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Persistent inflation, higher interest rates will weigh on global economy, OECD predicts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The global economy must steer through a precarious recovery this year and next as inflation keeps dragging on household spending and higher interest rates weigh on growth, banks and markets. That was the takeaway Wednesday from the latest economic outlook by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The group, made up of 38 member countries, raised its growth forecast this year to 2.7% from an estimated 2.2% in November and foresaw only a tiny acceleration to 2.9% next year.The rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and energy price spike tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to be weak by past standards, with average growth of 3.4% recorded in the pre-pandemic years 2013-2019. The path ahead is fraught with risks, from escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine — with a dam collapse Tuesday that the sides blamed on each other — to debt troubles in developing countries and rapid interest rate hikes having unforeseen ...

Pope Francis hospitalized for intestinal surgery under general anesthesia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis went to the hospital Wednesday to undergo abdominal surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed because of an inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine.The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli hospital for several days.Francis' white Fiat 500 car pulled out of the Vatican shortly after 11 a.m. with an escort, and arrived at the Gemelli some 20 minutes later.The pope is undergoing what the Vatican said was a “laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis” to treat a “recurrent, painful and worsening” constriction of the intestine.A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can help a surgeon both diagnose and treat issues. The statement said Francis was suffering from a blocked laparocele, which is a hernia that formed over a previous scar."The stay at the health...

Minneapolis accounts for $136 million of $160 million in MN police misconduct claims in 10 years, according to report

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

When a police officer is sued for misconduct, it’s typically their employer — generally the city, county or state — who pays out legal damages or settlement funds to close the claim, as opposed to the officer or police department. That’s left between one-fourth and one-third of all government bodies in Minnesota on the hook for more than $160 million in largely taxpayer-funded payouts over a 10-year period, according to a recent report.The vast majority of those dollars originated in one city — Minneapolis — that alone paid out $136 million, or nearly 85% of the statewide total. St. Paul paid out $4.2 million in the same time period, almost half of which was attributed to a single incident involving St. Paul Police and a police canine.Those sums are from a first-of-its-kind report authored by David Schultz, a professor of political science at Hamline University in St. Paul. In an accompanying spreadsheet, the 17-page report tallies 495 incidents o...

Little Scandia celebrates big legislative success in trail extension and heritage center

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

For a city with a population of fewer than 4,000 and an annual budget of just $2 million, Scandia is a lobbying powerhouse.The community in north Washington County recently got a major boost – $2 million – from the state bonding bill for its Water Tower Barn Arts & Heritage Center.In addition, the city will receive $2.68 million through the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources to build an extension of the Gateway Trail through Scandia.The efforts of city residents involved in the two projects have been extraordinary, said Mayor Christine Maefsky.“We have very committed people, very smart people, people who are willing to work hard,” she said. “We tapped into the strengths of the various members of the community that we’ve got.”Both efforts are textbook examples of how to lobby for projects at the Capitol.Water Tower Barn Arts & Heritage CenterAn architect's rendering of the future Water Tower Barn Arts and Heritage Center in Scandia. The Minnesota Legis...

SP: Davenport man burglarized home, hid inside

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

JEFFERSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Davenport man was arrested on Monday and is accused of burglarizing a home and violating an order of protection, according to New York State Police. Arthur Currie, 29, faces several charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Friday, May 5, around 10:53 p.m., troopers responded to a Jefferson home for reports of an order of protection violation. State troopers say an investigation found Currie was on the victim's property unwelcomed when the family returned home. Currie allegedly fled the area while the victims were contacting law enforcement.The next day, around 5:19 p.m., troopers responded to a Jefferson home for reports of a burglary. State troopers say an investigation found Currie entered the home while no one was there without permission and stole from it.When the victims returned home, they allegedly found Currie hiding inside. Once he was found, police say he fled before law enforceme...

