DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ I downsized to an ADU I built in my Sacramento yard. I pay only $520 toward my mortgage and am saving up for my next home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One of them sent me an advertisement for CalHFA's ADU grant program that gives eligible Californians $40,000 to cover blueprints, permits, and closing costs to build an ADU on their property. In 2022, I began the process of getting approved for the CalHFA's ADU grant, which was pretty easy. As a result, my mortgage, including my main house and ADU, increased by $1,500 a month — from $1,200 to $2,700. There are two renters living in the main property and my son and I moved into the ADU. Living in the ADU with my son, I only pay $520 of the $2,700 mortgage.

Persons: —, Blanca Barragan, They've, Barragan, I've, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Habitat, Humanity, Tiny Locations: Sacramento, Blanca, California

☆ With House speaker installed, US Congress returns to spending battles
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Meanwhile, House Republicans are pushing for a full plate of 12 separate funding bills to keep agencies running until Sept. 30, 2024, the end of the fiscal year. This rare feat requires close negotiation between the narrowly Republican-controlled House and the Senate, which has a two-vote Democratic majority. But the fiscal warfare between the Senate and conservative House Republicans that has raged since January is unlikely to end soon. Significant changes by Congress to Biden's request for aid to Ukraine and more money for border security were anticipated. Republicans attack Biden's border security spending, saying it falls far short in shutting down illegal border crossings and the flow of drugs such as fentanyl.

Persons: Kevin Wurm, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, John Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Tom Cole, Cole, Nanette Diaz Barragan, Joe Manchin, Manchin, Kennedy, Richard Cowan, Scott Malone, Richard Chang Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, House, Republicans, Congress, Democratic, Republican, Senate, Biden, federal Social Security, House Republicans, Congressional, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Ukraine, U.S, Mexico, Washington, Taiwan, West Virginia

☆ Pickleball is a hit with millennials – the average player is 35 years old — and over 25,000 new courts are needed to keep up with demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years and, as of 2022, has 8.9 million players. The report found the average player is 35 years old, but the sport is also a hit with Gen Z and seniors. For context, there are currently 51,937 pickleball courts across more than 12,000 facilities in the US, per the report. The average age of a pickleball player is 35 years old, according to the report. While the sport continues to grow in popularity, pickleball may also drive up unexpected medical costs.

Persons: Pickleball, Gen Z, Tom Cove, Jorge Barragan Organizations: Service, —, Pickleball, Sports & Fitness Industry Association, UBS Locations: Wall, Silicon, pickleball, Silicon Valley

☆ Video calls are coming to X as part of Elon Musk's transformation of Twitter into an everything app, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Gabriel Rivera | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

X, formerly known as Twitter, is getting a new feature: video calls. CEO Linda Yaccarino said the update is part of Elon Musk's rebrand of Twitter into an everything app. "Even when we announced that I was joining the company, I was joining the company to partner with Elon to transform Twitter into X," Yaccarino told CNBC. Musk's vision for an everything app named X dates back to his days at PayPal at the turn of the millennium. After ending the video, Musk posted that X's live video feature "now works reasonably well."

Persons: Linda Yaccarino, you'll, Yaccarino, Elon, Andrea Conway, Enrique Barragan, X, We'll, —, Musk, livestreamed Organizations: Twitter, Elon Musk, CNBC, PayPal Locations: Elon Musk's

☆ FDA approves Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, paving way for broader Medicare coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Leqembi is the first Alzheimer's antibody treatment to receive full FDA approval. The antibody, administered twice monthly through intravenous infusion, targets a protein called amyloid that is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Medicare coverage is a crucial step to help older Americans with early Alzheimer's disease pay for the treatment. Costs may vary depending on whether the patient has supplemental Medicare coverage or other secondary insurance, according to the agency. Philipson and his colleagues at the University of Chicago estimated that delaying Medicare coverage of Alzheimer's antibody treatments by one year would result in $6.8 billion in increased spending.

Persons: Joanna Pike, Leqembi, Pike, David Knopman, Knopman, Anna Eshoo of, Nanette Barragan, There's, Tomas Philipson, Bush, Philipson, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Xavier Becerra, Sanders, Eisai Organizations: Drug Administration, Medicare, FDA, Alzheimer's Association, Mayo Clinic, Services, Health, University of Chicago, Senate Health, Human Services, Clinical Locations: U.S, Minnesota, Anna Eshoo of California

☆ EU's lending arm to explore climate emergency repayment pause clauses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"The EIB is exploring ways to scale up climate finance," it said in a statement on Friday at an international summit being held in Paris. EIB Global, the arm of the bank that lends outside the EU, invests around 10 billion euros ($10.87 billion) a year. It is estimated that roughly half of that money goes to countries that could be eligble for the new clauses. "We know that more climate disasters are coming," Maria Shaw-Barragan, a Director of Lending the bank told Reuters. "So it makes sense for the MDBs, and bilateral lenders, to include these clauses in order to give countries some breathing space."

