By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon said it resolved an outage that disrupted many U.S. customers’ calling and other cellular services for more than 10 hours on Wednesday.

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The New York-based carrier didn’t specify what caused Wednesday’s disruptions, but confirmed that the outage was resolved by 10:20 p.m. ET. Verizon previously said it had deployed its engineering teams to address “an issue impacting wireless voice and data services.”

“Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry,” Verizon wrote in updates shared on social media. A spokesperson later added that the company would give those impacted a $20 account credit through Verizon’s app, which on average “covers multiple days of service,” and directly contact its business customers with compensation.

Outage tracker Downdetector showed that Verizon customers began to report issues with their service around noon E.T. Wednesday. Reports appeared to peak in the early afternoon, but remained elevated later in the day. Downdetector said it had received a total of over 1.5 million reports before 5 p.m. ET.

Impacted users said their phones were in “SOS” mode or had other no signal messages. In cities like New York, alerts warned that the outage may disrupt 911 calls — urging residents to try landlines and devices from other carriers, if available, or visit a local police or fire station in-person in case of an emergency.

Other major hubs impacted by Verizon’s outage included Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas and Miami, per Downdetector. But many consumers across the country said they experienced disruptions.

A handful of outage reports for other carriers also bubbled up on Wednesday — but companies like T-Mobile and AT&T quickly confirmed online that their services were operating normally. Both suggested that their customers may have encountered issues contacting people with Verizon’s service, however.

When cellular outages happen, some phone companies also urge consumers to try to connect to Wi-Fi and use internet calling. If Wi-Fi is still unavailable, there can be a limited number of other options — including sending messages via satellite on newer iPhones.

By Myscha Theriault, Tribune News Service

Need a family-friendly art activity conducive to travel? Something you can enjoy, but will also keep the kids entertained during a visit with the grandparents? I’ve field tested the following ideas in a number of settings around the world, and with a wide range of ages to boot.

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Bonus? These crafts can be cranked out even in the absence of a formal art supply store. That’s right. Using only free items pulled from the recycling and inexpensive supplies from small discount stores, you can create mail art, impromptu party decorations, and more. Try these projects during your next family vacation.

Sculptures

If the word “sculpture” leaves you feeling overwhelmed with visions of wood-carving tools, messy clay, and the mayhem either could cause in the hands of younger artists on family holiday, be stressed no more. A phenomenally versatile supply exists right next to your toilet. Yup, those little cardboard tubes at the center of your bathroom tissue rolls are good for more than preschool puppet theater. While there is no shortage of repurposing ideas for these things, the one that really caught my eye this past year was mask sculptures. Some of the most inspirational ones out there were created by artist Junior Fritz Jacquet, whose finished faces have provided inspiration for a fair number of teachers, students, and art content creators.

The more complicated examples will require a fairly deep dive. However, there are simpler approaches which still look amazing, even for young beginners. A simple internet search and one of the empty roll tubes will get you started. From there, you can add embellishments as I did, or simply choose one basic pigment to layer over the cardboard. You can also use a piece of charcoal, or dark colored pastel to add more visual depth to the nooks and crannies.

The first time I tried one of these, I had difficulty with some of the tighter folds. During my practice session however, I noticed that after a few scrunches and squishes, I could manage a sculpted face which looked very much like an Easter Island statue or a Polynesian tiki carving. So that’s the direction I took. Frankly, I had a ball. So did several of my friends and neighbors. After producing a few examples on the road, I brought the concept home and hosted a community craft night on the back porch of my favorite watering hole. It was a huge hit.

A group of inexpensive, homemade tiki totems lets travelers decorate for a pool party while on a family getaway. (Myscha Theriault/TNS)

Free supplies included the cardboard tubes, along with sticks, pine needles, and moss from a nature hike. Other items I picked up at a creative reuse center, including remnants of upholstery trims, art yarn scraps, partially used tubes of craft paint, and a couple of costume wigs to cut apart for hair. In towns without a creative reuse center, I have found similar items at thrift and dollar stores. Wrapping sticks with threads, trims, and other bits, then attaching them to finished masks produces a collection of tiki totems you can enjoy in a number of ways. Place a few in a container with greenery to add flair to a tropical cocktail evening, or put a haunted island spin on your next murder mystery dinner party.

Prints

While there are several types of printmaking achievable on the road with minimal equipment, I’ve found hand-carved stamps to be the easiest. If you don’t have a travel set of linocut blades to carve rubber mats or old vinyl erasers into your scene of choice, one of the most accessible solutions is flat styrofoam packaging and your average ballpoint pen. Simply save and sanitize the foam trays from meat and takeout purchases and slice the curved parts away, leaving only the flat portion. Cut to your desired size, and trace a design into the foam, leaving grooves which will form the details of your print. Be advised that younger hands will be more successful with larger pieces of foam and less detail.

Tiny art prints make an inexpensive party favor or gift idea when celebrating holidays on the road. (Myscha Theriault/TNS)

The only other supply you need is a moistened ink pad. I have a small one I usually make room for in my luggage, which I store in a leakproof bag. If you’d rather not take that risk, I have seen these in some fairly small village markets. I’m speaking of the type where they stock everything from basic school supplies to kitchen towels and tea kettles. Ink pads are pretty easy to access. If you run into problems, though, you can always experiment with craft paint.

At this point, you’re basically ready to press your stamp into the pigment and stamp on your paper of choice. Smaller stamps provide a wider range of options for using repurposed paper items. The brown craft paper that comes wrapped around shipped items, bits of business envelopes from the mail, and even empty sections of printed documents can come into play if archival paper isn’t at your disposal. For example, I’ve found that black ink stamped on brown packing paper with torn edges can look quite striking on a black background. If you’re worried about having limited pattern-drawing experience, don’t be. I’ve done pencil-carved foam stamps in remote locations with students as young as seven. Seriously, you’ll be surprised at how rewarding the finished product can be.

