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Georgia Power customers could see monthly bills rise another $9 to pay for the Vogtle nuclear plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Residential customers of Georgia’s largest electrical utility could see their bills rise another $9 a month to pay for a new nuclear power plant under a deal announced Wednesday.Georgia Power Co. said customers would pay $7.56 billion more for Plant Vogtle construction costs under the agreement with utility regulatory staff. The Georgia Public Service Commission’s five elected commissioners must approve any deal, but such agreements are typically persuasive. With the commission’s Public Interest Advocacy staff and three leading ratepayer groups signing on, the agreement is likely to avert contentious hearings over how much blame the company should bear for billions in cost overruns at two new nuclear reactors southeast of Augusta. Vogtle’s Unit 3 and Unit 4 are the first new American reactors built from scratch in decades. Each reactor can power 500,000 homes and businesses without releasing any carbon. But even as government officials and some...

S&P/TSX composite ticks higher on energy, tech and metals, U.S. markets also rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in energy, technology and battery metals stocks helped Canada’s main stock index tick higher Wednesday, while U.S. stock markets also rose. This week, the markets have been fighting back after a weak and volatile month of August, albeit with the lower volume that normally comes at summer’s end, said Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at Purpose Investments.The historical volatility of August normally carries into September, he said.“We might be (in) a bit of a quiet relief rally for the last week of the month, but probably setting up for some more fireworks in the next few weeks.” The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 39.91 points at 20,330.32.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 37.57 points at 34,890.24. The S&P 500 index was up 17.24 points at 4,514.87, while the Nasdaq composite was up 75.55 points at 14,019.31.Markets are still taking any negative economic news as positive as they look for continued affirmation that rate hikes...

Children getting wrongly dropped from Medicaid because of automation `glitch’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Children in many states are being wrongly cut off from Medicaid because of a “glitch” in the automated systems being used in a massive eligibility review for the government-run health care program, a top Medicaid official said Wednesday. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is asking all states to review their computer-automated processes to make sure that children are evaluated separately from their parents — and aren’t losing coverage merely because of their parents’ ineligibility or inaction. Though federal officials remained vague about the scope of the problem, it likely involves at least half the states and potentially affects millions of children, said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. “I think it’s a very significant problem,” said Alker, whose center is tracking the Medicaid renewal process in each state.In most states, children can qualify for Medicaid at househ...

Prosecutors drop felony charges against Iowa man who had guns, ammunition in hotel room overlooking Chicago lakefront

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

CHICAGO (AP/WGN) — Prosecutors have dropped all felony charges against an Iowa man who was arrested in 2021 by Chicago police for having guns and ammunition in his hotel room overlooking the Chicago lakefront. Cook County prosecutors dropped the felony charges against Keegan Casteel on Monday after he pleaded guilty to reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine.The Ankeny, Iowa, man had faced two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, but no evidence was ever produced in court files that Casteel had anything nefarious planned, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. ‘I didn’t mean to startle anyone’: Bodycam footage shows arrest of Iowa man found with guns, ammo in hotel Casteel was arrested on July 4, 2021, when a housekeeper found the guns and ammunition in his room at the W Hotel. The weapons — a rifle with a laser sight, a handgun and ammunition — were found on the sill of a 12th-floor window that had a view of Ohio Stre...

CFD: 3 adults, 3 kids injured in Chatham vehicle crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

CHICAGO — At least six people, including three children, are in this hospital after a crash in the Chatham neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, according to the Chicago Fire Department.Firefighters said two adults were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, one in serious-to-critical condition and another in stable-to-serious condition, while a third adult was taken to St. Brainerd Hospital in good condition.Three kids were also taken to Comer Children's Hospital, according to CFD.It is unclear at this time what circumstances may have led to the crash. Prosecutors drop felony charges against Iowa man who had guns, ammunition in hotel room overlooking Chicago lakefront No other information is available at this time.Stay with WGN News as this story will be updated once more information becomes available.

