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Are new payment options making it too easy to spend money?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

(NewsNation) — With contactless credit cards and digital wallets, it's never been easier to pay at the store but research suggests those same pain-free options could lead to more spending.The rise in frictionless payment options has coincided with an increase in consumer credit card debt, which recently surpassed more than $1 trillion for the first time ever, according to new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Until recently, Americans had been slow to adopt contactless payments compared to the rest of the world, but that changed during the pandemic. 5 times credit card rewards aren’t worth it Now, more than a third of face-to-face Visa transactions in the U.S. are Tap to Pay, up seven times from three years earlier, CEO Ryan McInerney said on a recent earnings call. For MasterCard, contactless payments now make up about 58% of in-person transactions globally. Digital wallets like Apple Pay have also made it easier to spend, allowing consumers to pay by phone or even...

Maui residents return to wildfire-charred communities as death toll continues to climb

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Survivors witnessed a surreal landscape of flattened homes, blackened hulks of burned-out cars and ashy lots where buildings once stood as they took stock of their shattered lives in the aftermath of a Maui wildfire that authorities say has killed at least 80 people.Anthony Garcia assessed the devastation as he stood under Lahaina’s iconic banyan tree, now charred, and swept twisted branches into neat piles next to another heap filled with dead animals: cats, roosters and other birds killed by the smoke and flames. Somehow it made sense in a world turned upside-down.“If I don’t do something, I’ll go nuts,” said Garcia, who lost everything he owned. “I’m losing my faith in God.”Garcia and other residents were faced with widespread destruction as they took stock of their shattered homes and lives resulting from the wildfires that tore through parts of the Hawaii island this week and were still not fully contained Friday night.A woman digs through rubble of a hom...

Weather and limited moonlight to facilitate great 2023 Perseid meteor shower viewing Saturday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

This weekend is to average 6 degrees warmer than last—any lingering Saturday morning showers to give way to sunshine—Next showers/t-storms are Sunday night, Monday and again ThursdayRECORD NUMBER OF HOURS ABOVE 110 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT HEAT INDEX IN 2023NOAA INCREASES ITS OUTLOOK OF POTENTIAL 2023 ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANESA series of factors likely to override the hurricane “dampening” effect of the ongoing and strengthening El Nino in the equatorial PacificNOAA’S NWS Climate Prediction Center (CPC) in Thursday significantly boosted its prediction of number of tropical cyclones (i.e. “hurricanes” and “tropical storms”) across the Atlantic basin, which includes the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico over its earlier May forecast. In doing so, NOAA’s latest outlook parallels other major hurricane season forecasts in noting a series of factors which, based on the best available information/observations, likely to override the dampening effect often observed with El Niños—like the one...

The sky puts on a show overnight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Clouds increased over much of our the area after 3 a.m. This morning's minimum temperatures were mostly in the upper 70s to low 80s. A few low to mid 70s were recorded over some of Blanco, Gillespie, and Mason Counties.The low at Camp Mabry was 80°, four degrees above normal. It came within one degree of tying the warm low record of 81° set in 2011.The Perseids meteor shower will be tonight/overnight. The Earth's orbit will be passing through the debris field from Swift-Tuttle Comet. The best time to view this stellar sky show will be after midnight until before dawn Sunday. Experts say as many as 90 to 100 meteors will be seen with the meteors moving at 37 miles per second.Get away from the city lights and other light polluted areas because the more darkness the easier it will be to see the meteors. According to the McDonald Observatory the moon will rise at 4:37 a.m. Sunday with just 10% visible. The moon phase is Waning CrescentThe record for consecutive days of ...

Which school supplies aren't eligible for Texas' tax-free weekend?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

TEXAS (NEXSTAR) — It's back to school time once again and that means Texas' Sales Tax Holiday — also known as Tax-Free Weekend. While the break from sales tax is helpful for families buying school supplies, not every item on your lists may be eligible for tax-free sale.While school supply lists differ by school, we combed through lists from several Texas districts to find some commonly asked-for items that don't qualify to be tax-free this weekend, even if they are for school use. Which school supplies are included in Texas’ sales tax holiday? Potential school supplies that are not eligible for Texas' Sales Tax Holiday are:Facial tissuesDisinfectant hand wipesHand sanitizerCombination locksHeadphonesPaper towelsPlastic bagsNap matsPlay-Doh/other brand modeling compoundsSleeping bagsPer the Texas Comptroller, only qualifying items purchased during the sales tax holiday are eligible for tax-free status. School items purchased either before or after aren't eligible for reimbursement ...

