Entrepreneurs who dream of reaching thousands of customers at the world’s largest retailer had the chance to showcase their products.
On June 19, people from around the world gathered at the Walmart Home Office to pitch their ideas at the Sixth Annual Open Call for American Products.
Walmart has a 10-year commitment to place 250 billion more United States made products on their shelves, and today a few more got added.
“I am super excited and super happy that our products got selected,” entrepreneur Ian Schafruen said.
Schafruen and his wife created Healthee, which is a line of organic and gluten-free easy microwaveable meals.
“It’s amazing what Walmart is doing to create jobs for products like mine, and I am very excited and looking forward to working with them,” entrepreneur Augustine Guma said.
Guma and his team created Guma Spicy Pies, which features seven different spices representing the seven different continents.
Guma said he is a survivor from the genocide in Uganda, who was saved by the American Special Forces, and decided to use the spices as a way to promote love and peace all over the world.
Some other products that will soon be on a Walmart shelf near you, come in many styles.
“We take your taste buds to 15 exotic destinations around the world through our freshly prepared meals and high protein hot wraps,” entrepreneur Lisa Sohanpal said.
She created Mini Nom Nom’s, which featured healthy world food for kids.
“Our products are gluten, grain, and grasses family free,” said entrepreneurs Margie and Ann Mae Traxler.
The mother-daughter duo created Grain Free Mama’s, which features mixes such as:
- crepe
- pizza crust
- cookie
- muffin
It was an opportunity for those who got to show off their products, but it was also an enjoyable day for those who didn’t.
“It’s a great place to show off Walmart and Northwest Arkansas, and we are having a lot of fun,” Walmart Vice President for Merchandising Services Cindi Marsiglio said.
“As with any Walmart event, the vibes here are pretty positive and pretty high energy,” Greater Bentonville Chamber President and CEO Graham Cobb said.
After the 2019 Open Call event, Walmart invited attendees to reception to congratulate those who participated in the event.
Entrepreneurs who dream of reaching thousands of customers at the world’s largest retailer had the chance to showcase their products.
On June 19, people from around the world gathered at the Walmart Home Office to pitch their ideas at the Sixth Annual Open Call for American Products.
Walmart has a 10-year commitment to place 250 billion more United States made products on their shelves, and today a few more got added.
“I am super excited and super happy that our products got selected,” entrepreneur Ian Schafruen said.
Schafruen and his wife created Healthee, which is a line of organic and gluten-free easy microwaveable meals.
“It’s amazing what Walmart is doing to create jobs for products like mine, and I am very excited and looking forward to working with them,” entrepreneur Augustine Guma said.
Guma and his team created Guma Spicy Pies, which features seven different spices representing the seven different continents.
Guma said he is a survivor from the genocide in Uganda, who was saved by the American Special Forces, and decided to use the spices as a way to promote love and peace all over the world.
Some other products that will soon be on a Walmart shelf near you, come in many styles.
“We take your taste buds to 15 exotic destinations around the world through our freshly prepared meals and high protein hot wraps,” entrepreneur Lisa Sohanpal said.
She created Mini Nom Nom’s, which featured healthy world food for kids.
“Our products are gluten, grain, and grasses family free,” said entrepreneurs Margie and Ann Mae Traxler.
The mother-daughter duo created Grain Free Mama’s, which features mixes such as:
- crepe
- pizza crust
- cookie
- muffin
It was an opportunity for those who got to show off their products, but it was also an enjoyable day for those who didn’t.
“It’s a great place to show off Walmart and Northwest Arkansas, and we are having a lot of fun,” Walmart Vice President for Merchandising Services Cindi Marsiglio said.
“As with any Walmart event, the vibes here are pretty positive and pretty high energy,” Greater Bentonville Chamber President and CEO Graham Cobb said.
After the 2019 Open Call event, Walmart invited attendees to reception to congratulate those who participated in the event.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Oops!
It seems like “Game of Thrones” has apparently suffered yet another editing gaffe in its final season.
GoT fans will recall the blunder involving a Starbucks cup on the table during a celebration in which the actors drank from goblets and horns.
In last night’s episode, however, the gaffe this time centered around Jaime Lannister’s hand, which had somehow regenerated!
If you recall, Lannister, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, had his hand cut off by the enemy as he defended Brienne of Tarth from being sexually assaulted back in season 3.
When he reunited with sister Cersei (Lena Headey), she has a prosthetic hand made for him out of gold.
But last night’s episode shows an apparently real hand.
