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Paul Krugman: Pointing toward a soft landing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

The latest numbers on consumer prices arrived Wednesday, and they were better than even optimists had expected. Even media reports, as far I can tell, generally omitted the “but concerns remain” qualifiers that have seemed mandatory when covering good news about the Biden economy.Which is not to say that everyone was happy. Republicans are more or less in denial, no doubt worried that they may be losing pretty much their only substantive campaign issue — leaving them with nothing to run on besides wokeness and Hunter Biden. And there have been some fairly peevish reactions from economists who had committed themselves to the grim view that we would face a nasty “sacrifice ratio” — that controlling inflation would require years of high unemployment.For this report was anything but grim. It strongly suggested that we may be heading for a soft landing — a return to acceptable inflation without a large rise in unemployment.We’re not there yet, and I’ll talk shortly about what may still g...

Nicole Woitowich: Clinical trials are better at including women. But data analysis is still a real problem.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

The summer of 1993 was an eventful time: Prince changed his name to a symbol, “Jurassic Park” was released and Congress passed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act requiring the inclusion of women in clinical research.Most people aren’t aware of this law, which requires that women be included in research to develop drugs, therapies and treatments that are designed to improve the health of all people. For decades, women were underrepresented in or excluded from biomedical research studies because they could become pregnant or their hormones were deemed “too complicated.” This caused large gaps in our understanding of how sex and gender inform health and disease.Because men made up the majority of research participants, women’s health suffered. Drugs, therapies and medical devices were developed with the male patient in mind. A 2001 Government Accountability Report found that eight out of 10 drugs pulled from the market had greater h...

7/13/2023: Finally winding down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from meteorologists Steve Caporizzo:It was a VERY Difficult day....at one point-every county was hit by severe T'storms-that rarely happens. Strongest storms in three areas-Western Montgomery/Fulton Counties-Near and west of Lake George....and Columbia and Berkshire Counties. There were 5 Tornado Warnings issued today....four for parts of Columbia County.Damage Reports....Dozens to say the least.North and south...in between around Albany we were fortunate as the storm weakened.There were 5 tornado Warnings today-4 in Columbia County. No Confirmation of a tornado as of now.Most concentrated damage around Chatham/Ghent/Ancram/Valatie....Flooding issues....1040pm.VERY Heavy Rains fell across a good portion of SE Greene/Columbia counties into the Berkshires.Some areas in Columbia County 3-4" of rain.Flood Advisories and some Flood Warnings (In Red) remain in effect.Power OutagesHardest Hit Columbia County.Thank you today----For All the Great pics and ...

Thousands without power after severe storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

(NEWS10) -- Thousands around the Capital Region were without power Thursday night after severe storms swept through the area. Columbia County was the hardest hit region with over 3,000 without power at its peak. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The National Grid outage map can be viewed below. Restoration times will vary.

Defendant who was serving life for murder gets unusual deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A man who admitted in court that he’s a killer received an unusual plea deal Thursday. Moments after Darin Schmidt, now 37, admitted his crime, he learned he’ll soon be eligible for parole.Three witnesses took the stand in Schmidt’s 2019 St. Louis murder trial, all testifying that defendant Schmidt admitted to them that he shot and killed music promoter David Bewig Jr. A jury returned a guilty verdict that an appeals court later overturned on a technicality. The three witnesses then failed to continue cooperating.In a cruel twist for the Bewig family, this was the first day in five years that the defendant took accountability, in court, for shooting and killing their loved one.“He admitted to it, and he gets a deal,” David Bewig Sr. said.Bewig Jr. was shot and killed while sitting in his car in north St. Louis in 2016. Lawmaker to review law ‘in-depth’ after cars with expired tags towed from driveways “He wouldn’t take the stand in the first trial,” Bewig Sr. said.A un...

