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Federal Reserve minutes: Too-high inflation, still a threat, could require more rate hikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Federal Reserve officials last month still regarded high inflation as an ongoing threat that could require further interest rate increases, according to the minutes of their July 25-26 meeting released Wednesday. At the same time, the officials saw “a number of tentative signs that inflation pressures could be abating.” It was a mixed view that echoed Chair Jerome Powell’s noncommittal stance about future rate hikes at a news conference after the meeting. According to the minutes, the Fed’s policymakers also said that despite signs of progress on inflation, it remained well above their 2% target. They “would need to see more data … to be confident that inflation pressures were abating” and on track to return to their target. At the meeting, the Fed decided to raise its benchmark rate for the 11th time in 17 months in its ongoing drive to curb inflation. But in a stateme...

FEMA opens disaster recovery center on Maui to help victims of the wildfires. Follow live updates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii, killing more than 100 people and destroying the historic town of Lahaina. The wildfires are the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Videos showing downed power lines apparently sparking some of the early blazes have become key evidence in the search for a cause.The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened its first disaster recovery center on Maui to help victims of the Lahaina wildfires.The agency is also sending in more dogs to help with search and recovery.Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator, on Wednesday called the center’s opening “an important first step.”The centers are temporary places where people can get information about assistance from multiple federal agencies, not just FEMA. They also can get their questions answered and get updates on the status of their aid applications.The number of canine search teams will be increased to mo...

Orioles highly touted catching prospect Samuel is learning to handle the pressure with Aberdeen IronBirds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

It’s difficult to completely shun the pressure that accompanies a résumé like Samuel Basallo’s.When the Orioles signed him out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Jan. 15, 2021, he received $1.3 million, at the time the largest bonus the O’s had invested in an international prospect. He was 16 years old.Some are already dubbing him the ‘Dominican Adley Rutschman,’ playing catcher with a similarly imposing frame. Not to mention, now just past this 19th birthday, he has already scaled prospect boards from fringe MLB.com Top 100 to the 50th best prospect in baseball. The site rates Basallo as the No. 5 prospect in the Orioles’ system.Basallo was called up to Aberdeen from Low-A Delmarva on Aug. 1 and he may already be one of his team’s most versatile threats. In Tuesday’s 8-6 win over the visiting Wilmington Blue Rocks, he starred as the designated hitter. On Wednesday, according to manager Roberto Mercado, he’ll be a...

European countries see overtourism as an epidemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

Lacey Pfalz | (TNS) TravelPulseEuropean countries are some of the most popular destinations of the summer, and many of the cities and destinations facing record numbers of summer travelers are also putting new rules and regulations in place to hopefully curb the negative aspects of too many tourists.What is overtourism?The term ‘overtourism’ is getting more popular as destinations begin thinking long-term about their tourism strategies. It often goes hand-in-hand with sustainability initiatives, because having too many tourists than a destination can successfully manage is unsustainable.Overtourism can lead to housing shortages for locals — in February, Portugal passed laws that restricted the number of Airbnbs allowed in the country after foreigners began outpricing Portuguese locals, causing a housing crisis.It can also create more traffic, both pedestrian and automotive, as well as lead to greater pollution and litter. Droves of tourists can also be a drain on the residents who l...

Evacuations ordered after winds whip Northern California forest fire near site of 2022 deadly blaze

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

HAMBURG, Calif. (AP) — Rural areas near California’s border with Oregon were under evacuation orders Wednesday after gusty winds from a thunderstorm sent a lightning-sparked wildfire racing through national forest lands, authorities said.The blaze in Siskiyou County, dubbed the Head Fire, was one of at least 19 fires — most of them tiny — that erupted in the Klamath National Forest as thunderstorms brought lightning and downdrafts that drove the flames through timber and rural lands.An overflight late Tuesday measured the fire at 4.2 square miles (10.8 square kilometers), slightly smaller than initial estimates after it grew rapidly in just a few hours. A forest statement said fire behavior also decreased during the night.In this photo provided by Caltrans, smoke rises from the Head Fire in Klamath National Forest, Calif., on Tuesday Aug. 15, 2023. A wildfire pushed by gusty winds from a thunderstorm raced through national forest land near California's border with Oregon,...

