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Karen Ducey/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle-area return-to-office mandates strain household budgets

Business / Business News /

After Jessica Poe, 41, separated from her husband in February, she found it hard to remain in Seattle.

Poe set out in search of a new home for herself and her two dogs. But she quickly realized that it’d be hard to find a spacious, pet-friendly apartment within her budget of $1,900 per month. So, she moved out of the city and into a small ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

How to shop Black Friday like a pro (and score Target's Taylor Swift merch)

Business / Business News /

Some say Black Friday isn’t the spectacle it once was.

Tell that to the hundreds standing in line at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the chilly morning hours year after year.

“There are special deals that only happen on Friday,” said Jill Renslow, chief business development and marketing officer at the mall. “And it�...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

Once Xcel's last coal plant in Colorado closes, is nuclear energy an option to replace its jobs, electricity?

Business / Business News /

For decades, Xcel Energy’s sprawling Comanche Station coal facility near Pueblo has generated power for customers across the utility’s service territory in Colorado — and has generated thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments, schools and special districts.

As part of the state’s transition to ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Why did California 'kill' its booming hemp-derived THC industry?

Business / Business News /

A dark-haired man in a worn flannel coat walked into a Dino Mart convenience store on a busy street in North Hollywood one recent weekday afternoon. He perused the shelves before landing on a mini-fridge stocked with colorful cans near the chip aisle.

As he purchased a drink and walked back out of the shop, Esmeralda Reynoso, a supervising ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Bankrate's 2024 holiday spending report

Business / Business News /

This winter, amid the holiday parties and gift-giving, many Americans will be doing their best to keep holiday celebrations within budget. While the current annual inflation rate is back to levels seen in early 2021, prices of common goods going into the holiday season are still much higher than they were pre-pandemic, according to the Bureau of...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

As you're shopping this season, beware these common holiday scams

Business / Business News /

Imagine you’ve got the perfect holiday gift idea for your kiddo, but it’s sold out in stores. Luckily, you found a seller online who can ship the gift for a low price! They send you a link to their digital payment account so you can pay for the gift in advance. After all, the item is popular, and you want to get it before someone else does. ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

1 in 4 people say they'll go into debt for the holidays. Is social media to blame?

Business / Business News /

Americans are used to being bombarded with holiday advertising in shopping malls and TV commercials. But now, ads have infiltrated our evening scroll. Companies and influencers tell us to buy this gift or that decoration to impress our friends, get a great deal or have the best-decorated yard on the block.

More than 1 in 4 holiday shoppers (27%...Read more

Michael Reaves/Getty Images North America/TNS

Commentary: College football is now just a business, each player a free agent -- and the fans lose

Business / Business News /

On Saturday at Yankee Stadium, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish (ranked No. 6 before the game) played Army’s Black Knights (No. 18) in one of the great rivalries in college football. Once known as “The Game,” the teams’ first meeting in 1913 was the moment the forward pass modernized the sport (a dazzling 35-13 win for the Irish, with ...Read more

ROBYN BECK/Getty Images North America/TNS

Walmart, world's biggest retailer, will curb diversity efforts

Business / Business News /

Walmart Inc. is reversing course on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, joining a growing list of businesses retreating on DEI programs targeted by conservative activists.

The world’s biggest retailer will no longer consider race and gender to boost diversity when granting supplier contracts, and stop collecting demographic data when...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Sunny but expensive: Thousands more workers left California than arrived during a stretch last year. Here's where they went

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — California, home to a rich pool of talent in major industries such as film and tech, has lost thousands of workers to states that have a lower cost of living and other perks, according to a recent report.

The National Association of Realtors, which analyzed U.S. census data from the third quarter of 2023, found nearly 87,000 ...Read more

John T. Greilick/The Detroit News/TNS

Detroit's Renaissance Center would lose two towers, add apartments, riverfront park under new proposal

Business / Business News /

DETROIT — The Renaissance Center would shrink to three towers with residential, office and hotel tenancy to create space for a six-acre riverfront park in a more than $1.6 billion redevelopment plan dependent on $250 million in state support that would make billionaire mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert's real estate firm shared owner of the complex ...Read more

Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group/TNS

PG&E eyes fresh increase in monthly bills, which could arrive in 2025

Business / Business News /

OAKLAND, California — PG&E is seeking a fresh increase in monthly bills — yet again — for its residential customers, this time to help the utility titan meet demand for new housing, commercial real estate and healthcare projects.

The latest proposal would produce an average increase of $3.65 a month for PG&E residential customers, ...Read more

Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Quikrete cements $11 billion deal to create building materials behemoth

Business / Business News /

Quikrete, the privately held Georgia concrete and cement company, will buy Denver-based Summit Materials in a deal worth more than $11 billion, including assumed debt.

Quikrete is the top producer of packaged concrete and cement mixes in North America, and the combination will create an even bigger construction materials giant.

Quikrete will ...Read more

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

Can Trump end California's autos emission rule supremacy?

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — Environmental groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, still under the control of President Joe Biden, are bracing to protect California’s central role in regulating vehicle emissions against what could be a formidable deregulatory push from President-elect Donald Trump.

The lame-duck Biden administration has not ...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

California to offer EV rebates if Trump kills $7,500 tax credit, Newsom says

Business / Business News /

California is prepared to offer state tax rebates for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration scuttles the federal EV tax credit, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California,�...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

The holidays are full of potentially awkward money talks

Business / Business News /

There are plenty of conversational landmines to avoid around the holiday dinner table. Money leads the way, according to a recent Bankrate survey. We found that only 38% of U.S. adults are comfortable discussing their bank account balances with family members and close friends. Fewer than half (47%) are comfortable discussing their love lives, ...Read more

Said Mammadov/Dreamstime/TNS

Motormouth: Defroster disrupts radio

Business / Business News /

Q: I purchased a 2011 Corolla in June. It had a gaping hole for the radio, which the dealer then installed. It is just recently that I have had to use the rear defroster, and I found out that it cuts out my FM radio station while it is on. I have been gathering as much info on this as I can, and it's definitely "a thing" out there. I only have ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

What are commission-free annuities and are they good for retirement?

Business / Business News /

Annuities are often popular with retirees and those looking to retire because of the steady income stream they can provide. But annuities tend to come with high costs and commissions for salespeople, often masquerading as financial advisers, that eat into investors’ returns.

Some firms now offer annuities without commissions, which could be ...Read more

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Jonathan Levin: Trump is making the 60/40 portfolio great again

Business / Business News /

The post-election stock market is already giving investors a wild ride. Big individual stock selloffs, massive rallies, and a dizzying array of market narratives built on Wall Street’s best attempts to read President-elect Donald Trump’s mind. All told, the S&P 500 Index is up almost 4% since Election Day, but the numbers don’t do justice ...Read more

Marcos Calvo Mesa/DREAMSTIME/TNS

The 10 golden rules of investing everyone should follow

Business / Business News /

Investing can often be broken down into a few simple rules that investors can follow to be successful. But success can be as much about what to do as it is what not to do. On top of that, our emotions throw a wrench into the whole process. While everyone knows you need to “buy low and sell high,” our temperament often leads us to selling low...Read more