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Ticker: US employers add a surprisingly strong 216,000 jobs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

The nation’s employers added a robust 216,000 jobs last month, the latest sign that the American labor market remains resilient even in the face of sharply higher interest rates.December’s job gain exceeded the 173,000 that were added in November. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% — the 23rd straight month that joblessness has come in below 4%.Some details of the report, though, may disappoint the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve, who might now be inclined to delay any cuts in their benchmark interest rate. Still, taken as a whole, the December jobs report reflected a healthy economy, with steady job growth, rising wages and cooling inflation.Wall Street shaves off some losses to close its worst week in the last 10Wall Street ended a listless day with slight gains after reports showed workers are getting bigger raises, but also that key parts of the economy still don’t look like they’re overheating.The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average...

Things to know about a school shooting in the small Iowa town of Perry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

A small town in Iowa is stunned but pulling together after a school shooting in which a 17-year-old killed a sixth-grade student and wounded seven other people before authorities say he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Many questions remain about how the shooting unfolded and what might have led up to it, but a few details have emerged.Here are some things to know about Thursday’s shooting at Perry High School:WHAT HAPPENEDAccording to authorities and school officials, a teenage student armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun opened fire at Perry High School just after 7:30 a.m. Thursday, shortly before classes were set to begin on the first day back after winter break. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spokesman Mitch Mortvedt said the shooting started in the cafeteria, where students from several grades were eating breakfast, then spilled outside the cafeteria.The student who was killed, 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff, was shot three times, thoug...

29-year-old woman found dead in Quebec apartment, 32-year-old man arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

GRANBY, Que. — Quebec provincial police say a 29-year-old woman was found dead in an apartment in a town east of Montreal Friday evening.Police spokesperson Louis-Philippe Ruel says local authorities in Granby, Que., were called to the apartment at around 8 p.m. and discovered the woman’s body when they arrived.Ruel says she was pronounced dead at the scene and that her body bore signs of violence.Police arrested a 32-year-old man on Friday night, though no charges have been laid yet. Ruel says the man was still in police custody and meeting with investigators as of early Saturday afternoon.The man is expected to appear in court by telephone Saturday evening.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2024.The Canadian Press

Nearly 3,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents released, but some questions remain unanswered

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For nearly two decades, journalists, police detectives, FBI agents, lawyers and amateur sleuths have pried into the depraved world of Jeffrey Epstein.Yet even after the release of thousands of pages of court records in recent days, some questions about the millionaire pedophile remain unanswered. The documents have gotten a lot of attention, but they shed little new light on the financier’s habitual sexual abuse of underage girls.More than anything, the public is still fascinated with the possibility that some of the rich and powerful men in Epstein’s social circle were also involved in the abuse.Here’s a look at what we know — and what we don’t — about Epstein and his crimes:JETSETTER TO CONVICTEpstein first began getting media attention in 2002 after news organizations, including The Associated Press, covered a trip to Africa by former President Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker. The five-day tour of Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda...

Cumbersome process and ‘arbitrary’ Israeli inspections slow aid delivery into Gaza, US senators say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — At Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, lines of hundreds of trucks carrying aid wait for weeks to enter Gaza, and a warehouse is full of goods rejected by Israeli inspectors, everything from water testing equipment to medical kits for delivering babies, two U.S. senators said Saturday after a visit to the border.Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley pointed to a cumbersome process that is slowing relief to the Palestinian population in the besieged territory — largely due to Israeli inspections of aid cargos, with seemingly arbitrary rejections of vital humanitarian equipment. The system to ensure that aid deliveries within Gaza don’t get hit by Israeli forces is “totally broken,” they said. “What struck me yesterday was the miles of backed-up trucks. We couldn’t count, but there were hundreds,” Merkley said in a briefing with Van Hollen to a group of reporters in Cairo.The U.S. has been pressing Israel for weeks to let greater amounts of food, water, fuel, medicine and ot...

