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A megahost might run your Airbnb: Why it matters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Airbnb has changed a lot since its humble couch-surfing beginnings in 2007. What started as a way for homeowners to earn extra income by renting out their spare bedrooms has become a multibillion-dollar, industry-disrupting giant.The majority of travelers now rent entire residences rather than stay with hosts. Nights booked at private rooms made up only 16% of U.S. short-term rental bookings in May 2023, an all-time low, according to a report from AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics company.And many of the hosts renting their homes are not mom-and-pop homeowners trying to earn extra income. They’re large management companies with multiple properties in their portfolios, some with dozens or even hundreds.More than 30% of active listings in the U.S. are managed by hosts with 21 or more properties, according to data provided by AirDNA. That’s more than the 26% of listings managed by single-property hosts.In other words, almost three in four Airbnb listings are now mana...

Here's what the Farmers' Alamac has predicted for the next Texas winter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

TYLER, Texas (KETK) - As summer continues, some people are wondering when things will finally cool down.The Farmers' Almanac has been publishing their forecasts for over 200 years using their secret formula and this week they have predicted that "the brrr is back" for the 2023-2024 winter.In their extended winter forecast, it is predicted that Texas will see an unseasonably cold, stormy winter for this year.Last winter, the Farmers' Almanac predicted a chilly winter with normal precipitation for the area, and, according to the Texas Department of Emergency Management, a cold air mass shifted over Texas on Dec. 22 causing temperatures to plummet statewide."Much of Texas endured temperatures below freezing - in some cases well below freezing - for dozens of hours," the department said in their overview of the 2022 Texas winter. "Most Texans faced frigid conditions through at least the morning of Dec. 25, with morning lows around freezing on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27."In their predictions fo...

'It's a game-changer': Wounded veteran celebrates new airplane bathroom accessibility rule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Advocates are celebrating a new rule from the Department of Transportation that will make airplane bathrooms more accessible. However, they're hesitant, because travelers won't see these changes immediately.As a wounded veteran who uses a wheelchair, Charles Brown knows that for those with disabilities, flying often means going without access to a bathroom."It's demeaning, it's degrading. You have to dehydrate yourself so you don't have to urinate," Brown said.Brown used to be the president of Paralyzed Veterans of America. He and the group have spent years advocating for accessibility on airplanes.Now that's happening. Under the new DOT rule, starting in three years, new planes will be required to have accessibility features like bathroom grab bars and call buttons. In 2033, new planes must expand their bathrooms."It's a game-changer. It allows more people with disabilities to fly," Brown said.Transportation Secretary Buttigieg says this is an important chang...

Fringe review: ‘Big Dad Energy’ draws the laughs — and maybe a tear — for a childless comic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

Worth consideringStand-up comedian Jamie Campbell offers a heady, heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking meditation on fatherhood, even though he himself isn’t a father. Married at 40, Campbell — like a lot of late-in-life spouses across modern America — grapples with the strong likelihood that he will never raise a mini-me, which could be the end of the line for his lineage. His sensitive, self-deprecating comedy routine draws heavily from his childhood in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but some younger audience members on Saturday seemed to share his mojo, which occasionally visits edgier topics like sex and drugs without getting mired there. The self-described house husband, who tours nationally, was once named “Best Stand-Up Comedian” by The Chicago Reader and wrote and performed the album “Tell Me You’re Proud of Me,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Amazon comedy charts.Presented by Jamie Campbell Creative at the Rarig Center Xperimental stag...

Ukrainians move to North Dakota for oil field jobs to help families back home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

DICKINSON, N.D. — Maksym Bunchukov remembers hearing rockets explode in Zaporizhzhia as the war in Ukraine began.“It was terrible,” he said. He and his wife sent their adult daughter west to Lviv for safety and joined her later with their pets.Now, about 18 months after the war broke out, Bunchukov is in North Dakota, like thousands of Ukrainians who came over a century ago.He is one of 16 new arrivals who are part of a trade group’s pilot effort through the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian program to recruit refugees and migrants during a workforce shortage. Twelve more Ukrainians are scheduled to arrive by Aug. 15 as part of the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s Bakken Global Recruitment of Oilfield Workers program.Some workers want to bring their families to North Dakota while others hope to return to Ukraine.“I will try to invite my wife, invite my daughter, invite my cat and invite my dog,” Bunchukov told The Associated Press a week after his arrival.The Bakken program has human...

