Hill Country News

A flight attendant, wearing one mask, demonstrates the use of an oxygen mask at the outset of flight from Burbank to Las Vegas in June. A survey of flight attendants found unruly passengers are an ongoing problem. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Flight attendants say airlines must do more to address unruly passengers

As air travel demand increases, a vast majority of flight attendants say they have dealt with unruly passengers and nearly 1 in 5 experienced a physical incident, including shoving, kicking seats and … more

Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 7/30/21

An employee sanitizes shopping carts at the entrance on March 29, 2020 at Target in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Target giving another $200 bonus to front-line workers

Target is once again paying front-line employees a $200 bonus to thank them for their work over the past few months. On Thursday, the Minneapolis-retailer announced the bonus will be awarded to … more

Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune (TNS) | 7/30/21

Visitors pass through Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., as visitors return to the park with COVID-safety restrictions in place on May 3, 2021. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Disneyland and other parks are requiring masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status

Responding to state and local health officials' recommendations, Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other theme parks will require guests to wear masks in all indoor settings, regardless of … more

Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 7/29/21

Beachgoers relax at the Descanso Beach Club last month on Catalina Island on Friday, June 25, 2021. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

GDP roars past pre-pandemic levels. Where does the economy go from here?

Even with production glitches, transportation bottlenecks and labor shortages, the U.S. economy grew in the second quarter at one of the fastest rates in decades, lifting the … more

Don Lee, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 7/29/21

COBRA premiums for laid-off workers are covered in full by federal funding for six months, through September, but consumer advocates say they're worried many more people may have been left in the dark about the subsidy. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Sign-up window for free COBRA coverage for many laid-off workers closes this week

After being laid off from her job as a systems analyst for a specialty chemicals company in December, Gabriela de Pompignan opted to hang on to her former employer’s insurance coverage under … more

Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 7/29/21

Mark Zuckerberg wants you to live, work and play inside Facebook's digital world. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS)

Zuckerberg says Facebook’s future lies in virtual ‘metaverse’

Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t just want you logging in to his company’s products. He wants you living, working and even exercising inside them. That’s the very high-level idea behind … more

Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 7/28/21

New research suggests the U.S. economy stands to gain $160 billion a year in extra output from a successful national high-speed internet plan. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Fast internet everywhere could add $160 billion to US economy

The U.S. economy stands to gain $160 billion a year in extra output from a successful national high-speed internet plan that would boost labor productivity and allow more people to work from home, … more

Craig Torres, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 7/28/21

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, along with Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp., reported about $57 billion in combined profit in a record-busting quarter, riding a resurgence in consumer and business spending. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Tech giants’ record quarter gives way to growth skepticism

Three of the world’s largest companies — Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. — reported about $57 billion in combined profit in a record-busting quarter, riding a … more

Mark Bergen and Ian King, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 7/27/21

Walmart announced it will pay 100% of all college tuition and books for its associates in the U.S. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Walmart to pay 100% of US college tuition, books for associates

The world’s largest retailer announced Tuesday it will pay 100% of all college tuition and books for its associates in the U.S. more

Tim Darnell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 7/27/21

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has sued to throw out cruise safety rules from the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention. His office announced Thursday that mediation had failed between the parties of the lawsuit. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Summer cruises in Florida remain uncertain as DeSantis digs in on vaccine requirement ban

Gov. Ron DeSantis' bid to get cruise safety rules from the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention thrown out has hit another bump. On Thursday, DeSantis' office said the two sides failed to come to … more

Taylor Dolven, Miami Herald (TNS) | 6/15/21

UnitedHealthcare corporate headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn. (Ken Wolter/Dreamstime.com/TNS)

UnitedHealthcare delays policy to stop paying for some ER care

UnitedHealthcare is putting on hold a new policy that would have stopped payments for non-emergency health care provided in ERs beginning next month. more

Christopher Snowbeck | Star Tribune | 6/10/21

Lumber prices have spiked due to cutbacks in production during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts expect prices to remain elevated for some time. (Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News/TNS)

Lumber is wildly expensive now. Even picnic table prices are through the roof

The cost of a common commodity has scrambled summer plans, and it’s not gas: Soaring lumber prices are making new homes, renovations and even simple picnic tables drastically more expensive. more

Andrew Khouri, Carly Olson, Andrew Mendez | Los Angeles Times | 6/10/21

A new mortgage refinancing program from Fannie Mae has opened for low- and moderate-income borrowers. (Jim Roberts/Dreamstime/TNS)

New mortgage refinance program for lower-income homeowners opens

A new mortgage refinancing program from Fannie Mae targeted to low- and moderate-income borrowers opened to applicants June 5. more

Jeff Ostrowski and Zach Wichter | Bankrate.com | 6/10/21

A sign welcomes job candidates to an AT&T hiring event on April 28 in Richardson, Texas. The company was hiring for 300 jobs across the Dallas-Fort Worth area in retail, virtual sales and customer acquisition roles. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

US initial jobless claims decline for a sixth consecutive week

Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance fell for a sixth straight week, consistent with further improvement in the labor market and robust economic growth. more

Payne Lubbers | Bloomberg News | 6/10/21

Farmer Hayri Kalkan talks on the phone while walking through his corn field on June 5, 2021, in Karapinar, Turkey. In Turkey's Konya province, the heart of the country's agriculture sector, extreme drought conditions over the past two years are taking a heavy toll on farmers and the land. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images/TNS)

‘Every bushel matters’ as drought keeps crop markets on edge

Grain prices have touched near-decade highs, and whether they rally to further heights or retreat depends in large part on the condition and quantity of plants over the next few months. more

Kim Chipman | Bloomberg News | 6/10/21

People rally to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline in front of the White House on January 28, 2015, in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

Keystone pipeline, symbol to oil’s foes and friends, is now dead

Calgary-based TC Energy said in a statement it had formally terminated the project after consultation with the government of Alberta in Canada. It had already suspended construction on the pipeline earlier this year, after Biden revoked a presidential permit for the project. more

Jennifer A. Dlouhy | Bloomberg News | 6/10/21

A COVID-19 vaccine registration card. Gov. Greg Abbott will sign a bill into law that will punish businesses that require proof of vaccination from customers.

Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill to punish businesses that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination

Texas businesses that require customers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will be denied state contracts and could lose their licenses or operating permits under legislation Gov. Greg Abbott signed … more

By Karen Brooks Harper, The Texas Tribune | 6/8/21

U.S. businesses in May added the most jobs in nearly a year, led by the hospitality industry. Nicole Mitchell, a bartender/server, made drinks at Cassia in Santa Monica, Calif., on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Payrolls at US firms rise most in nearly a year, ADP data show

U.S. businesses in May added the most jobs in nearly a year, suggesting companies are making headway filling a record number of vacancies as the economy strengthens. more

Olivia Rockeman, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 6/4/21

A store advertises a Help Wanted sign in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 12, 2021.(Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

US job growth picked up steam in May after disappointing April

U.S. job growth picked up in May and the unemployment rate fell, signaling firms are making some progress filling a record number of openings as the economy powers up. Payrolls increased by … more

Olivia Rockeman and Reade Pickert, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 6/4/21

The Disney Dream, docked in Port Canaveral, Florida on Monday, March 9, 2020. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

80% of cruise enthusiasts would prefer to sail with vaccine requirement

Eighty percent of likely cruisers want to resume sailing on ships that require vaccinations, according to a survey conducted over the Memorial Day weekend by the consumer-focused travel website … more

Ron Hurtibise, South Florida Sun Sentinel (TNS) | 6/3/21

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