Off the couch and into the fireEat‘n Park isn’t smiling over a St. Louis bakery producing a similarly named cookie. McArthur’s Bakery and The Pioneer Cafe in St. Louis, which employs adults with disabilities, has received a cease and desist letter from Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain Eat’n Park alleging trademark infringement — over their popular Smiley Cookies. McArthur’s owner Scott Rinaberger said Eat’n Park’s request is unjust. He founded The Smiley Face Cookie Company. “I don’t think anybody would confuse our cookies for theirs,” he said, calling the designs “perfectly imperfect” smiley faces. The Pioneer Cafe is a training facility for adults with disabilities, giving them practical experience before finding competitive employment. Through the program, the bakery created a separate brand called the Smiley Face Cookie Company to sell cookies decorated by people in the program. “We can coexist. They have their brand; they have their cookie,” Rinaberger said. “I don’t think our perfectly imperfect cookies look anything like their cookies.” And he claims that McArthur’s Bakery has been selling the cookies for many decades — even before he purchased the bakery in 2014. The original owners operated the bakery since the ’70s, he said. “Through the years, we’ve always been making them,” Rinaberger said. “As part of the Pioneer Cafe, we took that and made it a primary part of it.” On Facebook, he said he started polling former customers to see what they knew about the smiley cookies’ history at McArthur’s. “Some remembered buying them in the ’70s, some in ’80s and many in ’90s,” Rinaberger said. The cookies are now sold in 77 Schnucks supermarkets, which he explained is the local grocery store chain in the St. Louis area. These supermarkets are the only place the cookies are sold aside from the bakery, he said. Legal action Rinaberger said he received the latest cease and desist letter from Eat’n Park within the last month — but it wasn’t the first one. He said he believes the first letter was sent from Eat’n Park around 2010 before he purchased the bakery in 2014. He then personally received one in 2016 and another in 2022 before an email recently. “We’ve kind of ignored it because we feel that we’ve been making them as long as they have,” Rinaberger said. The letters from Eat’n Park have become more aggressive, he said, as the most recent email was directed to his attorneys. “I think it’s their history of aggressively pursuing the defense of their trademark has us to the point where we know it’s coming,” Rinaberger said. “At this point, it’s a decision where do we stay firm, or rebrand ourselves and move on.” Eat’n Park did not return multiple requests by TribLive for comment this week. However, it issued a statement on the matter to the Pittsburgh Business Times . “We’ve owned the Smiley Cookie trademark since we first introduced Smiley Cookies to our restaurants in the 1980s,” said Eat’n Park’s Dec 5 statement. “The defense of this trademark is a necessary step in protecting our brand so we can continue to serve our guests and the community, just as we have for the last 75 years.” Rinaberger explained that the cease and desist is all about the name and the brand — and that the cookie designs would be able to remain the same. However, defending the brand would be expensive, especially for a small business. “It would pretty much drain us,” Rinaberger said. And yet, he’s not deterred. “We’re kind of reevaluating defending ourselves over the reactions and support, especially from Pittsburgh over the weekend,” Rinaberger said, citing multiple calls and social media comments in support. “We’re not 100% going toward a rebrand after the weekend.” Rinaberger said Thursday that he set up a GoFundMe for a defense fund , with a goal of raising $25,000. No money has been donated yet as of Thursday afternoon. He said he believes that since the Smiley Face Cookie Company was a byproduct of the Pioneer Cafe, and the bakery has been making smiley cookies for decades, the bakery has a legal right to keep its branding. “Plus, there are many many bakeries making these cookies — calling them smiley cookies throughout the United States,” Rinaberger alleged. If McArthur’s ends up rebranding, he said he’s taking ideas from the public, and he’s already had more than 100 suggestions. “(We) can’t have the word smile or smiley in it, even various spellings,” Rinaberger said. For now, he said the bakery isn’t making any quick decisions on the situation yet. “We don’t feel like we need to be in a rush,” Rinaberger said.Military establishment distances itself from ongoing PTI-govt talks‘Dumbass’: Zelensky’s brutal jab at Putinu777u 。

, /PRNewswire/ -- Set to celebrate its landmark 75th season in 2026, NHRA officials revealed a series of special plans today to kick off the campaign for the historic year in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. NHRA revealed a special 75th anniversary logo for the 2026 season to launch the campaign, as NHRA looks to celebrate 75 years of incredible racing, founder and the incredible legends that have played a huge role in NHRA's illustrious history. The buildup to the landmark 75th season in 2026 will take place throughout the 2025 campaign with several initiatives set to take place this year, starting at the season-kickoff NHRA Gatornationals on at Gainesville Raceway. Some of the items introduced today at the 75th anniversary campaign launch include: "The 75th anniversary of NHRA drag racing marks a landmark moment in our sport's history and we're excited to kick off the campaign for that historic season in 2026 throughout our upcoming 2025 season," NHRA President said. "From a special logo and 75th anniversary rings, we're thrilled to introduce several initiatives already for that celebratory season in 2026 and we will have many more to announce throughout 2025 in this exciting year-long buildup. NHRA has an incredible history – as well as a bright future – and we look forward to celebrating that with our fans, race teams, member track and partners." Additional announcements and initiatives for the 75th anniversary season in 2026 will be released throughout the 2025 campaign. NHRA legends will also be included in the year-long celebration that year, with appearances and special celebrations to be announced in the coming weeks and months. For more information on NHRA, including the full 2025 schedule, please visit . MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world's leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in . NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock ShowdownTM, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X, Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle and Johnson's Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street LegalTM. