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Editorial: Housing proposal would punish those with good credit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

The Biden administration wants homebuyers who have good credit to cover the risks of lending to homebuyers who don’t. Congressional Republicans should stand united against this latest White House effort to erode the value of personal responsibility.The New York Post reported this week that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are prepared to overhaul the fees built into mortgages issued at private banks. The charges — known as low-level price adjustments — are based on a handful of factors and often absorbed into a buyer’s mortgage rate.Under the Biden plan, those with better credit scores would face additional surcharges while those with substandard credit scores would see fees cut nearly in half.“When absorbed into a long-term mortgage rate, the increase is the equivalent of slightly less than a quarter percentage point in mortgage rate,” the Post reported in reference to buyers with higher credit ratings. “On a $400,000 loan with a 6 percent mortgage rate, that buyer could expect their mon...

Moore: Regulatory octopus strangling U.S. economy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

Every schoolkid knows — or used to know — that the United States has three branches of government. At least that’s what the textbooks say.But really, we have four branches of government.That’s because Congress — the legislative branch — has for decades delegated lawmaking authority to the unconstitutional fourth branch of the U.S. government: independent regulatory agencies. By some estimates, there are more than 300 of these agencies sticking their nose into every aspect of American life and business, from what kind of car you can buy to the temperature setting on your thermostat to what you can build on your own private property.Who are these regulatory czars accountable to? Who elected them?To his credit, former President Donald Trump tried to rein in the regulatory blob. He promised to rescind two regulations for every new regulation enacted while he was president. He actually repealed about five rules for every new one.But President Joe Biden LOVES to regulate.On hi...

Tsipursky: Hybrid working is key to a greener future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

This Earth Day, it’s time to consider the positive environmental impact of hybrid working. Recent research by IWG and Arup has highlighted that working closer to home can significantly reduce carbon emissions in major cities. Embracing hybrid working models is an essential and practical step toward reducing our carbon footprint and protecting our planet.IWG and Arup’s research suggests that hybrid working can reduce carbon emissions by up to a staggering 87%, thanks to a decrease in building and transport emissions. With such significant potential carbon savings, it’s time we re-evaluate our traditional office-centric work models.The study focused on several larger cities. Atlanta led the pack with a potential 90% reduction in carbon emissions, followed by Los Angeles at 87% and New York at 82%. The research found that daily commuting to city center offices has the largest carbon footprint.A crucial aspect of reducing transportation emissions is the increased adopt...

Dear Abby: Fiance’s sister center of family’s attention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

Dear Abby: I am marrying the most amazing man next year. We have been together for six years. I have always gotten along with his family and know they will be great in-laws. However, as time has gone by, I’ve noticed that they cater more and more to my fiance’s older sister. She’s nearly 30, but she acts like she’s 13.When she has an argument with her spouse, she calls my fiance and makes it sound so dramatic that he drops everything and runs to her rescue. Invariably, it turns out to not be as bad as she was saying. She also talks so badly about her spouse to her parents that I feel embarrassed for him. If she’s sick or home alone (her husband travels for work), she sleeps at her parents’ house with her infant son instead of staying in her own home, which is a town away.Her family does EVERYTHING for her — things that a capable adult should do for herself. Many times, my fiance and I have been on a date or spending time with each other, and...

Man with gun in custody after standoff near Mall of America

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — A man with a shotgun was taken into custody Friday after a standoff in a parking lot at the Mall of America, authorities said.The Bloomington Police Department said on social media that crisis negotiators were brought to the scene and the man was taken into custody in the area of American Boulevard and 24th Avenue in the Minneapolis suburb.The standoff began shortly after 4 p.m. A 911 caller said the man had a large gun in the parking lot and entered a tent for the Royal Canadian International Circus, which is set up in the lot, the Star Tribune reported. The Bloomington police said officers arrived to find a man in the parking lot with a shotgun, which he refused to drop when told to do so by police. People in the tent and a nearby hotel were evacuated. Officers reached the man’s family members, who said he was having a mental health crisis. Crisis negotiators tried to get him to surrender, but at about 6:15 p.m. he went to his vehicle and wouldnR...

