Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Target to stop accepting personal checks
CBS News reported that Target will stop accepting personal checks as payment starting July 15.
Target said it’s because very few people use this form of payment today.
CBS explained that in 2009 and earlier, many people regularly used personal checks to purchase things. Today, only about half of Americans write checks at least once a year. Most have shifted to electronic payments such as Venmo or Zelle.
Older Americans still write checks — about 1 in 5 people over 66 write several checks each month.
So if you shop at Target and use checks for payment, be aware that you will need to use a card or cash on July 15 and after.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/target-checks-july-15-no-longer-accepted/
7 deaths blamed on Hurricane Beryl aftermath
NBC News said at least seven people died due to Hurricane Beryl and its aftermath. Six of them are in Texas and one is in Louisiana.
I mentioned yesterday that two people died in Texas due to trees falling onto their homes — they were a 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman.
The other deaths were a man in his 40s who was struck by a tree while operating a tractor and two people whose bodies were found in a tent in a wooded area.
A 54-year-old man who worked for the Houston Police Department died after he was caught in rising flood waters.
That’s the six deaths in Texas.
In Louisiana, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her house.
Beryl is now in a tropical depression, but the storm has triggered flood watches that affect more than 25 million people from Arkansas to Michigan. The storm may also bring rain and thunderstorms with some having the potential to spawn tornadoes.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/texans-still-power-hurricane-beryl-cleanup-begins-rcna160820
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Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” trial begins
AP News said Alec Baldwin’s trial on his charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the accidental shooting that killed a filmmaker on the set of “Rust” is starting today with jury selection.
The shooting happened almost three years ago on a film set in New Mexico. The trial is taking place in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin is facing up to 18 months in prison if jurors find him guilty. Baldwin previously said he was unaware that the prop gun he was holding had a live round and that he never pulled the trigger, only pulling the hammer, but it fired.
Prosecutors are trying to show that Baldwin had a total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.
Viral photo of young Messi with baby Yamal
Almost everyone knows who Lionel Messi is, the soccer legend from Argentina. If you’re following international soccer, then you may know that there is a rising star from Spain, Lamine Yamal. Yamal is only 16 years old and is a key player for Spain, which is one of the top four teams during the Euro 2024 tournament and is playing against France today.
There is now an incredible photo that is going viral — a young Messi holding a baby Yamal. This photo was taken in 2007. The photo is a bit bizarre, almost as if Messi was anointing a next soccer star. What’s the story behind it?
The photographer, Joan Monfort, told AP News that the photographs were for a charity calendar at the FC Barcelona stadium in Spain. Messi played for Barcelona at the time. There would be an annual event where families with babies would come in to meet with players, where they posed for photos.
Yamal’s mother, who moved to Spain from Equatorial Guinea, said they won a raffle drawing to be a part of the event. They happened to be paired with Messi, who was 20 at the time and a rising talent. Yamal would later grow up to become a soccer talent and is currently one of the best players for Spain.
So, that’s the incredible story. This is a joke — if you want your baby to grow up to become an elite athlete, you’ll need to do a photo shoot with a star athlete today and maybe it’ll work.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/messi-yamal-euro-photo-59f929c17bc0994134e7b63facd0ea0e