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US economic growth accelerated to strong 4.9% rate last quarter as consumers shrugged off Fed hikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s economy expanded at a robust 4.9% annual rate from July through September as Americans defied higher prices, rising interest rates and widespread forecasts of a recession to spend at a brisk pace.The Commerce Department said the economy expanded last quarter at the fastest pace in nearly two years — and more than twice the 2.1% annual rate of the previous quarter.Thursday’s report on the nation’s gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — showed that consumers drove the acceleration, ramping up their spending on everything from cars to restaurant meals. Even though the painful inflation of the past two years has soured many people’s view of the economy, millions have remained willing to splurge on vacations, concert tickets and sports events.“This is just a very resilient economy that continues to take hit after hit and keep on,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax and consulting firm.Yet the robust gro...

At least 18 dead in Maine mass killing; manhunt on for shooter as residents take shelter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Maine’s governor says at least 18 people were killed and 13 were injured in shootings in Maine, and state police have issued a murder warrant for the suspect, who is still at large. Gov. Janet Mills made the remarks at a press conference Thursday.A man shot and killed the victims at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes Thursday under a shelter-in-place advisory.The Lewiston Police Department identified Robert Card as a person of interest in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, 2023. (The Lewiston Police Department)Mills said the shooting suspect, Robert Card, is considered armed and dangerous.“This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security,” she said.A police bulletin identified Card, 40, as a person of interest in&nb...

Heavy fog causing issues for morning commuters, delays at DIA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — If you are headed out for your morning commute, be extra careful. Fog is moving across the northeastern plains and northern Front Range on Thursday morning, reducing driving visibility to less than a half mile at times.The Boulder National Weather Service tweeted that there was fog in the urban corridor early Thursday morning, and it will last through midday.At 7:38 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2023, NWS tweeted that a dense fog advisory for the metro has been issued until 10 a.m. due to very limited visibility.I-25 in Thornton (Courtesy of CDOT)Fog on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, morning in Brighton (Courtesy of Boulder National Weather Service)Fog on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, morning in Broomfield (Courtesy of Broomfield Police Department)Check your flight times at the Denver International Airport, as of 9 a.m., 78 flights have been delayed on Thursday. What is ‘super fog’? Watch out if you're driving. With this fog, NWS Boulder said it could reduce visibility to less than a half...

Did you know these notable people are buried in Colorado?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado is home to a handful of notable living and deceased celebrities. From cannibals to astronauts, this state holds over 100 years of history not only above ground, but also below.You may recognize some of these names from Colorado or even world history.Alferd Packer - The 'Colorado Cannibal'Commonly known as the "Colorado Cannibal," Alfred Packer received his name from admitting to eating five men after heavy snow trapped his group in the mountains. According to the Colorado Virtual Library, Packer admitted to killing one person out of self-defense and claimed he found the rest of the bodies and ate them in order to not starve. He was sentenced to jail but escaped and was not found until nine years later. He spent 15 years in prison before moving to Denver and eventually dying in 1907.Packer is buried in Littleton.Adolph Coors - Founder of Coors Brewing CompanyAdolph Coors started out as a broke brewer’s apprentice in Germany before he moved to Golden and built...

DeSantis is sending some weapons to Israel in move that could bolster him in the GOP primary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he’s arranged to send drones, weapons, and ammunition to Israel as it prepares for an incursion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack. It’s the latest official response DeSantis has taken to back Israel as he competes in the 2024 Republican primary.Florida has sent cargo planes with healthcare supplies, drones, body armor, and helmets, said Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for the governor’s office. The state also worked with private groups to supply weapons and ammunition at the request of Israel’s consul general in Miami, Redfern said.Redfern would not disclose the type or amount of ammunition and weaponry, referring questions to the consul general, who could not immediately be reached for comment.DeSantis has often applied his official powers to take actions that coincide with his larger political goals. Florida used state funds to fly migrants from Texas to Democratic-led areas such as Martha’s Vineyard...

