Home sales are rising. Builders are buying lots. And prices are no longer in free fall. After so much pain, there are signs of life in the housing market.
Did you know you can invest in the weather? It's true. You can actually make money speculating that the temperature in Sacramento, California, will be warmer than it normally is. If that's too dull for your portfolio, you can put money down on the inches of snowfall next winter in Boston, Massachusetts, or the strength of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
A fatal wildfire burning north of Los Angeles grew to more than twice the size of California's capital Tuesday evening, as officials upped the reward for information on who set the blaze to $150,000.
You've heard of speed dating? It's got nothin' on foreclosure buying these days. In many places, anyone who wants to buy a foreclosure better act fast, or they're going to come away with bupkus.
Parents in northern Mexico on Sunday began to bury the children who died in a horrific day care fire as Mexican authorities raised the death toll from the blaze to 41.
President Felipe Calderon traveled to Hermosillo on Saturday to meet with health officials as the death toll of a day care center fire there grew to 38 children.
Thirty-one children were killed and more than 100 others were injured Friday when their day-care center caught fire in the northwestern state of Sonora, a spokesman for the state's governor said.
In a game of oversized musical chairs, playing out with arena rock anthems and contemporary hip-hop cuts as start-and-stop cues, some NBA big men changed teams in the last week.
Here are the deals that were made this month before the Feb. 19 trade deadline passed.
When it comes to first-year players, it's easy to get overexcited by a couple of promising performances.
Home sales are rising. Builders are buying lots. And prices are no longer in free fall. After so much pain, there are signs of life in the housing market.
Did you know you can invest in the weather? It's true. You can actually make money speculating that the temperature in Sacramento, California, will be warmer than it normally is. If that's too dull for your portfolio, you can put money down on the inches of snowfall next winter in Boston, Massachusetts, or the strength of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
A fatal wildfire burning north of Los Angeles grew to more than twice the size of California's capital Tuesday evening, as officials upped the reward for information on who set the blaze to $150,000.
You've heard of speed dating? It's got nothin' on foreclosure buying these days. In many places, anyone who wants to buy a foreclosure better act fast, or they're going to come away with bupkus.
Parents in northern Mexico on Sunday began to bury the children who died in a horrific day care fire as Mexican authorities raised the death toll from the blaze to 41.
President Felipe Calderon traveled to Hermosillo on Saturday to meet with health officials as the death toll of a day care center fire there grew to 38 children.
Thirty-one children were killed and more than 100 others were injured Friday when their day-care center caught fire in the northwestern state of Sonora, a spokesman for the state's governor said.
In a game of oversized musical chairs, playing out with arena rock anthems and contemporary hip-hop cuts as start-and-stop cues, some NBA big men changed teams in the last week.
Here are the deals that were made this month before the Feb. 19 trade deadline passed.
When it comes to first-year players, it's easy to get overexcited by a couple of promising performances.
Single-family home prices dropped 7.7% in the first quarter in the largest year-over-year decline since the National Association of Realtors began reporting prices in 1982.
Seven Western states and four Canadian provinces on Tuesday proposed a comprehensive program to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, manufacturers and vehicles
Mold, maggots and piles of festering trash - no wonder home prices are in freefall.
OK, let's get into what's important right away. Tony, of San Antonio, opens up all sorts of possibilities when he writes, "You're an old Olympic reporter. What's your impression of the Games so far?"
A state watchdog commission has recommended that California phase out its antiquated juvenile prisons by 2011
Thousands of residents north of Sacramento have been told to flee after erratic winds blew embers across wildfire containment lines
Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash
Fire crews battle hundreds of lightning-caused wildfires across Northern California
Fire crews joined aircraft from neighboring states Tuesday to battle hundreds of lightning-caused wildfires across Northern California
Wildfires were scattered around Northern California on Sunday as crews farther south were close to containing a blaze that had forced thousands to evacuate
Firefighters were still struggling Friday to get the upper hand on one stubborn fire that scorched more than 31 square miles and threatened 4,600 structures in Northern California
Fires fed by raging winds raced across parts of Northern California on Tuesday, destroying dozens of homes, threatening hundreds of others and leaving a firefighter severely burned
Imagine driving down the highway amid the typical stream of cars and trucks to suddenly discover millions of bees swarming toward the morning commute.
In 1994, Walter Robb, then a regional president at a fast growing natural foods chain called Whole Foods, chose a new primary distributor to handle the bulk of the deliveries to his stores in Northern California.
