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US applications for jobless benefits rise but labor market remains solid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

By MATT OTT (AP Business Writer)More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but not enough to raise concern about the labor market or broader economy.Jobless claims rose to 218,000 for the week ending Dec. 23, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 250 to 212,000.Overall, 1.88 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits during the week that ended Dec. 16, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week.Weekly unemployment claims are a proxy for layoffs. They have remained at extraordinarily low levels in the face of high interest rates.The Federal Reserve started raising interest rates early last year to try to beat down the inflation that surged after an unusually strong economic rebound from the COVID-19 recession of 2020. The Fed has raised its benchmark rate 11 times since March of 2022.Inflation has eased, but remains slightly...

Resident anthem singer for the Chicago Cubs returns to Blue Island to perform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

Less than six months after debuting at The Lyric Theater singer John Vincent is back at the Blue Island venue, which he calls one of his favorite places to perform.An Evening with John Vincent on Jan. 5, 2024, includes stories about the native of Chicago’s South Side as well as covers of Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra songs.“I talk a lot about the experiences I had in my life — the good and the bad. I talk about what I think is important and that’s spreading kindness especially now,” said Vincent who lives in Chicago’s North Park community.“It’s always a good time to do that especially when it seems like everybody is feeling crazy, feeling scared, feeling alone. This is the time to make a difference.“I was bullied when I was a kid and suffer from mental illness. My father has Lewy body Parkinson’s. It’s been hard on my family. I just try to keep (it) real with some laughter, with some tears, with some ...

After 17 years, deported Veteran who helped others like him, finally returns home to U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Hector Lopez raised his arms and smiled triumphantly as he walked out of the San Ysidro Port of Entry Wednesday morning, finally setting foot in California -- something he had not been able to do in 17 years.Lopez, who grew up in California's Central Valley, served six years in the U.S. Army.After leaving the military, Lopez admitted he had a hard time coping and turned to alcohol and controlled substances. He was deported to Tijuana after being convicted of drug possession."To finally have the stigma of being deported behind me, it feels so awesome,” said Lopez. "Stepping on United States soil, it’s such an awesome feeling. It’s a bit overwhelming right now." After lobbying trip to D.C., advocates hopeful deported veterans may soon be allowed back to US The Army vet admitted making a big mistake but believes he should have never been sent to Mexico, a country he barely knew.Hector Lopez spent 17 years in Mexico after beind deported for a drug offense....

An ‘almost naked’ party of Russian elites brings on jail time, a lawsuit and apologies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

The nightlife of Russia’s elite has long been famously rakish but a recent party crossed an invisible line and provoked a public scandal. One pop star ended up in jail and several others issued public apologies while an ensuing lawsuit demanded a fortune in reparations. The scandal erupted after TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva hosted a bash at a Moscow nightclub with the stated dress code of “almost naked.” Soon after, photos from the party began circulating on social media — including those of rapper Vacio seen wearing only a sock on his genitalia. Conservative legislators, bloggers and others unleashed a storm of criticism, contending the images were unseemly, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war. Some of the criticism reflected the fiercely conservative sentiment in Russia amid President Vladimir Putin’s repeated denunciation of the West for trying to undermine “traditional values” and the nationalism intensified by Russia’s war in Ukraine.̶...

Suspect sought in subway station sex assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

Toronto police have released images of a suspect wanted in connection to a sexual assault at St. George Subway Station in November.Investigators say it happened on Tuesday, November 7 at around 10:10 p.m.In a release, police said the suspect walked closely behind the victim as they boarded a train at the station. The suspect then sexually assaulted the victim before exiting the train, police allege.The suspect was last seen standing on the subway platform.He’s described as 40 to 50 years old with black hair and a black beard.He was last seen wearing a dark coloured zip-up sweater, black hooded winter jacket, light blue jeans, and white and black slip-on shoes.In a separate investigation police are looking for a suspect after reports of a sexual assault at Davisville Subway Station on August 17, 2023 at around 3:10 p.m.