Here’s how fans reacted to the gaffe:
CNN contributed to this report.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — If you think the nightmare that is tax season is over, you’ve got another think coming.
The Internal Revenue Service is changing how you adjust your paycheck withholdings.
There will be a new W-4 form that “better incorporates the changes ushered in by the new tax law so that the amount held back for taxes in each of your paychecks,” according to USA TODAY.
The IRS’ goal is for taxpayers not to owe any money, but also for there to be no money owed to taxpayers.
Officials said the new form will be more complicated, however, and more so resembles the 1040-form versus a W-4.
Instead of claiming a certain number of allowances based on exemptions (which have been eliminated) taxpayers will be asked to input the dollar amounts for the following:
- Nonwage income, such as interest and dividends
- Itemized and other deductions
- Income tax credits expected for the tax year
- For employees with multiple jobs, total annual taxable wages for all lower paying jobs in the household
The first draft is already out but another draft version of the new W-4 is expected by May 31.
After that, the IRS will ask for public comment and review those comments, with plans on posting another draft later this year.
The final version of the new 2-4 will be released by the end of this year, just in time for the 2020 tax season.
Some information to have handy includes:
- Your filing status
- Number of dependents
- Information about your itemized deductions such as home mortgage interest, state and local taxes, and charitable deductions
- Earnings from all jobs
- Information about nonwage income such as business income, dividends, and interest.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyler Herro hit a 3-pointer with 25.8 seconds left to give Kentucky the lead after Houston had erased a double-digit lead, and the Wildcats escaped their NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal with a 62-58 win over Houston Friday night.
Herro’s huge basket gave the Wildcats a 60-58 lead and came after Houston’s Corey Davis Jr. had his driving shot swatted away by PJ Washington, who was making his return after missing the first two tournament games with a left foot injury.
Davis missed what would have been a tying layup before Herro hit two more free throws to secure the win and send the second-seeded Wildcats to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in 10 years, Kentucky will face Southeastern Conference rival Auburn for a trip to the Final Four.
Herro led the Wildcats (30-6) with 19 points and Washington added 16.
Houston (33-4), in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984, used a 17-6 surge to finish a comeback from 13 points down early in the second half. Armoni Brooks, who finished with 20 points, made three of his six 3-pointers during the run, the last a fade-away from the corner to tie it at 49. Davis then muscled a shot over Reid Travis in the lane with 3:39 left for the Cougars’ first lead since 13 minutes left in the first half.
After Washington made two free throws to tie it, Brooks struck again, this time from the right side, to make it 54-51.
The Cougars couldn’t quite finish the job. Davis’ floater made it 58-55 before Washington scored over Fabian White Jr. to make it a one-point game. He missed the tying free throw, and then raced to the other end to block Davis’ shot and turn the momentum back to Kentucky.
The Wildcats had been playing since March 16 without Washington, who spained his left foot in the SEC Tournament against Tennessee. His status was a mystery right up until the first media timeout, when he entered to a standing ovation from fans behind the Kentucky bench.
He showed no effects from the injury, scoring in the lane on his first shot and converting Keldon Johnson’s entry pass into a big dunk. Next, he passed out of a double team to Immanuel Quickley, who swished a 3-pointer from the corner, and then he hit a mid-range jumper for a 21-14 lead at the midway point in the first half.
Wildcats coach John Calipari had said Thursday that he would be “stunned” if Washington played more than 15-18 minutes, if he played at all. He played 26.
BIG PICTURE
Houston: The Cougars’ best season since the Phi Slama Jama teams comes to an end. Convincing wins over double-digit seeds Georgia State and Ohio State were one thing, but the Cougars were going to be hard-pressed to advance against a Kentucky team near full strength with Washington’s return. They almost did it.
Kentucky: The Wildcats look formidable now that Washington is back. Kentucky came out blazing against the nation’s top field-goal defense and then gutted out a ragged second half thanks to Herro’s big 3-pointer.
UP NEXT
Kentucky beat Auburn twice in the regular season.
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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The game was in hand for Murray State and sensational point guard Ja Morant, who dominated Marquette in every way. With a chance to make some NCAA Tournament history, Morant’s coach told him to hit the boards and grab the rebound that would push him to an elusive triple-double
Morant went up for the ball, snatched it away from an eager teammate, and that was it. Murray State fans began chanting “Tri-ple dou-ble!” to celebrate an upset in the first round of the West Region.
