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Better Business Bureau offers tips for a fraud-free 2024

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

The year 2023 comes with a clean slate and plenty of resolutions. The Better Business Bureau hopes one resolution for many will be to stay fraud-free and avoid scammers and ID thieves. Steve Bernas, president and CEO of BBB Chicago and Northern Illinois, joined WGN Evening News at 4 p.m. to offer some preventative tips. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Resolve to always research companies before I do business with them and a great place to start is by reading ratings and customer reviews at BBB.org. This applies to any company offline, online, or at my door. When shopping online, or if asked to make a payment online, ask: Is this a person or business I know and trust? Do they have a working customer service number? Where is the company physically located? Would I be making payments through a secure server (https://....com)? Have I checked to see if others have complained? Resolve to watch out for impostors and always check directly with any agency from which I am getting a...

'People are hungry': UT Sugar Bowl appearance boosts buzz for long-time local businesses

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — With just hours to go before his bar filled with football fans on Monday, J.V. Cook stood watch. He has been serving Longhorns at Posse East, which sits just blocks away from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, since 1971. Since then, Cook has seen it all, but he said excitement and anticipate from Texas football's appearance in the Sugar Bowl has been good for business. Despite many fans flying to New Orleans for the game, Cook said he and his son, who co-owns the establishment, are bracing for a full house, or rather "a sardine can!""People are hungry," he said, referring to his crew's food and drink offerings — but also for a Texas win. He went on to say, "It'll be a later-coming crowd because the game's not across the street, but once they start coming, they will keep coming and coming and coming. We should have a really good night tonight."During Posse East's first few years in business, the Texas football team were fresh off championship wins in the 1969 an...

New data shows Texas fire crews responded to more than 6500 wildfires in 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Austin (KXAN) – South Hays Fire Chief Robert Simonson remembers watching a wildfire climb the hill in rural San Marcos and head toward a neighboring town. He was at the command post. It was dark. And he felt as if Mother Nature was winning.“The difficult thing was it just seemed like we’d get ahead, and the wind would change. We’d get ahead, and the terrain would change,” Simonson said. “It just seemed like for the first couple of hours, we were chasing our tails.”The Oak Grove fire in Hays County began on August 5. It destroyed vehicles and at least one home, according to county officials.Thankfully, Simonson said his volunteer fire department was not alone. They had a lot of help. ‘Eternally grateful’: City of Kyle’s mayor praises firefighters, others as Oak Grove Fire progress halted Firefighters from as far as Colorado came in to help contain the fire. According to county officials, Blackhawk helicopters dropped buckets over flareups and hotspots. The Texas Interst...

Play of the Week winner - Mechanicville's Colin Richardson

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

HALFMOON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Congratulations to this week’s winner of our Play of the Week poll: Mechanicville's Colin Richardson! Richardson knifed between two Tamarac defenders on his way to a three-way play - part of his 26-point night against the Bengals that helped lead the Red Raiders to 60-54 win over their Wasaren League foe.

4 ways the government funding fight could play out in January

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

Congress faces an avalanche of government funding work when it returns from the holidays this month — and little time to complete it ahead of a looming shutdown deadline.  Under the stopgap bill passed in November, Congress is staring down two cutoff dates in January and February to keep the government funded.  But with less than a month to go until the first deadline on Jan. 19 — when funding is set to lapse for various parts of the government — lawmakers are clashing over next steps amid deep divides over spending.  Here’s a few ways the fight could shake out in January. Congress passes its annual funding bills While some conservatives remain hopeful that they’ll be able to pass their individual government funding bills for fiscal 2024, many are signaling openness to passing a minibus as work lags on the 12 annual funding bills. “It's going to be very difficult t...