The man who murdered college student Linda Yalem also sexually assaulted seven other women in the Buffalo area between 1986 and 1994, police say. If he is ever caught, however, he can't be charged with any of the rapes. New York's five-year statute of limitations for sexual assault won't allow it.
A family that set out Sunday to cut a Christmas tree in the snowy woods has not been heard from since, investigators said.
What is the future of transport? What role will cars play? What will we use to get around? Send us your thoughts and we'll print the best ones here.
You can't blame America's homeowners for feeling hopelessly confused. From suburban porches and city terraces, they're gawking at a housing world gone mad. Just 18 months ago, folks on a tony Linden Lane or a leafy Boxwood Court were astounded to see the colonial their neighbors bought for $600,000 in 2000 sell for $1.5 million after multiple bids. Now they're just as bewildered to watch the same model across the street go begging for months at $1.1 million without a single offer.
Question: I have a modest salary and can set aside only $50 a month toward my nine-year-old son's college fund. My problem is that the 529 college-savings account I would like to open requires a minimum of $1,000. I don't want to raid my savings account to open this fund, so what I should do to begin saving for my son's future college expenses? - Shelly Losoya, Sacramento, California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In-your-face, obnoxious fans applauding double faults by the visiting team. Live DJs spinning music, emcees on the microphone, players dancing in between points while fans do the same in the stands. Popcorn, hot dogs, beer and soft pretzels fill the concession stands.
Some guys will do anything to get a glimpse of Beckham. -- Steve, Scarborough, Me.
Call it the Avery Johnson Effect.
If you need travel advice, zip him an e-mail at askjoe@golf.com.
Of all the befuddling personalities and contract issues confronting the Sacramento Kings, guess which is near the bottom of the list?
Question: I often hear that you shouldn't withdraw more than 4 percent a year from your 401(k) after you retire. But if your account is growing at 8 percent a year and you take out only 4 percent, wouldn't your account value just keep growing?
So the trade deadline has come and gone with little significant movement. It's a surprise, really; over the previous three years an average of 10 trades were consummated in February, with several big names moved in deals that shook the balance of power.
Now wasn't that a big waste of everyone's time ...
As potential trades go, the best ones were either dehydrated, prostrate or about to have their plugs pulled. But with less than 24 hours to go, the Cleveland Cavaliers were making a final all-out attempt at reviving their candidate patient.
Now that we've pointed out which markets are poised for a bull run in the next cycle, we'd be remiss if we didn't also offer some guidance on which locales look the most vulnerable right now. So we...
I feel bad for Kevin Garnett. For the last 11 years Garnett has been the NBA's most complete player this side of Tim Duncan. He plays through injuries (he has missed just 19 games in his career) and inconsistency (his most talented sidekicks have been Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell and Wally Szczerbiak), yet aside from one glorious run in 2004, KG has never been past the first round of the playoffs. Why? Two words:
After his team lost to the Knicks last Friday, its fifth defeat in seven games, Dwyane Wade could no longer hide his frustration over the Heat's sluggish play.
The downtrodden Sacramento Kings travel to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday night to play the suddenly somnolent Detroit Pistons in what should be, oh, the 77th-most interesting thing going on in your world that day.
Shim and Neesa Patel were ready to pounce on a brand-new home in San Diego early this year. It was a 4,300-square-foot Spanish colonial coming on the market for $1.2 million. But two months before the house became available, Shim, a 35-year-old engineer for Qualcomm (Neesa is 30), noticed that local home sales had more or less ground to a halt.
These 10 overvalued cities have run their course and home prices are expected to drop in 2007, reports Business 2.0 Magazine in its November 2006 issue.
Now that we've pointed out which markets are poised for a bull run in the next cycle, we'd be remiss if we didn't also offer some guidance on which locales look the most vulnerable right now.
As the real estate market slows, sellers seem willing to try anything to close a deal.
Elk Grove, Calif., is the fastest growing city of more than 100,000 in the United States, according to the latest estimates from the Census Bureau released Wednesday.
Lawlessness, or at least the ability to transform a shapeless innocent into a scofflaw, is a seldom-discussed feature of luxury automobiles. So let's discuss it for a moment, shall we?
San Diego: Since opening in October, The Point 92103, a 48-unit condo, had sold a meager two apartments. The developers cut the list price on a one bedroom from $349,000 to as low as $299,900 and l...
True, home prices still are exorbitant by most historical standards. But the market is moving in buyers' favor - here's how to capitalize on that shift.
The stories keep piling up. In many once-sizzling markets around the country, accounts of dropping list prices have replaced tales of waiting lists for unbuilt condos and bidding wars over humdrum three-bedroom colonials.
