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Where can you shop on Black Friday? Here’s what’s open – and when

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

Black Friday is almost upon us, when retailers kick off the holiday season with offers meant to get customers in the shopping mood.The term “Black Friday” in relation to shopping the day after Thanksgiving is most often traced to Philadelphia where police had to deal with large crowds who thronged the streets of the city before the annual Army-Navy game and to take advantage of sales. According to the Dec. 18, 1961, issue of Public Relations News, a newsletter, it became customary for police to refer to post-Thanksgiving shopping as Black Friday and Black Saturday because of the headaches they created.Retailers began taking ownership of the term in the late 1980s as the opening bell for the holidays. Of course Black Friday has morphed more accurately into a month of offers that begin in October, when Halloween jack-o’-lanterns are still flickering. A number of stores that were closed on Thanksgiving, including Walmart and Target, reopen early Friday as the holiday shopping sea...

Health Canada lifts years-long mad cow blood donation ban in Quebec

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

Quebec’s blood supply agency says Health Canada has lifted a longstanding ban on blood donations in the province that stemmed from fear of mad cow disease.Héma-Québec vice-president Dr. Marc Germain says it’s clear that there is now virtually no risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease through new blood transfusions. For two decades, people who lived or travelled in the United Kingdom or France for long periods of time in the 1980s and 1990s have not been allowed to donate blood in case they were exposed. Héma-Québec says the change will come into effect Dec. 4. Canadian Blood Services has also asked Health Canada to lift the ban in the rest of the country. It says Health Canada is expected to make a decision soon. The United States and Australia both lifted similar bans in 2022. Both Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec say they have turned away thousands of donors whose travel in the United Kingdom and Europe decades ago disqualified them. This report...

Edmunds picks the five best cars for under $30,000

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

Pricing for the average new car continues to rise, with the latest reports pegging the average new vehicle transaction price around $48,000. High interest rates are a further impediment for shoppers on a tight budget. While buying used is always an option, there are some great new cars out there that are still affordably priced. The automotive experts at Edmunds have selected five standout vehicles with starting prices less than $30,000. While there are other less expensive vehicles on the market, oftentimes spending a little more will get you a much more desirable vehicle over the long term. Edmunds took into account qualities such as comfort, fuel economy, driver assist features and practicality. All of the manufacturer suggested retail prices below include destination charges. SMALL CAR: HONDA CIVICAvailable as a sedan or hatchback, the Honda Civic boasts roomy seating, high fuel economy, and a pleasing amount of standard features even on the base LX trim level. The Civic EX seda...

How to spot 4 Social Security scams and protect your identity

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

When the Social Security Administration calls, you pick up. But between October 2022 and June 2023, more than 55,000 people who answered calls from what they thought was the government agency said they were scammed.Allegations of Social Security scams increased 61.7% in the quarters ending in June 2022 and June 2023, according to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General.The most common tactic is simple: Scammers say they’re with the SSA and ask for personal information or money.Imposter scams gain victims’ trust by appropriating federal agencies’ authority, says Stacey Wood, the Molly Mason Jones Chair in Psychology at Scripps College in Claremont, California. Some impersonate officials with fake IDs or use caller IDs that resemble government phone numbers.So how do you know if a scammer’s calling? If they tell you any of these four stories, it’s time to hang up.1. ‘YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER IS SUSPENDED’THE TACTIC: A scammer tells you that your Social Se...

India restores e-visa services for Canadian nationals, easing diplomatic row between countries

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

India restored electronic visa services for Canadian nationals, an Indian foreign ministry official said Wednesday, two months after Canada alleged the South Asian nation was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.The electronic visa was back in order on Wednesday, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to reporters.The move could ease tensions between the two countries that swapped accusations and expelled each other’s diplomats with India introducing a visa ban on Canadian nationals.A diplomatic spat erupted between the two countries after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in September that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in suburban Vancouver in western Canada.Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh activist and plumber, was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, outside Vancouver.For years, India had said that Ni...

Pope Francis meets at Vatican with relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinians living in Gaza

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

Associated Press (AP) — Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinians living through the war and begged for an end to what he called terrorism and “the passions that are killing everyone.”Francis spoke about the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians after his meetings, which were arranged before the Israeli-Hamas hostage deal and a temporary halt in fighting was announced. Francis didn’t refer to the deal, which marked the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since the war erupted following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.Francis said he met at the Vatican with relatives of some of the 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and separately with a delegation of Palestinians, whom the Vatican said had relatives in Gaza. In the VIP seats of St. Peter’s Square were people holding Palestinian flags and scarves as well as small posters showing apparent bodies in a ditch and the word “Genocide” written underneath. “...

Israel-Hamas pause in fighting to start Thursday, Egyptian state media say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

A cease-fire agreement between the Hamas militant group and Israel has been confirmed by both parties, along with Washington and Qatar, which helped broker the deal that would bring a temporary halt to the devastating war that is now in its seventh week.The Israeli government said that under an outline of the deal, Hamas is to free over a four-day period at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel is to release some Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Egyptian state media say the truce will begin Thursday morning. Egypt helped mediate the cease-fire agreement, which would bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have been killed, according to health authorities.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before the Cabinet voted early Wednesday to back the agreement that the war would continue even if a deal was reached. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initi...

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in mid 40s with decreasing clouds

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in the mid-40s Wednesday with decreasing clouds. Winds: SW 5-10. High: 45. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Mostly clear tonight. Winds: NW 5-10 G20. Low: 32.Thursday Forecast: Mainly sunny. Winds: N 10-15 G20. High: 46.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Showstopping 3-course fall dinner is as easy and light as it gets

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

A few things to consider when planning a November dinner party: It’s important to celebrate the newly arrived fall produce and the change in weather. It’s time for all manner of warming, homey fare. But also: The month signals the start of “the holiday season” and all its various temptations.My approach here emphasizes simplicity and bright flavors — and lightness: ginger-spiced carrot soup to open the meal; bay leaf-lemon fish fillets roasted in a hot oven; and a sweet salad of navel orange and pomegranate. It’s an easy meal to produce, but it’s also totally possible to accessorize with heartier fare for a more deluxe meal.For a first course, let’s proceed with the theory that everyone likes soup and that some soups are better than others. Soup isn’t difficult, but success is in the details. When preparing a puréed vegetable soup, keep a few tips in mind. Build flavor as you go, layering onion, spices and your vegetable of choice.And make sure the broth in which the vegetables simm...

11/22/2023: Improving weather for Thanksgiving

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:07:58 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from Meteorologist Jill Szwed.Happy Wednesday! This pre-Thanksgiving storm brought many of us our first real deal snow of the season. The accumulations are turning slushy now as rain and freezing rain take over. Roads will be wet, slushy, even a little slick to start the day.The messy weather is getting out of here. Regular morning commuters will have some tricky conditions to deal with in spots. Everything will push out by noon. Skies will remain cloudy through the afternoon.Dry under partly to mostly cloudy skies tonight. Watch out for re-freezing especially in sheltered and higher terrain spots. Temperatures will dip into the low and mid 30s.The sun comes up a few minutes before 7 AM on Thanksgiving Day. Turkey trotters setting out will want to layer up. Temperatures will hang out in the mid to upper 30s through the morning. The wind will pick up too. You'll want to get your blood pumping before you set out on the course.The only mention of "dry"...