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Feeling lost or overwhelmed with all there is to see and do on Saint Lucia? Our trusted Saint Lucia travel specialists are experienced Caribbean travel agents who have explored the island, indulged in her magic and experienced her mystery. More importantly, they have completed our professional training program. Whether you are looking for that perfect romantic getaway, memorable family fun, or that dream vacation, now is the perfect time to get away! Planning that perfect vacation experience has never been easier.

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*Travel agents listed here are either independent agents, connected to tour operators or reservation staff inside tour operator call centers. The information on this website is presented in good faith and on the basis that the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, nor their agents or employees, are liable (whether by reason of error, omission, negligence, lack of care or otherwise) to any person for any damage or loss whatsoever which has occurred or may occur in relation to that person taking or not taking (as the case may be) action in respect of any statement, information or advice given in this website.

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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

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Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

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Are you looking for the ultimate Spring Break Travel Packages? Blow it out with your friends for a week of sun and fun this Spring Break. Party poolside to top DJ's in the center of the Spring Break scene. Participate in crazy contests, snorkel in crystal clear waters or just chill on the beach. At night jump to the front of the line and party like a rock star at the top clubs. With STS Spring Break Packages everything is included.

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Solar eclipse

Israel-Hamas war

America gets ready for the total solar eclipse

By Elise Hammond , Maureen Chowdhury , Antoinette Radford and Matt Meyer , CNN

Our live coverage of the eclipse has moved here .

Get ready for the eclipse across America: Here's what to expect tomorrow

From CNN's Ashley Strickland

When the  total solar eclipse  traces a path  across Mexico, the United States and Canada  later today, spectators can anticipate a multitude of awe-inspiring moments.

It’s worth taking some time to stop and take in this historic celestial event because a total solar eclipse won’t be visible across the contiguous US again until August 2044 and an annular eclipse — which happens when the moon can’t completely block the sun— won’t appear across this part of the world again until 2046.

Here's what else you should watch for:

• Partial eclipse: The moon doesn’t suddenly appear between Earth and the sun — the event begins with a partial eclipse, in which the moon appears to take a “bite” out of the sun. Depending on your location, the partial eclipse can last between 70 and 80 minutes, according to  NASA . For those living outside of the path of totality, a crescent-shaped partial eclipse, rather than a total eclipse, will be the main event.
• Changes in the sky near totality: Within the path, the partial eclipse is the longest phase, but as the time for totality nears, look for changes in the sky’s appearance. "About 15 to 20 minutes before totality, the sky starts getting this really weird gloomy color," said Dr. John Mulchaey, Carnegie Institution for Science’s deputy for science and the director and Crawford H. Greenewalt Chair of the Carnegie Observatories. “It’s almost like a gray because the sun’s way high in the sky, but it’s almost entirely blocked out." The eerily darkening sky is a cue for skywatchers that the stellar show is about to begin. Just make sure you have eclipse glasses handy to safely view the sun before the event gets underway.
• Glowing rays around moon: Two breathtaking phases occur within the final moments before totality, Mulchaey said. When the moon begins to cross in front of the sun, the star’s rays will shine around valleys on the moon’s horizon, creating glowing drops of light around the moon called Baily’s beads. And as totality nears, Baily’s beads will quickly disappear and make way for the “diamond ring,” a nickname for how it looks when a single point of light remains — like a glistening giant diamond ring. Both of these phases last less than a minute, Mulchaey said.

Here's where tomorrow's eclipse will be most visible across the US:

Don't miss tomorrow's total eclipse: It'll be 2 decades before the contiguous United States gets another

If you miss Monday's eclipse, you'll be waiting for a while for your next chance to see one on US soil. The next  total solar eclipse  won’t be visible across the contiguous United States again until August 2044.

Parts of Europe, including areas of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal, will see the world's next total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, according to NASA.

And there will be annular solar eclipses — which are like total solar eclipses, except the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it can’t completely block the sun — even sooner.

An annular solar eclipse will be visible in South America later this year on October 2. There will be another one in February 2026 for parts of Antarctica.

NASA wants you to help collect data during the solar eclipse

From CNN's Taylor Nicioli

NASA’s Eclipse Soundscapes Project will collect observations from the public on animal behaviors as well as human reactions to the eclipse through written multisensory reports — such as what the observer saw, heard or felt — and audio recordings of the environment during the solar event.

