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Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher toward edge of bull market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting Tuesday amid a vacuum of market-moving data, while U.S. regulators shook the cryptocurrency world again by filing charges against another mega player in the industry.The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged in afternoon trading, and it’s near the edge of what traders call a bull market. It’s almost 20% above where it was in mid-October, as a long-predicted recession has yet to hit and excitement around artificial intelligence has helped a select group of stocks to soar.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 86 points, or 0.3%, at 33,478, as of 2:24 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher. This upcoming week has few top-tier economic reports and corporate earnings updates to help Wall Street answer its main question. It wants to know which will happen first: a recession or inflation falling enough to get the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates, which have climbed so high they’ve hurt various parts of the ...

Tony Award-nominated Betsy Wolfe on ‘& Juliet’: ‘This was the story I wanted to tell’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — One recent day, Broadway star Betsy Wolfe was up at 4 a.m. to perform on “Good Morning America.” Then there was a formal gala lunch and a few snuggle hours with her young daughter. Finally, as the sun set, her main job beckoned: A big new musical that needed her voice.Such is the life of a Tony nominee, something Wolfe has earned this season for the first time. “The most grateful exhaustion is the best way I can possibly describe it,” she says with a laugh. “I am drinking way too much coffee this time in life.”Wolfe stars in “& Juliet” a Tony-nominated musical which reimagines what would happen if “Romeo and Juliet” didn’t end so sadly and adds some of the biggest pop hits of the past few decades by the likes of Britney Spears and Katy Perry. Wait, a jukebox musical on top of Shakespeare? “There’s a healthy amount of doubt that everyone has when you first hear about this piece. We’ve seen jukebox musicals before. I’ve been in them,” she says. “But the...

Union for 7,000-plus terminal cargo workers in B.C. ports to hold strike vote

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

VANCOUVER — The union representing more than 7,000 terminal cargo movers in ports throughout British Columbia has scheduled a strike vote as it negotiates a new collective agreement.Rob Ashton, the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, says in a bulletin to members that the union’s negotiating committee has authorized a strike vote that will take place June 9 and 10.The collective agreement expired on March 30 and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the union have been negotiating a new contract since February.The employers association, which represents 49 private-sector employers in ports from Vancouver to Prince Rupert, says in a statement that it will continue to negotiate to reach “a fair and balanced deal” that ensures proper compensation and the competitiveness of B.C.’s ports.The two sides are currently in a cooling-off period until June 21, after the union filed a notice of dispute in March that required federall...

UK police motorcyclist under criminal investigation over royal escort crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A British police motorcyclist faced a criminal investigation Tuesday over the death of a woman who was struck in a collision with the officer’s vehicle, which was escorting Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, at the time.Helen Holland, 81, was hit in west London on May 10. She suffered serious injuries and died two weeks later. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the constable was told a criminal investigation was underway for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.The officer is also being investigated for potential gross misconduct. Following the crash, Holland’s son Martin told the BBC she died after sustaining “multiple broken bones and massive internal injuries.” He said she was using a pedestrian crossing when she was struck by the motorcycle. Sophie, who is the wife of Prince Edward, King Charles III’s younger brother, has said she was “deeply saddened” that Holland died.The Associated...

Diet water, melted ice cream among strangest hotel room service requests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

H2Oh-no.Diet water, melted ice cream and blowfish rank among the top 10 most unusual room service requests, according to a new report.Hotels.com published the list after surveying nearly 500 of its hotel partners around the world, including here in Canada.Despite the popularity of food service apps, the report found that 75 per cent of the hotels say room service demand has stayed the same or increased over the past year.The top 10 most unusual room service requests: Diet waterMelted ice creamBlowfishBoiled bottled waterA raw fish that the guest brought with them to cookCockle popcornNo-egg-white omeletRice bowl for dogsBisonEggless eggs in hell (shakshuka)The online survey was conducted from April 5 to April 23, 2023, among 473 hotels in the U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, amongst hotels currently offering in-room dining.Globally, burgers are the most popular item (40 per cent) and are most likely to stay on the menu year-round, r...

