Yahoo Movies3 Best Real Estate Stocks to Buy in March
These three real estate stocks are telegraphing a brighter future. Now is the time for investors to start listening.
These three real estate stocks are telegraphing a brighter future. Now is the time for investors to start listening.
The pandemic has inspired some changes worth keeping. Count drafting from living rooms as one of them.
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — A Kansas City man has been found guilty of killing two women a decade apart and burying their bodies near each other in a field in western Missouri. Kylr Yust was convicted Thursday of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kara Kopetsky, 17, of Belton, and of second-degree murder in the death of Jessica Runions, 21, of Raymore. Yust had been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths. The jury deliberated for more than 14 hours. Sentencing is set for Friday morning. The sentence for voluntary manslaughter is five to 15 years in prison. The sentence for second-degree murder is 1o to 30 years in prison. Runions left a party in Grandview with Yust before she disappeared in September 2016. Kopetsky filed a protection order against Yust in April 2007, a month before she was last seen leaving Belton High School. A mushroom hunter found their bodies in a field in Cass County south of Kansas City in April 2017. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Yost was a violent man who killed the women because they rejected him and he didn't want them to be with other men. Yust's attorneys contended investigators didn't consider other suspects and said no physical evidence connected Yust to the killings. In closing arguments Wednesday, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Julie Tolle told jurors that common sense and reason point to Yust being guilty of first-degree murder in the women's deaths. She said defence arguments — including Yust’s testimony — are “just not reasonable,” The Kansas City star reported. She called Yust an “obsessive, jealous, pathetic boyfriend” who could not handle getting dumped. Yust confessed to six people but he now expects jurors to believe they all made it up, Tolle said. One of Yust's attorneys, Sharon Turlington, said the prosecution case against Yust was not supported by any proof, arguing that the lack of physical evidence, the timelines presented by prosecutors and earlier witness statements supported his innocence. “Somehow Kylr is supposed to have pulled off two murders without leaving a trace,” Turlington said, later saying there is no DNA linking Yust to either crime. Yust, 32, testified on Wednesday that he did not kill the women, and accused his half-brother, Jessup Carter, in their deaths. “I didn’t do anything to either of them.” he said. In 2018, Carter died by suicide while he was being held in the Jackson County jail on a charge of second-degree arson. Yust testified that he believed Carter, 32, killed himself because Yust pleaded not guilty in Kopetsky’s and Runions’ deaths. Tolle questioned Yust about why he had not accused Carter in the killings until Wednesday. He replied that he told one of his attorneys his theory years ago and she was representing him for free because she believed him. Tolle said Yust must be the “most unlucky guy in the world” because two of his former girlfriends had gone missing. “Anyone who has a brother who is a serial killer is unlucky,” Yust responded. In the years after Kopetsky disappeared, Yust told several people that he had killed her because she wanted to end their on-and-off relationship. Prosecutors played a tape during the trial on which could be heard telling an ex-girlfriend, Katelynn Farris, that he killed Kopetsky. Farris was wearing a wire at the time under the supervision of the FBI. Yust testified Wednesday that he thought Farris was attracted to him because he was suspected of murder, and he was reacting to her attraction. “I was just at a really low point in my life and I wanted to get her attention,” he said. Yust also confessed in a phone call from jail to his mother, which he said Wednesday was done out of spite toward her and exhaustion over defending his innocence. “At one point, I remember thinking: ‘I might as well just, I mean I’m going to get blamed. My whole life is a freaking wreck,’” Yust said. “This is happening all over again but even worse. I just remember at a couple points I was like: ‘Well screw it. I might as well be famous.’” The Associated Press
