Hill Country News

A Cash America Pawn building on June 3, 2021 in Houston. (Brett Hondow/Dreamstime/TNS)

Consumer watchdog accuses pawn shop operator FirstCash of gouging military families

A consumer watchdog agency sued Texas pawn shop operator FirstCash Inc. on Friday, alleging the company and a subsidiary gouged military families by charging annual interest rates as high as 200% on … more

Paul O'Donnell, The Dallas Morning News (TNS) | 11/15/21

Incentivized by record wage gains and other attractive terms offered by employers desperate for talent, Americans are leaving their jobs in droves. (Dreamstime/TNS)

A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September

An unprecedented number of Americans quit their jobs in September, highlighting how persistent churn is undercutting employers’ efforts to fill a near-record level of vacancies. A record 4.4 … more

Molly Smith, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 11/14/21

The Evergreen container ship Ever Salute is loaded with containers at the Port of Los Angeles Monday, June 4, 2019. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Supply chain crisis gives once invisible shipping industry record profits and new adversaries

Consider the plight of Xu Yaping’s flimsy swords and knockoff Barbies. Exported from the International Trade City here, a wholesale market the size of 1,000 football … more

David Pierson, Alice Su, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 11/12/21

A potential buyer with her realtor view a home listed for sale during an open house in Parkland. (Carline Jean/Sun Sentinel/TNS)

Survey reveals how brutal the market can be for first-time homebuyers

A new survey captures in excruciating detail the ordeal faced by first-time homebuyers across the country as they deal with housing shortages. Whether it’s missing days of work, spending … more

Amber Randall, South Florida Sun Sentinel (TNS) | 11/11/21

The Justice Department is asking a court to block Uber’s “wait-time” fee to passengers with disabilities and seeking damages to compensate passengers. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Uber sued by US over wait-time fee for disabled passengers

Uber Technologies Inc. was sued by the Biden administration for charging a “wait-time” fee to passengers with disabilities and allegedly refusing their refund requests, making them feel … more

Malathi Nayak and Jackie Davalos, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 11/10/21

Home prices keep shattering records: How can buyers cope?

Home prices can’t keep going up forever. Can they? During the COVID-19 contagion, Americans proved willing to pay a premium for homes — so much so that home prices shattered all … more

Jeff Ostrowski, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 11/9/21

A health care worker receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the United Memorial Medical Center on Dec. 21, 2020, in Houston. (Go Nakamura/Getty Images/TNS)

Biden adviser defends big-company vaccine mandate

President Joe Biden’s requirement for employees at companies with more than 100 workers to get COVID-19 vaccinations or regular testing is on solid legal ground, presidential … more

Tony Czuczka, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 11/7/21

Elon Musk conducted a Twitter survey about selling his Tesla stock, and respondents said he should sell 10% of his stake in the carmaker. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

His Twitter followers have spoken: Elon Musk should sell a $21 billion Tesla stake

Elon Musk’s social media followers have spoken: The Tesla Inc. chief should sell 10% of his stake in the electric carmaker. A majority of 3.5 million Twitter users said they’d support … more

Ryan Beene and Dana Hull, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 11/7/21

Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine ready to be administered on Dec. 30, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Biden's COVID-19 vaccine rules for big businesses temporarily blocked by federal appeals court

Texas Republicans on Saturday claimed an early victory after a U.S. federal appeals court temporarily blocked the Biden administration from mandating that companies with more than 100 employees … more

By Kailyn Rhone, The Texas Tribune | 11/6/21

More than a year into the pandemic-induced downturn, Ann Arbor, Michigan, relaxed its city ordinance in early September to allow in-home enterprises to welcome more clients. In recent months, cities and states across the country have taken similar steps. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Pandemic prompts officials to relax rules on home businesses

It took 16 years, a local election and a global pandemic for Jonathan Holtfreter to secure his right to teach tuba in peace. The retired music teacher, a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, had for … more

Caitlin Dewey, Stateline.org (TNS) | 11/3/21

There's a stigma surrounding paternity leave, but data indicates that the practice provides a broader economic boost. (Dreamstime/TNS)

When men take paternity leave, the economy benefits

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took paternity leave and, while he nested, the critics feasted. “Loser” and “a little weird”" were among the more printable … more

Mary Biekert, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 11/1/21

US President Joe Biden addresses a press conference at the end of the G20 of World Leaders Summit on October 31, 2021 at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Biden announces new steps to address supply-chain disruptions

President Joe Biden took several steps to address supply-chain problems as he met leaders from major global economies, including the European Union, to address recent disruptions. He issued an … more

Tony Capaccio and Justin Sink, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 11/1/21

American Airlines jets are parked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's Terminal C, Sunday, April 19, 2020. The airlines had to cancel more than 900 flights Friday and Saturday because of inclement weather across the country, officials said. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

‘Deja vu all over again’: American Airlines cancels hundreds more flights Sunday

American Airlines has canceled nearly 700 flights so far Sunday, adding to more than 1,000 already called off as the airline struggled to recover from slowed operations caused by … more

Kyle Arnold, The Dallas Morning News (TNS) | 10/31/21

Dozens of container ships sit off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, waiting to be unloaded. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Newsom, Buttigieg announce $5 billion in loans for California’s clogged ports

Not content to wait for Congress to pass a big infrastructure spending bill, Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg moved on Thursday to inject $5 billion in loan money to help modernize California’s … more

Russ Mitchell, Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 10/29/21

Workers at Amazon's Fulfillment Center on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 in San Bernardino, California. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Amazon profit plunges 50% year over year — with more pain to come

Amazon’s profit in the third quarter of this year fell by nearly 50% compared with the same period in 2020, to $3.2 billion, driven by higher wage and shipping costs as well as a massive … more

Katherine Anne Long, The Seattle Times (TNS) | 10/29/21

In this file photo, people gather to protest mandate on COVID-19 vaccines at Southwest Airlines headquarters in Dallas on Oct. 18, 2021. (Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

Nearly 5 percent of unvaccinated adults quit their job due to opposition over vaccine mandates

As more workplaces initiate a vaccine mandate policy for employees, nearly 5% of unvaccinated workers have decided to quit their jobs in protest, a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation … more

Brandon Sapienza, New York Daily News (TNS) | 10/29/21

Workers load and unload containers Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, at the Evergreen terminal in the Port of Los Angeles. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 that the Port of Los Angeles will begin operating 24 hours a day, a push from the White House to clear supply chain disruptions that are threatening holiday shopping season plans and slowing the nation's economic recovery from the pandemic. (Chuck Bennett/TNS)

US posts weakest growth of pandemic recovery on supply woes

U.S. economic growth slowed more than expected in the third quarter to the softest pace of the pandemic recovery period as snarled supply chains and a surge in COVID-19 cases throttled spending and … more

Reade Pickert, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 10/28/21

Mark Zuckerberg mocked over Facebook name change to Meta

Mark Zuckerberg missed the mark for many social media users. Online commenters mocked Zuckerberg on Thursday after the billionaire announced his overarching Facebook company has been rebranded as … more

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News (TNS) | 10/28/21

Rebranding as Meta, Facebook emphasizes VR future over crisis-beset present

In a move that signals the company's growing focus on augmented and virtual reality projects, Facebook — which owns the photo sharing app Instagram, the virtual reality company Oculus and the … more

Brian Contreras, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 10/28/21

Facebook changes name to Meta in embrace of virtual reality

Facebook Inc. is re-christening itself Meta, decoupling its corporate identity from the eponymous social network mired in toxic content, and highlighting a shift to an emerging computing platform … more

Naomi Nix and Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 10/28/21

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