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Stock market today: Wall Street’s raucous week winds down with a mixed performance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Another winning week for Wall Street is drifting toward a quiet close on Friday following profit reports from several big U.S. companies that topped expectations.The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in late trading, coming off its highest close since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 105 points, or 0.3%, at 34,500 with less than an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% lower.Insurance giant UnitedHealth Group rallied 7.6% after it said profit growth during the spring was better than feared. It also raised the bottom end of its forecast for earnings for the full year.JPMorgan Chase rose 0.4% after it said its profit during the spring grew by more than expected thanks in part to its acquisition of the troubled First Republic Bank. Like its rival and the broader market, Wells Fargo began the morning with a gain before drifting lower later in the day. It fell 0.3% despite reporting stronger profit for the second quarter than expected. H...

A man died after a St. Louis police officer shocked him with a Taser

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man who was shocked at least twice with a Taser by a St. Louis police officer died within hours, police said Friday.The man died after police were called Thursday night to a report that he was was being violent toward emergency medical workers. Police said arriving officers found the man naked and disoriented behind a home.When officers ordered the man to come toward them, he tripped and fell into a fence, police said. Two of the five officers who were there picked him up and tried to handcuff him, but he slipped away and fell again, according to police.Police said an officer then used a Taser to subdue the man. Other officers tried to handcuff him, but he continued to struggle, police said.The same officer then applied what’s known as a “drive stun,” which involves placing the Taser directly on the skin, police said.The man became unresponsive. He died early Friday at a hospital. His name has not been released.The department’s Force Investigation Unit...

If you can’t afford your favorite Sriracha brand, try this

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

Bottles of a leading brand of Sriracha hot sauce are suddenly hard to find, driving up prices for them as high as $150 — but there are alternatives to opening your wallet that wide.It’s the second time in two years that Huy Fong Foods — the best-known producer of Sriracha in the U.S. — has had low inventory of their tangy sauce with the green cap and rooster label, a problem they attribute to insufficient chile pepper supplies. That and a bit of pandemic hoarding combined to send prices soaring, with some third-party sellers cashing in.Rather than fall for the hype, remember there’s a world of hot sauce alternatives.Though the brand has near iconic status, Huy Fong’s is not the only Sriracha on the market, nor is it even made in the Thai town that gave it its name.The bright-red sauce was created by Thanom Chakkapak, a home cook in Thailand who mixed a combination of fresh chiles, vinegar, garlic, salt and sugar for her own use. Around the 1930s, she began marketing the sauce as Sri...

Appeals court pauses order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court Friday temporarily paused a lower court’s order limiting executive branch officials’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts.Biden administration lawyers had asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to stay the preliminary injunction issued on July 4 by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty. Doughty himself had rejected a request to put his order on hold pending appeal. Friday’s brief 5th Circuit order put Doughty’s order on hold “until further orders of the court.” It called for arguments in the case to be scheduled on an expedited basis. Filed last year, the lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censored free speech by discussing possible regulatory action the government could take while pressuring companies to remove what it deemed misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines, legal issues involving President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and election fraud allegations were among the t...

WATCH LIVE | Chicago area at risk for severe weather Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

CHICAGO WEATHER LIVE - Have a comment or question for the interactive livestream? Send it in using this form:Submit a form. The Chicago area is at a 2 on the scale of 1-5 for the risk of severe weather Friday. Showers will move out for awhile Friday and midday sun and humidity will arrive.The sun will help fuel an environment of instability this afternoon with storms set to return around 4 p.m. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here The first round of potentially severe weather will last from 4 p.m. to around 9 p.m.A second round of storms is expected to move into the area around 11 p.m.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Non-severe weather and showers will linger into the morning Saturday with another round of storms likely Saturday afternoon.

