Are You Prepared for Hurricane Season and Other Storm Emergencies?

Hurricane season is in full swing, running from June through November. Unfortunately, no one can stop a tropical storm or hurricane from happening and both types of weather events are increasingly impacting larger portions of the U.S. However, there are steps you can take that will help you weather a storm and better ensure the safety of your family.

Brett Kavanaugh built up credit card debt for baseball tickets, disclosure forms reveal

Financial disclosure forms for Kavanaugh, whom President Donald Trump announced Monday as his pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, show that he incurred tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt to buy Nationals tickets over the last decade, The Washington Post reported Wednesday . White House spokesman Raj Shah said Kavanaugh got into debt buying Nationals season tickets and playoff tickets for himself and friends.

Candidates bring heat at Evening Star

The Evening Star Grange was a sauna Thursday night, as the three Democrats vying for the two seats in the Vermont House answered questions about the legalization of marijuana, whether they supported a carbon tax, education funding and school consolidation and gun 'safety' - not control. With the retirement of longtime Rep. David Deen, D-Westminster, and the plan by Rep. Michael Mrowicki, D-Putney, to seek another term, newcomers Cindy Jerome and Nader Hashim, both of Dummerston, also announced their candidacies for the Windham-4 seat.

Trump Administration Freezes Payments Required By The Affordable Care Act

The Trump administration said Saturday that it is temporarily halting billions of dollars of payments designed to help insurers meet the Affordable Care Act requirement that they provide coverage regardless of whether a person is healthy or sick. The administration said it was withholding $10.4 billion in the so-called "risk adjustment" payments, citing a district court ruling from earlier this year in New Mexico.

Senator gauges federal programs’ work with small businesses

A U.S. senator from Idaho held an oversight hearing in Anchorage to receive feedback from Alaska business leaders on Small Business Administration programs. The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports Republican Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, aimed for the hearing last week to gather insight into how and if the programs are helping businesses navigate the federal contracting system.

The Debt Clock Keeps Spinning

In 1989, a New York businessman who was worried about chronic federal budget deficits erected the National Debt Clock in midtown Manhattan to keep a running tally of how much the U.S. government owes. The total had reached $2.7 trillion, and Seymour Durst wanted "to call attention to the soaring debt and each family's share of it."

New tax form is indeed smaller, but filing is no simpler

The Trump administration may deliver on its promise to reduce a commonly used tax form to postcard size, but it does not shrink the workload for many Americans filling out their taxes. A draft copy of the new 1040 income tax form given to The Associated Press by a staffer on the Ways & Means Committee shows that the form will be reduced from two full pages to a double-sided half page.

Joe Biden had plenty to say about President Trump during a stop at an Ohio barber shop

Former Vice President Joe Biden stopped by a Cincinnati barber shop Friday , but he wasn't there to get a haircut. The outspoken Democrat shook hands, cracked jokes and talked about President Donald Trump the way a future presidential candidate might, even though he continued to play coy about whether he'll run in 2020.

Court confirmation process likely to follow Gorsuch playbook Source: AP

The Republican game plan for selecting the next member of the Supreme Court was ready to go even before longtime Justice Anthony Kennedy made his retirement announcement this week. Kennedy's news that he'll leave the court next month immediately activated a network of White House aides, congressional allies and outside advocates, all set for their second Supreme Court confirmation fight in two years.

Court confirmation process likely to follow Gorsuch playbook

The Republican game plan for selecting the next member of the Supreme Court was ready to go even before longtime Justice Anthony Kennedy made his retirement announcement this week. Kennedy's news that he'll leave the court next month immediately activated a network of White House aides, congressional allies and outside advocates, all set for their second Supreme Court confirmation fight in two years.

Democrats’ Anti-Wall Street Wing Just Won a Major Victory

New York voters denied longtime House Democratic Caucus chairman Joe Crowley an 11th term, instead backing 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic socialist and former organizer for Senator Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign. "It's time we acknowledge that not all Democrats are the same," Ocasio-Cortez said in her viral campaign announcement video.

Ponzi Fraudster SentencedA California man was recently sentenced to a …

In July 2008, special agents from the FBI Sacramento Field Office executed a search warrant at the residence of a suspect and interviewed other individuals in connection with a mortgage fraud investigation. In addition to finding evidence for their own case, investigators uncovered ties to what appeared to be a separate mortgage fraud scheme, and FBI Sacramento opened another case, working in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

Trump’s GSE plan: Familiar solution, familiar problems

Since not long after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were seized by the government a decade ago, policymakers have been circling the same idea for how to revamp the housing finance system. Broadly speaking, that plan would privatize the two government-sponsored enterprises while providing an explicit federal backstop for the mortgage market.

How to prepare to buy a home

The housing market seems to be heating up nationally and even in our small town. With that being the case, I would like to share a few tips and try to offer a better understanding of the home buying and mortgage process for both seasoned and 1st time home-buyers alike from someone's perspective who has sat on both sides of the desk as a loan officer and consumer.