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Americans Prefer to Know Hotel Costs Upfront — Fees and All

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

Few things contribute to the end-of-vacation doldrums like checking out of your hotel and getting hit with a resort fee.Resort fees tend to run from $20 to $50, and they’re usually calculated per night instead of per stay. At some properties, these fees cover amenities like bikes, snorkels, yoga classes and cucumber-infused water. But other properties offer few resort-style amenities at all. Fees that cover menial amenities, like use of the room phone, can feel frustrating and wasteful.Resort fees have become a hot issue in travel. President Joe Biden went so far as to reference them in his 2023 State of the Union speech when he touted his administration’s Junk Fee Prevention Act, which is proposed legislation that would limit hidden fees and surcharges across a handful of industries, including travel.Those fees encompass surprise surcharges for families to sit together on airlines or service fees for buying tickets to concerts and sporting events. And, yes, the proposed legis...

Summer Travel Tips: Five Reasons to Book an Accessible Hotel Room with accessibleGO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

AccessibleGOParalympic Gold Medalist Andrew Kurka Joins accessibleGO as Brand AmbassadorNEW YORK, N.Y., March 15, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — With three in four Americans hoping to travel this summer, the time to start planning is now. But those with disabilities often face challenges at every step of the travel-planning process and journey, resulting in fear, anxiety and frustration. Today, accessibleGO, the first hotel booking site for people with disabilities, is sharing solutions to common problems that people with disabilities face when they travel. The company is also proud to announce that two-time Paralympic medalist Andrew Kurka has joined as brand ambassador to inspire travelers that “Anything is Possible” when they book on accessibleGO.“After being disabled at a teenager, I built a new identity and adapted to all the possibilities that life had to offer. But when it came to travel, I still faced the same accessibility issues as anybody else,” said Andrew Kurka. “That’s w...

Patriots move to retain restricted free agent OT Yodny Cajutse on 1-year deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

The Patriots have tendered restricted free agent offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste at an original-round level, according to a source.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots reportedly signing veteran OT Riley Reiff, expect him to start New England Patriots | How Devin McCourty helped the Patriots create cap space in retirement New England Patriots | Patriots sit out initial days of NFL free agency despite ample cap room, lack of spending New England Patriots | Patriots re-signing S Jabrill Peppers to 2-year deal, per reports New England Patriots | Patriots reportedly signing Broncos O-lineman to 2-year deal Cajuste should return on a 1-year, $2.73 million deal, which is non-guaranteed, indicating he will have to fight for a roster spot this summer. Opposing teams can still approach Cajuste with an offer sheet, and if he signs, the Pats can either match or receive a third-round pick as compensation.C...

Officials identify 3 of 8 killed after suspected smuggling boats overturned

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Three of the eight people who died after two suspected smuggling boats overturned near Black’s Beach on Sunday have been identified by authorities. According to the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office, Eloy Hernandez-Baltazar, 48; Yecenia Lazcano-Soriano, 22; and Guillermo Suarez Gonzalez, 23 were three of the individuals killed while attempting to travel from Mexico to the U.S. on panga boats. San Diego River flooding in Mission Valley The cause of death for all three victims was noted as drowning. The boats capsized in the early morning hours, prompting calls to 911. The San Diego Police Department and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Lifeguards responded to the incident. The medical examiner's office said lifeguards pulled victims from the ocean and pronounced them dead at the scene on Black's Beach.Meanwhile, seven of the eight people who died were presumed to be Mexican citizens, officials with the Consulate General of Mexico confirmed Monday.Anyone who wis...

Bicyclist fatally struck by driver suspected of DUI: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A bicyclist was fatally struck by a vehicle in North County on Tuesday, authorities said.The Oceanside Police Department announced at 5:19 p.m. that all southbound lanes of Douglas Drive were shut down from El Camino Real to Mission Avenue due to a traffic accident. 18-year-old killed in East County crash Several hours later, the department tweeted that the lanes had been reopened following a fatal traffic collision. According to police, a preliminary investigation indicated that a bicyclist traveling on Douglas Drive, on or near the sidewalk, was struck by a motorist.Authorities say the male adult bicyclist is believed to be in his 50s. He was reported to have succumbed to his injuries at the scene. His identity has not yet been released.The department said the motorist remained at the scene of the crash and was arrested for suspicion of driving while under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. Anyone with information about the collision is encouraged to...