These pint-sized prints can serve a number of purposes. I’ve personally used them to add dimension to an art journal entry, as handmade gift tags, and to decorate thank you notes. Giving them as a gift? Try adding a backing, or a coordinating mat and frame to elevate the look. They are also fun to have on hand if you happen to stumble upon one of those free tiny art galleries during your adventures.

Postcards

I’ve been making homemade postcards and sending them to friends for a few years now. The skill-level barrier for creating them is extremely low, while the freedom to elevate the end product as your artistic talents grow is virtually unlimited. This means that in addition to being quite a bit of fun to do, they are also achievable for travelers of many ages and abilities. The best part? People are legitimately tickled to find these in their mail, no matter how abstract, rustic, or quirky their particular postcard is.

Tiny art created while traveling is clipped to a gridwall panel for a minimalist, low-cost display. (Myscha Theriault/TNS)

There’s a reason ideas and tutorials for mail art and pen-pal clubs have had a resurgence. There’s something heartwarming about getting an item in the post that isn’t a bill or a sale flyer. It makes people feel seen. And the more real and vulnerable you are with the postcards you make, the more the people who receive them will feel they can really see you too.

While you can certainly spend a small fortune on supplies to start this project, it is absolutely unnecessary. In many parts of the world, it isn’t possible to overspend anyway, as supply sources are few and far between. Some of the most basic cards can be created with empty food boxes from the pantry, tourism brochures, and a few readily available basics such as scissors, a glue stick, and some crayons. You’ll also need something to glue on the imaged side of the card you cut from the food box so you can decorate it. Blank index cards are usually my first choice, but do what works for you. From there, just color in a background, cut an interesting image from one of your brochures to collage on top of it, and add your address and message to the plain background of the completed postcard. Easy peasy.

Bottom line? There are a number of ways to be creative while traveling, many of which don’t require lugging along a ton of tools and equipment in your pack. With a little ingenuity and a bit of leftover packaging, you can create more art than you might expect.

(Lifestyle and travel expert @MyschaTheriault blends thrift and luxury to live well for less around the world.)

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By EMMA BURROWS, CLAUDIA CIOBANU and DANIEL NIEMANN, Associated Press

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.

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Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. Several European partners — including France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days.

The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.

“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.

Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.

On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks.

‘Greenland does not want to be part of the United States’

Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.”

“Greenland is not for sale,” he said Thursday. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”

In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.

Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.

Maya Martinsen, 21, said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.

The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”

More troops, more talks

On Wednesday, Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”

“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.

Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to bolster security in the Arctic.

The Russian embassy in Brussels on Thursday lambasted what it called the West’s “bellicose plans” in response to “phantom threats that they generate themselves”. It said the planned military actions were part of an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda” by NATO.

“Russia has consistently maintained that the Arctic should remain a territory of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation,” the embassy said.

Rasmussen announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.

“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.

Some diplomatic progress

Commenting on the outcome of the Washington meeting on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nevertheless that the dialogue with the U.S. did not mean “the danger has passed.”

Speaking on Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact despite the Washington meeting, but she welcomed the creation of the working group.

The most important thing for Greenlanders is that they were directly represented at the meeting in the White House and that “the diplomatic dialogue has begun now,” Juno Berthelsen, a lawmaker for the pro-independence Naleraq opposition party, told AP.

A relationship with the U.S. is beneficial for Greenlanders and Americans and is “vital to the security and stability of the Arctic and the Western Alliance,” Berthelsen said. He suggested the U.S. could be involved in the creation of a coastguard for Greenland, providing funding and creating jobs for local people who can help to patrol the Arctic.

Line McGee, 38, from Copenhagen, told AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”

Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”

Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as U.S. layoffs remain low despite growing concern about a weakening job market.

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U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Jan. 10 fell by 9,000 to 198,000, down from 207,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The figure was significantly less than the 215,000 that analysts polled by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

Applications for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

Last week, the government reported that hiring remained sluggish in December, capping a year of weak employment gains that have frustrated job seekers even though layoffs and unemployment remained low.

Employers added just 50,000 jobs last month, nearly unchanged from a downwardly revised figure of 56,000 in November, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate slipped to 4.4%, its first decline since June, from 4.5% in November, a figure also revised lower.

Also last week, the Labor Department reported that businesses posted far fewer jobs in November than the previous month, a sign that employers aren’t yet ramping up hiring even as growth has picked up.

Businesses and government agencies posted 7.1 million open jobs at the end of November, down from 7.4 million in October. Layoffs also dropped as companies seem to be retaining workers even as they are reluctant to add staff, a trend economists refer to as “low hire, low fire.”

Recent government data has revealed a labor market in which hiring has clearly lost momentum, hobbled by uncertainty raised by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the lingering effects of the high interest rates the Fed engineered in 2022 and 2023 to rein in a spike of pandemic-induced inflation.

In an attempt to stabilize a softening labor market, the Federal Reserve last month trimmed its benchmark lending rate by a quarter-point, its third straight cut.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said members of the committee are increasingly concerned that the job market is even weaker than it appears. Powell suggested that recent job figures could be revised lower by as much as 60,000, which would mean employers have actually been shedding an average of about 25,000 jobs a month since the spring, when the Trump administration rolled out its sweeping import taxes.

Companies that have recently announced job cuts include UPS, General Motors, Amazon and Verizon.

Thursday’s report from the Labor Department also said that the four-week average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 6,500 to 205,000.

The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Jan. 3 declined by 19,000 to 1.88 million, the government said.