Persons: Maria Shaw, Barragan, Marc Jones, Mark Heinrich, Louise Heavens Organizations: European Investment, LONDON, European Investment Bank, World Bank, EIB, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris

☆ Abandoned stores are coming back to life as pickleball courts, thanks to startups ready to cash in on the trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Pickleball courts are taking over old big-box stores and mall anchor tenants. This Richmond Macy's, which is located inside Regency Square Mall, is just one of dozens of malls, former department stores, and former big-box stores across the country being turned into pickleball facilities. Laaser said former anchor tenants like Macy's are perfect for pickleball, since they're "basically just big boxes" sitting empty inside declining malls. There's a 'gold rush' on indoor pickleball courtsAn indoor pickleball facility operated by The Picklr inside an old Staples store. It's led to an explosion in companies that make pickleball equipment and, more recently, dedicated pickleball facilities.

Persons: —, Jon Laaser, Richmond, Laaser, pickleball, It's, Steve Kuhn, Major League Pickleball, Pickleball, Kuhn, Jorge Barragan, Barragan, There's, liquidators, it's, we've Organizations: Service, Staples, Sports & Fitness Industry Association, Major League, Party City Locations: Richmond , Virginia, Regency, Richmond, pickleball, Arizona Mills, Tempe , Arizona, Utah, Colorado

☆ Lawmakers worry Medicare Alzheimer's plan won't ensure access to new treatments
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA) speaks alongside US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after a tour of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach during a press conference at the Port of Long Beach on January 11, 2022 in Long Beach, California. Two Democratic lawmakers are calling on Medicare to provide more information on how the program will make good on its promise to cover Alzheimer's treatments for seniors. Medicare has promised to cover Alzheimer's antibody treatments on the same day the medications receive full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The federal health program will cover the treatments through Part B of the program for seniors. Eshoo and Barragan told Brooks-LaSure that they are worried the registry could present a barrier to care.

Persons: Nanette Barragan, Pete Buttigieg, Anna Eshoo, Chiquita Brooks, LaSure, Eshoo, Barragan, Brooks Organizations: US Department of Transportation, Port, Democratic, Health, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, FDA Locations: Los Angeles, Long, Port of Long Beach, Long Beach , California

☆ The retail apocalypse left dead malls and shuttered big-box stores scattered across the US — now, pickleball is coming to the rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pickleball courts are taking over old big-box stores and mall anchor tenants. This Richmond Macy's, which is located inside Regency Square Mall, is just one of dozens of malls, former department stores, and former big-box stores across the country being turned into pickleball facilities. The retail apocalypse that swept through brick-and-mortar stores over the last decade-plus left in its wake large, empty shells begging to be repurposed — now, entrepreneurial pickleball enthusiasts are coming to the rescue. Laaser said former anchor tenants like Macy's are perfect for pickleball, since they're "basically just big boxes" sitting empty inside declining malls. There's a 'gold rush' on indoor pickleball courtsAn indoor pickleball facility operated by The Picklr inside an old Staples store.

☆ Alzheimer's: Medicare will cover Leqembi for all patients if FDA approves drug, CMS chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Medicare will cover the new Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi for all patients eligible under the medication's label if the Food and Drug Administration fully approves the drug in July, a federal official told members of Congress on Wednesday. Brooks-LaSure faced pointed criticism from Democrat and Republican members of the House Subcommittee on Health over Medicare's controversial coverage policy for new Alzheimer's treatments. The Food and Drug Administration approved Leqembi, which is a collaboration by Biogen and Eisai antibody treatment, on an expedited basis in January. But Medicare, which primarily provides health coverage to senior citizens, currently will only cover the majority of costs for Leqembi for patients participating in federally approved clinical trials. "When FDA approves the drug, whichever populations they say it is appropriate for, that will be the basis of which people will get the drug," she said.