Abortion pill challenge goes before conservative Texas judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge in Texas appointed by former President Donald Trump is considering a request by a Christian conservative group to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s more than 2-decade-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.The Alliance for Defending Freedom asked Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk on Wednesday for an immediate order that would revoke or suspend the drug’s approval. Such a step would be an unprecedented challenge to the FDA, which approved mifepristone in combination with a second pill as a safe and effective method for ending abortion in 2000.Lawyers for the FDA are expected to argue that pulling mifepristone from the market would upend reproductive care for U.S. women and undermine the government’s scientific oversight of prescription drugs.Kacsmaryk has given each side two hours to argue their position in the high-stakes court case. Mifepristone’s manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, will join the FDA in arguing to keep the pill ava...

S&P/TSX composite drops over 350 points as concern over global banking sector spreads

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index sank along with international markets in late-morning trading as mounting apprehensions over the global banking sector spread. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 353.53 points at 19,340.63 after troubles at Switzerland’s Credit Suisse rattled markets only days after two high-profile bank failures in the U.S.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average down 465.28 points at 31,690.12. The S&P 500 index was down 50.60 points at 3,868.69, while the Nasdaq composite was down 109.27 points at 11,318.88.The Canadian dollar was trading for 72.45 cents US,compared with 73.12 cents US on Tuesday. The April crude contract was down US$3.41 at US$67.92 per barreland the April natural gas contract was down 15 cents at US$2.43 per mmBTU.The April gold contract was up US$18.30 at US$1,929.20 an ounceand the May copper contract was down 14 cents at US$3.87 a pound. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2023.Compani...

Canadian home sales drop 40 per cent in February compared with year ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

OTTAWA — Home sales in Canada plummeted 40 per cent last month compared with a year ago, with new listings and prices also dropping in what one economist called “hints of a bottoming process.”The plunge in sales came as prices declined 18.9 per cent compared with the all-time record posted in February 2022, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Wednesday.The actual average home price in Canada was $662,437 in February, down from $816,578 a year earlier, the association said, referring to figures that had not been seasonally adjusted.Compared with January, CREA said national home sales rose 2.3 per cent in February, powered by gains in Toronto and Vancouver, while the number of newly listed properties dropped 7.9 per cent month over month.The drop in transactions in February brought sales in line with what was recorded in 2018 and 2019, suggesting the rise in interest rates over the past year “has blown off some of the pandemic era froth in Canada’s housin...

Stocks tumble on Wall Street on renewed fears about banks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are back to falling on Wall Street Wednesday as worries worsen about the strength of banks on both sides of the Atlantic.The S&P 500 was 1.3% lower in midday trading, while markets in Europe fell more sharply as shares of Switzerland’s Credit Suisse tumbled to a record low. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 461 points, or 1.4%, at 31,694 as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern time after earlier being down as many as 639 points. The Nasdaq composite was 0.9% lower. Credit Suisse has been fighting troubles for years, including losses it took from the 2021 collapse of investment firm Archegos Capital. Its shares in Switzerland sank more than 16% following reports that its top shareholder won’t pump more money into its investment. Wall Street’s harsh spotlight has intensified across the banking industry recently on worries about what may crack next following the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history over the last week. Stocks of U.S. banks tumbled ...

Haiti claims delayed Canadian armoured vehicles hinder plan to control gangs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:08:27 GMT

OTTAWA, Ill. — Haiti’s troubled government is accusing Canada of stalling in its promised delivery of armoured vehicles, and argues the delay is hindering a plan to clear violent gangs from Port-au-Prince.In an interview with Haitian radio, the country’s acting justice minister, Emmelie Prophète-Milcé, says in French that the company supplying the tanks “did not keep its word.”Violent gangs have held control over most of Haiti’s capital for months, leading to a shortage of essentials and medical care, and a rise in sexual assaults.As part of Canada’s response, Ottawa says it has been airlifting armoured vehicles that the Haitian government has purchased, which might avoid the need for an international military intervention.But Prophète-Milcé says the majority of the 18 armoured vehicles her country ordered have yet to arrive, and she claims “the police could implement their strategy if all the armoured vehicles were delivered on time.”...