Kansas.com: News2Use

Holiday travelers should expect to pay more

JENNIFER WATERS — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

CHICAGO — Holiday flights are more expensive this year thanks to ever-increasing surcharges on top of rising ticket costs and baggage fees.

The nation's largest airlines already have boosted the holiday-travel surcharges they first announced in September. Plus, they've added another 31 dates next year — for a total of 41 days — when the extra fees will be in effect.

"Airlines like these surcharges because it lets them tinker with their prices," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com. "It's really hard for airlines to raise base airfares because people quit buying tickets."

How to find the best deals at warehouse clubs

GREGORY KARP — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

It's a nagging question for many warehouse club members as they load oversize carts with oversize jars of mayo: Am I saving money?

The answer is a resounding maybe.

You can save huge if you are disciplined, says grocery expert Stephanie Nelson, who has done extensive research at warehouse clubs. Nelson is founder of CouponMom.com and author of the coming book "The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half."

Cuban dissident backs ending U.S. ban on travel to the island

LESLEY CLARK — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

WASHINGTON — A high-octane effort to let U.S. tourists visit Cuba got a major endorsement Thursday from one of the island's leading dissidents, who suggested that "along with suitcases, Bermuda shorts and sun block, support, solidarity and freedom could come, too."

Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, who this week drew the attention of President Obama, wrote in an essay to Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that lifting the ban on U.S. travel to Cuba "could bring more results in the democratization of Cuba than the indecisive performance of Raul Castro."

"Both peoples," she wrote of Cubans and Americans, "would come out winners."

Postal Service plans to stop forwarding letters to North Pole

RACHEL D'ORO — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.

The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks.

Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child's letter, but the Postal Service viewed the episode as a big enough scare to tighten rules in such programs nationwide.

Calif. standard aims to cut energy used by TVs

DANA HULL — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:05 CST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —In a widely watched ruling that could be followed by other states, California passed first-in-the-nation energy-efficiency standards for new television sets.

After two years of debate and fierce opposition from the Consumer Electronics Association, the five-member California Energy Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to require new TV sets sold in California to reduce electricity consumption 33 percent by 2011 and 49 percent by 2013.

Environmentalists and energy-efficiency experts applauded the move, noting that other states, as well as the federal government, are likely to follow California's lead.

Federal Reserve suggests new rules on gift cards

RONALD D. OROL — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:05 CST

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is proposing new rules for the $50 billion gift-card industry, including limits on fees for not using the card and requiring that gift cards expire no earlier than five years after purchase.

Many gift card issuers currently charge fees to recipients of gift cards that haven't been used for an extended period of time by deducting funds from the cards.

"The rules would protect consumers from certain unexpected costs and would require that gift card terms and conditions be clearly stated," the Federal Reserve said on Monday.

Creative ways to use your flexible spending account

Gregory Karp — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

The end of the year typically means frantic spending on the holidays, but it also could mean frantically using up your flexible spending account. However, there are some creative ways to do so.

An FSA is a benefit typically offered by large employers to help employees defray medical costs not covered by insurance. You designate a yearly amount to contribute to the FSA. Your employer deducts that amount from your check prorated before taxes. Whenever you pay for an approved medical item, you draw down on those pretax contributions.

The account allows you to save money by purchasing health care-related items with pretax money, essentially giving you a big discount.

Using oblivious neighbor's Wi-Fi signal is illegal

CRAIG CROSSMAN — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

Q: The other day, my Internet service went down as it does from time to time. But this particular time, I needed to check my e-mail for an important reply I was expecting.

After some frustrating time passed, I happened to notice that there was a Wi-Fi signal available. I have no idea to whom the service belonged but I suspected it belonged to one of my neighbors. It had a generic name of "NETGEAR" and it was unlocked.

I decided to see if it was accessible and it was. I was able to check my e-mail and download the important document that was attached to it.

Report: 75 percent could not qualify for military service

RICK MONTGOMERY — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Chalk up another national-security threat — this one looming with each excess pound, failing grade and drug bust affecting young adults.

An alarming 75 percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 would not qualify for military service today because they are physically unfit, failed to finish high school or have criminal records. So says a new report from an organization of education and military leaders calling for immediate action on the early-education front.

While some experts voiced doubt that obesity and other societal ills would keep three out of four young adults out of the ranks, the report titled "Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve" was endorsed by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former NATO commander Gen. Wesley Clark and top retired admirals and generals.

Credit card companies cancel without warning

EILEEN AMBROSE — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:04 CST

On his way home from work recently, Rick Niles of Laurel, Md., stopped at a gas station to fill up and as usual pulled out his Shell credit card to pay. But this time, the card didn't work.

"I thought it was probably just a problem with the gas station," said Niles, 40, an aerospace engineer with Mitre Corp. in Northern Virginia.

Days later he learned the truth. Citi, the card's issuer, had canceled his two-year-old account without notice, even though Niles says he pays the $200 or $300 balance each month and has a high credit rating.

Use debit card carefully — it's not same as cash

KATE FORGACH — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

Debit cards are so easy to use and it's just like paying with cash... right?

Not always.

