ReportWire

Tag: half

  • Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket set for Mars mission from Florida’s Space Coast

    [ad_1]

    Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center on Thursday.The launch window opens at 2:57 p.m. and closes at 4:25 p.m., following delays due to space weather conditions.Over the last hour and a half, crews have begun loading propellant onto the New Glenn.The launch was postponed on Wednesday due to highly elevated solar activity, which can be hazardous for rockets. This activity is a result of geomagnetic storms that also produce the aurora, also known as the northern lights. Sunday’s launch was also scrubbed due to adverse weather conditions on the ground.This mission is pivotal for Blue Origin, as Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy hinted that NASA might select a different company for its Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the moon. Duffy suggested that Blue Origin could potentially replace SpaceX for this mission.Dr. Ken Kremer, a research chemist, said, “I think they have an excellent chance to get this contract.”Dr. Don Platt from Florida Tech emphasized the importance of the mission’s success, stating, “The most important thing is to make sure the escapade spacecraft is on the trajectory to Mars and so they’re able to put that into the proper orbit. Anything short of that is not a success.”Blue Origin will also monitor recovery weather conditions, as they aim to land the booster, a feat they did not attempt during their first launch in February. >> WESH 2 will stream the launch in the video player above.

    Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center on Thursday.

    The launch window opens at 2:57 p.m. and closes at 4:25 p.m., following delays due to space weather conditions.

    Over the last hour and a half, crews have begun loading propellant onto the New Glenn.

    The launch was postponed on Wednesday due to highly elevated solar activity, which can be hazardous for rockets.

    This activity is a result of geomagnetic storms that also produce the aurora, also known as the northern lights. Sunday’s launch was also scrubbed due to adverse weather conditions on the ground.

    This mission is pivotal for Blue Origin, as Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy hinted that NASA might select a different company for its Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the moon.

    Duffy suggested that Blue Origin could potentially replace SpaceX for this mission.

    Dr. Ken Kremer, a research chemist, said, “I think they have an excellent chance to get this contract.”

    Dr. Don Platt from Florida Tech emphasized the importance of the mission’s success, stating, “The most important thing is to make sure the escapade spacecraft is on the trajectory to Mars and so they’re able to put that into the proper orbit. Anything short of that is not a success.”

    Blue Origin will also monitor recovery weather conditions, as they aim to land the booster, a feat they did not attempt during their first launch in February.

    >> WESH 2 will stream the launch in the video player above.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘It looks like I’m dead:’ Woman writes own witty obituary

    [ad_1]

    “Well, if you’re reading this obituary, I’m dead. I died of FOMO due to complications from ALS,” reads an obituary for Linda Murphy, also written by Linda Murphy.Justine Hastings smiled as she read her mother’s obituary, because she knew how much she feared missing out on life.”She would be the one on the dance floor, starting the party; she was the party,” Hastings said.The Massachusetts woman passed on Sept. 21, and her heart shone through in the obituary she wrote herself, using humor to describe how her life was impacted by an ALS diagnosis, like when she started using a respirator at night.”We became a throuple about a year and a half ago when hose, my bipap, moved into the marital bed,” Murphy wrote.Her ALS diagnosis came in 2022, about a decade after she fought and beat breast cancer. She even wrote a book about that battle.”She always wanted to say – ‘As long as I can be positive in my little world, maybe it can spread,’” Hastings said.Her obituary urged people to show kindness to strangers and avoid negativity.”Please be kind to everyone: the telemarketer, the grocery clerk, the Dunkin’s staff, the tailgater, your family, your friends. Speak nicely and positively. Is there really ever a reason to be negative? I don’t think so,” the obituary says.Hastings said her mother “wanted to go viral, spread a message to spread happiness and be kind.”The obituary also gives directions to those who plan to attend her funeral service.”If you were a stinker and meanie to me or my family or friends during my lifetime … Please do everyone a favor and STAY AWAY, we don’t want your negative drama & energy. Only nice, loving people are welcome,” she wrote. Murphy also told her loved ones, “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t waste money on flowers.””Buy a bunch of scratch tickets and give them out to strangers along your way. Make people happy, that is the best way that you can honor my memory,” she wrote.Now, Hastings hopes her 60-year-old mother’s final words can reach people around the world.”My advice is to say yes to party, trip, adventure, raise a glass to me in cheers,” Murphy wrote in her obituary. “Just live life to the fullest. Never know what tomorrow brings, so say yes to today.”

