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First American city to tame inflation owes its success to affordable housing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Mark Niquette, Augusta Saraiva | Bloomberg News (TNS)No place in the U.S. has put inflation in the rearview mirror quite as fast as Minneapolis.In May, the Twin Cities became the first major metropolitan area to see annual inflation fall below the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. Its 1.8% pace of price increases was the lowest of any region that month.That’s largely due to a region-wide push to address one of the most intractable issues for both the Fed and American consumers: rising housing costs. Well before pandemic-related supply-chain snarls and labor shortages roiled the economy, the city of Minneapolis eliminated zoning that allowed only single-family homes and since 2018 has invested $320 million for rental assistance and subsidies.That helped unleash a boom in construction of apartments and condos in the region that proved to be a powerful antidote against inflation, given that the cost of shelter accounts for more than a third of the overall U.S. consumer-price index. Minne...

Rupert Murdoch’s year of love: From Modesto widow to mystery scientist?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

It’s been quite a year for 92-year-old media tycoon Rupert Murdoch in the romance department.In April, the Fox News mogul ended his whirlwind engagement with Ann Lesley Smith, a one-time dental hygienist and conservative radio host from Modesto who reportedly favors “QAnon-style politics” and who has a pattern of marrying older, wealthy men, including the late John B. Huntington, the scion of one of San Francisco’s most prominent families.Now, on Monday, comes a report that Murdoch has already moved on and has been enjoying a yachting vacation with a woman named Elena Zhukova, who’s only been described as a “scientist.”The Drudge Report broke the news of Murdoch’s latest romance, citing a source who said he has “got the energy of people half his age,” the Daily Mail reported. The source also told The Drudge Report: “He just might be in love again.”That’s pretty much all that the Drudge Report had to say, mention...

Hair relaxers have been linked to cancer among Black women, litigation says. ‘Nobody cares except us.’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Darcel Rockett | Chicago Tribune (TNS)LaTonya Shuler, 50, of Indianapolis, had planned to have children. But at age 32, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. After six weeks of radiation and a hysterectomy for Shuler, a home health aide worker, her plans were dashed.Now in remission, Shuler checks in with her physician once a year to make sure that the cancer that took away her ability to bear children doesn’t return. It wasn’t until Shuler’s sister mentioned that perms were bad — the same perms that Shuler had been “dibbling and dabbling” with since junior high — that she learned what may have caused her cancer.“At the time, I didn’t know how I contracted uterine cancer, but then everybody started saying the perms that we use could be the cause of it,” she said.When Shuler saw a commercial saying hair relaxers were giving people uterine cancer, she reached out to Chicago-based law firm Wallace Miller to become a plaintiff in litigation against more than a dozen manufacturers of ha...

Argentina’s peso plunges after rightist wins primary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

By Daniel Politi | Associated PressBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The Argentine peso plunged Monday after a 52-year—old anti-establishment candidate who admires former President Donald Trump came first in primary elections that will help determine the country’s next president.Javier Milei rocked Argentina’s political establishment Sunday by receiving the biggest share of primary votes for presidential candidates in the October general election to determine who leads a nation battered by economic woes.Milei wants to replace the peso with the dollar, and says that Argentina’s Central Bank should be abolished, and that he thinks that climate change is a lie. He has characterized sex education as a ploy to destroy the family, and has said that he believes that the sale of human organs should be legal. He also has said that it should be easier for Argentines to own handguns.Argentina’s government decided to devalue the local currency by 20% early Monday morning af...

Pythons become an obsession: A night out with the hunters who caught that record-breaking 19-foot snake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Editor’s note: Bill Kearney of the South Florida Sun Sentinel recently headed out to the Everglades, where the state’s annual Python Challenge is underway. I pull up at dusk to a half-dozen kids loitering at a remote, darkened gas station. These kids aren’t looking for trouble, though. They’re looking for pythons.Specifically I’m here to meet record-holders Jake Waleri and Steve Gauta, two college-aged cousins who gained fame last month when Waleri yanked a 19-foot Burmese python from the swamp — the longest ever captured in Florida.On a Monday night, the duo hits the swamps in an attempt to win Florida’s 10th annual Python Challenge. The 10-day contest, which is coming to a close Sunday, doles out $10,000 to whoever catches the most pythons.A few of their friends will be helping out. “The more eyeballs the better,” says Gauta as he hands me a spotlight.We all hop into the back of two pickup trucks and head out on the dark roads that cut through Big Cypress Preserve, 30 miles east o...

