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After a summer of Barbenheimer and Beyoncé, can US consumers still afford the holiday season?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

Minneapolis (CNN) — Ballpark attendance boomed this summer, Barbenheimer revived the box office and a Renaissance of live performances brought concerts into new Eras.In mid-2023, Americans’ enduring efforts to satisfy post-pandemic cravings for experiences hit a fever pitch.“Everybody went out on tour,” said Keith Gentili, a 55-year-old New Hampshire resident who saw 13 shows this summer, a total that surpassed what he’d see in an entire year pre-pandemic. “It was like a buffet. The buffet was open.”Consumer spending this year remained strong despite high inflation and rising interest rates.But after the summer of splurge, some economists and consumer analysts anticipate that those and other pressures could cause that resilience to buckle — perhaps meaningfully so — during the critical holiday season.However, it also could mean that holiday spending just might look a little different and skewed more toward experiences than it has done in past years.“I think that, rationally, you wou...

Mac Jones’ late TD pass lifts Patriots over Bills 29-25; Bill Belichick is 3rd coach with 300 wins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, making Bill Belichick the third coach in NFL history with 300 regular-season victories.Belichick joins Pro Football Hall of Famers Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) as the only coaches to reach the milestone.Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots (2-5) snapped a three-game skid. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a score and rookie Chad Ryland added three field goals to help the Patriots beat back a second-half rally by Buffalo (4-3), which briefly took the lead late in the fourth quarter.Josh Allen was 27 of 41 for 265 yards with two TDs and ran for a score. He also threw an interception that set up New England’s first touchdown. The Bills struggled on third down and scored touchdowns on only two of their four red-zone opportunities.Trailing 22-10 in the fou...

What changed for Mac Jones in Patriots’ first game-winning drive in over two years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

FOXBORO — Mac Jones’ message to his Patriots teammates during the defining moment of his season was a simple one.“Take a deep breath, and let’s go do it,” the quarterback said as his offense huddled down by three points with 1:58 left in Sunday’s game against the Bills.Jones has been in these situations and came up short too many times in his NFL career. His last fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive was over two years ago on Oct. 10, 2021, against the Texans.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Mac Jones delivers signature win with 29-25 comeback victory over Bills New England Patriots | Patriots make another controversial QB change based on Week 7 inactives New England Patriots | Bill Belichick reportedly agreed to multi-year extension with Patriots before season New England Patriots | Sources project value for Patriots’ trade deadline candidates New England Patriots | ...

Trump denies ‘Kraken’ lawyer Sidney Powell ever worked for him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

Former President Donald J. Trump on Sunday said Sidney Powell, who pleaded guilty Thursday in the Georgia elections interference case – and agreed to testify against other defendants – was never a part of his legal team.Powell, of “unleash the kraken” fame, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor charges in connection with the wide ranging criminal conspiracy case centered around the 45th President playing out in the Peach State. On Sunday, Trump used his social media platform to declare that Powell was not his attorney, but rather was serving as legal counsel for his disgraced former National Security Advisory, Michael Flynn.“Sidney Powell was one of millions and millions of people who thought, and in ever increasing numbers still think, correctly, that the 2020 Presidential Election was RIGGED & STOLLEN, AND OUR COUNTRY IS BEING ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED BECAUSE OF IT!!! Despite the Fake News reports to the contrary, and without even reaching out to ask the Trump Campaign, MS. POWE...

Sweet 16: Foxboro’s Martinelli joins exclusive group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

Foxboro head football coach Jack Martinelli experienced a lot of varying emotions late in Friday’s game against Canton.His team was on the verge of making him the seventh coach in state history to win 300 games, but that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. He was thinking of his players and rejoicing in the fact that they could no longer have to worry about doing something for him.“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know what (the accomplishment) meant,” Martinelli said after the 35-0 victory. “But I was more mindful of the kids at that time. Now that this is off their plates, they can experience their own ride from here on out and not worry about (the 300 wins).”In the middle of a special achievement, Martinelli was more concerned about his players instead of himself. Brad Sidwell has been coaching in the Hockomock League since 1994 at Franklin and now at Taunton. He says Martinelli is a legend both on and off the field.“I look forward to running into him at lea...

Residential unit fire closes roads in Yonge and Church area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

A fire in a residential unit in the Yonge and Church Streets area has closed roads on Sunday afternoon.Police and fire crews responded to a call at approximately 4:29 pm and arrived on scene to find a fire inside a residential unit.Fire crews have since put the fire out.There were no reported injuries though occupants were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.Northbound and southbound Yonge Street is closed from Davenport Road to Belmont Street.

Dispute between Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga turns deadly, killing 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga forces briefly clashed Sunday in a dispute over control of a strategic military post, killing three, Iraq’s military spokesperson said.The dispute was over who controls three vacated posts previously in the hands of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants. It marked further tension in a fragile alliance between the Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga forces of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region inside federal Iraq.Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasool did not specify the identities of the three killed, adding that seven others in the dispute were wounded.On Thursday, the PKK announced they were vacating the positions, citing what they said was the declining threat of the extremist Islamic State group in the area. They had held the military position since 2014, during the global war on the group.Turkey often launches strikes against targets in Syria and Iraq that it believes to be affiliated with the PKK, a Kurdish separa...

Financial institution robbed, weapons displayed in Mississauga

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

A financial institution was robbed and an unknown amount of currency was taken during a robbery in Mississauga on Sunday afternoon.Just after 3:00 p.m. a robbery occurred at a financial institution in a mall in the Dixie and Burnhamthorpe Roads area.Weapons were seen but no physical injuries were reported. Peel police say at least two suspects fled the area and an investigation in ongoing.

Man accused of killing 15-year-old was beaten by teen’s family during melee in Texas courtroom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting a 15-year-old last year was beaten by members of the teen’s family during a courtroom melee in San Antonio, authorities said.Victor Rivas, 18, who is charged with murder in the May 2022 death of Ethan Soto, was in a Bexar County courtroom Friday awaiting a preliminary hearing when he was attacked.Rivas’ attorney, Adam LaHood, said his client was “going to be bruised and swollen” but was not otherwise injured.Four people — two men and two juveniles — were arrested and will be charged with assault and disrupting court proceedings, the Bexar County sheriff’s office said. Their names haven’t been released.Last week in Houston, a brawl broke out during a Harris County court hearing when family members of a murdered 16-year-old girl tried to attack her ex-boyfriend after he’d pleaded guilty to shooting her. As deputies responded to the commotion in Houston courtroom on Oct. 17, an inmate who was left ...

Dwindling fuel supplies for Gaza’s hospital generators put premature babies in incubators at risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:51 GMT

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A premature baby squirms inside a glass incubator in the neonatal ward of al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. He cries out as intravenous lines are connected to his tiny body. A ventilator helps him breathe as a catheter delivers medication and monitors flash his fragile vital signs.His life hinges on the constant flow of electricity, which is in danger of running out imminently unless the hospital can get more fuel for its generators. Once the generators stop, hospital director Iyad Abu Zahar fears that the babies in the ward, unable to breathe on their own, will perish.“The responsibility on us is huge,” he said.Doctors treating premature babies across Gaza are grappling with similar fears. At least 130 premature babies are at “grave risk” across six neonatal units, aid workers said. The dangerous fuel shortages are caused by the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which started — along with airstrikes — after Hamas militants attacked Israeli towns o...