Stacker ranked the top 20 travel destinations where the U.S. dollar stretches, using data from WorldData.info and State Department country travel advisories.
From tornadoes causing fatalities in Missouri, to players' responses to viral women's NCAA championship moments, here's the top news for the past week.
20 of the best travel destinations where the US dollar stretches the most
Community colleges are reeling. 'The reckoning is here'
When Santos Enrique Camara arrived at Shoreline Community College in Washington state to study audio engineering, he quickly felt lost.
"It's like a weird maze," remembered Camara, who was 19 at the time and had finished high school with a 4.0 grade-point average. "You need help with your classes and financial aid? Well, here, take a number and run from office to office and see if you can figure it out."
Reports: Former President Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former president.
The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of “an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president.”
CMT Music Awards 2023: The winners, the big moments, photo highlights and more
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — “Son of a Sinner” singer Jelly Roll was the big winner at the CMT Music Awards, as the rapper-turned-country singer took home three awards on Sunday as an outsider who won over fans with his confessional songs.
The tattooed singer got emotional during the show in Austin, Texas, which aired on CBS, as he thanked the country radio industry for its acceptance and shouted out to those who felt like him.
This squirrel learned to ring a bell when he wants nuts — and people are obsessed
A clever squirrel has gathered quite the TikTok following after he learned to ring a bell in exchange for nuts in California.
Researchers at UC Berkeley’s microbiology lab taught the squirrel to tug on a string tied to a bell to ring it from his perch on the window ledge, and rewarded him with a treat when he did, Alienor Baskevitch told CNN. The researchers named him Kluyver after famous microbiologist Albert Kluyver, the station reported.
The cities with the worst pest problem
Rodents are significantly more common in older homes
For related reasons, a household’s income levels also bear a relationship to how frequently the home’s residents encounter pests. Among both owners and renters, the median income for households who had not seen a rodent or roach in the last 12 months was far higher than the median income for households who saw such pests daily. This is likely because households with greater means can afford to live in newer units or units that have been better maintained and keep up with the costs of ongoing maintenance and other preventive measures.
Low income homes are more likely to experience daily pest problems
In addition to the age and condition of a home, where the home is located also impacts the type and frequency of pest issues. Rodents are usually more common in colder regions like the Northeast, where they seek out warm locations for shelter during the fall and winter months. Insects like cockroaches and ants thrive in warmer climates like those found in the South. And both roaches and rodents prefer more damp or humid climates, which make them less common in the dryer West. Taken together, these location-specific factors have a major impact on how likely a home is to face a pest problem.
To determine the locations with the worst pest problem, researchers at Construction Coverage calculated a composite index equally weighing the percentage of households with rodents and percentage of households with cockroaches for each location. The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey. In the event of a tie, the location with the higher percentage of households with rodents was ranked higher. Only select metropolitan areas and states with data available from the American Housing Survey were considered in the analysis.
Here are the major metropolitan areas with the worst pest problem.
10. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Photo Credit: evenfh / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 58.3
- Percentage of households with rodents: 5.8%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 29.8%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 13.0%
- Median household income: $48,600
9. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 60.4
- Percentage of households with rodents: 18.4%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 2.9%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 32.6%
- Median household income: $87,000
8. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Photo Credit: wonderlustpicstravel / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 62.5
- Percentage of households with rodents: 13.3%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 4.5%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 20.7%
- Median household income: $72,000
7. Raleigh, NC
Photo Credit: Kirill Livshitskiy / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 64.6
- Percentage of households with rodents: 8.9%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 24.1%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 2.9%
- Median household income: $75,000
6. Kansas City, MO-KS MSA
Photo Credit: iampaese / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 64.6
- Percentage of households with rodents: 12.2%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 6.4%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 12.2%
- Median household income: $67,000
5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Photo Credit: Victor Moussa / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 66.7
- Percentage of households with rodents: 11.2%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 11.1%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 27.7%
- Median household income: $70,000
4. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Photo Credit: Nate Hovee / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 68.8
- Percentage of households with rodents: 6.8%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 35.2%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 2.4%
- Median household income: $60,000
3. Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 68.8
- Percentage of households with rodents: 11.1%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 18.6%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 4.9%
- Median household income: $45,000
2. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Photo Credit: photosounds / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 72.9
- Percentage of households with rodents: 18.9%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 6.1%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 22.6%
- Median household income: $71,570
1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Photo Credit: A G Baxter / Shutterstock
- Composite index: 75.0
- Percentage of households with rodents: 15.1%
- Percentage of households with cockroaches: 8.6%
- Percentage of homes built before 1940: 8.1%
- Median household income: $100,000
States with the highest number of college graduates living in poverty
Which U.S. states have more college graduates living at or below the federal poverty line than others? Stacker analyzed Census Bureau data to find out.
Cash App founder Bob Lee killed in stabbing in San Francisco, police say
The creator of Cash App and former chief technology officer at Square was killed in a stabbing Tuesday in San Francisco, according to people who knew him and police.
