Recognized: The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship named Baton Rouge-based BBQGuys, formerly called ShoppersChoice.com, the national small business of the week. Founded at the dawn of the e-commerce age in 2000, BBQGuys has grown to become the nation’s leader in outdoor living online retailers, employing nearly 200 people.
To the moon: Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos said Thursday he’s going to send a spaceship to the moon, joining a resurgence of lunar interest half a century after people first set foot there. Bezos said his space company Blue Origin will land a robotic ship the size of a small house, capable of carrying four rovers and using a newly designed rocket engine and souped-up rockets. It would be followed by a version that could bring people to the moon along the same timeframe as NASA’s proposed 2024 return. Read the full story.
Price check: U.S. consumer prices increased 0.3% in April, led by more expensive gasoline, apartment rents and appliances. The Labor Department said this morning that the consumer price index climbed 2% in the year ending in April. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices increased 0.1% last month and 2.1% from a year ago. Read the full story.
