Author name: Jeannette Mercer

Jeannette Mercer writes about politics, health, business, parenting, and finance for local news sites. She's also a proud mom to two kids who keep her on her toes and an avid runner who loves racing in marathons.

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North Carolina home insurance premium base rates increasing about 15% by mid-2026

Business / By

RALEIGH. N.C. — Base rates for North Carolina homeowners’ insurance premiums will increase on average by about 15% by mid-2026 as part of a settlement reached by the state Insurance Department and the industry. The agreement announced Friday by Commissioner Mike Causey contrasts with the January 2024 request by the North Carolina Rate Bureau, which […]

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US accuses Walgreens of filling millions of illegitimate prescriptions

Business / By

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The U.S. Justice Department is accusing Walgreens of filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade and more without a legitimate purpose, including for dangerous amounts of opioids, according to a lawsuit filed this week. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the complaint says the drugstore

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For TikTok users, mourning, frustration and clinging to hope as TikTok ban looms

Business / By

NEW YORK — The U.S. is inching closer and closer to a potential TikTok ban — with the nation’s highest court upholding a law that’s set to halt new downloads of the app starting Sunday. But many questions around what exactly this ban will look like, and whether it will actually be enforced, remain. That

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TikTok refugees are pouring to Xiaohongshu. Here's what you need to know about the RedNote app

Business / By

WASHINGTON — As the fate of TikTok hangs in the balance, U.S. TikTok users are flocking to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, also called RedNote – making it the top downloaded app in the U.S. Some of the “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say the TikTok alternative, a Chinese app, is being chosen

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What will happen to TikTok on Apple and Google's app store on Sunday?

Business / By

With President-elect Donald Trump adding uncertainty around whether a TikTok ban will go into effect, the focus is now turning to companies like Google and Apple that are expected to take the popular video sharing app off their platforms in just two days. Though the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a federal law that

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Yellen says Treasury will use 'extraordinary measures' on Jan. 21 to prevent hitting debt ceiling

Business / By

WASHINGTON — In one of her last acts as Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen said her agency will start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, on January 21 in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. She sent a letter in late December to

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A battery plant fire in California started during a boom for energy storage

Business / By

AUSTIN, Texas — A fire at one of the world’s largest battery plants in Northern California contained tens of thousands of lithium batteries that store power from renewable energy and have become a growing electricity source. By a long shot, California and Texas are opening more large-scale battery projects than anywhere else in the U.S.,

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This photographer took a life-affirming cargo ship cruise through the Marquesas Islands

Travel / By

At our final island, Ua Huka, I’m tempted to ride one of the many horses that it’s famous for, but I can’t pass up the invitation to visit Tahiarii’s cousin, Maheatete Lichdle. Being welcomed into someone’s home is the best way to experience island life, however briefly; it’s an honor and a highlight of the

This photographer took a life-affirming cargo ship cruise through the Marquesas Islands Read More »

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