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Stock market today: Wall Street climbs ahead of US GDP data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

TOKYO — Wall Street pointed toward gains ahead of the release of data expected to show the world’s biggest economy cooled in the first quarter despite a very strong showing from the largest companies in the U.S. during the same period. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials rose 0.4% and the S&P 500 inched 0.5% higher before the opening bell ThursdayThe U.S. economy stood firm last year but is expected to weaken and potentially slip into a recession in coming months. Worries over the impact of higher interest rates aimed at vanquishing high inflation are detracting from relatively strong earnings reports for many companies. Shares in Facebook parent company Meta jumped 12% in off-hours trading after its first-quarter results beat Wall Street’s modest expectations on both profit and revenue. Meta’s revenue guidance for the current quarter was also above analyst estimates.Meta’s surprisingly strong quarter echoed results from other high-profile companies. General Motors...

LCBO to phase out paper bags, 15 years after trashing plastic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

TORONTO — The Liquor Control Board of Ontario says it will phase out paper bags at its retail stores, a move the provincial agency says will save the equivalent of 188,000 trees each year. The Crown corporation says 15 years after it trashed single-use plastic bags, it will discontinue paper bags over the coming months at its stores. The LCBO says customers are encouraged to bring reusable bags, or they can purchase them. Customers can also request a re-used cardboard box or an 8-pack carrier at no cost. The LCBO says the initiative will remove roughly 135 million paper bags annually from its stores, diverting some 2,665 tonnes of waste from landfills. It comes after the LCBO partnered with Tree Canada, a non-profit, as part of its latest sustainability campaign to raise money to plant trees in Ontario.“Fifteen years ago, we took the lead to remove single-use plastic bags from our stores. Now, the removal of single-use paper bags is another important step in our efforts to minimize ...

Glencore willing to take takeover offer for Teck Resources directly to shareholders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

VANCOUVER — Swiss commodities giant Glencore says it is willing to present its takeover offer directly to shareholders of Teck Resources Ltd. if the company’s board does not come to the negotiating table regarding its unsolicited proposal.The statement came after Teck repeated its assertion that the Glencore’s offer is a “non-starter,” even after the Vancouver-based miner cancelled a key shareholder vote Wednesday on a plan to split its business that Glencore had opposed.Teck called off the vote when it became apparent it did not have the required two-thirds majority approval from shareholders for the proposal, which would have split the company into Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources. Instead, the company will pursue what is says will be “a simpler and more direct separation.”Teck’s board has rejected Glencore’s unsolicited takeover offer that would see shareholders receive a stake in a combined metals company as well as a choice of...

How will the Sudan crisis end? And what role will Canada play?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, it’s hard to overstate just how dire things are in Sudan’s capital right now, with violence on the streets and almost no access to food and water for millions. The only option left for many of those caught in the cross-fire, is to attempt to flee the country.Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani is an associate professor of Political Science and Islamic Studies and the chair of the African Studies program at McGill University. He joins us to break down the origins of the current conflict, and the efforts being undertaken to get Sudanese-Canadians, and other innocent civilians, to safety.“It really is important for Ottawa to understand the severity of this conflict as it threatens the entire region,” he said.So what is happening right now on the ground? What is Canada doing to get its citizens out? And how might this conflict end?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodc...

Family of Gary woman murdered in 2019 call for accused killer to be jailed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

CHICAGO — The family of a woman murdered in 2019 is calling on authorities in Indiana to put her accused killer back in jail.Draw Carter is accused of killing Jessica Flores back in 2019 and is scheduled to be in court Thursday. He was released early this year due to a law in Indiana that protects defendants while awaiting trial.The car Flores was last seen in was found burned in a Chicago Alley. Court documents obtained by the Tribune also found a large amount of blood in the back seat of the car. Police believe Flores was killed in Gary, Indiana. Police found Flores' remains in a Gary park in 2020. Chicago man charged after fatal shooting in Washington Heights last year Carter was in jail but was released in January due to the Indiana Criminal Rule 4 law that prevents people from staying in jail more than six months before they get a trial.Flores' family will be at the Lake County Superior Courthouse Thursday morning to ask a judge to put Carter back in jail until he stands trial.

Chicago man charged after fatal shooting on South Side last year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago man faces felony charges after a shooting that left a man dead in Washington Heights last year.Christopher Haynes, 34, of Chicago, faces first degree murder charges after a 38-year-old man was shot and killed on August 13, 2022. Rapper MoneySign Suede dies in California prison stabbing Haynes was arrested by police on Wednesday in the 3500 block of West Van Buren Street and was identified as the second offender who participated in the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old man who was driving om the 500 block of West 95th Street last year. Haynes was placed into custody and charged accordingly. There is no additional information at this time.

Thursday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s with increasing clouds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly sunny Thursday with increasing clouds and cooler conditions lakeside. Winds: S 5-10. High: 67/60. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly cloudy tonight. Winds: E 5-10. Low: 45.Friday Forecast: Mostly cloudy, 20% shower chance, cooler lakeside, NE 5-10 G15. High: 61/51.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

‘Red Table Talk’ canceled as Meta shuts down Facebook Watch originals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

(KTLA) – The Daytime Emmy award-winning series “Red Table Talk,” hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, has been canceled, according to Variety. Meta is shutting down its Facebook Watch original programs, and "Red Table Talk" was the last remaining show to be canceled.  Produced by Jada and Will Smith's production company, Westbrook Studios, "Red Table Talk" is a show that tackled current social and cultural issues from an intergenerational lens. News of the cancellation comes after the departure of Mina Lefevre, head of development and programming at Meta, amid layoffs that affected more than 20,000 of the company's employees. Coachella road rage caught on camera In 2020, Facebook began scaling back its original scripted programming after removing “Sorry For Your Loss” starring Elizabeth Olsen and “Limetown” starring Jessica Biel. The popular social platform then pivoted to more unscripted programming with recent...

Austinites voted for more affordable housing. Where did your money go?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

Investigative Summary: Over the past five years, voters have given the green the light to the City of Austin to use $600 million for affordable housing. The money you approved in 2018 is largely out the door, so what did the city do with it? And how will they use the money you voted for last year? KXAN investigates as experts say while that money will help, it is billions short of getting the city to its affordable housing goals. Watch Part 1 tonight on KXAN and Part 2 tomorrow AUSTIN (KXAN) — Neither Rebecca nor Edward Henderson II were thrilled to serve as "wingman" during their friends' first date, but as the matching last names indicate, the date quickly turned into a double. The rest was history. The Henderson girls inside their unit at the Lauren Creek Apartments. Their family is one that qualified for affordable housing at the Foundation Communities location on North Lamar (KXAN photo/Grace Reader) The pair now has three daughters, who love going to the park, w...

Will traditional barbecue go extinct because of 'woolly mammoth' meatballs?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:43 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The future of meat has arrived and it is coming from the distant past. This March, a meatball made from "woolly mammoth" meat was placed on display in the Netherlands. The meatball, created by Australian-based Vow Food, was created to start a conversation about the future of meat."We made the woolly mammoth meatball, not as a food, but really as a way to start a conversation," said CEO and Co-Founder of Vow Food, George Peppou.This "cultured" or lab-grown meat is part of a larger trend in the meat industry towards sustainable meat products that don't contribute to climate change. According to the United Nations, 14.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are created by livestock farming. "It's about reducing the growth of animal industries, as opposed to trying to displace everything that already exists," Peppou said. Mushroom invasion in Central Texas, ‘definitely not just a food fad’ "I think fixing the system that we have currently in place is probably a bet...