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Tariffs and years of teetering mall traffic have roiled much of the toy industry. But Build-A-Bear investors are continuing to reap sizeable gains.

Shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop are up more than 60% since the start of 2025, trading at just under $72 apiece as of September 23. That compares to just 13% for the SP 500 since the start of the year and marks dramatic growth from five years ago, when the St. Louis-based retailer's stock sat under $3.

The toy industry overall has been “reasonably soft” in recent years, notes Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData—but certain categories, including craft-oriented products, have done very well following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. And that's key to Build-A-Bear's core business model: welcoming consumers into their brick-and-mortar stores to make their own plush animals.

That may also set Build-A-Bear apart from the malls its stores are often inside, many of which have struggled to see overall traffic rebound over the years.

“The mall may not be a destination, but Build-A-Bear often is—because it’s often a planned trip, Saunders said. “It’s a store within a mall that many consumers make a beeline for.”

Build-A-Bear still isn’t entirely immune to macroeconomic pressures, but the company's profit has soared to record after record in recent quarters. Last month, the retailer reported what it said were the best results for a second quarter and first half of a fiscal year in the history of Build-A-Bear, which opened its first store in 1997. Company executives pointed to strong store performance and other expansion efforts.

In the first half of its 2025 fiscal year, the company’s revenues hit $252.6 million, and its pre-tax income climbed to $34.9 million—up 11.5% and 31.5%, respectively, year-over-year.

The company also raised its financial outlook for the full year, despite anticipated costs of President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on goods coming into the U.S. from around the world and other headwinds.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The skateboard that Tony Hawk used to make history in 1999 has sold for a record-breaking $1.15 million, according to a statement from Julien's Auctions. The deck, called the Birdhouse Falcon 2, was used by Hawk to land the first-ever 900 trick—a two-and-a-half-turn trick few skateboarders dare to try—at the 1999 San Francisco X Games.

After numerous failed attempts, Hawk successfully flipped twice through the air and landed the move. The packed crowd roared, and announcers screamed on the live broadcast. By then, Hawk was 31 years old and already a decorated skateboarder. He had won 73 championships by age 25 and was world champion of vert skating—where skateboarders careen back and forth on a steep ramp—for 12 straight years in the 1980s and 1990s.

But the historic landing at the turn of the century cast Hawk as an indelible household name, and it made him one of the most well-known trailblazers in the sport. Hawk said in an interview with The Associated Press that he hoped the anonymous buyer was someone who truly appreciates it, or that event or that object meant something to them and that it's not just a flex because they have the money.

Hawk, who many credit with thrusting skateboarding into mainstream pop culture, went on to win 10 X Games gold medals. The auctioneer said that the $1.15 million sale was the largest price tag on skateboard memorabilia in history.

The collection up for sale also included other exorbitantly priced Hawk paraphernalia, ranging from an autographed Frosted Flakes cereal box that went for $512 to the scraped knee pads he wore to make history in 1999, which topped $57,000.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit The Skatepark Project, Hawk's nonprofit foundation that helps build skateparks.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

YouTube will offer creators a way to rejoin the streaming platform if they were banned for violating COVID-19 and election misinformation policies that are no longer in effect, its parent company Alphabet said September 23.

In a letter submitted in response to subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee, attorneys for Alphabet said the decision to bring back banned accounts reflected the company's commitment to free speech. It said the company values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes their reach and important role in civic discourse.

“No matter the political atmosphere, YouTube will continue to enable free expression on its platform, particularly as it relates to issues subject to political debate,” the letter read.

The move is the latest in a cascade of content moderation rollbacks from tech companies, who cracked down on false information during the pandemic and after the 2020 election but have since faced pressure from President Donald Trump and other conservatives who argue they unlawfully stifled right-wing voices in the process.

It comes as tech CEOs, including Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, have sought a closer relationship with the Republican president, including through high-dollar donations to his campaign and attending events in Washington.

YouTube in 2023 phased out its policy to remove content that falsely claims the 2020 election, or other past U.S. presidential elections, were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches.

The platform in 2024 also retired its standalone COVID-19 content restrictions, allowing various treatments for the disease to be discussed. COVID-19 misinformation now falls under YouTube's broader medical misinformation policy.

Among the creators who have been banned from YouTube under the now-expired policies are prominent conservative influencers, including Dan Bongino, who now serves as deputy director of the FBI. For people who make money on social media, access to monetization on YouTube can be significant, earning them large sums through ad revenue.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Thomasina Clarke has watched school after school close in her once-thriving St. Louis neighborhood, which was hit by a tornado this spring and whose population has plummeted in recent decades. It's like a hole in the community, Clarke said.

St. Louis Public Schools is among the districts nationwide weighing how many urban schools to keep open due to shrinking budgets, the falling birthrate and a growing school choice movement. A district-commissioned report released this year found that the school system has more than twice the schools it needs.