Morant, a future NBA lottery pick, sliced through Marquette with 16 assists, 17 points and 11 rebounds as Murray State trounced the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles 83-64 on Thursday.
The triple-double was the ninth in the tournament since the NCAA started tracking them in 1987 and first since 2012. Murray State (28-4) continued a trend of 12 seeds beating 5s in March. It has happened every year but three since 2001, but this looked nothing like an upset.
Murray State was never threatened in the second half by Marquette, of the Big East. The Ohio Valley Conference champions face fourth-seeded Florida State on Saturday in the West Region as the Racers next try to take down an Atlantic Coast Conference foe.
Murray State, with Morant in its lineup, can always count on having the best player on the floor no matter who its plays.
“They’d be good without him, but with him, they’re pretty unique,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said.
With 4:36 left in the second half and Murray State up 20, Morant grabbed his 10th rebound, pulling it away from Racers big man KJ Williams.
“I was going for it. I called it and he still tried to get the rebound. I just snatched it and said, ‘It’s my ball,'” Morant said with a smile. “Normally, before the game I tell him that every ball that goes toward the rim needs to be his. Just attack the glass. Sorry, I had to take that one from him.”
The last player to record a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament was Draymond Green for Michigan State in 2012 against LIU-Brooklyn.
The lanky 6-foot-2 Morant this season has rocketed to stardom and into a sure-fire NBA lottery pick — maybe second only to Duke’s Zion Williamson. He exceeded in the hype on the biggest stage he’s played on this season.
The game was billed as a showcase of two of the nation’s best point guards and Morant and Marquette’s Markus Howard delivered plenty of highlights. Howard scored 16 in the first half on a mix of 3s off screens and hard drives to the hoop.
Marquette (24-10) promised to make Morant see walls of defenders. The Golden Eagles collapsed on Morant every time he went to the basket and often double-teamed on the perimeter instead of switching on screens. Time and again, Morant found an open shooter while surrounded by defenders. He had eight assists in the first half, five that led to 3-pointers for the Racers, who led 42-35 at the break.
“Sometimes he surprises me when he gets to the goal and gets everybody to jump and he still finds a way to get the ball to us,” said Tevin Brown, who scored 19 points.
Howard finished with 26 points and Sam Hauser added 16 for the Golden Eagles.
As Murray State pulled away early in the second half, Morant had a two-handed slam off a nifty bounce pass from Darnell Cowart. Moments later, Morant fired a cross-court, no-look pass to Shaq Buchanan for a corner 3 that made it 57-40. Morant paused to glance toward the Murray State section and made finger goggles around his eyes. The sophomore seems to see it all on the court.
Morant said he’d rather be a playmaker than a finisher.
“Any day of the week; I’ll take the assist 10 time out of 10,” Morant said.
BIG PICTURE
Murray State: Morant had lots of help from his teammates: Brown was 5 for 9 from 3. Williams had 16 points, working in the paint and Buchanan added 14 points. The Racers shot 53.6 percent from the field and held Marquette to 32.4.
“Ja deserves every bit of credit he gets and then some,” Murray State coach Matt McMahon said. “But we have a very balanced team.”
Marquette: The Golden Eagles struggled to finish near the basket, had only six assists and simply had no answer for Morant. They finished the season losing six of seven.
UP NEXT
Murray State: The Racers are 1-2 in three meetings with the Seminoles, the last coming in 1998 when they lost to FSU in Honolulu.
Marquette: Did Howard play his last game for the Golden Eagles?
DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man convicted of killing his pregnant wife and two young daughters has acknowledged to investigators that he strangled his wife in their bed then drove her body and the girls to a worksite, where he smothered the girls using a blanket, according to documents released Thursday.
Christopher Watts made the statements during a prison interview with detectives on Feb. 18, three months after he was sentenced to life in prison. Authorities said they believe the grim details represent Watts’ first full confession.
The suburban Denver crime began with the disappearance of Shanann Watts and the children, and Christopher Watts’ televised pleas for their safe return. He was arrested within days and later pleaded guilty in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty.
Watts, however, didn’t provide a full account at the time on the killings or his motive.
Authorities who visited Watts in February told him that “his life and situation was unique and we wanted to fully understand what happened,” according to a written summary of the interview. An audio recording indicates Watts, 33, expressed no hesitation about talking.

Watts previously blamed his wife for killing 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste but acknowledged in the interview that was a lie. He said detectives were the first to mention that Shanann may have killed their children and he “just went with it.”
