World Cup boosts local hospitality: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill letting bars and restaurants serve alcohol until 4 a.m. from June 11 through July 20, 2026, overriding local rules to help small businesses and handle visitor demand. Payments pressure: A judge granted preliminary approval to a revised $38B Visa/Mastercard settlement over swipe fees, but retailers say it won’t fix the underlying cost squeeze. Franchise fraud crackdown: New York AG Letitia James secured a record $3.97M settlement against Xponential Fitness for misleading franchise owners about opening timelines. Small-business grants: Wisconsin awarded $675K to seven small firms to commercialize innovations via SBIR Advance. Rural entrepreneurship support: Colorado Mesa University hosted the USASBE Rural Entrepreneurship Symposium, connecting students and rural operators. Local business disruption: In Istanbul’s Kadıköy, venue closures left hundreds of workers without income, raising concerns about how enforcement hits small staff. Tax relief for self-employed: Spain’s Canary Islands raised the REPEP turnover cap to €50,000 from July 1, easing access to a simplified tax regime. Scam warning after disasters: Consumer and small-business owners were urged to verify requests for money or personal data and avoid hard-to-recover payment methods. Tech for SMBs: Vermont’s Fidium expanded all-fiber service in Shelburne, bringing symmetrical multi-gig speeds to more homes and businesses.