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Soaring US childcare costs are weighing on spending and the labor market

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

Katia Dmitrieva | Bloomberg News (TNS)Skyrocketing U.S. childcare payments are already weighing on spending and the labor market, according to Bank of America Institute, and that’s even before the expiry of a national program that could make things worse.The average household spends more than $700 a month on childcare across the country, 32% higher than 2019, and the largest increase was for those making $100,000 to $250,000 a year, the data show. That’s already hit spending: Families with childcare payments have been spending at a slower pace than the rest of households since May and are dipping into savings at a faster rate.There are also fewer dual-income households this year, with an average 1.34 payrolls a month versus 1.39 in 2019, indicating that some workers likely dropped out of the labor market to care for their kids, according to the institute’s report published Friday. Women are more likely to leave their jobs to take on that role, and experts warn it could increasingly ...

Chicago Bears dismiss running backs coach David Walker — the 2nd assistant to exit since the season began

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

The Chicago Bears have dismissed running backs coach David Walker, a league source told the Tribune on Wednesday.It’s the latest sign of tumult for a 2-6 team that has yet to win consecutive games under the two-season watch of general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.It’s unclear what precipitated Walker’s removal.He’s the second assistant coach from Eberflus’ staff to exit since the season began. In September, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned in what the Tribune learned from multiple sources was a conduct-related departure.The Bears remain in last place in the NFC North and are coming off a 30-13 blowout loss on “Sunday Night Football” to the Los Angeles Chargers. On Tuesday, just ahead of the NFL trade deadline, Poles sent the team’s 2024 second-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders in exchange for defensive end Montez Sweat.After leading the NFL in rushing a year ago — propelled largely by an expl...

Patriots missing 2 starters at Wednesday practice before Commanders game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots left tackle Trent Brown and wide receiver DeVante Parker were absent at the start of Wednesday’s practice, the team’s first ahead of its weekend home game versus Washington.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots coach Bill Belichick reacts to Josh McDaniels’ firing in Las Vegas New England Patriots | Bill Belichick dodges on Patriots’ inactivity at NFL trade deadline New England Patriots | Bill O’Brien offers blunt assessment of disappointing Patriots offense New England Patriots | Patriots sit tight at NFL trade deadline, what’s next? New England Patriots | Patriots-Dolphins film review: The simple reason Bill Belichick and Mac Jones lost again at Miami Brown played through ankle and knee injuries in last Sunday’s loss at Miami, where Parker took a blow to the head and did not return. Brown also missed the start of practice last...

PHOTOS: Families celebrate Dia De Los Muertos 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

Families around the world honor their deceased loved ones with colorful Dia de los Muertos, or ‘Day of the Dead,’ celebrations. The traditional Mexican holiday focuses on honoring ancestry and commemorating death as a part of life.People gather in the section of children’s tombs inside the San Gregorio Atlapulco cemetery during Day of the Dead festivities on the outskirts of Mexico City, early Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, families decorate graves with flowers and candles and spend the night in the cemetery, eating and drinking as they keep company with their dearly departed. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)People hold candles over a tomb decorated with flowers at a cemetery in Atzompa, Mexico, late Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, families decorate graves with flowers and candles and spend the night in the cemet...

From the Archives: Herald reaches back to 1848

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

How far back does the Herald go?I’d say it is one of the top questions readers ask. Today I’ll help answer that one as best I can:BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p1BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p2BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p3BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p4I dug up the four-page edition of the Nov. 1, 1848, evening edition of the Boston Herald. That year is as far back as our archive goes. We don’t have every month from back then, but we sure do have Nov. 1.It’s a fascinating read from this day back then. Here are some photos from this date in history.Dr. Albert Einstein, left, and Carl Laemmle, film executive, speak as the famed German scientist visits Hollywood motion picture studios, in Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 1931. It was later announced that Einstein had refused a large salary offer from a motion picture company. (AP Photo)Clustered about a bomb dedicated to the Ashland Grade School, Ashland County, Ill., are men of the 14th Air Force in China on Nov. 1, 1...

