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☆ JetBlue and American announced 11 all-new routes as the pair beefs up its controversial Northeast Alliance — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

JetBlue Airways and American Airlines announced 11 new routes as part of their Northeast Alliance. Walter Bibikow/Getty ImagesJetBlue will start once-daily flights between New York and Hyannis near Cape Code in the spring of 2023. Just dance/ShutterstockJetBlue will start once-daily flights between New York and Bermuda in the spring of 2023. Aleenah AnsariJetBlue will start once-daily flights between Boston and Vancouver in the spring of 2023. American will start once-daily flights between New York and Knoxville on May 5.

☆ More than 180,000 people overdosed on opioids and survived in the past year, new White House dashboard shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

This first-of-its-kind dashboard was developed to track nonfatal opioid overdoses, which have become a growing public health concern as the US struggles with a decades-long opioid epidemic. It will “empower local communities” to tailor their opioid overdose responses and track their progress, Gupta said. “We know that there are significantly more nonfatal overdoses than fatal ones, of which there are over 100,000 a year. Across the United States, the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl has become the most commonly used drug involved in drug overdoses. In 2020, a report from the CDC found that opioids have “substantial involvement” in nonfatal overdoses, including those involving other types of drugs, and these types of nonfatal overdoses are on the rise.

☆ 'Risky behaviors' are causing credit scores to level off — here's how that can hurt you
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"These moderate changes toward more risky behaviors have contributed to the leveling off of higher average FICO Scores," according to the report. FICO scores range from 300 to 850. Average nationwide credit scores bottomed out at 686 during the housing crisis more than a decade ago, when there was a sharp increase in foreclosures. With an average credit score of 662, Mississippi residents had the lowest ranking across the country, along with Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas. Why your credit score is important

☆ Same-sex couples wary despite federal marriage rights bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

That prompted Democrats to act quickly to protect same-sex marriage while the party still holds the majority in both chambers of Congress. The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act last week with support from 12 Republicans; it’s expected to easily win approval in the House before being signed by President Joe Biden. Ten years later, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a federal appeals court ruling that declared the state ban unconstitutional. The legislation wouldn’t codify, or enshrine into law, the Supreme Court decision requiring states to issue same-sex marriage licenses. “Is the Respect for Marriage Act good enough?

☆ Nick Bollettieri, coach who worked with some of tennis' biggest stars, dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Nick Bollettieri, the Hall of Fame tennis coach who worked with some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Andre Agassi and Monica Seles, and founded an academy that revolutionized the development of young athletes, has died. But it takes crazy people to do things that other people say cannot be done.”The Bollettieri Tennis Academy opened in 1978 in Bradenton, Florida, and was purchased by IMG in 1987. The IMG Academy now spans more than 600 acres and offers programs in more than a half-dozen sports in addition to tennis. For spending money, Bollettieri began teaching tennis for $1.50 an hour, according to the Hall of Fame. After a few months, he dropped out of law school to concentrate on coaching.

☆ Forecasters expect a ‘prolonged rainfall event’ across the South this week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Haley Brink | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Several days of heavy rain are forecast across portions of the southern US this week, which could improve persisting drought conditions but also lead to significant flooding. “The threat for flooding will start late Monday into early Tuesday for areas south of I-40, especially near the Alabama border,” the National Weather Service office in Nashville, Tennessee said. “If rainfall becomes especially heavy or pockets of heavy rain move across the same areas repeatedly, more significant flash flooding will occur,” the weather service in Nashville warned. Many locations across the southern US could see rain every day this week, including Memphis, according to the weather service. “Flooding may develop, starting early in the week for low lying and flood prone areas, and along small streams,” the weather service in Nashville said.

But just 31% of that group has gotten updated booster shots. Hospital physicians, state public health officials and advocacy groups for older adults pointed to a variety of factors fueling the low booster uptake. They include feelings of fatigue at the pace of Covid shots and a lack of awareness that the new booster could make the difference between a mild case and a hospital visit. Morell said she experienced dizziness, blurry eyesight and heart palpitations after her first Covid booster in November 2021. Wachter said the majority of people who have gotten the new booster get mild Covid, even if they’re older or have risk factors.

☆ Tornadoes reported as storms cause flooding, damage across the South
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes hit the ground in Mississippi on Tuesday evening and Alabama was in the forecast path of the storms during the overnight hours. The national Storm Prediction Center said in its storm outlook that affected cities could include New Orleans; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama. Additional reports of property damage near Columbus were received by the Weather Service, according to Lance Perrilloux, a forecaster with the agency. Craig Ceecee, a meteorologist at Mississippi State University, peered out at “incredibly black” skies through the door of a tornado shelter in Starkville. The National Weather Service reported nearly 4 inches of snow on the ground at the airport by noon.

