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slots online free School district defends decision to punish parents for wearing pink 'XX' wristbandsCompanies tighten security after a health care CEO’s killing leads to a surge of threatsBofA Securities analyst Peter T. Galbo upgraded General Mills, Inc. GIS to Buy from Neutral, raising the price forecast to $80 from $78. The analyst suggests that General Mills is expected to return to organic sales growth at a faster and more sustainable rate compared to other center-store food peers. This growth will be driven by factors such as the re-acceleration in the Pet segment (specifically Blue Buffalo) and stabilization in North America Retail, as issues in the dough category are moving behind the company, Galbo writes. The analyst also highlights that General Mills offers investors exposure to the recovery in the U.S. Pet market and a surge in value stocks, with its fundamentals appearing more attractive when compared to other food industry peers. The analyst expresses increasing optimism about the turnaround of Blue Buffalo following a challenging FY24, which saw a -4% organic growth. Also Read: Sam Altman To Donate $1M To Trump’s Inauguration Fund, Following Zuckerberg, Bezos: ‘Eager To Support’ Galbo highlights that initiatives in the dog food segment are fostering greater confidence, with the Life Protection Formula experiencing high-single-digit percentage growth and the Wilderness line showing signs of stabilization, partly due to more grain-free options and smaller pack sizes. While the pet treats category remains a challenge, the second half of the year offers easier comparisons, which could lead to a more pronounced recovery. Since FY19, the pet segment has experienced a faster growth rate (averaging +8.7%) compared to the overall General Mills portfolio (averaging +4.7%), contributing to valuation gains; if pet growth continues to lead the overall portfolio, the analyst believes valuation should rise accordingly. Price Action: GIS shares are trading higher by 1% to $66.74 at last check Friday. Read Next: OpenAI Co-Founders, Now Rivals Sam Altman And Elon Musk Clash Over ChatGPT And xAI's Grok Chatbots Again © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Gisèle Benoit still gets goosebumps when she remembers the first time she saw a family of eastern wolves emerge from the forests of the Mauricie National Park, under the backdrop of a rising moon. It was 1984 and Benoit, then in her early 20s, had been using a horn to try to call a bull moose when she instead heard a long howl, followed by an adult wolf stepping out to a rocky shore accompanied by a half-grown youth and four pups. “I will never forget that,” she said of the magical moment. “It’s anchored in my heart forever.” It was only later that Benoit, an artist and documentary filmmaker, learned that the wolves she saw weren’t grey wolves but rather rare eastern wolves. The species, whose population is estimated at fewer than 1,000 mature adults, could soon be further protected by new measures that are raising hopes among conservationists that attitudes toward a once-feared and maligned animal are shifting. In July, the federal government upgraded the eastern wolf’s threat level from “status of special concern” to “threatened,” based on a 2015 report by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. That report found the population count may be as low as 236 mature individuals in its central Ontario and southern Quebec habitat. The eastern wolf is described as medium-sized canid with reddish-tawny fur that lives in family groups of a breeding pair and their offspring. Also known as the Algonquin wolf, it is largely restricted to existing protected areas, including Algonquin Park in Ontario. The federal Environment Department said in an email that development of a recovery strategy is underway, adding it would be “written in collaboration with provincial governments, federal departments responsible for the federal lands where the eastern wolf is found as well as First Nations groups and Indigenous organizations.” The order triggers protection for the species on federal lands and forces Ottawa to prepare a recovery plan. However, the fight for protection could be an uphill battle in Quebec, which does not even recognize the eastern wolf as a distinct species. A spokesperson for Quebec’s Environment Department said Quebec considers the eastern wolf a “genetic group” rather than its own species. “Recent study shows that the eastern wolf is a distinct entity, even if it comes from several crosses between the grey wolf and the coyote,” Daniel Labonté wrote in an email. “However, scientific knowledge does not demonstrate that this genetic grouping constitutes a species in its own right.” Labonté added that this lack of recognition was not a barrier to protecting the animal, since the law also allows for protection of subspecies or wildlife populations. In October, Quebec launched a program to collect samples to improve knowledge on the distribution of large canines, including the eastern wolf. The government said it is currently “impossible to assert that there is an established population” in Quebec due to low numbers — amounting to three per cent of analyzed samples — and the “strong hybridization that exists among large canids.” Véronique Armstrong, co-founder of a Quebec wildlife protection association, says she’s feeling positive about both the Canadian and Quebec governments’ attitudes. While wolves were once “stigmatized, even persecuted,” she said, “we seem to be heading in the direction of more protection.” Her group, the Association québécoise pour la protection et l’observation de la faune, has submitted a proposal for a conservation area to protect southern Quebec wolves that has already received signs of support from three of the regional municipalities that would be covered, she said. While it’s far from settled, she’s hopeful that the battle to protect wolves might be easier than for some other species, such as caribou, because the wolves are adaptable and can tolerate some human activity, including forestry. John Theberge, a retired professor of ecology and conservation biology from the University of Waterloo and a wolf researcher, spent several years along with his wife studying and radio-collaring eastern wolves around Algonquin Park. