The last two weeks have been filled with positive news about the economy. It all started when several of the major banks announced that they generated a profit during the first two months of this year. Then, General Motors announced that it would not need to take the $2 billion bailout loan from the government that was scheduled for March. The economic data also turned positive as housing starts, existing home sales, and new home sales all increased last month and the initial claims for unemployment compensation decreased.

This may be a good time to review what you can do to prepare your finances for an economic recovery…

(Read more in The Rancho Cordova Post)

Denny’s is inviting you to bring a friend for a free breakfast today.

From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., you’ll get a free Grand Slamwich, if you buy a Grand Slam breakfast. A Slamwich is a sandwich filled with scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, bacon and cheese.

More than two million people lined up for hours at Denny’s to get a free breakfast in February.

In 2008, air travelers experienced their best year for customer service since 2004. The rate of lost bags, late arrivals, and consumer complaints were all down, according to an annual survey of airline quality.

The study found that all 17 airlines improved their overall performance in 2008, bouncing back from their worst-ever rankings in 2007. And, in a rare occurrence, the industry improved in all four major categories of the Airline Quality Rating: on‐time performance, baggage handling, denied boardings and customer complaints.

US Airways was the most improved airline last year, while United improved the least.

There’s no lack of bad economic news. And yet, amid the gloom, there are a growing number of economists that see a recovery on the horizon — perhaps even a strong rebound. “The economy could be as close to four months away from a recovery,” said one.

Readings on long-term and short-term economic indicators give him significantly more hope that the economy is closer to a turnaround than he had thought even a month ago.

(Read the full story in CNNMoney.com)

Fresh signs that factories are coming back to life and a bank CEO’s encouraging outlook fueled more hopes Thursday that the economy may soon emerge from the cellar, and briefly lifted the Dow Jones industrials beyond 8,000 for the first time in two months.

(Read the story in Oregon Live)