Chris Merrill Sits in Hour 2 03-31-24

A crane described by officials as one of the largest on the Eastern Seaboard arrived in Baltimore on Friday as efforts got underway to clean up the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier this week after it was struck by a cargo ship. Officials have emphasized that reopening the Port of Baltimore, where vessel traffic is suspended indefinitely, is their top priority. Paid loyalty programs are all the rage in the restaurant and retail worlds. Looking for reliable sales in an unpredictable spending environment, more companies have extended their points-based loyalty tiers to making their most dependable customers feel valued for an up-front fee. Inflation is still on the rise.  The Feds said this week that they are in no hurry to lower interest rates.  Grocery stores are being investigated for artificially using the pandemic inflation stories to jack up their own prices and oil companies have been more profitable since the pandemic than at any time prior.  And yet, there’s one silly little thing that people do that makes us hand over even more money... with a smile. DINK stands for “dual income, no kids.” It isn’t new slang, but suddenly, vocal DINKs are everywhere as more couples like the Fischers not only embrace the label but boldly let their DINK flags fly.