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New beverage fee rollout delayed, but retail group says producers should absorb fee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

TORONTO — Grocery industry advocates say new rules to make companies pay to recycle packaging they put into the market in Ontario could simply shift costs from communities to consumers in the coming months. They say beverage companies have issued notices to retailers about a new container recycling fee on products ranging from milk and yogurt to juice and pop. The fee, about three cents a bottle on average, was expected to take effect June 1.But an independent grocers’ group says the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association has now delayed passing the fee on to grocers — which they say would raise retail prices — until at least July 31.Gary Sands, senior vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, says beverage companies should be absorbing the costs themselves and not passing it on to consumers. Still, he welcomes the delay given the ongoing high inflation on food in Canada. “It’s not just this fee. It’s these myriad other pric...

Eyeing new global record, Nigerian chef cooks for nearly 100 hours

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian chef on Monday continued her quest to set a new global record for the longest hours of nonstop cooking as she cooked for nearly 100 hours, surpassing the current record.Hilda Baci has been cooking since last week Thursday when she set out to beat the Guinness World Record of 87 hours and 45 minutes set in 2019 by Lata Tondon, an Indian chef.By 15:00 GMT on Monday, Baci had cooked for more than 97 hours in the Lekki area of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, to become a national sensation in the West African nation. Many at the scene and online cheered her on to reach the 100-hour mark.No one from Guinness World Records was present at the scene but the organization tweeted it was aware of the chef’s attempt to break the cooking record. “We need to review all the evidence first before officially confirming a record,” the global brand said.By attempting to beat the record, the Nigerian chef said Thursday she wanted to show how hardworking and determ...

St. Louis prosecutor seeks to free man imprisoned 33 years for murder, citing evidence of innocence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis’ top prosecutor has asked a court to set aside the conviction of a man who has spent 33 years in prison for a killing he says he didn’t commit, after witnesses who testified against him later said authorities had pressured them to lie.In her request to overturn Christopher Dunn’s first-degree murder conviction, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner cited “clear and convincing evidence” that he had not been involved in the 1990 shooting death of Ricco Rogers.“We are hopeful his wrongful conviction is set aside for the sake of Mr. Dunn, his family, and the people of the City of St. Louis,” Gardner said in a statement Monday.Gardner filed a motion with St. Louis Circuit Court on Friday to vacate Dunn’s conviction. It wasn’t immediately clear if the state attorney general’s office would oppose the motion. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Andrew Bailey didn’t immediately respond to a Monday request for comment.Gardne...

Nebraska conservatives gamble on combining abortion, trans health bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservative Nebraska lawmakers are taking what could be an all-or-nothing bet by proposing to merge two of the legislative session’s most contentious proposals — one to restrict abortion and another that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. The unconventional move follows conservatives’ failure by a single vote last month to advance a bill that would have banned abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy. Now, conservatives are backing an effort to amend the transgender health bill to include restricting abortion to 12 weeks of gestation. The strategy sets up a vote on Tuesday that could give conservatives a win on both abortion and trans health bans this year — or could see them lose both.Here’s a look at the combination of the trans and abortion bans proposals and how the process of debating and voting on them is expected to play out this week:___HOW THE NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE WORKS:Nebraska has the only one-chamber, nonpartisan Legislature in the c...

Renew North American trade deal to defend democratic values: U.S. chamber CEO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

WASHINGTON — Business leaders from across North America are gathered in the U.S. capital to talk about maximizing the continent’s competitive advantages.The future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been an especially hot topic at the North American Business Summit. U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark says it’s vital for North America’s economy that the agreement survive a scheduled review in 2026. That’s because like democracy, free trade is under attack around the world, she says — and the USMCA is its current standard-bearer. Clark says USMCA is also a critical weapon against protectionist economic policies, which are growing more common around the world, including in the U.S. and Mexico.  Blanca Treviño, president and CEO of Mexico-based digital solutions firm SoftTek, says she expects the deal to be renewed, but not without a fight. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2023.The Canadian Press

Fanatics buying PointsBet’s US operations for $150M to expand sports betting, i-casino market share

