JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 930

MIAMI — Venezuela rallied past Italy 4-2 on Monday to reach the World Baseball Classic final, overcoming a seventh-inning deficit with consecutive two-out RBI singles by Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel García and Luis Arraez. Aaron Nola started for Italy and allowed four innings of scoring before Venezuela’s rally. Italy manager Francisco Cervelli replaced Michael Lorenzen with Nola shortly before the team arrived at loanDepot Park. Keider Montero started for Venezuela. Venezuela will play the United States in Tuesday’s upcoming final at loanDepot Park. Venezuela reached its first WBC final in six editions; Italy advanced to the semifinals after upending Puerto Rico. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

United States — Ohio lawmakers and companies acted on artificial intelligence this week. On March 2, an Ohio General Assembly poll found broad legislative AI use but substantial indecision on regulation and student use, with partisan divisions over federal versus state oversight. March 16–17 saw Universal Robots and Scale AI unveil the UR AI Trainer, Guardforce AI close its MGAI acquisition to expand agentic services, Meltwater name Antony Cousins to PRWeek's AI 25, and Finastra establish AI Center of Excellence with a new SVP. Industry panels at a captive insurance conference emphasized human oversight. Based on 7 articles reviewed and supporting research.

United States — Several companies announced operational updates and financial events this week, including scheduled earnings calls, facility milestones, market expansions, and a litigation settlement. Mobilicom set a March 23 earnings release and call; Nano Dimension set a March 31 results call and filed Form 12b-25; TOMI expanded in Canada; Alpine Bank will present March 26; Jet.AI and Consensus Core completed data center milestones; Exousia Pro disclosed a $147,500 settlement that cancels debt. These developments affect shareholders, customers, and project timelines. Companies reported dates, revenue guidance, and operational confirmations for investor transparency purposes. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Reston, Virginia. Five publicly traded companies this week reported quarterly results and guidance, with Science Applications International Corp. posting $85 million profit in fiscal Q4 and revenue of $1.75 billion; Green Dot, Assertio and Comtech reported quarterly losses; Semtech posted an adjusted-beating quarter despite a GAAP loss. Firms provided forward guidance ranges and revenue expectations on Monday. Market reactions included Assertio's notable year-to-date share gains. Analysts and investors will use reported figures and guidance to reassess forecasts and positions. No regulatory actions were announced. Based on 7 articles reviewed and supporting research.

CHICAGO. Illinois voters held competitive March 17 primaries as candidates competed to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin and fill multiple open House seats. Democratic contenders Juliana Stratton, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly led intensive fundraising and advertising; outside groups, including crypto-backed Fairshake and Pritzker-linked PACs, spent millions. Republican gubernatorial hopefuls advanced through crowded fields. Campaign finance reports showed Krishnamoorthi with substantial transfers and fundraising advantages, while Democrats remained favored in November general elections. Election outcomes will reshape Illinois's congressional delegation and test the influence of big donors. Preliminary returns arrived Tuesday night. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Greeley, Colorado. About 3,800 workers at the JBS meatpacking plant walked off the job Monday after contract negotiations with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 failed. Union leaders said members authorized the strike by a 99% vote and alleged unfair labor practices including charges for replacement personal protective equipment and sped-up production lines. The union filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board and picketed the plant. JBS said it offered a fair contract and blamed the union for walking away. The strike followed a contract expiration at midnight Sunday. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

United States. Multiple regions experienced rapid temperature swings, severe storms, and freeze warnings this week as a strong cold front moved through the Southeast and central U.S. Meteorologists reported gusty winds, isolated tornado risk, and accumulating mountain snow Monday, followed by sharp warm-ups into the 60s–90s by midweek in parts of Texas and Wyoming. Emergency watches and freeze/frost warnings were issued, and state and local officials advised sheltering during severe thunderstorm warnings and protecting vegetation during freezes. Impacts included elevated fire risk in dry areas and localized power outages from wind damage. Based on 7 articles reviewed and supporting research.

United States Local and state officials, residents and utilities reported multiple water issues this week, ranging from voluntary donation of water rights in Jefferson County, Texas, to grassroots demands for cleaner municipal supply in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Utilities in Limestone County, Alabama, and Kings Mountain, North Carolina, acknowledged discoloration and odor complaints and offered credits and remediation; officials said water remained safe while crews flushed lines. In Marshall, Texas, crews worked overnight to repair a 24-inch transmission main and imposed a boil-water advisory while service was restored and local officials confirmed. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

United States. Oil market disruptions tied to Middle East tensions pushed fuel costs higher this week across multiple states, according to AAA and GasBuddy data. Drivers in Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Wyoming saw weekly changes ranging from small drops to rises exceeding 80 cents per gallon, with the national average reaching $3.68 and diesel near $4.95. Local reports used station surveys and AAA releases to calculate regional averages and comparisons to last week, last month and last year. Officials and analysts attributed increases to crude-oil price volatility since the Iran-related conflict began. Based on 7 articles reviewed and supporting research.

MIAMI — Team USA defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 Sunday night in a World Baseball Classic semifinal that ended on a called third strike, leaving the Dominicans eliminated and Team USA advancing to the championship game Tuesday. The game featured dominant U.S. pitching, a two-out home run by Junior Caminero for the D.R., and controversy over a low full-count slider called a strike on Geraldo Perdomo. Major League Baseball’s Automated Ball-Strike system is scheduled to debut March 25, prompting questions about adoption in international play. Fan reaction in affected countries was followed closely. Based on 8 articles reviewed and supporting research.