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Old Town Alexandria preps for big Small Business Saturday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

The turkey is done and now is the time to shop.However, you might want to skip out on Black Friday or Cyber Monday and instead spend during Small Business Saturday. This year, it is expected to be a busy Saturday to shop in Alexandria, Virginia.“Old Town Alexandria really comes alive during the holiday season,” said Rebecca Doser, director of communications at Visit Alexandria.Small Business Saturday is slowly becoming more popular than Black Friday. Shoppers spent nearly $18 billion last year, according to a survey by American Express, with a large portion of them understanding the impact it has on their local community.Fifty local shops in Alexandria are hoping to get in on that this holiday.“The holiday season is really the biggest time for some of our small businesses in Alexandria. It can really be a make-or-break time for some of these small businesses,” Doser said.Stores will open at 7:30 a.m. and stay open until 8:30 p.m.“It’s much better ...

DC to distribute free COVID-19 tests at local libraries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

D.C. Health announced Wednesday that it would again be giving away free COVID-19 rapid tests at local libraries throughout all eight wards, months after ending the pandemic-era testing program in February.The current testing distribution plan will allow for the distribution of tests at 22 D.C. public libraries during their hours of operation. Libraries offering free rapid tests include:Mount Pleasant Library located at 3160 16th Street NW in Ward 1In Ward 2, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library located at 901 G Street NW, Shaw (Watha T. Daniel) Library located at 1630 Seventh Street NW and West End Neighborhood Library located at 2301 L Street NW.In Ward 3, Palisades Library located at 4901 V Street NW, Georgetown Library located at 3260 R Street NW, Tenley-Friendship Library located at 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Cleveland Park Library located at 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW and Chevy Chase Library located at 5625 Connecticut Avenue NW.In Ward 4, Shepherd Park/Juanita E. Thorton Lib...

La policía arresta a 34 personas por los violentos enfrentamientos en Dublín tras el apuñalamiento de 5 personas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

(CNN) — La policía irlandesa detuvo a 34 personas implicadas en los violentos disturbios ocurridos el jueves en el centro de Dublín tras el apuñalamiento de dos adultos y tres niños pequeños que salían por la tarde de un colegio del centro norte de la ciudad.En una rueda de prensa celebrada el viernes, el comisario de Policía Drew Harris declaró que el cuerpo “no podía prever” que los apuñalamientos desencadenarían “tales desórdenes”.“Son escenas que no habíamos visto en décadas. Pero lo que está claro es que la gente se ha radicalizado a través de las redes sociales”, dijo.Un video difundido en redes sociales este jueves parecía mostrar a un grupo de hombres enfrentándose violentamente a los agentes en Dublín e incendiando un coche de policía. En las imágenes también puede verse a un hombre con un cartel en el que se lee “Irish Lives Matter” (Las vidas de los irlandeses importan). En el video se oye a algunos manifestantes corea...

¿Quién es Nicolás Posse, el futuro jefe de Gabinete del gobierno de Javier Milei?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

(CNN Español) — Las decisiones suelen definir a los líderes políticos. Y a sus entornos también. El presidente electo de Argentina, Javier Milei, viajaba rumbo a la Quinta presidencial de Olivos para la cumbre de la transición con el actual presidente, Alberto Fernández, pero antes de llegar decidió hacer una escala previa. Pasó a buscar a una persona de su máxima confianza, Nicolás Posse.“Un hombre de una inteligencia extraordinaria, hiperhonesto, con una capacidad de trabajo furiosa, y, sobre todo, es muy ordenado, y el jefe de Gabinete tiene que ser muy ordenado”. Así calificó Milei antes del balotaje a quien será uno de los funcionarios clave de su gobierno.La oficina del presidente electo le confirmó a CNN que Posse será el jefe de Gabinete de Ministros a partir del 10 de diciembre. Sin embargo, sus tareas no comenzarán esa fecha dado que es uno de los encargados del “armado de equipos” que arribará al poder, tal como describe una fuente que acompaña el día a día de...

Stock market today: World shares mostly lower in holiday-thin trading, with half-day for US markets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed Friday in Europe and Asia after U.S. markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Germany’s DAX was nearly unchanged, at 15,998.44, while the CAC 40 in Paris likewise was flat at 7,279.03. Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.4% to 7,453.40. On Wall Street, the futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.1% ahead of Friday’s half-day trading session. On Wednesday, before the holiday, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Dow rose 0.5%. The Nasdaq gained 0.5%. It’s been a quiet week for data releases, but Japan reported its consumer inflation rose for the first time in four months, with big gains in food prices and hotel rates as tourism has soared. The consumer price index rose 3.3% in October from a year earlier, up from 3% in September in a trend contrary to the Bank of Japan’s forecasts for price pressures to abate toward the year’s end. “Both the government and the BOJ will be concerned ...

