U.S. Stocks Open Flat; Chipotle's CEO Apologizes for Sicknesses

U.S. markets opened flat Thursday as jobless claims hit a 5 month high. The Labor Department says the filings for first time unemployment benefits rose 13,000 last week to 282,000. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) CEO Steve Ells spoke out for the first time publicly since the outbreak of illnesses at his restaurants. He apologized and said the company is cleaning all the restaurants effected and promised strict new guidelines to prevent patrons from getting sick at any more restaurants. The number of Boston College students who have gotten sick at a campus Chipotle restaurant is now 120. Those illnesses have been blamed on the norovirus. Another outbreak of E. coli was found to be behind illnesses in other Chipotle stores, mostly in the western United States.