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Poll: Americans say holiday gifts harder to afford

More than half of U.S. adults say it’s harder to afford the holiday gifts they want to give this year. Sixty-nine percent of them say they have seen higher prices for holiday gifts in recent months, up from 58% last year, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. And 57% say it has been harder to afford the things they want to give, a dramatic increase from 40% one year ago. The vast majority of those finding it harder to afford gifts say they’ve cut back on giving as a result. Last year, 89-year-old Darlene Huffman used some ...

New plan takes flight

HOUGHTON — After complaints from nearby residents over proposed relocations in Houghton and Portage Township, Isle Royale Seaplanes will move to a new base at the Houghton County Memorial Airport starting in 2024. The company had previously operated at the airport from its formation in 2004 until 2016, said owner Jon Rector. When the company expanded in 2017, it added aircraft that could only operate in water. “The aircraft we used to expand were the most cost-efficient aircraft that we could afford at the time,” he said. After relocating to Ripley, Isle Royale Seaplanes ...

All fueled up

HOUGHTON — Houghton and Keweenaw counties are dealing with the highest average fuel prices in the state, which are up to 60 cents higher than some other counties in the western Upper Peninsula. AAA’s statewide survey Tuesday showed Keweenaw County at $3.999 for a gallon of regular gas, ...

Santa’s back in town with inflation, inclusion in mind

NEW YORK — Don’t look for plastic partitions or faraway benches when visiting Santa Claus this year. The jolly old elf is back, pre-pandemic style, and he’s got some pressing issues on his mind. Santa booker HireSanta.com has logged a 30% increase in demand this Christmas season over last year, after losing about 15% of its performers to retirement or death during the pandemic, said founder and head elf Mitch Allen. He has a Santa database of several thousand with gigs at the Bloomingdale’s flagship store in New York, various Marriott properties and other venues around the ...

Inflation hovers over shoppers seeking deals on Black Friday

NEW YORK — Cautious shoppers hunted for the best deals at stores and online as retailers offered new Black Friday discounts to entice consumers eager to start buying holiday gifts but weighed down by inflation. Due to elevated prices for food, rent, gasoline and other essentials, many people were being more selective, reluctant to spend unless there was a big sale. Some were dipping more into savings, turning to “buy now, pay later” services that allow payment in installments, or running up their credit cards at a time when the Federal Reserve is hiking rates to cool the U.S. ...

US employers still hiring briskly

WASHINGTON — America’s employers kept hiring vigorously in October, adding 261,000 positions, a sign that as Election Day nears, the economy remains a picture of solid job growth and painful inflation. Friday’s report from the government showed that hiring was brisk across industries last month, though the overall gain declined from 315,000 in September. The unemployment rate rose from a five-decade low of 3.5% to a still-healthy 3.7%. A strong job market is deepening the challenges the Federal Reserve faces as it raises interest rates at the fastest pace since the 1980s to try ...