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Mortgage rates hit 23-year high as Fed plays ‘Grinch’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

“Memory Lane” takes a stroll through financial history because the economy has a funny habit of repeating itself.Buzz: Mortgage rates have surged to their highest level since 2000 – with hints they’ll go higher – as the Federal Reserve plays housing’s “Grinch” to cool the economy.Source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at the rates on the average 30-year fixed mortgage from a survey by Freddie Mac. To help explain home loan swings, I compared rates with the Consumer Price Index’s inflation rate.Numbers: The average 30-year mortgage rate was 7.49% for the week, up from 7.31% a week ago and the eighth consecutive week above 7%. The last time it was higher was November 2000.How much does that jump hurt house-hunting? A borrower seeking $600,000 today would have a $4,191 house payment at current rates, up 9% from financing costs at the 6.66% rate in October 2022 and up a stunning 66% from the 2.99% rate in October 2021.How long ago?Let’s jar ...

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival 2023: Your guide to food, fun, arts, music

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

Every October, the world’s pumpkin capital, Half Moon Bay, invites folks to help them celebrate the area’s agricultural bounty. And California residents come by the thousands for the food, the contests, the parade, the music and the arts and crafts.Here’s the lowdown on this month’s 51st annual Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival and all the free fun:BASICS: The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Oct. 15, along Main Street, between Mill and Spruce streets. Admission is free. Pets aren’t allowed. Details: http://pumpkinfest.miramarevents.comTravis Gienger rides with his winning 2,560-pound pumpkin during the 2022 Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Karl Mondon — staff archivesTHE WEIGH-IN: Not you, the gourds! Will any pumpkin grower be able to beat last year’s record-setting entry of 2,560 pounds from Minnesota’s Travis Gienger? The sponsor of the annual weigh-in, Safeway, wil...

Hiking the hidden stairs of Berkeley is maddening, painful and utterly gorgeous

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

Every now and then, you wake up and think, “I want to do a hike. But I don’t want a hike that’s exactly fun, or easy – I want one that will make me curse my decision with each plodding footfall, but that I’ll look back upon with self-inflicted amnesia as a rewarding use of time.”Folks, here’s one such hike. In the hills of the East Bay lies an intricate network of stairways and paths known locally as the “secret” or “hidden” stairs. They supposedly number in the hundreds, some having been constructed as shortcuts down to old Key System streetcars and others who-knows-why.There are many ways to explore them – if you’re a fan of architecture and nature, check out our guide to the historic stairs and fire trails behind UC Berkeley – but today we’re focusing on the neighborhood roughly between the Berkeley Rose Garden and Lake Anza. It is extremely hilly terrain with incredible views of the open Bay. Wild turkeys ro...

Reader shares story of crash far from home, advice to prepare: Roadshow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

Q: I have a story about dealing with an accident away from home.While driving Interstate 80 in Fairfield, I was sideswiped by a driver trying to avoid colliding with a car it was tailgating. After impact, the driver accelerated toward a nearby exit and disappeared before I could note identifying information.With significant damage to my vehicle, I drove slowly to a relatively safe place off the road. While I was deciding whether to call 911 or AAA, the Freeway Service Patrol came by and towed my vehicle to a location just off the freeway.Next, I had to decide whether to leave the car in that area to get it fixed and get home by ride share or a rental car, or to have the car towed home at considerable expense. I opted for the tow.While waiting for AAA to call me back, I tried contacting my insurance company, was placed on a long hold and disconnected when AAA called me back. It took five hours for the tow to arrive. Fortunately, when I placed a claim with State Farm, I was told that ...

Stock market today: Wall Street opens lower as a hot jobs report fans inflation worries

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Worries about a too-hot job market are sending Wall Street lower, keeping stocks on track to close out a fifth straight losing week. The S&P 500 was 0.6% lower in early trading Friday. The Dow fell 138 points and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.7%. Once again, it was rising yields in the bond market driving down stocks. Yields rallied after a report said U.S. employers added nearly twice as many jobs last month as economists expected. Average wages rose at a slower rate than economists expected, however, which could remove some inclination by companies to raise their prices.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street quickly reversed course Friday after the government reported twice as many job gains as expected, Futures for the Dow fell 1.1% and futures for the S&P 500 tumbled 0.9% before the bell.The Labor Department reported Friday that U.S. employers added 336,000 jobs in September more than double the 163,000 analysts wer...

