March Madness: Free pizza if the underdogs win

Thursday, March 15th, 2012, 11:12am

March Madness: Free pizza if the underdogs win

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Pizza Hut will deliver free pizza across America if a major upset occurs during this year's NCAA Tournament.

If a number 16 seed beats a number 1 seed, Pizza Hut will hand out free pizza in designated locations in the United States. The restaurant chain will also honor the number 10 seeded schools to coincide with its $10 dinner box.

Once the four number ten seeds have been declared, Pizza Hut will visit each school's campus to join in the celebration.

They will also feed the fans with $10 dinner boxes, which include a medium one-topping rectangular pan pizza, five breadsticks with marina sauce and 10 cinnamon sticks with a sweet icing cup.

You can find out more by visiting Pizza Hut's facebook page or follow them on Twitter (@pizzahut).

View Comments | Post a Comment

Tax breaks for job searchers

Submitted by Melissa Hankins

Thursday, March 15th, 2012, 11:01am

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - When you're unemployed, it's easy to feel like you can't get a break.

But you actually can when it comes to your taxes.

That surprised people looking for work in Charlotte today.

"I did not know that," said Jimmy Birch. "I'm glad to hear that though!

Birch has been actively looking for a job.

"I've got resumes in my backpack right here," he told us. He can deduct the money he's spending on those resumes and more.

If you're actively looking for work, you can deduct all sorts of expenses.

The cost of printing and mailing resumes, hiring agency fees, job search site memberships, and what you spend on travel to interviews.

Tax specialists say you can even claim costs if you take that trip without an interview lined up, as long you can prove you spent your time there looking for work.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Rising cost of jet fuel causing flight problems

Submitted by Melissa Hankins

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012, 12:01pm

Rising cost of jet fuel causing flight problems

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - You know that pain you feel at the pump? It's about to get excruciating at the airport.

Airfares are rising, carriers are canceling flights, and you can attribute it all to the climbing cost of gas.

It is an airline's biggest expense. Every day, the country's carriers buy 48 million gallons of fuel and in the past year, their costs have soared 40% on it.

Airlines say they can't afford all of the routes they used to schedule. And in South Carolina, it looks like one may not be able to fly at all. Public charter airline Direct Air has canceled all of its flights due to a so-called fueling issue. One stranded passenger said he learned the problem was this: "the financial issues that the company was facing," he says. "Whether or not they had the ability to have those funds, and have that fuel approved. Because, apparently, you have to go through approval to even get fuel."

View Comments | Post a Comment

Why do gas prices come with a 9/10 on the end?

Submitted by Kristen Hampton

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012, 9:49am

Why do gas prices come with a 9/10 on the end?

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Some people don't even notice the price of gas comes with an extra 9/10 of a penny tacked on the end? Why?

According to AAA Carolina's, the practice dates back to the 1930's when gas companies were competing for business and a penny was actually a lot of money. The price of gas averaged around 10 cents back then. The practice has never stopped.

The thought is, people are still more likely to only notice the first few numbers in a price. That's why retailers commonly sell a TV at $799.99 for example, instead of $800.

"It's a marketing tactic that suggests that consumers really don't pay attention past the first digit of a price particularly if it's between 1 and 10 dollars," said Yvette Russell, a Marketing Professor at Johnson C. Smith University.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Home insurance premiums rising

Submitted by Melissa Hankins

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012, 9:47am

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The importance of comprehensive home insurance has been drilled into our minds by the tornado that tore through Cabarrus County.

But it's about to get harder to afford.

Rates have been rising slowly but surely for years. This year though will be a shock.

Homeowner insurance premiums are expected to spike 5%. It's the first time the national average premium will climb above $1,000.

A surge in destructive storms is one reason why.

Insured catastrophe losses totaled $35.9 billion in 2011 compared to an average of $23.8 billion over the previous decade, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

And insurance companies say they need to charge more to cover their costs.

They also blame the economy.

Insurers keep 70% of their assets in bonds, returns have been low, and they can raise money is by raising premiums.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Woman accused of stealing credit cards and jewelry

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Monday, March 12th, 2012, 5:11pm

STANLY COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - A joint effort by officers in two counties led to the arrest of a woman Monday.

On February 26, deputies in Stanly County received a report about the theft and use of credit cards, as well as the theft of personal property including jewelry.

An investigation led deputies to believe Kimberly Teeter, 44, stole the items from the victim's home. Deputies were able to recover several items of jewelry and determine Teeter had used the victim's credit cards at several locations.

Warrants were issued for Teeter's arrest. Officers in Rockingham arrested her Monday. She was booked in the Richmond County jail, under $15,000 secured bond.

Teeter faces several charges, including two counts of financial card theft, two counts of identity theft, one count of financial card fraud and two counts of obtaining property.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Warmer weather blowing into Carolinas, 80 degrees by Thursday?

Submitted by Nick Needham on Monday, March 12th, 2:57 pm

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Sunshine and warm weather are rolling into the Carolinas behind a line of scattered storms Monday night.

WBTV Meteorologist Ashley Batey says an upper level disturbance will bring scattered showers Monday tonight and likely into Tuesday morning.

"We may hear a few rumbles of thunder, but no severe weather expected with this next system," Batey says. "Once that moves out, we can look forward to lots of sunshine."

Temperatures will stay in the 60s for Monday but Batey says 80 degree temperatures are in the forecast for mid-week.

Lows will be in the mid-50s at night before a rainy front moves in for St. Patrick's Day, at least for a few of us, Batey says.

But the silver lining is temperatures will remain in the upper 70s through the weekend.

View Comments | Post a Comment