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More Ecuadorians move to U.S., spared many others’ hurdles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

SPRING VALLEY, New York (AP) — Kléver Ortega and Cristina Lema had a good life until COVID-19 crippled Ecuador’s economy.Ortega was a house-painting contractor and there was work until demand dried up in the pandemic. The entrepreneurial couple launched a pair of food stands. “Then the pandemic hit those, too,” Lema said. With unemployment, instability and crime rising, they decided to leave for the U.S., following many friends, family and acquaintances.“We used to hear it in the street: ‘They left. Look who else abandoned their business and took off,’” Lema said. “That’s when we, too, told ourselves, ‘We aren’t earning enough to survive or pay debts.’”Ecuador — long known for remarkably low rates of crime, despite sitting in South America’s cocaine heartland — is earthquake-prone and has been struggling economically, fighting higher violence and losing its people in record numbers. Like Ortega and Lema, many are headed to the U.S.; the number of Ecuadorians detained near the border...

Iraqi federal and Kurdish officials reach oil export deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Authorities in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region said Sunday they have reached a deal with the central government in Baghdad that will allow oil exports from the northern Kurdish region by way of Turkey to resume.Officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish government, have long been at odds over oil revenues, a dispute that has been exacerbated by the lack of a federal law detailing the sharing of funds from oil and gas exports.The agreement comes after an arbitration process by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) last sided with Iraq over a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government.Exports via a pipeline that goes through Iraq’s Fish Khabur border crossing to Turkey’s Ceyhan port will resume this week, according to Lawk Ghafuri, spokesperson for the Kurdish regional government.Iraq filed for arbitration against Turkey in 2014 after the Kurdish region began exporting the resource without the cons...

$90 cream and $10 toothpaste: Companies target big spenders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Companies from toothpaste makers to even discounters are adding more premium items like designer body creams and services as they reach out to wealthier shoppers who are still spending freely even in the face of higher inflation and a volatile economic environment.Think $10 toothpastes and $90 creams on supermarket shelves.Retailers and consumer product companies felt justified in raising prices to offset higher costs from gnarled supply chains and Russia’s war in Ukraine last year. But as those financial pressures ease, some are looking for new ways to pump up sales and profits by focusing on premium items amid an overall sales slowdown. “If you want to hedge against the economic challenges, you hedge your bets by chasing after the upper income,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser at market research firm Circana.Many companies that normally cater to middle-income shoppers are unleashing a bevy of premium items in an attempt to grab consumers with more money ...

US Midwest, South reel from pack of tornadoes that killed 26

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

WYNNE, Ark. (AP) — Residents across a wide swath of the South and Midwest on Sunday raced to assess the destruction wreaked by storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes and killed at least 26 people in small towns and big cities.The storms tore a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois and stunning people throughout the region Saturday with the damage’s scope.Confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states destroyed homes and businesses, splintered trees and laid waste to neighborhoods across a broad swath of the country. The dead included at least nine in one Tennessee county; four in the small town of Wynne, Arkansas; three in Sullivan, Indiana; and four in Illinois. Other deaths from the storms that hit Friday night into Saturday were reported in Alabama and Mississippi, along with one near Little Rock, Arkansas, where city officials said more than 2,600 buildings were in a tornado’s path.Residents ...

Sunday Forecast: Mostly sunny and mild, high 50s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

Sunday's forecast is looking mostly sunny, breezy & milder. Cooler lakeside. SW 15-20, G30 mph. Air quality in the Good category in Chicagoland. High: 58Sunday Night: Increasing clouds late and not as cold. SSW 10-20 mph, decreasing overnight. Low: 43Monday: Mostly cloudy and chance of showers. Cooler by the lake. S/E 5-10 mph. High mid 50s. Full forecast details at the WGN Weather CenterExtended outlook calls for Tuesday's low 60s to be accompanied with showers/thunderstorms -- some could again be strong to severe. Sunnier and cooler on Wednesday with highs in the seasonal mid 50s. Near 50 and sunny on Thursday. Cloudy on Friday with highs near 50. 