Extreme weather is nearly universal experience: AP-NORC poll

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — An overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. say they have recently experienced an extreme weather event, a new poll shows, and most of them attribute that to climate change.But even as people across the country join Saturday to tend to the planet in recognition of Earth Day, the poll shows relatively few say they feel motivated when they talk about the issue. The new findings from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll echo growing evidence that many individuals question their own role in combating climate change. Still, the poll suggests people are paying attention. About half of U.S. adults say they have grown more concerned about the changing climate in the last year, and a growing number say they are talking about it. Adriana Moreno said she feels like she’s been talking about climate change for years, but it’s only recently that the 22-year-old high school teacher has noticed her older family members bringing up the issue more and...

New wave of GOP candidates to challenge Trump, DeSantis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The opening phase of the Republican presidential primary has largely centered on former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘ escalating collision.But a new wave of GOP White House hopefuls will begin entering the race as soon as next week following a months’-long lull. They include former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who will formally launch his campaign Wednesday. Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he will finalize his plans in “weeks, not months.” He has kept a busy schedule of early state visits and policy speeches as aides have discussed details of an announcement including dates as early as May, but more likely in June. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who has formed a presidential exploratory committee, is expected to join the race in a similar time frame.Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, meanwhile, has been meeting with former aides and returned to New Hampshire this week, where he told the first-in-the-nation primary s...

John Shipley: Wild get heavy and Stars can’t deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

Win or lose, the Wild wanted to come heavy for Game 3 of their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series with Dallas. Need to come heavy. It was imperative after the way they played in Game 2 Wednesday at American Airlines Center.That tied the series at a game apiece with the series headed back to Minnesota, and showed what the Stars can do if the Wild abandon their identity, abandon the grind.After falling behind, 2-0, in the first eight minutes, Minnesota started taking chances as they tried to tie the game. What they got was the wrong end of a series of odd-man rushes that ultimately buried the Wild, 7-3.The Wild are not yacht rock, synclaviers and fancy baselines and complex harmonies. They’re heavy — Zeppelin at the Garden. Blue Cheer. Mott the Hoople before Bowie got a hold of them.Minnesota needed to hog the mic and turn it up to 11 on Friday, to crush Dallas under a barrage of power chords and an unrelenting 4 x 4 beat. Keep it simple, but keep it heavy.Boy, did they come he...

Slain woman’s son, ex-boyfriend charged with murder in July shootout that killed her in crossfire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

A 25-year-old man has been charged in the July 2022 killing of his mother during an Apple Valley gun battle involving the woman’s ex-boyfriend, Dakota County authorities said Friday.Billy Joe Pryor Jr. was charged this week with one count of second-degree murder (with intent/not premeditated) in the slaying of his mother, Michelle McGill, 49, of Apple Valley, according to Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena.Billy Joe Pryor Jr.The mother’s ex-boyfriend, Willie John Selmon II, 40, of Apple Valley, was also charged this week with second-degree murder (with intent/not premeditated) in the killing.Keena’s office gave the following details:On July 10, 2022, police responding to a 911 call about shots fired found McGill dead near a vehicle outside an Apple Valley home in the 900 block of Oriole Drive. She was shot in the thigh, in the chest and multiple times in her lower abdomen, according to the criminal complaint.When officers arrived, they said, they saw Pryor running ...

Wild win Game 3 against Stars, lose Joel Eriksson Ek in the process

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:36 GMT

The return of Joel Eriksson Ek has been a talking point ever since the Wild started their first-round series against the Dallas Stars.It came to fruition on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center, and he didn’t even last a full shift.After getting announced last in the starting lineup, and drawing a massive ovation from the sellout crowd, Eriksson Ek left less than 20 seconds into the game. He did not return.As much as that put the Wild in a precarious position — down a skater with basically the full 60 minutes to play — they still managed to scratch and claw their way to a 5-1 win over the Stars. Whether it was Mats Zuccarello busting out of a slump, Marcus Johansson continuing his excellence, or Marcus Foligno firing up the crowd, the collective stepped up for the Wild like it has so many times this season.That win in Game 3 helped the Wild take a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 set for Sunday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. in St. Paul.There was intensity from the onset o...