O'Neill homers, Matz pitches six solid innings as Cardinals beat Rockies 6-2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tyler O’Neill homered, Steven Matz pitched six strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2 Saturday night.Matz (3-7) allowed one run and five hits while striking out six to improve to 3-0 with a 2.06 ERA in six starts since rejoining the Cardinals’ rotation on July 9.“This is a really nice stretch for Matz, and it's awesome to see,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He continues to pitch with an edge. Obviously, the (velocity is) up which is helpful. That's a big contributor to his success.”Matz is also pleased with his recent stretch.“I think that’s what you want out of a starter,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to do early in the year. So to be able to do that here. The second half of it definitely feels nice.”Rockies starter Ty Blach (1-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings in his third start of the season.“That’s the first time I’ve thrown that many pitches in three months,” Blach said. “I definitely was not quite...

Angels vs. Dodgers: Same sport with very different prices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

Taking your family to the ballgame and buying them some hot dogs and sodas is a beloved summer pastime. Unfortunately, depending on the stadium, the price you pay may be a shame. MoneyGeek analyzed budget ticket options for the rest of the 2023 season, along with parking and concessions, to calculate how much it costs on average for a family of four to attend a game with all 30 MLB teams. Overall, the personal finance website found that an average trip to an MLB game for a family of four costs $140.  These are the best MLB ballparks, according to Yelp A family visiting the most expensive team on the list, the Los Angeles Dodgers would spend about $219, MoneyGeek found. If you’re looking to save a buck — or way more — you’ll need to go across the country to Miami, where a Marlins game will cost an average of $83. A combination of more affordable ticket, parking, and concession prices (four hot dogs, two beers, and two sodas) helped keep a game in Miami below $10...

SF Giants send once-hot prospect back to minor leagues, call up Bay Area native

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

OAKLAND — The rookie who started the Giants’ youth movement this season had his first stint in the majors come to an end Sunday.After a scalding hot start, infielder Casey Schmitt had been ice cold for weeks, and reached the end of his runway with the return of Thairo Estrada on Saturday. Originally called up at the start of May, Schmitt was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento for veteran utilityman and Bay Area native Mark Mathias.The Giants hope that Schmitt, 23, will continue his development with regular playing time in the minors while adding a player capable of playing three infield spots to their major-league roster who can give them better at-bats.Since being acquired from Seattle at the trade deadline, Mathias has two hits in 11 at-bats with Triple-A Sacramento but had also already drawn three walks. Manager Gabe Kapler said that he “can give us a quality, dependable at-bat, which Casey was struggling to provide, to be open.”From the time he was called up ...

WATCH: Antioch sideshow leaves vehicle submerged in San Joaquin River

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

(KRON) -- A sideshow outside a restaurant in Antioch resulted in a car crashing into the San Joaquin river nearby early Sunday morning, according to the Antioch Police Department. Richmond day spa investigated for deadly bacterial illness The sideshow took place at the Marina and Smith's Landing parking lot sometime before 3 a.m. One vehicle crashed into a fire hydrant nearby, shearing through it and breaking the water main below. Another vehicle ended up in the river, APD said. APD called Contra Costa County Fire to the scene, and the crowd dispersed throughout the area. Medical crews treated two men and one woman for injuries before taking them to a local hospital. Video from the scene shows several mangled vehicles and patients being treated for injuries.Another crash happened at 10th and G streets. A suspect caused a crash before attempting to flee the scene, but he was apprehended by authorities, police said. Two other citizens were also injured in that crash. Co...

Simone Biles is trying to enjoy the moment after a two-year break. The Olympic talk can come later

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:57 GMT

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — Simone Biles is well aware of how the drill goes. She’s lived it. Multiple times at this point.Whenever the gymnastics star goes to work, the questions about the Olympics come, no matter where the Games fall on the calendar.“It’s just like when you get married (and) they ask when you’re having a baby,” said Biles, who married Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in April.So it’s telling that while Biles talked for a good 15 minutes on Saturday night after her electric victory at the U.S. Classic — the 26-year-old’s first meet since her 2021 Tokyo Games was interrupted by a bout with “ the twisties ” — the words “Paris” and “2024” didn’t escape her lips.“I’m in a really good spot and who knows,” she said. “I’m not going to think so far ahead.”For now, she’s making it a point to enjoy “the little wins.” Stay in the moment. Try to enjoy the ride, something that became increasingly difficult in 2021, when COVID-19...