Northwestern picks interim football coach for 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern University has officially picked the person that will lead their program for the rest of the year after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. They won't be looking outside the program for the person to take that job for the next five months. Defensive coordinator David Braun will serve as the interim head coach for the 2023 season, which was made official on Friday afternoon. He is the newest member of the football coaching staff, joining the program in January after a successful run at FCS power North Dakota State. He had served as the acting head coach after Fitzgerald was fired on Monday after 17 seasons in the wake of a hazing scandal within the program. WGN's coverage of the controversies around Northwestern football, firing of Pat Fitzgerald "The opportunity to lead this team at this crucial moment in its history is not something I take lightly, and I'm grateful for the trust placed in me by Dr. Gragg and Northwestern leadership," said Braun in a state...

NTSB looking at risk parked semis posed to Greyhound bus in fatal Illinois accident

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Big rig driver David Cherno was hauling Jimmy Dean sausages on Interstate 70 when he had to stop for the night or risk violating federal regulations limiting driving time for truckers. An Illinois rest area was full, so Cherno parked on the wide shoulder of the exit ramp leading to it — a common practice for truck drivers.Just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, Cherno was awakened to a frightening jolt that sent him airborne into his dash. He got out and saw the horror: A burning Greyhound bus jammed into his trailer, passengers pushing and kicking at windows trying to get out.The accident near St. Louis killed three of the 22 bus passengers and left 14 other people, including the driver, injured. The National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine what caused the bus to strike three parked rigs and will look at factors such as driver fatigue. Investigators also are specifically looking at the safety risks posed by trucks parked on ramps. Victims identified in d...

Children's library box set on fire in Lowell; entire playground destroyed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

LOWELL, Ind. — Authorities in Lowell are conducting an arson investigation after a children's library box was set on fire, leading to the destruction of an entire playground.On Tuesday afternoon, authorities responded to the 200 block of North Fremont Street on the report of a fire.Following an investigation, firefighters determined that books from the Little Library Box, meant for children's literacy, were intentionally set on fire with the use of an accelerant. The flames spread and let to the destruction of the entire playground area. ‘Not going to cut it’: Suburban boy thriving in national mullet contest Police and the volunteer fire department said they are conducting an investigation. A $500 reward has been offered by a local businessman for information leading to an arrest and a conviction.Anyone with information can call police at 219-660-0000.

Chicago residents with disabilities invited to job fair on Near West Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago residents with disabilities are invited to attend a job fair set to take place next Tuesday on Chicago's Near West Side. The networking event will allow locals with disabilities to network with employers across various industries. Search for jobs on our job board The job fair will be held Tuesday, July 18, at the Central West Community Center from 1:30 - 4 p.m. Employers scheduled to attend include:Museum of Science and IndustryMarriott International Residence Inn ChicagoRUSH University Medical CenterFedEx GroundThe Chicago LighthousePace BusEssendantS&C Electric CompanyUniversity of Chicago MedicineShedd AquariumGreater Chicago Food DepositoryAramarkEli’s CheesecakeFarmer’s FridgeShirley Ryan Ability LabGreater West Town Development ProjectRead more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe job fair will be co-hosted by the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), Ada S. McKinley Community Services and the Illinois Department of Human Services - Division...

Florida mom trying to steal newborn from NICU stabs 3 hospital employees: deputies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:51 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida mother was arrested Thursday and accused of slashing several hospital employees with a knife after "violently" removing her 3-day-old child from a neonatal intensive care unit and trying to escape.Palm Beach County deputies were called to Palms West Hospital on Thursday around 10:30 p.m. in response to a stabbing report.Documents obtained by WFLA.com allege 31-year-old Kendra Greene entered the NICU where her child was located and "violently removed the breathing device from the infant’s mouth, the central line from the infant’s stomach, feeding tube," and several other life support devices keeping the infant alive.Moments later, hospital staff issued a “Code pink" alert over the intercom, indicating a child abduction. All available medical staff rushed to the nearest door, per hospital policy, to prevent anyone from leaving the building.At one point, deputies said Greene allegedly approached an exit blocked by one staff member and swung a large, serra...