    “Well, if you’re reading this obituary, I’m dead. I died of FOMO due to complications from ALS,” reads an obituary for Linda Murphy, also written by Linda Murphy.

    Justine Hastings smiled as she read her mother’s obituary, because she knew how much she feared missing out on life.

    “She would be the one on the dance floor, starting the party; she was the party,” Hastings said.

    The Massachusetts woman passed on Sept. 21, and her heart shone through in the obituary she wrote herself, using humor to describe how her life was impacted by an ALS diagnosis, like when she started using a respirator at night.

    “We became a throuple about a year and a half ago when hose, my bipap, moved into the marital bed,” Murphy wrote.

    Her ALS diagnosis came in 2022, about a decade after she fought and beat breast cancer. She even wrote a book about that battle.

    “She always wanted to say – ‘As long as I can be positive in my little world, maybe it can spread,’” Hastings said.

    Her obituary urged people to show kindness to strangers and avoid negativity.

    “Please be kind to everyone: the telemarketer, the grocery clerk, the Dunkin’s staff, the tailgater, your family, your friends. Speak nicely and positively. Is there really ever a reason to be negative? I don’t think so,” the obituary says.

    Hastings said her mother “wanted to go viral, spread a message to spread happiness and be kind.”

    The obituary also gives directions to those who plan to attend her funeral service.

    “If you were a stinker and meanie to me or my family or friends during my lifetime … Please do everyone a favor and STAY AWAY, we don’t want your negative drama & energy. Only nice, loving people are welcome,” she wrote.

    Murphy also told her loved ones, “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t waste money on flowers.”

    “Buy a bunch of scratch tickets and give them out to strangers along your way. Make people happy, that is the best way that you can honor my memory,” she wrote.

    Now, Hastings hopes her 60-year-old mother’s final words can reach people around the world.

    “My advice is to say yes to party, trip, adventure, raise a glass to me in cheers,” Murphy wrote in her obituary. “Just live life to the fullest. Never know what tomorrow brings, so say yes to today.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • In a first, most California houses sell for over $900,000

    In a first, most California houses sell for over $900,000

    [ad_1]

    Want a house in California? It’ll likely cost you over $900,000.

    The statewide median sales price for a previously owned single-family house surpassed $900,000 for the first time in April, a shocking figure that underscores just how unaffordable housing has become across the Golden State.

    The April median of $904,210 is up 11.4% from the same month a year earlier, according to data from the California Assn. of Realtors. The median — the point where half the homes sold for more and half for less — has now climbed more than $100,000 in just over two years.

    That rise in home prices comes despite the fact mortgage rates are sky-high relative to recent memory. Last week, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.02%, more than double the 3% and below rates seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Freddie Mac.

    High prices and high rates have created the most unaffordable housing market in a generation, but economists say prices keep rising because many homeowners refuse to sell and give up their sub 3% rates, creating an extreme shortage of inventory.

    Wealthy Californians also have hordes of excess cash they can plow into down payments that help offset high borrowing costs.

    If prices keep rising at 11% a year, the California median house price would climb above $1 million in 2025.

    That may not happen, however.

    In recent weeks, more homes have started to come onto the market as some owners start to decide a new home is more important than a low rate.

    Inventory is still extremely tight and economists don’t expect the floodgates to open. But in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, total listings in April climbed above year-ago levels for the first time since the first half of 2023, with each county recording an increase of at least 5%.

