Jet fuel prices are rising as the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies, putting cost pressure on airlines as the busy summer travel season approaches. Experts say it’s not a question of if airfares will go up, but when, for how long and by how much. The impact may be felt most […]
KLEINFELTERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Birdwatchers gather before dawn at Middle Creek in Pennsylvania to witness thousands of migrating snow geese lifting off from the reservoir in a swirling mass. The display lasts only minutes before the birds fan out to nearby farm fields to feed as they continue their annual spring migration north toward New […]
KLEINFELTERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A few dozen birdwatchers gathered in the predawn darkness to wait for the moment when thousands of migrating snow geese stopped honking and preening to suddenly take flight from a Pennsylvania reservoir. The mesmerizing display, about an hour after sunrise, was over almost as soon as it began. The birds circled […]
The biggest new restaurant trend is small. Special menus with petite, less expensive portions are popping up all over, from large chains like Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory to trendy urban eateries and farm-to-fork dining rooms. Restaurants hope that offering smaller servings beyond the children’s menu will meet many different diners’ needs. Some people […]
NEW YORK (AP) — When stock markets are as manic as they’ve been recently, it’s natural to want to do something to protect your retirement savings. Historically, though, staying calm has usually been best. The U.S. stock market has a track record of recovering from every steep drop it’s taken. Whether it’s a global financial […]
Google Maps will depend more heavily on artificial intelligence to help people figure out where they want to go and the best way to get there as part of a major redesign unveiled on Thursday. The overhaul driven by Google’s Gemini technology will introduce two AI features into a digital mapping service used by more […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Smithsonian museum exhibit about the maritime journey that millions of Africans were forced to take across the Atlantic to slavery in the Americas will change later this month, when a remnant from one of the first sunken slave ships ever recovered is taken off display in Washington. The National Museum of […]
Months after the last of the United States’ 1-cent coins were pressed, some states are beginning to offer their own 2 cents on the penny problem by setting rounding guidance for cash purchases. President Donald Trump announced early last year an end to penny production, saying it was wasteful. It cost 3.7 cents to make […]
Like many school systems facing teacher shortages, South Carolina’s Allendale County has looked overseas for help. A quarter of the teachers in the rural, high-poverty district come from other countries. The superintendent praises the international educators — mostly from Jamaica and the Philippines — for their skill and dedication, but she is preparing to lose […]
U.S. tap water is generally safe and high quality. But that doesn’t mean every glass tastes the same, or that every building’s plumbing delivers identical water to the faucet. That uncertainty has fueled a booming market for water filters, from simple pitcher models to multi-thousand-dollar reverse osmosis systems. Yet experts say most American households don’t […]
HONOLULU (AP) — Dear Tourist: The flowers in that bright-purple lei you received on your Hawaii vacation almost certainly weren’t grown in the Aloha State. The vast majority of those odorless orchids are imported from Thailand, where it is cheaper to grow and string them into the garlands synonymous with Hawaiian culture. Some Hawaii lawmakers […]
A former deep-sea treasure hunter who made one of the great shipwreck discoveries in American history and spent more than a decade in jail after refusing to disclose the whereabouts of some of its missing gold coins is now out of prison, federal records show. Tommy Thompson, who in 1988 located what was known as […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — When COVID-19 wrought havoc on society in early 2020, today’s youngest schoolchildren were infants or yet to be born. Now in their early school years, researchers are beginning to see how the pandemic years have shaped their education, even though many had yet to set foot in a classroom when it began. […]
I spend a lot of time talking to retirees about their spending plans. Many of them proudly tell me that they’re spending far less than the 3%-4% initial withdrawal amounts that are often bandied about in the context of safe spending rates. They tell me they’ve been good savers, they’re frugal, they don’t need more. […]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Raiding retirement savings for a down payment on a home can be tempting, especially if you’ve struggled to scrape together enough money to buy. But should you? Most 401(k) and similar retirement savings plans like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) allow homebuyers to withdraw or borrow a limited portion of their nest […]
