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New Jersey firefighters battle 4-alarm blaze at former home to Singer’s 1st sewing machine factory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — Firefighters battled a four-alarm fire Friday at a New Jersey industrial park that was once home to the first Singer Sewing Machine factory in the United States, a city official said.A passerby reported the fire around 5:30 a.m. at a building in Elizabeth, city spokesperson Ruby Contreras said in an email. There were no reports of anyone inside the building and no reports of injuries, Contreras said. Part of the building had already collapsed, she said.The large industrial building is south of Newark Liberty International Airport and a strait from the New York City borough of Staten Island. A huge plume of smoke could be seen from Manhattan.In 1873 the Singer Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company purchased 32 acres at the site, and established the factory where it would make the iconic machines for more than a century, NJ.com reported. It was the largest workforce plant in the world for a single establishment at the time. Public records show the building s...

Chinese liquor probe escalates trade tensions with Brussels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

BRUSSELS — The trade relationship between the EU and China took another hit on Friday as China announced it would investigate whether European producers of liquors are dumping their products on its market.In a step that appeared targeted primarily against France’s large brandy sector, Beijing revealed its displeasure over the EU’s assertiveness in its trade ties with China, including a probe into made-in-China electric vehicle subsidies that was strongly backed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government.“It’s about sending a message,” said trade lawyer Laurent Ruessmann, a partner at Fieldfisher. “The EU has opened several cases in the last few months: anti-dumping on biodiesel and also on boom lifts. [China is] basically pressuring these high-profile French brandy producers to use their open ear with the Elysée Palace to tell them the EU should be careful.” The probe comes three months after the European Commission started an investigation into whether subsidies for electr...

Truck crashes into Everett home, knocks it off foundation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

An Everett family was displaced Friday morning after an accident moved their house from its foundation.According to police, a dump truck hit a canteen truck before ultimately crashing into the house on Robin Street. Authorities said it appeared the truck experienced a malfunction leading to break failure which caused the accident. Officials said the house moved from its foundation and was deemed unsafe, so the occupants are being brought to a shelter. Robin Street was closed following the accident, with Everett Police asking residents to avoid the area for the remainder of the morning. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Tesla recalls 1.6 million cars in China to reduce risk of collisions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

Hong Kong (CNN) — Tesla is recalling 1.6 million vehicles in China to fix problems with its Autopilot driver-assistance system and reduce the risk of collisions, a Chinese regulator said Friday.The issues can be fixed through over-the-air software updates, according to a statement from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, the nation’s top market regulator.The Autopilot recall covers 1.61 million Tesla (TSLA) cars in the company’s second biggest market, including imported Model S, Model X and Model 3 sedans as well as Chinese-made Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs. The vehicles were made between August 26, 2014 and December 20, 2023.In these vehicles, drivers might “misuse” the Autopilot functions, which could increase the risk of collisions, the regulator said in the statement.The Chinese recall follows the recall of nearly all 2 million Tesla cars on US roads last month after the US safety regulator found the Autopilot system could be used in w...

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says she’d still be abused if her mother were alive today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

(CNN) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard says the first time she tasted freedom was not last week, when she walked out of a Missouri prison after serving eight and a half years for helping to kill her abusive mother.The first time she tasted freedom, she says, was when she went to prison in the first place.“For me, getting to prison was a chance to start a life for myself in terms of gaining independence from everyone,” she said in an interview with CNN on Thursday, ahead of the premiere of the Lifetime docuseries, “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.”“Being able to just do something as simple as make friends for the first time, go out in the sun, enjoy a day with friends, socializing with other people my age,” she added. “It was definitely more freedom than I had ever felt before in my life living with my mother.”Following her release on parole last week, Blanchard, 32, is finally experiencing true freedom.Blanchard became the subject of tabloid fascination after her...