‘Multiple suspects’ wanted after jewelry store robbery at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

Police are searching for “multiple suspects” after a jewelry store robbery in Richmond Hill.York Regional Police were called to Hillcrest Mall on Yonge Street around 2 p.m. on Saturday following reports of a theft in progress. Multiple reports on social media said they heard shots fired and people running from the scene. Police confirm there were no shots fired and that it was glass shattering as part of the robbery.Police say no one was injured and that multiple suspects fled the scene. No descriptions have been released at this time. It’s unclear what items might have been stolen.A police presence remains at the mall as part of their investigation.ROBBERY– police presence at 9350 Yonge St #RichmondHill (Hillcrest Mall) – Jewelry store robbery; no injuries– multiple suspects fled the scene— York Regional Police (@YRP) January 6, 2024

Alaska Airlines grounding Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet for inspection after window blows out from PDX-departing flight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Alaska Airlines is temporarily grounding its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes after a flight heading to Ontario, California had to make an emergency return landing to Portland when a portion of the aircraft blew out mid-air shortly after takeoff on Friday evening, the CEO announced in a statement. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 originally departed from Portland International Airport around 5 p.m. and then turned around after reaching an altitude of 16,000 feet when the incident happened. The plane landed safely at PDX shortly before 5:30 p.m. Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing at PDX after window blew out Social media video appeared to show that one of the passenger window panels had been blown out.The flight included 171 passengers and six crew members, Alaska Airlines officials confirmed to KOIN 6.In a statement to CBS News, the Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported a “pressurization issue,” which the FAA and National Transportat...

On winning streak, Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson asks, ‘Where can we take it?’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

Ben Johnson is being proven right.The Gophers men’s basketball coach shared how pivotal he felt the Nebraska game was to the state of his program after the U pulled off a big comeback to beat the Cornhuskers on Dec. 6.Now with a 73-71 road win at Michigan on Thursday, Minnesota has won six straight games going into Sunday’s 4:30 p.m. matinee against Maryland at Williams Arena.On Saturday, Johnson again brought up that month-ago win over the Cornhuskers.“I do think one of the keys was (beating) Nebraska,” he said. “To have that and solidify that win, and now we’ve been able to build off of that. We’ve been able to win in different ways and you add an in-league road win, especially early against a really talented team (in Michigan) that was up against it. … To be able to power that though, I think now it’s like where can we take it?”The Gophers (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) were a five-point underdog against the Wolverines. Minnesota is a two-point favorite against the Terrapins (9-5, 1-2).“We ...

Washington County officials get 6.5 percent pay increase; Stan Karwoski named board chair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

Washington County Administrator Kevin Corbid will be paid $218,409 for 2024, a 6.5 percent increase over last year’s salary.The Washington County board also recently approved pay increases for Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry and Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson. Starry will be paid $203,321 in 2024 and Magnuson will be paid $212,020; each received a 6.5 percent increase over 2023. The board also recently set their own salaries for 2024. County commissioners will receive a salary of $79,902, a 6.5 percent increase over 2023.Stan Karwoski (Courtesy of the candidate)On Tuesday, the board elected Commissioner Stan Karwoski, District 2, to serve as board chair for 2024, and elected Commissioner Fran Miron, District 1, to serve as board vice chair for the year.Karwoski, the former mayor of Oakdale, was first elected to the county board in a special election in November 2016 and was reelected in 2018 and 2022. Karwoski served four terms on the Oakdale City Council and was ele...

Blinken says Turkey is committed to a ‘positive’ role in postwar Gaza as he opens a diplomatic push

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:35 GMT

By MATTHEW LEE (AP Diplomatic Writer)CHANIA, Greece (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that Turkey is committed to playing “a positive, productive” role for postwar Gaza and prepared to use its influence in the region to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from broadening even more. The latest Mideast mission by America’s top diplomat opened with talks in Turkey and Greece before shifting to the region for “not necessarily easy conversations” with allies and partners about what they are willing to do “to build durable peace and security.”Blinken’s fourth visit in three months comes as developments in Lebanon, northern Israel, the Red Sea and Iraq have put intense strains on what had been a modestly successful U.S. push to prevent a regional conflagration since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, and as international criticism of Israel’s military operation mounts.Blinken held meetings with Turkey’s...