Lawlessness, or at least the ability to transform a shapeless innocent into a scofflaw, is a seldom-discussed feature of luxury automobiles. So let's discuss it for a moment, shall we? Most high-en...
There has been an impressive amount of construction in the United States over the last three centuries: All told, we've built more than 300 billion square feet of homes, offices, factories, and oth...
Western U.S. cities, once bastions of low rise construction and single-family homes, are beginning to embrace their inner Manhattans: loft apartments and high-rise condos are springing up in downtowns from Seattle to Austin.
A fifth member of the Pakistani community in Lodi, California, was arrested in a federal terror investigation, although none of the five has been charged with terrorism involvement.
Perhaps someone should have warned Arnold Schwarzenegger that nurses are no pushovers.
There is no more interesting tale of power--how to get it, how to leverage it, how to wield it--than the one unfolding now in Sacramento. Here, a deeply bronzed, well-chiseled creature of Hollywood...
Dear Armchair Millionaire: I think I should start working with a financial advisor, but I have so many friends who've had bad experiences with brokers that I'm definitely gun-shy. Can you tell me what I should look out for? -- H.N., Sacramento
Like reality TV and cutting carbs, home improvement has become a national obsession. Americans spent a record $124 billion on remodeling projects in 2003, and we didn't scrimp. We're treating ourse...
Everyone knows the three most important words in real estate: location, location, location. For decades those three words were reason enough for entrepreneurs to steer clear of Oak Park, a neighbor...
DEAR ANNIE: I am a 31-year-old single man. About two months ago I started dating a colleague, who works in a department that is closely allied with mine, although we don't report to the same boss. ...
JIM AND DEBBY NIETHAMMER Sacramento, Calif.
Forgive John Nelson for feeling slightly smug about his future. His profession is a hot ticket today: gathering information -- specifically, digging up "opposition research" for political candidate...
A new round of military base shutdowns is about to be announced, adding to the 70 facilities earmarked for closure since 1988. Since then, defense activities have ceased at 31 installations, causin...
If you're looking to buy a home, give the housing market a cheer. If you're selling, give it two cheers. Home prices have been rising modestly, about 3% to 4% during the past year, and they're like...
The decline and fall of California became apparent to me one autumn night in 1992 soon after I moved back following 10 years away. I was riding with Los Angeles Police Department narcotics officers...
Some years back, when our son was a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, he had a curious annual ritual. At a certain time of day, on a certain day in the year, he would march up to a desk in the st...
Giving America's couch potatoes the tools to actually play Jeopardy along with studio contestants, bet on a basketball player's next move, or finger the killer in a mystery show may sound like the ...
Mackenzie Zimmerman loves her bath. ''She'd stay here all night if it were up to her,'' says her mother Carey, 29, leaning over the edge of the tub to retrieve Mackenzie's favorite bath toy, a rubb...
Stuck with out-of-town visitors and don't know what to do with them? How about taking them on a trip to the nearest corporate museum? Stifle that yawn. Such museums offer a lot. Visitors to AT&T's ...
IF YOU'RE LIKE most managers, you're already grappling with what's to be the critical business problem of the Nineties: a shortage of skilled workers. The baby bust -- the decline in the birthrate ...
ASK A BUNCH OF CEOs about their favorite cities and you'll probably hear them evaluate urban life the same way anyone else would. They love San Francisco for the Bay and the restaurants, Seattle fo...
Until now, Sacramento was famous largely for its tomato juice and a lamentable pro basketball team. But as the table opposite shows, California's capital could soon become the king of U.S. housing ...
BOSTON Growth has not been banned in Boston, but it's a problem. The city was one of the great urban revival stories, thanks largely to the high-tech and finance industries. But the labor market no...
AN EXECUTIVE at a semiconductor company in Silicon Valley spent more than a year looking for a new home. By September he finally found something he liked, a four-bedroom, ranch-style house in San J...
SACRAMENTO -- The number of women being arrested for embezzling . . . is increasing at a rate more than twice that of men . . . Statistics gathered by the FBI show that the number of women arrested...
SACRAMENTO -- California politicians want citizens to respect themselves . . . After three years of debate, the state legislature has created the California Task Force to Promote Self Esteem and Pe...
Two of Sacramento's light-rail cars (will) be shipped to Pennsylvania to be dismantled and rebuilt . . . to bring the trolley system into compliance with federal Buy America regulations . . . As a ...
Only in America (cont'd) A woman who lost $350,000 gambling at Nevada casinos wants a federal court to cancel the debt because she played blackjack so badly. Toshi Van Blitter of El Macero, Calif.,...
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