After charmed season in Charm City, Orioles ready for playoff baseball’s return to Baltimore

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

Baltimore Orioles outfielders Heston Kjerstad, left, Aaron Hicks (34) and Ryan O'Hearn (32) react after a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Baltimore. The Orioles won 5-2. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)(AP/Julio Cortez) Baltimore Orioles outfielders Heston Kjerstad, left, Aaron Hicks (34) and Ryan O'Hearn (32) react after a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Baltimore. The Orioles won 5-2. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)(AP/Julio Cortez) BALTIMORE (AP) — As his teammates celebrated their AL East championship last week, Baltimore outfielder Austin Hays took a moment to reflect on the Orioles’ journey from 110-loss doormat to top seed in the American Le...

There are cowboy boot Crocs now

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

It appears that the trusty, “sorry-not-sorry that I’m ugly” Crocs foam clog has found a way to get even weirder, this time with some western flair. It appears that the trusty, “sorry-not-sorry that I’m ugly” Crocs foam clog has found a way to get even weirder, this time with some western flair. New York (CNN) — It appears that the trusty, “sorry-not-sorry that I’m ugly” Crocs foam clog has found a way to get even weirder, this time with some western flair.On Thursday, Crocs unveiled something previously unimaginable. A Crocs cowboy boot, with spurs and all.Should we thank Taylor Swift for this, too?The company, in fact, credited its own fanbase for the idea.“For years, the buzz around a Crocs-inspired cowboy boot ...

Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau out for game against Jaguars in London

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

WARE, England (AP) — Buffalo defensive end Greg Rousseau was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars because of a foot injury, Bills coach Sean McDermott said Friday.Rousseau had two sacks in Buffalo’s 48-20 win over the Miami Dolphins but hasn’t practiced this week. He has three sacks on the season and one forced fumble.The team hasn’t announced any changes in Von Miller’s status. McDermott said the edge rusher is “one day at a time” ahead of the matchup in London.Miller returned to practice this week for the first time in over 10 months. He tore a ligament and sustained cartilage damage in his right knee during a win at Detroit last Thanksgiving Day.Under NFL rules, Miller opened a three-week window in which he’s allowed to practice before he’s required to be activated or returned to the injured list.The Bills arrived in the British capital Friday morning.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSource

Deer in search of romance costing DC-area drivers more than ever

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

The leaves are turning, temperatures are cooling, which means drivers can expect to have more company on the roads — and we’re not talking about cars and trucks.“There are plenty of deer out and about,” said Ragina Ali, spokeswoman with AAA Mid-Atlantic. “October through December marks deer mating season.”While the number of deer strikes is increasing so is the cost of car repairs after deer crashes.“In Maryland, the average claim for an animal strike in 2022 was more than $6,300 — an increase of nearly 60% in just five years,” said Ali. “In Virginia, the average claim was $5,500, up 40%.”Why is it costing so much more?“The sharp increase is due in large part to new vehicle technology, including the sensors and cameras that may be in the windshield, or the bumper, or rear view mirrors,” said Ali. “Items that are there to help keep us safer while driving, unfortunately also drive up the cost of repair should your...

Científicos dicen haber confirmado pruebas de que los humanos llegaron a América mucho antes de lo que se pensaba

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:35:08 GMT

(CNN) — Cuando en 2021 se hizo público el descubrimiento de huellas fosilizadas en lo que hoy es Nuevo México, la arqueología vivió un momento explosivo que parecía haber reescrito un capítulo de la historia de la humanidad. Ahora, nuevas investigaciones aportan más pruebas de su importancia.Aunque parece que podrían haber sido hechas ayer, las huellas fueron prensadas en el barro hace entre 21.000 y 23.000 años, según la datación por radiocarbono de las semillas de una planta acuática que se conservaron encima y debajo de los fósiles.Esta fecha hizo retroceder drásticamente la cronología de la historia de los humanos en América, la última masa continental en ser colonizada por pueblos prehistóricos. Las 61 huellas fechadas, que se descubrieron en la cuenca de Tularosa, cerca de la orilla de un antiguo lago del Parque Nacional de White Sands, se realizaron en una época en la que muchos científicos creen que las enormes capas de hielo habían sellado el paso de los humanos a Amé...