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Pocketbook concerns and even conflict abroad weigh on New Year’s Eve spending plans

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

MONTREAL — With Christmas and Boxing Day in the rear-view mirror, consumers have one event left to take stock of how much they’re willing to spend: New Year’s Eve.A Deloitte Canada study in October found that average household spending would fall 11 per cent year over year during the holidays due to persistent financial pressures.Vivek Astvansh, a marketing professor at McGill University, says a range of reasons could make Canadians think twice about indulging in lavish celebrations, from pocketbook woes to COVID-19 concerns and even angst about armed conflict abroad.He says ongoing inflation will likely convince many to opt for smaller, less expensive private gatherings, whereas those still inclined toward a bar or restaurant outing might choose a more affordable venue.Looking beyond Dec. 31, Astvansh speculates that New Year’s resolutions will spur personal spending, including gym memberships and course enrolments, as Canadians look to start afresh despite contin...

North Dakota governor declares emergency for ice storm that left thousands without power

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Friday declared a statewide emergency in response to an ice storm that felled power lines, leaving more than 20,000 people without electricity around the Christmas holiday.Burgum also plans to seek a presidential disaster declaration that would free up federal aid to help cover the costs of repairing hundreds of utility poles, his office said in a news release.More than 4,000 customers remained without power as of Friday, according to PowerOutage.us.The ice storm was part of a major winter storm that struck the central U.S. earlier this week, causing flight delays and blizzard conditions the day after Christmas.A powerful, deadly storm also blasted the Northeast before the holiday, causing flooding, power outages and damage to roads and other infrastructure. Elsewhere, high surf hammered the West Coast and Hawaii.In North Dakota earlier this week, the ice storm forced sections of interstate highways to close, including from Gran...

St-Onge wants CBC role redefined before next election, possible change of government

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

OTTAWA — The role of the public broadcaster should be redefined before the next federal election, Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says, as the Liberals hedge against a possible change in government. In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, St-Onge said now’s the time for her Liberal government to begin working with Canadians and experts to define what the CBC should like over the next year and decade.“And I really want to achieve that before the next election, to make sure that our public broadcaster is well-positioned as possible for the future,” St-Onge said.Canada’s news and cultural sectors would be at serious risk should the Conservatives form government under leader Pierre Poilievre, St-Onge said, which has her thinking about the next election and what she believes is on the line. “(Conservatives) have shown they think that the arts and cultural sector should be left to the free market,” she said.“And we know that with foreig...

Ohio's Republican governor vetoes bill banning gender-affirming care for trans youth

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has vetoed a bill that would ban transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care and prohibit transgender girls from participating in female athletics.DeWine announced on Friday he has rejected House Bill 68 — the "Save Adolescents from Experimentation" and the "Save Women's Sports" acts — after the Statehouse passed the legislation on Dec. 13. However, the bill could still go into effect if Ohio's House of Representatives and Senate override the governor's veto with a three-fifths vote."Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: their parents," said DeWine of his decision to veto the bill. The language in H.B. 68 would have barred medical professionals from providing treatment known as gender-affirming care, which include puberty blockers and hormon...

Mentorship program at Pflugerville Fire Department aims to retain passionate staff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In addition to fighting fires, departments across the nation face challenges with mental health and recruitment and retention.The Pflugerville Fire Department recently started a program to address all three of those factors: a mentorship program for cadets where mentors meet with them once a month for 90-minute sessions."Some good knowledge that me and the other mentors can pass on to these cadets to at least get them a good start and then see where it grows from there," said firefighter Michael Hernandez, who leads the program.Jeremy Ayers, an apparatus specialist, is one of the mentors. Both he and Hernandez said they're proud to serve in the department but noted the job isn't easy, and it's often grim."We talk about line-of-duty deaths," he said. "So that's important. Speaking on things, how we can prevent certain tragedies in the fire service."According to the U.S. Fire Administration, firefighters are five times more likely to suffer from PTSD and depression th...

