Collin County Raises Property Tax Rate For First Time Since 1993

5 Foods You Should Never Wash Before Cooking, According to USDA

Washing food usually sounds like a sensible safety step. But when certain raw foods are placed under a running faucet, that rinse can make your kitchen less safe -- not more. Water does not reliably remove the harmful bacteria that may be present on raw animal products. Instead, droplets can carry those germs into the sink, onto countertops and utensils, and even onto nearby food.

12d

Thomas Smith

Mailing These 7 Surprising Things Could Get You Arrested

Mailing a package feels about as risky as licking a stamp—but federal law treats the mail stream as sacred ground, and a surprising number of everyday items can turn a friendly care package into a federal offense. Here are seven that trip up well-meaning people all the time.

23d

Edmond Thorne

Feds Target Publix in Massive Nationwide Investigation Over Skyrocketing Beef Prices

Federal antitrust investigators want answers from Florida's grocer Publix after meat counter prices hit outrageous records across the state and Publix profits hit the highest levels in its history.

Florida · 9d

Edmond Thorne

Buc-ee’s CEO Faces Backlash for Political GOP Stance: Then Lawsuits in Florida & Other Red States

The wildly popular travel center steps straight into the culture wars, leaving investors stunned and customers asking why a gas station chain is suddenly taking sides in politics and suing businesses on the side it chose.

Florida · 20d

Thomas Smith

What Happens When You Refreeze Thawed Food? USDA’s Answer May Surprise You

You moved a package of chicken from the freezer to the refrigerator, planning to cook it for dinner. Then plans changed. Does that chicken have to be cooked immediately? Thrown away? Or can it go back in the freezer?

Thomas Smith

The FBI Is Investigating a Claim That 153 Million Driver's License Scans Were Stolen

The FBI is investigating an extraordinary claim that digital scans of more than 153 million driver's licenses from the United States and Canada were stolen and offered for sale online.

13d

Thomas Smith

Former AT&T Customers Are Getting Surprise Zelle Payments From the FTC

Former AT&T customers may notice an unexpected deposit appearing in their bank accounts -- and, surprisingly, it may be completely legitimate. The Federal Trade Commission announced that it is sending Zelle payments to eligible former AT&T wireless customers as part of a long-running refund program involving the company's old "unlimited" data plans.

21d

Greg Wilson, CFA

20 Signs You’re Actually Financially Better Off Than The Average American

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

29d

Edmond Thorne

Florida GOP Screamed “DEI Hirers”—Now Its Black & Cuban Candidates Must Face That Vitriol

What goes around comes around: Republicans who spent years vilifying "DEI" diversity programs now face the same language they used, aimed squarely at their own nominees in the race for governor, even by their own voters.

Florida · 11d

Greg Wilson, CFA

28 Ways to Tell If Someone Belongs to the Lower Middle Class

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

24d

Greg Wilson, CFA

21 Jobs That Are Least Likely to Be Replaced by AI

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

17d

Greg Wilson, CFA

20 Things the Middle Class Enjoys, That the Poor Can’t Afford

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

14d

Thomas Smith

7 Egg Facts That Sound Fake -- but USDA Says Are True

An egg inside another egg sounds like something someone invented for a viral video. And washing an egg sounds like a reasonable way to make breakfast safer. But USDA's egg guides have some surprises on both counts.

Dianna Carney

Young Puppy Who Survived Fate of Siblings is Now Looking For Bright Future

A local and dedicated foster-based dog rescue in Massachusetts, Great Dog Rescue New England (GDRNE), would like you to meet Mackerel Seagull, a loving young puppy who recently came into their care. According to the rescue, “He and his SEAGULL litter were surrendered by owners in Tennessee who didn't want them. Mom is a coonhound and dad was a stray that dug into her kennel area. These sweets are the only survivors out of 14 puppies.”

Massachusetts · 6d

The Current GA

user · 12.9K followers

Rick Jackson says he will cancel newly extended state contract if elected Georgia’s next governor

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson says he will terminate his companies’ contracts with the state if he is elected in November, but he did not rule out extending contracts before the election and then pulling out if he wins.

Georgia · 26d

The Maine Monitor

user · 4.2K followers

High court: Maine wrongly terminated a mother’s parental rights because she couldn’t find an affordable home

An Augusta District Court wrongly terminated a New Mexico mother’s rights to her child because she couldn’t find affordable housing in Maine, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday.