Total solar eclipses are infrequent events that provide scientists with rare opportunities to collect data on behavioral responses to the phenomenon, said Kelsey Perrett, communications coordinator for the Eclipse Soundscapes Project.

Nearly, 2,500 people have already signed up for the NASA project, she added. “When it comes to data, it’s the more the merrier. The more people who participate, the better we can answer our questions about how solar eclipses impact life on Earth.”

Who can participate: The NASA project is open to all volunteer participants, including those who are blind or have low vision, according to the  news release.  What’s more, it’s not necessary to have an animal within eyesight to take good observations, as listening is also an important sense to use during the eclipse, said Dr. Bryan Pijanowski, professor of forestry and natural resources and the director for the  Center for Global Soundscapes  at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana

Severe storm threat increasing for parts of Texas in the path of the solar eclipse totality, forecasters say

From CNN Meteorologists Caitlin Kaiser & Elisa Raffa

There is now a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe weather on Monday just outside of Dallas, Texas, where thousands of people will be gathered for the solar eclipse.

The severe weather is expected to move into the region after the eclipse reaches totality in the area, but could be hazardous to those traveling through. 

"There may only be a short window (1-2 hrs) between the eclipse and strong to severe storms," according to the National Weather Service in Dallas.

The main threat associated with this system is large to very large hail, with the possibility of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, the Storm Prediction Center said.

See CNN's full breakdown of eclipse weather news for the latest.

Track the path: Here's a look at where tomorrow's eclipse will be most visible across the US

NASA advises that there is always some uncertainty involved in mapping the eclipse's path.

New map calculations have raised some concerns that the path of totality — where it’s possible to see the moon completely block out the sun — is slightly narrower than NASA calculated. That means some cities on the edge of the route that were expecting to experience a second or two of total darkness might be left out.

But NASA spokesperson Karen Fox notes the difference would only affect cities on the very edge of the path, where predictions are difficult regardless. That's why the space agency and other experts always recommend spectators head for the middle of the path.

Bill Nye shares his advice for the total eclipse tomorrow: "Be in the moment"

From CNN's Jackie Wattles

Everyone's favorite science educator Bill Nye sat down to chat with CNN about tomorrow's total eclipse, sharing some words of encouragement for people who may be watching in cloudy conditions , and challenging people — especially young eclipse viewers — to "be in the moment" on Monday.

Watch the interview below:

A certain kind of cloud will disappear during the eclipse

From CNN's Ayurella Horn-Muller

It’s midday, and the sun is high in the sky, a natural cyan canvas peppered with puffy, cauliflower-shaped clouds. With little warning, the clouds cluttering the horizon start to vanish before your eyes. Not long after, the world begins to darken, as the sun disappears from view.

For the entirety of the eclipse, the clouds will stay away .

That’s at least what scientists expect to take place in swaths of Mexico, Canada and the United States during  April 8’s total solar eclipse . If weather permits, those living in the 49 US states where a  partial eclipse  is expected could also spot some clouds vanishing.

Here's why that is: During an eclipse, shallow cumulus clouds start dissipating in large proportions when only a fraction of the sun is covered, and they don’t reform until the end of the event, according to a  study  published February 12 in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment. The research team found that cumulus clouds dissipate during eclipses because of the relationship between solar radiation and the formation processes of the clouds.

During an eclipse, the surface cools rapidly from the moon’s shadow blocking the sunlight, preventing warm air from rising from Earth’s surface — a core ingredient in the formation of cumulus clouds, according to Victor Trees, a doctoral candidate in the Netherlands who led the study. That rising air process leading to the  production of clouds  usually takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes, according to simulations.

But this doesn’t mean your vantage point of the forthcoming  eclipse  is guaranteed to be cloud-free as the research doesn’t apply to all clouds — only the shallow cumulus kind found hovering over land.

What to do if you don't have certified solar viewers and eclipse glasses

If you don’t have certified glasses or viewers on hand for tomorrow's big eclipse, you can still view it indirectly by using a  pinhole projector , such as a hole punched through an index card.

These work when you stand with your back to the sun and hold up the card. The pinhole projects an image of the crescent or ring-shaped sun on the ground or other surfaces.

