Austin airport gave out stuffed 'Armie' armadillos and they're as cute as you think
The plush animals, nestled in a bin, added a quirky touch to the airport experience, embodying Austin's reputation for keeping things weird.
The airport alerted passengers about the "armadillo infestation" in case they encountered them at baggage claim.
"The armadillos have overrun carousel 6 & they have a message: Big things are happening at AUS! Keep an eye out for them throughout the terminal on our #JourneyWithAUS construction walls," the airport shared on X.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin airport gifts dozens of stuffed armadillos at baggage claim
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Dominion Post
2 days ago
- Dominion Post
MPO holding first public planning session Tuesday at Mountain Line
MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization is once again asking the community to get involved in planning for the future of the area's transportation system. The Mountain Line Transit Authority's Pifer Terminal will host the first in a series of public feedback opportunities from 4 p.m.- 7 p.m. Tuesday regarding an update of the MPO's Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) The MTP is a federally-mandated, long range blueprint that outlines strategies and projects to improve how people will move – by car, bus, bike or on foot – over the next 20-plus years. The MPO is scheduling public meetings, virtual meetings and pop-up displays through early November, including events at Morgantown City Hall, WVU Mountainlair, the Monongalia County Courthouse Plaza and the historic train depot near the Ruby Amphitheater. 'We really want to have a strong public involvement process as we go forward. It's the right thing to do. It's also a requirement. So, we're going over and above what our policy says we have to do,' MPO Executive Director Bill Austin said. A central component of the plan update will be the inclusion of the findings and recommendations informed by a two-year, $500,000 microsimulation study of the area in and around downtown Morgantown. That study recommends roundabouts at the 8th Street intersection with Beechurst Avenue, the multi-pronged intersection of Stewarts Street, Protzman Street, Van Gilder Avenue and Hoffman Avenue, and potentially, the crossroads of University Avenue and Pleasant Street. It also prescribes the removal of vehicular traffic at Grumbein Island, significant changes to Willey Street, restricting a portion of Monongahela Boulevard to two lanes, reconfiguring the intersection of University Avenue and Falling Run Road and various intersection and signal optimizations. 'That's a pretty big part of it, because that was a Tier 1 project. And so it's big enough with the recommended changes that we're folding that in calling this a minor update of our transportation plan,' Austin said of the study. Austin went on to say that MPO staff took on a number of efforts in-house that will also be presented for consideration as part of the plan update. Those include a draft of a University Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study, Brookhaven Road area improvements and multimodal connectivity upgrades in the area of West Run Road and Riddle Avenue; the area near Mountain Valley Apartments that includes McCormick Hollow Road, Van Voorhis Road and Ackerman Road; and the high-density, mixed-use corridor between the West Virginia University medical school campus and the Suncrest Towne Centre. 'So, we're bringing all that stuff together and calling it a minor update of the transportation plan. We're not having the big consultant come in – the Stantec, the Kimley-Horn – and doing the full blown major update,' Austin said. 'We look at it as validating those goals and objectives from our previous plan. We're opening the box and asking, 'Are these still appropriate? That'll be part of what we answer with this update.' The updated plan will likely go before the MMMPO Policy Board for approval at either its November or January meetings. Community and project surveys supporting the planning effort are currently available at
Forbes
01-08-2025
- Forbes
Holiday Season Shopping Starts In Summer As Consumers Lean On Credit
American shoppers will prioritize gifting, no matter the impact to their wallets with more than one-third (37%) believing that buying gifts for the holiday season is more important than a credit card balance this season, according to a new survey. Indeed, they are prepared to use a variety of methods to delay payment rather than cut back on the holiday season fun, with many moving into Christmas spending already in peak summer season. Travel could be the big loser if shoppers need to cut back, while many are concerned about the impact of tariffs and are getting their shopping in early to try and mitigate against future price rises. It could also be good news for discounters and those able to absorb tariff hikes, less so for branded retailers that have to pass on product increases. Austin, Texas-based Invoice Home's second annual Holiday Spending survey, conducted with third-party research firm Censuswide on the purchase intentions of 2,000 consumers, showed that a quarter of U.S. consumers plan to use controversial Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services to navigate holiday spending this year, followed by employing AI to help them seek out the best prices (16%). Gen Z (20%) and Millennial (19%) respondents in particular