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How to save money on gas as prices continue to climb

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The price for a gallon of gas has surged to a national high.

As of Tuesday morning, AAA said it costs an average of $4.17 for a gallon of gas, the highest price ever recorded.

Filling up a small car of gasoline will now cost you about $50, and GasBuddy predicts we could see the national average price soar to $4.25 a gallon by Memorial Day.

“I think it will probably happen even much sooner than that,” GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan told ABC News, “potentially even by the end of the month, so gas prices continue to go up and defy expectations.”

So how can you keep the pain at the pump to a minimum? Here’s what the experts say:

Change the way you drive

Most cars achieve optimal fuel economy around 55 mph, according to GasBuddy. Driving too fast or too slow won’t give you the most bang for your buck.

AAA recommends reducing your speed if your trip takes you on the highway.

“Aerodynamic drag causes fuel economy to drop off significantly as speeds increase above 50 mph,” the group says.

Experts also said it is key to remember to accelerate gradually and ease up on the brake — braking suddenly or speeding up fast is hard on fuel economy. Cruise control can help you maintain the proper speed and save fuel.

Don’t skip the repair shop

Making sure that your car is properly maintained will ensure a problem with the vehicle isn’t using up more fuel than it should.

The biggest red flag is if the “check engine” light is illuminated.

In that case, “take your car to the repair shop as soon as possible,” AAA says. “This indicates a problem that is causing excessive emissions and likely reducing fuel economy.”

Another thing to stay on top of, according to experts, is your tires.

If your tires are underinflated, you won’t maximize your fuel savings.

Avoid idling and turn off that air conditioner

Even if it is cold out, do not idle your car for long periods. It does nothing but waste fuel.

“If your car will be stopped for more than 60 seconds, shut off the engine,” AAA recommends.

On the flip side, if it is hot out, try to minimize your use of air conditioning.

Keeping your windows down for a breeze will save you more fuel than running your AC.

Take advantage of apps that track prices

Many people use the app Waze for directions, but it also has a gas feature that can show you the nearest gas stations along with prices.

Gas stations near major exits and in bigger cities tend to be more expensive.

The app GasBuddy is another resource constantly updating gas prices in real-time. In addition, you can get alerts on deals sent to your phone.

Another app to check out is Gas Guru. It aims to help you find the cheapest gas prices with information straight from the oil price information service. The app lets you search by fuel grade and amenities as well.

Inside orphanage in Ukraine, young children endure war

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LVIV, Ukraine) — As millions of people flee Ukraine amid intensifying attacks from Russia, inside a state-run orphanage in Lviv, dozens of children remain.

The children, who range in age from 3 to 16, have already fled war-torn Eastern Ukraine to make it to Lviv, where they are expected to stay through the war.

The principal of the orphanage, Svitlana Havryliuk, told ABC News’ Matt Gutman that if the fighting approaches, the children will take refuge in the orphanage’s bomb shelter. She said the children have already been through too much and need stability, instead of fleeing again.

At the orphanage, which has nearly double its usual population, the children play with toys, watch Paw Patrol, and do enrichment activities with volunteers.

Anna Borshchuk, who was studying political science in college before the conflict, now volunteers with the children.

“I think just time spending with them, being with them is the most important,” she told ABC News. “Not like maybe money, not other games, but just being with them.”

Before the war, 100,000 children in Ukraine were being raised in institutions, according to government statistics, a United Nations Children’s Fund spokesperson told ABC News.

Many of the institutions are located in hot spots, according to the spokesperson, who added that many of the children in institutions, such as boarding schools and orphanages, have disabilities.

These institutions are being evacuated without proper monitoring of the children’s situation, according to UNICEF.

The children sheltering in the Lviv orphanage panic and sob when they hear sirens, according to Havryliuk, who said the children need love and qualified social workers.

“During the first day, it was horrible,” she said. “Probably every child was yelling shouting, screaming, and it was impossible to go downstairs to the bomb shelter.”

