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Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS

Four ways Florida's Legislature may try to quell the state's insurance crisis in 2025

Business / Business News /

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s new legislative leaders were sworn in last month, and addressing the insurance crisis seems to be at the top of their minds. “I want to make sure that impacted Floridians and insurance companies hear me loudly and clearly — we are watching,” Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, told senators last month.

...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Fate of endangered Chicago historic buildings still hangs in the balance as feds weigh security needs

Business / Business News /

CHICAGO — Historic preservationists thought their demands had been answered this summer when the federal government appeared to green-light the rehab of the two century-old office towers it’s owned on State Street for nearly two decades. But security restrictions governing how the buildings are used going forward have raised questions about ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Should the US increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers?

Business / Business News /

Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations.

The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out.

The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa ...Read more

Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Affordability crisis: 'Alarming' new car prices push buyers toward used vehicles, but they're pricey, too

Business / Business News /

Tony Grey needed new wheels, but he didn’t want to buy a new car. It took the retired San Jose computer designer three weeks to locate a used SUV in good condition at the right price, at a Santa Clara, California, car lot.

At $28,800, the 2023 white Nissan Pathfinder with 40,000 miles was the best deal Grey found — and slightly below the ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Henry Payne: Big screens, stick shifts and hands-free driving: The best auto features of 2024

Business / Business News /

Gizmos, whirligigs, whatsits. Engineers solve problems with new gadgets, and automobiles are rolling toy chests.

Cars, trucks and SUVs have long played a game of one-upmanship with multi-cylinder engines and multifunction seats. Now, in the electronics age, they also impress with big screens and apps. Here are my favorite features of the past ...Read more

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post/TNS

Posting hospital prices hasn't brought down the cost of health care. Will Colorado's new approach work?

Business / Business News /

When the idea of price transparency first took hold outside purely academic circles, the pitch was simple: Coloradans would save themselves and the system money by shopping for health care the way they do for TVs or cars.

But shopping for health care has proven more difficult than buying consumer goods. A poll released in August found about 69%...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2024 Toyota Tacoma gets a great refresh

Business / Business News /

Toyota has been making great strides in the truck segment of the market, and one of its best moves was refreshing the popular Tacoma. Recently, we tested the 2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road in attractive Blue Crush Metallic, which seems more purple in the sunlight, riding on 17-inch machined wheels.

Powered by a 2.4-liter iFORCE turbocharged engine, ...Read more

Subaru/Subaru/TNS

Auto review: Multi-talented Solterra is short on range, but much quicker at the plug

Business / Business News /

It’s been two-and-a-half years since I first drove the Subaru Solterra electric crossover at its press preview in California. It was quiet on the streets of Santa Barbara and peppy on freeways, and it proved its off-road chops on Catalina. It was short on range, long on recharge times and a bit pricey but charming. It’s appreciably better ...Read more

Nissan/Nissan/TNS

Auto review: Redesigned 2025 Nissan Armada is truly a big kahuna

Business / Business News /

It’s no secret that Americans live large. Anyone who’s been to Buc-ee's, the world’s largest convenience store, can attest to that. If you have, you won’t be surprised that we are also the fattest population in the world among high-income countries. So, is it any wonder that we love such full-size SUV stalwarts as the Chevrolet Tahoe, ...Read more

Colorado's employment reports are so unreliable the Bureau of Labor Statistics has stopped using them

Business / Business News /

Colorado’s employment counts have become so unreliable the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in an unprecedented move, has stopped issuing reports based on them.

“BLS has observed data quality problems because of ongoing issues with the modernization of Colorado’s unemployment insurance system. As a result, BLS is temporarily suspending ...Read more

Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

South Florida has the hottest rental market in the nation, study says

Business / Business News /

A newly released study underscores the competitiveness — and perhaps the frustration — faced by renters across South Florida this year: It concludes the region is the hottest rental market in the country.

The study, conducted by RentCafe, is billed as a year-end report, recapping a year in which we saw somewhat plateauing rental prices, ...Read more

Andrey Popov/Dreamstime.com/TNS

More than a third of Americans say their retirement savings are way off track – 7 ways to get your fund going

Business / Business News /

For many people, retirement is a major goal and represents a life milestone. Unfortunately, 35% of American workers feel significantly behind when it comes to their retirement savings, according to Bankrate’s 2024 Retirement Savings Survey.

The good news is it’s never too late to open a retirement account — or to boost your savings if ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Black spatulas and mystery drones: Your guide to the unfounded panics of the season

Business / Business News /

The "silly season" of news coverage used to refer to the dog days of summer, when there was so little of importance happening that newspapers and cable channels filled the vacuum with fluff.

Not this year.

Starting in October and gaining intensity through the season, Americans have found themselves awash in panicky health and safety warnings ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Lyft says San Francisco overcharged it $100 million in taxes, according to lawsuit

Business / Business News /

The ride-hailing company Lyft accused San Francisco of overcharging it $100 million in taxes over the last five years in a lawsuit filed last week.

Lyft, which is headquartered in the city, said in the complaint that the fees paid by riders to drivers are not part of the company's revenue and should not be taxed. The company considers its ...Read more

Kate Talerico/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Bay Area home sales are up 14% from last year, as once-reluctant buyers return to market

Business / Business News /

This fall, Risabh Kumar spent hours scanning home listings and touring open houses. He and his wife hoped there would be fewer homebuyers searching this time of year, especially with interest rates climbing back up again, but that hasn’t been the case.

“We’re trying to find a sweet spot and felt that, because interest rates are high, we ...Read more

Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Universal pulls drones from 'CineSational' show

Business / Business News /

Universal Orlando has suspended the use of drones during “Universal CineSational,” its end-of-night show at Universal Studios theme park. The change comes on the heels of the Dec. 21 incident in which a 7-year-old boy was critically injured by a falling drone that was part of a show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando.

“We have ...Read more

US continuing claims rise to highest in more than three years

Business / Business News /

Recurring applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose to the highest in more than three years, adding to signs that it is taking longer for out-of-work people to find a job.

Continuing applications, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, rose to 1.91 million in the week ended Dec. 14, according to Labor Department data ...Read more

Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Nantucket's economy would be crushed under NOAA proposed restrictions, fast ferry would be gone: UMass report

Business / Business News /

BOSTON — What would be the cost of trying to save whales from ship strikes?

Nearly $300 million and 1,500 jobs for the island of Nantucket, according to a new UMass report.

The proposed NOAA vessel speed restrictions would be devastating for Nantucket’s economy and would eliminate all fast-ferry services, the UMass Donahue Institute’s ...Read more

Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/TNS

Colorado leads growing movement toward employee-owned businesses

Business / Business News /

Danielle Carre and her husband Brad started to think about exit strategies.

The couple sat on the verge of retirement, but first needed to figure out the future of their Western Slope solar company, Empowered Energy Solutions.

Carre thought back to college, when she read about worker cooperatives in Spain.

“In the back of our minds, we ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Housing outlook for 2025: Stubborn mortgage rates, rebounding sales, and flat prices in most places

Business / Business News /

Home sales across the country should rebound in 2025 after two sluggish years. But buyers shouldn’t count on 30-year mortgage rates dipping much below 6%. And homeowners in many parts of the country will be lucky to capture price gains above 2% next year, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Realtor.com, however, has named ...Read more