While you don't pay interest charges with debit cards, as you do with credit cards, there are other hidden costs associated with their use. Here are some dos and don'ts you'll need to know when using your debit card for holiday shopping.

Serious injury could hurt your financial stability

Dan Serra — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:03 CDT

When putting together a financial plan to ensure a secure future, many people think about investments for tomorrow and life insurance to protect their family if tomorrow doesn't come.

A piece of the puzzle missing is what's in between: What if a serious injury ends the ability to work and therefore reduces income?

Most people that find themselves in that situation have only Social Security to help them.

Study finds stroke risk from anemia drugs

MARILYNN MARCHIONE — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:03 CDT

A new study raises fresh safety concerns about widely used anemia medicines, finding that the drug Aranesp nearly doubled the risk of stroke in people with diabetes and chronic kidney problems who are not yet sick enough to need dialysis.

The study is the largest ever of these blood-boosting drugs and the only one that compared them with a dummy treatment. The medicines have become blockbuster sellers because they lessen the need for transfusions, but their ability to prevent heart attacks, kidney failure or other problems has not been proven.

Over the past two years, the federal Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly strengthened warning labels on Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit as concerns rose that they may worsen survival in certain cancer patients, especially at higher doses. Amgen Inc. of Thousand Oaks, Calif., makes all three drugs, although New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson sells Procrit.

Breach reveals scrutiny of more than 30 lawmakers

Ellen Nakashima and Paul Kane — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:08 CDT

WASHINGTON — House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July.

The report appears to have been inadvertently placed on a publicly accessible computer network, and it was provided to the Washington Post by a source not connected to the congressional investigations. The committee said Thursday night that the document was released by a low-level staffer.

The ethics committee is one of the most secretive panels in Congress, and its members and staff members sign oaths not to disclose any activities related to its past or present investigations. Watchdog groups have accused the committee of not actively pursuing inquiries; the newly disclosed document indicates the panel is conducting far more investigations than it had revealed.

Tips on how to get great hairstyles for less

Ashley Grimaldo — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:04 CDT

I'm sick of paying $45 for a trim. If that isn't a rip off, I don't know what is. And I'm the low-maintenance kind of gal who doesn't color, highlight, or whatever else.

Because I'm so cheap I only get my haircut once every four months and opt for styles that grow out well.

Every time I leave the salon I ask my stylist when I should come back — inevitably she laughs at me, knowing that I'd never return within the "recommended" eight weeks. All men have to do is waltz into a barber shop (no appointment necessary) and walk out 20 minutes later for just $15.

Asian carmakers still lead pack, but Ford is competing

TOM KRISHER — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:05 CDT

DETROIT — Asian automakers are still building the most reliable cars and trucks, with eight of the top 10 brands from Japanese and Korean companies, according to an annual survey by Consumer Reports.

But several models from Ford Motor Co. are now consistently scoring above Honda and Toyota, the perennial leaders.

While Toyota's youth-oriented Scion brand finished first for the second year in a row, several Ford models, including the midsize Ford Fusion and its cousin, the Mercury Milan, consistently have been at or near the top of their classes, a trend that led Consumer Reports editors to declare that Ford is now making some vehicles with world-class reliability.

Buy air tickets early for holiday travel, experts suggest

Eileen Ambrose — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:47 CDT

The holidays will be here before you know it, and if you haven't made arrangements to fly home for Grandma's pumpkin pie, do so as soon as possible.

Airfare experts say you have until the end of October to book Thanksgiving flights to lock in a favorable price and get a seat on the flight you want.

"You have another 10 to 15 days in November to make Christmas and New Year's purchases before things get really crazy," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com.

Recession sends 60-somethings into new careers

DARRELL SMITH — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:06 CDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —She's not even sure it's a word, but Allison Sabraw has a term for her life's latest chapter:

"I'm re-careering," Sabraw said. "At this stage in my life, it's the most exciting, challenging thing that's come to me in a long time."

For nearly 30 years, Sabraw's life was the world of sales and marketing. The Sonoma, Calif., native began her career as a rarity, landing a Sacramento sales job at then-male-dominated beer giant Anheuser-Busch.

Some tax credits left for car buyers

Associated Press — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:09 CDT

NEW YORK — Missed out on Cash for Clunkers? Uncle Sam still has a few bones to throw your way if you buy a car before the end of the year.

Both tax credits and deductions are available on new-car purchases made before Dec. 31.

The tax relief won't rival what you might have received if you traded in your gas guzzler, but it can help lower your tax bill — or boost your refund — when you file your return in April.

Studying plants can teach about nanotechnology

Dr. E. Kirsten Peters — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:04 CDT

I don't think about the world from the point of view of plants very often. I mostly consider our friends in the plant kingdom as the stationary green stuff around me when I'm outdoors, and possibly the makings of salad in the summers.

But plants are also teaching me a thing or two as I grow older. I've taken to planting trees in middle age, I guess because of the emotional connection between trees and spans of time that are beyond those of a human lifetime. Nothing quite satisfies me as much as planting a hardwood.

Plants have still more to teach. They are experts in nanotechnology, it turns out. I'm trying to learn more about that realm — so I have good reason to pay attention to the lessons that can be drawn from plants' tiny pieces.