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Top Fed official sees need for more interest rate increases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Federal Reserve official said Friday that there has been little progress on inflation for more than a year and that more interest rate hikes are needed to get prices under control.Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed’s governing board, did not specify how many more increases he supports, but said in written remarks that inflation “is still much too high and so my job is not done.” Last month, inflation slowed as food and gas prices fell, but excluding those volatile categories, “core” prices kept rising and are 5.6% higher than a year ago. Waller pointed out that core prices have risen at about that same pace, or higher, since December 2021. Waller’s comments expressing support for more rate hikes follow a forecast by the Fed’s staff economists, revealed in Fed minutes Wednesday, for a “mild recession” later this year. Waller said that, like most of his colleagues, he is closely watching whether the collapse of two large banks la...

Guardsman accused in records leak to appear in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Air National Guardsman arrested in the leak of highly classified military documents is expected in federal court Friday as the Justice Department prepares to outline the criminal case against him.Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested by heavily armed tactical agents on Thursday following a weeklong criminal investigation into the disclosure of highly sensitive government records, an alarming breach that exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments on the war in Ukraine, the capabilities and geopolitical interests of other nations and other top national security issues.Justice Department prosecutors are expected to reveal new details about the allegations while unsealing a criminal complaint in Boston charging Teixeira under an Espionage Act provision that makes it a crime to remove, retain or transmit national defense information. It was not immediately clear if Teixeira had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.Investigators believe Teixeira was th...

Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales down 3.6% in February

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell 3.6 per cent to $71.5 billion in February, as sales of petroleum and coal products helped lead the drop.The agency says the decline followed a revised 4.5 per cent increase in January. The initial reading for the first month of the year had been for a gain of 4.1 per cent.The drop in February came as 12 of the 21 industries tracked saw moves lower.Sales of petroleum and coal products fell 14.9 per cent to $8.8 billion in February as sales volumes dropped 8.3 per cent.Meanwhile, sales of motor vehicles fell 12.3 per cent to $4.2 billion in February and primary metals declined 4.2 per cent to $5.6 billion. Sales in the machinery industry rose 3.0 per cent to $4.6 billion.In constant dollars, Statistics Canada says overall manufacturing sales decreased 2.4 per cent in February.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

Big Indiana plastics fire is fully extinguished, mayor says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — A major industrial fire fueled by tons of scrap plastics in an Indiana city has been fully extinguished, although an evacuation order for people living nearby remains in place, the city’s mayor said.Richmond Mayor Dave Snow tweeted Thursday night that the fire chief of the eastern Indiana city had informed him that “the fire has been fully extinguished ahead of schedule.”Officials had said earlier Thursday that the fire, which began Tuesday afternoon, was close to being extinguished at the 14-acre former factory site in Richmond, a city of 35,000 about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Indianapolis, near the Ohio border.An evacuation order for at least 1,500 people living within a half-mile was still in effect Friday morning, but Snow said in his tweet that “we’re now able to turn our attention to collecting air and water samples to determine when the evacuation order can be lifted.”Fire Chief Tim Brown was not available Friday morning to provide an updat...

Airport reopening as South Florida floods slowly recede

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — One of Florida’s busiest airports announced plans to reopen Friday morning, two days after an unprecedented deluge left planes and travelers stranded and turned Fort Lauderdale’s streets into rivers.Officials at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport completed final inspections after sunrise Friday and said in a tweet that operations would resume at 9 a.m.“Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight times BEFORE coming to the airport. Thanks for your patience as we work to restore normal operations,” the tweet said.The airport shut down Wednesday evening as a storm dumped more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain.“Nature has been unkind to us,” Broward County Mayor Lamar Fisher said during a news conference Thursday afternoon at the airport.A flood warning was expiring, but the National Weather Service warned motorists that water-covered roads could still be a hazard. All across Fort Lauderdale, residents an...

Illinois State Police investigate after body found on Dan Ryan Expressway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois State Police are investigating a fatal incident on the Dan Ryan Expressway.According to preliminary information, state troopers responded to southbound I-94 at 28th Street around 5 a.m. Friday for a report of a person laying on the roadway.The person was pronounced dead on the scene. Their identity has not yet been released. 1 dead in Northwest Indiana house fire The circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear at this time.An investigation is underway.

59-year-old man dies after Antioch Township shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

ANTIOCH TOWNSHIP, Ill. — A 59-year-old man died after he was shot in the head in unincorporated Antioch Wednesday night.At around 7:35 p.m., police responded to the 40700 block of North Black Oak Avenue, located in unincorporated Antioch, on the report of an unresponsive man.The man, later identified as William Martys, 59, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in his driveway.He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was pronounced dead. Gun discovered inside vehicle in Antioch High School’s parking lot The shooting is being investigated as a homicide and no one is in custody.

DeSantis signs Florida's 6-week abortion ban into law, but it's not in effect yet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday night signed into law a bill that would ban abortions in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy.DeSantis quietly signed the bill (SB-300) — called Florida's "Heartbeat Protection Act" — at his office at around 11 p.m., according to a Twitter post from the governor's office. "Signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which expands pro-life protections and devotes resources to help young mothers and families," the post read.The bill will ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for life-threatening medical complications. Pregnancies involving rape or incest can be terminated at up to 15 weeks, but documentation, such as a restraining order or police report, would be required. Reproductive health advocates have called the parameters for exemptions restrictive, and have pointed out that many people do not find out they are pregnant until it is too late. Idaho governor signs ‘abortion trafficking’ bill into law "This ban wil...

Street School With Sarah: Demystifying Chicago's Lower Wacker Drive 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

WGN Traffic Reporter Sarah Jindra's “Street School with Sarah” is back! The next topic: Lower Wacker Drive.If you're a true Chicagoan, you know how to navigate Lower Wacker Drive and use it to your benefit. But many say they are too nervous to use it."I think people are just scared of the darkness, not knowing where they are and being in the bowels of the city. But it also kind of gives it a chache as well. There’s a reason it appears in the Blues Brothers, Dark Knight, Batman Begins. It's this mysterious slightly creepy place, a city under the city,” said Paul Durica of the Chicago History Museum.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Georgetown prepares streets for Two Step Inn country music festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:21 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) -- The city of Georgetown is a day away from one of the biggest festivals in its history at San Gabriel Park. The two-day Two Step Inn festival will feature acts like Tyler Childers, Wynonna Judd, and T-Pain. If you live in Georgetown, or plan on visiting for the country music, here's what you need to know. Street Closures Many of the streets surround the park will be closed during the festival on Saturday and Sunday. The city has put together an interactive map to make things simple for drivers. The center and northbound lanes of Austin Avenue from Morrow Street down to Northwest Boulevard will be closed through the weekend. City officials are telling people to expect delays this weekend during the festival. Additional street closures this weekend include: North College Street from Holly to College StreetCollege Street from North College Street through the roundaboutRiverhaven Drive from Weir Road, through the roundaboutSome streets around the park will be ...