OTTAWA — The government House leader has asked the Speaker of the House of Commons to investigate a photo leak of a Liberal MP caught naked on camera during a virtual sitting of Parliament. Pablo Rodriguez said Thursday the incident involving Quebec MP William Amos was "mean-spirited" and has been "life-changing" for him. He suggested there could be serious implications for the person who took and shared this intimate image on Wednesday. "Taking a photo of someone who is changing clothes and in the nude and sharing it without their consent could very well be criminal," Rodriguez said. A screenshot shows Amos standing unclothed behind a desk between the Quebec and Canadian flags with what appears to be a phone covering his private parts. During virtual House of Commons sittings, only those who speak are shown on the public feed. Therefore, Amos's fellow MPs could see him on camera but he did not appear on the main screen. Bloc Québécois MP Claude DeBellefeuille, the party whip, raised the incident in a point of order after question period Wednesday, as she called for parliamentary decorum. "It may be necessary to remind the members, especially the male ones, that a tie and jacket are obligatory, but so are a shirt, boxer shorts or pants," DeBellefeuille said in French. "We have seen that the member is in great physical shape, but I think members should be reminded to be careful and control the camera well." In a statement Wednesday, Amos said he had returned from a jog and was changing into his work clothes, and did not realize his camera was on. "This was an unfortunate error," said Amos, parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. "I sincerely apologize to my colleagues in the House of Commons for this unintentional distraction. Obviously, it was an honest mistake and it won't happen again.'' Thursday morning, Rodriguez opened the House of Commons by blasting the unidentified person who leaked the nude photo of Amos to media, asking if they had given any thought to the ramifications on Amos's personal life when they shared it. He called it a case of "callous disrespect." "Did they think of (Amos's) family, children, friends and the fact that the internet is forever? Are we really at the point in our politics that it is acceptable to try and destroy the reputation and humiliate a colleague because someone finds an unfortunate error and unintentional mistake to be funny?" Rodriguez said. "Our politics have taken a very dark and destructive turn if this is the case." Neither MPs nor staff are allowed to to take photos in the House of Commons when it is sitting — a rule that has been extended to include virtual sittings. This includes taking screenshots of the public and non-public video feeds, Speaker Anthony Rota ruled in September 2020. "For taking screenshots, it is the same as being in the House. If a member takes a picture, they are taking a picture, and posting it just adds to that. Members are not permitted to take photos in the House," Rota said in an exchange on Sept. 29. Rodriguez has asked Rota to launch an immediate investigation to determine who took the controversial photo so the House of Commons could then decide on a next course of action. Rota said he would take the matter under advisement. In another statement posted to Facebook on Thursday, Amos thanked people who "sent messages of moral support and encouragement in the aftermath of this most regrettable situation." He described the past day as having been difficult, both personally and professionally. "It is most unfortunate that someone shared, without my consent, a photo in which I was changing my clothes," he said, adding that he expects the Speaker to investigate. Procurement Minister Anita Anand also expressed concern over the shared image. Amos was scheduled to appear at an announcement with Anand Thursday morning, but she said he is instead "taking a day" and noted that he has apologized for the incident as an accident. “I do, as a member of Parliament, have concerns that we should all, as members of Parliament, be respecting the rules of the House of Commons as well as any additional applicable law,” Anand said when asked about the incident. Amos was described by Liberal government whip Mark Holland as an "upstanding member of the House" who made an honest mistake. "His screen was on while in the middle of getting dressed. It could have happened to any of us," Holland said in a statement. "We must know who is responsible for leaking non-consensual images from a private video feed. We must also be assured that the video taken by this person is deleted so that further violations of privacy and decency are not possible." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2021. Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press
HOMB earnings call for the period ending March 31, 2021.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan shares son Augustus and daughter George Virginia with wife Hilarie Burton
If approved, Texas would become the largest of roughly 20 states that already allow handgun owners to carry their weapons in public without a permit.
