Category: Cost of Living
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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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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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Generic drugs are exempt from Trump’s tariff on imported patented medicines, which reached all remaining drugmakers on Sept. 29
The tariff on imported patented medicines has now reached every remaining drugmaker, and generic drugs are not part of it. A proclamation President Trump signed April 2, 2026, puts a 100 percent duty on imported patented pharmaceuticals and their ingredients, and the White House text says the duty applies to the remaining companies from Sept.…
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Regular gas averaged $4.37 a gallon nationwide on Oct. 9 and diesel $6.28, according to AAA’s daily survey
Regular gasoline averaged $4.37 a gallon across the country on Friday, Oct. 9, and diesel averaged $6.28, according to AAA’s daily fuel survey. The exact readings were $4.3718 for regular and $6.2785 for diesel. Both are far above where they stood a year ago. The daily readings in one place AAA lists its national averages…
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Texas opened an investigation into UnitedHealth over denied care, including a procedure approval it withdrew that left a patient with a large bill
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into UnitedHealth Group over care the insurer is accused of denying Texans. One example in the case is a patient who was told a procedure was approved and then received a large bill after the approval was withdrawn. His office announced the investigation on October 5,…
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Propane-heated homes in the Northeast are forecast to spend about $1,687 this winter, against $1,164 in the South, the Energy Department’s statistics agency says
Propane-heated homes in the Northeast are forecast to carry the largest propane bills of the regions the agency reports this winter. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department’s statistics agency, projects that households there will spend about $1,687 on propane from November through March, compared with $1,164 in the South. The figures come from…
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Older, widowed or disabled low-income Pennsylvania homeowners can get up to $1,500 from the state property tax and rent rebate, including an automatic supplement, if they apply by Dec. 31
Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate gives older, widowed and disabled residents back part of what they paid in property taxes or rent, and homeowners at the lowest income level can receive up to $1,500 once an automatic supplement is added. The state Department of Revenue says applications for 2025 rebates must be postmarked by Dec. 31,…
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Ohio utility customers who are behind can keep or restore gas or electric service for $175 from Oct. 12, with no income test, under a state order
Ohioans who have fallen behind on a gas or electric bill can keep the service on, or get it turned back on, for no more than $175 starting October 12. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued the 2026-2027 Special Reconnect Order on September 30, and the state’s consumer advocate says there is no income…
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Michigan and Maryland winter shutoff protections start Nov. 1 and Indiana’s on Dec. 1, while Kentucky reconnects certified households for $200 or less
Four states have winter rules that decide whether a household behind on its gas or electric bill keeps the heat on, and they do not start on the same day. In Michigan and Maryland the protections begin November 1, and Indiana’s begin December 1. Kentucky works differently: once winter starts, a certified household can get…
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A coalition of 21 states and D.C. sued to overturn the Trump administration’s fuel economy rollback, saying drivers would lose nearly $220 billion in fuel savings
Attorneys general from 21 states and the District of Columbia went to federal court on Oct. 2 to try to overturn the Trump administration’s rollback of fuel economy standards for new cars and light trucks. They say drivers would lose nearly $220 billion in fuel savings under the weaker rules. The suit was filed in…