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Walters: High living costs solidify California’s two-tier economy

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

Why California is what it is – a state with an immense economy but equally immense socioeconomic divisions – is the topic of perpetual academic, media and political debates.There is one factor, both a cause and an effect, that cannot be debated: California is an enormously expensive place in which to live and work. And if anything, the relatively high inflation that has plagued the national economy in recent years has exacerbated the angst that Californians were already feeling as they struggled to make ends meet.Gov. Gavin Newsom’s crusade against gasoline refiners, accusing them of price-gouging, exploits that angst by virtue signaling to his constituents that he’s sympathetic to pain in their wallets. However, the state’s high fuel prices are just a tiny fragment of the state’s high cost of living and its corrosive effects.How high? Insure.com, a website that analyzes insurance costs, recently updated its comprehensive, state-by-state guide to living costs of all kinds, and revea...

Bed Bath & Beyond, once hot, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following years long effort to revive home goods retailer

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

UNION, N.J. (AP) — Bed Bath & Beyond, once hot, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following years long effort to revive home goods retailer.Source

Herbert wins Handa Championship in playoff

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

OMITAMA, Japan (AP) — Australian Lucas Herbert outlasted Aaron Cockerill to win the Handa Championship on the second extra hole Sunday for his third world tour title.The pair finished the final round tied on 15-under 265 after Herbert just missed a birdie putt from 20 feet on the 18th for a 67. Cockerill had a chance to take advantage but saw his second shot on the last find a bunker and was lucky to save his par and force the playoff after a closing-round 68.After both players made par at the first extra hole, Herbert did well to recover from a wayward tee shot on the second extra to secure his first win since the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open title in 2021.Scotland’s Calum Hill took sole third place with a 14-under 266 despite shooting a tidy 5-under 65 in the final round.___More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

German government, trade unions agree on wage deal for public workers

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

The German government, local authorities and trade unions reached a deal late Saturday on higher pay scales for the country’s 2.5 million public-sector workers, staving off the possibility of indefinite strikes. “We have accommodated the unions as far as we can responsibly do under difficult budgetary circumstances,” said Nancy Faeser, the country’s interior minister. Trade union Ver.di had called for significant raises as the country, like many others across the Continent, grapples with high inflation.Among other things, the deal entails tax-free one-time payments totalling €3,000 in several stages, with the first €1,240 to be handed out in June, followed by €220 each month from July to February 2024. In March 2024, monthly pay for all public workers will increase by €200, followed by a 5.5 percent salary increase, with a minimum increase of €340. The agreement runs for 24 months. The compromise is largely based on a proposal by arbitrators who were called i...

Russia running the UN Security Council is going about how you’d expect

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

The United Nations is accustomed to oddity, absurdity and a certain amount of hypocrisy. But the eye-rolling is hitting epic levels this month as Russia has taken over the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council and used it to defend its war on Ukraine.Already, the Kremlin has held sessions to cast its abductions of Ukrainian children as a protective measure and accuse Western countries of being irresponsible on arms control by sending weapons to Kyiv.Another shot looms Monday, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to chair a Security Council meeting on defending the principles of the U.N. Charter — a pact designed in part to prevent wars.“They’re trying to troll us,” an American official familiar with the U.S. operations at the United Nations said in describing the Russian tactics. “They’re picking topics where they know some of their most egregious actions in this war are centered, and they’re trying to flip the narrative on its head. We’re not going to...

Police investigating Hyde Park shooting that left victim in critical condition

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

Boston police are searching for a shooter after a person was critically wounded while sitting in a car in Hyde Park on Saturday night, officials said.Officers responding to a reported shooting on Dedham Street around 9:30 p.m. found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Boston police. They were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.Investigators could be see scouring a taped-off area for evidence.No additional information was immediately available.Anyone with information is urged to call Boston police. If you would prefer to share information anonymously you can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line AT 1-800 (494) -TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Researchers study the secret to a long life

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

The secret to a long life might be living in the cells of an exceptional group of people. That’s what researchers from Tufts and Boston University Medical Schools say after an extensive study of centenarians – or people who live to be 100 years old and beyond.“This is a rare population of individuals,” Dr. Tanya Karagiannis said.Karagiannis says her team’s work has shown that centenarians don’t just avoid disease as they age. “They have a greater exposure to infections and are able to maintain highly functional and robust immune responses,” Dr. Karagiannis said.The findings of the study support the team’s initial assumptions about centenarians and their immune cells, but their research hasn’t pinpointed why this is the case. “We don’t understand the reason behind this, but it supports the idea that centenarians have protective factors that help them recover from infections,” she said.Dr. Karagiannis says that this information could one day be crucia...

Drunk driver crashes into home while fleeing police in Townsend

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

A 46-year-old man fleeing the Townsend Police after a traffic stop then crashed into a home. No one in the home was injured, and the driver later found to be under the influence, according to police.Dennis Legere, of Mason, New Hampshire, allegedly refused to stop when a Townsend Police officer attempted to pull him over just before 5 a.m. on Saturday. Police observed the speeding near the Lunenburg town line, and the officer didn’t pursue Legere for safety reasons.“A short time later,” police said, the same Buick Encore had crashed into a home at 14 Elm Street. Legere was transported to the hospital and treated and released to police. He was arrested and charged with multiple counts, including unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and speeding. He was wanted by Leominster Police on unrelated charges. 

15 months into his ‘disciplined’ rebuild, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles faces a crucial task — making the most of the return for the No. 1 pick

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

Ryan Poles couldn’t escape his own image.In early March, the Chicago Bears general manager was at the NFL scouting combine with the No. 1 draft pick and the intention to trade that rare jewel for more assets.As everyone tried to figure out what Poles would do with the top pick, he was one of the most popular people in Indianapolis, a point driven home by the TV broadcasts playing in the team’s suite during combine workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium.“I felt like 10 times per workout my face was up on the screen,” Poles said. “It was like, ‘All right, we get the point. Everyone knows who I am now.’ ”Just 14 months into his new job, Poles was at the center of the football universe for a frenzied few weeks of speculation and negotiation. He did interviews with the NFL’s most prominent journalists in between fielding offers from GMs. He fought through sleepless nights and constant pacing in the final days of trade talks.Then on March 10, P...

Passenger warns of unwarranted high baggage fee collected through Air Canada booking

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:48:54 GMT

The cost of flying has gone up, but it hasn’t deterred some Canadians from taking a well-needed vacation. And while we might do our best to budget for the trip, an unforeseen expense can always be thrown your way. But what if you were made to pay more for something than the price you were initially quoted? A frustrating experience echoed by Siju Varghese after he was made to pay an unexpectedly high baggage fee when boarding the first leg of his return flight home to Canada.“Why am I being charged so much in baggage fees when the ticket says it was $75 dollars?” Varghese tells CityNews.In January, he and his travel partner boarded a flight in Edmonton. The itinerary, booked through Air Canada, included connecting flights through Toronto and Bogota, with a final destination in Quito, Ecuador.On his way there, his Aeroplan card covered the cost for both pieces of checked luggage. But on the return leg, when checking in for their first flight with Avianca Ecuador, an interline partner ...