At least 106 cases of E. coli have been reported in St. Louis, Missouri, and more than half of the cases involve students, parents and guests of Rockwood Summit High School who attended events where food from Andre’s Banquets and Catering was served, according the St. Louis County Executive’s Office. At least two people have been hospitalized.

The outbreak is linked to five separate events hosted at or catered by the local company, the office said in a statement to CBS News. Two of those were attended by the Rockwood Summit High School community. 

The current investigation of the outbreak suggests salad is the source of the illness, but officials have not identified the specific ingredient or the timing of the contamination, according to a news release from the state’s public health department. 

The outbreak is being investigated by officials at the department, who are conducting interviews and surveys with event attendees to gather information on what they consumed. Environmental inspectors from the state are also collecting samples to test for the bacteria, identified by the County Executive’s Office as the Escherichia coli O157 strain. 

There are hundreds of strains of E. coli, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. This particular strain is the most common and causes a severe intestinal infection in humans. 

E. coli symptoms include nausea and stomach cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can become serious and those who experience persistent, severe or bloody diarrhea should contact a doctor.

Two people in St. Louis have been admitted to the hospital for E. coli infection after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare but serious disease that affects the kidneys and blood clotting system, according to the Missouri’s Department of Health. 

It appears the cases began after a school band event on Nov. 6. Other events linked to the outbreak include a Nov. 7 band banquet, a veterans event on Nov. 8 and funerals on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, all catered by Andre’s, the office of the county executive said. 

It’s the latest E. coli outbreak reported in recent weeks. Organic carrots sold at Whole Foods were linked to 39 cases in 18 states. The FDA issued a recall of the 15-ounce containers of Whole Foods Market-branded organic carrot sticks and organic carrots and celery sticks sold at Whole Foods Market stores in five states: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho and Nevada, according to the announcement by California-based F&S Fresh Foods.

Earlier this week, 17 cases of E. coli in Minnesota were linked to ground beef products sold by Wolverine Packing Co., a meat-packing plant located in Detroit. The initial 11 cases were linked to burgers sold at Red Cow and Hen House Eatery, two restaurants in Minneapolis. 

The Food Safety and Inspection Service said they were first notified of an E. coli-related illness on Nov. 14 and Wolverine Packing Co. has recalled 167,277 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli. 

Several other food-related illness outbreaks have made headlines in recent months, including a deadly E. coli outbreak in 14 states that was linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders and a salmon recall at Costco last month over salmonella concerns. 

Holiday spending this year is expected to tick up from what it was in 2023. And it’s not like last year was exactly cheap, with consumers forecasted to spend 7% more than they did then, bringing the expected new average to around $2,100. But for those who are expected to cover these via a credit card, that could be problematic.

The average American has around $8,000 in credit card debt currently. With the average credit card interest rate recently surging to 23%, approximately – a record high – that means many Americans are already struggling with debt. And that’s before the bulk of their holiday shopping has even been completed. 

Against this backdrop, many credit card users may be considering their debt relief options. One effective way to reduce what you owe is credit card debt forgiveness. But should you apply for this option before the holidays or are you better served by waiting until January? That’s what we’ll explore below.

See how much of your debt a forgiveness program could help with here now.

Should you apply for credit card debt forgiveness before the holidays?

The short answer is: It depends. If you’re in a position where you’ve exhausted all of your alternative debt relief options and can’t repay your credit card debt, then forgiveness could be worth exploring immediately, including before the holiday season kicks off. Waiting to ask for relief could be a costly mistake, particularly if you plan to increase your credit card spending during the season, as many Americans plan to do. 

On the other hand, credit card debt forgiveness isn’t an overnight fix. It can take years to be effective and, even then, it will only likely erase somewhere between 30% to 50% of your outstanding balance. So it makes sense to pursue this option when you’re in a dire position – and when your spending can be legitimately curtailed. If you know that you need to increase your credit card debt, at least for November and December, it may be more beneficial to wait for a time when you can afford to stop swiping your card.

