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Hundreds of migrants reach Italian isle; 20 reported missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

ROME (AP) — Taking advantage of the return of calm seas, migrant smugglers launched a score of boats from Tunisia at the weekend, and their passengers reached a tiny Italian island by the hundreds. A body was found in one of the boats, Italian news reports said, and passengers said many other people from that boat were missing.Dozens of the migrants sat Monday morning near Lampedusa’s port awaiting transfer to the island’s overcrowded shelter or eventually to Sicily or the Italian mainland. Earlier Monday, a fishing boat off Lampedusa aided a distressed migrant boat that contained 34 survivors and a body, the Italian news agency ANSA said. Survivors reportedly told rescuers that some 20 fellow passengers were missing from the boat that had set out from a Tunisian port on Saturday night.On Sunday, with seas calm after four days of rough conditions, a total of 640 migrants reached Lampedusa, while 179 migrants stepped ashore from four boats early Monday. In many cases, Italian c...

Editorial Roundup: Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

Austin American-Statesman. April 21, 2023. Editorial: House bill rewards companies at expense of our schoolsAfter the Texas Legislature allowed a controversial corporate property tax rebate known as Chapter 313 to expire last year, House Speaker Dade Phelan vowed lawmakers would return to Austin this year with a better plan to lure big business to the state.The new version would be more transparent and allow for more accountability and oversight than Chapter 313, Phelan said, referring to the now defunct program designed to attract companies to Texas in exchange for school property tax breaks.Instead, with little more than five weeks left in the legislative session, the House is contemplating passing something worse — House Bill 5, a less transparent and potentially far more costly tax incentive program than Chapter 313, which forfeited tens of billions of dollars in school property taxes in order to lure new businesses to local school districts. Supporters of HB 5, including numero...

Spain exhumes fascist party founder from mausoleum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

MADRID (AP) — The body of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of Spain’s fascist Falange movement, will be exhumed from a Madrid mausoleum on Monday and transferred to a city cemetery.The fascist political leader was executed by Spanish Republicans in November 1936, after Gen. Francisco Franco led an uprising of soldiers in July of that year to bring down Spain’s democratically elected government. The ensuing civil war ended in 1939 with hundreds of thousands dead and the country left in ruins.Primo de Rivera’s death was exploited by Franco. He is being exhumed in line with updated legislation that bans the glorification of Spain’s dictatorship and fascist legacy. His body lies in a huge complex known as the Valley of the Fallen, which was built with forced prison labor to commemorate the fascist victory in the civil war.After Franco won the war in 1939, he ruled the country with an iron fist until his death in 1975. He was himself laid to rest in the V...

Credit Suisse saw $69 billion in outflows at start of 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Ailing bank Credit Suisse on Monday reported over 61 billion Swiss francs (nearly $69 billion) in outflows in the first three months of the year, when Switzerland’s government arranged for its takeover by rival UBS, and said clients are still withdrawing assets.The Zurich-based bank cited the “significant net asset outflows” as it posted results skewed by an emergency rescue that was orchestrated by Switzerland’s financial markets regulator and included the wipeout of some 15 billion Swiss francs in higher-risk bonds. Some of those investors are now suing over the losses.The takeover by UBS is expected to close in the coming months and was designed in part to help stabilize the global financial system that had been roiled by the collapse of two U.S. banks. The reputation of 167-year-old Credit Suisse had been pummeled in recent years over stock price declines, a string of scandals and the flight of customers worried about the bank’s future. The tailspin accelerated in ...

Arson investigation underway after 2 children injured, 1 critically, on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

CHICAGO — Two children are hospitalized following an arson fire at a home on the city's South Side Sunday night.Fire crews were called to a home in the 6100 block of South Carpenter Street in the Englewood neighborhood just after 11:30 p.m. Police said the fire started after some type of incendiary device was ignited and thrown at the back of the house.A man and five children were inside the home when the fire started. Officials said he and four of the children escaped unharmed.Firefighters entered the home and rescued the fifth child, a 4-year-old boy. He was transported to Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition after suffering smoke inhalation. Man dead after shooting in Niles nightclub parking lot A 9-year-old boy was also taken to the hospital and treated. He is in good condition.No suspects are in custody for the arson. Officials are investigating.

Monday Forecast: Freeze Warning in morning, temps in low 50s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

CHICAGO — A Freeze Warning is in effect until 8 a.m. Monday with increasing clouds. Winds: W 5-10 G15. High: 52. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly cloudy tonight with slight early morning rain chance. Winds: SSW 5-10. Low: 39.Tuesday Forecast: Mostly cloudy with 40% chance of scattered rain chance, cooler lakeside. Winds: N 5-10 G15. High: 48/45.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

Student loan servicers brace for trouble with payment restarts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

(The Hill) -- Student loan servicers are in a tough bind, dealing with reduced staff as they prepare for the unprecedented situation of 44 million borrowers returning to payments later this summer.Student loan payments are expected to restart at the end of August at the latest, including for many borrowers who graduated during the pandemic and have never made such payments before. “I think the real challenge is the resource constraint, right? That's really on the customer service side," said Scott Buchanan, executive director for Student Loan Servicing Alliance (SLSA). "Systemically, we can handle this, but that customer service component is going to be constrained, and that's because the [Education] Department has continued to make cuts to the customer service funding for student loan servicers."SLSA is a nonprofit trade association that works on student loan servicing issues. It says its members, which include federal student loan servicers Aidvantage and Edfinanical Services...

How Austin became the 'Live Music Capital of the World'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World." Countless live music options, major music festivals and a history of big music names support this title.But where did it come from? It started in the mid-1980s when the Austin Convention and Visitors Council--now the separate Visit Austin and Austin Chamber of Commerce entities--thought up a campaign to highlight the city's music scene. The "Live Music Capital of the World" idea came during a conversation about how you can see live music any night of the week in Austin, said chamber spokesperson Bryce Bencivengo. The brand appeared for one of the first times in Billboard's July 20, 1985, issue. For musical context, the top pop album that week was Tears For Fears' "Songs from the Big Chair," and the top single was "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran. An ad for the Austin Convention Center and Visitors Council features the new brand next to the groups' logos. Austin Convention and Visitors Council ad in Billboard ...

Whitehall man accused of promoting prison contraband

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

WASHINGTON COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Whitehall man was arrested after deputies say he was found to have assaulted an incarcerated individual at the Washington County Jail, as well as promoting prison contraband. Damien Beayon, 37, faces multiple charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The Washington County Sheriff's Office says an investigation found Beayon had assaulted another incarcerated individual while at the Washington County Jail. Deputies say the assault happened on Tuesday, April 11, and the assault caused physical injury to the victim. Amid the investigation, it was found Beayon allegedly promoted contraband in prison. Charges:Second-degree assaultThird-degree criminal possession of a weaponFirst-degree promoting prison contraband MCSO: Schenectady man arrested after car, foot chase Beyon was arraigned in Washington County Centralized Arraignment. He is set to appear in the Town of Fort Edward Court at a late...

GasBuddy: Albany prices still on the rise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:24:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Average gasoline prices in Albany have risen 9.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.72/g on Monday, according to GasBuddy's survey of 546 stations in Albany. Prices in Albany are 27.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 48.0 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 3.0 cents in the last week and stands at $4.12 per gallon. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Albany was priced at $3.49/g on Sunday while the most expensive was $3.85/g, a difference of 36.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.63/g while the highest was $4.19/g, a difference of $1.56/g.The national average price of gasoline has fallen 0.8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.64/g on Monday. The national average is up 22.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 4...