Just remember: Never face the sun and look directly at it through the pinhole.

Other pinhole projectors you may already have on hand, include colanders, straw hats or anything with small holes in it. Or you can simply hold up your hands, space out your fingers and cross them over each other to create a waffle pattern. The small space between will reflect the sun’s crescent during a partial eclipse or a ring during the annular eclipse.

Standing by a leafy tree? The small spaces between leaves will dapple patterns of the eclipse phase on the ground.

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Here’s where Nowhere Coffee will be opening its roastery

N owhere Coffee owners Lauren and Juan Vargas have signed paperwork to open a roastery and coffee shop in downtown Allentown at 17 S. 9th St. They are planning a grand opening on Memorial Day weekend.

The address was the former location of Garden Gate Natural Foods Inc., which sold natural medicine and health goods. This will be the couple’s first foray into Allentown; they previously owned a shop in Emmaus and had leased a property in Upper Macungie Township.

The couple announced on Instagram in February that they were planning to open a roastery in Allentown after a dispute ensued over a planned roastery in Upper Macungie Township. The couple made the announcement of the purchase on Monday after teasing the news on their Instagram account on Sunday. “Big announcement,” the post ’s caption read. “Tomorrow after the eclipse. New beginnings and all that jazz.”

The Vargases said the roastery will host a $50,000 roaster they had originally planned to install in Upper Macungie Township.

The opening comes after a tumultuous start to 2024 for the local coffee shop. In January, Nowhere’s shop at 318 Main St. in Emmaus was the site of a visit by President Joe Biden , who made a stop at Nowhere to tout the importance of local businesses and his economic agenda. In February, however, the store reported a leak that kickstarted a dispute between the Vargases and with the storefront’s landowner, Chad Balliet, who owns South Mountain Cycle next door and was recently elected Emmaus Council president.

In March, the Vargases announced on Instagram that they would be permanently shutting down the Emmaus location .

©2024 The Morning Call. Visit mcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Tandem vehicles, suspicious stories lead to recovery of suspected meth on I-15 in Washington County

ST. GEORGE — Two men are in jail after conflicting travel accounts, evasive maneuvers and suspicious activity on northbound Interstate 15 led to a search that yielded more than three pounds of suspected methamphetamine.

Officers were stationed on I-15 near the Utah-Arizona border facing northbound traffic as part of a criminal interdiction task force operation being conducted in Washington County.

Officers noticed two vehicles traveling in tandem as they headed north along the interstate on Wednesday. A black BMW was traveling less than a car length behind a black Kia, both of which had California plates, officers said.

According to charging documents filed in support of the arrests, two patrol units caught up to the vehicles near the St. George Boulevard exit and noticed the BMW’s window tint appeared darker than legal limits. There were also objects on the dash and hanging from the rearview mirror that purportedly obstructed the driver’s view.

After both vehicles changed lanes without signaling, the report alleges, one of the officers attempted to stop the lead vehicle. The BMW allegedly closed the gap, which prevented the officer from getting into position behind the Kia.

The maneuver raised the officers’ suspicions, the agent noted in the affidavit, since it is often used to deter interdiction efforts by law enforcement.  The second officer stopped the BMW near the Green Spring Drive exit for several alleged traffic and tint violations, while the Kia was stopped less than 200 yards north of where the BMW was pulled over. 

The driver of the BMW, Christian Isiah Morris, 23, of Grand Terrace, California, said he was traveling behind the Kia that was stopped just ahead, adding the driver in the lead car was his cousin.

While the officer was writing a warning, the driver said he and his cousin were heading to Omaha, Nebraska to visit family. According to the report, the travel story made the officer suspicious, since it seemed odd that both men would be traveling across the country in two separate vehicles to the same destination.

When asked why the two had not traveled together, the suspect paused and then responded by saying “’cause,” with no further explanation.  

Meanwhile, Kia driver of the Kia, Vance Lemean Collins II, 41, of Hemet, California, appeared “visibly nervous” and became flustered at the officer’s most simple requests, as noted in the report.

While speaking to officers, Collins initially said he was “going to Colorado because his family was deaf,” and when the officer asked which city the driver was headed, the suspect reportedly said, “I’m not sure. I’m going to call when I get there,” the officer wrote, adding the statement appeared “abnormal for the general motoring public.”

