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‘I can taste the air’: Canadian wildfire smoke spreads hazardous haze at home and in the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

By JENNIFER PELTZ and ROB GILLIES (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday, covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze, holding up flights at major airports and prompting people to fish out pandemic-era face masks.While Canadian officials asked other countries for help fighting more than 400 blazes nationwide that already have displaced 20,000 people, air quality with what the U.S. rates as hazardous levels of pollution extended into central New York. Massive tongues of unhealthy air extended as far as Virginia and Indiana, affecting millions of people.“I can taste the air,” Dr. Ken Strumpf said in a Facebook post from Syracuse, New York, which was enveloped in an amber pall. The smoke, he later said by phone, even made him a bit dizzy. In Baltimore, where officials warned residents to stay indoors when possible, Debbie Funk sported a blue surgical mask as she and husban...

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wants to keep the Bears ‘shuffling’ in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wants to keep the Bears in Chicago as the NFL franchise floats interest in potentially moving to a suburb other than Arlington Heights.Johnson made the comments at an unrelated news conference when asked about the Bears flirting with a move to Naperville as the franchise’s push for state financial support and property tax breaks has stalled.The mayor did not offer specifics about how he can convince the team to remain in Chicago, but said it’s important to “have conversations.”“I grew up with the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle.’ As I would say, as older people would say to young people when I was young, ’85 Bears, Super Bowl shuffle, y’all don’t know nothing about that,” said Johnson, who was raised in suburban Elgin. “We want to make sure we can keep shuffling here in the city of Chicago with the Bears.”The mayor did not offer specifics about how he can convince the team to remain in Ch...

Healey says no indication Baker administration broke the law after mistaken use of $2.5B

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

There is no indication the Baker administration broke the law when $2.5 billion in federal money was erroneously used to pay off pandemic-era unemployment benefits, which should have been funded through state coffers, Gov. Maura Healey said outside the State House on Wednesday.Questions have swirled over the past week in the Beacon Hill orbit after the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development confirmed the withdrawal of $2.5 billion in federal relief funds for unemployment claims that should have been covered by the state.“No one broke any laws,” Healey told reporters. “It’s just to a matter of whether this was done the way it was supposed to be done, or whether there were other ways that this could have been done. Again, it’s more about just getting a handle on it right now. And the most important thing is we’re in discussions with the U.S. Department of Labor. And other states are working through similar issues.”It is still unclear whether Mass...

How to set and vet money goals midyear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

If you set money goals for 2023 back in January, now can be a smart time to check in on your progress. And if you didn’t, it’s not too late to create goals for the next six months and beyond.“If you don’t have your goals, everyone is so busy with life that a year will whiz by and you’ll have forgotten to start,” says Dan Casey, owner of Bridgeriver Advisors, a financial firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.With many people’s money goals hampered by the dual headwinds of inflation and economic uncertainty, it’s easy to get discouraged if you haven’t made as much progress as you’d hoped. Financial experts offer these five strategies for using the midyear point as a way to get back on track, or to embrace a slightly altered course.Define and refine what you wantRebecca Eve Selkowe, New York City-based accredited financial counselor and owner of the financial counseling firm RebeccaEve.com, urges people to first define what they want their money to accomplish, noting that those goals can ...

San Diego County Fair kicks off: What you need to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Fair officially kicks off Wednesday, bringing crazy food options, jaw-dropping rides, star-studded performances and more.Here is what you need to know if you are headed to the Del Mar Fairgrounds to join in on the fun. ScheduleThe San Diego County Fair runs from June 7 through July 4. The fair opens daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays and Sundays. On Friday and Saturday, the fair will stay open until 11 p.m.During the month of June, the fair will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.An opening ceremony will be held Wednesday, June 7 at 10:45 a.m. ahead of the fair's opening with Hilltop High School's Emerald Effect Band & Color Guard Performing the National Anthem and several local Girl Scout and Daisy Troop groups leading the Pledge of Allegiance for fairgoers in attendance. How to get discounted San Diego County Fair tickets, parking and other deals TicketsTickets are on sale now and can be purchased ahead of time online or at the...

