EditorsPicks

Giant rubber ducky appears in Maine harbor, leaving officials stumped

Giant rubber ducky appears in Maine harbor, leaving officials stumped

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks #Lifestyle ‘Everybody loves it,’ harbor master says The sudden appearance of a giant rubber duck in a Maine harbor is a whimsical whodunit that’s defied sleuths so far. The yellow waterfowl emblazoned with the word “joy” appeared in Belfast Harbor over the weekend, and it’s a mystery who put it there. Harbor Master Katherine Given told the Bangor Daily Newsthat the 25-foot-tall duck doesn’t pose a navigational hazard, so there’s no rush to shoo it away. “Everybody loves it,” Given said. “I have no idea who owns it, but it kind of fits…
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People now spend more at Amazon than at Walmart

People now spend more at Amazon than at Walmart

By Karen Weise - The New York Times Michael Corkery - The New York Times Troy Warren for CNT #Business SEATTLE — Amazon has eclipsed Walmart to become the world’s largest retail seller outside China, according to corporate and industry data, a milestone in the shift from brick-and-mortar to online shopping that has changed how people buy everything from Teddy Grahams to teddy bears. Propelled in part by surging demand during the pandemic, people spent more than $610 billion on Amazon over the 12 months ending in June, according to Wall Street estimates compiled by the financial research firm FactSet. Walmart on Tuesday…
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Everything you need to know today about the world in 80 seconds

Everything you need to know today about the world in 80 seconds

By wire reports Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks   Wind forecasts bring new worries to California fire lines Firefighters battling flames in Northern California forests girded Monday for new bouts of windy weather, and a utility warned thousands of customers it might cut their electricity to prevent new fires from igniting if gusts damage power lines. Conditions that suppressed the huge Dixie Fire overnight were expected to give way late in the day to winds that could push flames toward mountain communities in a region where drought and summer heat have turned vegetation to tinder. “In this environment, any type of…
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South Carolina man wins lottery twice in 11 days

South Carolina man wins lottery twice in 11 days

By ArLuther Lee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks Strikes it rich after regular stop at gas station to fill up and buy tickets A lucky South Carolina man was already having a good month in mid-July after winning a $40,000 lottery prize when he turned around and won a $3 million jackpot less than two weeks later. The man was at a Murphy USA gas station in Myrtle Beach on July 16 when he purchased a Mega Millions Quick Pick ticket that hit for 40 grand, according to CNN, which cited a statement by the South Carolina Education Lottery.…
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At least 724 deaths, 2,800 injuries confirmed after 7.2 quake in Haiti

At least 724 deaths, 2,800 injuries confirmed after 7.2 quake in Haiti

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks U.S., other countries pledge assistance after some towns destroyed PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — At least 724 people were killed and 2,800 injured when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to affected areas, where some towns were destroyed and hospitals were overwhelmed with wounded people. Besides the confirmed death toll, Haiti’s civil protection agency said hundreds have been injured. The epicenter of the quake was about 78 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage…
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Is the Plug-In the Future of Luxury and Hyper Cars?

Is the Plug-In the Future of Luxury and Hyper Cars?

BY JON ALAIN GUZIK | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars #EditorsPicks From Bentley to Ferrari and Lamborghini, high-end car manufacturers are transitioning to electric with stylish sustainability: "We will hybridize our entire line of cars by 2024." The paradigm is shifting in the luxury car world. At the high end, nearly every brand is now offering a plug-in hybrid version (PHEV) of their most popular vehicles. For instance, a high-end SUV like BMW’s X5 xDrive45e PHEV (from $65,400) has a 30-mile EV range, which is usually enough to get you to and from work running on EV power alone —…
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Housing Market Update: Balance is Slowly Returning as Homebuying Demand Moderates

Housing Market Update: Balance is Slowly Returning as Homebuying Demand Moderates

by Tim Ellis and Taylor Marr | RedFin.Com Troy Warren for CNT #RealEstate   Nearly 5% of listings saw price drops, the highest level since 2019. Home sellers are increasingly realizing that the housing market is no longer heating up. The share of homes for sale with a price drop rose for the fifteenth consecutive week to 4.9%, a level last seen in 2019. Buyers may also be starting to notice that homes are staying on the market a little longer—a median 17 days—as more homeowners are listing their homes and at more realistic prices. Asking prices have eased back to where they…
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Tom Hanks’s Airstream Trailer, Full of Autographs and Memorabilia, Sells for $235,200

Tom Hanks’s Airstream Trailer, Full of Autographs and Memorabilia, Sells for $235,200

BY SEBASTIAN BLANCO | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks #Celebrity The movie star's custom on-set trailer sold at auction during Monterey Car Week. Four vehicles used by Tom Hanks will be auctioned off later this month at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction, including his on-set Airstream trailer and the 2011  Ford F-450 Super Duty used to tow it, a customized 1980 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, and Hanks' personal 2015 Tesla Model S P85D. Hanks used the Airstream trailer as a place to rest while shooting 18 movies between the 1990s and 2010s, including Forrest Gump and The Circle. Hanks ordered the trailer as an upgrade to the…
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Taco Bell’s New Drive-Thru Concept Puts the Kitchen Above Your Car

Taco Bell’s New Drive-Thru Concept Puts the Kitchen Above Your Car

By Jelisa Castrodale | FoodAndWine.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Foodie The two-story Taco Bell Defy restaurants would have dedicated lanes for online orders. Last August, Taco Bell announced that it would be opening some new-look restaurants that better accommodated those of us who'd like to collect our Doritos Locos combos without interacting with anyone else. Each Taco Bell Go Mobile location would have double drive-thru lanes, with one traditional drive-thru for on-site ordering and pickup, and a priority lane that would be dedicated to quick pickups for orders placed online or through the Taco Bell app. "The priority lane is created for the…
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Judge set to begin key hearing in Boy Scouts bankruptcy case

Judge set to begin key hearing in Boy Scouts bankruptcy case

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks DOVER, Del. — Attorneys for the Boys Scouts of America are asking a Delaware judge to approve an $850 million agreement that is the foundation of the group’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy. The judge was to begin a hearing Thursday on whether to approve the agreement, which involves the national Boy Scouts organization, the roughly 250 local Boy Scout councils, and law firms representing some 70,000 men who claim they were molested as youngsters by Scoutmasters and others. The Irving, Texas-based Boy Scouts sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020 amid an…
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