Maine · 28d

Tanner Callais

user · 16.7K followers

Should You Prepay Gratuities on a Cruise?

Not sure whether you should prepay your gratuities before your cruise or wait until you’re on the ship? With millions of people sailing each year, it’s a common question. Paying early offers some benefits, but it also means more money out of your pocket before you even get on the ship. On the other hand, it can seem strange to pay gratuities before you’ve actually received service.

15d

CJ Coombs

user · 44.3K followers

Missing since 1978 in Rohnert Park, California: 14-year-old Cheryl Schille Wyant disappeared

Cheryl Schille "Cherie" Wyant has been missing since May 1, 1978, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC indicates Cheryl went missing from Rohnert Park, California (Sonoma County).

Rohnert Park, CA · 16d

realbalanced

user · 1.1K followers

7 Boarding-House Suppers From the Mid-Century Common Table

I use AI to help draft these articles. Every recipe and every fact in them is checked before publishing. Boarders and lodgers in American households peaked at about 4.6 million in 1930, and rooming houses were still a fixture of working life through the decades that followed. Mill towns, port cities, factory districts, and railroad junctions all had them: a narrow frame house with six or eight boarders, a weekly rate pinned to the front door, and a landlady who set supper on the table at six o'clock whether you were there or not. The arrangement worked because rent included meals, and meals were the whole point.

Greg Wilson, CFA

Want to Save Thousands? Eliminate These 13 Monthly Expenses Immediately

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

Thomas Smith

Weight-Loss Supplement Recalled After FDA Finds an Antidepressant and Toxic Chemical

A weight-loss supplement sold online across the United States is being recalled after federal laboratory testing found two potentially dangerous ingredients that did not appear on the product's label -- including a prescription antidepressant in its daytime tablets and a toxic industrial chemical in its nighttime tablets.

15d

realbalanced

user · 1.1K followers

7 Rural Southern Church-Supper Dishes Still Worth Making

I use AI to help draft these articles. Every recipe and every fact in them is checked before publishing. A Midwestern potluck and a rural Southern church supper look similar from a distance: long folding tables, covered dishes, somebody's mother's dessert at the end of the line. Get closer and the resemblance fades fast. In much of the rural South, food was organized by type and the dessert table stood apart, treated almost as its own room. Brunswick Stew came in a cast iron pot the size of a washtub, tended by men who had been at the fire since before the service started. Cornbread baked in the church kitchen and got cut into squares before it hit the table. Banana Pudding traveled layered in a glass bowl, not a pan, because presentation on that table was its own kind of statement.

Brunswick, GA · 10d

Edmond Thorne

Florida's Stucco Nightmare: Why Homeowners Are Taking Lennar & Other Big Builders to Court

Claims of hidden water damage, mold and soaring repair bills are exploding across Florida neighborhoods, raising tough questions about construction quality and accountability. Independently researched, reported & reviewed by human journalists!

Florida · 2d

Dianna Carney

Young Puppy Found Near Deceased Parent Now Looking For Bright Future

Great Dog Rescue New England (GDRNE), a dedicated foster-based dog rescue in Massachusetts, would like you to meet Wonton Dumpling, a joyful young puppy who recently came into their care. According to the rescue, “She and her sister, Waffles, were found in Tennessee and brought in as their finders could not keep them. Mom is a stray Rottweiler, and dad was a brown mixed dog that was deceased near them on the side of a road. Despite the rough start, these girls are looking to enjoy the finer things in life! Like dim sum!”

Massachusetts · 2d

Dianna Carney

Meet Ria: The 6-Pound Survivor Still Waiting for a Forever Home

Small Dog Rescue of New England has shared that a tiny, young dog named Ria is now available for adoption and expected to be ready to travel to the Northeast by the end of the month. According to the organization, Ria is about 1½ years old, weighs just 6 pounds, and is described as “a sweet girl” and “the cutest little girl.” The nonprofit says she is fully vetted and ready for her next home, offering hopeful news for someone looking to adopt a small companion dog soon.

Rhode Island · 14h

Greg Wilson, CFA

30 Things That Boomers Loved, But Millennials Won’t Even Consider Buying

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

26d

Dianna Carney