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By Jay L. Zagorsky Boston University The Conversation via AP Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day – an occasion that traditionally combines romance with big business. One of the biggest businesses is selling roses, which Americans increasingly love. Back in 1989, about 1 billion cut roses were sold annually in the U.S. By 2023, that had

By Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Wednesday, three days after losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced the decision to move on after one season with Wilks in charge of the defense. Shanahan called it a “really tough

By Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. — John Mozeliak looks at the Cardinals pitching staff and isn’t worried about older arms. “Unlike like our upcoming election, I am not overly concerned with age in this current state,” the team’s president of baseball operations said Wednesday as spring training workouts began. “I do feel like what we

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Dr. Anthony Fauci has a memoir coming out in June, a look back at his long career as an infectious disease expert and the many outbreaks he contended with, from HIV/AIDS to the COVID-19 pandemic that made him famous. Viking announced Thursday that Fauci’s “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey

By Associated Press PHOENIX — Money can buy lots of things, including Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a pair of Japanese superstars that set the Los Angeles Dodgers back more than $1 billion. Now the journey begins to see if it’ll buy them a championship. Major League Baseball’s spring training opens for 28 of 30

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Denis Villeneuve doesn’t feel like he came back to Arrakis for “Dune: Part Two.” In his mind, he never left. The sequel, which opens in theaters on March 1, is the culmination of a six-year filmmaking journey, preceded by 40 years of dreaming about it. And it’s one that

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Ed Dwight grew up in segregated 1930s Kansas on a farm on the edge of town. An airfield was within walking distance, and, as a boy, he’d often go to marvel at the planes and gawk at the pilots. Most were flying back from hunting trips and their cabins

By Associated Press Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” arriving on Peacock and a documentary and album from Jennifer Lopez are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: “Young Sheldon” returning for its seventh

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday set a June execution date for David Hosier, who is on death row for killing a Jefferson City woman in 2009. Hosier is scheduled to die by injection at 6 p.m. June 11 at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri. It

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — Lawmakers in at least six states are considering longer prison sentences or bigger fines for harming or killing police dogs, and the idea has bipartisan support despite questions about how the animals are used and a fraught history. In Kansas on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House voted 107-4 to pass

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A divided Missouri Supreme Court upheld voting districts drawn for the state Senate on Wednesday, rejecting a legal challenge that claimed mapmakers should have placed a greater emphasis on keeping communities intact. The high court’s 5-2 decision means the districts, first used in the 2022 elections, will remain

By Associated Press The pomp, the glamour, the conflicts, the characters: When it comes to Britain’s royal family, Americans can’t seem to get enough. Through weddings, divorces, births, deaths, they’ve been invested in it all. That was evident this week following the announcement of King Charles III’s treatment for cancer. While, yes, the United States

By Metro Creative Learning the art of negotiation can benefit anyone, but it’s particularly effective for people well who are always interested in finding a bargain. Not everyone is born with negotiating skills, but they can learn them. Ask for what you want. Be assertive and know what you want from a situation. This can

By Associated Press HONOLULU | The death toll from the wildfire that destroyed the historic Hawaii town of Lahaina in August rose to 101 on Tuesday after Maui police confirmed the identity of one new victim, a 76-year-old man. Maui police found Paul Kasprzycki’s remains off a side street in an industrial area, Maui police

By Associated Press Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election Tuesday in New York for the U.S. House seat that was left vacant when Republican George Santos was expelled from Congress. Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to retake a seat he held for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor. The

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with the Republican majority determined to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border after failing last week in a politically embarrassing setback. The evening roll call proved tight, with Speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare GOP

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, ending his second stay since surgery to treat prostate cancer, and he has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December. He was taken

By Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that Iran is “not entirely transparent” regarding its atomic program, particularly after an official who once led Tehran’s program announced the Islamic Republic has all the pieces for a weapon “in our hands.” Speaking at the World

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Donald Trump wants a leadership change at the Republican National Committee in an attempt to install a new slate of loyalists — including his daughter-in-law — atop the GOP’s political machine even before the former president formally secures the party’s next presidential nomination. Current RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel says

By Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. — A quick-moving winter storm battered cities in the Northeast with snowfall, sending huge waves crashing into the New England coastline and forcing New York City schools into glitch-filled remote learning reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic. Airlines canceled or delayed flights while accidents were reported on slippery

By Associated Press HOUSTON — The shooter who opened fire at a Houston megachurch before being gunned down by security officers used an AR-style rifle that police say she legally purchased despite a years-long criminal record, a history of mental illness and allegations she threatened to shoot her ex-husband. Key questions remained Tuesday about Genesse

By Associated Press CHICAGO — The weeks after Kaniya Harris found out she was pregnant were among the hardest in her life. Final exams were fast approaching for the college junior. Her doctors told her she had an ovarian cyst, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy was high. The wait times for abortion clinics near

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for House Republicans to urgently bring a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan to a vote, warning that refusal to take up the bill, passed by the Senate in the morning, would be “playing into Putin’s hands.” “Supporting this bill is

By Associated Press CAIRO — Israel and Hamas are making progress toward another cease-fire and hostage-release deal, officials said Tuesday, as negotiations went on and Israel threatened to expand its offensive to Gaza’s southern edge, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge. The talks continued in Egypt a day after Israeli forces rescued two

By Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR launches its new season with rivals attempting to dethrone Team Penske after two years atop the Cup Series while an off-track battle over revenue sharing threatens to overshadow the competition. Teams report to Daytona International Speedway this week for Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 without a new agreement

By Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Elliott wants to race cars. Fast cars that he can drive to a second NASCAR championship. The rest of the stuff? The crowds, the commercials, the showcasing his every move on social media? That’s just never going to be part of the job that Elliott finds enjoyable.

By Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — No one needs to remind Kyle Larson about his record at Daytona International Speedway. He’s frustratingly winless at the famed track, which is the only NASCAR venue at which he doesn’t even have a top-five finish. “I do believe that we are much, much better than what we