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True or false: The Chicago Bears’ win over the Carolina Panthers was a step in the right direction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

The Chicago Bears returned to practice Monday still feeding off the positive energy from last week’s 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers.The Bears have seven games remaining with a lot to prove and a handful of big-picture questions to answer. The next three games are against NFC North opponents — with a Week 13 bye mixed in.So what’s the latest with the quarterback situation at Halas Hall? Which parts of the Bears’ recent improvements are meaningful?Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane work through four Bears topics in “true or false” form.True or false? The Bears’ latest win was a step in the right direction.Wiederer: False. At best, it qualifies as a sideways step, an averted disaster more than a meaningful victory. The Panthers remain the worst team in the NFL and came to town on a short week without their best defensive player (Brian Burns), their No. 2 receiver (DJ Chark) and a starting cornerback (C.J. Henderson). And still ...

Billy Donovan wants to build on Julian Phillips’ talents. But first, the Chicago Bulls rookie needs to get on the court.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

For rookie Julian Phillips, the first weeks of his NBA debut have been a waiting game.Phillips rarely steps on the court for the Chicago Bulls, averaging less than three minutes in his first 10 games as an NBA player. The Bulls know their rookie needs to play. But Phillips has already made a strong impression even without meaningful time on the court.“He’s got a really good upside,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He definitely needs to play in games. That’s going to be important for him. But where he’s been from where he was — when we started summer league practice and then going through summer league and coming back to training camp — I think we’ve seen a pretty steady incline from all the time that he’s been here.”Phillips did not play Monday in the Bulls’ 118-109 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks.For the early weeks of the season, Donovan wanted Phillips to stay close to the team to become familiar with his new teammat...

Stock market today: Wall Street soars, and Dow leaps 500 points on hopes for no more rate hikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are surging Tuesday after an encouraging report on U.S. inflation sent waves of relief through Wall Street.The S&P 500 was 2% higher and near its best level in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 510 points, or 1.5%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.3% higher.The highly anticipated report showed not only that overall inflation slowed last month from September, but so did a key underlying figure that economists see as a better indicator of future trends. The slowdown bolstered bets on Wall Street that inflation is cooling enough for the Federal Reserve to finally be done with its market-crunching hikes to interest rates.Such hopes lifted all kinds of investments, and more than 95% of the stocks in the S&P 500 climbed in a widespread rally. Technology and other high-growth stocks tend to get some of the biggest boosts from easier rates, and a 3.1% jump for Amazon and 1....

Man shot, killed by police officers in City Heights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A man was shot and killed by San Diego police officers who were responding to a report of a shooting in City Heights late Monday night, authorities said.Around 11 p.m., SDPD received a call alerting authorities that a male suspect had shot a female victim at a house in the 4500 block of Polk Avenue. According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, the reporting party told the dispatcher during the call that the suspect was still outside the home with a firearm.Upon arrival to the scene, officers located the victim with a minor wound to the forehead. She also identified the suspect to responding officers, but he had reportedly left the scene.About half an hour later, officers located the suspect in the 400 block of Wightman Street, prompting them to attempt to make contact with him. At that time, SDSO said that the suspect ran while reaching into his waistband.Officers gave the suspect several warnings, but SDSO said he did not comply. Three officers then shot at the m...

Two popular ice-skating rinks opening this week for the holiday season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The time of year to strap on a pair of ice skates for some jolly winter fun has once again arrived in San Diego.The annual Rady Children's Hospital Rink at Liberty Station and the Hotel del Coronado "Skating by the Sea" rink are set to open for the season this week, kicking off holiday celebrations in America's Finest City.The Rady Children's Hospital Rink will open for the season on Thursday, Nov. 16. It will be the 27th year the hospital will be operating the ice rink, which aims to raise money for the hospital's "Thriving After Cancer" program.Skaters at the will be able to take to the ice from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on opening day. Then, starting Friday to Sunday, Jan. 7, the rink will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with 30-minute Zamboni breaks scheduled at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.For those that want to plan ahead, tickets with a reservation window can be purchased online at the Rady Children's Ice Rink website. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the skate tr...