CNN —Severe storms and tornadoes swept through parts of the South from Tuesday into Wednesday morning, killing at least two people in Alabama and damaging homes, other buildings and downing trees in several states, officials said. Tornadoes decimate parts of AlabamaThe tornado that killed two in the Flatwood area near Montgomery had winds estimated at 110 mph, the National Weather Service said. The storm, which might have included a tornado, sounded “like a train coming through,” Perkins told CNN on Wednesday. “We were successful in getting (to) some people that had to hunker down in their homes that were messed up,” Austin told CNN on Wednesday. Some parts of the South, including between Huntsville and Birmingham in Alabama, saw between 2 and 4 inches of rain Tuesday.

☆ Tornadoes reported as storms cause flooding and damage across the South
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Area residents were provided a light show as severe weather accompanied by some potential twisters affected parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes had hit the ground in Mississippi on Tuesday, while tornadoes were also confirmed by radar in Alabama, NWS Birmingham said. A number of areas reported damage to homes and neighborhoods, while the Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana confirmed that at least two people were injured in connection with severe weather. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms was expected to quickly move southeastward across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and central/southern Georgia through midday Wednesday, it said. Forecasters had previously warned that heavy rain and hail the size of tennis balls were possible in the severe weather expected to continue into Wednesday.

A cross-country winter storm system is expected to bring severe weather conditions to the South and Northeast. Jackson, Mississippi, is in the center of the severe weather risk area, with other cities to watch being Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans; Birmingham, Alabama; and Shreveport, Louisiana. The storm system will shift east on Wednesday, bringing strong thunderstorms, heavy rain and wind to the East Coast. Atlanta; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans; and Tallahassee, Florida, could all see strong storms, especially in the first half of the day. The northern side of this cross-country storm system will bring snow, which will affect the Upper Midwest.

☆ How do real estate investors 'do the numbers?' An investor with 9 properties shares the method — and spreadsheet — that helps him identify a good deal and avoid the bad ones.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It's also correlated with risk: Generally, a high cap rate points to a riskier investment, since a high cap rate means a lower property value. A "good cap rate" depends on your market and how much risk you're willing to tolerate. To calculate cap rate, you need to know your NOI, which is your estimated annual rent minus your annual operating expenses. To calculate NOI, you subtract annual operating expenses from annual rent, which is an assumption based on rent prices in the area. He's not the only investor who focuses on cash flow: Mike Zuber, who owns over 100 units in Fresno, California, says that cash flow should be a top priority when evaluating investment properties.

☆ ‘There’s no rules. It’s crazy’: New money in NCAA recruiting leaves elite athletes ripe for exploitation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kit-Ramgopal-Byline.Jpg | Kit Ramgopal | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +15 min

Instead, the coveted junior recruit was benched, due to a decision from the state’s governing body for high school sports. Meanwhile, in a growing number of states, including California, even high school athletes can enter contracts. But boosters can pay prospective students through NIL deals, as long as the money is not contingent on enrollment or athletic performance. A University of Miami booster has earmarked $10 million to sign players to NIL deals through his companies. Cunningham’s message to high school athletes is “the grass isn’t always greener,” even in California.

☆ Another tech bubble bursts: 2022 has been brutal for Silicon Valley workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +28 min

Gem: 100A maker of recruiting software, the startup cut a third of its workforce Nov. 1, The Information reported. HealthCare.com: 149The health insurance marketplace announced the job cuts Aug. 3, Miami Inno reported, citing state regulatory filings. Fabric: 120The robotics startup said July 13 that it was layoffing off 40% of them, TechCrunch reported, citing company confirmation. It affected about 300 people, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported, citing company confirmation. Policygenius: 170The online insurance company cut about 25% of its staff, Axios reported June 6, citing company confirmation.

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected in the southern Great Plains this weekend from Texas stretching to Mississippi where it's already raining, threatening post-Thanksgiving travel plans, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 55 million people were expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes this Thanksgiving weekend — 98% of pre-pandemic levels, according to AAA. Although the severe weather risk is very low on Sunday, there will be the potential for strong winds and frequent lightning that could impact travel, especially in the Northeast. Another developing storm system will also continue to bring heavy rain in addition to mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest this weekend, according to the weather service. Winter weather advisories are in place for parts of the Cascades and Northern Rockies, including northern Idaho, Montana, and southeast Wyoming.

☆ Overboard cruise passenger spent hours in Gulf of Mexico before he was rescued
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A man who went overboard during a holiday cruise in the Gulf of Mexico was rescued after several hours in the water off New Orleans, authorities said Friday. He was rescued about 20 miles south of Louisiana's Southwest Pass, where the Mississippi River meets the coast, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. "It makes it more miraculous that we were able to find him conscious and treading water," Graves said. Coast Guard rescue crews pulled the man to safety six hours after receiving a 2:30 p.m. Thursday report of a passenger overboard, Graves said. The water was warm, he said, but the the trio was beset by signs of hypothermia when they were rescued by Coast Guard crews Oct. 9.

