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Ticker: Saudis extend oil cuts; Mortgage rates tick higher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

Saudi Arabia said Thursday it will extend its unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day through the end of September in its effort to boost flagging energy prices, a move that could push U.S. gas prices higher.The Saudi reduction, which began in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers have agreed to extend earlier production cuts through next year.The national average for U.S. gas prices stood at about $3.82 a gallon on Tuesday — about 30 cents higher than a month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today’s prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.The kingdom announced the extension in a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official in the Energy Ministry. The official added that the cut “can be extended or deepened” if the need arises.Mortgage rates tick higherTh...

Boston College opens training camp better from the top down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

Boston College opened training camp on Thursday morning at the Fish Field House under a new management structure.Eagles’ fourth-year head coach Jeff Hafley was compelled to make systemic changes to his staff in the aftermath of last season’s 3-9 finish. Hafley replaced the coordinators and coaches that underperformed, elevated several incumbents to greater positions of authority and instituted a power-sharing makeover in the hierarchy.The Eagles’ biggest needs for improvement are on offense. BC finished 13th in the ACC in points per game (17.8) and last in yards per game (310.3). BC managed 3724 yards of offense, broken down to an anemic 759 rushing yards with a respectable 2,965 passing yards compiled by quarterbacks Phil Jurkovec and returning starter Emmett Morehead.Departed All-ACC first team wide receiver Zay Flowers, the most productive pass catcher in program history and a first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, accounted for 1,077 of those passing yards on 78 catches...

Patriots training camp Day 9: Jack Jones stops practicing, Mac Jones keeps rolling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

FOXBORO — History would suggest Jack Jones sauntered off the Patriots’ ‘practice field by himself after receiving zero medical attention Thursday because he was ejected.A minute before he left, Jones broke up a pass intended for Kendrick Bourne during an 11-on-11 period. A crowd of players immediately gathered at the spot where they had fallen near the defensive sideline. After standing up, Jones spoke with Jabrill Peppers as they paced the sideline together and walked away from the play.Then, the young corner walked away from everybody, his head down as he ambled down a staircase and back into the stadium. It was the same path dozens of Patriots have taken over two decades under Bill Belichick for fighting, throwing a punch or committing some other cardinal sin of practice.Except 20 minutes later, Jones returned.He strolled back onto the same field and took a knee on the defensive sideline, where director of player personnel Matt Groh dropped to his level. They spoke fo...

Orioles rookie Grayson Rodriguez stacking ‘building blocks’ since rejoining rotation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

In evaluating Grayson Rodriguez’s quartet of starts in the majors since returning to the Orioles’ rotation, both the rookie right-hander himself and his manager compared them with those that came before.“A lot better than the first set,” Rodriguez said.“Much improved over earlier in the year,” Brandon Hyde offered.If one took the 7.35 ERA the 23-year-old posted in his first 10 majors league outings across April and May and arranged those digits in the ideal order, it would result in what Rodriguez has done since rejoining Baltimore last month. He has a 3.57 ERA in four starts, a figure that could be improved upon if not for some troubles late in his outings. That includes Wednesday night’s start against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he was one out from completing the sixth for the second straight start before consecutive full-count walks ended his night. Both runners eventually scored off reliever Shintaro Fujinami.Those final two batters were...

New report from Scarborough food bank paints unsettling picture of food insecurity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

Food has become so unaffordable in this city that even some employed people are no longer able to buy groceries, according to a new report released by the Feed Scarborough food bank.It’s one of many food banks across the city where demand has skyrocketed. Feed Scarborough, which has five different locations, has seen a 112 per cent increase in visits since last year.The report released by the food bank is digging into why so many Torontonians are struggling.About 28 per cent of the clients are currently employed and almost 65 per cent are students.“Think about it, you’re working 40 hours a week, but you still can’t afford food which is a basic human right,” said Suman Roy, founder of Feed Scarborough.More than half of those employed reported low income as their reason for accessing a food bank.“That says that we have precarious employment [and] that says housing and other expenses are so high that food is somewhere where they compromise.”The...

