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Packages from China are surging into the United States. Some say $800 duty-free limit was a mistake

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives anxious to counter America’s leading economic adversary have set their sights on a top trade priority for labor unions and progressives: cracking down on the deluge of duty-free packages coming in from China. The changing political dynamic could have major ramifications for e-commerce businesses and consumers importing products from China valued at less than $800. It also could add to the growing tensions between the countries.Under current U.S. law, most imports valued at less than $800 enter duty-free into the United States as long as they are packaged and addressed to individual buyers. It’s referred to as the de minimis rule. Efforts to lower the threshold amount or exclude certain countries altogether from duty-free treatment are set to become a major trade fight in this Congress.“De minimis has become a proxy for all sorts of anxieties as it relates to China and other trade-related challenges,” said John Drake, a vice president at th...

Sierra Leone’s president seeks another term as opponents complain about the economy and unemployment

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Voters in Sierra Leone were deciding Saturday whether to give President Julius Maada Bio a second term in office amid high unemployment and growing concern about the state of the economy in the West African nation.Bio faced a field of a dozen challengers though experts have predicted it’s likely his main competition will be Samura Kamara, the head of the All People’s Congress Party, whom he defeated in 2018.To avoid a runoff, the winner must secure 55% of the vote. In the previous election, Bio beat Kamara in the runoff by a margin of less than five percentage points.Bio has been facing increasing criticism because of debilitating economic conditions, which his opponent is pledging to fix. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leone’s population of more than 7 million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa. Multiple deadly anti-government protests have rocked the country during Bio’s term, with calls for him to st...

Saturday Forecast: Sunny, temps into low 90s

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

Saturday: Hot, sunny with temperatures into the low 90s for inland locations. Areas along the lake will reach the upper 70s and mid 80s. Sunshine will prevail for much of the day with some clouds building in late in the afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms move in overnight likely close to midnight and into the very early morning hours on Sunday. Much of the area is under a marginal risk of strong to severe storms with wind and hail as the main threats.Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Sunday will start with a mix of sun and clouds and humid conditions. Winds will be strong with gusts up to 30 mph at times.  We'll see another chance of some thunderstorms mid-morning into the early afternoon on Sunday with showers lingering into the  evening. Highs will be into the mid 80s.

In 2021 interview, OceanGate CEO said he broke 'some rules' when engineering submersible

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

(WFLA) – OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush said he'd "broken some rules" when designing the submersible to visit the wreckage of the Titanic, as seen in a resurfaced interview from 2021.Rush and four others were killed in a "catastrophic implosion" that destroyed their submersible during a dive to see the site of the Titanic earlier this week.The search for the Titan submersible sparked online discussion over the safety of the vessel — with even "Titanic" director James Cameron, who has designed submersibles that went deeper than the ship, calling Titan's construction into question. ‘Kamikaze operation’: Titan passengers recall experiences on past expeditions In a 2021 interview, when the Titan was still undergoing trial experiments, Rush spoke to vlogger Alan Estrada about his desire to be an innovator while designing the Titan."I think it was General MacArthur who said, 'You're remembered for the rules you break,'" Rush said. "And I've broken some rules to make this. I thi...

Weekend Gardening with Tim Joyce: Weeds, dogs and grass issues

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

Check out this WGN Weekend Morning News with Tim Joyce and his weekend gardening tips.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Hera Hub: Flexible workspaces for women

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

Hera Hub gives an opportunity for women to grow their businesses while being supported by powerful communities. Megan Wessels, the community director of the Chicago location joined WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on their initiative.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Why no living people appear on US postage stamps

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

(The Conversation) - With the ascension of King Charles III to the British throne, some commentators have made much of the fact that the new stamp bearing his image features the king without a crown.This is a major break with a tradition that began in 1840 with the world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, which featured the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, wearing her crown.The 1847 George Washington 10-cent stamp. Bettmann via Getty ImagesLess discussed is the fact that the living monarch’s image must appear on all British stamps because the monarch embodies the nation itself. This is true even for commemorative stamps that honor historically important persons and events. Whether sharing equal billing with another person or relegated to a corner, the living monarch’s image will always be found on British stamps.As we discuss in our recent book, “The American Stamp,” when the United States was ready to release its first stamps in 1847, the Post Office retur...

What's being done to save the Texas pimpleback, fawnsfoot, fatmucket and Balcones spike

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has put together a new proposal with the Lower Colorado River Authority to protect freshwater mussels in Texas' lower Colorado River basin.The proposal, which is called a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, is an agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and landowners to help conserve habitats for at-risk species, the release states. LIST: The most mispronounced places across Central Texas The 20-year agreement would protect four types of Texas mussels: the Texas fawnsfoot, Texas pimpleback, Texas fatmucket and Balcones spike. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting public comment on the proposal, according to the release.Freshwater mussels are threatened by declines in "water quality, loss of stream flow, riparian and instream habitat fragmentation, and degradation of instream habitats," the release states.This new agreement will help address water quality and invasive species that impact the e...

The Texas law that dictates adult toys

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — The state of Texas has more than a few of oddball laws on its books — it's still illegal to milk to someone else's cow, for instance — but for the most part, they're not ultra-enforceable. But did you know there's a Texas penal code dictating how many sex toys a Texan can own?What's more, it's been enforced relatively recently. Real or myth? We fact-checked 16 strange Texas ‘laws’ It's all part of Texas Penal Code Title 9 (Offenses Against Public Order and Decency), Chapter 43 (Public Indecency), which outlines laws regarding prostitution, pornography and more. Section 43.23 in particular outlines rules around what are known as "obscene devices," which are defined as "a dildo or artificial vagina, designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs."Beyond the restrictions around the number of adult toys a Texan can legally own or sell, Texas Penal Code also dictates how adult toys can be marketed for sale. As Reuters reported back in 2...

Dispute leads to shooting death of woman in Long Beach 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:48:08 GMT

A woman was shot dead after an argument escalated early Saturday morning in Long Beach. Officers with the Long Beach Police Department responded to the 600 block of Roycroft Avenue around 1 a.m. Saturday morning on calls of a dispute and shooting, police said. Preliminary investigation indicates that some type of argument broke out and the woman, who remains unidentified, was struck by gunfire. She was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unknown if any arrests have been made.   Part of Roycroft Avenue remains blocked off while police conduct their investigation.