The largest retailer in the world, Walmart, is pulling certain video game displays from stores. But some employees are urging the company to make bigger changes. Read on to see what they are recommending.
A visit to a galaxy far, far away has not yet been the major hit that Disneyland was expecting, forcing the company to cut hours for its park employees.
And a flight attendant worries passengers after they said she appeared to be very intoxicated and fell asleep shortly after takeoff.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: Walmart Removes Signs Depicting Violent Video Games as Employees Urge More Action
Walmart denies report that it’s taking violent video games off shelves t.co/odn9D98Zpi
Walmart is changing up some of the displays inside its stores. The world’s largest retail chain announced that individual stores were instructed to remove any marketing materials or screen demonstrations of violent video games.
Walmart quickly negated rumors yesterday that the store might stop selling the games entirely. A spokesperson said in an email release, “We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week, and it does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment. We are focused on assisting our associates and their families, as well as supporting the community, as we continue a thoughtful and thorough review of our policies.”
Meanwhile, some Walmart associates feel the retailer is focusing on the wrong thing. Employees started a petition urging Walmart to stop selling guns. The petition has garnered more than 58,000 signatures so far. The petition reads in part, “We must organize to shape this company into a place that we can all be proud of. As associates, we can and must leverage our power and ability to change our company for the better. We have one demand, and that is all. We value Walmart and our fellow associates, but we are no longer willing to contribute our labor to a company that profits from the sale of deadly weapons.”
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: The Star Wars Park at Disneyland Isn’t a Hit Yet
George Lucas, Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamil, Bob Iger and Harrison Ford attend the pre-opening launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland on May 29, 2019 in Anaheim, California.
Star Wars fans were pumped when Disney officials decided to open a theme park at Disneyland dedicated to the epic franchise. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Land opened to the public in May of 2019.
But Disney may have opened the park too soon. It only has one major feature so far, the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride. Short lines and smaller-than-expected crowds have meant that park employees are seeing their hours cut. A Disney employee told Fox Business, “I feel the problem is Star Wars took too long to build so they rushed the opening with only one cool feature… The need for us to work simply isn’t there.”
CEO Bob Iger appears to agree. During a recent earnings call, he mentioned that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Land has only one ride, with a second attraction set to open in January of 2020. Iger also blamed price increases for potentially keeping customers away. In addition, Iger stated that “there was a tremendous concern in the marketplace that there was going to be huge crowding when we open Galaxy’s Edge. And so some people stayed away just because they expected that it would not be a great guest experience.”
OFF-BEAT: Flight Attendant is Arrested For Being Drunk On a Plane
Hey @united, our flight attendant appears to be quite drunk on this from from ORD to SBN. She is slurring her speech (she couldn’t make it through the security announcement), couldn’t walk straight/was bumping into everyone in the aisle, and kept dropping things.
An Air Wisconsin flight attendant, Julianne March, had passengers concerned during a trip from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana on August 2. Flyers said that March was slurring her words during the security announcement.
She fell asleep in the jumpseat shortly after takeoff and passengers secured her safety belt. Passengers said March didn’t get up for the rest of the flight.
March was detained by police after the plane landed and she admitted to police that she had “two vodka shooters” before the flight. The Chicago Tribune reported that her blood alcohol level was 0.204, which is five times over the legal limit for flight attendants.
March has been charged with criminal public intoxication, a misdemeanor. She has also been let go from her job at Air Wisconsin. Passenger Aaron Scherb, who tweeted during the flight about March’s drunken state, later told Fox News that he had hoped Air Wisconsin would help March get treatment if she had an addiction problem.
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
- YouTube star Marina Joyce has been missing for more than a week, according to British police.
- Wildfires remain a dangerous issue in California right now. Click here for interactive maps.
- Uber reported this week that the company lost $5.2 billion in the second quarter of 2019.
- A meteor large enough to be seen from Earth crashed into Jupiter.
- A bear bit a sleeping teenage boy in the face at a campground in Utah.
CHECK THIS OUT
You’ll never have to eat around the cereal again.
Breakfast just got a little sweeter. You don’t need to worry about pillaging a box of Lucky Charms for the marshmallows anymore.
General Mills has announced that it will soon begin selling 7-ounce bags of the “Magically Delicious” treats. The marshmallow bags are expected to be available on store shelves in September. The bags are expected to cost $1.50.
Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here.