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Italian pasta prices are soaring. Rome is in crisis talks with producers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

(CNN) — Italy’s government convened crisis talks Thursday to investigate the reasons behind a surge in prices for pasta, one of the country’s most beloved and culturally important foods.Adolfo Urso, the country’s minister for enterprise, chaired a commission of lawmakers, pasta producers and consumer rights groups in Rome to discuss what could be done to bring down pasta prices, which soared 17.5% in March from the same month in 2022. Pasta inflation moderated a bit in April but prices were still up 16.5% over 12 months.That climb was more than double Italy’s broader measure of consumer price inflation. Pasta prices have soared despite the price of wheat — the main ingredient — falling in recent months.Following the emergency talks, the commission said that pasta prices were “already showing the first, albeit weak, signs of a [decrease], a sign that in the coming months, the cost of pasta will drop significantly.”It said ...

Special ‘Black Women Lead Brunch’ at State House honors Black women who have made a difference in Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

A special event was held at the State House Friday to honor Black women who have made and continue to make a difference in Boston.Lawmakers and community members gathered for the “Black Women Lead Brunch” Friday morning.Taking place in the state capitol building’s Hall of Flags, the event honored 200 Black women leaders for their contributions and stewardship in the City of Boston7’s Amaka Ubaka spoke at the brunch, which was hosted by Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell and State Representative Christopher Worrell.

‘Cheers’ stars reunite as show’s bar goes up for auction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

Two of the iconic actors from the hit TV show “Cheers” recently visited their old stomping ground just as the actual bar from the show goes up for auction.Online bidding is underway for the bar ahead of live in person bidding in Dallas next month. Almost 30 years after the last episode of “Cheers” hit the airwaves, George Wendt and John Ratzenberger, who played Norm and Cliff in the show, reunited, reminiscing on the good old days at the bar where everybody knew their name. “It was fantastic, so great to see the bar,” Wendt said.“I get a lot of letters to this day about ‘Thank you, we went through a bad time when my father was dying, and the only joy in his life was watching your show,’” Ratzenberger said. “So, it really does mean a lot, so to see this, it meant a lot.”James Comisar, the current owner of the bar, said he worked for 20 years to get his hands on the piece of TV history. Being able to now have a beer with some of his favorite TV stars ...

Driver in fatal migrant crash was intoxicated and said in Spanish ‘they got in my way,’ according to arrest report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

CNN) — The driver who police say crashed his car into a group of migrants outside a Brownsville, Texas, shelter on Sunday, killing eight, was “obviously intoxicated” when officers arrived and said in Spanish, “They got in my way,” according to the arrest report obtained by CNN.George Alvarez, 34, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault and remains in custody on a $3.6 million bond, according to police.Alvarez ran a red light and lost control of his Range Rover on May 7, hitting 18 people, Brownsville police said. He then tried to flee the scene before he was detained by bystanders, police said last weekend.“When I got close to Alvarez, I was able to see that he was obviously intoxicated,” the arresting officer wrote in the report. “He had droopy, watery eyes and had a look of fatigue on his face. He was also in a state of excitement and was verbally engaging with the by...

Ticker: McDonald’s found liable for hot Chicken McNugget that burned girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

A jury in South Florida says McDonald’s and a franchise holder are fault after a hot Chicken McNugget from a Happy Meal fell on a little girl’s leg and caused second-degree burns, in a case reminiscent of the famous hot coffee lawsuit of the 1990s.Thursday’s split decision found the franchise holder liable for negligence and failure to warn customers about the risk of hot food. It found McDonald’s USA liable for failing to provide instructions for safe handling of the food. The girl’s mother ordered Happy Meals from a drive-thru in 2019. A nugget fell onto her 4-year-old daughter’s leg.A second jury determine how much McDonald’s USA and franchise holder Upchurch Foods will have to pay the family.“Our sympathies go out to this family for what occurred in this unfortunate incident, as we hold customer safety as one of our highest priorities,” franchisee Brent Upchurch said in a statement.Stock market today: Wall Street slips as households get more nervousStocks...

Detention hearing for accused docs leaker Jack Teixeira rescheduled for May 19

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

A hearing to determine whether a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking sensitive government documents has been rescheduled for next week in a Worcester federal courtroom.The hearing for Jack Teixeira was originally scheduled for Thursday but it was canceled the day before without a public explanation, though it is common for court dates to move around. Teixeira is now scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge David Hennessy at 3:30 p.m. on May 19, according to court records updated Friday afternoon.Lawyers for the federal government accuse Teixeira, a low-ranking service member who was based out of Joint Base Cape Cod, of using his top-secret security clearance to illegally leak documents on Discord, a social media platform designed for video game enthusiasts.Prosecutors charged him with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material in connection to on...

S&P/TSX composite ekes out tiny gain, U.S. markets move lower Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index eked out a minute gain Friday with technology stocks weighing down the index, while U.S. markets moved lower.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 2.01 points at 20,419.62.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 8.89 points at 33,300.62.The S&P 500 index was down 6.54 points at 4,124.08, while the Nasdaq composite was down 43.76 points at 12,284.74.“Looks like another week where the markets are staying in a tight range. We are seeing some downward pressure to close during the week, but nothing too dramatic,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones. That downward pressure, particularly on technology and growth stocks, is tied to a rise in yields, said Kourkafas. The yields are on the way up after a University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey reported an unexpected rise in long-term inflation expectations, he said.That plus ongoing uncertainty around the U.S. debt ceiling are weighing on mar...

WestJet pilots could strike next week — but imminent walkout would be ‘premature’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

MONTREAL — Talks between WestJet pilots and their employer dragged on Friday as the union warned a walkout could come as early as next week, leaving passengers’ travel plans up in the air.The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents some 1,600 flight crew at WestJet and subsidiary Swoop, said it is poised to file a 72-hour strike notice — but not at the earliest opportunity at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.“I’m fairly certain that I won’t be putting the strike notice in tonight,” said Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, in a phone interview from outside the negotiating room at a venue in Richmond Hill, Ont.“It’d be I think a little premature.“Negotiations have been going OK,” he added. “There’s still quite a distance between the proposals, but we’re both still coming to the table.”The workers’ issues revolve around job protection, pay and scheduling, with some 340 pil...

Harris group agrees to buy NFL’s Washington Commanders from Snyder family

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — A group led by Josh Harris has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.The deal is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports franchise. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales and basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Snyder has owned the team since 1999.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLStephen Whyno, The Associated Press

Oilpatch restarts some production but wildfire risk remains volatile

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:11 GMT

CALGARY — Some oil and gas producers in Alberta are restoring production after temporarily halting operations earlier this week due to wildfires.More than 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production were curtailed in Alberta as wildfires raged across the energy-producing province this week.As of Friday, some companies have restarted operations as cooler temperatures and rainfall throughout the week brought relief in some areas of the province.Companies that have indicated partial or complete restart of operations in the affected areas include Crescent Point Energy Corp., Tourmaline Oil Corp., and Pembina Pipeline Corp.However, the situation remains volatile as hot and dry conditions in the forecast threaten to worsen the fire situation.There are currently 74 active wildfires in the province, including 21 that are out of control, and a provincial state of emergency remains in effect.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2023.Companies in this story...