Adulterated cider kills 16 in Russia, dozens sick

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

At least 16 people have died and dozens more have fallen ill after drinking adulterated cider in western Russia's Ulyanovsk region, local officials said on Monday (5 June).Local governor Alexei Russkikh said the product - labelled "Mister Cider" - had been sold on tap after being brought into the region in 30 litre kegs.According to local media, the cider contained lethal amounts of methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol and much more toxic than the ethanol found in regular alcoholic drinks.Authorities detained one person on suspicion of causing death through negligence and ordered the affected goods to be removed from sale.Russkikh said intensive care beds were being set up across the region, located on the river Volga, and that 19 people had been admitted to hospital."Doctors are fighting to save the lives of each of them," he said.Russia tightened controls on the production and sale of alcohol after 77 people died drinking cheap moonshine in Siberia in 2016, but t...

Ask Amy: I overheard their unkind comments about me at the funeral

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

Dear Amy: Can you please settle a question? When a loved one dies, who should pay for a luncheon after the service?When my father passed away, I was in a poor financial situation (and still am).After the service, all I wanted to do was go home and have time to myself.I overheard several people grumbling about no after-service meal being readied for the mourners.Why should the grieving party have to be sure that attendees eat afterward? The family is going through enough losing someone dear to them without trying to come up with money to feed the crowd.I feel that if attendees want a meal after the service, someone should gather others and organize something.Your thoughts?– Grieving DaughterDear Grieving: There is no one answer to this. Some families who have the means will cater a lunch. Other families will welcome mourners (many bearing casseroles), back to the home, where a friend or more distant family member will help to organize and serve.Others will meet at the corner pub to r...

Club Q mass shooting victims plan to sue over sheriff’s refusal to use red flag law

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

Victims of the Club Q mass shooting plan to sue the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for refusing to use the state’s red flag law to prevent the suspected shooter from legally buying or possessing guns before the attack last year, according to legal notices obtained by The Denver Post on Monday.Eleven survivors and family members of victims who died in the November attack alerted the county to their plans to sue in May, and claimed that the mass shooting could have been prevented but for the sheriff’s blanket refusal to use extreme risk protection orders, which allow authorities to seize a person’s guns for up to a year if a judge finds that person presents an immediate threat to themselves or others.El Paso County commissioners declared the county a “Second Amendment Preservation County” in 2019, as state lawmakers passed the red flag law, and the sheriff’s office created a policy that said deputies would not seek extreme risk protection orders except in “exigent circumstances.”The ...

Great white sharks lurked near swimmers, surfers 97% of the time in drone study

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

As great white sharks make their way back north to Cape Cod for the summer and fall, shark researchers have released “shocking” results from a 2-year drone study — showing that apex predators came very close to people, but simply moved around them or ignored them completely.The study along southern California beaches looked at how close juvenile white sharks get to humans, such as waders, swimmers, surfers, and stand-up paddle boarders.The researchers from Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab revealed that at juvenile white shark aggregation sites, people were near sharks on 97% of the days surveyed. And during the two-year drone study, there were no reported shark bites in any of the surveyed locations.“Frankly, we were shocked,” Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of CSULB Shark Lab, told the Herald on Monday. “Sharks would interact with people every single day, multiple times a day, and they would just swim by.“It was shocking that these occurrences were happenin...

New NOAA office to be built on CSU Monterey Bay campus

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:41 GMT

A new National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office will be built on the campus of California State University, Monterey Bay.The office will be located within the university’s science center and create a permanent home for NOAA adjacent to research laboratories, teaching spaces and faculty offices. NOAA plans to collaborate with the university in its applied programs including seafloor mapping, kelp forest restoration, agriculture businesses and sustainable tourism. The office is expected to enhance collaboration between NOAA and CSU Monterey Bay on conservation and research efforts for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It is also expected to create hands-on learning opportunities for students.Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, secured $7 million for the construction of the office. The federal funding is a significant amount of the historic $50 million investment for the construction of new NOAA Marine Sanctuary facilities across the U.S. that was i...