Grumpy Editor

SOME AMERICANS FALL BEHIND ON CAR PAYMENTS

Some Americans are falling behind on their car payments, notes Grumpy Editor.

An analysis by Moody’s Analytics reveals 9.3 percent of auto loans to people with low credit scores were at least 30 days behind on payments at the end of 2022.

A shortage of vehicles resulted in a jump in car prices.

Many borrowers took out higher loans to meet the increased price tags.  Thus, it was more difficult for some to keep up with payments.

Borrowers who took out big loans at the height of the boom owe more than their vehicles are worth.

So they are falling behind in their payments.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

HOUSING MARKET VALUE DROPS.  In the last half of 2022, the value of the U.S. housing market shrank by the most since the real-estate bubble popped in 2008, notes Bloomberg.  After peaking at $47.7 trillion in June, total value of U.S. homes declined by $2.3 trillion, or 4.9 percent, in the second half of 2022, tallies a real estate brokerage.

ALMOST THE SAME HEADLINE OVER THE YEARS.  For years, since after the Korean War, this headline appears, at least on a weekly basis.  From: Saturday newspapers…"North Korea test-fires missiles.”

U.S. TROOPS TO TAIWAN.  The U.S. is preparing to send 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan for training amid rising tensions with China. The Michigan National Guard also will train a contingent of the Taiwanese Army.  

WHITE HOUSE MESS REOPENS.  On March 6 the White House mess will open for in-person dining for the first time in President Biden’s White House.  The wood-paneled room with a nautical theme has been closed since the winter of 2020 under COVID restrictions.

BUT IS IT REFLECTED ON YOUR BILL?  Natural gas prices have dropped moe than 65 percent since mid-December.  That’s the lowest level since 2020’s pandemic lockdown.

ANOTHER JOURNALIST IS KILLED IN MEXICO.  A Mexican news photographer dies after being stabbed and beaten in an attack in Ensenada, a popular destination of tourists from California.

DOGS AND CAR WINDOWS TRIGGER REACTION.  Proposed Florida legislation to ban dogs sticking their heads out of car windows when vehicle is in motion gets animal lovers upset.

MILITARY SERVICE NOT ACTIVELY SOUGHT BY YOUNG PEOPLE

Seems few young people seek to go into the military these days, notes Grumpy Editor.

The Army wrapped up 2022 as the worst recruitment year in decades.

It fell about 15,000, or 25 percent, short of its 60,000 recruitment goal last year. 

In efforts to reverse the decline, the Army is promoting new programs plus advertising as it seeks 65,000 recruits this year.

One incentive gives Army recruiters bonuses up to $4,500 a quarter if they exceed their baseline enlistment requirement.

Maybe the military draft should return.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

ROLLING IN THE DOUGHnuts.  Krispy Kreme had a banner year in 2022. It sold a record-breaking 1.6 billion doughnuts sold in grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores.

AGREEMENT TO END HARPER COLLINS STRIKE.  Harper Collins Publishers’ striking union members approved a tentative agreement ending a more than three months walkout and will return to work tomorrow.

SOUTH, NORTH KOREA CONTINUE BATTLE OF WORDS. Over the years, South and North Korea have been battling each other with words.  Latest has South Korea calling North Korea “our enemy.”

U.S. GAMBLING REVENUE BREAKS RECORD.  Commercial gambling revenue in the U.S. last year — more than $60 billion — broke the previous record  of $53 billion set two years ago.  Figures do not include revenue from tribal-owned casinos.

GOLDEN STATE’S POPULATION DROPS.  California’s population dropped by more than 500,000 between April, 2020 and July, 2022.  Primary reasons for the exodus are high housing costs, long commutes, crowds, crime and pollution.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER SUSPECT DIES UNDER CAR.  A woman accidentally ran over a man suspected of trying to steal her truck's catalytic converter in Palmdale, Calif.  The suspect later died. Deputies said the woman had fallen asleep in the truck when she heard sawing underneath. She turned on the vehicle, backed out of the space and felt a bump.

CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE OVERDUE, WARNS L. A. TIMES

Following the major earthquake in Turkey-Syria, the Los Angeles Times warned a major shaker is overdue in California, notes Grumpy Editor.

It mentioned an earthquake the size of the one that made headlines last week would bring devastation and death to Southern California, citing "A quake as strong as magnitude 8.2 is possible on the southern San Andreas fault and would bring disaster to all of Southern California simultaneously, with the fault rupturing from near the Mexican border to Monterey County.

“Such an earthquake would cause widespread damage from Palm Springs to San Luis Obispo — and everything in between,” it added.

