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Mortgage rates tick higher: 30-year, fixed home loan is at 6.90%; 15-year at 6.25%

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose again this week, bad news for Americans seeking to upgrade or buy their first home.The average rate on the 30-year home mortgage rate ticked up to 6.90% this week from 6.81% a week ago. A year ago, the benchmark home loan rate stood at 4.99%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday.The average rate on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with those refinancing their homes, climbed to 6.25% from 6.11% last week. A year ago, it was 4.26%.High rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting how much they can afford in a market already overpriced for many Americans.High inflation has driven the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rate 11 times since March 2022. Its fed funds rate has hit the highest level in 22 years.Inflation has come down steadily since last summer, and many analysts believe the Fed has reached the end of its rate hikes.Mortgage rates don’t necessarily mirror t...

Freddie Mercury’s beloved piano, song drafts and hundreds of belongings on display before auction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

LONDON (AP) — More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury ‘s personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen’s greatest hits, are going on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby’s London ahead of their sale.The vast collection of the singer’s personal belongings, which had been left to Mercury’s close friend Mary Austin, had remained undisturbed in his west London mansion for 30 years since his death in 1991.Austin, 72, said in a BBC interview in April that she has decided to sell almost all the items to “close this very special chapter in my life” and “put my affairs in order.”Among the hundreds of Mercury’s personal treasures were previously unseen working drafts of hits “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “We Are the Champions” and ”Somebody to Love.”The handwritten draft of “Bohemian Rhapsody” — which shows that Mercury experimented with naming the song “...

Police step up security, patrol courthouse ahead of Trump appearance. Follow live updates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

Follow along for live updates as Donald Trump is due to appear in federal court Thursday after being indicted by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House. ___WHAT TO KNOW— Here’s a breakdown of the sprawling election indictment— Trump lawyer hints at a First Amendment defense in the Jan. 6 case— Republicans are remaining silent about the latest charges against Trump— The judge assigned to Trump’s case is a tough punisher of Capitol rioters— Here’s where the various cases involving Trump stand___INCREASED COURTHOUSE SECURITY Authorities are stepping up security at the federal courthouse in Washington hours before Trump is set to surrender and face a judge on felony charges accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss.Dozens of police officers and vehicles were stationed Thursday morning near t...

Carl Davis, award-winning American composer behind many British TV shows and films, dies at 86

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Carl Davis, the American composer and conductor behind the scores for numerous award-winning British television shows and movies, has died, aged 86. In a statement, his family said Davis, who is perhaps best-known for the score of “The World at War,” a hugely influential documentary series about World War II that aired in 1973, died Thursday in Oxford following a brain hemorrhage.“We are so proud that Carl’s legacy will be his astonishing impact on music,” the family said. “A consummate all-round musician, he was the driving force behind the reinvention of the silent movie for this generation and he wrote scores for some of the most-loved and remembered British television dramas.”Davis, who was born in Brooklyn in 1936, started his career in New York, rising to to prominence as co-author of the 1959 revue “Diversions,” which won an off-Broadway Emmy. He subsequently travelled to the 1961 Edinburgh Festival and made Britain his home. Moving to London, Davis soon f...

‘I felt like an orphan’: UCF student devastated after Sanford mother killed, found tied up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

SANFORD, Florida (WESH) — It’s been a rough couple of weeks for one Central Florida son.Friends and family just had a celebration of life service Saturday for his mother, who was found dead inside her Sanford home.“Like if my body was a piece of glass, it was just cracked, shambled, and shattered in every single way,” Steven Rivera Cartagena said.That’s how Rivera Cartagena felt after getting the news his mother had died on July 17. Police say 49-year-old Joysee Cartagena Clemente was found in her Sanford home with a large zip tie around her neck. Sanford police confirmed Tuesday that her death was the result of a homicide.“Appears to be an isolated incident. The person of interest is someone tied to the victim,” Bianca Gillett of the Sanford Police Department said.Rivera Cartagena said he isn’t sure who would want to harm his mother.“That’s the same question I have. I always say that my mom wasn’t the type of person to have enemies. You know, she was a...