Describing how she and volunteers calm the children down, Havryliuk added, “If a child is terrified, you have to stay calm. Then you give them a hug and then he calms down.”

While in non-war times some of the children would be adopted by families, including those in the United States, those adoptions have been put on hold.

Jennifer Mitchell, a mom of eight, including three children adopted from Ukraine, is a co-founder of Host Orphans Worldwide, a U.S.-based organization that matches host families in the U.S. with Ukrainian children.

While Host Orphans Worldwide does not facilitate adoptions, about 75% of kids in its program end up getting adopted by people in the U.S., according to Mitchell. She said Ukraine has a high number of U.S. adoptions because it has both one of the shortest wait times for international adoption and one of the largest populations of children in need.

Mitchell and her husband were in the process of adopting a 12-year-old girl in an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine, but they have not spoken to her in over a week.

With no end in sight to the conflict with Russia, Mitchell said she fears the end result for children in Ukraine.

“The orphan crisis in Ukraine was already bad and this, it’s just going to be a humanitarian emergency,” she said. “It is horrific.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told ABC News they are “closely monitoring the situation” while also continuing to communicate with adoption service providers.

“We understand how difficult this situation is for families pursuing parenthood through adoption in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. “We strongly encourage prospective adoptive parents to not travel to Ukraine at this time and for those currently in Ukraine to depart immediately if it is safe to do so using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options.”

“Prospective adoptive parents should remain in regular contact with their own adoptions service provider,” the spokesperson continued.

According to the spokesperson, prospective adoptive parents may contact the Office of Children’s Issues directly at Adoption@state.gov, and visit the State Department’s website for more information.

Kacey Musgraves to be honored with GLAAD’s Vanguard Award

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kacey Musgraves is receiving a distinct honor from the LGBTQIA+ community.

The multi-Grammy winner will be bestowed with the Vanguard Award at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards for her support for the LGBTQIA+ community throughout her career, including the release of her queer-friendly song, “Follow Your Arrow,” fighting against legislation that targets LGBTQ people, and taking part in GLAAD’s anti-bullying campaigns.

“THANK YOU x A TRILLION, @glaad,” Kacey writes on Twitter about the award, alongside a rainbow and heart emoji.

“From speaking out against anti-LGBTQ legislation in her home state of Texas, to raising awareness about bullying affecting LGBTQ youth, to uplifting the work of LGBTQ artists, Kacey continues to raise the bar for what it means to be an authentic ally and to inspire her fans to do the same,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis says in a statement.

Past recipients of the Vanguard Award include Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

The GLAAD Media Awards take place on April 2 in Los Angeles.

Women’s (Music) History Month: In the U.S., female artists are the best-known, most-liked

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It’s Women’s History Month, so now’s a good time to let you in on a little secret: While millions of fans might swoon over male pop stars like Bruno Mars and Nick Jonas, it turns out that in the U.S., it’s the female stars who are the best-known, and the best-liked.

MRC Data, the company that provides Billboard with the info it uses to compile its charts, has a new program called Artist + Genre Tracker, and used it to determine that out of the 10 best-known artists in the U.S., eight of them are women.

In fact, MRC Data says it found that at least 80% of the population knows who Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are. Only Justin Bieber and Kanye West come close to those awareness levels, says MRC Data, with Justin at 80% and Kanye, now known as “Ye,” at 77%.

But tellingly, the women blow the men away when it comes to likeability scores. 52% to 62% of people who are aware of those female artists say they like them, versus just 34% for Justin and 37% for West.

If you’re looking for Women’s History Month music programming, AXS TV is a good place to start. On March 12 starting at 2 p.m. it’ll air documentaries on Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton, and on March 19, starting at noon ET, AXS TV brings you profiles of female-fronted groups like Blondie, Eurythmics, The Pretenders and The Carpenters.

