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Bank survey shows Japan’s businesses turning pessimistic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Business sentiment among big Japanese manufacturers worsened in the first quarter of this year in the fifth straight decline, according to a central bank survey released Monday.The headline measure in the Bank of Japan quarterly survey called “tankan” found such sentiments stood at plus 1, down from plus 7 in December. It’s the worst quarterly result since December 2020.Sentiments among major non-manufacturers rose one point to plus 20, its the fourth straight quarter of improvement. The Japanese economy has tended to stagnate in recent years, with slow wage increases, and has recently been hit by inflationary pressures, even as some parts of the nation’s economy continue to experince deflation, the opposite trend in which prices continually decrease.Uncertainty about global growth is weighing on the export-reliant country. The recent turmoil over the U.S. banking sector is adding to such woes, just at a time when Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent energy prices soa...

Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin to receive Edward MacDowell Medal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Documentary maker Alanis Obomsawin is this year’s winner of the Edward MacDowell Medal, a lifetime achievement honor given previously to Toni Morrison, David Lynch and Roseanne Cash among others. She is the first female director to win the medal, presented by the MacDowell artist residency program. She is also the first recipient who descends from the Abanaki People, part of whose homeland is now the setting for MacDowell, based in Peterborough, New Hampshire.“It is a distinct pleasure to be counted among such a magnificent group,” the 90-year-old Obomsawin, referring to the other medal winners, said in a statement. A New Hampshire native who grew up in Quebec, she has made dozens of movies, focused often on First Nations people, her credits including “Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance” and “Incident at Restigouche.” She is also an activist, actor and musician who has received numerous awards in Canada.“As the Grand Dame of the Indigenous film world an...

Canadian-American filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin to win MacDowell Medal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — Prolific filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will receive the MacDowell Medal.MacDowell, an American arts organization, says the Canadian-American documentarian will be the first female filmmaker to win the prize when it’s awarded at a ceremony in July.The award goes to an artist who’s made an outstanding contribution to their field.The 90-year-old Obomsawin, who is Abenaki, has more than 50 films under her belt, including 1993’s “Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance” and last year’s short “Bill Reid Remembers.”Past winners of the prize include James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Toni Morrison. Jesse Wente will introduce Obomsawin at an event on the MacDowell campus in Peterborough, N.H.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2023.The Canadian Press

Report: 2 dead, 1 hurt in medical copter crash in Alabama

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A medical helicopter responding to a call to airlift a hiker with breathing problems crashed Sunday southeast of the Alabama city of Birmingham, leaving two of its crew dead and sending the third to a hospital, authorities said.The Eurocopter EC130 crashed near the community of Chelsea in Shelby County with the three crew aboard, the Federal Aviation Administration said in an email to The Associated Press.Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Clay Hammac told news outlet al.com that the downed craft was a medical helicopter called to evacuate a hiker suffering from breathing problems and chest pains. Deputies had set up a landing area for the helicopter, he added.A deputy called 911 to report the crash and said that one of the three crew members was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report. Two others were taken to a hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead, it added.The condition of the third crew member was not immediately a...

Chicago Tool Library expands on West Side with more than just books

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Tool Library, where you don't just find books, recently expanded to a new space on the city's West Side. The Chicago Tool Library is a non-profit library, but instead of books, the organization has much more — from home repair and gardening, to sewing, cooking and camping.Executive director Tessa Vierk co-founded the library in 2019, six months before the pandemic hit."Our resources were more important than ever, people were home cooking, doing more projects, in their yards and we were there for them. It was really great to be able to do that," Vierk said.The library first resided in Bridgeport, but now can be found in West Garfield Park.The library's philosophy is that instead of buying a new tool that may hardly be used, people can borrow up to seven items at a time for a week with an option for renewal. The library also recently launched paid memberships for small organizations."I think we can all relate to having too much stuff that we don’t use all the ti...

