In Brief

RETAIL

Amazon pulls some hoverboards as safety concerns mount

One of the hottest toys this holiday season is facing more scrutiny over potential safety concerns.

Hoverboard-maker Swagway said it received a notice from Amazon.com Inc. asking for documentation that shows all of its hoverboards comply with safety standards, including the batteries and chargers.

The South Bend, Ind.-based company said the notice went out to all hoverboard sellers and that Swagway already meets all of those requirements.

No Swagway products were listed on Amazon.com early Monday. In a statement, the company said the removal was not specific to Swagway, but also included “97 percent” of the other branded hoverboards that were sold on the site.

This news comes just a few days after online retailer Overstock.com said it would no longer sell any of the self-balancing electric scooters, citing “growing safety concerns.” LOS ANGELES TIMES

BREWERIES

Toxic Brew partners with Boston Stoker

Toxic Brew Company will host a special-release party starting at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, at 431 E. Fifth St. for two beers brewed in collaboration with locally based coffee chain Boston Stoker.

The brewery added a Boston Stoker cold brew coffee blend to its Toxic Iso Heaven IPA and a different blend to its Black Tonic Stout. The Iso Heaven has been informally dubbed “Henry” and the Black Tonic Stout named “Hank” in honor of Henry Dean, the founder of Boston Stoker, who also answers to “Hank.”

Boston Stoker was founded in Englewood in 1973, and operates 10 retail coffee shops in the region. Toxic Brew was the first of the modern-era breweries to launch in downtown Dayton; it opened in the summer of 2013.

For more information about the release party, call Toxic Brew at (937) 985-3618. MARK FISHER

STOCK MARKET

Late burst leaves stocks higher after wobbly day

NEW YORK — A late burst of buying left U.S. stock indexes higher at Monday’s closing bell after a day of wavering between small gains and losses.

Oil stocks did well after the price of crude shook off a long string of losses and turned higher. Chevron rose 3 percent and Exxon Mobil gained 2 percent, the most in the Dow Jones industrial average.

Natural gas prices sank to their lowest level since September 2001. Traders blame unusually warm winter weather in the U.S. Natural gas is commonly used to heat homes.

The Dow rose 103 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,368.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter warns some of potential ‘state-sponsored’ hacks

Several Twitter users said they have received warnings from the microblogging company that their accounts may have been targeted by “state-sponsored actors.”

The warnings, which some users said they received Friday, say that the hackers may have been trying to get information such as email addresses, IP addresses and phone numbers.

In the notice, San Francisco-based Twitter said it has no evidence that the hackers obtained account information, but the company was “actively investigating” the matter.

According to the BBC and Financial Times, it is the first time that Twitter has released a warning about a possible hack by individuals possibly associated with a government. LOS ANGELES TIMES

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