The nearly $65 million in funding poured into Efficiency Manitoba by the federal and provincial governments will result in no expansion of the programs offered by the Crown corporation, but rather a lower bill for Manitoba Hydro. Under the Progressive Conservative government, Hydro was relieved of the role it played in trying to improve energy efficiency at homes, businesses and industrial sites across the province. In lieu, Efficiency Manitoba was established as an arm’s-length Crown corporation that could pursue the same tasks with a smaller workforce and smaller budget, of approximately $69.9 million annually. In January, the province held a news conference trumpeting the arrival of federal funding to support Efficiency Manitoba through the federal Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund. Manitoba lagged behind other jurisdictions in tapping this source of federal funding for green programs in the province, so the allotment of $32.3 million from federal coffers was especially noteworthy. The $32.3 million had to be matched by the provincial government in order to be approved, so between the two sources, $64.6 million was handed over to Efficiency Manitoba. At the news conference in January, how the funding would be used was unclear, but media were left with the impression it would result in the expansion of existing energy-efficiency programs. However, all of the funding provided will only go to cutting the bill for efficiency programming that would otherwise be provided by Hydro, Efficiency Manitoba’s sole funder (in tandem with Centra Gas, the natural gas subsidiary of Hydro). This caveat was built into the creation of Efficiency Manitoba. In its first three-year plan, released in 2019, it states: “If additional sources of funding become available to support either electric or natural gas portfolio activities outlined within the plan, it is understood that these amounts are to be used to reduce the electric or natural gas funding provided by Manitoba Hydro or Centra Gas, respectively.” Efficiency Manitoba chief executive officer Colleen Kuruluk confirmed the funding would merely be displacing funding originally provided by Manitoba Hydro. “On our natural gas bill, we have a carbon charge now. And so with the feds now paying for half of our programs, that won’t be coming from Manitoba Hydro ratepayers, so it’s essentially a really good way of returning those dollars directly to them,” Kuruluk said Wednesday. Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen, pointed out the funding for Efficiency Manitoba is a small portion of the overall cost of providing electricity and natural gas but would likely make some impact. “We anticipate the costs of Manitoba Hydro’s natural gas operations will be lower. However, Manitoba Hydro has yet to determine how the federal funding factors into future rate requests,” Owen said in a statement to the Free Press. Ultimately, the funding provided by the federal government to pursue energy efficiency programming will result in subsidizing the cost of the energy it’s meant to discourage the use of. Federal Minister for Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson was not made available for an interview or comment, despite being given in excess of a week’s notice. Efficiency Manitoba will expand programming in some regards, but only the expansion that was originally prescribed in the three-year plan published in 2019, a spokesperson for provincial Minister of Conservation and Climate Sarah Guillemard said in an email statement. The spokesperson maintained federal government funding would be responsible for increased energy savings. In other instances across the country, loopholes in the implementation of federal climate policies have been exploited resulting in the undermining of the policies’ intent. For example, in New Brunswick, PC Premier Blaine Higgs attempted to lower the excise tax on gasoline in the Maritime province to help soften the blow of the federally-mandated carbon tax. Sarah Lawrynuik, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press
The state added 9 deaths Thursday, pushing its total during the pandemic to 2,015.
Covid booster shot warning ‘underlines urgent need for Australia to make mRNA vaccines’. Pfizer boss flags likelihood that extra jabs will be required – raising prospect of increased global demand
"The Fight For Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy," written by Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, will be published by Post Hill Press.
The dollar headed for its worst back-to-back weekly drop this year amid a continued retreat in Treasury yields from more-than-one-year highs as investors increasingly bought into the Federal Reserve's insistence of continued monetary support. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said the same day that the U.S. economy is still far from making "substantial progress" toward the central bank's goals of 2% inflation and full employment, the bar the Fed has set for beginning to consider reducing its support for the economy. It's set for a 0.6% decline for the week, extending the 0.9% slide from the previous week.
