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Millennial Money: 4 things that could impact your credit in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

Credit is top of mind for many folks going into 2024. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans (79%) say they are trying to improve their credit, according to a recent survey from NerdWallet.Getting ahead of surprises will go a long way in protecting your credit. Here are four things to look out for that could impact your credit in the new year.1. HOLIDAY DEBTHoliday purchases could follow you for months. NerdWallet’s 2023 Holiday Shopping Report found that about half of Americans (52%) incurred credit card debt when shopping last holiday season, and of them, 31% still have not paid off their balances.Payment history is the biggest factor influencing your credit scores. If you’re carrying debt, make at least the minimum payments on your cards to keep your payment history intact and shield your scores. But paying a higher amount, if you’re able to, is better for your credit utilization — another major factor in score calculations. Using too much of available credit can make you appear risky to lender...

Powerball jackpot grows to $685M, Colorado ticket wins $2M on Christmas Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - There was no Christmas luck for any Powerball players on Monday, with no ticketholders winning the Christmas Day jackpot. Ahead of the drawing, Powerball officials estimated the jackpot at roughly $638 million. While nobody matched all six winning numbers — 5, 12, 20, 24, 29, and red Powerball 4 — two tickets sold in Colorado and Georgia matched five numbers and the Power Play (at 2X) making them worth $2 million apiece. Three tickets, sold in California, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, matched five numbers, making each worth $1 million. Had anyone hit the Powerball jackpot on Monday, it would have been the third time in game history that the grand prize was won on Christmas Day. But, since the jackpot rolled over again, it now sits at an estimated $685 million ahead of Wednesday's drawing. When will I get the Social Security cost-of-living increase in 2024? At that size (which could change before the drawing), the jackpot ranks as the 11th-largest overall, coming in...

Key Largo man arrested for aggravated battery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — A 38-year-old Key Largo resident, Eric Daniel Torres, was apprehended for a violent assault on another man on Monday. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a battery call at a residence on Rose Place around 10:22 p.m. Sunday. The 62-year-old male victim reported that Torres had attacked him, striking him on the head with a plate. The victim was transported to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.Torres was later intercepted near Mile Marker 102 on U.S. 1. During the arrest, he spat on deputies, cursed at them, and resisted their attempts to place him into custody by tensing his body and pulling away. The 38-year-old suspect was taken into custody and transported to jail to face the charges against him. Torres now faces charges of aggravated battery and resisting arrest. Authorities are conducting further investigations into the incident.

Apple is officially no longer selling the newest Apple Watch in America

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

New York (CNN) — The clock has wound down on the newest Apple Watch after President Joe Biden declined to issue a last-minute, emergency action to keep the best-selling smartwatch on store shelves.President Joe Biden had until the end of Christmas day to overturn a US International Trade Commission ruling that prevents Apple from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, among other newer models, because they violate patents registered to another company. But, as expected, Biden did not intervene.Apple had already taken the offending Watch models off its online store, and Apple Store locations opened Tuesday without any of the latest top-of-the-line watches in stock. The cheaper Apple Watch SE, which was not part of the ruling, remains on sale, but the ban affects the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, and all models of Apple Watch Ultra.In October, the US International Trade Commission ruled that Apple was in violation of a pulse oxim...

Stock market today: Wall Street quietly advances in thin holiday trading

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

Wall Street inched modestly higher in holiday-thinned trading Tuesday, while Asian markets mostly advanced and European markets remained closed.Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.1% before the bell and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose less than 0.1% to kick off what’s expected to be a quiet, holiday-shortened week of trading.Drugmaker Bristol Myers Squibb said Tuesday that it will acquire RayzeBio in a $4.1 billion deal, just days after buying Karuna Therapeutics for $14 billion. Bristol Myers shares were flat before the bell, while RayzeBio shares doubled to $60.99, close to the $62.50 that each share will fetch in its acquisition.Shanghai’s benchmark led losses in Asia on heavy selling of technology and computer chip-related shares as worries revived over trade tensions with the U.S. and other western countries. A number of video gaming companies announced share buybacks to shore up prices after Chinese regulators issued draft guidelines on Friday that cause...

1 dead, 1 critical in moped crash on Northwest Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

CHICAGO — One person is dead and another is injured after an overnight crash on the Northwest Side, police said.According to police, the deadly crash happened near the corner of Belden and Cicero in the Belmont Craigin neighborhood around 12:45 a.m.Authorities say a man driving a moped, with another man sitting passenger, were headed northbound on Cicero when they collided with a gray sedan travelling westbound. Man shot after pulling knife during fight at Red Line station Both the driver of the moped and passenger were injured and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. The Cook County medical examiner later confirmed that one person injured in the crash, identified as 28-year-old Ganchozo Jesus Rodriguez, succumbed to their injuries. Police said the driver of the vehicle was not injured and refused treatment from EMS.Citations are pending and police have not said who was at faith in the crash.

Crash on I-55 results in life-threatening injuries: State police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

CHICAGO — A single-vehicle crash on Interstate 55 early Tuesday morning resulted in life-threatening injuries to the driver, according to the Illinois State Police.Police say a preliminary investigation indicates that just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, troopers responded to reports of a crash on I-55 at Damen Ave. in Cook County, involving an SUV in a ditch.According to police, the driver was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. There is no additional information at this time.The entrance ramp from Damen Ave. to the outbound Stevenson Expressway (I-55) was reopened early Tuesday morning.

Powerball jackpot grows to $685M without Christmas winner: How much you'd actually take home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - There was no Christmas luck for any Powerball players on Monday, with no ticketholders winning the Christmas Day jackpot. Ahead of the drawing, Powerball officials estimated the jackpot at roughly $638 million. While nobody matched all six winning numbers — 5, 12, 20, 24, 29, and red Powerball 4 — two tickets sold in Colorado and Georgia matched five numbers and the Power Play (at 2X) making them worth $2 million apiece. Three tickets, sold in California, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, matched five numbers, making each worth $1 million. Had anyone hit the Powerball jackpot on Monday, it would have been the third time in game history that the grand prize was won on Christmas Day. But, since the jackpot rolled over again, it now sits at an estimated $685 million ahead of Wednesday's drawing. When will I get the Social Security cost-of-living increase in 2024? At that size (which could change before the drawing), the jackpot ranks as the 11th-largest overall, coming in...

The secret life of gift cards: What happens to the billions that go unspent each year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

(AP) - Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don't stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays.Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales.Most of those gift cards will be redeemed. Paytronix, which tracks restaurant gift card sales, says around 70% of gift cards are used within six months.But many cards — tens of billions of dollars’ worth — wind up forgotten or otherwise unused. That’s when the life of a gift card gets more complicated, with expiration dates or inactivity fees that can vary by state.Here’s what to know about the gift cards you’re giving — or getting:LOVED, BUT LOSTAfter clothing, gift cards will be the most popular present this holiday season. Nearly half of Americans plan to give them, according to the National Retail Federation.But many will rema...

Dean's A-List Interviews: Colman Domingo and Corey Hawkins in 'The Color Purple'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:15 GMT

WGN's Dean Richards sits down with Colman Domingo and Corey Hawkins, two of the stars in the new film adaptation of "The Color Purple." Dean’s A-list Interviews: Fantasia, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson in ‘The Color Purple’ Get Dean’s reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean’s Downloads weekly newsletter. You’ll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!