The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

New York (CNN) — The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday, blowing past expectations and capping off a year of resilience in the labor market.The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%.Economists were expecting net job gains of 160,000 for December and for the unemployment rate to tick up to 3.8%.The continued strength in the labor market has helped to fuel consumer spending and economic growth. It has remained robust despite the Federal Reserve’s 11 rate hikes over the past two years to bust inflation.Still, Fed officials believe slower demand will help bring down inflation.Through 2023, the US recorded a net gain of nearly 2.7 million jobs, according to seasonally adjusted data from the BLS.That’s almost half of the 4.79 million jobs gained in 2022, which was the second-highest annual total on records going back to 1939. It’s also significantly under 2021’s record-setting year, when 7.27 million jobs were added as...

Chicago Bears confidential: The buzz in the NFL surrounding coach Matt Eberflus’ future and the state of the team

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

The Chicago Bears are heading toward a fascinating pivot point in franchise history, looking to elevate a rapidly improving team through a series of key decisions during the 2024 offseason.On Thursday, we took a deep dive into the team’s big-picture evaluation of quarterback Justin Fields while exploring the possibility of drafting USC standout Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick.In this installment, after speaking with more than a dozen sources in recent weeks about the state of the Bears and the opportunities ahead, we zero in on the coaching staff, organizational health and roster-building efforts.Here are eight things to consider as the Bears march toward their season finale Sunday in Green Bay.1. Within league circles, there’s chatter that the Bears are considering keeping Matt Eberflus as their coach in 2024.Publicly, general manager Ryan Poles has said he won’t reach final decisions on any of his most important big-picture evaluations until after the season. ...

Andy Shaw: What are 3 keys to the Bears’ future? A longtime fan offers some advice.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

After my freshman year at Evanston Township High School, where my final tackle football experience was starting center on the “B” team, I froze my 15-year-old behind off on a 50-yard-line wooden seat in Wrigley Field’s upper deck on a 5-degree Sunday in December 1963. I watched as the Bears beat the New York Giants 14-10 for the NFL championship, the team’s last until the glorious 1985 Super Bowl year.(The single bathroom in our concourse was totally insufficient, I might add.)My family had those fantastic season ticket seats with a live, sightline equivalent of today’s TV view courtesy of my grandfather, who purchased them in the 1930s. I accompanied Gramps and my dad to every home game from the time I was 10 until I headed off to college eight years later.After that, I went to home games whenever I was in Chicago up until 2003, when a box office snafu after the Soldier Field makeover relocated us to an end zone, prompting me to give up my season ticke...

Guest referee gig turns into Super Bowl trip as Markham woman named Bears Fan of the Year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

Shameka Leach has been a Chicago Bears fan since she was a little girl watching games with her father and brothers, but it’s the team’s outreach to others that has cemented the team in her heart.“As a team, I love the Bears for the community service part of it. I’m a really big community service activist,” the Markham resident shared.“What I love about them is they continuously — this is the part that I see and participate in — they do stuff for their community and across the state. That’s the part I love where they give back. … It’s not just the game for me. Why I love them is for the game and community service. A lot of people don’t get to see what the actual players or the organization are doing.”Leach, who volunteers plenty of time herself both with the team and off the field, was surprised at a game when the Bears played the Las Vegas Raiders by being named the Bears’ nominee for 2023 NFL Fan of...

Lawyer for alleged victim of Dani Alves files legal complaint after video circulates on social media

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The lawyer representing the woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves has filed a legal complaint with Spanish authorities after a video circulated on social media that reportedly reveals the identity of her client.Ester García, the lawyer of the alleged victim, told The Associated Press on Friday that her office filed the legal complaint. Spanish newspaper La Vanguardía said García filed the complaint with Catalan police in Barcelona.In the video, alleged images of the young woman are shown along with information supposedly revealing her name and other personal data. The Spanish state prosecutors’ office in Barcelona told the AP that it was analyzing the video to see if there were grounds to open a formal investigation. Spanish law forbids the publication of material revealing the identity of someone without their consent.The prosecutors’ office has also asked the Barcelona-based court to ensure it guarantees the privac...