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Your pollen allergies are already overwhelming? Here’s why

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

(CNN) — It’s only early March, but the pollen floating around the air in the Southern and Eastern US is already eye-watering.In Atlanta, the pollen count climbed to the “extremely high” range on Monday — the earliest it has done so in 30 years of record-keeping, according to the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma physicians practice. By Tuesday, the tree pollen count had doubled.Farther north in Washington, DC, the first “high” tree pollen count appeared a month ago on February 8, the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang reported. At 487 grains per every cubic meter of air, it was the highest count on record so early in the season, Susan Kosisky, a chief microbiologist at the US Army Centralized Allergen Extract Lab, told the Post.In short, pollen has exploded from plants much earlier than normal this year after an exceptionally warm February in the South and East. But these aren’t isolated trends. As the planet warms, resear...

US safety regulators to investigate Tesla for steering wheels that can fall off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

(CNN) — Federal safety regulators are investigating Tesla’s Model Y SUV after at least two instances in which owners said their steering wheels became detached while the vehicle was being driven.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking at the 2023 model year. It said in the two instances in which the steering wheel came off, the cars were delivered to buyers without the retaining bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column.The report from the agency did not say if there were accidents or injuries as a result of the problem.NHTSA said around 120,000 vehicles on US roads could be affected by the problem. This is an investigation, a step the agency takes before ordering a recall.Tesla is not the only company facing safety questions about its steering wheel. Nissan also just disclosed to NHTSA that it is recalling about 1,100 Nissan Ariyas, its electric SUV, because it may be missing a bolt required on its steering wheel.There were three...

Driver in fatal Apple store crash in Hingham to appear in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

The driver whose SUV crashed into an Apple store in Hingham in November, killing one person and injuring 19 others, is set to appear in court Thursday. Bradley Rein, 53, of Hingham charged with motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation and reckless operation of a motor vehicle, according to the Plymouth County district attorney. He was released in December on $100,000 bail with a stipulation that he cannot drive.Rein was arrested after his 2019 Toyota 4Runner crashed into the store’s front window in Hingham. The victim who died was identified as Kevin Bradley, 65, of New Jersey.Rein’s attorney described the crash as a horrific accident. Rein told investigators that his foot became stuck on the accelerator while he was looking for an eyeglass store, officials said.

Biden’s budget set to lay groundwork for high stakes battles ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

(CNN) — The budget blueprint President Joe Biden is set to reveal on Thursday is designed lay out a clear, if aspirational, policy vision for the year ahead.The proposal also lays down a strategic marker that White House officials plan to put at the center of the high-stakes policy and political battles looming over Washington.“There’s a vision here and there’s a contrast,” Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young said in an interview with CNN. “You can be fiscally responsible and invest in the American people, or you can pull the rug out from people by going after programs that people absolutely need.”Biden, over the course of the last several weeks, has repeatedly telegraphed how important he and his top advisers view his 2024 budget to be in creating a favorable environment for the fights ahead.Advisers stress that the budget, which significantly overlaps with past Biden policy proposals from his first two ye...

Toronto condo owners ‘outraged’ over new Airbnb partnership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

Toronto is a top tourist destination for travellers making short-term rental spots in the city a lucrative business for homeowners. The ICE condominiums have become infamous for hosting short-term rentals but starting this week additional restrictions have been put in place including a booking fee surcharge as part of a new partnership between the condominium board and Airbnb. In a letter sent to condo owners dated March 6, the condominium says Airbnb will be the exclusive short-term rental platform permitted for use by owners in ICE Condominiums. A 15-percent fee on the total booking cost will now go towards the condominiums contingency fund to pay for capital repairs and improvements as well as additional security.Owners say while they wanted to see a more proactive approach to improve short-term rentals in the building, they weren’t fully consulted on the changes with some calling the new restrictions unfair.“We were appalled,” says Maria, a condo owner in the buildi...

Retired army general Petr Pavel inaugurated Czech president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

Prague (AP) — A retired army general and former senior NATO official was sworn in Thursday as the Czech Republic’s new president, succeeding the controversy-courting Milos Zeman.Petr Pavel took the formal oath during a joint session of both houses of Parliament at Prague Castle, the seat of the presidency.He was elected to the largely ceremonial but prestigious post in a runoff vote on Jan 28, beating populist billionaire Andrej Babis.Pavel, 61, ran as an independent in the election and is a former chairman of NATO’s military committee, the alliance’s highest military body. His election is expected to cement the country’s Western orientation.His predecessor Zeman divided the nation with his pro-Russian stance and support for closer ties with China.Zeman, whose second and final five-year term in office expired on Wednesday, was the first president to have been directly elected by the people. Lawmakers elected the country’s previous two presidents, Vaclav Havel and Vaclav ...

Applications for US jobless aid rise by most in 5 months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week jumped by the most in five months, but layoffs remain historically low as the labor market continues to be largely unaffected by the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes.Applications for jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending March 4 rose by 21,000 to 211,000 from 190,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. It’s the first time in eight weeks that claims came in above 200,000. The four-week moving average of claims, which flattens out some of the weekly ups and downs, rose by 4,000 to 197,000, remaining below the 200,000 threshold for the seventh straight week.Applications for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs.About 1.72 million people were receiving jobless aid the week that ended Feb. 25, an increase of 69,000 from the week before.Matt Ott, The Associated Press

Transat AT reports Q1 $56.6M loss, revenue more than triples

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

MONTREAL — Transat AT Inc. reported a $56.6-million loss in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $114.3 million a year earlier as its revenue more than tripled.Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says the company is on an upswing and is headed for a return to profitability. The travel company says the loss amounted to $1.49 per diluted share for the quarter ended Jan. 31. compared with a loss of $3.03 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue in what was the first-quarter of the company’s 2023 financial year totalled $667.5 million, up from $202.4 million a year earlier when the company had to scrub nearly 30 per cent of its scheduled flights as a result of booking cancellations following the emergence of the Omicron variant.On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.62 per share in the quarter compared with an adjusted loss of $2.53 per share in its first quarter last year.Analysts on average had expected a loss of $2.02 per share and $662.5 million in revenue, acc...

Rights group says Lebanon electricity crisis deepens poverty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Since the collapse of Lebanon’s state power grid, many middle and working class families have been forced to spend most of their monthly income to pay shady neighborhood businessmen running private generators. Still, they go without electricity for nearly half the day, according to a report by Human Rights Watch released Thursday. The situation threatens to deepen the poverty of this tiny Mediterranean country embroiled in a devastating economic meltdown. In the report, the New York-based watchdog documented the struggles of over 1,200 lower-income households in LebanonPushed to the bring of bankruptcy, the state-run power company now provides the Lebanese with less than three hours of power a day. Most families told HRW they compromise on food, education, medications and other basic needs to pay for supplemental electricity. According to the report, generator bills take up about 44% of the average family’s monthly income, and twice that for the country’s poorer famili...

Before Morgentaler, part 2: Making it legal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:00 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, on June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that legalized abortion in the country in 1973. The decision shocked many around the world, and has had folks wondering: could this happen here, at home, in Canada? And what led up to this historic moment in the U.S.? What are the real and current issues facing the state of abortion in Canada, and how can we make a difference?This two-part miniseries is hosted by Sarah Sahagian, a feminist podcaster, writer, and non-profit executive living in Toronto. Her byline has appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The National Post, The Toronto Star, Refinery29, Romper, and Scary Mommy. In her previous life, she was a gender studies academic who studied parenting and mother blame. Sarah is also the co-host of Frequency Podcast Network’s The Reheat.You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.