Southern Baptist Convention settles high-profile lawsuit that accused former leader of sexual abuse

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The Southern Baptist Convention and others have reached a confidential settlement in a high-profile lawsuit that accused a former leader of sexual assault, ending a six-year legal drama that expanded victims’ rights in Texas, helped prompt a broader reckoning over child sexual abuse in evangelical churches and showed that a prominent conservative activist and Texas House candidate repeatedly downplayed abuse allegations.In 2017, Duane Rollins filed the lawsuit accusing Paul Pressler, a longtime Southern Baptist figure and former Texas judge, of decades of rape beginning when Rollins was a 14-year-old member of Pressler’s church youth group in Houston.Rollins claimed in court documents that the alleged attacks pushed him into drug and alcohol addictions that kept him in prison throughout much of his adult life. After disclosing the alleged rapes to a prison psychiatrist, Rollins filed the suit in Harris County against Pressler along with other defendants who ...

Affordable housing nonprofit seeking donations to help families pay rent

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Foundation Communities, a local nonprofit that provides affordable housing, is asking for donations to replenish an emergency program fund designed to help struggling families pay for things like rent, utilities, and groceries. For the second year in a row, the nonprofit said the demand for financial assistance exceeded the budget of the program. According to a news release from Foundation Communities, the program helped more than 200 families at a cost of $180,000, which is $30,000 more than its budget. What's causing the high demand? Inflation and the higher cost of living in Austin forced low-income families to request more money from the fund, according to the news release. Karol Iruegas, her partner Jaime Lopez, and their 5-year-old son Elias live in a Foundation Communities development in the Mueller neighborhood. Iruegas is a full-time student at Austin Community College studying cybersecurity, and the family has to live paycheck to paycheck off of Lopez's in...

Police looking for man accused of hitting person, threatening them with gun

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is looking for a man accused of aggravated assault in early December.According to APD, the man forced the victim behind a dumpster and stuck them multiple times before threatening them with a gun. The suspect then fled on foot before officers arrived. Police said this happened around 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 7 at 2407 South Congress Avenue, which is the address of a shopping center in South Congress Square, at the corner of Congress and East Oltorf Street. The suspect is described as a white man, 45-55 years old with light hair in a ponytail. He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and a gray and blue ball cap. Suspect of aggravated robbery onDec. 7 at 2407 South Congress Avenue (Austin Police Department pohto) Dec. 7 at 2407 South Congress Avenue (Austin Police Department pohto) Police noted he possibly lives in the area of South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street and could be armed with a handgun. Anyone with any information shoul...

Metro Transit routes free after 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve– but Green Line wraps service by midnight

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

For New Year’s Eve revelers looking to avoid driving in the Twin Cities, there’s good news and bad news on the horizon. First the good news: On Sunday, Metro Transit customers can ride free from 6 p.m. to the end of service on all Metro Transit routes, including the return trip on the Northstar commuter rail after the Vikings-Packers game at U.S. Bank Stadium.The “Miller Free Rides” promotion spans all buses and light rail, according to an announcement from the public transit authority: “No fare, no coupons; simply hop on and take a seat for free.” Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) is also participating.But here’s the rub: Metro Transit isn’t out to party all night. In fact, the Blue Line and Green Line light rail trains will begin rolling to their final destination before 11:30 p.m. Some buses run later.The final eastbound Green Line train departs Target Field Station in Minneapolis at 11:23 p.m. on Sunday, and the final westb...

Grand Avenue French spot Salut Bar Americain will close in the new year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:50:59 GMT

Salut Bar Americain, a longtime brasserie-style French spot on Grand Avenue, is set to close by Jan. 8.Parasole Restaurant Holdings, which runs Salut locations in St. Paul and Edina, plus other restaurants including Manny’s Steakhouse and Good Earth, has decided not to renew the Grand Avenue lease when it expires in January.“We found that our other stores were supplementing this store, and with prices going up across the board, we couldn’t make sense of it anymore,” said Parasole chief operating officer Donna Fahs. “As I said to the staff… every time we open the door, we lose money.”In St. Paul, Salut Bar Americain was known for its spacious patio and accessible French-inspired menu.The restaurant opened on Grand Avenue in 2008 in the former Sidney’s space. Salut’s first location, in the 50th and France area of Edina, opened in 2005. At the time, Parasole also operated buzzy Twin Cities restaurants like Chino Latino and Figlio.Fahs said several factors contributed to the closure, in...