Credit: MGN DALLAS (AP) — Get ready for changes in boarding and seating at Southwest Airlines. The airline says it’s studying possible changes as it looks for new sources of revenue. Airline officials said this week they won’t have anything to announce until September, and that’s leading to lots of speculation about whether Southwest might ditch things like picking your own seat after you board the plane. CEO Robert Jordan says the airline is studying customer preferences, which might be changing as flights get more full these days. Jordan says any changes must generate new revenue and can’t s ..read more

Credit: MGN WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says more than 140,000 taxpayers filed their taxes through its new direct file pilot program. It says the program’s users claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved roughly $5.6 million in fees they would have spent with commercial tax preparation companies. But despite what IRS and Treasury Department officials said Friday is a successful rollout, they don’t guarantee the program will be available next year for more taxpayers. They say they need to evaluate the data on whether building out the program is feasible. The government pilot program roll ..read more

This 2009 electron microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large group of Gram-negative Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that had been isolated from a pure culture. Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning under a final rule issued Friday, April 26, 2024, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Janice Haney Carr/CDC via AP) (Associated Press) – U.S. poultry producers will have to reduce salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels ..read more

(Photo via Getty Images) Winter is when the temperatures dip low, but it’s when people turn on their radios as well as their heaters according to the newest ratings! According to the newest ratings release, The Lars Larson Show continues to dominate the airwaves on the Left Coast, with Persons 25-54 showing an 11.6 share. Other shows on KXL, including the news, and Markley, Van Camp & Robbins all had fantastic numbers as well! View the full story in the trades here: https://barrettnewsmedia.com/2024/04/25/101-kxl-delivers-dominant-ratings-performance-in-portland-winter-book/ The post 2024 ..read more

Authorities detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) (Associated Press) – The University of Southern California has canceled its main stage graduation ceremony under new safety measures being taken as the campus is roiled by protests stemming from the Israel-Hamas war. The university announced the move Thursday, the day after more than 90 protesters were arrested on campus. College officials across the U.S. are worried that ongoing campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war could ..read more

Alpha Media Library NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. births fell last year. It was the lowest count in more than 40 years. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the provisional statistics on Thursday. Birth rates have long been falling for teenagers and younger women, but rising for women in their 30s and 40s. But last year, birth rates fell for all women younger than 40, and were flat for women in their 40s ..read more

FILE - The Marshall Steam Station coal power plant operates March 3, 2024, near Mooresville, N.C. A rule issued April 24, 2024, by the Environmental Protection Agency would force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan says new rules that would force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions or shut down are targeting pollution that’s “pushing our planet to the brink.” The new limits unveiled Thursday on g ..read more

Photo courtesy of Kayleigh King Kayleigh King is an Oregon native who we can call a world traveler. At the age of 19 she started working on a cruise ship just to make some money after high school. After staying with the cruise line for years, and visiting over 100 countries, she’s now a photographer. She’s done some amazing work.  You can see that here. I asked Kayleigh to highlight some of her favorite places, and for tips to those of us who want to travel, but don’t know where to start.  You can hear that interview here:     The Bahamas. (Photo courtesy of Kayleigh King ..read more

Photo: MGN Gresham, Ore. — Gresham Police have identified a 15-year-old as the individual responsible for shooting out the windows of seven school buses en route to pick up students. The incident occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. on SE Powell Valley Blvd. near Kane Dr. Calls reporting the shootings came in, prompting a police response. Upon investigation, officers confirmed that seven buses had been struck by projectiles from a pellet gun, resulting in damage to three windshields and four side-windows. Fortunately, no students were aboard the buses at the time of the incident. The identified su ..read more

Photo: YouTube Portland, Ore. — Residents weighed in on two competing ordinances regarding the enforcement of homeless camps on city property in a debate held on Wednesday. The debate took place against a backdrop of legal uncertainty, with the city currently unable to enforce its daytime ban on homeless camps. Mayor Ted Wheeler’s proposal aims to navigate this legal landscape cautiously. It would theoretically allow the city to arrest individuals for illegal camping on public property, but police could only do so if shelter was available and the person refused it. The ordinance includes restr ..read more