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, they faced a “huge political battle” to try to expand wolf protection outside park boundaries after realizing that the far-ranging animals were being hunted and trapped in large numbers once they left the protected lands. Conservationists, he said, faced resistance from powerful hunter and trapper lobbies opposed to protecting the animals but in the end succeeded in permanently closing the zones outside the park to hunting and trapping in 2004. Theberge says people who want to save wolves today still face some of that same opposition — especially when governments including Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia kill wolves to protect endangered caribou. But he believes the public support for protecting wolves has increased from when his career began in the 1960s, when they were treated with fear and suspicion. “Nobody wore T-shirts with wolves on them back then,” he said. Over the years, there have been questions about whether the eastern wolf may be a grey wolf subspecies or a coyote-wolf hybrid. But in the order protecting the wolves, the federal government says genetic analyses have resolved that debate, showing that it is a “distinct species.” Benoit, Theberge and Armstrong all believe that while it’s important to protect the eastern wolf from a genetic diversity perspective, there is value in protecting all wolves, regardless of their DNA. Wolves, they say, are an umbrella species, meaning that protecting them helps protect a variety of other species. They kill off weak and sick animals, ensuring strong populations. They’re also “highly developed, sentient social species, with a division of labour, and strong family alliances,” Theberge said. Benoit agrees. After years spent watching wolves, she has developed great respect for how they live in close-knit families, with older offspring helping raise new pups. “It’s extraordinary to see how their way of life is a little like humans’,” she said.

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Reports: Oklahoma State to add former TCU QB Hauss HejnyWith Boston College trailing defending champion Miami, Flutie threw the Hail Mary and found receiver Gerard Phalen, who made the grab while falling into the end zone behind a pair of defenders for a game-winning 48-yard TD. Flutie and many of his 1984 teammates were honored on the field during BC’s 41-21 victory over North Carolina before the second quarter on Saturday afternoon, the anniversary of the Eagles’ Miracle in Miami. “There’s no way its been 40 years,” Flutie told The Associated Press on the sideline a few minutes before he walked out with some of his former teammates to be recognized after a video of The Play was shown on the scoreboards. It’s a moment and highlight that’s not only played throughout decades of BC students and fans, but around the college football world. “What is really so humbling is that the kids 40 years later are wearing 22 jerseys, still,” Flutie said of his old number. “That amazes me.” That game was played on national TV the Friday after Thanksgiving. The ironic thing is it was originally scheduled for earlier in the season before CBS paid Rutgers to move its game against Miami, thus setting up the BC-Miami post-holiday matchup. “It shows you how random some things are, that the game was moved,” Flutie said. “The game got moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving, which was the most watched game of the year. We both end up being nationally ranked and up there. All those things lent to how big the game itself was, and made the pass and the catch that much more relevant and remembered because so many people were watching.” There’s a statue of Flutie winding up to make The Pass outside the north gates at Alumni Stadium. Fans and visitors can often be seen taking photos there. “In casual conversation, it comes up every day,” Flutie said, when asked how many times people bring it up. “It brings a smile to my face every time we talk about it.” A week after the game-ending Flutie pass, the Eagles beat Holy Cross and before he flew off to New York to accept the Heisman. They went on to win the 49th Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day. “Forty years seem almost like incomprehensible,” said Phalen, also standing on the sideline a few minutes after the game started. “I always say to Doug: ‘Thank God for social media. It’s kept it alive for us.”’ Earlier this week, current BC coach Bill O’Brien, 55, was asked if he remembered where he was 40 years ago. “We were eating Thanksgiving leftovers in my family room,” he said. “My mom was saying a Rosary in the kitchen because she didn’t like Miami and wanted BC to win. My dad, my brother and I were watching the game. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “Everybody remembers where they were for the Hail Mary, Flutie pass.”

