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Israeli Cabinet to consider possible deal for release of some hostages held by Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet was to convene Tuesday to consider a possible deal for the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas, as troops battled Palestinian militants in an urban refugee camp in northern Gaza and around hospitals overcrowded with patients and sheltering families.Details of any deal, worked out through international mediators, were not immediately known. Talks over the past weeks have centered on a swap of some of the estimated 240 people taken hostage by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack into Israel for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, accompanied by a temporary cease-fire in Gaza.Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.Senior Hamas officials said an agreement was near. But talks have repeatedly stalled and past predictions of a breakthrough proved premature. Israel announced that its War Cabinet, and then the full Cabinet – whose approval is needed on any deal – would convene Tuesday eveni...

Mass. business leaders want Beacon Hill lawmakers to ‘exercise control’ with spending

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

Business leaders from across Massachusetts warned Tuesday that state spending far outpaced inflation over the past five fiscal years, and cautioned lawmakers to “exercise control” as the fiscal 2025 budget process kicks off next month.Red flags from chamber of commerce leaders up and down the coast and out west come after top lawmakers painted a grim fiscal picture last week for Massachusetts, airing concerns that four consecutive months of below benchmark revenue collections this fiscal year could bode poorly for the state.State spending between fiscal year 2018 and 2022 grew by nearly 27% even as inflation in the Boston area only increased by about 15%, the chamber leaders said in a statement. Even when accounting for the “rapid pace” of increases in health care spending, spending “still substantially outpaced inflation,” they said.“This approach is not sustainable and not responsible,” leaders from Greater Boston, Worcester, Western Massachusetts, the North and South Shores, Cape...

Giving thanks isn’t just a holiday tradition. It’s part of how humans evolved

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

By MADDIE BURAKOFF (AP Science Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — It’s the season of giving thanks — and it turns out humans have been doing it for a long, long time.As more researchers dig into the science of gratitude, they’ve found the feeling likely played a key role in helping our ancestors band together and survive. That legacy continues today, as being in the mood for gratitude shapes who we are as a species and how we connect with the people around us.“This is something that is part of our human DNA,” said Sarah Schnitker, a psychologist at Baylor University. “It is a glue, in a sense, that holds us together.”Humans are social animals. That’s how we’ve lasted so long; not by being the biggest or the strongest, but by figuring out how to work together.A key part of building relationships is the idea of reciprocity: “If you like me and do nice things for me, then I like you and do nice things for you,” said Michael To...

True or false: Coaching played a role in the Chicago Bears’ collapse against the Detroit Lions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

Another week, another review of what might have been if the Chicago Bears could just finish games.The latest failure came when the Detroit Lions scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter Sunday at Ford Field to pull off a 31-26 victory. It was the Bears’ eighth loss in 11 games this season and their ninth NFC North loss in as many games in coach Matt Eberflus’ two seasons.As the Bears look for answers with two more divisional matchups coming up, Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane sort through it all in a spirited “true or false” conversation.True or false? The Bears’ 31-26 loss to the Lions was about as bad a defeat as a team could suffer.Wiederer: False. The “Brutal Losses” file at Halas Hall is not only packed, it doesn’t ever gather much dust. So the research isn’t difficult. Sunday’s late collapse was painful and dispiriting for certain, but this team has had significantly worse displays to lament.Wha...

Mississauga man dead, others injured in rollover crash on Hwy. 407 in Vaughan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating after a man died and others were injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 407 in Vaughan over the weekend.The OPP was dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Hwy. 407 westbound, east of Hwy. 27, at around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the car veered onto the right shoulder, struck a steel guide rail, and rolled over.A 65-year-old male passenger from Mississauga was pronounced dead at the scene. The 34-year-old driver was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, while a 32-year-old passenger suffered minor injuries in the crash.Sgt. Schmidt said no charges have been laid as of yet.Fatal Collision – #Hwy407 near #Hwy27. Single Vehicle rollover. One person pronounced deceased. Two other occupants with significant injuries. #407OPP Investigating. ^yb pic.twitter.com/Sx8SXjZT2i— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) November 20, 2023