plan to cover holiday expenses in 2025 by leveraging BNPL services. Meantime, 27% of Millennials plan to go into credit card debt (up from 21% in 2024), while 40% of Gen Z shoppers plan to dip into savings (32% last year). Consumers are also willing to delay bill payments by 2-3 weeks in the case of 26% of Gen Z and 30% Millennials, and by 1-2 months in the case of 10% of Gen Z and 16% of Millennials. Holiday Season Tariff Fears If prices continue to increase because of inflation and the impact of tariffs, Gen Z and Millennials will also consider the following to save money during the holidays. For the biggest group that means they will not travel (46% Gen Z, 30% Millennials); opt out of gifting (30% Gen Z, 27% Millennials) or thrift gifts (38% Gen Z, 26% Millennials); while a smaller number will push celebrating the holiday to 2026 when it's less expensive (16% Gen Z, 16% Millennials). Last year consumers were asked the same question – what would make someone not shop with a retailer during the holiday season. This year, trends show this is more important than ever to pay attention to. U.S. consumers will not shop with a retailer this holiday season if they see an increase in prices overall 50% (2024 -25%); an increase in cost to return 25% (11%); poor experience with a shipping carrier the retailer used 23% (11%) and poor communication from around delayed shipping 22% (10%). Holiday Season Discounting As with recent back to school surveys, it looks like consumers do want to be thrifty despite their willingness to keep on spending. If a brand/business isn't offering a discount at the time of purchase during the holidays, 42% would still feel incentivized to buy if free shipping/returns was offered, along with reward/loyalty points (34%), gift with purchase (28%) and the promise of a discount code for the next order (19%). Nearly half (47%) of respondents anticipate spending the most on holiday purchases in 2025 with Amazon, other big box retailers like Walmart, Target, etc. (32%), Black Friday/Cyber Monday (25%), and 18% with small businesses. Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) Gen Z anticipate spending the most with TikTok Shop. But despite those inter-generational differences, the holiday season appears to have started earlier than ever as low unemployment and concerns over tariff hikes motivate shoppers to put down their sunglasses and pick up their list for Santa.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Yahoo
When people move out of Arizona, this is where they are going, U-Haul says
Phoenix remains one of the nation's hotspots for relocation, attracting newcomers from nearby states like California and Colorado, as well as farther states like Illinois and Florida, a new study shows. U-Haul's midyear migration trends report for 2025 shows the most common cities where people relocated to in the first half of the year, based on U-Haul's one-way rentals between January and July. The study shows the Valley is one of the top destinations for people moving within the U.S., yet it also lists Arizona as a top origin state for 15 of the 35 cities examined. Here's where new Phoenix residents are coming from, and where some longtime locals are moving to. Where are new Phoenix residents coming from? California continues to be the leading state sending new residents to metro Phoenix, followed by Texas and Colorado. Other popular origin states include Nevada, Washington and Utah — all within a day's drive of the Valley. Here are the top 10 states where new Phoenix residents are moving from, according to U-Haul: California Texas Colorado Nevada Washington Utah New Mexico Oregon Illinois Florida Top out-of-state metro areas sending residents to Phoenix When looking at metro areas, most newcomers are arriving from major Western cities. Los Angeles tops the list, with significant numbers also coming from Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Here are the top 5 U.S. cities outside of Arizona where new Phoenix residents are moving from, according to U-Haul: Los Angeles Las Vegas Denver Salt Lake City Seattle Top Arizona cities sending residents to Phoenix Phoenix also draws heavily from within Arizona, according to U-Haul. In-state moves continue to fuel growth, especially from Tucson, Prescott, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu City and Yuma. Where are Phoenicians moving to? While Phoenix is gaining residents, some locals are heading elsewhere — especially to other Western metros. According to U-Haul data from cities across the country, Phoenix is listed as a common origin city. Former Valley residents are heading to places like Las Vegas, Denver, San Diego and even back to California's coastal cities. Phoenix was listed among the top origin cities for these metros: Austin Dallas Denver Las Vegas Los Angeles Portland, Oregon Riverside, California Sacramento San Antonio San Diego San Francisco and San Jose (Bay Area), California. Seattle Where are Arizonans moving to? Arizona was as the No. 1 origin state for new residents in these cities, according to U-Haul: Los Angeles San Diego Riverside, California It was also among the top 10 origin states for these cities: Austin Dallas Denver Houston Kansas City Las Vegas Minneapolis Portland, Oregon Sacramento San Antonio San Francisco/San Jose (Bay Area) Seattle This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: When people move out of Arizona, this is where they going, U-Haul says Solve the daily Crossword
