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S&P/TSX composite ekes out tiny gain, U.S. markets move lower Friday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index eked out a minute gain Friday with technology stocks weighing down the index, while U.S. markets moved lower.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 2.01 points at 20,419.62.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 8.89 points at 33,300.62.The S&P 500 index was down 6.54 points at 4,124.08, while the Nasdaq composite was down 43.76 points at 12,284.74.“Looks like another week where the markets are staying in a tight range. We are seeing some downward pressure to close during the week, but nothing too dramatic,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones. That downward pressure, particularly on technology and growth stocks, is tied to a rise in yields, said Kourkafas. The yields are on the way up after a University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey reported an unexpected rise in long-term inflation expectations, he said.That plus ongoing uncertainty around the U.S. debt ceiling are weighing on mar...

WestJet pilots could strike next week — but imminent walkout would be ‘premature’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

MONTREAL — Talks between WestJet pilots and their employer dragged on Friday as the union warned a walkout could come as early as next week, leaving passengers’ travel plans up in the air.The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents some 1,600 flight crew at WestJet and subsidiary Swoop, said it is poised to file a 72-hour strike notice — but not at the earliest opportunity at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.“I’m fairly certain that I won’t be putting the strike notice in tonight,” said Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, in a phone interview from outside the negotiating room at a venue in Richmond Hill, Ont.“It’d be I think a little premature.“Negotiations have been going OK,” he added. “There’s still quite a distance between the proposals, but we’re both still coming to the table.”The workers’ issues revolve around job protection, pay and scheduling, with some 340 pil...

Harris group agrees to buy NFL’s Washington Commanders from Snyder family

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — A group led by Josh Harris has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.The deal is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports franchise. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales and basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Snyder has owned the team since 1999.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLStephen Whyno, The Associated Press

Oilpatch restarts some production but wildfire risk remains volatile

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

CALGARY — Some oil and gas producers in Alberta are restoring production after temporarily halting operations earlier this week due to wildfires.More than 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production were curtailed in Alberta as wildfires raged across the energy-producing province this week.As of Friday, some companies have restarted operations as cooler temperatures and rainfall throughout the week brought relief in some areas of the province.Companies that have indicated partial or complete restart of operations in the affected areas include Crescent Point Energy Corp., Tourmaline Oil Corp., and Pembina Pipeline Corp.However, the situation remains volatile as hot and dry conditions in the forecast threaten to worsen the fire situation.There are currently 74 active wildfires in the province, including 21 that are out of control, and a provincial state of emergency remains in effect.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2023.Companies in this story...

Doomsday plot: Idaho jury convicts woman in murders of 2 children, romantic rival

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho mother Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted Friday in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival, a verdict that culminates a three-year investigation that included bizarre claims that her son and daughter were zombies and she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse.Vallow Daybell showed no expression as the verdict was read. Some in the courtroom gallery wiped tears from their eyes.Prosecutors in the case described Vallow Daybell as a power-hungry manipulator who would kill her two youngest children for money, while the defense team said she was normally protective mother who fell under the romantic sway of a wannabe cult leader.Jurors heard both stories Thursday during final arguments in the seven-week long trial, and deliberated for about four hours before breaking for the evening. They resumed deliberations Friday morning and reached a verdict, which was announced shortly after noon.Vallow Daybell was convicted of conspiri...

Largest US public utility switching from coal to gas, despite proposed EPA carbon pollution limits

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation’s largest public utility released plans Friday to build a new natural gas plant in Tennessee, largely dismissing renewable energy alternatives one day after the Biden administration proposed strict new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.The Tennessee Valley Authority is replacing its coal-burning Kingston Fossil Plant, the site of a massive coal ash spill in 2008. TVA’s draft environmental impact statement says constructing a 1500-megawatt gas plant along with 3-4 megawatts of solar and 100 megawatts of battery storage at the Kingston site is “the best overall solution to provide low-cost, reliable energy to the TVA power system.”TVA considered replacing the Kingston plant with 1500 megawatts of solar and 2,200 megawatts of battery storage at various locations around the Tennessee Valley, but nixed solar as less reliable and spent only a few pages on the analysis. The Southern Environmental Law Center criticized TVA...