Dollarama profits skyrocket as consumers visit more often — for bigger purchases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

MONTREAL — Dollarama Inc. enjoyed a 21 per cent year-over-year jump in sales in its latest quarter as the discount retailer scooped up consumers seeking cheaper products amid high inflation.In the quarter ended April 30, the company said strong demand held up across the board, from consumables to seasonal items and general merchandise, resulting in a profit boost of 23 per cent from a year earlier.For same-store sales, the number of transactions grew nearly 16 per cent while purchase sizes also nudged up.“We had a good Easter,” said chief executive Neil Rossy. “But there’s a slight move away from the consumables, in fact, a little bit towards the traditional mix.”Consumables, which saw a spike in recent quarters, is a category that includes food as well as items ranging from batteries to laundry detergent.Summer sales are looking bright despite some hurdles, Rossy said Wednesday.“It’s unseasonably chilly still in many parts of the country al...

Oklahoma panel denies clemency for man convicted of woman’s 1995 stabbing death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A state board in Oklahoma voted Wednesday to deny recommending clemency for a man convicted of stabbing a Tulsa woman to death with a butcher knife in 1995, clearing the way for his planned execution next month.In a 3-2 vote, the Pardon and Parole Board voted against clemency for Jemaine Cannon, 51, who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on July 20. Cannon was convicted of killing 20-year-old Sharonda Clark, with whom he had been living after he had escaped from a prison work center in southwest Oklahoma. At the time, Cannon had been serving a 15-year-sentence in connection with a violent assault of another woman.Cannon and his attorney, Mark Henrickson, claimed that Cannon killed Clark in self-defense after she attacked him to keep him from leaving the Tulsa apartment they shared. “I am deeply disheartened that the act of defending my life and the acts that she initiated against me ever happened,” Cannon told the board via a video feed from the Oklahoma...

What to know about the latest interest rate increase from the Bank of Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate target by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.75 per cent on Wednesday, the first raise since it announced a pause in January. Here’s what you need to know:Why did the bank raise rates?The Bank of Canada said it decided to raise rates again because inflation risks getting stuck above its two per cent target. Inflation unexpectedly rose in April for the first time since last summer as strong economic growth, a tight labour market and surprisingly strong consumer spending keep pressure on prices.  The economy grew by 3.1 per cent in the first quarter, while inflation in April went up to 4.4 per cent. Three-month measures of core inflation, which strip out some of the most volatile categories like fuel, and which the bank focuses on, have also hovered near four per cent for several months.How unexpected is the decision?Governor Tiff Macklem said in May he was in no rush to raise rates, and most economists expected the Bank...

Blue Jays closing Rogers Centre roof on Wednesday due to poor air quality

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays said the Rogers Centre dome will be closed for their home game on Wednesday due to the worsening air quality caused by Canadian wildfires.Environment Canada shows a moderate, high or very high air quality risk across most of the province, with values exceptionally high in eastern Ontario. Officials have said that a lot of the smoke seen in Ontario comes from wildfires in Quebec.“Should Environment Canada indicate that air quality has vastly improved ahead of game time, we will re-evaluate and update fans,” the club said in a statement.pic.twitter.com/sbkgkb4Clr— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 7, 2023Toronto hosts the Houston Astros on Wednesday at 7:07 p.m. ET.The Blue Jays will play at the Rogers Centre for the next several games, concluding their homestand on Sunday, June 11, against the Minnesota Twins. The dome was open Tuesday in Toronto’s 5-1 win over the Astros.RELATED: When can we expect wildfire smoke to clear out of the GTA...

More evacuations in Quebec as record-breaking fires continue to burn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:39 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec’s wildfire season is the worst on record, officials said Wednesday, as the number of evacuees was expected to rise to more than 15,000 by the end of the day.About 11,400 people have already been forced from their homes because of persistent and unpredictable wildfires, Premier François Legault told reporters in Quebec City. The northern Cree town of Mistissini, located 550 kilometres north of Montreal, would likely be evacuated later on Wednesday, adding another 4,000 people to the evacuee list, the premier said.The most troublesome areas, he said, were in northern Quebec and in the western Abitibi region, where significant rainfall wasn’t expected until Monday. Residents shouldn’t expect to be able to return home before the middle of next week, Legault said.“I want us all to be realistic so that we don’t see things through rose-coloured glasses,” the premier said. “For the moment, we do not expect rain for the next few day...