    Orange County was the only county to see a decline, while in San Diego County, inventory has risen for two consecutive months and is 18% above what it was a year ago.

    Some experts say the supply increase likely isn’t enough to send home prices down, but it should make values climb at a slower pace.

    That might mean a $1-million median is a bit further off, but not by much.

    “If we don’t hit it in 2025, we will probably hit it in 2026 — minus a big downturn in the economy,” said Jordan Levine, chief economist with the California Assn. of Realtors.

    [ad_2]

    Andrew Khouri

    Source link

  • Austin Pets Alive! | What to Expect When Expecting (Bottle Baby)…

    Austin Pets Alive! | What to Expect When Expecting (Bottle Baby)…

    [ad_1]

    Neonatal kittens. Bottle Babies. Teeny, not yet weaned. However you describe them, whatever you call them, kittens who depend on humans to make it through their first several weeks of life are some of the cutest souls you will encounter and also some of the most vulnerable.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Realtors agree to change commission rules in a deal that could reduce costs for consumers

    Realtors agree to change commission rules in a deal that could reduce costs for consumers

    [ad_1]

    The National Assn. of Realtors on Friday said it will make changes to its commission rules to settle national allegations the requirements stifled competition, a move that may reduce costs for at least some consumers.

    The settlement, which still must receive court approval, could mark a major change in the housing market.

    Today, sellers typically pay a 5% to 6% commission when they sell their homes, with half of that going to the listing agent’s brokerage and half to the buyer agent’s brokerage, and critics of that model say the settlement could upend that practice.

    “This settlement over time will benefit home sellers and buyers greatly, eventually lowering agent commissions by tens of billions of dollars a year and helping align agent compensation and services rendered,” Stephen Brobeck, a senior fellow with the Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement.

    Under an existing Realtor rule, listing agents must make an offer of compensation to the buyer’s broker in order to list homes on NAR-affiliated multiple listing services, or the MLS.

    Though NAR says this offer can be zero dollars, the requirement to post an offer — known in the industry as “cooperative compensation” — has reduced competition and kept commission rates artificially high, according to lawsuits filed against the Realtors. The rule has also caused buyers’ agents to “steer” their clients to homes that offer higher commission rates, the lawsuits allege.

    In a news release, the national trade group said it continues to deny any wrongdoing as it relates to its current commission rule, but to settle the allegations, it will pay $418 million and prohibit offers of compensation to buyers’ brokers on affiliated multiple listing services, which also populate listings on sites such as Zillow and Redfin.

    “NAR has worked hard for years to resolve this litigation in a manner that benefits our members and American consumers,” Nykia Wright, interim chief executive of NAR, said in a statement. “It has always been our goal to preserve consumer choice and protect our members to the greatest extent possible. This settlement achieves both of those goals.”

    Home sellers could still offer to pay buyers’ broker commissions under the settlement if they communicated it outside the MLS, according to the National Assn. of Realtors.

    But not setting the rules of the game at the outset will inject more competition into the process and open up new ways of payment that should lower costs, according to Robert A. Braun, a partner with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, which is representing home sellers in two of the settling cases.

    Braun said sellers may still choose to pay buyers’ agents something, or buyers may pay their agents directly after negotiating a fee. They may also choose to go without an agent altogether.

    Another option? A buyer agrees to pay a certain price — say $800,000 — only on the condition that the seller then pays the buyer’s agent $24,000, or 3%. “You got a free market,” Braun said.

    Commission rates are a small proportion of a sales price, but they add up. For a home sold at the average Southern California price of $842,997, 6% is $50,580.

    If such changes drive down commissions overall, it could have a big effect on real estate agents who are paid a proportion of the commission sent to their brokerage.

    Higher mortgage rates sent home sales tumbling, reducing pay for agents who are compensated based on the number and price of the deals they transact.

