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20 scary books and horror novels to read this Halloween

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

You may have stocked up on treats, inflated the giant skeleton in your front yard, and dusted off your old “Monster Mash” seven-inch, but if you’re a book lover, your Halloween planning isn’t complete until you’ve shored up your spooky reading list.Luckily, you still have time. There’s no greater Halloween pleasure than reading a scary horror novel in between trips to the front door to give candy to trick-or-treaters. You can’t go wrong with the classics or the suggestions from a horror master, but if you’re looking for something a little more contemporary, there’s more than enough to choose from.This year, authors have wasted no time bringing the scares to readers whose favorite part of the seat is the edge. Here are 20 horror books from 2023 to read under a blanket at home (or, if you’re really brave, at that abandoned amusement park near the old cemetery that the locals prefer not to talk about). Isabel Cañas, “Vampires of El Norte” (Berkeley)Cañas’ follow-up to her well-received...

California man who killed woman, 5 dogs in pursuit crash gets 49 years to life

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

A Los Angeles man was sentenced to 49 years to life in state prison Wednesday, Oct. 18, for killing a woman and five dogs in a violent crash while fleeing police in the Belmont Heights neighborhood of Long Beach in 2019.Javier Olivarez Jr., 48, was convicted by jury of second-degree murder, fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle causing death, driving or taking a vehicle without consent and six counts of animal cruelty for fleeing police and causing the crash that killed Jessica Bingaman, 41, of Long Beach on May 7, 2019.Bingaman’s mother, Don-Ann Lawson, felt relief after hearing the total sentence.“Praise God,” she said outside the courtroom. “Our prayers have been answered. We didn’t want him out in society to hurt anyone else.”Lawson and Bingman’s daughter, Reagan, flew from Pennsylvania for the hearing, which came four months after they gave victim impact statements in June.“I needed him to see me,” Lawson said. “I needed him to know (Jessica Bingaman) was loved.”Duri...

26% payment spike pushes US housing affordability to record low

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

American house hunters continue to bend under the weight of soaring mortgage rates and sticky house prices.The National Association of Realtors affordability index decreased to 91.7 in August, marking the lowest level in data back to 1989, according to data out Friday. A level below 100 means a household with a median income doesn’t earn enough to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home.Ponder the plight of the typical American house hunter over the past year through August …Median price: Rose 3.7% to $413,500.Mortgage rates: 7.15% from 5.29%.Estimated payment: Up 26% to $2,234 a month, assuming 20% downpayment.Payment share of incomes: 27.3%, up  from 22.6%.Qualifying income: Up 26% to $107,232.“The highest mortgage rate in two decades is detrimentally limiting the homeownership opportunity for many middle-class households,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said in an emailed statement. “Unintentionally, no doubt, the Federal Reserve is widening social inequality with on...

Costco’s CEO Craig Jelinek stepping down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

Costco Wholesale Corp. said Chief Executive Officer Craig Jelinek is stepping down Jan. 1 and will be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Ron Vachris.Jelinek has been at the helm of Costco since 2012, and before that served as president and COO. The company’s shares have grown by more than 500% over his 11-year tenure, and revenue has more than doubled.Vachris, who was elevated to the COO role in February 2022, was considered a leading candidate for the CEO role. He started at the company 40 years ago as a forklift driver and has subsequently served “in every major role related to Costco’s business operations and merchandising activities,” Costco said in a statement.Related ArticlesBusiness | Bay Area maker of Jelly Belly jelly beans sold to Chicago based firm Business | 31 stores in California on Rite Aid closure list Business | Rite Aid files for bankruptcy, will close more stores Business | Head into shopping season read...

