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Stock market today: Wall Street’s winning week stays perfect as inflation eases further

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s winning streak barreled into a fourth day Thursday following the latest signal that inflation is easing its chokehold on the economy.The S&P 500 rose 37.88, or 0.8%, to 4,510.04 and its highest close since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 47.71, or 0.1%, to 34,395.14, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 219.61, or 1.6%, to 14,138.57 as Big Tech stocks led the way.The S&P 500 is on track for its seventh winning week in the last nine after more data raised hopes that inflation is cooling enough to get the Federal Reserve to soon end its blistering run of hikes to interest rates. Inflation at the wholesale level slowed more than expected in June, and prices paid by producers were just 0.1% higher during the month than a year earlier. That’s down from 11.2% inflation last summer.High inflation has been the main reason investors have been fearing a possible recession, because of how high the Federal Reserve has cranked interest ra...

Aspartame now listed as possible cancer cause. But it’s still considered safe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has deemed the sweetener aspartame — found in diet soda and countless other foods — as a “possible” cause of cancer, while a separate expert group looking at the same evidence said it still considers the sugar substitute safe in limited quantities.The differing results of the coordinated reviews were released early Friday. One came from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a special branch of the WHO. The other report was from an expert panel selected by WHO and another U.N. group, the Food and Agriculture Organization.The Lyon, France-based cancer agency periodically reviews potential cancer hazards but doesn’t determine how likely they are to cause cancer in their evaluations which range from “possibly” carcinogenic to “probably” to cancer-causing.Aspartame joins a category with more than 300 other possible cancer-causing agents, including things like aloe vera ext...

Tornado Warning issued for McHenry County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Tornado Warning for McHenry County until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.CHICAGO — Thursday will be fairly quiet with some patchy fog to start the day and a mix of sun and clouds throughout the day. Highs will reach the mid to upper 70s this afternoon with light northwesterly winds. 4 confirmed tornadoes after Wednesday night’s storms: National Weather Service Our next chance of showers and storms moves in overnight will just a small chance of non-severe storms likely after midnight. Thursday night:  Isolated t-storms exit the area. Becoming mainly clear, seasonably mild. Low: 67.Friday:  Sun through building summertime cumulus clouds. Quite warm, and humid. Scattered thunderstorms develop over at least half the metro area before the day is over. High: 86/locally near 90 in some of the typically warmer locations. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm h...

Northwestern fires head baseball coach Jim Foster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — For the second time in a week, a head coach in a Northwestern athletic program has been relieved of his duties amidst controversyNorthwestern University has confirmed that head baseball coach Jim Foster has been fired on Thursday night, with the players being informed of the decision by Northwestern president Michael Schill and athletic director Dr. Derrick Gragg.Former White Sox outfielder and current Northwestern assistant coach Brian Anderson with taking leadership of the program during the transition.“Nothing will ever be more important to Northwestern than providing its students a place that allows them to develop in the classroom, in the community, and in competition at the absolute highest level, and building a culture which allows our staff to thrive,” said Gragg in a statement released by the university. “This has been an ongoing situation and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution. As the Director of Athletics, I take ownership of our...

Vice President Kamala Harris visiting Chicago 3 times over next few weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Chicago in the coming days and weeks. Harris will be a special guest speaker on Sunday at The Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Annual Convention. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition was formed by Rev. Jesse Jackson and advocates for peace and justice worldwide while fighting for social change.MORE POLITICAL NEWS | Your Local Election HQA week later, on July 24, Harris will deliver remarks on the final day of UnidosUS’ 2023 Annual Conference at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. UnidosUS is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organizationHarris will then return to Chicago on Aug. 11 for a meeting on gun safety. Harris will speak at the Everytown for Gun Safety’s Gun Sense University 2023. The group, America's largest gun violence prevention organization, advocates for "evidence-based solutions" to end gun violence nationwide. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe White House said the visits are opportuniti...

