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Ticker: Rent-A-Center to pay $8.75M in AG probe; Home prices extend record streak 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

Attorney General Andrea Campbelll announced Tuesday that Rent-A-Center had agreed to pay $8.75 million and cease a slate of business practices after an investigation into alleged “abusive” collection practices.“I am proud of my team’s dedication in securing a settlement with Rent-A-Center, which sadly utilized egregious tactics to target and exploit low-income communities for profit,” said AG Campbell. “My office will continue to protect all consumers from harmful and exploitive practices by those who do business in our state.”Campbell’s office found the Texas-based company “repeatedly engaged in coercive and abusive conduct towards consumers who missed or otherwise failed to make rental payments under their RAC contracts, leading to significant emotional and financial harm.”As part of the settlement, RAC has agreed to the payment and to cease the business practices flagged by the AG.Home prices extend record streakHome prices in the U.S. extended their climb, reaching a fresh recor...

Source: Patriots re-signing QB Will Grier to practice squad after release

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

The Patriots are re-signing quarterback Will Grier to their practice squad, a source told the Herald.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill O’Brien: Blame me for Patriots’ offensive failures New England Patriots | Two Patriots legends named Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists for 2024 Class New England Patriots | Patriots-Giants film review: Bill Belichick is out of options on offense New England Patriots | Mac Jones currently focused on ‘process’ of becoming Patriots starting QB New England Patriots | Patriots extra points: Devin McCourty says he would want new quarterback for Patriots defense Grier was cut from the active roster Saturday to clear an open spot for offensive tackle Conor McDermott, who started the team’s loss last weekend to the Giants. Grier, 28, served as the Patriots’ third-string quarterback from mid-September until his release. He did not...

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s sidekick at Berkshire Hathaway, dies at 99

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

By JOSH FUNK (AP Business Writer)OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Charlie Munger, who helped Warren Buffett build Berkshire Hathaway into an investment powerhouse, has died at a California hospital. He was 99.Berkshire Hathaway said in a statement that Munger’s family told the company that he died Tuesday morning at the hospital just over a month before his 100th birthday.“Berkshire Hathaway could not have been built to its present status without Charlie’s inspiration, wisdom and participation,” Buffett said in a statement.Munger served as Buffett’s sounding board on investments and business decisions and helped lead Berkshire for more than five decades and served as its vice chairman.Munger preferred to stay in the background and let Buffett be the face of Berkshire, and he often downplayed his contributions to the company’s remarkable success.But Buffett always credited Munger with pushing him beyond his early value investing strategies to buy great bus...

Stevenson’s Rocco Pagliocca, whose father is the Chicago Sky’s GM, is showing what he learned from pro players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

Basketball is a labor of love for Stevenson’s Rocco Pagliocca.The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard can’t remember a day when he didn’t devote at least some time to the sport. Much of that has to do with his father, Jeff, who was named the general manager of the Chicago Sky in October. Jeff Pagliocca has trained NBA and WNBA players for years at his Evolution Athletics in Deerfield.“I would pick him up from preschool, and we’d go work out,” Jeff Pagliocca said. “He took a liking to the game at a young age. He was in a lot of NBA locker rooms and arenas at a very early age, so it’s just what he was used to.“But on top of that, it was something he wanted to do.”And Rocco Pagliocca always wanted to get better, making his behind-the-scenes access to high-level athletes all the more meaningful.“I wanted to be just like them,” he said. “It showed me close-up the amount of passion they have and how hard they work to play ...

Mater Dei High School heightens security after receiving threat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Mater Dei High School briefly paused entry to or exit from the campus on Tuesday after the school received an anonymous threat, according to Chula Vista police.The "secure campus" protocol was implemented shortly before 1 p.m. Police were on scene with a DFR drone to search for the possible threat, CVPD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.As of 1:20 p.m., CVPD says checks by officers around the school did not flag anything of concern. The "secure campus" measure was lifted around 1:40 p.m."Officers will remain on campus with school security for the remainder of the school day. We thank all students and parents for their patience- allowing our officers and school staff to focus on confirming campus safety," CVPD said in a follow-up post on X.No additional details were immediately available, including information about what kind of threat was made by the anonymous caller.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Christmas tree planted by family 27 years ago takes center stage in OB