Spring and summer arts and fun: From glass to paper to bedsheets, stories of culture and the self take many forms at Twin Cities galleries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

If there’s a theme to be found in the Twin Cities art scene this spring and summer, it’s this: Fine art is more than just painting.It’s also glass, at the Cafesjian Art Trust. Woodcarving, at the American Swedish Institute. Billowing textiles, at the Walker Arts Center. Ancient bronze, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Bookbinding and printing, at the Friedli Gallery. Experimental sculpture, at Night Club, downtown St. Paul’s newest contemporary gallery.Here’s a selection, arranged by month, of some of the many gallery shows and studio exhibitions coming up in St. Paul and the greater Twin Cities this season.A quick note: Plenty of art fairs, including the St. Paul Arts Crawl, are also taking place this spring and summer and are included in the Festivals and Family Fun section of our arts guide.AprilOpenings:April 7, Book Arts Exhibition — Friedli Gallery, St. Paul: Book artist Erin Maurelli is curating an exhibition that focuses on printing arts — including letterpress, zines, s...

Spring and summer arts and fun: Theater scene runs from ‘Hamlet’ to ‘Hamilton’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

From “Hamilton” to “Hamlet,” the coming months have numerous options for live theater and musicals. The lineup includes both touring productions (“Jagged Little Pill,” “Tootsie”) and homegrown shows (“Glensheen,” “Shane”).Here’s a look at what’s on tap.‘Hamilton’Opens April 4: Since its Off-Broadway debut in 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop musical “Hamilton” had enjoyed massive commercial and critical success. It tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton with a cast of nonwhite actors. It received a record-breaking 16 Tony nominations and won 11, including best musical. It also received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A filmed version of the Broadway production is available for streaming on Disney+. Through May 6: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; $349-$119; hennepintheatretrust.org.‘Hamlet’Opens April 8: The Guthrie has quite a ...

1 killed, 3 wounded in West Hills shopping center shootout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

One person was killed and three others were hospitalized after a shootout in a busy West Hills shopping center on Saturday afternoon.Officers responded to the shopping plaza near Fallbrook Avenue and Vanowen Street around 3:45 p.m. on reports of gunfire exchanged involving multiple people.A 45-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. A 35-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man and a 45-year-old man were hospitalized in serious or critical condition, the Los Angeles Police Department saidPolice said the shootout was the result of a drug deal gone wrong.Citizen video showed a large police and emergency response in the parking lot as shoppers looked on.Adam Strickland, an eyewitness, said he was heading out of a movie theater when the shooting happened.“I heard a couple of pops and it didn’t even occur to me that they were gunshots until I saw people running down the parking lot,” said Strickland. “(A) guy who got shot just slowly fell to the ground and the people who were with him st...

This is where California residents can find the cheapest homes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

Prospective buyers in California may have trouble landing their forever homes in cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco due to expensive home prices. For those with a little flexibility on location, a March study from Go Banking Rates revealed which California had more affordable home values. The study, which details the cheapest places to buy a home in each state, found five California cities with an average home value of less than $350,000, significantly cheaper than the $1.1 million average home price in Los Angeles, based on data from Realtor.com. What can California politicians do to combat expensive home prices? California cities with the cheapest home prices include:Oildale (Kern County): Average home price: $248,001Porterville (Tulare County): Average home price: $278,057Delano (Kern County): Average home price: $278,057Tulare (Tulare County): Average home price: $310,699Calexico (Imperial County): Average home price: $315,277Researchers analyzed Zillow and the U.S. Cens...

Angels’ Anthony Rendon 'can't comment' on fan altercation in Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:36 GMT

Anthony Rendon wasn’t very talkative Saturday, two days after video surfaced of the Los Angeles Angels All-Star appearing to take a swipe at an Oakland fan after a 2-1 opening day loss to the Athletics. “I’m sorry. I can’t comment,” the third baseman told a throng of reporters Saturday at the end of a news conference on the field at the Oakland Coliseum that lasted fewer than five minutes. MLB said Friday it was looking into the incident. MLB investigating video showing Angels’ Anthony Rendon grabbing fan by the shirt Rendon went hitless and struck out twice in three at-bats on Thursday. He left the Angels dugout and was on his way to the tunnel leading to the clubhouse when he stopped and apparently confronted a fan sitting near the railing. Rendon accused the fan of calling him a slur. The man denied it, and Rendon cussed at the fan and took a swipe at him with his left hand before walking away. Someone nearby caught the incident on video and posted it on social media.“This happ...