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Russian Troops Remaining In Syria Lack Food, Water, Says Ukrainian IntelligenceAfter a tough couple of years marked by a 28% decline, shares of ( ) have made a strong comeback in 2024. With a 22% year-to-date gain, BNS stock is now trading at $78.37, supported by a of $97.6 billion. This recovery reflects a renewed confidence in the bank’s ability to navigate a challenging macroeconomic environment while having the potential to benefit from easing inflation and declining interest rates. However, as we approach 2025, investors are wondering whether this momentum can continue. Before diving into BNS stock’s 2025 outlook, let’s quickly review the key factors that contributed to its recovery in 2024. Key factors behind BNS stock’s rally in 2024 The strength in Scotiabank’s financial performance in recent quarters could be one of the main reasons for driving investor confidence. Several key factors, including strength in its Canadian banking operations, a recovery in the international banking segment, and wealth management growth, have helped BNS stock regain its footing in 2024. In its fiscal year 2024 (ended in October), Scotiabank’s net profit climbed by about 6% YoY (year over year) to $7.9 billion with the help of strong revenue growth, strategic focus on its core markets, and improved operational efficiencies. Notably, the bank’s Canadian banking division delivered a 7% YoY increase in adjusted earnings to $4.3 billion as a result of robust volume growth and margin expansion. Scotiabank’s focus on managing expenses within the Canadian market also contributed to positive operating leverage, improving its profitability from this core segment. Meanwhile, many key factors, such as margin expansion, disciplined cost management, and the favourable impact of foreign exchange rates, drove a recovery in its international banking segment last fiscal year, helping it post an impressive 11% adjusted earnings growth from a year ago. BNS stock’s 2025 outlook As we move into 2025, the outlook for BNS stock largely looks optimistic. The bank’s solid 2024 performance, supported by strength across its Canadian and international segments, has laid a strong foundation for continued growth. Besides Scotiabank’s strategic focus on core markets like Canada and Latin America, its ability to deliver positive operating leverage through disciplined cost management and revenue growth will be key to sustaining its momentum in 2025. Bank of Nova Scotia’s Canadian Banking division is expected to continue benefiting from strong demand in residential mortgages and personal loans, coupled with stable deposit growth. In addition, its investments in technology and digital transformation should also help it improve operational efficiency further, which could expand its profitability. Easing inflation and declining interest rates are also likely to play a significant role in shaping Scotiabank’s 2025 outlook. Lower interest rates could stimulate borrowing activity, driving growth in both retail and commercial loans. This trend, combined with easing inflation, may also have a positive impact on consumer spending, creating favourable conditions for the bank’s Canadian operations to perform well. In addition to these strong fundamentals, BNS stock’s strong 5.4% annualized dividend yield makes it even more attractive for income-focused, long-term investors in Canada heading into 2025.British Columbia business owner Joe Chaput will spend $5,500 a month on security guards during the holiday season and plans on upgrading his store’s video camera system for around $5,000 more. He’s not selling luxury brands or expensive jewels. Chaput sells cheese, and at Christmas, cheese is a hot commodity. He is the co-owner of specialty cheese store les amis du Fromage, with two locations in Vancouver. While cheeselifting is rare in their Kitsilano store, the outlet in East Vancouver is hit in waves, with nothing happening for a month, then three of four people trying to steal their inventory within a week. “Sometimes, you miss it. Sometimes, you catch it. The way shoplifters behave ... they tend to gravitate toward expensive things,” said Chaput. Expensive cheese is on shoplifters’ Christmas list, he said. “They tend to do the classic examples of staying away from customer service and trying to go to a different part of the store so they can be left alone to steal.” Chaput isn’t alone. Police say food-related crimes on are the rise in Canada and as prices climb for items such as cheese and butter, they become lucrative on the black market for organized crime groups, not to mention theft for local resale. Sylvain Charlebois, the director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-food Analytics Lab, said a black market tends to emerge as soon as food prices surge. “Organized crime will steal anything (if) they know they can sell it and so, they probably would have known who their clients are before even stealing anything at all, and that’s how a black market is organized,” said Charlebois. He said he believes there are two categories of people shoplifting — those who do so out of desperation because they can’t afford the food, or organized criminals, profiting from sales on the black market. Mounties in North Vancouver made cheesy headlines when they ran into a man with a cart of stolen cheese in