Even before new COVID-19 restrictions are announced by the province, Manitoba’s business recovery is already stalling. Data released Wednesday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business suggest, while Manitoba has fared better than the national average and some other provinces, only 36 per cent of small- and medium-sized businesses are now making normal sales. On top of that, 49 per cent of businesses across the province are fully staffed and 69 per cent are fully open, as of mid-April. While those figures are a few percentage points higher than March, commerce stakeholders and advocates worry numbers will further stall and could even begin diminishing as a result of yet-to-be-announced pandemic protocols. “Of course, any new restrictions will be completely detrimental for businesses,” said Jonathan Alward, Manitoba director for CFIB. “Let’s be clear though, so many of them are already under restrictions that are affecting everything — it’s why these numbers look the way they do.” So far, the province has remained silent about exactly what kind of restrictions businesses can expect, despite hinting at them earlier this week. Manitoba’s top doctor warned Monday that outdoor mask requirements and smaller gathering sizes could be on the way to curb the spread of the highly infectious B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant. Across the country, the third wave of the pandemic has been straining hospitals and causing increased restrictions in most provinces outside the Atlantic region. Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia have borne the brunt of those lockdowns, closures and other pandemic-related measures — which Manitoba has narrowly escaped because of lower case counts. Alward said it’s distressing that despite fewer restrictions in Manitoba, businesses aren’t doing much better than other provinces. “For a lot of people, before this new rise in cases, it’s been seemingly much more normal than the past year,” he said. “But even if it feels that way for someone who’s not a business owner, things aren’t looking as well for our local economy as it needs to be at this point... particularly when you consider how it’s been since January that Manitobans were allowed to somewhat ease restrictions.” According to CFIB’s national estimates, 56 per cent of small businesses are fully open in Canada (down from 62 per cent in March); 40 per cent are fully staffed (down from 44 per cent) and only 29 per cent are making normal sales (down from 31 per cent). “But when you compare Quebec’s or Saskatchewan’s numbers to Manitoba’s, for example, and keep their restrictions in mind, it’s startling to see the little difference in business recovery,” said Alward, citing Quebec’s 32 per cent of fully open businesses and Saskatchewan’s 34 per cent, compared to Manitoba at 36 per cent. “There’s a clear reminder here about trending in the wrong direction, which the (Manitoba) government should note when making decisions about further restrictions.” John Graham, the Prairie region director for the Retail Council of Canada, said much of this stalled business recovery can be attributed to a back and forth with pandemic measures in Manitoba. “These numbers aren’t surprising to me at all,” he said. “I mean, small retailers and any business that could make a profit during peak seasons weren’t able to. We also lost many of them as a result of that trouble in making any profits during, say, Christmas.” Lacking consumer confidence and differing provincial protocols towards businesses have also played a part in creating roadblocks, said Graham. “But above all,” he added, “the Manitoba government needs to step up.” “At the end of the day, vaccinations need to be accelerated with greater urgency — that’s the key to resolving all of this, instead of closing things down once again, causing further impediments to any success with recovery that we’ve had.” Temur Durrani, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press
Florida passes ‘anti-riot’ bill as civil rights groups warn it will stifle dissent. The bill, which is a victory for the state’s Republican governor, includes harsher punishments for protesters
Prosecutors say Dushko Vulchev behind string of fires and tyre slashings in Massachusetts town
After gifting and selling tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad, India suddenly finds itself short of shots as new infections surge in the world's second-most populous country. India breached 200,000 daily infections for the first time on Thursday, and is trying to inoculate more of its population using domestically produced shots. It will import Russia's Sputnik V vaccine starting this month to cover as many as 125 million people.
Kylr Yust was convicted Thursday in the killings of two young women who went missing roughly 10 years apart in Cass County. Jurors deliberated for more than 14 hours.
Images of a grieving Prince Charles feature on many of Friday’s front pages.
FOX News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the latest developments on 'Special Report'
Most receipts contain a harmful chemical called BPA, which can’t be removed by recycling process
* Greenback set for 0.6% drop this week after hitting 1-month low * Benchmark yield fell most in 5 months despite strong U.S. data * Federal Reserve officials continue to bang lower-for-longer drum * Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E By Kevin Buckland TOKYO, April 16 (Reuters) - The dollar headed for its worst back-to-back weekly drop this year amid a continued retreat in Treasury yields from more-than-one-year highs as investors increasingly bought into the Federal Reserve's insistence of continued monetary support. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield dipped to a one-month low of 1.528% overnight, from as high as 1.776% at the end of last month, even in the face of Thursday's stronger-than-expected retail sales and employment data. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said the same day that the U.S. economy is still far from making "substantial progress" toward the central bank's goals of 2% inflation and full employment, the bar the Fed has set for beginning to consider reducing its support for the economy.