Among the impacts, the report mentioned:

• Death toll could be among the worst for a natural disaster in U.S. history: nearly 1,800.
• Los Angeles County could suffer the highest death toll, more than 1,000, followed by Orange County, with more than 350 dead.
• Nearly 50,000 could be injured.
• Main freeways to Las Vegas and Phoenix that cross the San Andreas fault would be destroyed.
• Some 500,000 to 1 million people could be displaced from their homes.
• Southern California could be isolated for some time, with the region surrounded by mountains and earthquake faults.
• Major utilities such as gas, power and cell service would likely be severely compromised.

California’s most famous earthquake was the epic 1906 shaker from the San Andreas fault that smacked San Francisco.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BEER SALES SOAR WITH SUPER BOWL GAME. For the Super Bowl game yesterday, it is estimated that nearly half (47 percent) the viewers purchased beer for the high viewership match.

 

NORTH KOREA SHOWS OFF LONG-RANGE NUCLEAR MISSILES.  A North Korea military parade showcased many long-range nuclear missiles to illustrate the country is producing missiles than can cross the Pacific.

 

WOODPECKERS STORE 700 POUNDS OF ACORNS IN HOME.  A pair of woodpeckers in Sonoma County, California, stored a massive 700 pounds of acorns in the walls of a home.  The birds entered through a hole in the attic.

 

GOLDEN RETRIEVERS FLOOD STREETS IN GOLDEN, COLO.  Over 1,000 Golden Retrievers gathered in appropriately-named Golden, Colo., and strolled the streets for an annual event called “Goldens in Golden,” which honors National Golden Retriever Day.

 

WORLD WAR II BOMB EXPLODES IN ENGLAND.   A World War II bomb exploded in Great Yarmouth, England, on Friday as workers attempted to defuse it.  Luckily, no one was injured in the unplanned detonation.

 

AUTO RENTALS REGAIN STRONG DEMAND.   Hertz Global Holdings reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, aided by strong demand for rental cars with improved hotel and airline bookings.

ABUNDANT RAIN IS GOOD NEWS FOR CALIFORNIA FARMERS

 

Californians are hoping that after three of the driest years in history, winter storms that brought an abundance of mountain snow will result in replenishing reservoirs with spring melting, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Several reservoirs already are above historic averages.

 

Snowpack is more than twice the normal for this time of year, reports the California Department of Water Resources.

 

Snow water equivalent in the San Joaquin River basin is at the highest level in decades for this time of year.

 

So much rain water flowed into Folsom reservoir, near Sacramento, that it prompted release from the dam.

 

The abundant precipitation is good news for farmers and their crops.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

NAVY SHIPS FACE MAINTENANCE DELAYS.  U.S. Navy ships are encountering growing maintenance delays and costs.  That means fewer steaming hours, a troubling trend that comes at a time when the U.S. is struggling to keep pace with China’s growing fleet.

 

DR. PHIL TO DEPART TALK SHOW. "Dr. Phil” McGraw, TV daytime psychologist, plans to wrap up his talk show later this year after 21 years on the air.  “With this show, we have helped thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction to marriage to mental wellness and raising children," he says.

 

FUNGAL INFECTIONS INCREASE WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES.  A January study shows warmer temperatures are being cited as the culprit behind an increase in dangerous fungal infections. Exposure to higher temperatures may prompt some disease-causing fungi to evolve faster to survive.

 

RALPH NADER STARTS NEWSPAPER. Consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, 88, is starting a newspaper --- the Winsted Citizen --- in his hometown in northwest Connecticut.  He says he is determined to do something about the “news desert” crisis in local journalism.

 BOEING 747 PRODUCTION ENDS.  Boeing delivered its last commercial 747 last week --- more than 50 years after the iconic airplane helped change air travel. The 747, the world's first twin-aisle passenger jet, came to symbolize the era in which mass travel by air became commonplace.

 UK ENTRY FEE AIMED AT AMERICANS.  U.S. travelers to the United Kingdom soon will have to pay an entry fee. The "permission to travel" fee requirement is aimed at those seeking to visit the area without a visa. 

MORE TREES CITED FOR LOWER TEMPERATURES.  Planting more trees in urban areas could help lower temperatures in cities, say researchers who add they could tackle rising heat-related deaths as climate change drives thermometers up.

 DRINKING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ON DECLINE.  Data published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, find Americans’ consumption of alcoholic beverages on a steady decline since 1995, with 7.9 billion gallons consumed in 2020. Gallup finds the average number of drinks Americans consume in a week has been falling over the last several years, from 4.8 in 2009 to 3.6 in 2021.

 

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