New Sea Lion Encounter allows visitors to get close at Shedd Aquarium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

CHICAGO — A new experience program at the Shedd Aquarium will let visitors get close to California Sea Lions.The John G. Shedd Aquarium is unquestionably one of Chicago's crowning achievements where various forms of sea aquatic life provide visitors with a good time. Shedd Aquarium brings back Stingray Touch Exhibit for the summer One of those animals is Laguna, a 13-year-old California Sea Lion the aquarium recused in 2013.Laguna is part of a new extraordinary experience, Sea Lion Encounter."These dynamic animals are wonderful ambassadors for their counterparts in the wild," Cole Sellers, the aquarium's director of ancillary operations, said. Shedd welcomes first rockhopper penguin chick in 8 years The encounter, which was just unveiled, allows up to four guests a behind-the-scenes opportunity to get up and close and personal with some of the Shedd's sea lions.In each 45-minute encounter, visitors can meet one of the three sea lions and get a glimpse into their natural behavior...

FBI Director testifies nearly 6 hours in front of House

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — FBI Director Christopher Wray spent hours on Wednesday testifying in front of the House Judiciary Committee.This was the first time that the director of the FBI testified before the Republican-controlled House.Republicans didn’t hold back Wednesday, accusing the FBI of pursuing a political agenda, and even threatened to defund some of the agency’s operations.“The FBI is tanking, and it's under your watch, sir,” Alabama Republican Barry Moore said.Republicans on the house judiciary committee accused Wray of using the FBI as a political weapon.“I think we should be holding funding and check to cause the FBI to do its damn job,” Texas Republican Chip Roy said.Florida Republican Matt Gaetz questioned Wray about whether the bureau is running interference for the first family.“Are you protecting the Bidens?” Gaetz asked.“Absolutely not. The FBI has no interest in protecting anyone politically,” Wray responded.But Wray, a registered Republican who was nominated to th...

Missouri extending healthcare coverage for new moms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Under a new state law, new moms in Missouri will have their Medicaid coverage extended from 60 days to one year after giving birth. In January during his annual State of the State address, Gov. Mike Parson said Missouri ranks 44th in the nation for its abnormally high maternal mortality rate. He went on to say this is "embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable."More than half of the country has already extended Medicaid coverage for new moms and the bipartisan legislation approved by the General Assembly this year is not only expected to save lives but cover thousands of women who would otherwise go uninsured two months after giving birth. "This will help women be able to get the care that they need, to be a healthy mom and to have healthy babies," Director of the Family Support Division at the Department of Social Services Kim Evans said. "A lot of times, moms may develop postpartum depression or may have some complications develop after the 60 days from ...

Residents continue to deal with damage, and no power from overnight storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

AFFTON, Mo. - Strong storms ripped through the area overnight from St. Louis to Jefferson County, leaving thousands in the dark.Currently, thousands of homeowners are dealing with the clean-up. Several homes in the Affton area were damaged as those powerful storms hit the area.Ameren said more than 800 people were working to restore power Thursday. The storm left behind uprooted trees, damaged homes, and power outages. FOX 2 meteorologists said it appears to be microburst wind damage with winds up to 60 mph. Lawmaker to review law ‘in-depth’ after cars with expired tags towed from driveways Several Affton residents, including 95-year-old Gene Bogucki Sr., were without power."It went off at about 8 p.m. I did not know what happened. After that, I looked out here, I got a mess, big limbs down," Bogucki said.His son helped clean up the down tree limbs left in his yard.Ameren crews have been working around the clock to restore power to as many customers as possible in St. Louis City, ...

Rockies scrambling to find arms for injury-riddled rotation with 6.47 ERA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:14 GMT

Decimated by injuries and wrecked by poor performance, the Rockies’ starting rotation needs to be rescued.But as the second half of the season opens Friday night vs. the Yankees at Coors Field, the cavalry is not rushing in. There is no knight in shining armor riding in on his white steed from the minor leagues.The Rockies did make a roster addition Thursday, signing free-agent right-hander Chris Flexen to a minor-league deal. The plan is for Flexen, 29, to initially pitch for Triple-A Albuquerque and then likely join the Rockies’ rotation. But Flexen, who was designated for assignment by Seattle earlier this month, would be an emergency, stop-gap starter.With four of its five starters out with injuries, the rotation’s ERA stands at 6.47, the worst in the majors and on pace to be the worst in franchise history. The latest casualty is veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, who dislocated his right shoulder while diving for a ball in Sunday’s game at San Francisco....