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Business Highlights: The long-awaited Amazon antitrust lawsuit, Taylor Swift’s blockbuster tour

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

___The Amazon antitrust lawsuit is likely to be a long and arduous journey for the FTCNEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission’s long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon is the most aggressive move it has taken yet to tame the market power of a company that’s become synonymous with online shopping and fast deliveries. Under chair Lina Khan, the FTC hasn’t been shy about taking big swings against some of American’s biggest companies in an effort to snuff out monopolistic behavior. But that approach has also led to some high-profile setbacks, most notably in its bid to block acquisitions by Microsoft and Meta. Now, the FTC must prove in court both that Amazon is a monopoly and is using its dominance to prevent competition from flourishing in the marketplace. A final decision in Amazon case will likely come years down the road.___‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ will be a blockbuster — and might shake up the movie businessNEW YORK (AP) — Movie theaters are readying for an onslaug...

Springboks have earned back respect from referees at Rugby World Cup, Erasmus says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

PARIS (AP) — One of the surprises of the Rugby World Cup pool stage was the only team not to concede a yellow or red card: South Africa.The defending champion Springboks were also one of the least penalized — 34, which put them among the top six teams. The least penalized was France, whom the Springboks face in the quarterfinals on Sunday at Stade de France.Asked on Tuesday about their relationship with referees, South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said, “The first word is respect.”He wasn’t kidding.Not long ago, Erasmus was enemy No. 1 among referees for a scathing hour-long video critique of the match officials in the first test against the 2021 British and Irish Lions. The gist of the video was right. The public delivery of it wasn’t.World Rugby sanctioned Erasmus with a nearly year-long matchday ban. Just weeks later last November, he was handed a two-game ban from match days and social media for criticizing the refs again after losses in Ireland and France...

AZZ: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — AZZ Inc. (AZZ) on Tuesday reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $28.3 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.The Fort Worth, Texas-based company said it had profit of 97 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.27 per share.The electrical equipment maker posted revenue of $398.5 million in the period.AZZ expects full-year earnings in the range of $3.85 to $4.35 per share, with revenue in the range of $1.4 billion to $1.55 billion.AZZ shares have increased 14% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $45.90, a rise of 18% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AZZ at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AZZSource

Can you guess these Colorado-based 'Jeopardy!' questions?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Can you answer these Colorado-related questions correctly from the "Jeopardy!" game show?FOX31 put together nine previous "Jeopardy!" questions dating as far back as 1984. All these questions were asked on air and all of them relate to Colorado.Let's see how well you really know Colorado. Use your cursor or finger to highlight and reveal the answers.For $200: John Wesley Powell was one of the first to explore the Grand Canyon by boat on this river.Answer: The Colorado Colorado adults: Can you answer these 5th-grade state math test questions? For $400: As this title pair, Newman and Redford did leap off a Colorado cliff... onto a mattress a few feet below.Answer: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidFor $600: When the first specimen of this horned dinosaur was found in Colorado in 1887, it was mistaken for an extinct buffalo.Answer: A TriceratopsFor $800: A state sport of Colorado involves racing these small donkeys.Answer: BurrosFor $1,000: Looper is an old Dutch word...

Swans in Florida that date to Queen Elizabeth II gift are rounded up for their annual physicals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A flock of swans that grew from a gift nearly 70 years ago from Queen Elizabeth II has been rounded up in Florida to ensure they are all healthy.On Tuesday, there were 50 swans collected in Lakeland, which is east of Tampa. Park supervisor Steve Williams said the birds are a cherished part of the city.“I mean, they are a city icon. They are. And we take very good care of them,” he said.The roundup each fall enables veterinarians to conduct health examinations of the city-owned swans, with those scheduled for Wednesday morning. Lakeland’s swans are descended from a pair of mute swans given by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1957.The goal is to keep them all in good shape, said veterinarian Price Dickson.“Tomorrow we will be taking all of these swans one by one and giving each of them a physical exam, weighing them, checking for any infections, any wounds, any problems that would need to be addressed,” Dixon said.The city has conducted the annual wellness ch...