The suspect went on to say he was going to Colorado to attend a funeral and denied knowing the driver of the BMW. He also said he was unaware the BMW was riding his bumper.

Based on the level of nervousness displayed by the driver, along with the inconsistencies in recounting his travel plans, the officer suspected the driver was possibly engaged in some type of criminal activity and he was detained.

When a K-9 was deployed to conduct a free air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle, the animal alerted to the possible presence of narcotics and focused on an area on the driver’s side of the car.

During a search of the car, officers located three large bundles wrapped in plastic and dryer sheets that were reportedly concealed in a bag of clothes. The bundles contained approximately 3-5 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.

Officers also recovered two handguns, each wrapped in clothing found in a second bag. While speaking to police, the suspect reportedly said he had traveled to Southern California to pick up the suspected drugs and was on his way to Omaha where he was supposed to drop off the packages.

In the meantime, the officer was finishing up the written warning to Morris, the driver of the BMW, who was detained after the bundles were recovered from the Kia.

When a K-9 was deployed to conduct a free-air sniff around the outside of the BMW, the animal alerted to the possible presence of narcotics near the front passenger’s side of the car. Inside, officers found a gray plastic bag that was similar to the one in the Kia, leading officers to suspect the bundles were transferred at some point, leaving an odor that was later picked up by the K-9.

Through the course of the investigation, officers learned the suspects had reportedly traveled to Southern California to pick up the suspected drugs that were to be dropped off in Omaha.

Morris quickly declined to speak to agents, while Collins “stuck to his story” and denied knowing the driver of the BMW who told officers the two were cousins.

Both suspects were arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility, each facing one second-degree felony count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Collins faces two additional third-degree felony weapons charges. Bail for Morris was set at $5,000, while Collins is being held on $10,000 bail.

The criminal interdiction team involves agents with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington City Police Department and other agencies across the state.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cody Blowers was raised in South San Francisco, California. A 2013 graduate of Colorado Technical University, Cody earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in paralegal studies. Through the course of her academic studies she discovered that writing is her true passion, and she is committed to providing credible, integrated news coverage. Cody joined St. George News in 2015, and when she’s not busy chasing the news, she can generally be found chasing her young granddaughter, Kali.

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Rising Oil Prices Reignite Inflation Fears

The price of Brent crude rose to a six-month high on Friday, a potential dose of bad news for central bankers and for the White House.

By Andrew Ross Sorkin ,  Ravi Mattu ,  Bernhard Warner ,  Sarah Kessler ,  Michael J. de la Merced ,  Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni

Oil spike ripples through global markets

The price of Brent crude rose again on Friday, at one point topping $91 a barrel. Growing tensions in the Middle East have pushed the global benchmark to levels last reached in October.

That poses a potential problem for President Biden ahead of the election and raises new questions about when the Fed will start cutting interest rates.

Some analysts believe the oil rally is just beginning , creating a fresh inflation risk for central bankers who are struggling to keep price-increases in check. JPMorgan Chase forecast last week that oil would climb above $100 by September. And, in a bad sign for motorists, gasoline prices in the U.S. have climbed 6 percent in the past month just ahead of the North American summer driving season.

Market watchers have been concerned about a wider Middle Eastern conflict after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Most recently, oil traders have been bracing for Iranian retaliation after an Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria.

“If we get a direct conflict between Israel and Iran, that’s something that will likely restrict the supply of oil coming from the Middle East,” Matt Maley, an analyst at Miller Tabak + Co., told Bloomberg .

That edginess was evident on Thursday. Stocks fell and crude prices jumped after the White House disclosed details of Biden’s tense phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in which the president demanded that more be done to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza.

The S&P 500 is on pace for its worst weekly performance since October , according to Deutsche Bank data. Investors are fretting about how rising energy prices could mess up the Fed’s outlook on cutting interest rates.

Another big factor to watch: The jobs report comes out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, which is likely to reveal new clues on wage growth.

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING

Is Alphabet weighing an advertising mega deal? The parent company of Google has discussed a takeover bid for HubSpot , a maker of online marketing software whose market value is more than $33 billion, according to Reuters. An acquisition would be Alphabet’s biggest ever — and a rare example of a tech giant pursuing a giant takeover while facing tough antitrust scrutiny in Washington and abroad.

