Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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The Energy Department expects diesel to average $4.49 a gallon in 2027
Diesel is not expected to stay at $6.28 a gallon forever. The Energy Department’s October outlook has retail diesel averaging $4.49 a gallon in 2027, after an average of $5.19 for 2026. The text of the Short-Term Energy Outlook, released Oct. 6 by the department’s Energy Information Administration, rounds the 2027 figure to “about $4.50.”…
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Energy Department now sees Brent crude averaging $105 a barrel this quarter
The government’s oil forecasters raised their number by $14 a barrel. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook, released Oct. 6, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, part of the Energy Department, expects Brent crude to average $105 a barrel in the fourth quarter of 2026. That is $14 higher than last month’s outlook, which by that math…
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A new California law signed by Gov. Newsom lets courts hand seized cryptocurrency back to scam victims
A new California law lets police who seize cryptocurrency from scammers ask a court to give it back to the people who lost it. Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Oct. 2, 2026, that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1208, a measure Bonta sponsored and Sen. Tim Grayson, a Concord Democrat, wrote. His office’s…
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The IRS swapped IRS2Go for a free app showing refunds, balances and payments
The phone app that taxpayers have used for more than a decade to check a refund has a new name and more jobs. The Internal Revenue Service announced on Sept. 25, 2026 that its new IRS app replaces IRS2Go, and the agency says it costs nothing. People who sign in can see refunds, balances and…
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A Trump ban on many packaged Canadian beers, wines and spirits began Sept. 29
Many packaged Canadian beers, wines and spirits can no longer be brought into the United States. A ban that President Trump signed on Sept. 8, 2026, began at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Sept. 29 and covers many packaged Canadian beers, wines and spirits. Goods that entered before that moment are not caught by the…
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Prosecutors say one victim sent about $16 million to a fake crypto platform
A single victim moved about $16 million in cryptocurrency to a trading platform that did not exist as described, federal prosecutors in Missouri say, in what they call a pig-butchering scam. The money went to a site called Triangle between June and August 2024, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri…
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Eleven people got prison terms in a Hampton Roads scheme that took credit union members’ phones, drained their accounts and applied for loans
Eleven people have been sentenced to federal prison for a parking-lot scam in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia that targeted credit union members in public places. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said on Sept. 25, 2026, that the longest term was three years and six months. According to the…
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U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box use on new rentals at 93 stores in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi in Hurricane Isaias’ path
Six U-Haul companies on the northern Gulf Coast are offering 30 days of self-storage and U-Box container use at no cost to people in the path of Hurricane Isaias. The offer covers 93 stores in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to U-Haul’s Oct. 7 announcement. It applies only to new rentals, and it depends…
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Ford will replace headlight assemblies free as needed on 41,748 Expedition and Super Duty trucks, with owner letters expected Oct. 26
Ford has found that some of its LED headlights can quietly lose light. A contaminated LED chip inside the headlight assembly can knock out the daytime running lights, parking lights, high beams or low beams, according to the federal recall filing. Ford is recalling 41,748 Expedition SUVs and Super Duty pickups, and dealers will inspect…
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Toyota will update software free on about 31,000 2026 RAV4 plug-in hybrids that can lose power, with owner letters by early December
A computer fault can shut down the plug-in hybrid system in certain 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids while they are moving, and Toyota is asking about 31,000 owners to bring them in for a software update. Toyota announced the recall on Oct. 7 from its Plano, Texas, headquarters, and its press release says dealers will…