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Stock market today: Asian markets decline ahead of what traders hope will be final Fed rate hike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets retreated Wednesday after Wall Street hit a 15-month high ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting that traders hope will end with the final increase in this interest rate cycle.Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul declined. Oil prices retreated.Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.3% on Tuesday after companies reported bigger profits than expected.Investors expect the Fed to raise its key lending rate on Wednesday by 0.25 percentage points to a 22-year high. They hope the U.S. central bank can manage a “soft landing,” extinguishing inflation while avoiding a recession.“This could be the last rate hike for the Fed” as inflation pressures ease, said Brad Bernstein of UBS Wealth Management in a report. Bernstein said central banks in Europe and Japan also are “near their pivot points” on their own rate hike cycles.Meanwhile, traders waited to see how China’s ruling Communist Party will carry out its promise to shore up sluggish econ...

Alaska board to weigh barring transgender girls from girls’ high school sports teams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Transgender girls would be barred from participating on high school girls’ athletic teams in Alaska under a proposal being considered Wednesday by the state board of education.Opponents of the proposal call it discriminatory and unconstitutional and say it likely will lead to litigation. Supporters, including Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, say it is needed to ensure fairness in girls’ sports. The board could adopt or make changes to the proposed rule, postpone action or decide not to move forward with it, acting state education commissioner Heidi Teshner said. At least 22 states have laws that prevent transgender girls from playing on girls’ teams in K-12 schools, and North Carolina’s Republican-controlled Legislature is preparing to try to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of such a measure there. Some of the laws also keep transgender boys off of boys’ teams, and some apply the ban to college athletics.Alaska’s proposal ...

Hit & Humid Air On The Way; Slight Risk Of Severe Weather Wednesday. Seasonal "Normal" Temps reached their peak Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

We'll begin to see a slow decline in Chicago's normal temps. NOT TO WORRY, warm-weather enthusiasts! It's a VERY SLOW process. Normal temps will drop only 4-degrees to 80/63 over the coming 36 days by the end of August, 2023 (which begins a week from today).The daily period of daylight has been in GRADUAL DECLINE since Chicago (and the northern hemisphere's) LONGEST DAY--also the day of the "summer solstice", which marks the beginning of the astronomical summer season.There's Plenty of Warm—Even Hot—weather in the PipelineThis is a fact Chicago weather history has made quite clear over the years. But the gradual loss of daylight and the sun's slow shift to a more southerly trek across the sky each day gradually impacts temps by altering the amount of energy the sun delivers to us each day.INTERESTINGLY, Alaska-based National Weather Service climatologist Dr. Brian Brettschneider (https://twitter.com/Climatologist49) makes note of the change which begins today in a blog post in which...

FCSO: Arrest made after church vandalized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for July 25, 2023FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas — On Tuesday, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office arrested three people in connection with multiple crimes, including vandalism of a church in Fayette County, according to a FCSO news release.In the news release, FCSO Sheriff Keith Korenek said on July 18, deputies received reports of a burglary at the Mullins Prairie Store and vandalism that occurred at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.As investigators began working each case, they received information identifying one of the suspects in the Mullins Prairie Store burglary, FCSO said. Investigators located and interviewed the suspect, who admitted to taking part in both the burglary and vandalism of the church.During the course of the investigation, investigators were able to identify two more suspects and determined both suspects took part in two more crimes that occurred in the Mullins Prairie area a few weeks prior, the releas...

Brief power outage at Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

CREVE COEUR, Mo. - A brief power outage occurred at Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur on Tuesday night. Power crews were seen along Ballas Road, just east of the hospital. The outage occurred at 9:23 p.m., and police and EMS were notified.A spokesperson for Mercy released the following statement:"During maintenance by Ameren to a power line supplying Mercy Hospital St. Louis, there was an unexpected loss of power impacting both our main power supply and the backup supply. During this brief 5-10 minute loss of power, our co-workers activated the emergency plan to continue providing care to our patients. Power has been restored, and we’re working to verify all systems are online, so we can quickly resume normal operations."

