5 strategies for navigating today's digital tipping culture

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

5 strategies for navigating today's digital tipping culture (NerdWallet) - The nearly universal experience of finding yourself face-to-face with a checkout counter screen asking you to select an amount to tip for service can prompt a cascade of awkward questions: How much should you tip on a $5 coffee if anything? How can you decide before the cup has even been poured? Is it rude to select “no tip,” then slink away with your drink?The answers to those questions vary depending on whom you ask, but tipping experts agree on one thing: We get prompted to tip much more frequently these days, largely because of the explosion of cashless payment methods with automated tipping options. Another thing they agree on: You don’t always have to say “yes.”“During the pandemic and post-pandemic, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in the way tips are given. Suddenly, you see tablets where you are prompted to give specific tip amounts at points of purchase where never before would anyone have dreamed of giving a tip,” says Thomas Farley, also known as “Mister Manner...

Why are people putting toilet paper in the fridge?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Why are people putting toilet paper in the fridge? (WYTV/NEXSTAR) — While most people are debating whether or not peanut butter goes in the refrigerator, some are stuffing their Frigidaires with Charmin. That's right, it's a TikTok "hack" that you probably never saw coming: toilet paper in the fridge.Followers of the trend claim a roll of toilet paper will absorb smelly odors inside fridges. It's meant to work the same way as most people use an open box of baking soda for fridge smells. IKEA recalling more mirrors over falling concerns It may sound like some silly new TikTok trick but the idea actually first appeared in 2015. Now, it's popping up on social media again."Put a toilet paper in your fridge in a corner where it fits and then just leave it there," says TikToker SmartFoxLifeHacks in a video. "It is important that you replace the roll about every three weeks. For reasons of hygiene, you should also only put a roll in your fridge straight from the packaging and not put it near your toilet!"So you may be wondering: does it ...

18-wheeler crashes into building, closes I-35 service road for hours Friday morning

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

18-wheeler crashes into building, closes I-35 service road for hours Friday morning AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An 18-wheeler crashed into a building along the northbound service road of I-35 near Bentwood Road Friday morning, closing the service road for several hours. Bentwood is just north of Airport Boulevard. Two heavy duty tow trucks responded to the scene to clear the 18-wheeler. All lanes of the interstate and the service road were back open shortly after 9 a.m.18-wheeler crashes into building, closes I-35 service road for hours Friday morning (KXAN photo/Lauren Ryan) 18-wheeler crashes into building, closes I-35 service road for hours Friday morning (KXAN photo/Lauren Ryan) 18-wheeler crashes into building, closes I-35 service road for hours Friday morning (KXAN photo/Lauren Ryan) It's not clear what caused the crash or what happened to the driver.

Clifton Park man dies in I-87 crash in Tarrytown

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Clifton Park man dies in I-87 crash in Tarrytown TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Clifton Park man died in a car crash on I-87 northbound in the village of Tarrytown just before 1 a.m. on Friday. Richard Simmons, 53, was pronounced dead at the scene. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Police say they responded to I-87 northbound in the village of Tarrytown for a report of a car crash. When troopers arrived, they saw a tractor-trailer on fire. Police say a preliminary investigation found the car left the roadway prior to the GMMC Bridge, striking the guide rail and a storage outbuilding. The sole occupant and driver, identified as Simmons, was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency service convoy with Fulton, Montgomery Counties State Police were assisted by the NYS Thruway Authority, Tarrytown, Nyack, and Central Nyack Fire Departments along with Tarrytown Volunteer EMS and Greenburgh EMS. Police say the cause of the crash is unknown and the investigation is ongoing.

Fatal roadway shooting shuts down 141 in Fenton

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Fatal roadway shooting shuts down 141 in Fenton FENTON -- Police confirm they are on the scene at Highway 141 just south of Gravois Bluffs where a man was shot in a car.  Gateway Guide cameras show the road is shut down and an ambulance is on site.  Police were dispatched at around 8:00 a.m. when drivers in the area called 911 to report a hazard on the road.  When they arrived, they found the man shot. What’s that smell? Behind Missouri’s foul fall odors A witness tells FOX 2 that a man got out of his truck and started pounding on the window of another vehicle. The witness says she heard a "pop" when the man started walking back to his truck. She saw him grab his back. A passenger in his vehicle then said, "he just got shot in the back." The victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. St. Louis County Police say that he did not survive the shooting and has been declared deceased.Police say that everyone involved in the incident remained on scene. There is an active investigation into the...