    In California alone, NAR lost 9,723 members from December 2023 to January 2024 — a 4.75% decline.

    Not all agents are worried.

    Michael Khorshidi works mostly with buyers, but sees the new requirements as an opportunity to show the value he brings to clients. Agents who aren’t able to demonstrate their worth will be the ones who lose work, he said.

    “We’re always transitioning,” Khorshidi said. “This is just the latest transition.”

    If the settlement ends up creating a system in which buyers pay their agents directly, it could saddle them with new costs.

    However, Braun argued that buyers would ultimately see reduced costs as well because under the current system, buyer agent commissions get passed along to buyers in the form of higher home prices.

    That doesn’t mean sellers make a conscious decision to set their home prices higher because they need to pay a buyer’s agent. Rather, Braun said it means fewer homes make financial sense to sell because some homeowners don’t have enough equity to pay two commissions.

    If buyers paid their own agent, more homeowners could afford to sell, increasing supply and helping put downward pressure on price, Braun said.

    “Going forward, there is a significant likelihood home prices will be lower than they otherwise would be,” he said.

    Michael Copeland, a real estate agent in Palm Springs, doesn’t think the agreement will alter the market too dramatically.

    To bring in buyers, sellers may still be incentivized to cover both commissions — just as they do today.

    [ad_2]

    Andrew Khouri, Jack Flemming

    Source link

  • Los Angeles County demographic changes: What you need to know about new 2022 U.S. Census data

    Los Angeles County demographic changes: What you need to know about new 2022 U.S. Census data

    [ad_1]

    The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2022 American Community Survey this week. The survey, which looks at demographic data in five-year increments, introduced several new detailed tables and demographic breakdowns. We looked at some trends in the data.

    Nearly 6 million people 65 and older live in California, a figure that is slowly growing. In the last five years, 716,000 people became senior citizens in the state. That number will nearly double by 2030. Los Angeles County is home to roughly a quarter of the senior citizens in the state.

    As the cost of living increases, the number of Golden State senior citizens in poverty is also rising, with nearly 14% of Los Angeles County senior citizens living below the poverty line. The national poverty rate declined significantly to 12.5% during the five-year period from 2018-22.

    Across the country, housing costs continue to rise. Financial planners advise that no more than 30% of household income be spent on housing costs. The latest data show that is far from the reality for 41% of homeowners with a mortgage in Los Angeles County. For homeowners without a mortgage, roughly 16% are house burdened. It’s also not easy for renters. More than half of renters spend more than 30% of their household income on housing costs.

    The data also point to how the pandemic changed the way people work. In Los Angeles County, the number of people working from home tripled from more than 270,000 to 810,000 in just five years. That number tracks with the rest of the state’s pool of people working from home, which tripled from 1 million to more than 3.2 million. For those having to commute into the office daily, the mean travel time to work has stayed the same with most L.A. County residents getting to work in 30 minutes (although most L.A. city residents would laugh at this figure.) The number of unemployed people in the county has gone down by 4% since 2017 with roughly 300,000 without work.

    The new American Community Survey includes updated race data. They show the county has grown in its Asian and Latino population. Roughly 1.4 million people identified as Asian in Los Angeles County, up 2.4% from a decade ago. Those who identify as Latino and Hispanic account for nearly half of the population of the county. The county lost 80,000 Black people over the last decade.

    [ad_2]

    Sandhya Kambhampati

    Source link

  • Prime Whanganui CBD real estate hits market for first time in 60 years – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Prime Whanganui CBD real estate hits market for first time in 60 years – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    [ad_1]

    Wanganui Furnishers purchased the Victoria Ave part of the property in 1959. Photo / Bevan Conley

    A prime piece of real estate on lower Victoria Ave is on the market for the first time in over half a century.

    Wanganui Furnishers has been an institution in the city for over 100

    Advertisement

    Advertise with NZME.

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

    [ad_2]

    MMP News Author

    Source link