Rockies lose 6-5 to Nationals, waste Austin Gomber’s strong start

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

The Rockies had everything working for them on a rainy Tuesday night in the nation’s capital.Lefty Austin Gomber made his fifth consecutive strong start, rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar hit his 10th homer and played sparkling defense, and the Rockies pounded out 14 hits.But all of that good stuff was washed away when the Nationals rallied for a 6-5 victory against Colorado’s usually dependable bullpen. Joey Meneses mashed a three-run homer off right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence in a four-run eighth for the game-winner.The start of the game was delayed by 90 minutes and the rain returned in the seventh, halting play for another 51 minutes.Gomber, mixing a lively fastball, big curve and effective changeup, surrendered one unearned run over six innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.How good has Gomber been? He’s walked three batters over his last eight starts. Over his last five starts — all victories — the lefty has a 2.90 ERA with 19 st...

Dashcam captures moment of possible pursuit crash in L.A. County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

Footage from a Tesla's dashcam obtained by KTLA shows the moment the driver of an SUV, who may have been involved in a stolen vehicle police pursuit, caused a multi-car crash Monday in Valley Glen, injuring six people, including a child.  Video of the violent collision, which occurred at the intersection of West Vanowen Street and Bellaire Avenue, shows the dark-colored SUV careening into the intersection on what appears to be a disabled passenger-side front wheel and crashing nearly head-on into a four-door sedan waiting to make a left turn. As the force of the impact pushes the sedan backward, the SUV spins and sideswipes another vehicle traveling on Vanowen.  Moments after the crash, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen driving through the intersection in the same direction as the SUV.  While police have not confirmed that the chase led to the crash, LAPD did say officers were in pursuit of a suspect in a stolen vehicle described as a 2022 metallic gray ...

'Weird Al' Yankovic's wife, Suzanne, spots potential safety hazard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

Santa Monica officials are preparing to have a crumbling portion of the bluffs above Pacific Coast Highway removed.The crack in the cliff was noticed by passersby, including Suzanne Yankovic, wife of musician "Weird Al" Yankovic.Yankovic posted a video of the bluff, which was then seen by Los Angeles County supervisors who decided to alert the City of Santa Monica. A portion of the Santa Monica bluffs that appears to be in danger of collapsing is seen on July 25, 2023. (KTLA)If the cliffside were to collapse, it would be catastrophic to those driving on the freeway below. It is unclear whether a collapse could occur within days or years, so officials have decided to take action right away. A crane will be brought in to break apart the top portion of the unstable bluff with debris being hauled away in dump trucks. That will require the closure of PCH and a portion of the 10 Freeway approaching the coast. The road closures are expected to begin around 11:30 p.m. and continue until abo...

West Nile-positive mosquitoes found in Palo Alto, Stanford

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

PALO ALTO – The Santa Clara County Vector Control District is set to spray parts of Palo Alto and Stanford after mosquitoes there tested positive for West Nile Virus.The infected insects were collected in the 94301, 94304, 94305 and 94306 ZIP codes, the district said in a news release.The area to be treated is centered at Page Mill Road and Hanover Street, and is bounded by Alma Street, Emerson Street, Ramona Street, South Ramona Street and Bryant Street to the north; Wilton Avenue, Military Way, La Para Way, Ilima Way and Matadero Creek to the east; Foothill Expressway and Junipero Serra Boulevard to the south; and Santa Maria Avenue, Dolores Street, Santa Ynez Street, Campus Drive, Arguello Way, Bonair Siding Road and Churchill Avenue to the west.An operation to eradicate West Nile-positive mosquitoes is scheduled to take place in parts of Palo Alto and Stanford on Thursday, July 27, 2023, according to the Santa Clara County Vector Control District. (Santa Clara County Vector Cont...

Despite another dud, SF Giants squeak by MLB-worst A’s to snap losing streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — All it took, apparently, to snap the Giants’ season-long losing streak was to keep going down the list of MLB’s biggest losers.They lost two of three to the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates. Swept by the woeful Washington Nationals. Couldn’t beat the dreadful Detroit Tigers.The Giants must have been thrilled to return home to meet the one roster constructed to drive fans away, not win ballgames. Still, it took a heroic effort from Alex Cobb and, at long last, a piece of timely hitting from Mike Yastrzemski to snap their six-game losing streak, squeaking by the MLB-worst A’s, 2-1, on Tuesday in the first game of the Bay Bridge series.And those Oakland diehards? Not dead yet. Many of the 40,014 fans in attendance broke out in “Sell-the-team!” chants throughout the fifth inning.But rejoice, for the Giants’ losing streak is.With two outs in the eighth inning, Yastrzemski did something no Giants hitter had done in nearly week: He delive...