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By JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports WriterThe crash of an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter was the latest to strike the sports world in the U.S. and globally.Among the passengers were several members of the Skating Club of Boston who were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. They included teenage figure skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, their mothers and two highly regarded Russian-born figure skating coaches, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. All 64 people on board were feared dead.Air travel accidents in sports are rare, but they have had devastating impacts on national…

By MATT OTT, AP Business WriterThe Justice Department sued to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of rival Juniper Networks on Thursday, the first attempt to stop a merger by a brand new Trump administration that most expect will take a softer approach to mergers.The Justice complaint alleges that Hewlett Packer Enterprise, under increased competitive pressure from the fast-rising Juniper, was forced to discount products and services and invest more in its own innovation, eventually leading the company to simply buy its rival.The lawsuit said that the combination of businesses would eliminate competition, raise prices and reduce innovation.The Justice…

By Stephanie Armour, KFF Health NewsIn summertime, cows wait under a canopy to be milked at Mark McAfee’s farm in Fresno, California. From his Cessna 210 Centurion propeller plane, the 63-year-old can view grazing lands of the dairy company he runs that produces products such as unpasteurized milk and cheese for almost 2,000 stores.Federal regulators say it’s risky business. Samples of raw milk can contain bird flu virus and other pathogens linked to kidney disease, miscarriages, and death.McAfee, founder and CEO of the Raw Farm, who also leads the Raw Milk Institute, says he plans to soon be in a…

By ALEX VEIGAThe average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased for the second week in a row, but remains just below 7%, little relief for prospective home shoppers looking ahead to the spring homebuying season.The rate fell to 6.95% from 6.96% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, it averaged 6.63%.Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan to a lower rate, also eased this week. The average rate dropped to 6.12% from 6.16% last week. A year ago, it averaged 5.94%, Freddie Mac said.Mortgage rates…

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives to testify before the Senate Finance Committee during his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, returns from…

Q: Can an HOA publish a meeting notice on its website and NOT also notify by email, the members? — K.M., San DiegoA: Civil Code Section 4920(c) requires that notice of board meetings be published by “general notice” at least four days before an open non-emergency board meeting. “General Notice” is defined in Civil Code Section 4045 as either mailing or (if the member has consented) emailing each member, or including the announcement in a billing statement or newsletter, posting the announcement where general association announcements are posted, posting the announcement on the HOA website, or if the HOA has…

By TIM SULLIVAN, Associated PressPresident Donald Trump, who made the deportation of immigrants a central part of his campaign and presidency, said Wednesday that the U.S. will use a detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to hold tens of thousands of the “worst criminal aliens.”“We’re going to send them out to Guantánamo,” Trump said at the signing of the Laken Riley Act.He later signed a presidential memorandum and said he’d direct federal officials to get facilities ready to receive criminal immigrants in the US illegally. Border czar Tom Homan said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would run the facility. Still,…

You soon could be paying even more for gas at the pump. That’s because of a cynical attempt to use the wildfires tragedy to attack California’s oil companies. Sponsored by state Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco,  Senate Bill 222 would let individual persons or insurance companies sue “a party responsible for a climate disaster or extreme weather or other events,” meaning oil companies. The companies could be charged with “misleading and deceptive practices or the provision of misinformation or disinformation” on how fossil fuel is connected to climate change. Losses as low as $10,000, meaning the thousands of people whose…

By PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — A humming American economy ended 2024 on a solid note with consumer spending continuing to drive growth, and ahead of what could be a significant change in direction under a Trump administration.The Commerce Department reported Thursday that gross domestic product — the economy’s output of goods and services — expanded at a 2.3% annual rate from October through December.For the full year, the economy grew a healthy 2.8%, compared with 2.9% in 2023.The fourth-quarter growth was a tick below the 2.4% economists had expected, according to a survey of forecasters by…

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House stenographers have a problem. Donald Trump is talking so much, the people responsible for transcribing his public remarks are struggling to keep up with all the words.There were more than 22,000 on Inauguration Day, then another 17,000 when Trump visited disaster sites in North Carolina and California. It’s enough to strain the ears and fingers of even the most dedicated stenographer, especially after four years of Joe Biden’s relative quiet.President Donald Trump stands at a craps table after speaking about the economy at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las…