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Downtown Boston, other neighborhoods to see more business with new grant, officials say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

Two dozen Boston-based small businesses are receiving grants of $40,000 and up that city officials hope will awaken a sleepy downtown and bolster commercial districts in other neighborhoods.A goal behind the program is to close the city’s racial wealth gap.Three quarters of the 24 selected businesses in the first round of funding are minority-owned, and more than 60% are women-owned, officials highlighted Wednesday.Many small business owners are either looking to launch their first brick-and-mortar space or expand current operations to neighborhoods like Downtown Crossing, Back Bay or the Seaport, said Segun Idowu, the city’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion.“Many (business owners) have been losing hope, particularly as a result of COVID-19,” he said. “What we are proud of is this is a program that seeks to stave off that tragedy.”Officials are tapping $9 million from the city’s $551.7 million federal American Rescue Plan Act allotment towards the program. The...

This San Diego metro area city has the most affordable housing market: report

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Can you guess which San Diego metro area city has the most affordable housing market?If you don't want to spend over half of your yearly income towards homeownership, then San Diego may not be the place for you -- hypothetically speaking. Based on the average projected income of a household, median asking price, estimated mortgage cost and taxes, there's only one San Diego metro area city where homebuyers will be forking out less than 50% of their income for a place to call their own. How much income is required to afford rent in San Diego? That's according to a report by real estate listing platform RealtyHop, which examined home affordability for the average American family in the 100 largest U.S. cities and their surrounding metros.Based on this report's key findings, Carlsbad is the least affordable housing market in the regional metro area. RealtyHop says households in Carlsbad spend 69.03% of their income on mortgage and property tax payments.Next in line as lea...

FACT FOCUS: No head trauma or suspicious circumstances in drowning of Obamas’ chef, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

The drowning death of former President Barack Obama’s personal chef on Martha’s Vineyard this week is sparking a frenzy of false claims on social media, as users share conspiracy theories and baseless speculation about what happened.Many are suggesting, without evidence, that Tafari Campbell died under questionable circumstances, claiming he knew how to swim and was in calm, shallow water. Others are sharing patently untrue statements, such as that he was found with head injuries or was equipped with a life vest. But Massachusetts authorities confirmed on Wednesday that Campbell didn’t suffer any head trauma, nor was he wearing a life vest, and there’s no evidence the death was suspicious. They said he lost his balance while standing on his paddleboard and struggled to stay afloat when he fell into the water. Water safety experts also stressed that even strong swimmers can drown, regardless of the type of water they’re in.Here’s a closer look at the misinformation circulating around...

Mississippi teen’s death in poultry plant shows child labor remains a problem, feds say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The death of a 16-year-old in a Mississippi poultry plant earlier this month offered another reminder that children remain vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace in the United States, senior Labor Department officials said Wednesday.Duvan Perez became the third teenager to die in an industrial accident this summer. Those deaths occurred amid a push by lawmakers in some states to loosen child labor regulations in order to meet growing demands for workers, though none of the deaths occurred in states where new laws have been enacted.Perez was working on a sanitation crew at Mar-Jac Poultry on July 14 when he became entangled in a conveyor belt he was cleaning, according to records obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. Before authorities arrived at the meat processing plant, Perez’s coworkers had tried to extract him from the equipment, which stretched to the plant’s ceiling. Police found the teenager dead, and Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict s...

Canadian Human Rights Tribunal approves $23B First Nations child welfare settlement

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has approved a $23.4-billion settlement agreement for First Nations children, youth and families harmed by the federal government’s underfunding of child welfare services.“According to the parties, this is the largest compensation settlement in Canadian history and it now includes a commitment from the Minister of Indigenous Services to request an apology from the Prime Minister,” the decision, released Wednesday, reads.Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, said in a tweet that the next step is for the Federal Court to provide approval. Blackstock, who has been negotiating the settlement alongside the Assembly of First Nations, said compensation will not be paid out until then.The latest settlement comes more than 15 years after the two organizations jointly launched a human-rights complaint that sparked a years-long legal battle with Ottawa.The 2007 complaint revolved ...