South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius up for parole 10 years after killing his girlfriend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius could be granted parole on Friday after spending nearly 10 years in prison in South Africa for murder. The double-amputee Olympic runner was one of the world’s most admired athletes before he killed his girlfriend by shooting her multiple times through a toilet door at his home on Valentine’s Day 2013.Pistorius, who turned 37 this week, was sent to prison in late 2014. He has been given a second chance at parole in the space of eight months after he was wrongly ruled ineligible for early release at a first hearing in March. That was due to an error made by an appeals court over when the sentence officially started.Pistorius was initially convicted of culpable homicide — a charge comparable to manslaughter — for killing Reeva Steenkamp. That conviction was overturned and he was convicted of murder after an appeal by prosecutors. They also appealed against an initial sentence of six years for murder, and Pistorius was ultimate...

People taking ADHD medications should closely monitor their heart health, study suggests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

Long-term use of ADHD medications can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease in both children and adults, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. Experts say that the benefits of treatment still outweigh the risks for many, but heart heath should be carefully considered and monitored when making individual decisions.Researchers in Sweden followed the medical records of thousands of individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder — known as ADHD — for an average of four years, and up to 14 years, between 2007 and 2020. The patients, ages 6 to 64, were monitored for a range of cardiovascular disease diagnoses. The researchers found that people taking ADHD medications had a higher risk of hypertension and arterial disease, and the risk increased over time.Each additional year of ADHD medication use elevated the risk of heart disease by an average of 4%, stabilizing after more substantial increases in the first three years of treatment. Overall, the resu...

Find the perfect gift for your child this holiday season at Learning Express Toys store in Pinecrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

Trying to track down some of this holiday season’s hot new toys? Well you’re in luck.“Merry Christmas, come on in. Let’s find the hot new toys for the season,” said Jessica Thompson, manager of Learning Express Toys.Parents can start off with a selection of toys for toddlers as little as 12 months old.“New for this year, we have the animal adventure train,” Thompson said. “You get to hear all your animal noises and it rolls along with you. This is great for 12 months plus.”But if baking is more your child’s style.“Cinnamon rolls, mmm. Perfect for those 3 year olds in their pretend play. Yum, yum, yum, yum,” Thompson said,And if your child wants to be a future music star, Learning Express Toys has the perfect gift.“And for the rock and roller in your life, we have a DJ set specially made for those 12 months plus to 2 years,” Thompson said. “He can be his very own DJ. Keep you rockin.”Now, ...

Rutte’s party won’t join Geert Wilders in Dutch coalition, new leader says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

Dilan Yeşilgöz, the leader of the biggest center-right party in the Dutch parliament, ruled out joining a potential Geert Wilders-dominated coalition but said she could support such a government from the sidelines.This could pave the way for an alliance between Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) and Pieter Omtzigt’s center-right New Social Contract (NSC) in government.“The big winners are the PVV and NSC. After 13 years, a different role suits us,” Yeşilgöz, leader of the liberal-conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the part of outgoing premier Mark Rutte told reporters in The Hague on Friday. “But we will make a center-right cabinet possible. We will support constructive proposals, so it is a form of tolerance,” she added, according to public broadcaster NOS.Wilders quickly reacted on X, formerly Twitter, saying VVD’s decision, taken before the start of coalition negotiations, was “very disappointing.&#...

Nissan confirms future of Sunderland factory with UK government support

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

LONDON — Japanese carmaker Nissan has committed to building three new electric vehicle models in the north east of England in a major boost to Britain’s automotive sector.The long-term commitment by Nissan is expected to be backed by government support.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Nissan’s investment was a “massive vote of confidence in the U.K.’s automotive industry.” Sky News reported earlier this week that Sunak had been personally involved in discussions with Nissan.The company announced on Friday that it will build new electric Qashqai, Juke and LEAF models at its factory in Sunderland, which will also be supplied by an additional battery gigafactory and electricity grid infrastructure.Taken together, the plans represent £2 billion of investment and protect 7,000 direct British jobs, Nissan said.The overall sum of government support for the project was not disclosed on Friday, but will include £15 million for a research center in Bedfordshire and the creation of a North East...