BSO seeks help from public in locating missing 29-year-old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

Detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit are asking the public for assistance in locating 29-year-old Chaslin Sherrica Oneal, who went missing from unincorporated Central Broward near Fort Lauderdale.According to investigators, Oneal was last seen around 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 2, in the vicinity of the 2500 block of Northwest 22nd Road in Fort Lauderdale. Oneal is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing approximately 156 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes. Oneal was last seen wearing a red hoodie and has a lower lip piercing. Additionally, Oneal has several distinctive tattoos, including a spider on the right arm, a music symbol on the left arm and a bowtie just below the neck.Anyone with information about Oneal’s whereabouts is urged to contact BSO Missing Persons Detective Leonard Charla at 954-321-4274 or the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-HELP (4357).

Holding Pattern

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

We’re in a stagnant weather pattern which means little change this week. Temperatures will fluctuate a few degrees up and down and we’ll gradually add more sunshine. Other than that it’s pretty much just continue as is through Friday. Tonight and tomorrow we’ll have a decent amount of clouds, but temperatures will be a bit warmer tomorrow than today.Our average high is now 64° and we’ll bounce around that the next few days and gradually add more sun. Mostly cloudy Wednesday, partly cloudy Thursday, and mostly sunny on Friday. The cool air surges in for the weekend along with our next round of rain. Now, there’s some promise from 24 hours ago, but admittedly we’re still pretty far out for fine details. Our storm for the weekend still has not made “landfall” in the Pacific Northwest. Since it’s still over the ocean, there’s not a lot of data for the models to use to predict the storm track. As the storm spends more time...

A bear in Massachusetts reportedly killed a goat: ‘If you have small domestic animals please take steps to protect them’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

A bear roaming the South Shore reportedly killed a goat behind a home on Tuesday, as state wildlife officials gave out tips to protect livestock from black bears.The bear — which has been spotted several times in the region during the last few months — was seen about 60 yards behind a Hanson residence Tuesday morning. After the bear left the area, a Massachusetts Environmental Police officer found a dead goat in the woods behind the home.While bear attacks on chickens is “happening constantly now” in the Bay State, these bear attacks on larger animals like goats are “far less common,” according to black bear expert Dave Wattles.“Every single bear in the state has been trained to go into backyards due to bird feeders, so it’s important that residents don’t have any accessible food sources on their property to draw bears in, so no bird feeders,” Wattles, a black bear and furbearer biologist with MassWildlife, told the Herald ...

‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ will be a blockbuster — and might shake up the movie business

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

By JAKE COYLE (AP Film Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Marcus has been in the movie business for years but he never expected to be urging moviegoers to take out their phones during a film — let alone to be crafting friendship bracelets in preparation for an opening weekend.But there the chief executive and chair of the Marcus Corporation is in a promotion for his theater chain headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stringing beads together while humming “Shake It Off.”Movie theaters are readying for an onslaught like they’ve never seen before, beginning Friday when “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” debuts. The concert film, compiled from several Swift shows at Southern California’s SoFi Stadium, is expected to launch with $100 million, or possibly more. Advance ticket sales worldwide have already surpassed $100 million. Swifties will descend. Dancing will be encouraged.“This is different,” says Marcus. “Take your p...

Alex Jones, Ronna McDaniel potential witnesses in Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro’s Georgia trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:29 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia prosecutor who has accused former President Donald Trump and others of trying to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state is seeking to call Republican Party Chair Ronna McDaniel and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as witnesses in a trial for two of the defendants scheduled to begin later this month.Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in August along with Trump and 16 others, accused under the state’s anti-racketeering law of participating in a wide-ranging illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The two attorneys are being tried separately from the others because they invoked their right to have a speedy trial. A group of 450 potential jurors has been instructed to show up on Oct. 20 to begin the process of seating a jury.All 19 defendants initially pleaded not guilty, but one pleaded guilty to lesser charges last month after reaching a deal with prosecutor...