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Canada’s inflation rate falls to lowest level since August 2021, hits 4.3% in March

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s annual inflation rate fell to 4.3 per cent in March as higher mortgage interest costs were offset by lower energy prices.Statistics Canada reported Tuesday that inflation slowed from 5.2 per cent in February, continuing along a downward trajectory that’s expected to bring it down to three per cent by mid-year.The continued slowdown in inflation since last summer has now brought the annual rate down to the lowest it’s been since August 2021.“Today’s report shows that all roads do indeed point to three per cent inflation in the months ahead,” said BMO chief economist Douglas Porter in a client note.The slowdown comes as global prices pressures ease and high interest rates weigh on the economy.The headline rate is expected to continue to fall rapidly this year, in part due to base-year effects. A base-year effect refers to the impact of price movements from a year ago on the calculation of the year-over-year inflation rate.Porter said base-year effec...

Why some young Canadians are choosing the DINK lifestyle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

Sovereign Norris and her partner don’t want to have kids. “Economy wise, nature wise, with everything going on such as pandemics and world issues, I decided that I didn’t want to bring a child into this world,” said Norris. “I have kind of always known that I wanted to (be childfree) … When I met my partner, he felt the same way.” Instead, the Vancouver-based couple adopted a guinea pig and are saving up for a dog. The two are choosing to spend their money on basic expenses and things like travel and dining out, while putting the rest of it aside for investments and savings. The Generation Z couple is among many Canadians embracing the dual income, no kids (DINK) lifestyle, a term that was coined in the 1980s and is making a resurgence as a result of economic and societal conditions.DINKs have more disposable income compared with couples who live together and spend their money on raising children. In Canada, most estimates peg the average cost of raising a ch...

Extra spring COVID booster cleared for certain Americans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Tuesday cleared another COVID-19 booster dose for older adults and people with weak immune systems so they can shore up protection this spring — while taking steps to make coronavirus vaccinations simpler for everyone else.The Food and Drug Administration said anyone 65 or older can opt to roll up their sleeves again as long as it’s been at least four months since their first dose of the so-called bivalent vaccine that targets omicron strains.And most people who are immune-compromised can choose another bivalent booster shot at least two months later, with additional doses in the future at the discretion of their physician.For everyone else, regardless of whether it’s a first shot or a booster, the FDA also said the original versions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are outdated and will no longer be used. Instead, anyone getting a Pfizer or Moderna shot will receive the newer omicron-targeted version. For most people, if it’s their first...

Liz Cheney memoir ‘Oath and Honor’ coming in November

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Rep. Liz Cheney has a memoir and a “warning” coming out this fall. In “Oath and Honor,” she will write about her estrangement from former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.“The last two years have shown us once again that our constitutional republic is not self-sustaining,” Cheney said in a statement released Tuesday by Little, Brown and Company, which will publish her book November 14. “It survives only because of the courage and honor of individual Americans. When history looks back on this time, each elected official will have to answer the questions: Did we do our duty? Were we faithful to our oath of office?” Cheney said.Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, had been a leading Republican voice for years. But she parted with many of her colleagues over Trump’s false claims of voting fraud and her position as vice chair of the Congressional committee that loo...

White Sox will have two postgame concerts in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

CHICAGO — While fans are really hoping that their team puts on a show this summer to return to the top of the American League Central, at least they'll know they'll get a little entertainment after a pair of games.The artist for one of the shows is already known, while the second is still to be determined. In April, the club announced that country artist Jake Owen will play at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday, July 28 after the White Sox game against the Cleveland Guardians. That contest is scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m. with the concert following shortly after the game. At the same time, the team announced that another concert will be held on Friday, August 25 after a 6:10 p.m. game against the Oakland Athletics. The artist for that concert, however, has yet to be announced.This is the second-straight season that the White Sox have held a postgame concert, with last year featuring seven-time Grammy-winning EDM singer, songwriter, and producer Kaskade. The Northbrook native performe...