Webster Groves C.J. Muggs closes; employees and locals say last goodbyes as new restaurant will take its place

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. - C.J. Mugg's Bar and Grill in Webster Groves prepared its staff and long-time customers for a harsh reality: they would be shutting down on Thursday.The city has now announced that a new Italian-style restaurant will take its place. It was nearly a full house inside the pub-style grill by later in the evening.However, the employees are still in shock."It will be devastating for our regulars and for us because this is such a family unit of a place," said one of the girls who has worked at C.J. Muggs for nearly 10 years.It's the family bond that the employees have developed over time, but as the building sits steadily on the corner, it has now become anything but inside."It's unfortunate just watching the staff because nobody knew it was going to happen," said BJ Bupillo, an attorney who owns the firm just across the street. Federal charges in robbery, murder of St. Louis Kitchen owner C.J.'s is one of his go-to places. Bupillo recalled the moments when employee...

Mayor's driveway: Expired plates and dealer tags

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

JENNINGS, Mo. - The mayor of Jennings has been driving a car with dealer plates while a car with expired tags is parked in his home's driveway.The Fox Files started to investigate towing practices after a resident called FOX 2 to report the city was trying to tow his vehicle with expired tags from his private driveway.St. Louis County police officers were called, and the truck was never towed.While trying to get answers about the tow, Jennings Mayor Gary Johnson canceled our interview and began ignoring our calls. We waited for him to show up at a city council meeting and, when he did, the mayor was driving a car with dealer tags.According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, the plates are connected to Drive Right Auto on West Florissant. Lawmaker to review law ‘in-depth’ after cars with expired tags towed from driveways Missouri Secretary of State records reveal the business is owned by two men; neither are Gary Johnson. One of the owners appears to be the mayor's business par...

How to keep your pets cool in the summertime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The dangerous heat has pet owners looking for ways to keep their animals cool. A handful of people braved the heat at Creve Coeur Memorial Lake Park, which is normally full of runners, kayakers, and dogs."I wouldn't bring him around this park. It's just way too hot for him," said Derrick Burney.He said keeping his dog, King, cool in the summertime is a top priority."We don't let him out a lot because it's extremely hot, but when we do let him out, like in our yard," Burney said. "We have a little sprinkler system, and we play out there with him, and he likes running in the water."Dr. Jennifer Pearl with the Humane Society said there are a few lesser-known actions pet owners can take to cool their pets. Federal charges in robbery, murder of St. Louis Kitchen owner "Offering water is good, but when they're panting very heavily, it's hard to drink water, it's hard to drink enough," Pearl said. "So getting cool by other means is good. Getting the paw pads wet is a good one...

A deeper look into fatal Greyhound bus crash, some say it could have been prevented

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

HIGHLAND, Ill. - The deadly mass casualty crash on Interstate 70 east of St. Louis could have and should have been prevented, according to St. Louis area Congressman Mike Bost.His district borders the crash scene near Highland, Illinois, about 35 miles from downtown St. Louis.“There are not enough areas, safe areas, for our commercial drivers to pull into (for rest),” Bost said.The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that rest area safety and a lack of available parking for commercial trucks were potential contributing factors to the crash. It was around 2:00 a.m. Wednesday when a Greyhound bus headed from Indianapolis to St. Louis crashed into three semi-trucks parked on the shoulder of the Silver Lake Rest Area entrance, killing three and injuring 14.Truck drivers commonly park in such spots to get their federally mandated rest when all the rest area parking spots were full. Lawmaker to review law ‘in-depth’ after cars with expired tags towed from driveways “Ev...

Severe storm left behind debris and tree limbs around St. Louis County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Debris and tree limbs could be found across south St. Louis County after Wednesday's storm."We're trying to get a little bit cut up at a time. Maybe cut that end off, and maybe we can get it off there," said Tom Carter.He said Thursday morning that he came home to chaos."I got four trees in the back that's down. This whole privacy fence is down," Carter said. "The roof off the shed and the roof off my house is tore up."He estimated around $8,000 of damage to his roof and has already filed an insurance claim. Federal charges in robbery, murder of St. Louis Kitchen owner "Pay insurance. You're going to use it one day. I paid 30 years and I never used it, but I will now," Carter said.Down the street, Ameren trucks and tree cutters flooded the streets."I've already got power back; they've been out here all night, and they did a phenomenal job," said Clint Cafolla.He said the strong winds didn't last long."I didn't hear the typical, you know, it sounded like a f...