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

Fanatics Betting and Gaming is buying the U.S. operations of Australian sportsbook PointsBet for $150 million in a move that will help the sports apparel and memorabilia giant gain market share in the American sports betting and online casino markets.The companies said Sunday night that PointsBet shareholders will vote on the sale in late June. It still faces numerous regulatory approvals.The sale comes as New York-based Fanatics is launching sports betting and online casino operations, hoping to draw on its database of 95 million customers, who have bought everything from jerseys to trading cards to autographed memorabilia from the online retailer. Fanatics currently operates sports betting for its existing customers in Tennessee and Ohio and has a retail sportsbook in Maryland. PointsBet would add about 14 states to its reach, once state regulatory approvals are obtained.“Fanatics and PointsBet are excited to enter into an agreement for Fanatics Betting and Gaming to acquire Point...

Vending machines are the latest tool for fighting opioid overdoses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vending machines that have long been stocked with snacks are getting repurposed to distribute life-saving supplies to help fight the opioid epidemic.A growing number of cities and local governments are making so-called “harm reduction” items, including the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, available for free via machines.Interest in the approach is expected to grow after U.S. regulators recently approved Narcan, the leading naloxone brand, to be sold without a prescription. That switch allows the nasal spray to be stocked in convenience stores, supermarkets and vending machines.Machine supplier Shaffer Distributing, which also sells arcade games and pinball machines, is one of the companies that has worked with U.S. communities to put the medication in machines even before the FDA’s over-the-counter approval.Marty Turner, the Columbus, Ohio, company’s director of vending sales, explains that many other items for promoting public health can be stocked and distr...

Canada’s Stanley Cup drought hits 30 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

For the 30th year in a row, we will not see a Canadian team lift the Stanley Cup.The Edmonton Oilers — Canada’s last hope — were knocked out of the playoffs Sunday following a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round series.The Toronto Maple Leafs were the only other Canadian team to reach the second round, losing in five games to the Florida Panthers.The 1993 Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to capture hockey’s top prize. This year’s winner will be the 29th consecutive American champion — the Cup wasn’t presented in 2005 due to a lockout.RELATED:Oilers eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs after losing to Golden Knights in Game 6Maple Leafs eliminated from NHL playoffs with overtime loss to Florida‘No pushback’: Bowness calls out long-standing issues after Jets knocked out of playoffsThis year marks the first time since the 2020 COVID-19 bubble playoffs that no Canadian team will play in either Conference Final.The 1994 and 2011 ...

State revenue drops nearly $2B in April, but budget-makers at the Capitol aren’t panicking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — April’s plummeting general funds receipts — a drop of $1.84 billion from the previous year — is stunning in anyone’s estimation. But budget-makers at the state Capitol aren’t panicking.Compared with 2022, revenue fell a whopping 23% last month, driven by a drop of $1.76 billion in personal income tax, according to the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.On its face, that would seemingly cause jitters and with one week left in the spring legislative session, it might historically be a call for the May money magic from days of yore that led to mountains of debt in the last two decades.The previous year’s number for comparison, $5.4 billion, was a record, fueled by an influx of capital gains taxes, collections of which are unpredictable, and because more days of the month fell on weekdays in April 2022, according to Eric Noggle, revenue manager for the bipartisan forecasting commission. $1.8B back to IL taxpayers: Gov...

Say goodbye to AM radio: Why carmakers are removing it from new models

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:30:12 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Your next car might be missing a button – the one to switch between AM and FM radio. Car manufacturers are increasingly opting to eliminate AM radio in their new vehicles.BMW, Mazda, Volvo, Volkswagen and Tesla, among others, have either already removed or plan to remove AM radio from at least some electric models. Ford is going even further, reports the Detroit Free Press, and ditching AM in all new cars – gas or electric. Car manufacturers typically cite electromagnetic interference as the reason for removing the radios from EVs. Electric motors can interfere with AM radio frequencies, making it sound staticky over the airwaves. But in a statement to the Free Press, Ford also said it's just changing with the times. Hobby Lobby doesn’t use barcodes: Here’s their explanation "A majority of U.S. AM stations, as well as a number of countries and automakers globally, are modernizing radio by offering internet streaming through mobile apps, FM, digital and satellite radio...