Single family residence sells in Saratoga for $3.2 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

18277 Purdue Drive – Google Street ViewA house located in the 18200 block of Purdue Drive in Saratoga has a new owner. The 1,956-square-foot property, built in 1957, was sold on July 25, 2023, for $3,160,000, or $1,616 per square foot. This single-story house has three bedrooms and two baths. On the exterior, the house is characterized by the use of wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. In addition, the house is equipped with a one-car garage, offering a dedicated parking spot and storage area. Situated on a spacious 7,956-square-foot lot, the property offers ample outdoor space.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:On Vanderbilt Drive, Saratoga, in June 2023, a 1,200-square-foot home was sold for $1,840,000, a price per square foot of $1,533. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In June 2023, a 1,723-square-foot home on Clemson Avenue in Saratoga sold for $2,600,500, a price per square foot of $1,509. The hom...

How to adjust your travel plans for Maui during the wildfires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Emma Fox | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesThe Hawaiian island of Maui is asking visitors to stay away as it tries to recover from devastating wildfires.Officials said Thursday morning that two of the three fires on Maui were largely contained. But the damage to portions of the island is extensive, particularly in the tourism-heavy region of West Maui, where fire appears to have incinerated much of the historic town of Lahaina.The Kahului Airport on Maui remains open, at least in part because of all the people being evacuated (officials have asked all visitors on “non-essential” trips to leave). With the wildfires causing more than 50 deaths and an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion in damage and economic losses, the Hawaiian government is strongly discouraging tourists from coming to the island.If you had a vacation planned, this is what you need to know.Should I cancel my trip to Hawaii?The state tourism authority emphasized that most parts of Hawaii continue to welcome visitors. “Travel ...

Oakland man charged with chasing down and killing woman, attempting to kill her would-be rescuer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

OAKLAND — A 36-year-old man has been charged with chasing down a Seattle native, then standing over her and shooting her at close range as she lied, injured, on the sidewalk, court records show.Victor Sledge, of Oakland, was charged with murdering 27-year-old Nicole Marcy, an Oakland resident and Seattle native. Sledge has also been charged with attempted murder and assault with a firearm for allegedly shooting a man who showed up to rescue Marcy, court records show.Marcy was shot and killed around 4:45 a.m. on July 19. Video surveillance shows her killer chasing her off International Boulevard and firing at her as she ran away. She was struck by gunfire and fell to the ground on the 1200 block of 18th Avenue, then the man caught up with her and shot her several more times at close range, police said.The 39-year-old man who arrived in a vehicle to rescue Marcy was struck in the legs, but able to get himself to Highland Hospital without help from paramedics, authorities said.Su...

Petaluma burglary suspect arrested after police deploy taser

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A burglary suspect was taken into custody Sunday following a foot chase that ended when officers deployed a taser, according to the Petaluma Police Department. Petaluma PD dispatch got a call at around 2:07 a.m. Sunday from someone reporting that they heard gunshots followed by glass breaking in the area around Aroyo Center.Officers responded, arriving within a few minutes of the 911 call. The responding officers located a broken window at a business within the center. They called for anyone inside to come out. Woman’s body found at Golden Gate Park A short while later, the suspect, later identified as Yony Rodas, came out the front door. Officers commanded Rodas to show his hands and surrender. According to police, he refused to comply and took off on foot.Officers gave chase and pursued Rodas through Arroyo Center toward a residential neighborhood. Fearing the suspect was armed due to the initial reports, an officer chasing Rodas deployed his taser, according to police...

Firefighters respond to structure fire in South San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

(BCN) -- Firefighters are battling a first-alarm structure fire at a residence in the 2200 block of Lucretia Avenue in South San Jose, fire officials said Monday. A partial road closure is in effect at the location of the fire, which was first reported on social media about 8:13 a.m. by the San Jose Fire Department. Federal workers in SF told to work from home due to safety concerns: reports Residents and motorists are advised to use caution around firefighting personnel and equipment at the scene. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.