Another holiday weekend is upon us so before you head off to the beach or your backyard barbecues, here's a quick run down of what you might have missed this week.
Incomes drop a whole bunch.
Local grocery store closing.
Direct bus service to New York canceled.
Blame it on Gustav.
And of course you'll want to check out this week's podcast from the business staff. What can you expect to hear? All about shiny things and dumb people.
Thanks to everyone who submitted suggestions and gave us input on the new name for the business blog. We definitely appreciate all the feedback.
After much debate both on the blog and off, York Common Cents, an internal suggestion, won. The runner-up was Sense and Cent$ibility, submitted by reader John Alfano from Dallastown.
Because we obviously aren't going to give the prize to our own staff, John will receive the prize.
Thanks again for your help picking our new name. The new name will be introduced when our redesign is finished. Don't worry though, you will still get the same content at the same URL, we just felt the new name better reflects the content we produce for our popular business blog.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't. My mom's an accountant, so believe me I know all the reasons that I should, but it's just so easy not to with everything online.
I monitor my account very closely online and I don't see the need to write it all out too.
I can track every deposit and every expenditure. Minutes after it happens the new balance posts online. My finances are in good shape and I hold on to receipts so I have proof of transactions.
So am I the only one that thinks balancing a checkbook seems a little old school?
The start of school is upon us which means retailers are offering their back-to-school specials.
Those savings aren't just for those of us with children. Everyone can take advantage of some of the discounts.
Happy Friday afternoon, York! Here's the news that you may have missed this week.
Sellers react to E-bay rule changes.
Restaurant goes smoke free early.
Businesses take steps to reduce energy costs.
Russia, Georgia situation still tense.
And of course you don't want to miss this week's edition of Money Talk. Check it out below.
Today's the last day you can vote for the new name of the business blog.
Check here for the list of possible names and then e-mail me your choice by noon to jmilcetich@ydr.com.
Joe, one of our readers, left this comment about where he saw cheap gas in the area:
On 8/20: $3.31 @ Citgo on Rt 30 and Fairlane. 30 cents cheaper than the Citgo at RT 30 and Sherman. The one on Fairlane is a gem. Hands down cheapest, always as of late.
Thanks for the tip, Joe!
If you've spotted stations selling gas a few cents cheaper than the norm feel free to share in the comments section.
I was driving around on my lunch break and noticed a bunch of different gas stations where gas was $3.39.
That's the lowest I've seen so far, has anyone seen anything lower?
Thanks to everyone who sent in potential names for the new business blog.
As we stated in the original rules, we want input from you when we're making the final decision.
Here's the top five that the staff narrowed it down to. E-mail staff writer Jessica Milcetich at jmilcetich [at] ydr [dot] com by noon on Friday with the name you think should win.
1. For the Record
2. York Common Cents
3. Sense and Cent$ibility
4. YorkBiz360
5. Codorus Cash Flow
Remember when gas was close to $4 per gallon so everyone cut back on their driving?
Well I miss the empty roads.
Road trips were so much quicker without all the traffic congestion on the major highways.
But now that prices have fallen, consumer confidence is starting to creep up a little bit and people are hitting the road again.
Do you still use a land line for your main phone service? It seems that so many people have given them up in exchange for cell phones.
I'm looking for people who have dropped their land lines or people who refuse to give it up. I want to know your reasoning behind either decision.
Drop me a line at jmilcetich [at] ydr [dot] com and let me know!
With just a few hours until the weekend, it's time for your dose of business news.
Gas still too high; people want to share rides.
Local businesspeople get their groove on.
Green-collar jobs on the rise.
And for the latest from your biz staff, check out this week's podcast for a look at the real estate landscape and what first-time homebuyers need to know.
...for you to compete in the Name Our Blog competition.
Make sure you e-mail your entries by noon today. (jmilcetich [at] ydr [dot] com)
Check the rules here.
Came across this really interesting article about the top three ways the Olympics are being marketed.
But I found this blog post more interesting. It suggests that the Olympics are marketed solely to females. The author makes a good argument for his case. Just take a look at the ads that run during the games. As he says, you would never see Neosporin, Wal-Mart or furniture polish ads during an NFL game.
...to submit an entry for the "Name our Blog" contest. The deadline to e-mail me submissions (jmilcetich@ydr.com) is this Friday.
If you haven't checked out the rules, you'll want to do that here.
I'm looking forward to getting some crafty submissions.
That's right, Barack Obama plans to announce his running mate by text message and e-mail.
You can sign up here if you don't want to wait.
Obama's on Twitter too if you want to check that out.
He has to be the first presidential candidate to make this kind of use of technology.
It's bad, but I was pretty giddy with excitement when I drove past Delco Plaza and saw gas was $3.49 per gallon.
That's a far cry from cheap, but it's cheaper than it was.
I just hope it keeps coming down.
It's been a crazy busy week for the business staff. What with a bunch of companies releasing earnings reports and Boscov's filing Chapter 11. Yeeesh.
I'm glad it's almost the weekend. And I'm sure you are too.
We're going to mix things up here this week and instead of a list of links for you to check out, I'm going to leave you with our brand-spanking new podcast. Take a listen. (P.S. You have to leave this page open while you listen, but just open another browser window so you can get on with your regularly scheduled Internet surfing.)
Retail stores are really hurting and just about everyone is pointing a finger at the economy.
Even with the government stimulus checks, stores like Steve & Barry's and Boscov's filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and BonTon earnings took a hit.
The last time I went shopping was to buy a dress for my friend's wedding. I can't even remember the last time I shopped for fun and not necessity.
When was the last time you shopped for fun?
Part of the new Google Maps interface.
Anyone else notice that Google Maps got a little bit of a new look recently?
It's nothing drastic, just a few simple changes.
The link to get directions moved from under the main search bar to the top of the left sidebar.
I've written numerous times before about how gas prices seemed to be cheaper on the east side of town.
So I was more than a little surprised on Saturday when I was out in Springettsbury Township to see that gas was about six cents more expensive than it was on the west side.
The way different stations set their prices will never cease to boggle my mind.
Another week has come and just about gone and I'm here to catch you up on what you might have missed this week.
Shoppers be on the alert for sales.
New winery opens in Adams County.
Is anyone surprised Big Oil had a big quarter?
Big name sports company finds major worker violations.
How germy is your work environment?
The business blog, which is currently titled "Mind Your Own Business," is going under a bit of a redesign, which will launch shortly. Along with our fresh new look, we'd like a fresh new name and we want your help in coming up with one.
The rules are simple.
