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Millennial Money: These Airbnb horror stories can teach you what to watch for

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

Many frequent travelers carry tales of delayed flights and disappointing hotel rooms. Yet Airbnb “horror stories” are a genre all their own.Videos with the tag #AirbnbHorrorStory have more than 63 million views on TikTok, featuring guests venting about unclean properties and last-minute cancellations leaving them stranded. The website Airbnbhell features hundreds of similar accounts, where things do not go as expected for short-term renters.While many of these stories offer little more than schadenfreude, others can act as instructive lessons for travelers looking to avoid similar pitfalls. While there’s no way to avoid short-term rental surprises outright, many guests who have experienced them say there were warning signs they wished they had watched out for.LOOK FOR REVIEWSJack Epner, a marketing consultant and digital nomad, has lived out of Airbnbs for more than four years. Of the many difficult stays in that time, one rental — a house in Ecuador — stands out.“It wasn’t clean, d...

Leaked memo reveals mooted changes to EU sustainability law critics say would make it unenforceable

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A flagship EU law intended to push European companies toward net zero faces being seriously weakened by member states, a confidential document passed to The Associated Press reveals, with firms seemingly no longer forced to implement Paris Agreement goals.The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was designed to make companies eliminate environmental and human rights violations throughout all areas of their business. The legislation was meant to ensure firms’ operations were aligned with a global rise in temperatures of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). But a Nov. 9 briefing obtained by The AP details a watered-down proposal that would drop the entire financial sector from the initial law. Banks and insurers are among Europe’s biggest contributors to global warming, by financing or insuring new oil and gas projects, or agribusinesses that chop down tropical rainforests. Nonprofits also warn the new proposal would mean firms merely need to ha...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in low 60s with sunny conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in low 60s with sunny conditions. Winds: SW 10-15 G20. High: 61. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Partly cloudy tonight with decreasing clouds late. Winds: SW 10-15 G20. Low: 40.Wednesday Forecast: Mostly sunny, SW 10-15. High: 64.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Sunshine and warmer weather returns midweek

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today will kick off a nice stretch of weather that'll hold through the end of the work week.Mainly cloudy skies this morning will partially clear to allow some sunshine this afternoon. Temperatures will return to the upper 60s and low 70s areawide today - near normal for this time of year.Afternoon highs will warm a few degrees each day with plenty of sunshine in the mix. A dry cold front brings breezy north winds and a slight cool down Friday into Saturday, but we'll hold off on adding in rain chances until Sunday when our next storm is set to arrive.Early indications are that this will bring another round of welcome, but mainly light, rainfall to the area along with cooler temperatures. BLOG: Peak fall foliage in Central Texas coming soon Winter Weather Outlook: What a strong El Niño could mean for rainfall and ice risk Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather n...

Austin takes No. 1 festive city honors, home improvement company says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KXAN) – Austin has been named the Most Festive City in the United States based on data from home improvement projects, according to a home improvement company.Thumbtack released its list of cities “with the most holiday spirit based on holiday light decorations, and adjusted for the population of each metropolitan area”.Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Seattle and San Antonio took the top five spots in the list, the company said in a Nov. 7 press release. 37th Street lights tradition dazzles in Austin “Whether you’re looking to make your home a brightly lit winter wonderland or simply looking to add a few festive touches to your home’s exterior — sprucing up your home’s exterior with lights is an exciting part of getting into the holiday spirit,” said Morgan Olsen, Design Expert at Thumbtack in the release.The company also said homeowners like to place their holiday lights in the following areas of the home:Along the roofHome’s exterior (ground floor)Front yardHom...

Two lanes blocked after crash on I-90 NYS Thruway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to 511 NY, a crash has blocked the right and center lanes on I-90 NYS Thruway eastbound after Exit 25 in Schenectady. Drivers in the area should expect delays. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!Information on this crash is limited at this time. Stick with NEWS10 as more information becomes available.

UAW members voting on GM contract offer today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - At the GM plant in Wentzville, UAW union members will vote on a contract that the company is offering.The ratification vote is expected to get started at 4:30 a.m., and union leaders told FOX 2 that it will continue until 4:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Local 2250. This comes after the United Auto Workers at the General Motors' assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, turned down GM's proposed contract, which did come as a bit of a surprise to some.In a narrow decision, 51.8% voted against it and 48.2% for it. The proposal would have increased workers' starting pay by 25%, raised the top wage by a third, and would have included cost of living adjustments. Eagles are coming to Enterprise Center with Steely Dan and we’ve got tickets! Back in Wentzville, on the second full day of the auto workers strike back in mid-September. At the time, the workers were asking for things like a 36% pay raise, medical benefits after retirement, and a four-day work week. The plant in Wentzille...

A.G. Bailey releases report on effort to remove Kim Gardner from office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey released a lengthy report detailing his successful effort to oust former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner from office.The 'Kim Gardner Report,' as Bailey calls it, is 62 pages long. Bailey released it late Monday night. Gabe Gore holds the position after Governor Mike Parson appointed him after Gardner resigned in May.The highlights of Bailey's report included what Bailey terms Gardner's 'delay tactics,' which he says threatened to defeat the purpose of his writ of quo warranto, which was the legal document used to remove her from office. Bailey's report says the Missouri statutes don't protect the public against what he calls "usurpers who may seek public office again."The report concludes that Gardner's pursuit of an advanced nursing degree while holding office showed a lack of accountability. Finally, Bailey shared that Gardner failed to effectively manage staffing in her office or provide adequate training. Abandon...

Hunters bag 90,300 deer in opening weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Missouri deer hunters had a solid start to the November firearms deer season.They bagged more than 90,300 deer during the opening weekend. 53,000 were antlered bucks, 7,000 were button bucks, and 30,000 were does. Abandoned bike leads to police discovering body at Creve Coeur Park Franklin County had the best harvest, with more than 2,100 deer. The chronic waste disease period runs from November 22 to November 26, following the firearm deer season.Archery deer hunting will resume November 22 through January 15.

Webster Groves votes against flood buyouts for some properties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:14:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Webster Groves will not buy out at least two houses heavily damaged during last year's flash floods.According to FOX 2's partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the city council and Mayor Laura Arnold voted 5 to 2 against the buyouts, despite FEMA agreeing to pay 75%. Mayor Arnold and some council members did consider putting the matter up for a public vote on a future ballot. Eagles are coming to Enterprise Center with Steely Dan and we’ve got tickets! The potential referendum would ask if city revenue should be designated for flood buyouts. Some Webster Groves locals at the meeting told the city to accept FEMA's offer. Others suggested the houses be demolished and use the land to buffer the surrounding areas from future flooding.