What to stream: A summer syllabus for the movies you may have missed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

Katie Walsh | (TNS) Tribune News ServiceAugust is a weird movie month: a lot of folks are on vacation, the big summer blockbusters are petering out and the fall festival and awards season movies are just out of reach. It’s the perfect time to catch up with the best films from the first half of the year, especially those that may have flown under the radar.Like father like son: Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) unveiled his sophomore feature “Infinity Pool” in January, starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgard, as a pair of vacation friends whose high-end trip goes increasingly off the rails (manslaughter, drug-fueled orgies, the creation of clones to be executed in one’s stead). Stream the delightfully twisted “Infinity Pool” on Hulu or rent it elsewhere.French actress Laure Calamy stars in the taut domestic drama “Full Time,” as a woman on the run — literally. Writer/director Eric Gravel configures the story of a divorced mother of two striving to pull her family out of poverty as ...

Target Q2 sales fall on inflation, Pride month shopper backlash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO (AP Retail Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Target reported a second-quarter sales drop, dragged down by shoppers’ inflation worries and a negative reaction by some customers, widely publicized on social media, to its Pride merchandise.The Minneapolis retailer expects high interest rates, which makes credit cards more expensive to use, and higher prices on food to continue to put a strain on customers and on Wednesday, the chain cut its profit outlook for the year. It also expects sales will decline for the remainder of the year. In lowering its forecast, Target also cited the end of the student loan moratorium, which had provided one-time college students a little more financial breathing room.Profit came in above expectations, however, as Target brought inventories closer in line with cautionary spending on discretionary items by customers.Shares rose nearly 6% in early morning trading Wednesday despite trimming profit expectations for the year.Target is among the first...

Man shot, killed by officer in College Area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man was shot and killed by a San Diego police officer Tuesday night in the College Area, authorities said.Around 6:45 p.m., the San Diego Police Department served a search warrant at an apartment complex located on the 6100 block of El Cajon Boulevard, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.Detectives attempted to contact a man who police say was a person of interest in a shooting in Clairemont earlier this month which then led to a police shooting on the Mesa College campus. SDPD set a perimeter around the apartment building and attempted to contact the man, giving verbal commands and warnings and attempting to make phone calls into the residence, Lt. Joseph Jarjura said.When the suspect eventually came out of the apartment, he had what appeared to be a gun in his hand, per law enforcement.Officers told him to put the gun down, which he eventually did, but he refused to step away from the weapon and kept looking at the gun, which was near hi...

‘Unacceptable’: City says squatters letter left at Toronto encampment site is fake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

The City of Toronto is condemning a fake letter left at an encampment site that called on “squatters” to remove their belongings and property from Allan Gardens by the first week of September.The phony letter, dated August 16 with a City of Toronto logo, was obtained by CityNews. A spokesperson says the letter was left at Allan Gardens, and in it, someone writes that city officials will no longer be allowing squatters to loiter in public areas.“This new by-law the City of Toronto intends to make moving forward with the current and ongoing housing crisis,” the letter states. “Please have all of your property and belongings off of all public Toronto, Ont., Canada property immediately.”The letter says that possessions, persons and belongings not voluntarily moved before September 1 will be forcibly taken by officers “at your expense and will not be reimbursing any loss of property.”“If you have any questions or concerns, please cont...

Tennessee man who killed 8 gets life in prison in surprise plea deal after new evidence surfaces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:32 GMT

GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man who had been facing a death penalty trial in the killings of eight people in rural Westmoreland in April 2019, including his parents, uncle and a 12-year-old girl, pleaded guilty Wednesday to eight counts of first-degree murder in exchange for a sentence of life without parole.The surprise plea came after Sumner County prosecutors were given brain scans of Michael Cummins that showed “significant problems,” Sumner County District Attorney General Ray Whitley told reporters after the hearing.Defense attorneys could have used the scans to try to convince a jury not to sentence Cummins to death, Whitley said. While he thinks prosecutors ultimately could have prevailed in securing the death penalty, he said it was a “close case.”Judge David Gay and attorneys for both sides had travelled to Knoxville earlier this year to pick a jury pool ahead of an April trial date when the new evidence was revealed, forcing a delay, Gay said in court Wednesday. Ga...