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November 2009
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Recently by Terri Gruca
The Wall Street Journal offered up these great suggestions on some of the organizations that accept donated candy. They include some Ronald McDonald houses and Operation Shoe Box which donates items to soldiers serving overseas. Here are the directions on how to donate your candy to the troops.
Now there's new information about the California accident that spurred that action. A family was driving down the highway near San Diego when the gas pedal caused their gas pedal to stick. They made a desperate call to 9-1-1 but crashed a short time later. All four family members died in the crash. The preliminary investigation blames the floor mat. And Toyota has told drivers of millions of Toyota and Lexus models to remove their floor mats until further notice. According to a story on CNN, "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented 100 incidents where accelerator pedals on Lexus and Toyota vehicles stuck." Another item noticed by the NHTSA is the push button ignition on the car involved in the crash in San Diego. If you have a car with this type of ignition you need to know that in order to kill the engine you have to push and hold the start button for more than 3 seconds to disable the engine. It is not clear if the driver in California tried that. You can go here to find out if your Toyota or Lexus car is affected by this recall.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission says it has received eight reports of flashlights overheating and melting, including one person who suffered burns to their hand. They were sold exclusively at Target from August 2009 through September 2009 for $1 and $2.50. If you bought any of these you should return them to Target for a full refund or call 1-800-440-0680 if you have questions.
Remember if you spot something worth a mention, feel free to send me an e-mail. Free Boo-rito Free Black Jack Taco Halloween Fun Super Sonic Halloween Specials Free Ice Cream next Wednesday Restaurant Deals Travel Deals • I found this site the other day and thought it was a great place to find several travel deals from some of the bigger websites all in one place. It may be worth checking it out if you've got plans to vacation or are simply looking for an excuse to getaway. One of the great reminders is that you can get a $200 voucher if you book a flight or a flight and hotel through Expedia by the end of the year.
It's why you may be excited about the research UT is doing. Thanks to a grant by Wal-Mart UT researchers are testing seven different types of native grasses to try to find a combination that proves to be drought resistant and requires less maintenance. And they may have found it. According to UT researcher Mark Simmons the native grasses so far seem to be a mixture of Buffalo grass, Blue Grama and Curly Mesquite grass. They are all currently commercially available, which means you can plant them in your own yard. You can find more information about those grasses and the UT native lawn program here. You can also go here to learn how to plant some of these native lawns. What's wrong with what we're currently doing? For example Bermuda and St. Augustine--Bermuda grass is hearty and grows easily. It is also pretty drought resistant. However, Simmons said it grows so fast that it requires more mowing than many of the native grasses. St. Augustine is one of the most popular grasses. Simmons said it is actually more susceptible to pests and disease and like most lawns requires a lot of water. "Lawns use between 30 and 60 percent of the urban water around the country," said Simmons. "With a native grass with these native grasses you can effectively let them go dormant, drought dormant," said Simmons. "So after a summer like we've just had under the water restrictions, you could allow these turf grasses to actually go brown. They won't die they just go dormant. And then when the rains come they'll just green up again." So far that's exactly what researchers have found. A lack of water won't kill these native grasses. Like Bermuda grass they're easy to grow, but they are less susceptible to weeds and require less mowing. "These were mowed two to three weeks ago," Simmons said pointing to two plots of grass sitting side-by-side. "And you can already see the Bermuda grass is much higher now. It's coming up about twice the height of the native turf grasses." "It's actually a much more pleasant texture to sit on and walk on," said Simmons.
Southwest Airlines just launched a huge airfare sale. You'll find some fares as low as $25 one way. Check here for the list of cities and fares. You have until Thursday to book your trip and you must travel December 2 through December 16 or January 5 through February 10, 2010 and not on Sundays. These airfare deals expire October 29, 2009, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
That's why I wanted to share a site I think is worth book marking. It's called Repair pal.com. This site allows you to look up the make and model of your car and any type of car repair. Then punch in your zip code and it not only helps list a range of prices but directs you to dealerships and independent car repair places that can do the repair. You can also look up terms in case you need more explanation as to what needs to be fixed in your car. It really can help take the mystery out of car repair and it is free.
An article in the Austin Business Journal shows that despite unemployment hitting a 26 year high in September, a survey by Intuit, Inc. Found "44 percent of small business owners are planning to hire new employees within the next 12 months." "Sixty percent expect their businesses to grow in the next year, and newer businesses are the most bullish, with 80 percent of companies founded less than three years ago expecting growth over the next year." "Fifty percent of the small businesses that responded said they were looking for a people person or jack of all trades over a creative genius or mathematical wizard. Upcoming Job Fair Below you will find a list of companies that will attend:
KFC has learned from the Oprah coupon fiasco. Today KFC is giving away one free piece of grilled chicken and you don't need a coupon to get it. According to the fine print the piece of chicken is the manager's choice and this offer is only good at participating restaurants--so you may want to call ahead. Then don't forget about the free spaghetti being offered at Buca as part of World Pasta day.
The city is putting together a comprehensive plan, almost a vision for the future of the city and it wants your feedback. So go here to fill out the survey. |
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Terri Gruca anchors KVUE's 6 and 10pm newscasts. She brings you the latest consumer news and tells you where to find the best deals.
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