Ford delays production of several electric vehicle models. The carmaker said it would focus on making more hybrid cars and trucks , as it stalls manufacturing at least two fully electric lines. It’s the latest auto company to pull back from E.V.s amid slower-than-expected sales because of cost, range anxiety and more.

Nelson Peltz is said to claim a hefty consolation prize from his Disney fight. The activist investor earned a paper profit of about $300 million from his 16-month battle with the media giant, The Wall Street Journal reported. That may reduce the sting from Peltz failing to win any Disney board seats, though the roughly 40 percent gain in the share price it represents is about equal to the S&P 500’s return for the same period.

A “chess game” at Paramount

When a company evaluates a deal involving management or a controlling shareholder — think RJR’s acquisition of Nabisco — it usually appoints a special committee of board members to weigh what to do.

That’s the case in Paramount’s talks to merge with the studio Skydance. The assembled group faces competing demands , The Times’s Ben Mullin and DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch write: agree to a deal that its controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone wants, but also balance that against what’s best for other shareholders.

Paramount’s complex ownership structure makes things tricky. Redstone controls the media giant via her holding company, National Amusements, which owns a supervoting class of stock. But National Amusements owns just a small fraction of Paramount’s overall shares.

Redstone has endorsed a deal with Skydance, which would also buy out National Amusements, likely for a premium. But Paramount also received an overture from the investment firm Apollo Global Management about buying the whole company for $26 billion — which Paramount ignored, amid questions about how it would be financed.

Many investors seem unhappy with how things are going. Paramount’s shares tumbled 8.5 percent on Thursday, after CNBC reported that a Skydance deal might require the company to raise more equity . “It is beyond baffling to see the Paramount board of directors ignore an all-cash offer for 100 percent of Paramount,” the media analyst Rich Greenfield told The Times.

Some prominent shareholders have already weighed in:

Mario Gabelli, whose asset management firm owns 10 percent of Paramount’s voting stock, says he doesn’t favor a sale now because he believes the company is undervalued.

John Rogers Jr., whose firm owned 1.8 percent of Paramount’s stock as of Dec. 31, says he’s open to a transaction with Skydance.

The fate of Paramount will come down to its special committee, composed of independent directors. Such a group, at least on paper, has a lot of power, since it can decide not to recommend the Skydance bid.

Those directors have to play a game of chess, according to Jim Woolery, a veteran deal maker who runs the advisory firm Woolery & Company. That may mean using Apollo’s interest as leverage to extract more favorable terms from Skydance.

The committee also could negotiate a low breakup fee in any deal agreement, as well as a so-called go-shop provision to allow it to seek higher takeover bids elsewhere.

A big goal is to avoid long and costly litigation. The activist investor Carl Icahn tied up the sale of Dell for months in 2013 by arguing that the transaction was unfair to most shareholders.

Redstone appears aware of that risk, leaving deliberations about Paramount’s future to the special committee. But it’s clear she’s a seller in any case, even if the board opposes the Skydance bid.

Pressing pause on climate rules

The S.E.C. has been under fire from red states and business lobbying groups since approving new rules last month that require companies to disclose their climate risks.

The future of the green mandates, a big piece of President Biden’s policy agenda, look less certain after the agency took the unusual move of halting them on Thursday.

The growing legal risk may have left it little choice, according to Joseph Grundfest, a Stanford law professor and former S.E.C. commissioner. “The commission has likely smelled the coffee” and voluntarily stayed its rules before being ordered to, he told DealBook.

More than 30 parties are challenging the new rules , which call for greater transparency about the climate risks facing companies. (Opponents include energy companies and industry groups.) When the rules were first introduced, Gary Gensler, the S.E.C. chair, said they would help protect trillions in investors’ money.

A group of Republican state attorneys general subsequently sued the agency , arguing that it had overstepped its authority and that companies already disclose enough climate-risk data to investors. Their counterparts in Democratic-controlled states have defended the rules .

The S.E.C. says it isn’t backing down. “In issuing a stay, the commission is not departing from its view that the final rules are consistent with applicable law and within the commission’s long-standing authority,” the agency wrote in its order. It added that it “will continue vigorously defending the final rules’ validity in court.”