Watts said he strangled 34-year-old Shanann in their bed on Aug. 13 after he told her their marriage was over and she said he would never see their children again. Watts said his wife correctly suspected that he was having an affair, but he did not tell her about his ongoing relationship with a co-worker before killing her.
Authorities say Watts wanted a chance to start over with the woman.
Watts told investigators the woman “never asked him to get rid of his family” but their relationship may have “contributed” to his actions.
After he strangled Shanann, Watts said Bella came into their bedroom and asked what was wrong with her mother. She then watched as Watts wrapped his wife’s body in a bed sheet and pulled it down the stairs of their home.
Watts said he put her body on the floor of his truck’s back seat. When he went inside, Celeste also was awake. Watts said he loaded the girls into the backseat of the truck.
Each child had a blanket and Celeste also brought a stuffed animal. Watts claimed he had no plan for his daughters but drove to an oil worksite about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the family’s home in Frederick. He worked there as an operator for an oil and gas producer.

He told police he pulled Shanann’s body from the truck as the girls asked, “What are you doing to Mommy?”
He said he went back to the truck and used Celeste’s blanket to smother her as Bella watched. He then put Celeste’s body inside an oil tank before returning to the truck and smothering Bella using the same blanket, the documents say.
Her last words were “Daddy, no!” he told police, adding that Bella struggled under the blanket. He said he put her body inside another oil tank and buried Shanann’s body nearby.
Watts insisted that he did not plan to kill his wife or children.
“If I was thinking, this wouldn’t have happened,” he said.
Watts told investigators that he pleaded guilty to avoid a lengthy trial playing out before family and did not feel pressured by his attorneys to make an agreement with prosecutors.
The interview records also provide a glimpse of Watts’ life in prison. Colorado prison officials moved him out of the state but have refused to confirm his location. A site allowing people to send money to inmates lists Watts under the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Watts told police he read the Bible for the first time in prison and he writes down scriptures each day to send his parents. He keeps photos of his wife and daughters in his cell and “talks to them every morning and every night.”
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Step aside, coffee — it’s 5:00 somewhere!
Keurig has come out with a contraption called the “Drinkworks Home Bar,” which will dispense cocktails instead of a cup of joe.
So instead of that mocha coffee, you can reach for a margarita just like that!
The machine also uses “pods” to make anything from cocktails to beer to mixers, according to the website, which shows around 15 different alcohol beverage pods for purchase.
Some drinks include:
- Stella Artois Cidre
- Mai Tai
- Margarita
- White Wine Peach Sangria
- Old Fashioned
- Mojito
- Moscow Mule
- Cosmopolitan
The machine costs $299 and drink pods cost around $4 each.
The machine also requires CO2 tanks, which will go for around $7 each.
As we said earlier, the product is only available in select markets… so only the lucky few get to enjoy it for now.
>> Click here to see if it’s available near you.
PHILADELPHIA (KRON) — Remember that ancient device called a VCR? That played VHS tapes?
Well one 86-year-old man went on a search for a VCR so he could play back old tapes reminding him of his younger days.
In a letter posted to Twitter, the man found “many old VHS tapes” but when he realized he didn’t have a VCR, he signed up for eBay for the first time in his life and ordered one.
“I had some issues getting it going which were mine and not the [VCR’s],” he admitted. “I am 86 and perhaps not up to my game but I do get there eventually. And I did, and discovered the VHS works perfectly.”
He later talks about how he was finally able to replay major life events including his retirement party and even his wedding that includes appearances from “family and friends, many of which are no longer around.”
“Then skiing trips, kids growing up, travels, and most importantly the gentle maturing of my family,” he added. “Each one more fun than the last. All thanks to your generous selling of the VHS player.”
“I thought you would appreciate how much someone has enjoyed your offer,” he ended the letter.
The seller of the VCR was later identified as Matt Shoukry of St. Louis, who says he plans to respond to the 86-year-old’s letter to tell him the impact it’s had online.
The original tweet with the letter has since been retweeted more than 68,000 times and has been liked more than 348,000 times.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Are you a federal employee currently unable to pay for your medical cannabis because of the government shutdown?
If your answer is yes, California-based marijuana marketplace BudTrader wants to help!
In a Facebook post Thursday, BudTrader announced it will donate the allowable, legal limit according to California adult use rules and regulations “to help ease your suffering in this difficult time.”
The donation will be confidential.
No further details were provided.
For more information, visit BudTrader.com or email support@budtrader.com.