☆ Exclusive: Mexican firm seeks $380 million from Honduras over blocked unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Valentine Hilaire | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MEXICO CITY, April 14 (Reuters) - Mexican investment firm JLL Capital, whose Honduran operation has been blocked since 2018 in a local dispute, is seeking some $380 million from the Central American country in arbitration proceedings, claiming that it violated foreign investment protections, documents reviewed by Reuters show. The invitations were properly handled, countered Daniel Garcia Barragan of the law firm Garcia Barragan Abogados representing JLL last week. This is the second claim against Honduras submitted to World Bank's ICSID this year, its website shows. Some analysts say this casts doubt on the Central American nation's ability to attract foreign investment. Executives had planned to expand operations to Guatemala, but pulled the plug due to its legal troubles in Honduras.

☆ Abortion-rights activist who was body-shamed by Matt Gaetz confronted him at SOTU address and thanked him for helping her raise $2 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Activist Olivia Julianna confronted Matt Gaetz at the Capitol during the State of the Union address. She said she thanked him for helping her fundraise $2 million for abortion rights. Julianna and Gaetz got into a Twitter spat last year after he body-shamed abortion-rights activists. While in the US Capitol building, Julianna said she confronted Gaetz, the Republican lawmaker she credits with helping her raise millions for abortion funds, after he targeted her online. "Just want everyone to know I just shook @mattgaetz hand and thanked him for helping me raise 2 million dollars," Julianna wrote on Twitter.

[1/4] Migrants queue near the border fence, after crossing the Rio Bravo river, to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 5, 2023. Initial backlash to Biden's policy shift also signals it could be challenged in court, from both those who favor restricting immigration and advocates for asylum seekers. The restrictions, known as Title 42, allow U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants caught at the border back to Mexico without the chance to claim asylum in the United States. The Biden administration tried last year to end the Title 42 border restrictions, but U.S. courts have left them in place and legal challenges are ongoing. The court rulings that left the Title 42 order in place give the Biden administration time to experiment with different strategies.

☆ How Diverse Are the Candidates in the Midterm Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Maggie Astor | Eleanor Lutz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

The House of RepresentativesThere are at least 403 people of color, women or nonbinary candidates running for seats in the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Incumbent Democrat Republican White men women Black men women Hispanic men women Other and multiple race men womenThere are 11 Senate candidates who are Black this year. Democrat Black candidates Republican Ga. Raphael Warnock Ala. Will Boyd Ark. Incumbent Democrat Republican White men women Black men women Other and multiple race men womenThere are 25 women nominated for governor — 16 Democrats and nine Republicans. Democrat Black candidates Republican Ala. Yolanda Flowers Ark.

☆ Wealthy people are splurging on bucket-list trips, flying to the Arctic Circle for private-chef-catered meals, renting out African safari lodges, and spending $300,000 for a half-hour opera serenade
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Hard-to-access places like the Arctic Circle and Galapagos Islands are bucket-list travel hot spots. These well-off wanderlusters have helped create a travel-industry boom, with pent-up demand pushing bucket-list travel into this year's shoulder seasons. American Express Travel's 2022 Global Travel Trends report, which used polling data collected in early February 2022, confirms the move toward bucket-list travel this year. Quality time with loved ones matters above allBut not all bucket-list travel experiences need to be in far-flung corners of the world. Finnegan said traveling with his family made it a bucket-list trip.

☆ Waymo workers form union in the latest push to organize Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Food service employees at the autonomous driving company Waymo are forming a union, the latest push by support workers to organize at Silicon Valley's most prominent companies. The workers are employed by Sodexo, which contracts service work for Google and other companies. "We are confident this one will also reach an amicable agreement for workers, the union, and our client very soon." The workers are part of Silicon Valley's ranks of contractors who support and supplement the work at tech companies. Her team unionized in 2020, and some of them have been joining meetings with the Waymo workers to show them the ropes of organizing and talk up the union.

☆ Best life insurance policies for seniors in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-11 | by ( Holly Johnson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Term life insurance for seniorsWhile some types of life insurance are permanent, term life insurance for seniors lasts only for a specific term or time frame, usually 10 to 30 years. Keep in mind that term life insurance for seniors typically requires a medical exam, although the coverage amounts you can qualify for with term policies can be higher than no exam life insurance alternatives. Whole life insurance for seniorsSeniors can get guaranteed issue whole life insurance policies, but it'll cost more and coverage will be lower. No exam life insuranceNo exam life insurance for seniors is the same as guaranteed issue coverage. iStockGuaranteed universal life insurance is a popular option for older people whose existing term life insurance policies have expired or are about to expire.

Search resuls for: "Barragan"

17 mentions found