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Teen pleads guilty in Iowa teacher’s beating death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of two Iowa teenagers charged in the beating death of an Iowa high school teacher has pleaded guilty to first-degree murderWillard Miller changed his plea to guilty Tuesday morning and admitted that he served as a lookout while Jeremy Goodale beat 66-year-old Nohema Graber, their Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School. Her body was found in a Fairfield park in November 2021.Prosecutors said the evidence shows that both Miller and Goodale struck Graber with a bat. Investigators have said the attack was possibly regarding a dispute over grades in Graber’s class.Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence between 30 years and life in prison with the possibility of parole as part of an agreement with Miller. Goodale is scheduled to appear in court later on Tuesday morning. He had previously agreed to testify against Miller at his trial, which was expected to begin later this week.The Associated Press

21 dead in Beijing hospital fire, dozens evacuated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Twenty-one people have died in a fire at a Beijing hospital that forced the evacuation of dozens of patients, Chinese state media reported. Staff removed 71 patients after the fire broke out Tuesday in the inpatient department of Beijing Changfeng Hospital, state media including CGTN reported.Videos of the fire circulating on social media show black smoke billowing from the building, with some people climbing out of the windows using what appears to be makeshift ropes made out of bedsheets. Others took refuge on air conditioning units outside the windows.State media said the fire has been extinguished and rescue work has been completed. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the reports said. The Associated Press

Sudanese rival forces said to agree to 24-hour cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary force that have been battling the past four days for control of the country agreed Tuesday to a 24-hour cease-fire, Arab media reports said.Still, hours before the cease-fire was reportedly set to begin, forces loyal to Sudan’s two top generals continued fighting each other in the streets of Khartoum, underscoring the fragility of efforts to bring even a pause in the intensifying violence that has threatened to spiral even further into chaos. Millions of Sudanese in the capital and in other cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as rival forces pounded residential areas with artillery and airstrikes and engaged in gunbattles outside. Residents have spoken of bodies of the dead left lying in the streets, unreachable because of clashes, pointing to a toll that is likely to be far higher than the more than 180 dead reported so far by the U.N. since fighting began Saturday. Over the past day...

Canada’s inflation rate falls to lowest level since August 2021, hits 4.3% in March

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s annual inflation rate fell to 4.3 per cent in March as higher mortgage interest costs were offset by lower energy prices.Statistics Canada reported Tuesday that inflation slowed from 5.2 per cent in February, continuing along a downward trajectory that’s expected to bring it down to three per cent by mid-year.The continued slowdown in inflation since last summer has now brought the annual rate down to the lowest it’s been since August 2021.“Today’s report shows that all roads do indeed point to three per cent inflation in the months ahead,” said BMO chief economist Douglas Porter in a client note.The slowdown comes as global prices pressures ease and high interest rates weigh on the economy.The headline rate is expected to continue to fall rapidly this year, in part due to base-year effects. A base-year effect refers to the impact of price movements from a year ago on the calculation of the year-over-year inflation rate.Porter said base-year effec...

Why some young Canadians are choosing the DINK lifestyle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

Sovereign Norris and her partner don’t want to have kids. “Economy wise, nature wise, with everything going on such as pandemics and world issues, I decided that I didn’t want to bring a child into this world,” said Norris. “I have kind of always known that I wanted to (be childfree) … When I met my partner, he felt the same way.” Instead, the Vancouver-based couple adopted a guinea pig and are saving up for a dog. The two are choosing to spend their money on basic expenses and things like travel and dining out, while putting the rest of it aside for investments and savings. The Generation Z couple is among many Canadians embracing the dual income, no kids (DINK) lifestyle, a term that was coined in the 1980s and is making a resurgence as a result of economic and societal conditions.DINKs have more disposable income compared with couples who live together and spend their money on raising children. In Canada, most estimates peg the average cost of raising a ch...