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The Ocean Beach community is getting into the holiday spirit as the town’s Christmas tree was set up Tuesday morning.Tuesday morning, the nearly 40-foot star pine was lifted by a crane and placed on a flatbed truck. (KSWB)It’s perhaps the smallest tree OB Town Council has put up, but residents say its size doesn’t take away from how special it is, and the tradition behind it.FOX 5 was at a home in the 4600 block of Larkspur Street where the tree stood in splendid beauty. With the help of a crane, the tree cutting crew managed to cut and then lift the nearly 40 foot star pine and placed it onto a flatbed truck.Watching it all happen in their Christmas pajamas were Michelle and Della Fitzmorris, a mother daughter duo. Santa speakeasies to winter wonderlands: 7 holiday pop-up bars in San Diego “The story behind it is our neighbors in the front planted it 27 years ago. It was their Christmas tree when they moved in here ... and this is it! It’s going to be donated for our...

4 news photographers shot in southern Mexico, a case authorities consider attempted murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Unidentified assailants on Tuesday wounded four news photographers in the violence-wracked southern Mexican city of Chilpancingo, authorities said.Prosecutors in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero said all four had been taken to a hospital, but did not say whether their wounds were serious.All of the journalists appeared to work for local papers or news sites. State prosecutors said they consider it a case of attempted murder.The press group Reporters Without Borders said the attack occurred just outside the local army barracks, as the photographers were returning from covering an event.The shooting come just days after three journalists were abducted and held for days in Taxco, also in Guerrero state. They were later released, and there was no information on the motive for their abduction.Guerrero has been the scene of deadly turf battles between around a dozen drug gangs and cartels.The shootings and abductions mark some of the largest mass attacks on reporters...

Embattled Oregon school district in court after parents accuse it of violating public meetings law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon school district that sparked controversy in 2021 over a decision to ban diversity symbols was in court Tuesday after parents sued it for allegedly violating public meetings law.The trial, which opened in Yamhill County, stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by a group of seven parents against the Newberg School District and four school board members. In court filings, the parents accused the school board members of meeting in secret, separately from the board’s three other members, to discuss the firing of the district’s superintendent and the hiring of an attorney who helped oversee a ban on Black Lives Matter and gay pride symbols, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.The parents also alleged the district failed to properly notify the public about the meetings during which the votes to fire Superintendent Joe Morelock and hire attorney Tyler Smith occurred, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported, citing court documents.The four school board mem...

Former Indiana lawmaker pleads guilty to casino corruption charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

INDIANPOLIS (AP) — A former Indiana lawmaker pleaded guilty Tuesday to supporting a bill favoring a casino in exchange for promises of lucrative employment.Sean Eberhart, 57, was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. He had agreed to plead guilty earlier this month. The offense is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Judge Matthew P. Brookman of the Southern District Court of Indiana said sentencing will follow at an unspecified date. He said prosecutors and Eberhart’s attorneys have not agreed on a recommended sentence but did settle on $60,000 in restitution — Eberhart’s salary as an elected official. Brookman said a $100 fee will be due at the time of sentencing. Eberhart answered the judge’s questions throughout the hearing with “yes” or “no” answers. He declined to take questions from members of the news media as he left the courthouse. The former Republican state representative...

Liz Rodbell to take over as president and CEO of Hudson’s Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

TORONTO — Hudson’s Bay says Liz Rodbell will take over as president and CEO of the company, returning to the helm after serving as president from 2013 to 2017.The Canadian retail arm of Hudson’s Bay Co. says the move is effective Friday, with Rodbell succeeding Sophia Hwang-Judiesch, who is stepping down from her role as president to pursue another opportunity. No CEO was appointed during Hwang-Judiesch’s time as president, which began after former president and CEO Iain Nairn retired in January.Hudson’s Bay Co. governor and executive chairman Richard Baker says Rodbell is expected to drive the continued transformation of Hudson’s Bay.In a press release, the company also highlighted Rodbell’s “strategic oversight and impact on the overall business” while in her preceding role as chief merchant, adding she “brings a wealth of industry expertise to the role, with strongly established vendor relationships.”Rodbell says her foc...