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Mortgage moves ‘good news’ for borrowers, but budget lacks housing support: experts

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

TORONTO — Real estate observers say a new mortgage code of conduct promised in the federal budget will be handy for Canadians facing financial difficulties, but they still feel the economic plan was lacking needed housing affordability measures.The code of conduct announced Tuesday is meant to ensure federally regulated financial institutions will provide fair and equitable access to mortgage relief measures for people struggling to stay in their homes because of elevated interest rates.It would protect these people from unnecessary penalties, internal bank fees, or interest charges and allow them to extend amortizations beyond 25 years, adjust payment schedules and make lump-sum payments.The code of conduct is “good news” for people with variable rate mortgages facing financial burdens, said Sherry Cooper, Dominion Lending Centres’ chief economist.“If the banks can extend remaining amortizations when borrowers renew, the pressure on their pocketbooks will be...

Musk, scientists call for halt to AI race sparked by ChatGPT

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

Are tech companies moving too fast in rolling out powerful artificial intelligence technology that could one day outsmart humans? That’s the conclusion of a group of prominent computer scientists and other tech industry notables such as Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who are calling for a 6-month pause to consider the risks.Their petition published Wednesday is a response to San Francisco startup OpenAI’s recent release of GPT-4, a more advanced successor to its widely-used AI chatbot ChatGPT that helped spark a race among tech giants Microsoft and Google to unveil similar applications.WHAT DO THEY SAY?The letter warns that AI systems with “human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity” — from flooding the internet with disinformation and automating away jobs to more catastrophic future risks out of the realms of science fiction.It says “recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy e...

$264M offered in Gulf oil sale held under climate compromise

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Oil companies offered a combined $264 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year’s climate bill compromise.The auction was the first in the Gulf in more than a year and drew interest from industry giants including ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron. It could further test the loyalty of environmentalists and young voters who backed President Joe Biden in 2020 but were frustrated by this month’s approval of the huge Willow drilling project in northern Alaska.Developing the leases for sale in public waters in the Gulf of Mexico could produce more than 1 billion barrels of oil and more than 4 trillion cubic feet (113 billion cubic meters) of natural gas over 50 years, according to a government analysis. Burning that oil would increase planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions by tens of millions of tons, the analysis found.Winning bids Wednesday were 38% higher than the last auction and marked the most received since ...

Former Columbine High School principal offers support to Nashville after school shooting

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, has found itself on a growing list that no school wants to be on. The school was the scene of a mass shooting Monday, in which three students and three staff members were killed. School officials who've been in this situation have offered their support to the grieving community, including former Columbine School Principal Frank DeAngelis. SEE ALSO | Parkland father calls for nationwide school strike after Nashville shooting In 1999, two gunmen opened fire at Columbine High School, killing 30, and injuring many others. Since then, 175 people have died in 15 mass shooting events connected to U.S. schools and colleges, including Columbine. The analysis comes from a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that tracks shootings involving at least four fatalities, not counting the shooter. WATCH | Bodycam video shows moments police killed active shooter at Nashville school ...

Mellow Johnny's moving to 'heart of the Austin cycling community'

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Mellow Johnny's, a local bike shop owned by Lance Armstrong, is moving locations, according to a social media post.The bike shop made the post of the new location near the James D. Pfluger Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge with a “COMING SOON” written in front of the entrance.According to the post, the shop is set to open in Summer 2023.“New digs are under construction at the foot of the James D. Pfluger Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, the heart of the Austin cycling community,” the Mellow Johnny's post said.