Bob Lee, 43, died at a hospital following the 2:35 a.m. attack on the 300 block of Main Street in the Rincon Point neighborhood. Police said they responded to a report of a stabbing and found him, called medics to the scene and started aid. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
Photos: Notable Deaths in 2023
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, died Jan. 10, 2023. He was 78. Beck was among the rock-guitarist pantheon from the late ’60s that included Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Beck won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once with the Yardbirds in 1992 and again as a solo artist in 2009.
Robbie Knievel
Robbie Knievel, an American stunt performer who set records with daredevil motorcycle jumps following the tire tracks of his thrill-seeking father — including at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1989 and a Grand Canyon chasm a decade later — died Jan. 13, 2023. He was 60.
Gina Lollobrigida
Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one of her movies, died Jan. 16, 2023. She was 95. Besides “The World’s Most Beautiful Woman” in 1955, career highlights included Golden Globe-winner “Come September,” with Rock Hudson; “Trapeze;” “Beat the Devil,” a 1953 John Huston film starring Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones; and “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell.”
Lynette Hardaway ("Diamond")
Lynette Hardaway, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and one half of the conservative political commentary duo Diamond and Silk, died Jan. 9, 2023. She was 51. Hardaway (pictured at left), known by the moniker “Diamond,” carved out a unique role as a Black woman who loudly backed Trump and right-wing policies.
Adam Rich
Adam Rich, the child actor with a pageboy mop-top who charmed TV audiences as “America’s little brother” on “Eight is Enough,” died Jan. 7, 2023. He was 54. Rich had a limited acting career after starring at age 8 as Nicholas Bradford, the youngest of eight children, on the ABC hit dramedy that ran from from 1977 to 1981.
Charles White
Charles White, the Southern California tailback who won the Heisman Trophy in 1979, died Jan. 11, 2023. He was 64. A two-time All-American and Los Angeles native, White won a national title in 1978 before claiming the Heisman in the following season, when he captained the Trojans and led the nation in yards rushing.
Tatjana Patitz
Tatjana Patitz, one of an elite group of famed supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and ’90s and appeared in George Michael's “Freedom! '90” music video, died at age 56.
Russell Banks
Russell Banks, an award-winning fiction writer who rooted such novels as “Affliction” and “The Sweet Hereafter” in the wintry, rural communities of his native Northeast and imagined the dreams and downfalls of everyone from modern blue-collar workers to the radical abolitionist John Brown in “Cloudsplitter," died Jan. 7, 2023. He was 82.
Cardinal George Pell
Cardinal George Pell, a onetime financial adviser to Pope Francis who spent 404 days in solitary confinement in his native Australia on child sex abuse charges before his convictions were overturned, died Jan. 10, 2023. He was 81.
Ken Block
Ken Block, a motorsports icon known for his stunt driving and for co-founding the action sports apparel brand DC Shoes, died Jan. 2, 2023, in a snowmobiling accident near his home in Utah. Block rose to fame as a rally car driver and in 2005 was awarded Rally America's Rookie of the Year honors.
Walter Cunningham
Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA's Apollo program, died Jan. 3, 2023. He was 90. Cunningham was one of three astronauts aboard the 1968 Apollo 7 mission, an 11-day spaceflight that beamed live television broadcasts as they orbited Earth, paving the way for the moon landing less than a year later.
Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a major hit in 1978 with “What You Won't Do for Love” and a voice and musical style adored by generations of his fellow artists, died March 14, 2023. He was 71. The smooth soul jam “What You Won't Do for Love” went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on what was then called the Hot Selling Soul Singles chart. It became a long-term standard and career-defining hit for Caldwell, who also wrote the song.
Tornadoes kill at least 18 across US Midwest and South
WYNNE, Ark. (AP) — Storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes killed at least 18 people in small towns and big cities across the South and Midwest, tearing a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, and leaving people throughout the region bewildered Saturday by the damage.
Confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least seven states destroyed homes and businesses, splintered trees, and lay waste to neighborhoods across a swath of the country home to some 85 million people. The dead included seven in Tennessee's McNairy County, four in the small town of Wynne, Arkansas, and three in Sullivan, Indiana.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says he didn't have to disclose luxury trips with megadonor
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Friday he was not required to disclose the many trips he and his wife took that were paid for by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
NASA names 1 woman, 3 men who will fly to the moon next year. Meet the crew.
NASA on Monday named the four astronauts who will fly to the moon by the end of next year, including one woman and three men.
The three Americans and one Canadian were introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation's astronauts as well as Mission Control.
Dog missing for 7 years had ‘touching’ SC reunion with owner weeks before his death
A dog missing for seven years had a “touching” reunion with his owner just weeks before he died.
Nugget the dog was found “limping down a wet dark road” in South Carolina — more than 1,700 miles from his home. Then, the Greenville-based organization Carolina Loving Hound Rescue said it helped the pup get back in touch with his long-awaiting family in February.
Among 160 years of presidential scandals, Trump stands alone
Though far from the only U.S. president dogged by legal and ethical scandals, Donald Trump now occupies a unique place in history as the first indicted on criminal charges.
Two others, like Trump, found themselves impeached by Congress — Bill Clinton for lying under oath about his affair with a White House intern, and Andrew Johnson for pushing the limits of his executive authority in a bitter power struggle following the Civil War.
