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Millennial Money: The credit-building road with alternative credit cards could be bumpy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

Getting a first or second chance to build credit with a credit card has been easier in recent years because financial technology companies have created alternative options.These new cards often evaluate applications differently from traditional credit cards, with algorithms and proprietary methods that may put less emphasis on credit scores while looking at factors such as your income or bank account balances. Lower costs tend to be a hallmark, too: Some of these products advertise no security deposit, no annual fee and no APR.“Many fintechs are really focused on offering products to people that otherwise would not qualify for them at a major institution,” says Nick Roberts, chief marketing officer at Grow Credit, a financial technology company based in California. “There is a lot of focus with certain fintechs to expand the market.”But while many of these relative newcomers can indeed help you build credit, it’s worth noting that the journey might sometimes be bumpy as the company ...

Dutch museums will return art and artifacts that were looted from Sri Lanka and Indonesia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Two Dutch museums are handing hundreds of cultural artifacts back to Indonesia and Sri Lanka — from a richly decorated cannon to precious metals and jewelry — that were taken, often by force, in the colonial era.The government announced the planned restitution of 478 “cultural objects” Thursday. Some Western nations are returning looted artifacts and other objects as part of a reckoning with their often brutal colonial histories.A Berlin museum announced in January it is ready to return hundreds of human skulls from the former German colony of East Africa. In 2021, France said it was returning statues, royal thrones and sacred altars taken from the West African nation of Benin. And last year, Belgium returned a gold-capped tooth belonging to the slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba.“This is a historic moment. It is the first time that, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on the Return of Cultural Objects from Colonial Context, we ...

Prosecutors charge Swedish man for putting dead companion in a freezer and cashing in her pension

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Prosecutors on Thursday charged a 55-year-old Swede with fraud and falsifying records for allegedly putting his dead companion in a freezer and cashing in her pension. The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the man, who was not identified, carried out “systematic” fraud involving about 1.3 million kronor ($119,500).The man had told investigators that he had put the Norwegian woman in a freezer after he finding her dead in their home. The two lived in Arjang, which is about 340 kilometers (211 miles) west of Stockholm.The man had told family and friends that the woman was still alive.“It must have been very stressful for family and friends to learn in this way that the woman had been dead for a long time,” said prosecutor Linda Karlsson.“The man also used the freezer for other purposes, which I believe means that the deceased’s grave peace was violated every time the man opened and closed the freezer and constitutes an aggravating circumstance,” Karlsson ...

Thursday Forecast: Muggy and humid with a slight chance for showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Muggy and humid conditions Thursday with a 20% shower chance. Winds: N 5-10 G20, cooler lakeside. High: 78/72. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Partly cloudy tonight. Winds: NW 5-10. Low: 61.Friday Forecast: Mostly sunny Friday, cooler lakeside. Winds: E 5-10. High: 80/73.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Quadruplets born on Fourth of July in Los Angeles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

(KTLA) -- A family in Los Angeles grew by four Tuesday, welcoming quadruplets just in time for the Fourth of July.Sara Kahengutovich gave birth to two girls and two boys at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, hospital representatives said.Sara Kahengutovich gave birth to two girls and two boys at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles on July 4, 2023. (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)The four babies each weighed more than four pounds and are currently "doing well" and resting at the Guerin Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. JFK grandson goes viral for anti-restaurant rant Dr. Steven Rad delivered the quadruplets via C-section, Cedars-Sinai officials said. The babies were born at about 34 weeks, the hospital said.Kahengutovich and her partner, Rabbi Yisrael Gutovich, also have a 3-year-old son at home, ready to meet his new siblings. Sara Kahengutovich and her partner, Rabbi Yisrael Gutovich, welcomed quadruplets at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles on July 4, 2023. (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)Q...

APD: SWAT responds to call in east Austin, 1 taken into custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An aggravated assault call in east Austin turned into a SWAT situation Thursday, according to the Austin Police Department.APD said officers responded to the call in the 7000 block of Decker Lane at 1:09 a.m. for reports of a man shooting his brother. Austin Police said the man shot was in the hospital with life-threatening conditions.APD said a perimeter was set up around the area, but the suspect was not found. Officers then received information the suspect could be at a second location in the 5600 block of Springdale Road, according to police.As of 4:45 a.m., Austin Police said the suspect remained inside at the second location and a SWAT call was in progress.In an update, APD said the suspect was taken into custody at approximately 6:15 a.m.This is a developing story. Check back with KXAN for more information.

State law impacts regulations on pet sales in Texas cities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, known by its opponents as the "Death Star" law, will take away the power to regulate pet sales from city governments. HB 2127 will not allow local governments to have more strict regulations when it comes to business and commerce. Some local rules that will be removed by the bill include mandatory water breaks for construction workers, eviction moratoriums and protections against predatory lending.Those who are against the law say it targets progressive ordinances passed by cities, while the supporters of the law say it will make it easier for businesses to comply with regulations across the state. The bill is generally broad and a City of Austin spokesperson told KXAN it could take years before the full extent of the law is known. But an amendment to the bill is very specific when it comes to pet sales. The section of the law reads, "A municipality may not adopt, enforce, or maintain an ordinance or rule that restric...

Jamelle Bouie: America had more than one founding and more than one set of founders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

Read today, the Declaration of Independence is a freedom document. It stands for absolute human equality and represents the highest ideals of the American republic. On July Fourth, we celebrate it as much as we celebrate independence itself.But as scholars like Garry Wills and Pauline Maier have made clear, this relative consensus on the meaning and significance of the Declaration is the product of political, ideological and social developments over time.“During the first fifteen years following its adoption,” Maier writes in “American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence,” “the Declaration of Independence seems to have been all but forgotten, particularly within the United States, except as the means by which Americans announced their separation from Great Britain.”The Declaration as we understand it was forged by struggle — not the struggle with Britain but the struggle within the independent United States for freedom and equality against the weight of the Constitutio...

5 things to know this Thursday, July 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Happy almost Friday! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we're in for a hot one today. The heat is on, and this afternoon will be rough with the hottest temperatures of the year mixed with high humidity. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! A Troy Police canine was stabbed 12 times while responding to a burglary early Wednesday morning and has since been released from Upstate Veterinary Specialties. A police officer also suffered a broken foot, and a suspect has been arrested. Also, a Schaghticoke man was arrested on Monday following a 15-month investigation, alleging he gave a pregnant woman Mifepristone without her knowledge, leading to a miscarriage. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Thursday morning. 1. Troy K9 stabbed 12 times, officer breaks foot responding to burglaryAn important update after a Troy Police canine (K9) was stabbed 12 times while responding to ...

2 suspects involved in murder of north St. Louis restaurant owner arrested on federal charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Two people arrested and charged in connection with the robbery and murder of a beloved north St. Louis restaurant owner are due in federal court Thursday morning.The Eagleton Courthouse is where the two suspects are set to appear for a preliminary hearing at 10:00 a.m. Thursday. The suspects are identified in court documents as Larob Harris and Mekayla Johann.The victim was 38-year-old Fa Ming Pan, who went by the name of 'Randy.' Pan was the owner of 'St. Louis Kitchen' on North Kingshighway in the Fountain Park neighborhood. An employee who was with Pan was also shot, that person survived. The crime unfolded outside the restaurant on the night of May 30. Employees and others held a vigil for Pan and the other victim not long after the tragedy. Two lives lost: Did 911 fail during St. Louis storm? Court documents call the case a targeted and pre-planned robbery. Authorities said Pan and the other victim were leaving the restaurant just after 9:30 that night when they w...