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Daniel Ackerman

Latest Stories (61)

Companies have our data. Why do they keep asking if we like them?

Sep 11, 2024
Constant requests for feedback can provide useful info for firms. But there are alternatives to overdoing it and annoying customers.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Government stockpiles of metals, materials could aid clean energy transition

Sep 4, 2024
Leaders in Washington have been busy replenishing U.S. stockpiles for war. But they may be more likely to be used in battling climate change.
Some materials used by the defense industry could play a role in wind and solar facilities battling climate change. Above, workers move the blade of a wind turbine.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Fracking shifts U.S. oil production away from California

Sep 4, 2024
Once a leading source of oil, California produced fewer barrels of oil in June than in any month since the federal government began counting in 1981.
As fracking in places like the Permian Basin in Texas took off, California started pumping fewer and fewer barrels of oil.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

FAA: Air traffic controllers wanted

Sep 3, 2024
In May, the FAA said it was short 3,000 controllers. One factor in that: all air traffic controllers have to train at a single FAA academy in Oklahoma City.
In May, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was short 3,000 controllers.
Saul Loeb/Getty Images

In Boston, Labor Day isn't the only holiday this weekend. There's also "moving day."

Aug 30, 2024
September first has been Boston’s unofficial moving day for more than a century. Why has the date stuck around?
Boston is a bit of a college town — hence the Sept. 1 move-in date for many Bostonians.
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Survey shows more Americans worried about cost of fighting climate change

Aug 29, 2024
Most Americans support government action on climate change, but a growing minority worry it will harm the economy, according to survey data from Stanford University and Resources for the Future.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Schools across the U.S. are dealing with record heat — and no air conditioning

Aug 27, 2024
More than 10,000 schools nationwide lack air conditioning, according to the Center for Climate Integrity. And with soaring temps across the midwest and East Coast, some schools are releasing students early or closing altogether this week.
Adding air conditioning can run larger school districts hundreds of millions of dollars.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Survey suggests consumers are waiting for Fed rate decision before next big financial move

Aug 20, 2024
The Nerd Wallet survey found many respondents are waiting for lower interest rates before borrowing to buy a car or refinance a loan.
Roughly a quarter of NerdWallet survey respondents reported that they're waiting to buy a car until the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Conglomerates are breaking up and sharpening focus. Candymaker Mars is bucking the trend.

Aug 15, 2024
As a private company, it's immune to shareholder revolts.
Mars, the family-owned conglomerate behind Skittles, also has hand in pet care and pet food sales.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Lots of people are traveling this summer, but some hotels see lower occupancy

Aug 12, 2024
Higher-income travelers have splashed out, but people with lower incomes have reined in spending because of rising prices.
TSA screenings have hit record highs this summer. Where is everyone traveling to?
Scott Olson/Getty Images