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Debt worries up as higher interest rates and rising cost of living take a toll: MNP

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

CALGARY — A report by insolvency firm MNP Ltd. says 52 per cent of Canadians say they are $200 away or less from not being able to pay all of their bills at the end of the month as higher interest rates and a rising cost of living have stretched budgets.The result for the July report is up six percentage points from 46 per cent in April.MNP president Grant Bazian says the escalating burden of household bills and food prices has intensified Canadians’ financial anxiety and is further compounded by increased debt-servicing costs, particularly for those who are deeply indebted.MNP’s consumer debt index fell to 83 points in its latest reading compared with 89 points in April as Canadians expressed a more negative attitude toward their personal finances and debt.The report says 35 per cent of those asked say they already don’t make enough to cover their bills and debt payments, up from 30 per cent in April and a record high for the survey. It also says a record 48 per c...

Jews and Muslims come together at Srebrenica anniversary of Europe’s only post-World War II genocide

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Jews and Muslims came together on Monday in Bosnia on the eve of the 28th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since the Holocaust, to talk about ways they can use their shared pain to help rid the world of hate and bigotry.More than 8,000 Bosniak — mainly Muslim — men and boys were killed in July 1995 in Srebrenica, after Bosnian Serb troops took hold of the eastern town. The carnage has been declared a genocide by two U.N. courts. “It is absolutely critical for the future of both the Jewish people and the (Muslim) Bosniak people, for us to join forces in remembrance in order to make sure that these type of atrocities not be allowed to occur in the future,” Menachem Rosensaft, the general counsel of the World Jewish Congress, told The Associated Press.Founded in 1936, the World Jewish Congress, or WJC, is the leading international organization connecting and protecting Jewish communities globally, in more ...

Small Town Week, Episode 1: Can we build new housing ourselves?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, welcome to Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine the big problems facing small communities.Access to affordable housing is no longer limited to big cities in Canada. Small communities also struggle to provide affordable housing for their residents. And perhaps the struggle is felt hardest in Canada’s north, where the cost of living is significantly higher, from groceries to basic supplies to housing.To address the high cost of living, Nunavut heavily relies on an already strained public housing system. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the past, residents in what would later become Nunavut built their own homes through the Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP).Formerly based in Iqaluit, journalist David Venn wrote a series for Nunatsiaq News, discussing overcrowding in Nunavut’s public housing and the potential of HAP as a viable solution for residents, if it were available now. “When you build your own ...

A competitive race for an open House seat is taking shape in a Michigan battleground district

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former Democratic state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. on Monday will announce a campaign for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, one of the nation’s most competitive House districts.Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett, who launched his second run for the seat Sunday night, are the first to announce bids for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s seat. Slotkin, a Democrat, announced earlier this year that she would seek Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. Michigan’s 7th District was home to one of the nation’s most expensive contests last year, with Slotkin beating Barrett, and both national parties have already vowed to again go all out to win the battleground district in 2024.Hertel was recruited by Slotkin to run for the seat and will announce his candidacy in Lansing. He represented Lansing and East Lansing in the state Legislature from 2015 to 2022 before being term-limited. He briefly served as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s director of legislative affairs bef...

Blue Island man charged with murder after 10-year-old Rockford girl found dead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A registered sex offender from Blue Island has been charged with first degree murder after a 10-year-old girl was found dead in Rockford Saturday, according to the Rockford Police Department.Antonio Monroe, 44, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and aggravated battery/strangulation. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police: 10-year-old girl found dead in Rockford According to police, officers were dispatched around 12:07 p.m. Saturday after a call from a woman who said her 6-year-old daughter came home and that a man took her 10-year-old sister.At around 12:40 p.m., Rockford police officers said they were flagged down by a male who said he found an unresponsive juvenile girl outside of a residence in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue. When officers arrived on scene, they found the child and administered CPR.The Rockford Fire Department then took her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.As the child was taken to the hos...

Darnell Mooney 'ready to roll' for Bears training camp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

MCCOOK, Ill. - Darnell Mooney is up and running again.The Bears fourth year wideout sprinted out of a tunnel of kids onto the practice field in McCook to kick off his youth football camp."My father is from here. I used to come here in the summer. We went to some camps and stuff. It was fun. I learned a lot of things from those. Good journey. Good experience. I'm able to give it back. I'm happy I can do so."And Bears fans are happy Mooney's ankle appears to be fully healed with training camp just over two weeks away."I'm feeling good. I'm ready to roll."Mooney spent a large chunk of the offseason rehabbing alongside Eddie Jackson on his journey back to the gridiron."There's been some ups and downs. It's been a trial. Some things I've learned - I've enjoyed the journey of it. I've enjoyed the process. I've learned a lot being able to sit down. You can't really do too much. Rehabbing my ankle, especially with Eddie, being able to talk through some life things - it's been amazing."The B...

Ex-gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times during altercation at Florida prison: AP sources

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another incarcerated person at a federal prison in Florida.Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press the attack happened Sunday at United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida. The people said he was in stable condition Monday.One of the people said he had been stabbed in the back and in the chest.The people were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack or the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic medalists.Nassar is serving decades in prison for convictions in state and federal courts. He admitted sexually assaulting athletes when he worked at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. Separately, Nassar pleaded guilt...

DPS troopers involved in chase that ended in north Austin

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were involved in a pursuit that ended in north Austin Monday morning.KXAN's Dylan McKim reports it appears the chase ended in a parking lot of a business park near I-35 and Rundberg Lane.Troopers were seen looking at a black Lincoln car that had some damage to the front right tire. Investigators were also walking around a small grassy area by the parking lot.Further details were not immediately available. KXAN will update this story as we learn more.

Antarctica explorer and University of Texas researcher to be honored with Polar Medal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- University of Texas researcher Ian Dalziel will be honored later this summer at Buckingham Palace. The medal is awarded by the British Royal Family to scientists who have spent significant time in the Arctic Circle. "I got an email, which apologized, first of all, for the vulgarity of communicating in such a way," Dalziel said.Dalziel has visited the icy continent more than fifty times since the late 1960s."I was interested in looking over the horizon, Dalziel said. "I wanted to know the relationship between the rocks of this mountain range and the rocks of that mountain range," Dalziel said.The geologist joined the University of Texas in the late 1980s. His work with the Jackson School of Geosciences has contributed to research on Pangea, the ancient supercontinent that existed hundreds of millions of years ago."The contribution that I helped make, to understanding earlier supercontinents, was connecting the Pacific margins of North America and Antarctica," Dalziel...

Crash on I-87 closes Northway southbound in Malta

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:24:15 GMT

MALTA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to 511 NY, a crash on I-87 Northway southbound around Exit 12; NY 67 in Malta to Exit 11; Round Lake Road in Malta has closed all lanes and both shoulders. Drivers in the area should seek alternative routes if possible.Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!New York State Police say at this time it is a multiple-car accident with injuries. They are currently on the scene investigating. Stick with NEWS10 as more information on the crash becomes available.