Experts share money-saving tips as back-to-school spending soars in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

As the start of the new school year approaches, parents across the nation are gearing up for the annual back-to-school shopping spree, but his year, families are facing higher expenses compared to previous years. According to a recent survey by RetailMeNot, the average American household is projected to spend $1,498 on back-to-school supplies, electronics, and clothes – an increase of $251 from last year’s spending average.The surge in back-to-school expenses can be partly attributed to inflation, which has impacted the prices of various goods and services. Jessica Allen, community director at Living Well Spending Less, compared the shopping experience to Christmas and emphasized the need for careful budgeting and planning to avoid overspending. “It adds up so fast,” she said. “It’s kind of like Christmas. We’re buying 100 different things from 100 different vendors and it’s so easy to lose track.”To help parents navigate the bac...

Penguin chick ‘healthy, thriving’ after assisted hatch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

A penguin chick who struggled to come out of its shell at the New England Aquarium earlier this summer, requiring staff to perform an assisted hatch, has graduated from drinking a specialized formula to eating full fish and could join a colony of penguins this fall.The unnamed female southern rockhopper penguin hatched on June 23 with the help of the aquarium’s animal care team, who spent hours peeling back the egg’s outer shell and membrane when the chick could not break through, aquarium officials announced Wednesday.Penguin parents Pebble II and Fuego II were caring for the egg while the chick attempted to hatch, but aquarium staff intervened when the shell showed few signs of damage.“Eggs can take 24 to 48 hours to hatch, but we weren’t seeing much progress from the chick on its own and were concerned it was too weak,” said Dr. Melissa Joblon, director of animal health at the aquarium.Once veterinarians completed the procedure, the chick was admitte...

Patriots rookie Marte Mapu making strong first impression, showcasing versatility: ‘I feel comfortable anywhere’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

FOXBORO — Marte Mapu’s welcome to the NFL moment came during the spring.When Mapu, the Patriots’ third round draft pick in April, arrived to OTAs in Foxboro, Bill Belichick’s operation caught him by some surprise.“They were just more detailed than I expected,” Mapu said. “But that I also expected, too, if that makes sense.”Mapu has seemed to take that sudden realization to heart, because he’s making it his mission during training camp to be as prepared and ready for any role as possible.The 23-year-old Mapu is listed as a linebacker, but even at 230 pounds, has the ability to play in the secondary. He has been an early star in training camp, taking some first-team reps at linebacker even while wearing a red non-contact jersey as he recovers from a torn pectoral muscle. He’s taken reps at third-team safety, too. Mapu takes serious pride in that versatility. He doesn’t know where he might fit in to this Patriots defense when the lights turn on, but he wants to make sure he’s ready for...

Saudi Arabia extends cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day, potentially boosting prices at the pump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday it will extend its unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day through the end of September in its effort to boost flagging energy prices, a move that could push U.S. gas prices higher.The Saudi reduction, which began in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers have agreed to extend earlier production cuts through next year.The national average for U.S. gas prices stood at about $3.82 a gallon on Tuesday — about 30 cents higher than a month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today’s prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.This year’s record-breaking summer heat has also had an impact, driving up demand for air conditioning and forcing refineries to operate at reduced capacity.The kingdom announced the extension in a statement on...

Ask the Pediatrician: What is single-sided deafness in children?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:52:36 GMT

Diya Kallam and Dr. Brian K. Reilly | (TNS) American Academy of PediatricsSingle-sided deafness (SSD) is a hearing impairment that affects at least one in every 1,000 babies born. These infants have severe-to-profound hearing loss in one ear with normal or near-normal hearing in the other ear. The condition can also develop in older children and adults.If your child shows symptoms of single-sided deafness, sometimes called unilateral hearing loss, talk with their doctor right away. Hearing impairment can make it difficult for children to learn languages and speech. But prompt treatment can help avoid problems.Symptoms of single-sided deafness to know:— Tinnitus (ringing) in one ear— Selective use of phone in only the hearing ear— Head turning to hear the source of a sound— Difficulty hearing in noisy environments— Auditory fatigue from the extra effort that listening requires with hearing impairmentEarly diagnosis and treatment for hearing impairment is key.If any symptoms of single...