New Speaker Mike Johnson formally endorses Donald Trump, a step beyond predecessor Kevin McCarthy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed Donald Trump for president on Tuesday, a move that was a symbolic departure from his ousted predecessor leading the House.Johnson, an ally and defender of the former president, said in an interview on CNBC Tuesday morning, “I have endorsed him wholeheartedly.”He added a bit later: “I’m all in for President Trump.”Johnson, a little-known Louisiana congressman, became speaker late last month when Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a hard-right band of their fellow Republicans. Though McCarthy was a longtime Trump ally and one of the first elected officials to publicly align himself with Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump’s supporters, he had stopped short of formally backing Trump’s third White House bid.McCarthy had drawn the ire of Trump allies after he questioned in an interview this summer whether Trump was the strongest candidate among the then-crowded field of GOP rivals. The field h...

Vehicles with higher, vertical front ends raise risks for pedestrians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Motor vehicles with higher, more vertical front ends raise risks for pedestrians, according to a highway safety organization.The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said that whatever the nose shape, pickups, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45% more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than cars and other vehicles with a hood height of 30 inches or less and a sloping profile.But among vehicles with hood heights between 30 and 40 inches, a blunt, or more vertical, front end increases the risk to pedestrians. The study released Tuesday arrives with roadway deaths in the U.S. mounting despite government test data showing vehicles have been getting safer. While the number of all car-related fatalities has trended upward over the last decade, pedestrians and cyclists have seen the sharpest rise: over 60% between 2011 and 2022.IHS researchers looked at 17,897 crashes involving a single passenger vehicle and a single pedestrian. Using Vehicl...

Semitrailer rear-ends bus carrying students in Ohio, killing 3 and sending 15 to hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

ETNA, Ohio (AP) — A charter bus carrying students from a high school was rear-ended by a semi-truck on an Ohio highway Tuesday, leaving three people dead and 15 others injured, according to an emergency official.The charter bus was transporting students from a school in eastern Ohio, Licking County Emergency Management Agency Director Sean Grady said. There were a total of 57 people onboard, he said.The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on Interstate 70 West in Licking County, near the Smoke Road underpass. The cause was not immediately known.The injured were being treated at five hospitals.Numerous emergency responders were at the scene, and Ohio Department of Transportation cameras from the area showed smoke coming from the crash site. The highway was closed in both directions and numerous traffic delays were being reported.Mickey Lymon, an investigator with the Licking County Coroner’s Office, said they had been called to the scene, but deferred other questions to the state...

Extremist-linked rebels kill at least 44 villagers in separate attacks in Congo’s volatile east

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Extremist-linked rebels have killed at least 44 villagers in separate attacks in Congo’s volatile east, local authorities and civil society leaders said Tuesday.The Allied Democratic Forces rebels with ties to the Islamic State group attacked Kishanga village in North Kivu province on Sunday night and killed 33 people including a member of the Congolese army, said a delegate of the provincial governor, Samson Simara.“The rebels executed them in the Virunga National Park,” Simara said.The rebels killed 11 other villagers in the province of Ituri on Tuesday, according to Samuel Ngunjolo, a civil society leader.“We are worried and … are asking the security services to urgently deploy security,” Ngunjolo said.Six of the rebels were killed by the army, according to Capt. Anthony Mulushayi, spokesman for the Congolese army in North Kivu. Some hostages were freed, Mulushayi said.Eastern Congo has been ravaged by conflict for decades as more than 120 armed group...

YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspension

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

The Associated Press (AP) — YouTube is rolling out new rules for AI content, including a requirement that creators reveal whether they’ve used generative artificial intelligence to make realistic looking videos. In a blog post Tuesday outlining a number of AI-related policy updates, YouTube said creators that don’t disclose whether they’ve used AI tools to make “altered or synthetic” videos face penalties including having their content removed or suspension from the platform’s revenue sharing program. “Generative AI has the potential to unlock creativity on YouTube and transform the experience for viewers and creators on our platform,” Jennifer Flannery O’Connor and Emily Moxley, vice presidents for product management, wrote in the blog post. “But just as important, these opportunities must be balanced with our responsibility to protect the YouTube community.” The restrictions expand on rules that YouTube’s parent company, Google, unveiled in September ...