Lobbyist pleads guilty to conspiracy in scheme to bribe Michigan marijuana board chair

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A fourth person pleaded guilty Friday in an investigation of bribery at the now-defunct Michigan marijuana licensing board.A lobbyist, Brian Pierce, said he conspired to give $42,000 and other benefits to Rick Johnson to help clients with marijuana license applications before the board was disbanded in 2019.Johnson pleaded guilty in April, admitting that he accepted at least $110,000 in exchange for approving applications. A businessman and another lobbyist have also pleaded guilty in the FBI investigation. Johnson, a former Republican state lawmaker, served as speaker of the House from 2001 through 2004.Gov. Gretchen Whitmer abolished the medical marijuana board a few months after taking office in 2019 and put oversight inside a state agency.Michigan voters legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 2008. Voters approved the recreational use of marijuana in 2018. The Associated Press

Hundreds of police among mourners for slain Wisconsin deputy sheriff

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

HUDSON, Wis. (AP) — Hundreds of law enforcement officers from several states joined other mourners in paying final respects Friday to a Wisconsin sheriff’s deputy who was fatally shot by a suspected drunken driver during a traffic stop.The funeral for St. Croix County Sheriff’s Deputy Kaitlin “Kaitie” R. Leising was held in the gymnasium of Hudson High School while a montage of photos from her life were shown on a large screen overhead. Leising’s family, including her wife, Courtney, and their 3-month-old son, Syler, stood to the side of the casket, hugging visitors.Mourners included a large delegation from the Pennington County, South Dakota, Sheriff’s Office, where Leising worked before moving to St. Croix County last year. After the funeral, a law enforcement procession was scheduled to take her casket from the high school in Hudson to a church in Baldwin.Leising, 29, was slain May 6 in Glenwood, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Minneapolis. Leising and the driver she...

What to know about judge’s ruling on age limit for young gun buyers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A U.S. judge’s ruling striking down a federal law that bans licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 is the latest example of how a landmark Supreme Court decision is transforming the legal landscape around firearms. The ruling issued Wednesday by a federal judge in Virginia is just the beginning of what’s likely to be a lengthy court battle over rules aimed at making it harder for 18- to 20-year-olds to get handguns. The judge’s ruling doesn’t go into effect until he issues a final order that would bar the government from enforcing the age limit. The Justice Department didn’t immediately comment on the ruling but is likely to appeal and could ask for the final order to be put on hold while it does. The judge cited the Supreme Court’s June decision in a case called Bruen, which changed the test that courts had long used to evaluate gun laws. The ruling has opened the door to a wave of challenges from gun-...

Joliet man found guilty of 2019 Harrah's Casino stabbing death

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:53:00 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. -- A Joliet man was found guilty of stabbing a Wisconsin man 26 times in the Harrah's Casino Hotel in 2019.Robert Watson, 29, was found guilty in the 2019 death of Emanual Burgarino, 76, of Wisconsin, in the hotel of the Harrah's Casino in Joliet, according to the Will County State's Attorney's Office.On March 24, 2019, Watson fatally stabbed Burgarino in the fifth-floor hallway of the Harrah's Casino hotel. A witness testified that Watson had followed Burgarino into the elevator and exited with him on the fifth-floor. ‘What would happen if I bashed you with this bat?’: $800K bond for Chicago woman accused of battery spree The witness told the court that he had an uncomfortable feeling about Watson, he rode back down when Watson departed the elevator on the fifth floor. He then rode back up and, not seeing Watson, went to his room.A few minutes later, he heard a commotion in the hallway. When he opened his door, Hill saw Watson attacking Burgarino. After seeing Hill, ...