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Student loan borrowers have more time to reduce their interest rate

Business

NEW YORK (AP) — Student loan borrowers now have until the end of 2026 to enroll in auto pay and have their interest rate reduced by 1%. The original deadline was Sept. 30, but the U.S. Department of Education extended it to give borrowers more time to enroll. The rate reduction will last through June 2028. Borrowers who currently use auto pay already receive an interest-rate discount of 0.25%, so the new reduction takes off just 0.75%. This temporary benefit is meant to support borrowers, along with those who are returning to repayment, and ensure they can stay on top of the new ...

Buying now, paying later?

Business

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans spent more than $160 billion last year using buy now, pay later plans, according to research published by Federal Reserve economists. Experts say they’re increasingly seeing people use the plans for everyday expenses like groceries, bills, transportation and, ...

Bike trail phase 4 completed in Niles, connects to Warren

Local News

NILES — The Trumbull County portion of the Western Reserve Greenway Bike Trail has been completed. Local officials gathered Friday for the official ribbon cutting for the opening of the bike trail in Niles, which connects to Warren. Zachary Svette, executive director of the Trumbull ...

Vance expresses doubts about plan to livestream Fort Hood execution

National News

HEBRON, Ky. (AP) — Vice President JD Vance cast doubt Friday on whether the Pentagon will livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan in December but told reporters that if it is livestreamed, “I’m not going to be watching it.” The Republican vice president said, “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” when asked about the plans that the Pentagon confirmed Thursday. But Vance then tried to set aside the controversy over the plans for a public execution and said Hasan’s crimes should not be forgotten. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 ...

A reckoning on social media addiction came late for many kids. Will AI safety be different?

Black History Month

Years after the risks of social media for kids first became apparent, U.S. states this summer reached an accord hailed as a turning point for child safety. Meanwhile, a new generation of children has begun engaging with an even more potent technology: artificial intelligence. While the efforts to make social media safer are still taking shape, they offer some lessons for those looking to protect children using AI — technology that is growing so quickly, the extent of its risks for young people and their development is just emerging. When Meta agreed to changes to its social media ...