California Dolphin

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. By Jessica Walrack Edited By Angelica Leicht Updated on: April 12, 2024 / 11:24 AM EDT / CBS News If you’re feeling overwhelmed by high-interest debt, these payoff strategies can help you tackle what you owe. Getty Images If you’re carrying variable-interest debt on credit cards or other credit products, you’ve likely noticed an uptick in interest over the past few years. The Fed implemented a series of rate hikes throughout 2022 and 2023 to help fight inflation, which caused lenders to increase the rates on their credit products. For example, the average rate on U.S. credit card accounts went from 14.71% in 2020 to 21.47% by late 2023.  To give you an idea of how that translates, if you have $5,000 in credit card debt and a 14% APR, you’ll owe about $58 in interest charges per month compared to about $87 per month with a 21% APR. And the cost difference compounds over time. If you’re paying off the balance through monthly payments

Police are continuing their search for a 23-year-old woman from Sacramento who was last seen in Los Angeles and whose phone was found at L.A. International Airport. Noelle Lynch, 23, was last seen leaving an apartment building in the 900 block of East Redondo Boulevard in Inglewood on April 3 around 5 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. She was described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with brown hair and blue eyes and weighing approximately 125 pounds. Her father told the news outlet SF Gate that Lynch is a Sacramento State University student, but that she drove to Los Angeles on April 1 in a “difficult state of mind.” The family didn’t know where she was going when she left their home in the Sacramento area appearing upset, but the following day she was involved in a car crash in Los Angeles, her father Mark Lynch said. Her car was totaled. The family booked Lynch a hotel room near LAX and her mother was set to drive to Los Angeles to get her. Noelle spoke to her mother from

WASHINGTON —  The Supreme Court ruled Friday that developers and home builders in California may challenge the fees commonly imposed by cities and counties to pay for new roads, schools, sewers and other public improvements. The justices said these “impact fees” may be unconstitutional if builders and developers are forced to pay an unfair share of the cost of public projects. Developers contended that limiting California’s high fees for new construction would lead to the construction of more affordable new housing. California state courts had blocked such claims when they arose from “a development impact fee imposed pursuant to a legislatively authorized fee program” that applies to new development in a city or county. But the 9-0 Supreme Court decision opened the door for such challenges. The decision could have wide impact in California, since local governments have increasingly relied on impact fees rather than property taxes to pay for new projects. But the justices did not set a rule for deciding when these fees become unfair and unconstitutional. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they joined the court’s opinion in Sheetz vs. El

If there’s anything that can harsh the mellow of “Dead Heads,” it’s probably this. On Tuesday, the founder of Skull & Roses, a Grateful Dead tribute festival that was set to be held in Ventura next weekend, announced it had been canceled. In the same announcement, it was noted that those who purchased tickets won’t get their money back. “With deep sorrow I must inform you that SKULL & ROSES 6 has been canceled,” a statement signed by festival founder Chris Mitrovich reads in part. “In all transparency, the financial devastation of the 2023 show has made it impossible to sustain the weight of the new production.” Taylor Swift reportedly gives ‘Eras Tour’ truckers $100,000 bonuses It was not immediately clear what the “financial devastation” relating to last year’s show was, but the 2024 show was canceled just 10 days before the first day was set to kick off. The festival had been held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds each year since it began in 2017. While the news of the cancelation was likely bad enough for fans, the statement also informed ticket holders that

By Jan Crawford, Analisa Novak April 12, 2024 / 11:07 AM EDT / CBS News Country artist ERNEST on new album Country artist ERNEST talks new album, next chapter in his career 06:12 Celebrated for his impromptu lyrics and catchy melodies, country music singer-songwriter Ernest Smith said he first realized his knack for songwriting in sixth grade when he listened to the “Space Jam” soundtrack. “I was ingesting rap at like, you know, second, third grade,” said ERNEST. His love for music blossomed in elementary school, where he honed his skills by freestyling at the lunch table and making up songs about friends. “They throw out words, I’d make up rhymes. And that was, that was kind of like when I realized I had a skill for it,” said ERNEST. That skill has earned him nine No. 1 hits and led to ERNEST writing with and for some of country music’s biggest names, like Kane Brown and ERNEST’s good friend, Jelly Roll. His songwriting took him to Nashville, where he signed a record deal and recently released an album named after his hometown, “Nashville, Tennessee.” “I

By Melissa Quinn April 12, 2024 / 10:51 AM EDT / CBS News What’s in the new Supreme Court ethics code? What the new Supreme Court ethics code says, and what it doesn’t 06:47 Washington — Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo said he will not comply with a subpoena issued by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of their ongoing investigation into ethics practices at the Supreme Court. The subpoena was issued to Leo by Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin on Thursday, months after Democrats on the panel voted to authorize it . Durbin has been looking into ethics issues at the high court for roughly a year following a series of reports that revealed Justice Clarence Thomas took luxury trips with a Republican megadonor, Harlan Crow, and did not disclose them. Crow, a Texas real estate developer, did not receive a subpoena from Durbin, a spokesman for Crow said. “Mr. Leo has played a central role in the ethics crisis plaguing the Supreme Court and, unlike the other recipients of information requests in this matter, he has done nothing but stonewall the

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. By Aly Yale Edited By Angelica Leicht April 12, 2024 / 10:47 AM EDT / CBS News If the Fed starts cutting rates, it could have a big impact on what CD accounts are offering. PHIL LEO/Getty Images Inflation has been high for years now, and while it’s decreased quite a bit from its peak of 9.1% in June 2022, it’s still below the Federal Reserve’s target goal of 2%. To move the needle and curb spending further, the Fed has kept interest rates paused at a 23-year high at its last three meetings. While that’s bad for consumers using credit cards, mortgages and loans, as higher rates mean paying more in interest on the money borrowed, it’s a boon for savers, resulting in hefty interest rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) . What goes up must come down, though, and at some point, the Fed is likely to make rate cuts once inflation is under control . While the Fed rate

Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide investigators are asking for the public’s help in solving the killing of a woman who was fatally stabbed and whose body was then set on fire on the side of a highway in Bakersfield. Karla Terron’s body was found on the southbound Hoskins Road offramp of State Route 99 shortly before 5 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2022, the sheriff’s department said in a news release Thursday. Terron, 27, died from multiple stab wounds before her body was set on fire, according to an autopsy report. She was last seen alive at a bar in the 100 block of North Hagar Street in the city of San Fernando, but no date was given for the sighting, according to homicide investigators. No additional details were available about Terron, including a possible motive for her slaying. Anyone with information about Terron or the investigation are encouraged to call the sheriff’s homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous tips can be made with Crime Stoppers by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the P3 Tips mobile app on Google Play or the