Creve Coeur police seek information on hit-and-run involving pedestrian

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Creve Coeur police seek information on hit-and-run involving pedestrian CREVE COEUR, Mo. – Authorities are seeking information about a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident at Old Olive West and Guelbreth Lane in Creve Coeur.A vehicle struck a pedestrian utilizing the crosswalk, resulting in serious injuries. Emergency Medical Services took the pedestrian to a hospital. The driver of a compact, silver SUV fled the scene. The vehicle may have sustained damage to the front and/or driver's sides.The Creve Coeur Police Department is actively investigating the incident. If you witnessed the crash and can identify the driver or the vehicle, please call 314-737-4600. Tips can also be submitted online .

LIST: St. Louis events honoring veterans on November 11

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

LIST: St. Louis events honoring veterans on November 11 ST. LOUIS - In honor of Veterans Day, various events will take place in St. Louis on November 11 to pay tribute to our veterans.What is Veterans Day?The United States observes Veterans Day annually on November 11th as a federal holiday. It is dedicated to honoring and expressing gratitude to all military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.The nation recognizes and pays tribute to the men and women who have served in the military, including those currently serving and those who have passed away.The date of November 11th was chosen for Veterans Day because it marks the armistice that ended World War I, which took effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.How is Veterans Day celebrated?People across the country hold various events and ceremonies on Veterans Day to commemorate veterans and their service. Parades, wreath-laying ceremonies at war memorials, speeches, and other activities recognize and celebrate the dedication and sacrifices of vetera...

Mediterranean countries unite to protect unique deep-sea coral from fishing impacts

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Mediterranean countries unite to protect unique deep-sea coral from fishing impacts The measures will protect Cabliers Bank, the only cold-water coral reef known to be growing in the Mediterranean and first researched by Oceana Mediterranean states also agree to adopt measures to act against those that do not comply with fishing rules. Mediterranean countries have agreed to ban any kind of bottom fishing, including destructive fishing like bottom trawling, in a 400 km2  area around the unique deep-sea coral of Cabliers Bank in 2024. The measure will prevent any deterioration of this fragile biodiversity hotspot located in the Alboran Sea between Spain and Morocco. The decision took place at the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean’s (GFCM) annual meeting. Cabliers Bank is a seamount that harbours semi-pristine species such as deep-sea white corals (Desmophyllum pertusum and Madrepora oculata) and offers shelter and nursery for several commercial stocks such as Norway lobster and blackspot seabream. The coral mound is over 400,000 years old. Bottom tra...

Police found evidence of 'dismemberment' at home of missing Tarzana family: LAT

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Police found evidence of 'dismemberment' at home of missing Tarzana family: LAT As the investigation continues into the woman's torso found in an Encino dumpster on Wednesday, police say they believe the remains are those of the wife of the man they arrested later that day.Samuel Bond Haskell IV, 35, is suspected of killing his wife, Mei Haskell, and possibly her parents, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshen Li, as all three remain missing, the Los Angeles Times reported.In addition to the torso found in Encino, workers reported "what looked like human remains at the property Haskell shares with his wife and in-laws" in Tarzana, the Times reported. That property on Coldstream Terrace is about five miles from the dumpster near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue. Tarzana man arrested after torso found in dumpster; wife, in-laws missing While the dumpster discovery prompted public attention, police first learned of allegations against Haskell on Tuesday night, when "a witness reported seeing what seemed like body parts in bags outside Haskell’s Tarzana ...

Video shows crash that sent Long Beach transit bus into restaurant, injuring 14

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:16:20 GMT

Video shows crash that sent Long Beach transit bus into restaurant, injuring 14 At least 14 people were injured when a speeding car ran a stop sign and was broadside by a public transit bus causing both vehicles to crash into a building in Long Beach Thursday afternoon, authorities said.Crews with the Long Beach Fire Department responded to the collision at around 3:17 p.m. at South Street and California Avenue where the bus went through the front of the Boujie Crab seafood restaurant.The preliminary investigation, according to the Long Beach Police Department, suggests the sedan was traveling southbound on California Avenue at a high rate of speed when it failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with the transit bus, sending both vehicles into the restaurant.Surveillance footage of the incident shows the driver of the sedan running the stop sign and hitting the brakes hard, lurching the car on its front two wheels, but it was too late. The bus slammed into the car at full speed and essentially carried it into the building. Fortunately, no one was in the rest...