‘Our family’s heart’: Father speaks days after daughter’s death in Mississauga

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

The father of a 21-year-old woman found dead inside a high-rise in Mississauga last weekend opened up about the grief he and his family are experiencing, describing his daughter as “our family’s heart.”Peel Regional Police were called to an apartment building at 28 Helene Street North in Port Credit around noon on Thursday, July 20, for a wellness check of a female resident.Investigators identified the victim as 21-year-old Pitch Phaunpa. Phaunpa’s death has been deemed a homicide.Peel Regional Police have not elaborated on the investigation and only revealed details of the case on Sunday, July 23.Pitch’s father, Jack, offered to speak on behalf of his family. He tells CityNews that while he won’t expand on the investigation or its status, he shared Pitch’s history and upbringing, describing his daughter as the heartbeat of his family.Pitch Phaunpa, 21, in a photo provided by her family. Photo: CityNews submission.“I have two sons and ...

Five top dance companies give NY fans a treat at free outdoor festival founded during pandemic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Occasionally, the best things in life really are free — especially if you’re a dance fan this week anywhere near New York, where some of the world’s best dancers are performing at a free festival under the stars.It was an idea born during the heart of the pandemic, when artistic directors of the five top New York dance companies started talking about how to navigate the unprecedented shutdown and help their dancers thrive. That connection developed into the BAAND Together festival, which premiered in 2021; this year’s festival is the third. The companies count among the world’s very best by any estimation: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet. Together they represent a welcome reminder of the diversity and breadth of dance in New York, even as arts institutions are facing huge economic challenges as they emerge from the worst of the pandemic.Attendance has increased ever...

Trump wants to see Biden impeached, and other Republicans are quick to pile on

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump wants to see President Joe Biden impeached, and the former president’s allies in Congress and his 2024 GOP presidential rivals are eager to join that fight as his own legal challenges mount.Trump’s chief opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, this week said the House Republicans “are absolutely within their rights” to consider an impeachment inquiry against Biden. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, also running for president, also said Republicans would be “justified to do it.” And House GOP leaders aligned with Trump are foreshadowing what’s ahead.“House Republicans will leave no stone unturned,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the fourth-ranking House GOP leader and a top Trump ally, who is sometimes mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick.This week, the prospect of impeaching Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, emerged from the far corners of the GOP’s right flank to the mainstream in the Republi...

Q&A: John Wilson exploits what other filmmakers try to hide in final season of ‘How To’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As John Wilson gears up to premiere the third and final season of his cult documentary series, “How To With John Wilson,” the filmmaker reflected on how a video camera changes people’s behavior — and how he exploits that for his show.Each episode of the Emmy-nominated series starts off as a kind of “how to” video, but inevitably devolves into a hilariously bizarre and shocking portrait of humanity. In an interview with The Associated Press, Wilson shared how his style of cinematography was influenced by his time working for a private investigator, as well as his thoughts on how artificial intelligence will impact the future of filmmaking.Season three of “How To” premieres July 28 on HBO and Max. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.AP: How are you feeling going into this final season?WILSON: I cannot wait for it to come out. I have been sitting on this for a few months now, and there’s just so much I want to talk about with it. I think it’s the be...

Mexico’s state-owned oil company suggests oil washing up on beaches is from natural seepage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:10 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico’s state-owned oil company contended Wednesday that oil washing up on the country’s Gulf coast beaches could not have come from a spill of about 1,350 barrels caused by a pipeline leak, suggesting it came from natural seepage from ocean-floor vents. Octavio Romero, the director of the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos company, better known as Pemex, said an aging underwater pipeline sprang a leak at the start of July. Romero said that because the company did not have the right size fitting on hand to repair the pipe, oil continued leaking for 18 days. The pipeline, located just off Mexico’s southern Gulf coast, was finally fixed late last week. Romero argued the type of light crude spilled from the Ek-Balam field throughout the first half of July could not have formed thick tarry lumps like those reported on beaches in the Gulf coast states of Tabasco and Tamaulipas.There is natural underwater seepage from offshore oil fields in the Gulf. Rom...