FDA: Single dose of bivalent COVID vaccine enough for most people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

(The Hill) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced it was simplifying its recommended COVID-19 vaccine schedule, stating a single dose of the bivalent vaccine specific to the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant is enough for most individuals.Going forward, the FDA announced all coronavirus vaccines administered to those six months and older would be the bivalent doses. The original forms of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are no longer authorized for use in the U.S., the agency said.The announcement on Tuesday indicated a shift away from the two-dose vaccine schedule that has become the standard throughout the U.S. when it comes to mRNA vaccination. Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine was originally the only authorized shot in the U.S. that was administered in a single dose.According to the FDA, individuals who haven't gotten a bivalent shot yet or haven't gotten vaccinated at all are still eligible for a dose, but those who have...

New Orleans pizzeria offering free pizza for a year in exchange for Taylor Swift tour tickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A pizza spot in New Orleans has a clever idea to try and get tickets for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. Zander White, the owner of Zee's Pizzeria on Baronne Street, is offering free pizza for a year in exchange for the highly coveted concert tickets."We'd scream if we could go," White told WGNO. "Me and my wife are big fans, and we'd love to go. I don't see a way to get tickets because they are way too expensive and too hard to get." Like thousands of others, White has had a tough time trying to get tickets — especially after last fall's Ticketmaster fiasco that led to a major system meltdown due to record-high demand. Taylor Swift responds to Eras Tour ticketing mess: ‘It really pisses me off’ So, White thought, why not put up a sign at his pizzeria that says, "Free Pizza For Swift Tix?" "We'd do at least a year of free pizza for two Swift tickets," White said. "I thought it would be funny, hoping Taylor would find out. Taylor just owns it really good," Whi...

Police investigating suspicious death in east Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 18, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Police are on the scene of a suspicious death in east Austin. The Austin Police Department said on Twitter it happened in the 7600 block of Bethune Avenue. That area is close to the St. Johns neighborhood, just south of U.S. Highway 183 and east of Interstate 35. APD has not yet released details but said a briefing time is to be determined. This article will be updated as we follow developments. Check back for updates.

Stars’ Pavelski leaves after a hit by Wild’s Dumba becomes minor on review

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

DALLAS — Dallas center Joe Pavelski left the Stars’ loss in their playoff opener after taking a massive hit from Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba, who wasn’t assessed a major penalty for that after a lengthy replay review by officials Monday night.Dumba did get a two-minute minor for roughing, though the referees had initially announced a five-minute major penalty after the play midway through the second period of the game that the Wild won 3-2 in double overtime.“To be honest, I thought it was a clean hit. I figured (the refs) were going to see the same. Shoulder on shoulder,” Dumba said. “I don’t even know why I got the roughing, probably because I was just in the box already.”Pavelski appeared wobbly as he was helped off the ice. Coach Pete DeBoer, who said after the game that he hadn’t yet looked at the play in depth, said the 38-year-old center hit his head on the ice when he fell.“We have the best officials in the world. They called a five, they reviewed it, which is the right ...

A Smart Move on Tax Day: Get Health Insurance Information Using Your State’s Tax Forms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:11 GMT

Many of her clients don’t believe it when Maryland tax preparer Diana Avellaneda tells them they might qualify for low-cost health insurance. Or they think she’s trying to sell them something. In reality, she wants to help her customers take advantage of an underused feature of her state’s tax forms that allows them to get financial assistance for health insurance. Avellaneda said she wants people to avoid the financial risk of a medical emergency: “I have health insurance right now, and I feel very, very peaceful. So I want my community to know that.”The process is simple: By checking a box, taxpayers trigger a “qualifying event,” enabling them to sign up for insurance outside the traditional open enrollment period and access subsidies that can bring the cost of that insurance down, if their income is low enough. Doing so also allows Maryland’s comptroller to share a person’s income information with the state’s insura...