Such decisions are gut-wrenching. It's a financial strain to operate half-empty schools, but research shows kids often fare badly after closures.

Elsewhere, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston and Norfolk, Virginia, are considering shuttering schools, while a public outcry over potential closures has stopped them—for now—in Seattle and San Francisco.

From 2019 to 2023, enrollment declined by 20% or more at nearly one in 12 public schools—roughly 5,100, according to a report published last year by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative-leaning education think tank. Many were chronically low-performing schools in high-poverty neighborhoods, the report found.

Public school enrollment is projected to tumble 5.5% between 2022 and 2031, largely due to changing demographics, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Other factors include the shift by some students to private education or homeschooling and some immigrant families' decisions to leave the country.

Federal funds allowed many schools to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite tumbling enrollment numbers. But now the relief money is gone, and those underpopulated schools are a problem, said Aaron Garth Smith, director of education reform at Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank.

The takeaway is pretty clear, Smith said. Public school enrollment is declining. It's going to continue to fall for years to come. And so generally, state and local policymakers have to adapt to this new reality.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Agriculture is among the largest sources of climate-warming emissions in the U.S. Though tractors are a small culprit, experts believe an environmentally friendly machine would still attract buyers interested in sustainability.

At an August event, researchers at Michigan State University asked farmers what they thought of a new electric tractor. The market is so new they’re still trying to figure out if they’ve designed it well enough to excite growers of specialty crops like carrots, asparagus and blueberries.

The small, battery-powered machine isn’t meant to replace the giant diesel tractors used on big commercial soy or corn operations. Powerful enough technology for that could be decades away.

Researchers say they think electric tractors could be game-changing for smallholder farmers who grow a large majority of food around the world and for growers who care about being more sustainable and want to market their crops as such.

As farmers at the demonstration took turns climbing in—some surprised by its quick acceleration—they gave real-time feedback to the Michigan State University researchers who have been developing it for over two years. The farmers remarked on the motor's quiet whir. Most were intrigued or at least open to the idea. Some were concerned that the battery on the underside of the carriage would mean a lower clearance over the field, while others worried that it would simply be too expensive.

There are downsides—electric tractors are aimed at filling a niche, not overturning the status quo. And while battery technology has come a long way, they can’t last all day or match the massive horsepower of a diesel engine that sets giant tractors cruising through the sprawling grain and soybean operations of the Midwest.

Ajit Srivastava, an agricultural engineer and Michigan State professor who hosted the farmer feedback session, wants to help smallholder farmers across the world. Such farmers grow about a third of the world’s food, but many do it with only hand tools. He started trying to emulate a pair of oxen made of off-the-shelf parts, so anyone could build it themselves.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Meta has unveiled its latest AI-powered smart glasses at its annual developers’ conference in California. The device, created in partnership with Ray-Ban, is pitched as the next step in wearable technology, combining a high-resolution display with voice, camera and gesture controls. The launch is part of a trend that has seen major tech firms racing to position glasses as a platform for artificial intelligence, combining fashion and computing.

On stage at Meta’s Connect conference in Menlo Park, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the device as part of a wider pitch about how artificial intelligence could become seamlessly integrated into everyday tasks. The glasses combine a built-in display, microphones, speakers and cameras, while the accompanying Neural Band wrist device allows users to control functions with subtle hand movements.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, says, “Glasses are the ideal form factor for personal superintelligence because they let you stay present in the moment, while getting access to all of these AI capabilities that make you smarter, help you communicate better, improve your memory, improve your senses.

The glasses feature a discreet in-lens display, allowing users to check messages, preview photos, get directions or view live translations without taking out a phone.

Ankit Brahmbhatt, Director of Product Management at Meta, says, We feel very much that this is already going to make you much more heads up. And in the moment, with eye glasses, you actually have this sense of being able to engage.

Each pair is bundled with the new Meta Neural Band, a wrist-worn device that uses electromyography to turn subtle muscle movements into digital commands. A small pinch of the fingers or a flick of the wrist can be used to scroll, select or even type, which removes the need to touch the glasses or use a smartphone. It also highlights accessibility, with potential benefits for people who have limited mobility or tremors.

The company says this is just one part of its vision for glasses as a new computing platform, which aims to keep users connected to AI while remaining present in the world around them.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Plans to build the Big Apple's first full-service casino in the heart of the city have run out of luck. A local panel on September 22 rejected the last of three Manhattan proposals that had been among those vying for a new state license to operate a Las Vegas-style casino in the lucrative New York City market.

The proposal—a six-acre project near the United Nations headquarters dubbed Freedom Plaza and operated by Mohegan, the gaming company run by Connecticut's Mohegan Tribe—was denied by a state-commissioned community advisory committee on a 4-2 vote.