Meanwhile, companies already face heightened climate disclosure requirements in the E.U. and California. Similar mandates are pending in New York and Illinois.

Politics could muddle the future of such mandates. If Republicans regain the White House, expect an unwinding or watering down of the S.E.C. rules, said Jane Norberg, a partner at Arnold & Porter who formerly worked at the commission.

Who will pay for the collapse of the Baltimore bridge?

President Biden is set to visit the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Friday, to look at the damage caused by a deadly accident that will cost billions to fix. Biden pledged that the federal government would pay the “entire cost” after a cargo ship rammed into the bridge, but the fight over insurance claims has started — and could take years to sort out.

The shipping channel will be partly reopened by the end of the month, officials said on Thursday. They added that they hoped the lane would be fully cleared by the end of May, easing pressure on companies that have had to find alternatives to one of the biggest ports on the East Coast.

Figuring out who has to pick up the tab will be expensive and messy. Insurers and reinsurers could be on the hook for up to $4 billion, industry experts told The Times.

The legal wrangling started this week when the ship’s Singapore-based owner and the operator filed a U.S. court petition to limit their liability to $43.7 million. They cited an 1851 law that allows shipowners to largely cap financial damages to the value of a ship after a crash, provided the owner isn’t at fault.

If the shipowner were found to be liable, the calculation would change:

The first $10 million of claims would be covered by its insurer, a mutual association called Britannia P&I Club. This could include coverage for deaths, debris removal, property damage and cargo damage.

Costs after that and up to $100 million would be shared by members of the London-based International Group of P&I Clubs, an association that insures about 90 percent of the world’s oceangoing tonnage.

Beyond that, dozens of reinsurers would cover costs up to about $3 billion. Some reinsurers expect that businesses looking to file claims could use that widely publicized figure as a target.

The costs are big but not a death knell for the reinsurance industry. The sector has faced much bigger claims in recent years — in 2022, Hurricane Ian caused more than $50 billion in insured losses — and policymakers hope it will be able to cover the payouts without requiring government support.

The White House said responsible parties would be held accountable but it wasn’t going to wait to start rebuilding.

THE SPEED READ

The small activist hedge fund Bluebell Capital is proposing to unseat Larry Fink as BlackRock’s chairman . (WSJ)

The F.T.C. warned hundreds of companies, including Pfizer and Thermo Fisher Scientific, that it may challenge their acquisitions even after a review deadline has passed. (Bloomberg)

“Want to Invest in SpaceX or Stripe? There’s a Fund for That. ” (NYT)

Inside the campaign by allies of President Biden to win the endorsements of anti-Trump Republicans like Nikki Haley — and their donors. (CNBC)

The Biden administration wants for-profit space companies to start paying for their use of government resources like air traffic control. (NYT)

Best of the rest

The C.E.O. of YouTube warned that any efforts by OpenAI to train its artificial intelligence tools using videos on its platform would violate its terms of service . (Bloomberg)

Apple plans to lay off 614 employees in California after shutting down its car project, its biggest round of job cuts since the pandemic. (CNBC)

We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected] .

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a columnist and the founder and editor at large of DealBook. He is a co-anchor of CNBC’s "Squawk Box" and the author of “Too Big to Fail.” He is also a co-creator of the Showtime drama series "Billions." More about Andrew Ross Sorkin

Ravi Mattu is the managing editor of DealBook, based in London. He joined The New York Times in 2022 from the Financial Times, where he held a number of senior roles in Hong Kong and London. More about Ravi Mattu

Bernhard Warner is a senior editor for DealBook, a newsletter from The Times, covering business trends, the economy and the markets. More about Bernhard Warner

Sarah Kessler is an editor for the DealBook newsletter and writes features on business and how workplaces are changing. More about Sarah Kessler

Michael de la Merced joined The Times as a reporter in 2006, covering Wall Street and finance. Among his main coverage areas are mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and the private equity industry. More about Michael J. de la Merced

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

Ephrat Livni reports from Washington on the intersection of business and policy for DealBook. Previously, she was a senior reporter at Quartz, covering law and politics, and has practiced law in the public and private sectors.   More about Ephrat Livni