FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS
Nursing school banned from Massachusetts
A for-profit nursing school has been banned from holding classes in Massachusetts and has been ordered to pay restitution to former students it was accused of misleading. State Attorney General Maura Healey’s office had sued the Florida-based Hosanna College of Health for allegedly operating without a license and misrepresenting itself to students from the Boston area’s Haitian community between 2013 and 2015. A settlement announced Wednesday says the school will pay $190,000 to dozens of former students and won’t collect any outstanding tuition payments. A call to the school was not returned. Healey says students who wanted to become nurses ‘‘were targeted by this school and misled into taking unlicensed and low-quality courses in order to generate a profit.’’ Her office says it will contact former students eligible for restitution. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
HEALTH CARE
Sign-ups for Obamacare more than 45 percent ahead of last year
Sign-ups for Affordable Care Act health plans are running more than 45 percent ahead of last year’s pace, according to government data released Wednesday. The numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services come as Republican senators are pushing to pay for tax cuts by repealing the ‘‘Obamacare’’ requirement to carry coverage. The new figures show that nearly 1.5 million consumers picked a plan through Nov. 11, compared with just over 1 million from Nov. 1-12 last year. The share of new customers for 2018 coverage stayed at about 23 percent. The data cover 39 states served by the HealthCare.gov website. The overall number of sign-ups is higher because states running their own health insurance markets are not included in the government data. The Obama-era law offers subsidized private insurance for people who don’t get coverage on the job. Sign-ups this year are being closely watched because of efforts by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress to do away with the law. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 13 million more people would be uninsured by 2027 if Congress repeals the requirement that people buy insurance. This year’s sign-up season is only half as long as last year’s. It ends Dec. 15. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
FAST FOOD
Papa John’s apologizes for comments linking declining pizza sales to NFL protests
Papa John’s Pizza apologized Tuesday night for comments made by CEO John Schnatter blaming sluggish pizza sales on NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. The Louisville, Ky.-based company is a major NFL sponsor and advertiser, and Schnatter said on an earnings call on Nov. 1 that ‘‘NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders,’’ and that the protests ‘‘should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago.’’ The company tweeted a statement offering to ‘‘work with the players and league to find a positive way forward.’’ The movement was started last year by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled to protest what he said was police mistreatment of blacks. More players began kneeling after President Trump said at a rally in September that team owners should get rid of players who protest during the anthem. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
RETAIL
Target shares down on profit decline
A cautious outlook on the crucial holiday season overshadowed progress Target made in bringing more customers to its stores, pulling its shares down sharply. The shares of other retailers fell as well, even though overall economic figures show people still spending. Target reported higher customer traffic numbers and better sales at established stores as its investments in improving its stores and online capabilities appear to be paying off. But those changes, as well as its moves to cut prices and raise employee wages, are dragging down profits. The discount chain reported a 21 percent drop in fiscal third-quarter profit. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
COURTS
Fight in Maine over seaweed harvesting going to state’s highest court
A fight over who owns the seaweed that can be harvested along the Maine coast is going all the way to the state’s highest court. Commercial harvesters typically collect more than 10 million pounds of seaweed per year in Maine. But they and some shorefront property owners are locked in a dispute over whether it’s being taken from private property. WCSH-TV reported that a superior court judge ruled in favor of the property owners, blocking a Nova Scotia company from harvesting in intertidal zones. The Maine Supreme Court will now decide if that ruling should stand. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
FOOD
Amazon to give Prime members discounts at Whole Foods
Ahead of Thanksgiving, Amazon is giving Prime members their first taste of special discounts at its recently acquired Whole Foods stores. Amazon says it will e-mail Prime members a coupon starting Wednesday to buy organic or antibiotic-free turkeys for about 50 cents a pound cheaper than other customers. Amazon says the turkey discount is a ‘‘sneak peak’’ of the special savings it plans to give its $99-a-year Prime members as it works to make Prime the official Whole Foods reward program. Amazon says it will also lower prices for all Whole Foods customers on other Thanksgiving staples, such as canned pumpkin and organic sweet potatoes. Several other items will get price cuts, too, including Chobani yogurt, Applegate hot dogs, and Tom’s of Maine toothpaste. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUTOMOBILES
Hyundai to market SUVs in US
Hyundai Motor Co. is finally going to give America what it wants: more sport utility vehicles. The South Korean automaker mired in a US sales slump said Wednesday it will bring eight new or redesigned crossovers or SUVs to the market by 2020. The plans are a belated effort to recapture buyers who’ve been shunning sedans and compact cars — segments where Hyundai’s lineup is strongest. Passenger cars haven’t made up the majority of US auto sales since 2012, and their share of the market has slipped to less than 38 percent this year, according to researcher Autodata Corp. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
RETAIL
Sales rose last month
US retail sales rose at a solid pace last month, as bullish consumers bought more cars, furniture, and clothes. Retail sales increased 0.2 percent in October, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, after a healthy 1.9 percent gain in the previous month. September’s gain was the largest in 2½ years and was driven by big increases in auto and gas sales in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Peltz wins seat on Procter & Gamble’s board
Nelson Peltz’s bid for a board seat at Procter & Gamble Co. took a stunning turn Wednesday after an independent inspector said the billionaire investor won his proxy fight at the consumer products giant. The official preliminary results show that P&G shareholders have elected Peltz to the company’s board, his Trian Fund Management LP said in a statement. The activist investor won by about 42,780 shares — or a margin of about 0.0016 percent — according to the results tallied by the independent inspector IVS Associates Inc., P&G said in a statement. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
