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Demand for air purifiers on the rise as smoky conditions persist from wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

TORONTO — The spread of smoke from wildfires across Canada in recent weeks has prompted an uptick in demand for air purifiers, as manufacturers and distributors say it appears Canadians are increasingly looking for ways to keep the air in their homes or workplaces clean.Pollutants from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec have coloured skies grey and orange in cities such as Toronto and Ottawa this week, while wildfires in Alberta set a spring record last month and led to a state of emergency that has since been lifted.Nick Coleman, dealer-owner at Leitrim Home Hardware Building Centre in Ottawa, said customers have been purchasing purifiers as well as furnace filters for additional air quality control.“Air purifiers have been flying off the shelves,” he said in an email. “Customers are requesting purifiers for all room sizes, specifically ones with high HEPA filtration.” Mario Angeloni, director at Reliance Home Comfort, said the air quality of a sealed house is typically th...

Stock market today: Bulls run again on Wall Street as S&P 500 climbs 20% above October low

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose just enough Thursday for Wall Street to barrel into a new bull market as the S&P 500 keeps rallying off its low from last autumn.The index rose 0.6% to carry it 20% above a bottom hit in October. That means Wall Street’s main measure of health has climbed out of a painful bear market, which saw it drop 25.4% over roughly nine months.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 168 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite, meanwhile, led the market with a 1% rise. That’s been the norm so far this bull run, as chip maker Nvidia and a handful of other big tech stocks have been responsible for the lion’s share of Wall Street’s gains.Declaring the end of a bear market may seem arbitrary, but it offers a useful marker for investors. It also provides a reminder that investors able to hold on through downturns have nearly always made back all their losses in S&P 500 index funds eventually.Even though it was driven by so many superlatives — the worst inflatio...

New Mexico rolls out education campaign for recreational marijuana use

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — After more than a year of recreational marijuana sales, New Mexico is rolling out its first campaign to educate people about responsible use.The first batch of billboards is now going up around the state while TV, radio, print and digital advertisements will be running through the month of June. The media buy is worth $400,000. The state Cannabis Control Division confirmed Wednesday that it started working on the campaign last year, but the contract for the work was finalized only recently. An Albuquerque-based marketing company won the contract following a competitive bidding process.The “Yes & Know” campaign is built around the phrase “Yes — cannabis is legal. Know — the rules.” “We recognize the need for education in this new cannabis industry. This campaign opens the conversation for responsible storage and safe cannabis consumption,” said Linda Trujillo, who heads the state Regulation and Licensing Department, which oversees the cannabis division.Ne...

GM CEO Mary Barra to discuss EV charging with Tesla CEO Elon Musk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are scheduled to discuss the future of electric vehicle charging on Twitter Spaces on Thursday afternoon.It wasn’t clear exactly what Barra and Musk plan to announce. But their discussion comes days after Ford CEO Jim Farley joined Musk to announce that Ford’s electric vehicles would gain access to much of Tesla’s EV-charging network, the largest in the nation.Farley also said Ford would switch to Tesla’s charging network connector rather than to a different one that is used by the rest of the industry.The Associated Press

Man found dead at Chicago shelter for migrants identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

CHICAGO — Authorities have identified the man who was found dead last week at a shelter designated to house migrants.The Cook County Medical Examiner says 26-year-old Luis Alberto-Aguilar Perez was found by officers at the building that was formerly Wasdworth Elementary School located at 6420 South University Avenue around 6 a.m. Friday June 1.The cause and manner of death are pending.The Chicago Sun Times reports investigators do not believe the death was a result of a crime.Detectives are conducting a death investigation.

New lawsuit filed after deadly Iowa building collapse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A woman whose leg was amputated in order to free her from the rubble of the partially collapsed building in Davenport, Iowa, filed a lawsuit with her wife Wednesday, accusing the city and the building’s owner for “willful and wanton disregard” for their safety.Quanishia “Peach” Berry and her wife, Lexus, were home in their fourth-floor apartment May 28 when the west side of the building crumbled. Lexus Berry was able to evacuate, but it was hours before rescuers found Peach Berry trapped in the debris and determined they would need to amputate one of her legs to pull her free.“My wife is a very strong person, and I am, too,” Lexus Berry said at a news conference Wednesday. “All that we want is accountability to be able to have closure and to know why this happened, and to be able to move forward with our lives.”RELATED: Three bodies recovered in Iowa building collapse; lawsuit accuses city and owners of negligence“We are survivors,” she added.The couple seeks...

Cuba denies Journal story about Chinese spy base

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

A top Cuban official Thursday issued a flat denial of a Wall Street Journal story that alleged Cuba and China had reached an agreement to install an eavesdropping facility on the island.Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío issued a strongly worded statement, calling the newspaper's information "totally mendacious and unfounded."DEVELOPING...

Lawmakers examine healthcare monopolies amid patient outcome concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – It’s no secret the cost of healthcare is much higher in the United States compared to other high-income countries. Now, lawmakers are examining the cause and the role of corporate consolidation.Lawmakers want to know how consolidation in the healthcare industry is impacting quality and prices and want “to examine whether these practices are hot wiring our healthcare system to favor mega-corporations at the expense of patients,” Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) said.Doctors and other experts from around the country told senators that mergers and consolidation of hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare facilities is a problem.“I'm concerned. Over the last two decades, insurance premiums in the U.S. have gone up over 215%,” Dr. Zack Cooper of Yale University said during a Congressional hearing. “About 20% of hospital mergers have lessened competition and led to price increases.”Experts also say that profit-driven private investors are driving prices up while decreasin...

Illinois residents get free admission to the Shedd certain nights in June

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

CHICAGO — The Shedd Aquarium is one of the gems in the city and now they are offering something new at night for Illinois residents at no cost.It's called "Night Dives."Visitors can experience the aquatic animal world from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. with a valid ID or proof of Illinois residency.Dates include:Tuesday, June 13Thursday, June 15Tuesday, June 20Thursday, June 22Tuesday, June 27Advanced reservations are required and can be made online at www.sheddaquarium.org.LaToyia Ledbetter is the senior director of marketing at the Shedd joined the WGN Evening News to talk more about the nights.

Las Vegas family makes out-of-this-world claim after witnesses, police see flash in the sky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:17 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Las Vegas police body cam footage of a green flash across the sky is adding intrigue to a 911 call from a family claiming to see "non-human" beings after something crashed in their backyard.On April 30 around 11:50 p.m., a Las Vegas Metro police officer’s body camera video recorded as something streaked low across the sky. Several people across eastern California, Nevada and Utah reported seeing the flash, according to the American Meteor Society. UFO over the Las Vegas Strip? More likely a rare weather phenomenon Sources tell Nexstar's KLAS that it is likely something crashed into the yard, but exactly what remains unclear more than a month later. Drone video showed a circular imprint in the dirt.On April 30 around 11:50 p.m., a Las Vegas Metro police officer’s body camera video recorded as something streaked low across the sky. Several people across eastern California, Nevada and Utah reported seeing the flash, according to the American Meteor Society. (KLAS)A...