the middle of the night in September. The cheese, valued at $12,800, was from a nearby Whole Foods Store. While the cheese was recovered, it had to be disposed of because it hadn’t been refrigerated. Const. Mansoor Sahak, with the North Vancouver RCMP, said officers believe cheese is targeted because it’s “profitable to resell.” “If they are drug addicts, they will commit further crimes with that or feed their drug habits. It’s a vicious cycle,” said Sahak. Sahak said meat is also a top target for grocery thieves, with store losses sometimes in the thousands. “So, we’re not surprised that this happened,” said Sahak. Police in Ontario have been chasing down slippery shoplifters going after butter. Scott Tracey, a spokesman with Guelph Police Service, said there have been eight or nine butter thefts over the last year, including one theft last December worth $1,000. In October, two men walked into a local grocer and filled their carts with cases of butter valued at $936, and four days later a Guelph grocer lost four cases valued at $958. Tracey said he has looked at online marketplaces and found listings by people selling 20 or 30 pounds of butter at a time. “Clearly, somebody didn’t accidentally buy 30 extra pounds of butter. So, they must have come from somewhere,” said Tracey, “I think at this point it appears to be the black market is where it’s headed.” He said the thefts seem to be organized, with two or three people working together in each case. Police in Brantford, Ont., are also investigating the theft of about $1,200 worth of butter from a store on Nov. 4. Charlebois said retailers could invest in prevention technologies like electronic tags, but putting them on butter or cheese is rare. He said up until recently grocery store theft has been a “taboo subject for many years.” Stores didn’t wanted to talk about thefts because they didn’t want to alarm people but now they feel they need to build awareness about what is “becoming a huge problem,” said Charlebois. Chaput, the cheese store owner, said he had been running the East Vancouver store for 15 years while managing the store in Kitsilano for 30 years, and he loves his customers. “It’s really one of the best parts of our businesses, seeing familiar faces and making new customers. It’s why we come to work, really. Partly it’s the cheese, and partly it’s the people,” said Chaput. He said his strategy to combat would-be thieves is to give them extra customer service to make it harder for them to steal. He admits, however, that the shoplifting causes him stress. “It’s challenging. You’re busy trying to run your business day to day and take care of customers and take care of employees. Having to deal with criminals, just kind of scratches away. It can be a bit exhausting,” said Chaput.

Major stock indexes on Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish, capping a rare bumpy week for the market. The S&P 500 ended essentially flat, down less than 0.1 per cent, after wavering between tiny gains and losses most of the day. The benchmark index posted a loss for the week, its first after three straight weekly gains. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Credit: Bloomberg The Dow Jones slipped 0.2 per cent, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1 per cent, ending just below the record high it set on Wednesday. The Australian sharemarket is set to retreat, with futures pointing to a slide of 39 points, or 0.5 per cent, at the open. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Gains in technology stocks helped temper losses in communication services, financials and other sectors of the market. Broadcom surged 24.4 per cent for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company’s big gain helped cushion the market’s broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Some tech stocks were a drag on the market. Nvidia fell 2.2 per cent, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7 per cent and Google parent Alphabet slid 1.1 per cent. Among the market’s other decliners were Airbnb, which fell 4.7 per cent for the biggest loss in the S&P 500, and Charles Schwab, which closed 4 per cent lower. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 17 per cent after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. All told, the S&P 500 lost 0.16 points to close at 6,051.09. The Dow dropped 86.06 points to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq rose 23.88 points to 19,926.72. Wall Street’s rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year. The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank’s 2 per cent target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed’s policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7 per cent in November from 2.6 per cent in October. The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5 per cent rise in November, up from 2.3 per cent in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40 per cent from 4.34 per cent late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.1 per cent. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 per cent month-on-month in October, following a 0.1 per cent decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower. AP The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading. Get it each we e kday afternoon .Former NC State WR KC Concepcion transferring to Texas A&M