15 tornadoes touchdown in Chicago area, NWS confirms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

CHICAGO — NWS Chicago has confirmed 15 total tornadoes in Northern Illinois including one in Belvidere where a roof collapse at the Apollo Theater left one person dead. According to the NWS, one was reported west/southwest of Baileyville and one was reported near Caledonia.On Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service confirmed a third tornado, an EF-1, impacted Machesney Park. The fourth tornado was an EF-1 tornado that went across portions of Ogle, Winnebago and Boone counties. The NWS said wind speeds peaked in Belvidere and caused the roof to collapse.A fifth tornado was confirmed Sunday afternoon to have touched down in Merrillville, Illinois and the Hobart/Green Acres area on Friday. The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-1.Other tornadoes included: EF - 1 near Wellington, ILEF - 1 near Stockland, IL EF - Lombard to Addison, IL EF -2 near Oxford, IN EF - 2 near Fowler, IN EF - 1 Near RemingtonEF - 0 from Montgomery near Orchard Road to Aurora near P...

LIVE BLOG: Severe storm threat ends in Central Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Parts of Central Texas are seeing severe storms Sunday evening. While most of the activity remains to our north, we could see a few strong to severe storms in our part of the state.Much of the area is under a Slight risk for severe storms (category 2 out of 5), especially north and northwest of Austin. A Tornado Watch is currently in effect for Milam County through 11 p.m. FORECAST: Tornado watch issued for parts of Central Texas The severe weather risk looks greatest from 5 p.m. until around 10 p.m. marching west to east. Large hail will be the main risk but damaging straight-line winds will also be possible, and there will be a threat of an isolated tornado. View of a severe storm near Killeen as seen from Lampasas on April 2, 2023. (Courtesy Robin England)View of severe storms from just north of Georgetown on April 2, 2023. (KXAN Viewer Photo)View of severe storms from Leander on April 2, 2023. (KXAN Viewer Photo)Weather ResourcesHow to talk to your kids ab...

Record heat to start the week with a low severe risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Tornado Watch for Lampasas, San Saba and Milam Counties on Sunday has been cancelled after producing golf ball sized hail and 75mph winds through Bell County and a tornado warned storm into Milam County.The remainder of the night should be dry as the last of our isolated storms pull out.Low clouds build back in for the Austin metro and our eastern counties to begin Monday. Some areas of fog could develop too. Overnight lows drop down into the upper 60s making for a very warm night.Low clouds will give way to sun by late morning through the afternoon. UPDATED April forecast increases chances for rain After humidity rushed in on Sunday, we'll add more heat for the start of the work week with highs in the low 90s Monday and Tuesday.Highs next few daysThe record high for Monday, April 3 is 90° set in 2017. The record for Tuesday April 4 is 92° set four years ago.A very low (10%) chance of storms exists for Monday afternoon-mid-evening. Areas north of Austin may ...

You Paid For It: St. Louis County Council may soon get a pay hike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. – Members of the St. Louis County Council may be on their way to a pay hike.Voters approved setting up a special pay commission to see if the council should get an increase and, if so, by how much.Commission chairman Tim Fitch, a former member of the county council, said the council has not had a raise in a long time and has long deserve one.When asked if the raise would be as large as the increase St. Louis City aldermen gave themselves, Fitch balked.The city doubled the pay for aldermen, from $37,500 to $72,000, because the size of the board was cut in half; from 28 members down to 14.Fitch said that is too much money for what the lawmakers do, adding there’s no way he would commend county council members get that much. He points out that the council districts have more people than the new city wards.Th county pay commission will make its recommendations by the end of May. The county council will then vote whether to accept or reject those recommendations.

St. Charles water woes at center of mayoral race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:36 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Tuesday is a big day for St. Charles voters, as they’ll decide whether to elect a new mayor or keep Dan Borgmeyer in office."People are excited for a change, I believe. The difference in our personalities is a big thing," said Tom Besselman, who is challenging Borgmeyer.Both candidates said a big concern they're hearing from residents is about the city's water issues."It's got to be the utilities that we didn't look at for the last three years. Or the first three years of his (tenure), you know," Besselman said. 3 people injured in crash on Highway 100 near Washington, Missouri Borgmeyer said he’s moved forward on the matter and pressed the Environmental Protection Agency while in office."We're purchasing equipment to take out contaminated well water and clean it to absolute zero contaminates while we build a new well field, which we're also investigating,” he said. “So, I can't wait three years for the bureaucrats to solve these problems.”The mayor said the cit...