New York will soon send “inflation refund” checks—worth $150 to $400—to taxpayers who filed a 2023 state return, giving households a timely boost without any extra paperwork. The payments, funded through the 2025‑2026 budget and overseen by the Department of Taxation and Finance, will arrive by mail starting this autumn. Officials estimate over eight million families, especially in … Read more
The four‑decade staple joins a shrinking roster of mom‑and‑pop shops fighting to stay in Washington’s historic Chinatown. Full Kee, the Cantonese eatery whose steaming bowls have warmed Washingtonians since the mid‑1980s, must vacate its H Street home after receiving a July 1 notice from its landlord. The decision paves the way for a luxury commercial project—and leaves … Read more
Not sure whether the shiny iPhone in your hand is really new? A quick glance at one small setting can save you hundreds of dollars—and a major headache—before you press “buy.” When demand surges, so does the risk of stumbling into a reseller who passes off refurbished or even replacement units as unopened stock. Apple … Read more
In brief, a worker earning the 2022 median household income of $74,580 would see about $1,869 a month by filing at age 62, yet that figure can climb above $3,000 by waiting until 70. Social Security remains the financial anchor for millions of middle‑income households. But relying on it alone could strain a budget, especially when one in five … Read more
New airborne wind system could rewrite America’s renewable energy playbook Wind power may be about to get a growth spurt. A U.S. trial of 750‑meter‑high mechanical kites—three times the reach of standard turbines—aims to tap faster, steadier currents and deliver up to ten times more electricity per ton of material. Why the 750‑meter altitude matters … Read more
A sweeping reform lets residents like Franklin Johnson reclaim their licenses and rebuild daily life across the Buckeye State. Franklin Johnson did a double‑take when he opened a June 10 letter from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles: the decade‑old suspension on his driver’s license was gone. He is one of more than 400,000 Ohioans … Read more
With markets on edge and wars simmering, three of Europe’s largest economies are asking the Federal Reserve for something simple yet symbolic—give us our bullion, now. Washington has stored thousands of metric tons of European gold since the Cold War. Today, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam say the geopolitical weather has changed and so must the metal’s … Read more
New radar maps show parts of Houston, New York and Chicago settling by up to 10 millimeters a year—enough to stress bridges, roads and even flood defenses. America’s biggest urban centers are slowly losing altitude, and the change isn’t just academic. A Virginia Tech research team has mapped “subsidence corridors” in the 28 most‑populous cities and found … Read more
New pilot lets consumers trade empty bottles for app points, aiming to cut plastic waste and spark wider civic action. Coca‑Cola’s latest sustainability experiment has landed in Puri, East India, where bright‑red “reverse vending machines” (RVMs) swallow used plastic bottles and pay users back with discounts on their next drink. The idea is simple: drop … Read more
California’s Aptera says its lightweight “sun machine” could rewrite the electric‑vehicle rulebook. Aptera Motors, the San Diego–based pioneer of three‑wheeled EVs, has pulled the covers off a solar‑electric coupe that—according to its engineers—can cruise for roughly 1,000 miles without plugging in. If the claim holds up, commuters, road‑trippers, and range‑worriers alike may soon have a new … Read more
Marine sand miners off Indonesia have stumbled on the first underwater hominin fossil trove in Southeast Asia, rewriting what we know about early humans and a continent now drowned beneath the Java Sea. Indonesia’s Madura Strait is usually a busy shipping lane, not a time machine. Yet a routine dredging job near Surabaya has exposed a … Read more
A February jackpot remains unpaid, and the anonymous winner says the Texas Lottery Commission is breaking its own rules. On Feb. 17 an Austin resident matched all six numbers to land an $83.5 million Lotto Texas prize. Yet three months later, the money is still in limbo. The winner—identified only as Ms. Doe—filed suit May 21 accusing the commission … Read more
Prosecutors allege Westminster Police Officer Nicole Brown pocketed more than $600,000 in workers’‑comp payments while running 5Ks and dancing at the Stagecoach Music Festival. Weeks after reporting a “severe concussion,” Officer Nicole Brown was spotted under the desert lights at Stagecoach, clapping and swaying to country hits. Now, the 39‑year‑old faces 15 felony charges that could send her to … Read more
You don’t need a bachelor’s degree to break the $100,000 barrier—here’s the proof and what it means for your career prospects. Americans worried about tuition costs have good news: the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data show dozens of occupations where experience, short‑term training, or a two‑year program can still lead to eye‑popping wages. In … Read more
New research ties a looming Cascadia quake to 1,000‑foot waves that might redraw America’s Pacific shoreline. The prospect of a “mega tsunami” once confined to disaster movies now sits on scientists’ short‑term radar. A Virginia Tech team reports that a powerful earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone—stretching from northern Vancouver Island to California’s Cape Mendocino—has about a … Read more
Fans may breathe a little easier, but the battered New York chicken‑finger chain still faces a steep climb back to stability. Sticky’s Finger Joint, the once‑buzzy fried‑chicken upstart with cult‑favorite sauces, has secured tentative court approval to sell its assets for $2 million and keep operating under Chapter 11 protection. The ruling, handed down by a Delaware bankruptcy judge … Read more
Microsoft’s next Windows 11 update trades the iconic blue error page for a stripped‑down black version—saying it will help businesses recover faster from system failures. The dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) has flashed across PC monitors for almost 40 years, signaling everything from faulty drivers to failing hardware. Now, with Windows 11 version 24H2 due later this summer, … Read more
Dress in red, white and blue on July 4 to claim a complimentary Original Glazed, and check out three star‑spangled flavors launching for one week only. Independence Day just got sweeter. On Friday, July 4, Krispy Kreme is handing a free Original Glazed doughnut to every guest who walks into a participating shop wearing the colors of the American flag. … Read more
Archaeologists say a 23,000‑year‑old wall in Theopetra Cave rewrites the timeline of early architecture and pushes Egypt’s pyramids far down the list of “oldest.” First discovered in the 1990s and re‑dated in 2012, the low masonry barrier inside Greece’s Theopetra Cave has been confirmed—through optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) testing—to be roughly 23,000 years old. The finding … Read more
When Jamie discovered his 72‑year‑old mom owed six figures, he feared the worst — but experts say there’s still a roadmap to relief. Jamie’s mother, a retired receptionist, recently admitted she carries $150,000 on a handful of high‑interest cards. With no savings and a monthly Social Security check of roughly $1,950, she’s falling further behind … Read more