Cold War Kids headlining 2022 Sound Mind Mental Health Music Festival

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Cold War Kids are headlining the 2022 Sound Mind Mental Health Music Festival, taking place May 21 in New York City’s Central Park.

The annual event, now in its fourth year, aims to use music to raise awareness and funds for mental health issues and resources. The 2022 festival will focus specifically on the how mental health has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lineup also includes OutKast rapper Big Boi and “Best Day of My Life” band American Authors.

Along with their headlining performance, Cold War Kids will also be contributing a signed snare drum to a charity raffle, which you can enter by signing a petition supporting improved mental health crisis response services.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit SoundMindLive.org. If you can’t attend the festival in person, it’ll stream live on TikTok.

25 years after his death, Biggie Smalls is still one of the most celebrated names in hip-hop

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G, aka Christopher Wallace, was shot to death at a traffic light in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997 — 25 years ago today.

The murder is said to have been a culmination of rap beef between the East and West Coasts. There’s still much speculation about who killed the rap giant, including allegations against Death Row founder Suge Knight.

As reported by ABC News and according to 359 pages of court documents, Wallace was murdered as he left the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after attending a post music awards ceremony. Wallace was in the middle of a three-car caravan when a dark Chevy SS Impala pulled next to him and fired several times into the passenger area where Wallace was sitting. He died minutes later at a local hospital.

The Brooklyn-born artist, who is arguably considered the greatest rapper of all time, rose to fame in the early ‘90s for his distinctive, relaxed delivery that accompanied his grimey, gangsta rap lyrics. He wrote and rhymed songs that mirrored his life growing up, portraying the hardships he endured as an overweight, only child, born to Jamaican immigrant parents and raised only by his mother, Voletta Wallace.

Over the course of Biggie’s short-lived but legendary rap career, he amassed a significant amount of accolades including five Source Awards, three Billboard Awards and four Grammy nominations.

Biggie’s 1994 debut album Ready to Die sold millions, his subsequent and final studio album Life After Death was released a few weeks after his murder and went on to peak at number one on three Billboard charts as well as chart in over eight countries.

Biggie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 and will forever be regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop musicians of all time.

Avril Lavigne’s “so stoked” about the success of ‘Love Sux,’ says Taylor Swift’s praise of it “meant so much to me”

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Love Sux is Avril Lavigne‘s first top-10 album since 2013, and she says she’s “so stoked” that the new project — which she’s described as the album she’s wanted to make her entire career — is a success.

“Oh my God, we’re so thrilled! To be 20 years in [and] still be rockin’? I’m so stoked and having so much fun,” Avril tells ABC Audio. “[And even] like, doing all the work, all the TV shows, everything’s just been a blast…and…been received so well. So I’m really happy!”

Avril made Love Sux with Machine Gun Kelly, Blink-182‘s Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus, blackbear, her boyfriend Mod Sun, and producer John Feldmann. And Avril tells ABC Audio that she knew immediately it would work artistically.

“The first song we recorded, I looked over at John Feldmann and I was like, ‘Where the f*** have you been my whole life?'” she laughs. “And I was like, ‘This is awesome. Let’s keep going.'”

Avril says the album was written in two weeks, adding, “and then I was like, ‘Can we just keep doing this because this is way too much fun?’ And then we just kept working, and I never want to stop. I always want to write songs with that group of people.”

One person who really loves Love Sux is Taylor Swift, who sent Avril flowers and a note praising the “fabulous new album.” Avril says Taylor’s gesture didn’t surprise her, though.

“She’s so classy like that! She’s sent me gifts before and thank-you letters…She’s just a really sweet, genuine, classy girl,” Avril notes. “It meant so much to me to have another woman in music’s support.”

She adds, “It was super-sweet that she told me she loves the record…that made me feel really good!”

Carrie Underwood on what’s next: “I’m always working on something”

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Carrie Underwood has something up her sleeve, but she’s playing coy regarding what it is.