This is how much singles need to live comfortably in Illinois

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

(KTLA) – It’s not exactly breaking news that life has gotten more expensive recently. Across the nation, the cost of home prices, rent, gasoline, utilities, and, well, most things has gone up.Now, a new survey outlines how much someone needs to earn as a “living wage” to live comfortably in all 50 U.S. states.The personal finance website GoBankingRates.com looked at data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and research by the state of Missouri to determine how much single people, not couples or families, pay in necessities each year. Then, those amounts were doubled to factor in discretionary spending and savings.States that require the highest living wage for individuals are Hawaii ($112,411) followed by Massachusetts ($87,909) and then California ($80,013). Student loan debt relief scam: Feds to refund over $9 million, do you qualify? “That’s not surprising when you realize that median home values are also highest in Hawaii, California and Massachusetts,” the study's author...

What's in floodwaters? Hurricane Idalia's surge poses hidden risk, CDC says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Hurricane Idalia left anywhere from a few inches to a few feet of standing floodwaters in cities across the Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday.Emergency officials urge residents to stay out of the water for a myriad of reasons, including the risk of drowning and injury from hidden debris, but floodwaters also contain many things that pose a serious health risk.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it's impossible to know exactly what is in floodwaters. It could contain sharp debris or even downed power lines obscured by the murky depths. Hernando County officials: areas west of US-19 ‘no longer accessible’ due to flooding Floodwaters can also contain dangerous wildlife. On Wednesday, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office posted photos of a rattlesnake navigating a flooded street.(Hernando County Sheriff's Office)"You never know what could have washed in with the flooding," the sheriff's office said.Floodwaters can also hold hazards t...

Fatal shooting of college student who tried entering wrong home 'justifiable': South Carolina authorities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) — The fatal shooting of a University of South Carolina student has been ruled justifiable, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, 20, of Connecticut, was shot and killed Sunday morning while attempting to enter the wrong home. Police said Donofrio lived on the same street where he was shot but that he had attempted to enter another home. Following an investigation, the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office and the Columbia Police Department now say charges will not be filed against the homeowner and ruled the shooting justifiable. Person gets sick, dies from amebic infection after swimming in Texas lake Police said Donofrio repeatedly banged and kicked the door, then broke the glass window and reached inside for the doorknob. That's when police said the homeowner shot and killed Donfrio. Authorities have not released any additional information about the homeowner. His parents declined to comment about the shooting to Nexstar's WTNH, saying th...

Person gets sick, dies from amebic infection after swimming in Texas lake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A person in Texas got sick and died after developing an illness caused by an amebic meningitis infection after swimming in Lake Lyndon B. Johnson earlier this month. Austin Public Health reported the death and urged people to take precautions when swimming in natural bodies of water amid the ongoing, intense heat Texas is experiencing. Toxic algae confirmed in several Austin waterways, including Barton Springs According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, amebic meningitis, or primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri and is usually fatal. Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that lives in warm fresh water and soil around the world and infects people when it enters the body through the nose. A teenager in Georgia died from the same cause last month, also after swimming in a lake. "Although these infections are very rare, this is an importan...

$72 million in student loans canceled by Biden administration: Who qualifies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is canceling $72 million in student loans for 2,300 borrowers who say they were cheated by Ashford University, a former for-profit college that was purchased by the University of Arizona in 2020.The Education Department announced the action Wednesday, saying it will seek to recoup the money from the University of Arizona. The university did not immediately provide a comment.Before its sale, Ashford was an online for-profit college that enrolled more than 100,000 students. It was owned by the company Zovio and based in San Diego.A California court in 2022 found that Ashford frequently lied to students to get them to enroll. Its recruiters misled students about the college's accreditation, costs and the amount of time it would take to graduate, the court concluded. Who qualifies for $0 student loan payments? That lawsuit, brought by the state of California, was the basis of the Education Department's cancellation.President Joe Biden said hi...