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA's Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA's streaming service, ®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in ; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in . For more information, log on to , or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE NHRAAMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Cl A stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Reniya Kelly had 18 points and six assists, Maria Gakdeng added 16 points and nine rebounds, and No. 16 North Carolina beat 14th-ranked Kentucky 72-53 on Thursday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge. North Carolina opened the game on a 14-4 run, capped by Alyssa Ustby’s fifth 3-pointer of the season. The Tar Heels led 36-25 at halftime after holding the Wildcats to 36% shooting. North Carolina only made one field goal in the opening five minutes of the third quarter as Kentucky got as close as seven points. But The Tar Heels made five field goals in the final five minutes to take a 50-39 lead into the fourth. Kentucky’s opening four baskets of the fourth were from 3-point range to get within 60-51 with 5:52 left on Dazia Lawrence’s basket off a nice assist from Georgia Amoore on an inbounds play. North Carlina sealed it by scoring the next six points — all from the free-throw line. Ustby scored 13 points with eight rebounds for North Carolina (8-1). The Tar Heels outscored Kentucky 42-10 in the paint. Lawrence scored 17 points and Amelia Hassett had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Kentucky (7-1). Amoore added 10 points and eight assists and Clara Strack, averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game, was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting. North Carolina stays at home to play Coppin State on Sunday. Kentucky returns home to face Queens University on Monday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballStock market today: Tech stocks and AI pull Wall Street to more records

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of U.S. small business owners are optimistic about their economic viability in 2025, according to NEXT Insurance research. Despite challenges like rising business costs and shifting consumer trends, the economic outlook paints a complex picture of adaptability and vulnerability. NEXT surveyed 1,500 small business owners aged 18–64 across industries and regions in late October and November 2024 to reveal how economic factors are shaping business in the new year. The NEXT economic survey reveals a complex view of the economy. 57% of respondents state the economy is weaker than it was a year ago. This mood highlights ongoing challenges such as inflation, unemployment, and unpredictable market conditions that affect businesses nationwide. At the same time, the data shows diverse perspectives about the viability of their small business among owners. While 27% are not optimistic at all about the future of their business, about 3/4 of entrepreneurs report they are very optimistic (23%), optimistic (26%), or cautiously optimistic (25%) about their business's viability in the coming year. NEXT saw similar upward thinking about business owners' expected profits in the first six months of 2024. NEXT's survey highlights several challenges that may be shaping a business's outlook for the future. Rising costs have forced 17% of businesses to increase prices in the last six months. Another 15% reduced operating costs. Some industries, such as technology and health care , have shown resilience due to the demand for innovation and essential services. But others, such as retail and hospitality, are more vulnerable to fluctuating consumer spending and labor shortages. For example, an Intuit holiday shopping report reveals that 23% of consumers are reducing their holiday spending due to the rising costs of essentials like groceries and gas. This holiday season, consumers plan to spend an average of $294 at small businesses, compared to last year's $485—a 40% decrease. While NEXT data found that 12% of respondents closed all or part of their business, these closures were outweighed by growth. 10% say they've expanded their products or services, and another 7% opened a second location for their business. Despite difficulties, many business owners are holding steady: 17% expect no major changes in the next six months. And as planning for the first half of 2025 planning begins, business owners are thinking about growth. Some entrepreneurs will focus on expansion, with 14% planning to launch new products or services and 8% preparing to open second locations. These proactive efforts indicate confidence in the economy and market potential. Cost management will also play an important part, with 12% of businesses increasing prices to offset rising expenses and 11% expecting to cut costs in the coming months. However, not all businesses are as confident in their resilience; 12% are concerned about possible closure due to persistent financial difficulties. Regardless of the economic climate, businesses can focus on innovation strategies to propel them forward, such as adopting emerging AI technologies , diversifying products and services , and protecting their investment with business insurance to help mitigate the risks of growing a business. Small businesses can weather economic challenges long-term if they stay flexible and prepare for the unexpected to build a solid foundation for success. This story was produced by NEXT and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.First Nations chiefs in Manitoba call on Ottawa to address Jordan's Principle backlog