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New Zealand economy to remain sluggish for 2 years, although doing better than feared, figures show

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s economy is expected to remain sluggish for another two years, although the overall picture is rosier than many observers had feared, new figures released Tuesday indicate.The nation’s Treasury released the projections ahead of an election next month. They showed a slight deterioration from earlier predictions, with tax takes lower than expected and high inflation causing ongoing headaches.Unemployment is expected to jump from a current rate of 3.6% to 5.4% in 2025 before falling again, while economic growth is expected to fall from 3.1% this year to 1.3% next year, before bouncing back to 3.3% by 2026. Net debt as a percentage of the economy is expected to peak at 23% in 2025. Treasury said subdued house price growth and a tougher labor market would dampen household wealth and incomes, and that exporters, including farmers, faced ongoing headwinds. A predicted return to the government running budget surpluses was pushed back by a year unt...

Yandy Díaz hits his 20th homer as Tampa Bay Rays beat Minnesota Twins 7-4

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Yandy Díaz connected for his 20th homer and finished with four hits, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Monday night.Josh Lowe had three hits for the second straight day as Tampa Bay won for the sixth time in seven games. The Rays (89-56) stayed three games back of AL East-leading Baltimore.After Tyler Glasnow (9-5) departed, Kevin Kelly, Jake Diekman and Pete Fairbanks each pitched a hitless inning. Fairbanks worked the ninth for his 23rd save.Max Kepler and Royce Lewis homered for the AL Central-leading Twins, who finished with six hits. Sonny Gray (7-7) was charged with two runs, one earned, and six hits in four innings.Díaz hit a leadoff shot in the sixth, giving Tampa Bay a 6-1 lead. He hit a game-ending homer in Saturday’s 7-5 win over Seattle.He tied a career high with four hits after beginning the day with a .161 (10 for 62) batting average in his career against Minnesota.Taylor Walls lifted the Rays to a 5-1 lead in the fifth...

Waldichuk holds Astros hitless in relief, A’s launch 3 homers in 4-0 win to avoid 100th loss

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Ken Waldichuk pitched six hitless innings in relief and Brent Rooker hit the first of three home runs by the Oakland Athletics in their 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night.Houston, which entered with a 2 1/2-game lead in the AL West over Seattle, fell to 9-2 against the last-place A’s this season. Oakland improved to 45-99, delaying the team’s 100th loss for at least another day.Last season, Oakland went 60-102 following an 86-76 finish in 2021. The A’s need one more win in their final 18 games to assure they will avoid matching the franchise record of 117 losses in a season set when the team was in Philadelphia. The low mark in Oakland is 108 in 1979.Shea Langeliers and Ryan Noda also had solo homers for the A’s. Oakland opener Mason Miller pitched two innings and allowed one hit. Waldichuk (3-7) entered in the third and gave up just two baserunners, on a walk and a hit by pitch.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbSource

Monday’s Scores

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

PREP FOOTBALL=Huguenot 75, Clover Hill 6King’s Fork High School 26, Western Branch 0Orange County 20, Goochland 0Tazewell 39, Richlands 36___Some high school football scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/Source

Police to triple coverage in Boulder during Buffs home games

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Police say a string of burglaries in Boulder were connected to one man, 50-year-old Patrick Sean Gillespie.Police said Gillespie may have taken advantage of the fact that most people had their attention fixed on the Colorado Buffaloes football game."A couple of girls were home in an apartment, and they thought someone was trying to break in," Boulder Deputy Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. Prisoner had drugs 4 days before he escaped, sources tell FOX31 Police said Gillespie made his way to several homes on University Hill while all eyes were fixed on the game."We got more calls for additional burglaries that we believe, based on video, were committed by this same guy," Redfearn said.University of Colorado Boulder flag in the University Hill neighborhood (KDVR) Police tracked Boulder burglary suspectPolice tracked Gillespie through the morning and into the early afternoon."We saw him coming back into the area on foot to his vehicle," Redfearn said. "He ha...