Extra spring COVID booster cleared for certain Americans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Tuesday cleared another COVID-19 booster dose for older adults and people with weak immune systems so they can shore up protection this spring — while taking steps to make coronavirus vaccinations simpler for everyone else.The Food and Drug Administration said anyone 65 or older can opt to roll up their sleeves again as long as it’s been at least four months since their first dose of the so-called bivalent vaccine that targets omicron strains.And most people who are immune-compromised can choose another bivalent booster shot at least two months later, with additional doses in the future at the discretion of their physician.For everyone else, regardless of whether it’s a first shot or a booster, the FDA also said the original versions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are outdated and will no longer be used. Instead, anyone getting a Pfizer or Moderna shot will receive the newer omicron-targeted version. For most people, if it’s their first...

Liz Cheney memoir ‘Oath and Honor’ coming in November

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Rep. Liz Cheney has a memoir and a “warning” coming out this fall. In “Oath and Honor,” she will write about her estrangement from former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.“The last two years have shown us once again that our constitutional republic is not self-sustaining,” Cheney said in a statement released Tuesday by Little, Brown and Company, which will publish her book November 14. “It survives only because of the courage and honor of individual Americans. When history looks back on this time, each elected official will have to answer the questions: Did we do our duty? Were we faithful to our oath of office?” Cheney said.Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, had been a leading Republican voice for years. But she parted with many of her colleagues over Trump’s false claims of voting fraud and her position as vice chair of the Congressional committee that loo...

White Sox will have two postgame concerts in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

CHICAGO — While fans are really hoping that their team puts on a show this summer to return to the top of the American League Central, at least they'll know they'll get a little entertainment after a pair of games.The artist for one of the shows is already known, while the second is still to be determined. In April, the club announced that country artist Jake Owen will play at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday, July 28 after the White Sox game against the Cleveland Guardians. That contest is scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m. with the concert following shortly after the game. At the same time, the team announced that another concert will be held on Friday, August 25 after a 6:10 p.m. game against the Oakland Athletics. The artist for that concert, however, has yet to be announced.This is the second-straight season that the White Sox have held a postgame concert, with last year featuring seven-time Grammy-winning EDM singer, songwriter, and producer Kaskade. The Northbrook native performe...

FDA: Single dose of bivalent COVID vaccine enough for most people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

(The Hill) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced it was simplifying its recommended COVID-19 vaccine schedule, stating a single dose of the bivalent vaccine specific to the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant is enough for most individuals.Going forward, the FDA announced all coronavirus vaccines administered to those six months and older would be the bivalent doses. The original forms of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are no longer authorized for use in the U.S., the agency said.The announcement on Tuesday indicated a shift away from the two-dose vaccine schedule that has become the standard throughout the U.S. when it comes to mRNA vaccination. Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine was originally the only authorized shot in the U.S. that was administered in a single dose.According to the FDA, individuals who haven't gotten a bivalent shot yet or haven't gotten vaccinated at all are still eligible for a dose, but those who have...

New Orleans pizzeria offering free pizza for a year in exchange for Taylor Swift tour tickets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:27 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A pizza spot in New Orleans has a clever idea to try and get tickets for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. Zander White, the owner of Zee's Pizzeria on Baronne Street, is offering free pizza for a year in exchange for the highly coveted concert tickets."We'd scream if we could go," White told WGNO. "Me and my wife are big fans, and we'd love to go. I don't see a way to get tickets because they are way too expensive and too hard to get." Like thousands of others, White has had a tough time trying to get tickets — especially after last fall's Ticketmaster fiasco that led to a major system meltdown due to record-high demand. Taylor Swift responds to Eras Tour ticketing mess: ‘It really pisses me off’ So, White thought, why not put up a sign at his pizzeria that says, "Free Pizza For Swift Tix?" "We'd do at least a year of free pizza for two Swift tickets," White said. "I thought it would be funny, hoping Taylor would find out. Taylor just owns it really good," Whi...