☆ Take Five: Everything to play for
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Markets are hopeful the Federal Reserve will soon slow the pace of its aggressive rate hikes. The U.S. economy likely created 200,000 new jobs, a Reuters poll of economists forecasts found, in what would be the smallest gain since December 2020. Manufacturing indicators, mainly PMIs, due next week might attest to the weakness already seen across the economy. Inflation in the euro zone was 10.6% in October, more than five times the European Central Bank's 2% target. Indeed, the Fed may be getting ready to slow the pace of its rate hikes, but the ECB is not there yet.

Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are together driving a national wave of respiratory illnesses. Covid, flu and RSV can be difficult to distinguish, since they share many common symptoms. But a loss of taste and smell is more commonly associated with Covid than with flu or RSV. Flu symptoms tend to develop more suddenly than those of Covid or RSV. To reduce the length of flu symptoms, though, doctors usually prescribe Tamiflu or one of three other approved treatments.

☆ A teen and his mom are starting over in another state after attacks on trans care
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

The department began opening investigations into families days later, but Laird told NBC News in March that she didn’t have plans to move. The family’s story reveals part of the impact Abbott’s directive is having on the families of trans youths in Texas. They left out of fear that Noah would lose the care recommended by his medical team, but also because the state was becoming increasingly hostile for trans people, Laird said. He added that Laird and Noah are far from the only ones who have left the state — he knows of several. At least three other families with trans kids have also said in interviews that they have moved.

Others, like Target (TGT.N) and Barnes & Noble, sealed merchandise behind plexiglass or tethered it with steel cables to store shelves. One survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) cited a 26.5% jump last year in "organized retail crime" carried out by groups of people. But it is unclear whether overall U.S. retail crime is on the rise, with little data available on the problem. Retailers rarely openly acknowledge the threat of theft or crime because they generally don't want to spook shoppers. "Along with other retailers, we've seen a significant increase in theft and organized retail crime across our business," Target CEO Brian Cornell told investors on a November 16 conference call.

“Because invalidation of the Title 42 Orders will directly harm the States, they now seek to intervene to offer a defense of the Title 42 policy so that its validity can be resolved on the merits, rather than through strategic surrender,” the states said in their filing Monday. Sullivan cited the Administrative Procedures Act in his ruling, and characterized Title 42 as “arbitrary and capricious.” The Biden administration indicated that it won’t oppose Sullivan’s order in a court filing last week, but requested a temporary delay in lifting Title 42. In his order, Sullivan granted the request with “great reluctance.” Title 42 is set to come to an end on Dec. 20, taking effect on midnight Dec. 21. Lee Gelernt of ACLU, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs seeking to lift Title 42, pushed back against the GOP states seeking to keep the rule in place in a statement to NBC News. The Biden administration has faced pushback from both parties for its handling of Title 42.

☆ People investing as little as $1,000 for partial ownership of a property share how they did it, the risks, and the rewards
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Several real-estate investing startups allow people to buy portions of properties instead of whole homes. Though he bought a personal residence for himself in 2020, the Eagle Mountain, Utah resident didn't have enough cash on-hand to purchase an investment rental property. A growing number of startups like Fintor — including Arrived Homes, Fundrise, and others — are making real-estate investing more accessible for the average person using the "fractional ownership" model. Fundrise also allows investors to buy shares of Fundrise the company itself through a primary offering, which Kelkile has also done. Tyler Witty, a 47-year-old who owns an exterior cleaning company in Richmond, Virginia, already owns three investment properties.

☆ This map shows where Americans have the highest — and lowest — credit scores
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In fact, residents of Minnesota have the highest average credit score of any state nationwide, followed by New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, WalletHub found. As of April 2022, the average credit card utilization was just over 31%, up from 29.6% a year earlier. What is a 'good' credit score? Generally speaking, the higher your credit score, the better off you are when it comes to getting a loan. A good score generally is above 670, a very good score is over 740 and anything above 800 is considered exceptional.

☆ They were diagnosed with uterine cancer and tumors. Now they're suing the makers of chemical hair straighteners.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Janelle Griffith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Three years ago, Rhonda Terrell was diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer that has since spread to her abdomen and liver. “And I want to hold them accountable because I have granddaughters.”Bernadette Gordon, who used chemical relaxers from around 1983 to 2015, believes they caused her to develop breast and uterine cancer. In 2021, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and underwent a hysterectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy and radiation. There was never anything on the products' packaging, they said and their lawsuits allege, indicating that normal use of the products could cause them to develop uterine fibroids or breast or uterine cancer. “This study is the first to show a possible link between frequent use of hair straightening products and uterine cancer,” she said.

☆ Alabama calls off execution of man convicted in murder-for-hire after problem with IV access
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

It is the second execution since September that the state has canceled because of difficulties with establishing an IV. Because the death warrant expired at midnight, the state must go back to court to seek a new execution date. Some three decades ago, a promise was made to Elizabeth’s family that justice would be served through a lawfully imposed death sentence. Smith was initially convicted in 1989, and a jury voted 10-2 to recommend a death sentence, which a judge imposed. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied Smith’s request to review the constitutionality of his death sentence on those grounds.

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