F.D. Flam: COVID’s summer resurgence resists easy answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

Is the current rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations really the result of people moving indoors to enjoy air conditioning? Experts and journalists often make this assumption when they’re quoted in the media about the virus’s small summer “waves” or “surges” (which, this year, are really more like a small uptick). Similarly, when there’s a winter surge, it’s usually attributed to people flocking inside to escape the cold.But whether it’s summer or winter, the explanation falls flat. Because regardless of the season, humans are generally an indoor species. And the virus is still evolving new ways to get around our immunity, most recently spinning off a new omicron subvariant called EG.5.While there’s good evidence that the virus spreads more easily indoors, there’s very little evidence that people are spending much more time indoors now than they were in the spring. Nor is there much evidence that most people ever spend eno...

Working Strategies: So far, technology has advanced us only so far

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

Amy LindgrenSecond Sunday Series — This is the last of 12 columns on work and disability appearing over 12 months — one on each second Sunday of the month, from September through August. Previous columns discussed self-employment; becoming unexpectedly disabled; whether to work with a disability, the subminimum wage, promotions for workers with disabilities, higher education decisions, self-advocating, career tips for family caretakers, testing limits as a worker with disabilities, the dilemma of revealing disabilities during job search, and overall concepts of disability in the workplace. Can you guess who some of the most tech-savvy people in the United States might be? I don’t have statistics, but I’m confident in my guess that individuals with disabilities would lead the pack.I say that despite surveys that show this group reporting lower usage of the internet, computers and smartphones than those without disabilities. These are just some types of technology, after a...

Cohoes Police investigating homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Cohoes Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that took place on August 11. The victim, Shieer Leggett, of Albany, succumbed to injuries sustained in the incident, according to police. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Friday night at 10:38 p.m., police responded to the area of Main Street and Schuyler Street following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located Leggett, who had suffered life-threatening injuries. Police immediately rendered first-aid to Leggett. He was then transported to Albany Medical Center, where he was later pronounced deceased. Man arrested in connection to 2016 Schenectady murder The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Cohoes Police at (518)233-2146.

Broncos Journal: A telling quote from Sean Payton says all you need to know about a couple of offensive role players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

Sometimes Sean Payton is willing to give a message to a player that comes with a little honeyOther times there’s no room for sweetener.“We’ll never take the stinger out of them being confident,” Payton said recently. “… Players by and large want to know how they can improve.They want that information, and it’s our responsibility as a coach to give it to them.“Sometimes the message is with a little sugar and sometimes, it’s just what it is.”Broncos fans want information, too, and insight into the team they root for. As reporters get to know Payton and ask him in some way, shape or form about nearly every player on the roster over the course of the offseason, patterns start to develop.Everybody has their own way of describing things. Of saying things without saying them. Or maybe of saying the thing very bluntly.Payton’s no different, and his words can guide some level of understanding about how he views certain players and positions as mid-August approaches.Payton saying “this is an ...

1 killed, 2 hospitalized after car crashes into home in South Pasadena 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

A person died and two others were hospitalized after a car lost control and slammed into a home in South Pasadena. According to police, the crash occurred in the 300 block of Orange Grove Avenue near Columbia Street shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday morning. The car contained three occupants; one passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene, while the driver and the other passenger were hospitalized in critical condition. Preliminary investigation indicated that the driver was driving nearly 100 miles per hour when he lost control of his car, causing him to crash into several small trees, signposts and bushes and eventually through the home’s garage door.According to police, the crash occurred in the 300 block of Orange Grove Avenue near Columbia Street shortly before 2 a.m. on Saturday, August 12, 2023. (RMGNews)According to police, the crash occurred in the 300 block of Orange Grove Avenue near Columbia Street shortly before 2 a.m. on Saturday, August 12, 2023. (RMGN...