Atlantic Union: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) on Thursday reported third-quarter net income of $54 million.The Richmond, Virginia-based bank said it had earnings of 68 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 80 cents per share.The holding company for Atlantic Union Bank posted revenue of $274.3 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $182.8 million, which topped Street forecasts.Atlantic Union shares have decreased 17% since the beginning of the year. The stock has fallen 14% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AUB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AUBSource

Stock market today: World shares follow Wall Street lower

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares tumbled Thursday following a retreat on Wall Street after big U.S. companies delivered mixed profit reports and Treasury yields added pressure on stocks. Worries about war in the Middle East also are dragging on markets. Germany’s DAX edged 0.1% lower to 15,181.00 and the CAC 40 in Paris gave up 0.4%, to 6,936.76. Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 0.7% to 7,538.99. The future for the S&P 500 was up less than 0.1% while that for the Dow industrials was almost unchanged. Japan reported its exports swung into positive territory in September as vehicle shipments surged. Exports rose 4.3% while imports sank 16.3% in September and the trade balance swung to a surplus of 62.4 trillion yen ($410 billion). Exports to the U.S. were up 13% while those to the rest of Asia declined 4.3%. Imports fell as the price of oil moderated for a short time before surging once again with the start of fighting following the Oct. 7 surprise attack by the militant group H...

Ashleigh Buhai shoots 10-under 62 to take 1st-round lead at LPGA tournament in South Korea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ashleigh Buhai shot a bogey-free 10-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the LPGA tournament in South Korea.Buhai, the 2022 Women’s British Open winner from South Africa, took advantage of calm morning conditions on the newly-renovated Seowon Valley Country Club course outside Seoul. But it was a day for low scores — only 10 players in the 78-player, no-cut field were over par.American Alison Lee was in second place after a 63, followed a stroke back by Ayaka Furue of Japan and Minjee Lee of Australia with 64s.Defending champion and South Korean-born New Zealander Lydia Ko shot 67. Brooke Henderson had a 68 and No. 1- ranked Lilia Vu shot 69.“My wedge play was really solid today. Just about every time I had a wedge in my hand, I hit it to a couple feet,” Buhai said. “So, I didn’t have to think too hard on those putts.”Lee’s 63 was a career low. She is comfortable in Korean events, finishing in the top 10 in both p...

Insteel Industries: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (AP) — MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (AP) — Insteel Industries Inc. (IIIN) on Thursday reported earnings of $5.6 million in its fiscal fourth quarter.On a per-share basis, the Mount Airy, North Carolina-based company said it had net income of 29 cents.The maker of steel wire reinforcing for the concrete and construction industry posted revenue of $157.5 million in the period.For the year, the company reported profit of $32.4 million, or $1.66 per share. Revenue was reported as $649.2 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on IIIN at https://www.zacks.com/ap/IIINSource

Biden plans to use Oval Office address to make case for wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden plans to make a direct appeal to the American people to continue funding Ukraine and Israel amid their war efforts in an Oval Office address Thursday, according to two administration officials.The primetime address will take place on the eve of the White House requesting north of $100 billion from Congress to deliver aid and resources to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the US border with Mexico. Biden is expected to make the argument that supporting Ukraine and Israel is a matter of US national security when the world is at an inflection point.“He’s going to make the case that the cost of inaction and the cost of walking away is much higher,” according to one official.The Biden administration in August delivered its last so-called supplemental funding request, which encapsulates unique requests beyond traditional government programs. The proposal requested $24.1 billion to aid Ukraine through the end of the year, but Congress failed to approve it during a pr...

ANÁLISIS | De Rusia a Medio Oriente: por qué China no puede permitirse otro gran conflicto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:42 GMT

(CNN) — Una vez más, Beijing intenta hacer las dos cosas.Ha pasado más de un año moviéndose de puntillas ante la guerra de Rusia en Ucrania. La superpotencia asiática se ha negado a condenar la invasión y, en cambio, ha proporcionado a Moscú el apoyo diplomático y económico que tanto necesita.Ahora, mientras la guerra de Israel contra el grupo extremista palestino Hamas amenaza con convertirse en un conflicto más amplio que podría hacer añicos la estabilidad en Medio Oriente, China ha pedido un alto el fuego al tiempo que critica las acciones de Israel. Es evidente que tampoco ha condenado a Hamas por llevar a cabo lo que se ha llamado la peor masacre de judíos en un solo día desde el Holocausto, al tiempo que ha expresado su apoyo a una solución de dos Estados para Palestina e Israel.La postura está en consonancia con el apoyo de China durante décadas a la creación de un Estado palestino, pero también subraya las marcadas divisiones entre China y Estados Unidos, que ha respal...