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Declaring energy independence for a brighter future
It is time to make history by changing history. For more than 40 years - and through eight presidents - the United States has been dependent on foreign oil to power the nation. Today, energy independence is a realistic goal, one founded on American innovation, technology and hard work. Here is what you need to know.
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Are small businesses protecting themselves from a data breach?
A data breach can be a challenge for any business, but this is especially true for smaller businesses. Not only can it be more difficult for a smaller business to recover from a data breach, but criminals may also be more likely to target smaller firms.
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Top 10 tips for personal and property safety on campus
It's time to start back-to-college planning, buying school supplies and preparing for move-in day at campuses around the country. Students will be living independently, meeting new friends and enjoying all that the college experience has to offer. However, young adults on their own - many for the first time - can be unf...
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Election 2012: Understanding your voting rights
Federal, state and local elections in 2012 are shaping up to make this one of the most anticipated election seasons in U.S. history. In addition to voting for the president of the United States, 33 of 100 U.S. senate seats will be up for election, as well as 435 U.S. Congressional seats and the governorships for 13 state...
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The growth of the e-cig industry
The electronic cigarette industry is growing. According to a recent survey conducted by the Wells Fargo Securities Tobacco Talk, the electronic cigarette industry which was once viewed as a passing fad, has grown to around $300 million in revenue at retail. While electronic cigarette companies are still waiting for regulation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some industry experts project that this figure could grow to more than $1 billion over the next few years.
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The hottest restaurant trends and how they get their sizzle
You don't have to be a "foodie" to be aware of restaurant trends. When a particular ingredient or style of preparation is "hot," it will show up on the menus of everything from chain restaurants to fine-dining establishments. So what's hot right now in restaurant trends? And how do those trends evolve?
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The most-overlooked financial planning tool that's free to everyone
What did you do with that envelope that used to arrive once a year with estimates of your future Social Security benefits? You might have reviewed the information. You may have even filed the statement away as a reference. Now, this powerful financial planning tool is as close as the nearest computer.
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Ten must-have apps to help you survive a storm
If you live in a disaster-prone area, you should have a disaster-preparedness kit, but your best friend during a crisis might be your smartphone. You shouldn't count on cellular or Wi-Fi service, or power to charge your batteries during a disaster, but even a partially charged phone can show you how to do CPR, act as a f...
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Do you hear what I hear?
Due to the increased use of earbuds, adolescent hearing loss is up 5 percent over the last decade, which now affects 20 percent of U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 19, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. It's no surprise the increase in popular portable digital media player ownership from 18 percent ...
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Searching for a job this summer? Look no further than your neighborhood restaurant
Summer is the busiest season of the year for restaurants, with hungry consumers looking to beat the cooking heat opting to dine out instead. As a result, restaurants from coast to coast are looking to hire hundreds of thousands of additional employees to support the influx of local customers and travelers and tourists th...
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Protecting yourself from cybercrime
Gone are the days when hackers were the weekend enthusiasts you tolerated on the golf course, when viruses were the things that gave you the flu or a cold, and Phish was a popular jam band who served as the inspiration for your favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's. With the rise of the Internet and electronic devices has c...
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Hot ideas for keeping your outdoor spaces cooler this summer
As temperatures climb, many of us retreat indoors, leaving our outdoor living spaces vacant until fall. However, it is possible to enjoy being outside throughout the sultry months if you take a few steps to keep your outdoor living spaces as cool as possible. Here are a few ideas to help you keep your cool outdoors this ...
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national news
More poor people now live in U.S. suburbs than cities - study

Newly constructed homes in an unfinished subdivision is surrounded by weeds in CoolidgeWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people living in poverty in U.S. suburbs surpassed the number of poor in cities over the past decade, driven by strong growth in overall suburban populations, according to an analysis released on Monday. The change is posing a challenge to some traditional U.S. approaches to fighting poverty, which were aimed primarily at poverty in urban settings, the Brookings Institution study found. The number of poor people living in suburbs rose 64 percent between 2000 and 2011, reaching 16.4 million, it showed. ...


Mon May 20 11:55:15 UTC 2013
Powerful tornadoes strike in four central U.S. states

A tornado touches down southwest of Wichita, Kan. near the town of Viola on Sunday, May 19, 2013. The tornado was part of a line of storms that past through the central plains on Sunday. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Travis Heying)By Chris Francescani (Reuters) - A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died. By 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, more than two dozen tornadoes had been spotted in parts of Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local news reports. ...


Mon May 20 10:41:51 UTC 2013
Connecticut governor tells commuters to work from home this week while crash repaired
By Richard Weizel and Edith Honan MILFORD, Conn./NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of Connecticut commuters faced delays and crowded trains on Monday as Metro-North workers scrambled to repair damage on the United States' busiest rail line, caused by the collision of two trains. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said commuters should expect "serious disruptions" throughout the week and encouraged riders to stay home if possible. ...
Mon May 20 11:42:52 UTC 2013
Tornadoes tear through central U.S., killing two
Less than a week after a string of tornadoes killed six people in north Texas, a massive storm system that tore through the center of the country on Sunday spawned at least a dozen tornadoes, killed two people, injured dozens more and caused extensive damage from Georgia to Minnesota. According to the Oklahoma state medical [...]
Mon May 20 08:28:31 UTC 2013