Business news in brief

Sunoco Logistics, based in Philadelphia, is facing a $95,366 civil penalty related to a series of wastewater spills during construction of a portion of the company's Mariner East pipeline in southwestern Pennsylvania. The civil penalty, outlined in a consent decree issued June 12 by the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the spills occurred between June and November 2014 in Westmoreland, Allegheny, and Washington Counties. According to the consent decree, Sunoco failed to stabilize areas "at various locations along the Mariner East pipeline," and "allowed sediment-laden runoff from locations along the Mariner East pipeline to discharge into waters of the commonwealth." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Apple Inc. has started early production of new iPhone models with a feature called Force Touch, which senses how hard users are pressing on a screen, sources said. Its newest iPhones, in the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions as the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, will have a similar exterior design, the sources said. Volume manufacturing is scheduled to ramp up as soon as next month, they said. Apple is bringing Force Touch, first unveiled for the Apple Watch and the newest MacBook model, to the iPhone at least two years after it started working with suppliers to perfect the pressure-sensitive displays. - Bloomberg News

Walt Disney Co.'s U.S. and European parks are banning selfie sticks effective Tuesday, joining a list of high-profile venues and events prohibiting the devices. The sticks, which hold mobile-phone cameras and extend several feet, are used to capture more people and scenery in photographs. They can lead to accidents on rides and in situations where people are closely packed. - Bloomberg News

Gap Inc. will take over most of a massive store in New York's Times Square that's being vacated by Toys R Us Inc. in early 2017. The store at 1514 Broadway will be divided to accommodate flagship locations for both the Gap and Old Navy brands, said Sean Piazza, a spokesman for the San Francisco company. The two stores will be about 31,000 square feet each, with separate entrances. Chief executive officer Art Peck is working to revive the retailer's struggling namesake brand. Last week, the company said it would close 175 Gap stores in North America, letting it focus on better-performing locations. - Bloomberg News