Killings along South Platte River raise safety concerns

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Police in Denver are looking into the possible connection of two homicides on the South Platte River Trail. The cases raised concerns about safety near homeless communities, including from a man who was bitten near a camp.A woman was shot and killed after midnight on Sept. 6 near East 45th Avenue and North Washington Street, police said. Three days later, a man was shot and killed after midnight near South Platte River Drive and West Florida Avenue. Police are looking for more information about a male suspect. Family awaits answers 4 months after killing at Tesla charging station While initial police reports said both victims were homeless, FOX31 spoke with the family member of one victim, who said that person was not unhoused. Still, the deaths brought strong reactions from community groups like Citizens For A Safe and Clean Denver.“That would be horrific, I mean that’s just not fair. These people on the street have serious problems,” said organizer Craig Arfsten,...

Family awaits answers 4 months after killing at Tesla charging station

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

EDGEWATER, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado family has many questions for the Edgewater Police Department four months after their loved one was shot and killed at a Tesla charging station.The shooter continues to remain unidentified and uncharged in the case, leaving the family of 33-year-old Adam Fresquez confused and concerned.“I miss talking to him,” sister Crystal Fresquez said. “What makes it worse is the person who took my brother from us is not being held accountable.”Officers found Fresquez with fatal gunshot wounds. FOX31 was told the shooter left the scene and later called 911 to turn himself in, claiming self-defense. Fresquez’s family still doesn’t know the identity of the person who killed their loved one.“I mean, we can probably walk by this man right now. And I wouldn't know who he was,” Crystal said. "My brother's identity was released within 48 hours after the crime. I personally feel like this individual has more rights than my deceased brother, who was maced and shot in ...

State of emergency declared in Leominster as flash flooding hits region

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

City officials declared a state of emergency in Leominster Monday night as heavy rains battered the region, also triggering a flash flood emergency for Leominster and the surrounding area. The flash flood emergency declared by the National Weather Service included Leominster, Fitchburg, Lunenburg, Princeton and Sterling as of around 11 p.m. A larger swath of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire was included under a series of flash flood warnings earlier in the evening.Rescues were underway in several spots Monday night and officials said they were in the process of rushing mutual aid from neighboring communities and state agencies into hard hit areas as rain continued to fall.“Do not venture out,” said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella in a message on Facebook around 6:30 p.m. “It is not safe.” In a subsequent Facebook Live video, Mazzarella shared a view from a parking lot near the Leominster police station which he said had been flooded since around 4:30 p.m.“Every cr...

McCaughey: Trashing the Constitution just to get Trump

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

Innocent until proven guilty. That’s a fundamental right in America, at least until now.Anti-Trump groups determined to disqualify the leading Republican candidate for president are urging state election officials across the U.S. to remove Donald Trump from the ballot, claiming he’s an “insurrectionist.” They’re citing an arcane clause in the 14th Amendment, written after the Civil War, that disqualifies anyone who “engaged in insurrection” against the United States from holding public office.Here’s the hitch. Trump has never been convicted of insurrection, and none of his prosecutors — not Jack Smith nor Fani Willis — is charging him with insurrection. The House of Representatives impeached him, accusing him of insurrection, but he was acquitted. So, zero convictions, one acquittal.Even so, left-wing group Free Speech For People has sent letters to state election officials labeling Trump an insurrectionist and telling these officials ...

Editorial: Art-stunt activists stunned by lack of trust

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:35 GMT

Extinction Rebellion Boston is aghast that the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum closed its doors ahead of a protest planned by the climate group late last week.As the Herald reported, museum director Peggy Fogelman claimed the protest “would put our community and collections at risk.”How dare the Gardner make that assumption, just because Extinction Rebellion has a track record of using priceless art as stunt props.Last October, two climate activists with Extinction Rebellion were arrested after gluing themselves to the glass covering of “Picasso’s Massacre in Korea.” According to reports, they stood next to a banner declaring “Climate Chaos = War and Famine.” The group tweeted that the act served to highlight the connection between climate breakdown and human suffering. This begs the question, “how, exactly?”In 2019, Extinction Rebellion protestors doused New York City’s famous charging bull statue with fake blood. Nothing says “save the planet” like fake blo...