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Actor Tom Hanks delivers Class of 2023 commencement at Harvard

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

Harvard University’s Class of 2023 received words of inspiration from a man known for delivering such lines as “Life is like a box of chocolates.”Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks was in Boston this week to deliver the commencement address at Harvard’s graduation ceremony Thursday morning.The star of films such as “Forest Gump,” “The Green Mile,” and “Toy Story” was spotted shaking hands and taking selfies with graduates before the ceremony.“I don’t know much about Latin, I have no real passion for enzymes, and public global policy is something I scan in the newspaper just before I do the Wordle – and yet here I am,” Hanks joked during his speech.According to the university, Hanks was chosen for his contributions to American culture and for getting people to appreciate stories and history.For nearly 30 minutes, the star spoke about community, responsibility, and the role the students have to play in soci...

Giants OTA Notebook: Brian Daboll remains mum on Saquon Barkley at Thursday’s session

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

Saquon Barkley is not attending OTAs, having not signed his franchise tag tender or received a new contract yet. Giants head coach Brian Daboll preemptively announced in an opening statement that he would not comment on Barkley.“That situation is going to be between Saquon and the organization,” he said Thursday. “I’m not going to get into detail of any of the discussions we’ve had.”Daboll would not even say if he expects Barkley at mandatory minicamp in mid-June.“I’m not going to get into any discussions about that,” he said.Daniel Jones said he speaks to Barkley “pretty regularly” and called him a “close friend,” but he also said “that’s Saquon’s business between him and the team.”“I hope they get something done,” Big Blue’s quarterback said, who called Barkley a “great teammate”  and a “very important part” of what the Giants do.PRAC...

Daniel Jones’ new target Darren Waller looks different: ‘He’s a true 6-6 and he can fly’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

Daniel Jones could be forgiven this season if he throws to Darren Waller so often that he gets accused of forcing it to him.Waller looks like the first pick in a pickup basketball game. When he’s covered, he still looks open. He runs like a deer.It didn’t take long for Jones to notice how different Waller would be as a target when they first met in Arizona this spring.“As soon as you walk on the field,” Jones said Thursday with a smile. “He’s a true 6-6, and he can fly and he can run all the routes.”Waller seems to like the tone Jones has set as a leader, too.He said his first impression of the Giants QB was when he arrived at the house in Arizona, where Jones had invited teammates to come train.Jones was getting work done on his body so his arm would be ready to throw the next day.Waller said Jones has also organized extra throwing sessions for players during the spring, when their time playing football at the team’s facility is cappe...

California farm eager to reintroduce sweet, nutritious mulberries to America

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

“All fruits are beautiful, but the mulberry is the king of fruits.”– Persian ProverbMove over cherry, there’s a new berry in town.Thousands of cherry lovers throughout the Bay Area make their way each spring to one of dozens of U-pick farms in Brentwood for the plump, juicy round fruits, but now – for the first time – there’s another option that is arguably just as sweet: the Himalayan purple mulberry, which looks a bit like an elongated blackberry with tiny clusters of fruit.Not only is Habitera Farms the only one allowing visitors to partake in the picking of the tasty, dark-colored fleshy fruit — the season lasts about eight weeks — but it appears to be the only business selling mulberries on such a large scale commercially in the United States.A farmworker picks mulberries that fell onto nets attached to carts designed to shake trees as part of the harvest season at Habitera Farms in Brentwood, Calif., on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Habitera’s organi...

Cadillac CT4-V series is a head scratcher

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

With the elimination of Pontiac and Oldsmobile back in the mid-2000s, General Motors was tasked with identifying an existing brand to consume sports and “market-right” vehicles to reduce the brunt of the loss.  Clearly they wanted to ensure that they didn’t lose customers and continue the legacy of those brands, but through other brands in the fleet; makes total sense to me.In Grasso’s Garage this week, Cadillac is back for a slice of the review pie with their 2023 Cadillac CT4-V series. In Grasso’s Garage, this presents a lot of questions. As the V designation was originally designed to deliver Corvette power in a luxury vehicle, we struggle to understand the reason behind the V-series. So with the roll-out of the Cadillac CTS-V back in the late 2000’s, this helped GM with rolling out a sporty and luxury model which covered the needs of Oldsmobile as well as Pontiac; and it worked, cha-ching!Although a good appearing vehicle and one that simulates curvatures of the past Ponti...