Broncos coach Sean Payton stands firm in decision to start QB Jarrett Stidham

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

Even after Jarrett Stidham led the Broncos to a 16-9 win over the Chargers on Sunday afternoon, the question about whether the fourth-year quarterback could provide the offensive spark that head coach Sean Payton has been searching for remained unanswered.Still, Payton stands firm in his decision to make Stidham the starter.Payton said on Monday that the team will stick with Stidham, who threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, as the starter. Russell Wilson will be the No. 2 option for Sunday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.“First off, let’s do this without any assumptions. The depth at that position going into the game coming up will be the same with Jarrett as the starter and Russ as the No. 2,” Payton said. “… I thought Jarrett did a good job with his decisions, the ball security and all those things you want to see from that position.”When Payton decided to bench Wilson last week, he did it to shake up an offense that had been struggling. “That was a...

CU Buffs women’s basketball jumps to No. 5 in AP poll

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

Colorado is back in the top five.On Monday, the CU women’s basketball team jumped three spots to No. 5 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.Related ArticlesCollege Sports | Final Pac-12 opener a key battle as CU Buffs men’s basketball hosts UW College Sports | Former CU Buffs guard Dom Collier starting coaching career College Sports | AP men’s college basketball poll, Week 5: CSU Rams jumps seven spots, CU Buffs outside of Top 25 College Sports | CU women’s basketball has returned to national prominence, but JR Payne and the Buffs still have boxes left to check College Sports | Women’s basketball notes: Shelomi Sanders makes CU Buffs debut It’s the third time this season that CU has been in the top five, but the first time since sitting at No. 3 on Nov. 20. The Buffs (11-1) have been in the top eight for eight consecutive weeks.The Buffs are coming off a 76-65 win against then-No. 12 Utah on ...

Letters: Promote solar | CPUC accountability | Leave it to states | Following Constitution | Stark choices

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Utility watchdog shouldbe promoting solarRe: “Solar expected to help prevent California blackouts” (Page C8, Dec. 16).“Solar expected to help prevent California blackouts” has been predicted for some time. The grid benefits in several ways from the new locally based supply. Reduced demand for imports results in less reliance on transmission and a more stable grid.With this information, it is time for the CPUC to monetize rooftop solar power with rate benefits and incentives for all ratepayers. To even more widely disperse this green technology, reducing our carbon footprint, incentives to include low-income households are needed.Rita NortonLos GatosCPUC must beheld accountableRe: “Elias: California utility bills to rise for decades after PUC’s solar move” (Dec. 12).In his online column on Dec. 12, Thomas Elias tells us why PG&E and other California electric utiliti...

Bay Area hospitals welcome first babies of 2024

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

While 8 billion people ushered in the New Year across the globe, more than a dozen new bundles of joy arrived in the Bay Area just in time for a celebration of their own.Locally, the first baby appears to be a baby boy born at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in San Jose — only five minutes after midnight on Jan. 1.Baby Albert entered the world weighing 6 pounds and 11 ounces. While his parents did not want to share their names for the occasion, they wished “all the best for the baby and congrats to him for such a special birthday!”The next three newborns of 2024 — who arrived at 12:21 a.m. in San Francisco, 12:49 a.m. in San Leandro and 12:56 a.m. in Walnut Creek, respectively — were each born at Kaiser Permanente hospitals.One of those babies interrupted New Year’s Eve dinner plans.Right as Roxana Vazquez and Jesus Garcia were off to enjoy a night of fine dining at Paradiso in San Leandro, her water broke before their car could leave their...

49ers: McCaffrey will miss Rams game, expected to be back for playoffs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:26:59 GMT

Christian McCaffrey won’t play Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, and neither will Ambry Thomas or Arik Armstead.That was about as specific as coach Kyle Shanahan got Monday when discussing who will play and who won’t when the 49ers host the Rams in their regular-season finale having already wrapped up the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.McCaffrey left in the second half with a calf injury, didn’t return, and called it “minor” in the post-game celebration after a 27-10 road win against the Washington Commanders.“We’ll keep him out this week,” Shanahan said. He later added McCaffrey is expected to be full-go for the 49ers’ first playoff game following the bye.“We’re real confident in that and it was good news,” Shanahan said. “Could have been a lot worse. “We’ll take care of him this week and hopefully he’ll get to go during our off week....