Blue Jays offer inside look at demolition, excavation of Rogers Centre during ongoing renovations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays have offered an inside look at the construction process during the ongoing second phase of renovations at the Rogers Centre.The team posted a video to social media and released images revealing the offseason overhaul of the stadium, which includes the demolition of the lower bowl and the excavation of the field level.From a stadium to a ballpark Second phase of Rogers Centre renovations are underway! pic.twitter.com/1fzguh2JXU— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) November 21, 2023According to the club, the lower bowl was demolished over 13 days from Oct. 13 to 26, where 29.5 million pounds of materials were removed from the stadium and recycled.The field level excavation took place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, where 780 truckloads of materials were removed and 530 loads were brought in. “To facilitate excavation, a temporary bridge was installed over the site of the former seating bowl,” the teams said in a release. “At the peak of demolition and ...

Jeff Bezos’s fund has now given almost $640 million to help homeless families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ fund to support homeless families announced $117 million in new grants on Tuesday to organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which is a part of a $2 billion commitment Bezos made in 2018 to support homeless families and to run free preschools. That brings the amount granted by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to benefit homeless families to almost $640 million. Bezos’ partner, former news anchor Lauren Sánchez, who is also the vice president of the Bezos Earth Fund, thanked the grantee organizations in a video posted to both her and Bezos’ social media accounts. The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte received a second grant this year after first being awarded $5 million by the fund in 2018. Deronda Metz, director of social services, said they can use the funding in more flexible ways than the government grants they receive, including to renovate a 100 room hotel, hire additional staff and expand the facility for an on-campus Boys &am...

Authorities responding to landslide along Alaska highway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

WRANGELL, Alaska (AP) — Authorities in southeast Alaska were responding Tuesday to a landslide that scattered debris along a highway.In a notice posted on social media, the City and Borough of Wrangell said local search and rescue efforts were ongoing to sift through the debris near the community of about 2,000 people, located about 155 miles (249 kilometers) south of Juneau. Local crews were working with authorities that included the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska State Police and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The posting didn’t indicate whether anyone was missing or trapped. The posting said a large-scale search and rescue mission wasn’t feasible due to the site being unstable and hazardous. A state geologist would first have to assess the site to ensure conditions were safe before proceeding, it said. The Associated Press

S&P/TSX composite down nearly 100 points, U.S. stock markets also lower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down nearly 100 points in late-morning trading as losses in the industrial, utility and technology stocks helped lead the way lower.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 93.07 points at 20,153.40.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 82.28 points at 35,068.76. The S&P 500 index was down 17.33 points at 4,530.05, while the Nasdaq composite was down 122.12 points at 14,162.41.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.08 cents US compared with 72.85 cents US on Monday.The January crude contract was down 23 cents at US$77.60 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was unchanged at US$3.05 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up US$26.70 at US$2,007.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down a penny at 3.81 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Canadian Press

Champagne expects NextStar to bring in “very few” foreign workers to help build plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:37 GMT

OTTAWA — Federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says he expects NextStar Energy Inc. to bring in “very few” foreign workers to help transfer battery manufacturing technology as Canada establishes a new industry.  Speaking in Ottawa, Champagne says the transfer of technology and knowledge will help set up the electric vehicle battery industry for decades of success.He says he spoke with the CEO of NextStar on Monday, along with the head of Stellantis that co-owns NextStar with LG Corp., and was reassured by their commitments to hire Canadians.Labour groups and politicians raised concerns in recent days after a report from Windsor police that they were helping prepare for a potential 1,600 workers from South Korea to come and help build the plant.NextStar chief executive Danies Lee confirmed Monday that the company still plans to hire about 2,500 Canadians to run the plant, and is also “engaging” up to 2,300 local and regional tradespeople to hel...