Online Features
Automotive
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Six rules to help keep your teen driver safe
(BPT) - If you worry about the kind of car your teen will drive, you’re not alone. In a survey commissioned by USAA, 81 percent of parents put reliability first when choosing a vehicle for their teens, followed by a high safety rating. The good news is that teens also want cars with the latest safety features. “Being ...
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Road trip tire tips
(BPT) - The weather’s heating up and that means one thing: road trips. Before you grab the family and hit the highway, make sure your vehicle’s ready to roll. And the first place to check is actually what rolls – your tires. Often ignored – except when they are flat – tires are one of the most important components on a...
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Save time and money with easy DIY auto maintenance tips
(BPT) - Vehicles are a big investment for families – usually the second highest valued item in a household after the home itself. While the purchase price for cars, trucks and SUVs keeps going up, the cost of maintenance is holding steady or even dropping for most vehicles. Better materials, sophisticated computers and ...
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Surprising ways older drivers can stay safer on the road
(BPT) - For baby boomers and beyond, a lot has changed since they first received their drivers’ license, from car technology and traffic rules, to even road conditions. Many older drivers are taking a proactive approach to staying safe on the road. Most wear a seat belt – 77 percent of drivers age 65 and older according...
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Secrets of what's driving American travelers this season
(BPT) - Now that spring has sprung, drivers will be hitting the road in earnest to enjoy the warmer weather. In fact, according to Hankook Tire’s latest Quarterly Gauge Index, 56 percent of Americans are planning to take a road trip that involves driving 50 miles or more. On average, they estimate they will drive 1,02...
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Improving automobile fuel efficiency - with plastics
While most Americans know that drastically improving automobile fuel efficiency will reduce gasoline consumption and tailpipe emissions, it may be less clear how today’s cars and trucks are evolving to make that happen. The U.S. government recently announced stringent new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards...
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Distracted Driving Awareness Month aims to limit the distractions of technology in the 21st century
Talking or texting on a cellphone while driving is taboo almost everywhere across the country. Thirty-nine states now ban texting while driving and 10 states prohibit any use of a cellphone without a hands-free device. But that doesn’t mean drivers are using their phones any less. In fact, smartphones are more popular ...
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Keep your cool: Don't get stuck on the road this summer
(BPT) - Summer is the time for road trips, whether they cover thousands of miles across the country, or are “staycation” day trips. As we head into the summer months, gasoline prices continue to fluctuate and are expected to average $3.56 per gallon for regular-grade gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Ad...
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Five fast fixes and tips for a summer-ready car
(BPT) - With summer just around the corner, it’s time to get your car in tip-top shape to withstand hot days and long road trips. Summer driving requires your car to run differently; some adjustments and inspections are important to ensure your vehicle lasts season to season. Follow these five fast fixes and inspections...
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Tips for motorcycle riders: Hit the road and ride responsibly
(BPT) - Freedom. The open road. There’s nothing quite like the big sky ahead of you and feeling the rumble of your motorcycle. It’s motorcycle season across the United States and Canada. Warm weather accompanied by clear roads means it’s time to seek adventure, even if that means ditching your car for your daily commute...
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Going the extra mile: Secrets to keeping cars running longer on the roads
(BPT) - Hitting 100,000 miles on the odometer for most people means it’s time to start car shopping. But for others it’s a personal challenge to go the extra mile, save a little cash and take their cars another 100,000 miles. Racking up miles can evoke pride in some, but it is more than just bragging rights. Many peopl...
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Rattling down the highway? What those common car noises mean
(BPT) - “What is that rattling? Is it serious?” We all can get a little paranoid about a new sound our car is making. Those sounds can certainly be annoying, but what people don’t realize is sometimes those sounds may be linked to something more serious. About 7 percent of car crashes are caused by some kind of vehicle...
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national news

Candidates hold U.S. flags during a naturalization ceremony to become new U.S. Citizens at Convention Center in Los AngelesBy Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. immigration reform are hoping that the smooth and drama-free passage of their legislation through a Senate committee - a departure from almost everything that has happened in Congress over the past four years - will boost the likelihood of the bill winning full Senate approval. Even Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee who voted against the immigration bill on Tuesday, told Reuters TV that the "very fair" debate by the panel "does improve its chances. ...


Wed May 22 17:29:42 UTC 2013

Charles Taber opens the two-week old storm shelter that saved his life in the May 20 tornado in Oklahoma CityBy Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction. At least one family took refuge in a bathtub and some people shut themselves in underground shelters built into their houses on Monday when the powerful storm tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. ...


Wed May 22 19:58:05 UTC 2013

Hagel takes part in a news conference on efforts to eliminate VA claims backlogs, at the U.S. Capitol in WashingtonBy Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Military and civilian lawyers for prisoners at the Guantanamo naval base urged U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to improve conditions for detainees, putting more pressure on the Obama administration to make good its promise to close the camp. The plea from 18 lawyers representing "high-value" prisoners came before a speech by President Barack Obama on Thursday when he will address counterterrorism measures such as drone strikes and closing Guantanamo. ...


Wed May 22 21:30:47 UTC 2013
So you're considering college but don't have the dough. Or maybe you're out of college now and still don't have the dough. You're not alone: In the past 30 years, the cost of a college degree has risen 1,120 percent and the number of people taking out loans to pay for it has skyrocketed. The [...]
Thu May 23 04:39:26 UTC 2013