Canada, U.S. to meet with Indigenous leaders next week on transboundary pollution

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

WASHINGTON — Canadian and U.S. officials are expected to meet next week with Indigenous leaders as they work on cleaning up toxic mining run-off that’s polluting waters on both sides of the border. Ktunaxa Nation officials say the meeting will take place Nov. 9 on Indigenous territory in Cranbrook, B.C. Indigenous groups in both countries have been clamouring for years for a bilateral investigation of selenium contamination from B.C. coal mines owned by Teck Resources. An end-of-summer deadline for an agreement in principle, announced in March by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has since come and gone. Tribal and Indigenous leaders want Canada to agree to a joint investigation under the terms of the International Joint Commission, which oversees transboundary waters. But consensus has not been forthcoming, even though the B.C. government ended its opposition to such an investigation earlier this year. “While we are glad to share this news, and anxi...

Former B.C. premier John Horgan will be Canada’s next ambassador to Germany

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that former British Columbia premier John Horgan has been appointed as Canada’s next ambassador to Germany. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says Horgan has a proven track record of dedicated public service and will provide strategic advice to Trudeau in his new role. Horgan, 64, was first elected to the legislative assembly in 2005 and was re-elected four consecutive times, twice as premier. The statement says Canada and Germany face complex challenges, including food and energy insecurity, and will work to advance shared priorities.Trudeau says Horgan is a passionate public servant and an experienced leader, and he’s confident that he’ll continue to serve Canada well to advance the two countries’ common interests.The Canadian Embassy in Germany is located in Berlin, and there are also consulates in Munich and Duesseldorf. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2023...

Ministers’ responses on Afghan monument contract ‘pathetic’: design team

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

OTTAWA — An architectural group that lost out on building a monument to Canada’s mission in Afghanistan is accusing the government of giving a “pathetic” explanation for how the contract was awarded.The design by Renée Daoust and her team was selected by a jury, but the government overruled that decision to award the contract to another group.The government says it passed over the jury’s choice to reflect the preference of veterans who filled out an anonymous three-question survey online.Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge and Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor testified about the controversy Monday before the House veterans affairs committee. In her opening statement, St-Onge said only that she would defer to her colleague, while Petitpas Taylor said listening to veterans was the least the government could do to honour their sacrifice.But Daoust says veterans were well-represented on the seven-person jury, which was told to take the survey resul...

Privacy bill fails to address dangers of facial recognition technology: coalition

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

OTTAWA — A coalition pushing for better regulation of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies says proposed federal privacy legislation is in “dire need of significant amendments.”In a letter today to Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, the Right2YourFace Coalition warns the use of facial recognition technology threatens human rights, equity principles and fundamental freedoms including the right to privacy.Facial recognition technology can allow an image of a person’s face to be matched against a database of photos with the aim of identifying the individual.The coalition says the technology can prompt biased or flawed results, creating a risk of false identifications.The letter is signed by representatives of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, the Privacy and Access Council of Canada and several others. The coalition says Bill C-27, now before Parliament, fails to addres...

Ontario expanding Holocaust curriculum in Grade 10 History

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:14 GMT

Ontario has mandated new and expanded learning about the Holocaust for high school students after a survey found one in three teenagers in Canada in the U.S. believe the Holocaust was fabricated, exaggerated or are unsure it actually happened.The changes to the curriculum will be made to the Grade 10 History course. The expanded learning will “explicitly link the Holocaust to extreme political ideologies, including fascism, antisemitism in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s, and the contemporary impacts of rising antisemitism.” The changes are expected to be added for September 2025.“By including new mandatory learning in Holocaust education in elementary and secondary schools, we are ensuring students are never bystanders in the face of hate and division,” said Lecce in a release.The current Grade 10 History curriculum involves learning how the Holocaust impacted Canadian society and the attitudes of people in Canada toward human rights.Last year, the government ...