With inflation sticky and interest rates at their highest point in decades, few cost-effective borrowing options are available for Americans right now. Credit cards and personal loans come with average rates in the double digits and mortgages are hovering near their highest point since 2000. Homeowners, however, do have one relatively inexpensive way to borrow cash — their home equity. …

In recent years, a surge in home values has provided many homeowners with a significant boost in their home equity levels. And, thanks to that widening gap between property values and outstanding mortgage balances, the average homeowner currently has nearly $300,000 worth of home equity that can be leveraged for financing home renovations, consolidating high-interest debt, funding education expenses, covering …

If you’re a homeowner, there’s a high probability that you have quite a bit of borrowing power available to you. And, that borrowing power could be coupled with competitive interest rates. The average homeowners has potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to tap into right now. But, what if you needed to get your hands on $40,000, and decided to …

Former GOP Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley officially launched her campaign Monday to unseat central Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. “For almost 20 years, I have worked to change the government from the outside, and now it’s clear the best way for me to continue my work and deliver …

Shayanna Jenkins, the fiancée of late New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, condemned jokes made at his expense during NFL legend Tom Brady’s roast. Jenkins, who is the mother of Hernandez’ only child, told TMZ that she was disappointed her partner was the target of multiple jabs during the three-hour live Netflix special, including from former teammates. “It’s sad …

An Australian woman accused of feeding poisonous mushrooms to several members of her ex-husband’s family has pleaded not guilty to three murder charges and five attempted murder charges. Authorities allege that she served toxic wild mushrooms to four people at a lunch last year, killing three of them and leaving a fourth seriously ill. Erin Patterson, 49, appeared briefly in …

An Idaho man was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison for trying to spread HIV to dozens of victims. Alexander Louie, 34, admitted to having sex with 30 to 50 different men and boys, including a 16-year-old, and didn’t tell his partners he was HIV positive so he could infect them with the disease, the Ada County Prosecutor’s …

The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It’s a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion. The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally …

Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during World War II because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday. The remains were found Feb. 24 at Wolf’s Lair, which served as Hitler’s …

Washington —Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican and the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress, won a primary challenge Tuesday for her seat, CBS News projects. Spartz fended off eight Republican challengers, with Indiana state Rep. Chuck Goodrich as her chief opposition. With 92% of the votes counted, Spartz was leading Goodrich 39% to 33%. Spartz was first elected in 2020 …

Two years ago, Veena Singla of San Francisco volunteered to participate in a study researching drivers’ exposure to flame retardants used on car seats. Singla drives a hybrid car to help the environment, but hadn’t thought much about the air inside her vehicle. But according to astudypublished Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, “vehicles are likely important sources …

Two Australians and an American were doing what they loved on the stunning, largely isolated stretch of Baja California’s Pacific coast. Their last images on social media showed them sitting and gazing at the waves. What happened to end their lives may have been as random as a passing pickup truck full of people with ill intent. Thesurfers were shot …

After being notified byBoeingthat some company employees failed to complete specific inspections on some787 Dreamlinersbut reported the checks as having been completed, essentially falsifying inspection records, the Federal Aviation Administration has opened a formal investigation. The inspections verify there is adequate bonding and grounding of the fasteners connecting the wings to the fuselage. The test aims to confirm that the …

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico — Desperate and exhausted, the migrants gathered around a tree that offered them some shade from the unforgiving sun. They had traveled from countries throughout Latin America, including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and Venezuela. Some of them were parents traveling with small children, including toddlers. Others were young men. Some of the teenagers …

Jerusalem — An Israeli tank brigade took control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as Israel moved forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife’s edge. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his country in a video address later Tuesday that …