‘Dirty deal’: protesters disrupt Joe Manchin event over Mountain Valley pipeline

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin’s latest legislative victory is stirring up anti-pipeline sentiment in the U.S. capital. Protesters who snuck into the event unfurled banners and locked arms today at a D.C. event shortly after the West Virginia Democrat took the stage. Climate activists are furious that fast-tracking Manchin’s Mountain Valley pipeline project was part of the debt-ceiling agreement passed last week. Manchin, long a key swing vote in a divided Congress, was one of the marquee speakers at a panel on permitting reform hosted by online news outlet Semafor.Both the protest and the discussion made it clear that fossil-fuel proponents and detractors are on a collision course as the U.S. charts a course towards a more climate-friendly future. Manchin is spearheading efforts to overhaul the U.S. permitting process — a push critics fear will allow more fossil fuel production as it clears the way for developing critical minerals and green-energy transmission.This repor...

Ex-Indiana attorney general eyes GOP governor’s race after groping case derailed 2020 reelection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is considering whether to join the 2024 Republican governor’s race, nearly three years after his reelection bid was derailed by allegations that he drunkenly groped four women during a party.Hill built a following among social conservatives during his time in office and his entry into the governor’s race could further complicate what already is shaping up to be an expensive fight for the Republican nomination. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden are already vying to replace Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who can’t seek reelection because of term limits.Hill expects to make a decision in the coming weeks as he and his wife “are carefully praying for guidance,” he said in a statement provided to The Associated Press by his political advising firm.“At a time when Hoosiers are hungry for fresh leadership, it is crucial that we distinguish between those who genuinely represent c...

'Stop, stop, stop': Murder warrant issued for 18-year-old accused of shooting Crown Point teen to death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. — A murder warrant has been issued for an 18-year-old Northwest Indiana man accused of killing his best friend while drinking in what police initially called a "gun prank."On Saturday, May 27 at around 11:40 p.m., Lake County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 12000 block of Burr Street in Crown Point on the report of an assault with a firearm. The responding officer later told investigators Denver Johnson, 18, of Cedar Lake, yelled "he's in the back! I shot him!" as the officer arrived to the home.Jason Paholik, 16, of Crown Point, was found laying unresponsive next to the fire with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at St. Anthony Hospital.Police initially said Paholik was shot and killed during a "gun prank" but court documents shed more light on the incident.According to court documents, Johnson initially told police they were drinking around the fire pit and he "decided to pull out his gun and pull a prank" on Paholik. He told police h...

20-year-old man shot, killed in Joliet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. — A 20-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday morning in Joliet.Just before 10:20 a.m., officers responded to the 600 block of East Benton Street on the report of shots fired.At the scene, officers discovered a 20-year-old laying in the street suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The man was transported to Silver Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Police believe the shooting was an isolated incident. No suspects are in custody. Police: Domestic violence suspect arrested in suburban river after trying to flee Anyone with information can contact police at 815-724-3020.

Vienna Beef is returning to a former location in a new way

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:31 GMT

CHICAGO — A building that featured a popular store and cafe for one of the best-known producers of hot dogs in the country is being renovated and put back into use.Vienna Beef announced plans to redevelop a former company factory located at 2501 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago as they'll put $20 million into the space to add a variety of new amenities to the space.Back by popular demand, however, is the Vienna Beef Factory Store and Cafe, which closed in 2020. It will be reopened with the same products as before along with a number of menu options featuring company products. This restaurant will feature memorabilia spanning the company's 130-year history in Chicago. It's slated to open in the spring of 2024 with the factory store located in Bridgeport at 3847 S. Morgan St. still remaining open. Courtesy: Vienna BeefCourtesy: Vienna BeefCourtesy: Vienna BeefAt the same time, Vienna Beef will be adding an outdoor plaza that will feature over 80 trees and hundreds of plants. The development w...