US Rep. Dan Bishop announces a run for North Carolina attorney general

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop, a vocal member of the Freedom Caucus that’s become a foil to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, announced on Thursday that he would run for state attorney general next year rather than seek to remain in Congress.The Republican lawyer revealed his decision in a radio interview in his hometown of Charlotte. Bishop joined Congress in 2019 by narrowly winning a special election, after raising his profile in state politics as a chief sponsor of the controversial 2016 “bathroom bill.” A former county commissioner and state legislator, Bishop said he misses practicing law more regularly, and sees the post as a way to counter an encroaching federal government and to buttress law enforcement during a time of increasing violence.“Over the course of many months we’ve decided this is the right thing for me to do, to come back to North Carolina,” Bishop told WBT radio, referencing his wife. “I think there’s an opportunity to use the inf...

Police seek to identify youths who pelted Mississauga home with objects, smashing window

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

Peel Regional Police are trying to track down the culprits behind a recent attack on a home that shattered a window and left the homeowners rattled.On Thursday police released home surveillance of the incident that occurred on July 25 at around 4:00 a.m.The video shows several youths on bicycles and a scooter congregated in front of a home in the Lorne Park area.Leaving their bikes on the road and sidewalk, they run up to the home and begin pelting it with objects.“Security footage captures the individuals throwing objects at the house, causing the front window to break and alarming the home owners,” police explained in a release.The youths then flee the area.Police have not released any specific descriptions of the offenders.

Judge sets next hearing in Trump 2020 election case for Aug. 28. Follow live updates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

Follow along for live updates as Donald Trump appears in federal court Thursday after being indicted by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House. WHAT TO KNOW— Here’s a breakdown of the sprawling election indictment— Trump lawyer hints at a First Amendment defense in the Jan. 6 case— Republicans are remaining silent about the latest charges against Trump— The judge assigned to Trump’s case is a tough punisher of Capitol rioters— Here’s where the various cases involving Trump standNEXT HEARING SETThe next hearing in Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy case has been set for Aug. 28, just days after the first debate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary debate.The hearing set for later this month will be the first one in front of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will oversee the case brought by special counsel J...

Some federal parties resisted foreign interference probe looking beyond China: Singh

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

OTTAWA — New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party has faced resistance to including countries other than China in the terms of reference for a public inquiry on foreign interference.House leaders from the main federal parties have been meeting over the summer in an attempt to set the terms and timeline for an inquiry and to appoint a potential leader.The talks follow media reports earlier this year about allegations China tried to interfere in the last two federal elections, although parties agree it did not affect the outcome of the elections.The negotiations also come on the heels of a cautionary warning from former special rapporteur David Johnston, who said the Liberal government had “serious shortcomings” in how it dealt with the flow of intelligence regarding bad foreign actors. The NDP wants a thorough public inquiry to include a look at the actions of additional countries such as Russia, India and Iran. “We have been pushing to say that a public inq...

Former Ontario summer camp director accused of grooming, sexual assault in lawsuits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:50 GMT

A private summer camp in Ontario and its former director are facing two lawsuits alleging sexual abuse dating back to the 1990s. The lawsuits allege David Latimer, who until recently was a longtime director of Kilcoo Camp in Minden, Ont., sexually assaulted a camp attendee in the early 1990s and a young camp employee in the late 2000s.The suits from the attendee and former staffer both accuse Latimer, 61, of grooming, manipulating and sexually assaulting the plaintiffs, while the camp is accused of failing to protect them. “Latimer was in a special position of power, authority, and trust,” both lawsuits say. The plaintiffs, the suits claim, were “dependent on and uniquely vulnerable to Latimer.”The allegations have not been proven in court. Latimer’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Kilcoo Camp said that upon learning of the civil lawsuits filed last week, it immediately appointed a new director and Latimer is no longer involve...