1. After more than 20 years, demolition is finally underway on the former Witmark Building in Plainfield Township.
The building used to be a catalog showroom, jewelry, and electronics store, operating from 1969 to 1997. However, it's been vacant for decades now.
Back in June, the township's Board of Trustees decided to demolish the building due to its "blighted and hazardous" condition.
The property remains with its current owner, but it is up for sale.
2. Love Costco? Enough to work there? Costco makes another push to hire workers by raising its minimum wage.
The big-box retailer raised its minimum wage to $17 an hour this week, for some workers such as service assistants, $18 an hour for service clerks, and $18.50 an hour for meat cutters.
Costco says it's doing so to remain competitive. It's the second minimum wage raise this year for Costco.
The company hiked the minimum wage to $16 an hour in February.
3. Facebook announced a major rebrand, along with a new name: Meta.
The company is taking on the new look after a series of bad press. Internal research found evidence that Facebook knew its platform was harmful to teens and helped spread hate.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company will now focus on the Metaverse, "a virtual space where people interact."
4. It's National Cat Day!
Advocates for animals say cats make excellent companions. They're encouraging everyone who can to visit a shelter and bring home a friend.
They advise us to take our time visiting with the cats and deciding which fur baby to adopt.
Advocates say the day also serves as a reminder to spay and neuter your pets.
5. Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words and phrases to the dictionary this month.
There's plenty of coronavirus-related entries like:
- Breakthrough- as in breakthrough cases or infections
- Superspreader- as in super-spreader events
- Long COVID
- Vaccine Passport
For online culture and communication, there's:
- TBH- to be honest
- FTW- for the win
- Amirite- slang for "am I right?"
Other newcomers include "dad bod", "air fryer", "horchata", and "doorbell camera."