Daniel Perry trial day 2: Partner of killed BLM protester testifies

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Holding back tears before she began to speak, Whitney Mitchell prepared to testify in the murder trial of a man accused of killing her longtime partner three years ago. Daniel Perry entered a not-guilty plea in court Tuesday. He faces a murder charge. Trial set to begin this week for man accused of shooting, killing Austin protester in 2020 She and Foster met as teens in high school in 2009. After a year together, Mitchell said she got sick. That sickness led to her losing both of her arms and legs. Though the two had only been together a short time, Mitchell said Foster stuck by her side. He went from her boyfriend to caregiver."He helped me get dressed in the morning, brush my teeth, wash my hair … everything you would do in your everyday life, he did that for me," Mitchell said. She and the prosecution both referred to him as her husband in court Tuesday because of how long they had been together.Follow reporter Jala Washington's live updates from court below:Tw...

Where Texas baseball stands in the NCAA statistical rankings

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the midst of the longest active winning streak in college baseball at 15 games, the No. 21 Texas Longhorns have representation scattered all over Division I statistical rankings.A big part of the Longhorns' early success has been their pitching. The Longhorns rank No. 11 in Division I with a team ERA of 3.35, and it's the best in the Big 12 Conference. Two pitchers, Lucas Gordon and Charlie Hurley, are in the top-50 in ERA nationally. Gordon is No. 21 with a 1.65 ERA, allowing six earned runs in 32.2 innings pitched this season, and Charlie Hurley is No. 34 with a 1.86 ERA. He's allowed six earned runs in 29 innings pitched. Hit parade, strong pitching leads No. 21 Longhorns to 5-2 win over Texas A&M The closest Big 12 team to Texas in the rankings is West Virginia at No. 22 with a 3.70 ERA. The team with the nation's best ERA is Wake Forest at 2.12 and UTSA's Simon Miller leads the nation with a 0.64 ERA.The Texas pitching staff is also one of the best at l...

Protestors try to drown out the I-35 North construction groundbreaking

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation broke ground on its I-35 Capital Express North project. It's a $606 million project that would add one non-tolled, high-occupancy vehicle lane in each direction along the interstate between SH 45 North and Hwy 290 in north central Austin.I-35 Capital Express North would also reconstruct six bridges, construct a diverging diamond interchange at Wells Branch Parkway, reconstruct entrance and exit ramps, and create shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists.But not everyone is on board to see the expansion. Rethink 35 protesters were on site doing their best to drown out the speakers at the groundbreaking presentation. Rethink35 is pushing for a study of alternatives, including rerouting non-local traffic and completely replacing the highway with a boulevard.That's something TxDOT Austin District Engineer, Tucker Ferguson said is not a realistic option, "The projects we put together for Capital Express North, South and Cent...

Austin Water talks improvements plans

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Over the past few years, Austin has seen quite a few boil water notices which led to major changes in Austin Water.Last year, an Austin boil water notice lasted three days, resulting from an employee operator error. Previous coverage: Austin Water: Employee error led to boil water notice After the boil water notice, Councilmember Alison Alter authored a resolution calling for an external review of Austin Water.In January, results from an external audit of Austin Water were released, detailing 53 recommendations the company could improve on. External audit of Austin Water completed, report released Austin Water leadership will present their response to the audit and their implementation plan for the recommendations Wednesday afternoon. According to the slideshow that will be presented in the meeting, some recommendations have been implemented:Austin Water is currently posting openings of multiple levels to allow hiring above entry level.Austin Water now provides ...

WATCH: Comfort dogs deployed to Nashville school following shooting

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:40:34 GMT

Storyful — A Christian charity deployed a pack of so-called comfort dogs to Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, March 28, to offer some relief to the local community after a fatal mass shooting at the Covenant School the previous day. Images taken by Lutheran Church Charities show people who have come to visit a memorial outside the school interacting and patting the dogs. The charity told Storyful it had deployed the dogs in the aftermath of previous mass shootings, including the Michigan State University mass shooting in February, the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado in November 2022, and the Uvalde school shooting in May 2022.Three nine-year-old children and three school staff members were killed Monday at the Covenant School, a Christian school in Nashville, police said.Police identified the shooter as 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a former student of the school, who was shot dead at the scene..