1 injured after shots fired in East County; suspect barricaded inside home

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

Editor's note: This story has been updated to say the location is the 8000 block of Longdale Drive, and to reflect updated information from authorities that the injured woman is a neighbor.LEMON GROVE, Calif. -- One person was injured after shots were fired in East County Thursday morning, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department confirmed to FOX 5.The rounds were fired off at a residence on the 8000 block of Longdale Drive in Lemon Grove, and authorities say a female neighbor was transported to a local hospital to be treated for injuries. Owners of San Diego restaurants charged with COVID-relief fraud Meanwhile, the sheriff's department said the suspect was barricading himself inside a home in the area. Authorities are advising the public to avoid the area of Skyline and Longdale drives.Capt. Amber Baggs with the sheriff's department described the suspect as a white, 28-year-old man who may be suffering from a mental health crisis. FOX 5's Elizabeth Alvarez was at the scene and ...

German airline Lufthansa signs deal for minority stake in Italy’s struggling ITA Airways

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

MILAN (AP) — German airline Lufthansa on Thursday signed a deal with the Italian government for a 41-percent minority share in the long-struggling ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia.The deal calls for investments of 575 million euros in capital increases, 325 million euros from Lufthansa and the rest from the Italian Finance Ministry, providing capital for growth. Lufthansa will also have the option of buying the remaining shares at a later date. Lufthansa’s industrial plan for the Italian carrier calls for revenues of 2.5 billion euros ($2.68 billion) this year, growing to 4.1 billion euros in 2027, the Italian Finance Ministry said in a statement. During that period, Lufthansa plans to expand the ITA fleet from 71 aircraft to 94 and bring the workforce to 5,500 employees, from the current 4,000. Once the deal is completed, ITA Airways would be Lufthansa Group’s fifth carrier.Under the strategy, Rome’s Fiumicino airport will become one of the Lufthansa Group’s hubs, as ITA Airway...

2 North Carolina state legislators lose leadership roles after remarks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Two North Carolina state House Republicans have lost their caucus leadership positions after recent comments directed at Democratic colleagues questioning their educational attainment and religion.Reps. Keith Kidwell and Jeff McNeely have resigned as deputy majority whips after the GOP leadership team asked them to step down, House Majority Leader John Bell said in a news release on Thursday. “As elected officials, we must serve by example and be accountable for our actions, especially as leaders in the caucus,” Bell said. “While apologies have been made and accepted, we believe this is an appropriate action and step forward.”Neither McNeely nor Kidwell, both of whom are white, responded immediately Thursday to phone messages left at their legislative offices seeking comment. They remain sitting legislators. Deputy whips are tasked with helping corral votes on issues important to members of their party. The Democrats who were the subjects of the comments are bot...

Ex-NFL player Damon Arnette pleads not guilty in 2022 Vegas Strip hotel valet gun case

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former NFL cornerback Damon Arnette has pleaded not guilty in Nevada to felony charges and his lawyer is challenging his indictment alleging he displayed a handgun during an argument with Las Vegas Strip casino valets in January 2022.“He never brandished a gun. He never pointed a gun,” defense attorney Ross Goodman said Thursday of Arnette. The former player appeared in court Wednesday and remains free pending trial in October on assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed firearm charges.Prosecutor Jory Scarborough declined to comment.Arnette, 26, a first-round draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, played college football at Ohio State and lives in Boynton Beach, Florida.He is accused of holding a .45-caliber handgun and threatening two hotel valets during an argument about a receipt for parking his Mercedes SUV at the Park MGM hotel.Las Vegas police who stopped and arrested Arnette and a passenger in the vehicle a short distance away reported find...

Economic headwinds weigh on bank results as more money set aside for bad loans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:44 GMT

TORONTO — The effects of heightened inflation and central bank efforts to rein it in by slowing the economy are showing in the second-quarter results from Canada’s big banks.Four out of the Big Five banks have reported earnings that missed expectations as they set aside more money for bad loans and struggle to contain rising costs, and several see their revenue take a hit from slower loan growth.CIBC was the lone outlier as its results Thursday came in better than analysts had expected.While Canadian mortgage loan growth has slowed to a trickle, with several banks reporting flat results from the previous quarter, much of the focus these days is on what’s going on with the banks’ U.S. operations following several high-profile bank failures.Several bank executives have noted the more challenging economic conditions, while TD Bank Group warned of tougher days ahead as it said it no longer expects to meet its medium-term earnings growth target. The recent collapse of T...