk and the inside of your home, CNBC reports. The company is in advanced talks to forge a partnership with Phrame, a maker of smart license plates that allow items to be delivered to a car’s trunk. Phrame’s product fits around a license plate and contains a secure box that holds the keys to the car. Users unlock the box with their smartphone, and can grant access to others remotely. Amazon also is developing a smart doorbell device that would give delivery drivers one-time access to a person’s home to drop off items. Read more.
Under investigation: Uber faces at least five criminal probes from the Justice Department—two more than previously reported. Bloomberg reports authorities are asking questions about whether Uber violated price-transparency laws, and officials are separately looking into the company’s role in the alleged theft of schematics and other documents outlining Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous-driving technology. Uber is also defending itself against dozens of civil suits, including one brought by Alphabet that’s scheduled to go to trial in December. Read more.