Independent lawyers begin prosecuting cases of sexual assault and other crimes in the US military

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Thursday opened a new chapter in how it investigates and prosecutes cases of sexual assault and other major crimes, putting independent lawyers in charge of those decisions and sidelining commanders after years of pressure from Congress.The change, long resisted by Pentagon leaders, was finally forced by frustrated members of Congress who believed that too often commanders would fail to take victims’ complaints seriously or would try to protect alleged perpetrators in their units. The new law was fueled by a persistent increase in sexual assaults and harassment across the military. The Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Navy all saw reported sexual assaults go up last year, but a sharp 9% drop in reports from the Army — the largest military service — drove the overall number down. In 2021, reported assaults spiked by 13%.Under the law, new special counsels will have the authority to make prosecution decisions on a number of major crimes,...

George Stroumboulopoulos, NYT journalist, dairy CEO among 78 named to Order of Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

OTTAWA — When George Stroumboulopoulos thinks back on his TV career, it’s his time hosting The NewMusic in the early 2000s that resonates most.Many Canadians remember how the gregarious host introduced them to bands and musicians on the MuchMusic program, and those years are part of the reason he is now being appointed to the Order of Canada.“It was this golden era of television that I don’t think could ever be created again,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview.Stroumboulopoulos went on to host his own show on CBC for a decade, followed by a stint on Hockey Night in Canada from 2014 to 2016. He has interviewed everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Hilary Clinton to Snoop Dogg — but he said he never changed along the way. “With very rare exceptions, I have been 100 per cent myself the whole way,” he said.Stroumboulopoulos is one of 78 Canadians being awarded one of the country’s highest honours. The list of new officers of the Order of Canada prov...

Rivers remain high in parts of northern and central Europe after heavy rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Parts of northern and central Europe continued to grapple with flooding on Thursday after heavy rain, and a barrier near the German city of Magdeburg was opened for the first time in a decade to ease pressure from the Elbe River.This week’s floods have prompted evacuations of dozens or hundreds of people in parts of northern and central Germany, but largely dry weather was forecast on Thursday. Still, water levels on some rivers caused concern, and they have continued to rise in parts of Lower Saxony state in the northwest.The Elbe was nearly 4 meters (13 feet) above its normal level in Dresden, German news agency dpa reported. Downstream, the Pretziener Wehr, a flood barrier built in the 1870s on a branch of the river and renovated in 2010, was opened for the first time since large-scale floods in 2013.The aim was to divert about a third of the river’s water into a 21-kilometer (13-mile) channel that bypasses the town of Schoenebeck and Saxony-Anhalt’...

Park City man, 51, killed in crash after walking in traffic lane in unincorporated Libertyville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — Lake County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigators are looking into a fatal crash early Thursday morning in unincorporated Libertyville, which resulted in the death of a 51-year-old Park City man.Just before 3:30 a.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to Route 137 and Clover Drive for a car-versus-pedestrian crash. Deputies arrived and found the pedestrian, the Park City man, critically injured. According to Lake County authorities, a preliminary investigation shows that a 2016 Kia Rio, driven by a 54-year-old Woodstock man, was traveling westbound on Route 137 in the outside traffic lane. The driver of the Kia did not see the pedestrian, who was walking in the traffic lane for an unknown reason, before striking him.The pedestrian was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities say the driver of the Kia was uninjured and is cooperating with the investigation. The Lake County Coro...

MLB player Wander Franco summoned in Dominican Republic amid investigation: reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:33 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (WFLA) — News outlets in the Dominican Republic are reporting that police have searched two homes associated with Tampa Bay Rays baseball player Wander Franco.According to local news outlet Listin Diario, authorities are looking for the shortstop due to an ongoing investigation concerning his alleged relationship with a minor.The report said a division that specializes in minors and gender violence is investigating the alleged relationship and wants to question Franco.Police reportedly searched Franco's home and his mother's home in the Dominican Republic this week. However, the baseball player wasn't located at either residence."This kind of just puts the icing on the cake and makes him look more horrible," said David Hush, a Tampa Bay Rays fan. Wander Franco earns $700,000 bonus from MLB pool despite ongoing investigation Authorities summoned Franco to appear for questioning Thursday morning."There's more to this story, and it's just terrible for not only Maj...