A Jay-Z-backed plan to build a Caesars Palace casino in Times Square and another proposal for a gambling resort on Manhattan's West Side in the Hudson Yards area were both voted down by two other local boards amid local opposition.

As in those votes, committee members, in the September 22 decision, appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, were in favor of the Freedom Plaza project, but panel members representing local lawmakers said no.

To be clear, this is not simply a rejection of a new casino in Manhattan—it is a rejection of new housing, new schools, billions of dollars in investment, and more for the borough, said William Fowler, an Adams spokesperson.

The other local politicians, all Democrats like Hochul and Adams, said in a statement that residents voiced concerns during public hearings about the development's impact on congestion and public safety in the area.

Michael Hershman, CEO of the Soloviev Group, which was the lead developer on the more than $11 billion project, said Manhattan—the undisputed capital of the world—deserved the resort, which would have attracted visitors while serving the needs of its community.

Ray Pineault, CEO of Mohegan, argued the review process did not allow for a recognition of the impact we could have had on the broader community of New York and the many individuals who would have benefited from new jobs, housing, and community benefits.

Five proposals still remain in the race for up to three gaming licenses.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Ben Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years, saying that the independence it once had to speak up on social issues has been stifled by parent company Unilever.

In a letter that co-founder Ben Cohen posted on social media platform X on Greenfield’s behalf, Greenfield said that he felt the independence the brand had to speak on social issues and events was lost to Unilever.

“For more than 20 years under their ownership, Ben Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world,” he wrote. “That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company's governance structure in perpetuity. It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”

Greenfield said that the loss of independence was coming “at a time when our country's current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women...”

“Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben Jerry's has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he said. “It's easy to stand up and speak out when there's nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.”

Greenfield noted that Ben Jerry's, famous for its colorful ice cream containers with flavor names such as Cherry Garcia and Phish Food, “was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

School is back in session, bringing new routines—and new milestones for students. For some, this is the year they are allowed to go home to an empty house instead of an after-school program or day care. It's a decision faced by many parents whose work or other obligations keep them from coming home until long past school release time.

With after-school care often expensive and hard to find, parents have reason to encourage independence. But how can they be sure their child is ready to navigate home on their own, even if only for an hour or two?

A handful of states have set age minimums. Maryland law, for example, makes it a crime to leave a child younger than 8 years old unattended. But most states leave it up to parents and guardians. Experts say between 11 and 13 years old can be a good starting point, but stress there's more to the equation than age. And they say what's right for one child may not be for another, even within a family.

It's not a one-size-fits-all ordeal. And you really have to take it and understand the bigger picture, said Jaesha Quarrels, director of child care services at Oklahoma Human Services.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says most children are not ready to handle emergencies until about age 11 or 12, so the organization generally recommends structured supervision until then. But it's not that simple. Parents often want a specific answer on how old their kids have to be, but age is only one of the factors to consider, said Brian Tessmer, director of treatment and operations at Family Resources, a nonprofit agency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

We really strongly encourage parents to look at many other factors because kids, obviously, mature at different rates.

At minimum, children should be able to recite their full name, home address, phone number and the name of a parent, guardian or other emergency contact. They should also know how to reach that person, experts advise.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Robin is an artificial intelligence-powered therapeutic robot programmed to act like a little girl as it provides emotional support at nursing homes and hospital pediatric units while helping combat staffing shortages.

“Nurses and medical staff are really overworked, under a lot of pressure, and unfortunately, a lot of times they don’t have capacity to provide engagement and connection to patients,” said Karen Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, which developed the robot. “Robin helps to alleviate that part from them.”

As AI increasingly becomes a part of daily life, it's found a foothold in medical care—providing everything from note-taking during exams to electronic nurses. While heralded by some for the efficiency it brings, others worry about its impact on patient care.

Robin is about 30% autonomous, while a team of operators working remotely controls the rest under the watchful eye of clinical staff.

Samantha da Silva, speech-language pathologist at the hospital, said patients light up when Robin comes into their room and not only remembers their names but also their favorite music.

Robin mirrors the emotions of the person it is talking with, explained Khachikyan. If the patient is laughing, then the robot laughs along, but if they're sharing something difficult, its face reflects sadness and empathy.

In nursing homes, Robin plays memory games with people suffering from dementia, takes them through breathing exercises on difficult days and offers them a form of companionship that resembles a grandchild with a grandparent.

But with the Association of American Medical Colleges projecting that the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians in the next 11 years, Khachikyan’s vision for Robin goes far beyond this type of support.

He said they’re working to make the robot able to measure patients’ vitals and check to see how they’re doing and then send that information to their medical team. Long-term plans include designing Robin to help elderly patients change their clothes and go to the bathroom.

He clarified that it’s not about replacing healthcare workers but about filling in the gaps in the workforce.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.