“I’m always I’m always working on something. Obviously, we can’t spill too many beans right now, but my fans know what I mean when I say ‘soon,'” she says with a laugh. “They actually hate it when I use that word because they’re like, ‘What does that mean?’ But it’s been been busy, for sure.”

While fans are eager to know what she has in store, the superstar has been keeping busy over the past few years. She released her last studio album, the acclaimed Cry Pretty, in 2018. One year later, she welcomed her son Jacob and hit the road on the Cry Pretty Tour 360.

The powerhouse singer has spent the past two years mainly focusing on her first Christmas album, My Gift, and companion gospel album, My Savior, both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts, and in the top five on the all-genre Billboard 200.

The Cobra Kai fan also made a recent appearance in the season four finale of the Netflix series, performing “The Moment of Truth” from the soundtrack of the original Karate Kid.

Additionally, she and Jason Aldean took the stage at Monday night’s ACM Awards for a performance of their duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” which was also named Single of the Year.

The Moody Blues’ John Lodge “really looking forward to” first solo tour since the pandemic started

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge returned to touring Tuesday night in Norfolk, Connecticut, almost exactly two years after he was forced off the road because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lodge has a three-week U.S. trek lined up through a March 26 show in Dania Beach, Florida, leading up to his appearance on the 2022 edition of the Flower Power Cruise.

“I’ve never had two years off [from being on stage] since I was like 14,” the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer tells ABC Audio. “So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.”

In January, Lodge released a new live album titled The Royal Affair and After featuring performances from John’s stint on the Yes-headlined 2019 Royal Affair Tour and from his subsequent U.S. headlining trek.

The album is mainly made up of renditions of classic Moody Blues songs, and includes guest appearances by current Yes frontman Jon Davison on two songs, with a set list that reflects the one Lodge showcased on his 2019 and 2020 headlining treks.

Davison, who is friends with Lodge, joined John as a special guest throughout his previous tour, and Lodge says the Yes singer also is taking part in the new trek.

“I said to Jon, ‘You’ve go to go on the road with me,’ and he is,” Lodge tells ABC Audio. “[W]e’re gonna go have a great time.”

Meanwhile, Lodge says the set for this year’s tour, while similar to the one he played before the pandemic, will feature a few changes.

“I’ve been rehearsing some deeper cuts from The Moody Blues…for this tour, so it will be different,” he reveals.

Lodge also says he’s “really looking forward to” the star-studded Flower Power Cruise, which sets sail from Miami on March 28.

‘The Bachelor’ recap: One woman’s elimination has Clayton threatening to head home

March 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It’s fantasy suites week, and on Tuesday’s episode of The Bachelor, one lady’s questions had Clayton questioning the future of his journey.

Clayton and the three remaining ladies — Susie, Gabby and Rachel — traveled to beautiful Reykjavik, Iceland where they each enjoyed passionate dates set against the backdrop of the capitol city’s awe-inspiring landscapes. But it was here, amid the romance and breathtaking vistas, Clayton’s journey to find love was about to take a dramatic turn.

With a possible engagement just a week away, the 28-year-old Eureka, Missouri native admitted that he was possibly “falling in love” with all three women and might already be “in love” with Susie. He hoped that the overnight dates would help him find clarity.

For his part, he acknowledged, “It’s time to let my walls down” and “quit being guarded.”

Unfortunately, he realized he may have opened himself up a little too much when, after revealing to Susie that he’d already been intimate with both Rachel and Gabby and told each lady that he was in love with them, she said she couldn’t share his love with anyone else, and therefore, couldn’t move towards an engagement.

Clayton believed Susie’s bombshell announcement so late in the game left him with no other choice, but to send her home, and wondering if he should pack it in as well.

“My heart’s not in it…It’s over,” he declared.

The Bachelor returns with its two-night season 26 finale Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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