This all noted, every credit card user’s experience is different and there may be exceptions to this broad advice. If you’re unsure of which applies to you, it makes sense to first speak to a financial advisor for guidance. Consider speaking to a debt relief provider, too, although they will have a financial incentive to get you set up with a service. So keep that in mind when speaking to a representative.

Start exploring your credit card debt forgiveness options online today.

How to qualify for credit card debt forgiveness

Not everyone with a credit card balance can secure forgiveness. Users will need to qualify for help and, even then, it will take time to reduce what you owe (assuming you don’t add to it in the interim). Here are three important credit card debt forgiveness qualifications to know:

Minimum debt: Most credit card debt forgiveness servicers won’t work with you if your debt is under $7,500. In these cases, the debt is largely considered manageable and other alternative debt relief options may be more helpful. That said, if you’re burdened with a debt of $10,000 or more, credit card debt forgiveness could provide critical support.

Financial hardship: Is there a specific reason behind your inability to repay all that you’ve borrowed? If you’re able to demonstrate a financial hardship preventing you from paying anything – even minimum payments – you can boost your eligibility chances. Financial hardship examples include but are not limited to job losses and health issues.

Failure to pay: It may seem counterintuitive, but if you’ve already stopped making your credit card payments or are already in collections, this can help improve your qualification chances. This demonstrates a true inability to pay your bills, which many credit card debt forgiveness providers will want to see before agreeing to help. 

The bottom line

Applying for credit card debt forgiveness is a personal decision, weighed heavily by your unique qualifications and financial situation. But if you need help and know that you can’t dig out of your financial hole, it doesn’t make sense to delay it, even with the pending holiday season. By taking action now you can start improving your credit and work toward regaining your financial freedom in the new year.

Learn more about credit card debt forgiveness here.

With the holiday season just days away and, with it, the commencement of shopping, many Americans may be wondering about what to gift to family members and friends. This is a popular time for selling and buying gold, whether it be in the form of jewelry or just simple gold bars and coins. And even though the price has been elevated for much of 2024, it can still be affordable for many in the form of fractional gold.

That said, there are multiple benefits of gifting gold bars and coins, particularly during this upcoming holiday season. Below, we’ll break down three big benefits buyers should be aware of currently.

Start exploring your top gold options online now.

3 big benefits of gifting gold bars and coins this holiday season

Not sure if gold is worth giving now? Here are three reasons why it could be a smart gift:

Rising value

Despite a small drop in the price at the start of November, gold has been on a steady upward trend for much of 2024, breaking numerous price records throughout the year before surpassing the $2,700 mark at the end of October. Currently priced at $2,702.94 per ounce, according to American Hartford Gold, gold is positioned to break additional records, possibly before the holidays even begin. 

Understanding the real potential of rising value, then, buyers would be well-served by gifting gold bars and coins today, even if they’re in a smaller, more affordable size. Waiting, however, could cause the price to become prohibitive. So start your holiday gold shopping sooner rather than later.

Get started with gold here today.

A tangible investment

You can invest in gold in multiple ways but gold bars and coins are one of the few tangible ways to do so. Gift receivers can hold them in their hands, inspect them and store them for safekeeping on their own. This feature is a major advantage compared to other, more opaque gold types like stocks, futures and ETFs. While you can, theoretically, gift those other gold investment types, too, only gold bars and coins can provide the same experience as other, more conventional gift types. 

It’s easy to buy

Gold bars and coins aren’t like other hot holiday gift ideas. They’re ubiquitous and easy to purchase both online and in person. Big retailers like Costco and Walmart sell them in their stores and on their websites (and some even sell silver, too). So if you’re worried about your ability to be able to secure this sort of gift, don’t be. That said, as the holidays get closer, it’s possible retailers could sell out of these items (as Costco has in the past). So don’t wait until Christmas Eve to act, either.

The bottom line

There are scarce gift options this year that will come with a rising value, tangible and visible benefits and an easy ability to be purchased by shoppers. But gold bars and coins offer all of those benefits right now. So if you want to add a shiny precious metal to your shopping list this holiday season, gold may be the best one to consider.