Business

A record shortage of homes for sale and strong demand from buyers are sparking bidding wars and sending home prices to new records.

Economy

It's Harder Than Ever To Buy A House, And Bidding Wars Keep Breaking Out

5:02pm May 18, 2021

by Chris Arnold

A record low supply of homes for sale and strong demand from buyers are sending home prices to record levels and frustrating homebuyers who keep getting outbid.

The Case For Universal Pre-K Just Got Stronger

12:01pm May 18, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

A new study looks at the effects of government-funded preschool in Boston and finds big benefits for kids.

Nicole McGrew, wearing a mask by the designer N'omose Couture, says she'll require customers to mask up in her store for a short time longer.

Health & Safety

As Mask Mandates Disappear, Business Owners Make And Enforce Their Own Rules

9:59am May 18, 2021

by Andrea Hsu

The CDC's new guidance that it's safe for fully vaccinated people to go without masks, even indoors, has led to a confusing situation for businesses, which now have to decide what to do on their own.

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A laptop displays a message after being infected by ransomware in 2017. Thousands of institutions in the U.S. fall victim to ransomware attacks each year.

'You Can't Just Concede.' How One Expert Explains Negotiating With Cybercriminals

5:06am May 18, 2021

Bill Siegel works with companies that fall victim to the same type of ransomware attack that disrupted fuel supplies across large parts of the South and East Coast last week.

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AT&T has announced a $43 billion deal to create a company that will combine WarnerMedia's entertainment, sports and news with Discovery's nonfiction and entertainment shows.

Arts

AT&T To Spin Off WarnerMedia And Merge It With Discovery

5:58pm May 17, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

AT&T will spin off WarnerMedia and acquire Discovery Inc. to create a new company that will combine WarnerMedia's entertainment, sports and news with Discovery's nonfiction and entertainment shows.

The highest health burdens from overwork were seen in men and in workers who are middle-aged or older, according to a WHO study.

Health & Safety

Overwork Killed More Than 745,000 People In A Year, WHO Study Finds

12:54pm May 17, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The global study, which the WHO calls the first of its kind, found that more than 745,000 people died in 2016 from overwork that resulted in stroke and heart disease.

Anchorage, Alaska, resident Hans Dow built his own sawmill and began milling his own boards after lumber prices skyrocketed over the past year.

As Lumber Prices Climb, DIYers Cut Out The Middle Man And Mill Their Own

10:51am May 17, 2021

by Emily Schwing

The price of lumber has more than doubled during the pandemic. Now people are turning to extreme DIY for building projects. Instead of buying boards, they're buying their own sawmills.

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AT&T Announces Plans To Merge With Discovery

10:21am May 17, 2021

AT&T, which controls Warner Media, has announced it will merge its media assets with Discovery. The $43 billion deal will create a standalone company.

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A spokeswoman for Bill Gates denied on Sunday that an investigation into a prior romantic relationship with an employee had anything to do with him leaving Microsoft's Board of Directors last year.

National

Microsoft Board Investigated Bill Gates' 'Intimate Relationship' With Employee

10:35pm May 16, 2021

by Bobby Allyn

A spokesperson for Gates maintained that his decades-old "affair," which was the subject of the recent investigation, had no connection to his decision to step down.

Paris Bookstores Are Designated Essential — But These Landmarks Struggle To Survive

6:03pm May 16, 2021

by Eleanor Beardsley

Gibert Jeune, which held a prominent place in Parisians hearts, is one of the latest to close. The pandemic is only one pressure on independent bookstores, but some have found ways to survive.

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