Brightline plans to add stop between South Florida and Orlando

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Officials with Brightline said Thursday that they plan to add a stop somewhere along the newly-opened extension between South Florida and Orlando.Brightline officials said they were soliciting site proposals for a station along Florida’s Treasure Coast in Martin or St. Lucie counties. The proposed stop would open the train service to an area of Florida that is less densely populated and hosts fewer tourists than South Florida and the Orlando area.“Expanding Brightline into the Treasure Coast region will make Brightline one of the most accessible forms of transportation in Florida, giving access to nearly half of the state’s residents,” said Michael Reininger, Brightline’s CEO.Brightline opened its extension connecting Miami and Orlando last month. The company reported that more than 17,500 long-distance passengers had ridden along the extension during the first four weeks since its opening.The extension made Brightline Brightline the first priv...

Spain’s Sánchez demands Israeli-Palestinian peace summit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday called for an international peace summit to find a long-term solution to the Israel-Hamas crisis.“It’s important that we have on the horizon a peace summit where we can channel the engagement of the international community to reach a final agreement, a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine with the two-state solution,” Sánchez said on arrival at the European Council summit in Brussels.Sánchez has been notably vocal in calling for a cease-fire in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Palestinian-controlled territory, in contrast to other EU leaders who have shied away from that demand. Israel continues to retaliate for a violent attack by Hamas militants earlier this month which killed more than 1,400 Israelis. “As prime minister of Spain, I would like to see a cease-fire for humanitarian purposes,” Sánchez said. “But if we don’t have that condition, at least a humanitarian pause in order to channel all the human...

China promises to help with gas pipeline probe, Finnish PM says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has said he could ask for EU funding to repair the undersea Balticconnector pipeline, as a probe continues into the potential role of a Chinese ship in the damage.“We have a clear picture of what has happened. Now we are cooperating with China to find the role of the Chinese ship which was in this area at the time the damage happened,” Orpo said on arrival at the European Council summit in Brussels. “They have promised to do good collaboration.”Earlier this month, the 77-kilometer Balticconnector gas pipeline  — located in the Baltic Sea and linking NATO members Finland and Estonia — suffered from an unusual drop in pressure due to a leak. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation found a large anchor close to the damaged pipeline, with the Chinese ship now under the investigation spotlight.To help repair the damaged pipeline, Orpo plans to ask for EU funding for countering hybrid threats. “The EU has been closely...

Australia pushes for EU deal at upcoming trade meeting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

Canberra is playing the now-or-never card with Brussels ahead of a meeting between Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell and the EU’s trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis in Japan. Hopes are rising that the two can bridge the remaining gaps when they meet in Osaka on Monday, at the tail end of a weekend meeting of G7 trade ministers. Australia is ready to politically seal the deal if Brussels budges a bit on agricultural concessions. Failure to sign now could mean having to wait until the next European Commission is appointed after European elections next June.“If we haven’t got a deal, the Europeans move into their electoral cycle for elections next year,” Farrell said in a podcast on Wednesday. “I think we will have lost the opportunity for two, perhaps three years to come back and resolve this.”Australia performed a theatrical walk-out in July, as Canberra felt that the offer on the table wouldn’t open the EU market sufficiently to Australian farm produce.“If the offer is th...

Rep. Jamaal Bowman pleads guilty to misdemeanor for falsely pulling fire alarm in House office building

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:33 GMT

(CNN) — Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge for falsely triggering a fire alarm in a House office building.Bowman struck a deal with the Washington, DC, Attorney General’s office, in which he pleaded guilty to the single misdemeanor offense.According to the terms of the deal read aloud in court, Bowman’s sentencing will be deferred for three months. During that time, Bowman will be on probation, will pay a $1,000 fine and will write an apology letter to the US Capitol Police.If he fulfills these terms, prosecutors will drop the charge at his sentencing hearing on January 29.Bowman was caught on tape pulling the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building in late September, shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on a government funding bill. The building was subsequently evacuated.It’s still possible for Bowman to face federal prosecution over the incident, though it is unclear clear whether Justice D...