WASHINGTON D.C. - Mortgage rates have climbed to their highest level in months, some unwelcome news for President Joe Biden in a critical election year.
As of Thursday, the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 7.17%, according to Freddie Mac. That is the highest mortgage rates have been since November of last year. The higher rates are crimping homebuying, a factor that has weighed on voter perceptions of the economy. Mortgage rates peaked at about 7.8% in October, although they fell steadily through early January as investors expected the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates. Since then, though, inflation reports have come in hotter than expected, and the prospect of rate cuts has been pushed back.
The housing market has taken on water because of the higher interest rates. The Fed controls short-term interest rates, which affect rates throughout the economy, including mortgages. Click here to read more.
SEATTLE, WASH - Educators need to start working on new curricula to teach students about the contributions, perspectives and histories of all people, including the stories of LGBTQ+ Washingtonians.
This new inclusive learning law takes effect June 6 and includes all districts, even those that have opposed it.
While Senate Bill 5462 was still in committee, several school boards, including the Lynden School District board, passed resolutions against its passage.
“It was more about how it erodes local control,” Schoolboard President Tonya Hickman told KOMO News.
That includes control of curriculum, Hickman told KOMO News that this is the school board's job.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration is pushing back against the “lies and misinformation” regarding Florida’s Heartbeat Protection Act, which went into effect Wednesday.
“The pro-abortion left is lying for political gain,” Secretary of the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration Jason Weida said. “The attempts to demonize standard healthcare for women make a physician’s job more difficult and can put a pregnant woman’s life at risk.”
The administration shared a “myth vs fact” sheet regarding the new law. It is titled “Florida is Protecting Life. Myth vs Fact. Don’t Let the Fearmongers lie to you.” Click here to read more.
OKLAHOMA - The family of an Oklahoma teen found dead wearing just his shoes on the side of the road have been left with more questions than answers after his autopsy results.
Noah Presgrove, 19, was discovered on a desolate stretch of US-81 near Terral, Oklahoma, on September 4 after he disappeared from a four-day 22nd birthday party with friends over the Labor Day weekend.
This week, an autopsy declared his cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head, while police said his death was no longer being investigated as a murder. Click here to read more.
DURHAM, UK - Linda Ellerton never thought she’d see her cat Whiskas again. However, the pair have been reunited in an emotional reunion, more than 10 years after the beloved feline went missing.
Whiskas, who is 16 years old, was found in Chilton Moor, near Durham in the UK, which is close to where she lived before disappearing.
A local resident found her taking residence in his shed and took her to a vet in December, where she was found to have an old RSPCA microchip.
Whiskas was adopted by Linda in 2007 after being found as a stray kitten by the RSPCA in Scotland. After living with Linda for 6 years, Whiskas disappeared, with the family moving house after giving up hope of seeing their pet again. Linda, who last saw Whiskas in 2013, was alerted after the charity put out an online appeal. Click here to read more.
