The prospect of Tiger Woods making an incredible comeback at the Masters next week has increased after the 15-time major winner arrived on Tuesday at Augusta National for a practice round. He has not played competitive golf since incurring serious leg injuries in a car crash in February last year.
Woods is expected to assess his physical capability to play in the first men’s major of 2022 after playing 18 holes, with a decision likely before the end of this week. The reaction of Woods’s body to walking Augusta’s hilly terrain will be key. As Woods’s private jet touched down in Georgia on Tuesday morning, bookmakers immediately slashed his odds of claiming what would be a sixth Green Jacket.
Woods, who won the Masters of 2019 after returning from multiple back surgeries, was regarded as highly unlikely to play competitively before this year’s Open Championship at St Andrews, at the earliest. He featured alongside his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship in December but with the assistance of a golf cart. A month earlier, he admitted he was “lucky to be alive” after the crash in Los Angeles while adding: “Now I’m able to participate in the sport of golf. To what level? I do not know that.”
Images have surfaced in recent days of Woods playing at the Medalist club in Florida, fuelling speculation of an unlikely Masters return. While he is the master of creating mystery, the fact that the 46-year-old is willing to visit Augusta at this juncture means he regards the possibility of playing in the 86th edition of the Masters as a serious one.
They were among dozens of heat records set in the western United States on Saturday. Daily records for March 26 were set in Salt Lake City (79 degrees); El Paso (87 degrees); Reno, Nev. (79 degrees); Clayton, N.M. (82 degrees); Pocatello, Idaho (70 degrees); and Pueblo, Colo. (84 degrees), among other locations.
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In Denver and Boulder, the temperatures just missed records but surged 20 degrees above normal into the upper 70s.
This unusual warmth, combined with strong winds, fueled a grass fire that erupted near Boulder on Saturday. The blaze, known as the NCAR Fire, got its name for developing very close to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a world-renowned hub for weather and climate studies.
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Crews had prevented the fire from burning structures, and no injuries were reported. About 110 firefighters were working to contain the blaze Sunday, focused on keeping it away from Boulder and Eldorado Springs.
The zone under evacuation orders was scaled back some Sunday but still covered 699 housing units and 836 buildings, affecting 1,629 people.
The cause of the blaze was unknown.
Both conflagrations occurred amid abnormally warm conditions and drought, which scientists say are increasing in a warming world.
While the winds that fanned Saturday’s fire had diminished Sunday, unusually warm weather continued.
Record highs in the 70s and 80s were predicted in eight western states from Arizona to western Texas. High temperatures were forecast to rise 20 to 30 degrees above normal from the Texas Panhandle through eastern Colorado, the western Dakotas and much of Wyoming and Montana.
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In the Lower Mississippi Valley and middle Gulf Coast region, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center warned that, by Wednesday, there is “the potential for widespread damaging winds and tornadoes, including the possibility of a regional tornado outbreak including strong (EF2+) tornadoes.”
While warm weather baked the West this weekend, much colder-than-normal weather covered the eastern United States. Snow had even fallen in the Appalachian Mountains and downwind of the Great Lakes.
As the price of gas rises, everyone is thinking more about the fuel they put into their cars, but you probably already knew that there are usually two kinds of fuel available at your local gas station: gasoline and diesel.
Both are refined from crude oil, but they’re produced using vastly different processes and additives and are not in any way interchangeable. Many people will insist that misfuelling isn’t easy to do because the pumps are color-coded (diesel pumps usually have green handles) or at least clearly labeled, and diesel nozzles are larger than gasoline nozzles, making it difficult to fit into a gas car’s filler neck.
Ah, but note that the word “difficult” doesn’t mean “impossible.” Despite these challenges, people do manage to misfuel their cars every year. A combination of stress, distraction, and determination is all that’s required, though sometimes there are errors on the other end, as when a delivery truck pumps diesel into the underground gas storage tanks by mistake. However it happens, what does it mean if you put diesel into your gasoline-powered car?
Not all fuels are the same
Diesel and gasoline are very different fuels. Diesel is heavier than gas, has a much lower octane rating, and ignites in a totally different way. Gasoline has a distinctive smell, and diesel is much thicker than gas, which is a thin, watery substance.
If you have any doubt about you just pumped into your car, don’t take any chances. Putting diesel into your gas tank is a very, very bad idea. Depending on how much diesel you pumped in there, you might drive the car for a short time before it starts to knock and sputter, but it will eventually stall. Driving the car after pumping in diesel is the worst idea because that distributes the diesel throughout your fuel line and engine, gumming everything up and requiring a serious effort to clean up.
What to do if you you just fueled up with diesel
If you realize your mistake before trying to drive the vehicle, here’s what you should do:
Don’t drive it. Have we made this clear? Diesel in your gas tank is a minor problem. Driving a gas car with diesel fuel will be an enormous problem. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a small amount—if you got diesel in there, step away from the ignition.
Note how much diesel you just pumped in there. This doesn’t have to be exact, but the beleaguered (and likely amused) mechanic who will eventually help save your car will find it helpful to know whether there’s half a tank, a whole tank, or just a small amount of diesel mixed in there.
Call a mechanic. If you’re at a service station, the kindly folks who work there may be able to help you, especially if you didn’t drive the car. What needs to happen is this: Your gas tank needs to be drained and cleaned out. It’s relatively easy, though it will make a crimp in your schedule and your wallet.
If you didn’t notice in time and realized your mistake a quarter mile down the road when your car made some extremely worrying noises and stopped cold, you’ll need to call for a tow and get a mechanic to fix things up for you. Be warned that this is going to be expensive. Your best-case scenario is that the fuel system just needs draining and cleaning. The mechanic will need to drain the gas tank, clear the fuel lines and the fuel injectors (which might require dismantling and removing them to clear clogs and will add to the expense), and inspect everything for damage. This can take a few hours and can run you as much as $1,000 depending on the car and the problems they encounter.
The worst case is severe damage to your car’s cylinders from trying to combust the wrong fuel. This can be incredibly expensive, and might even cost more than your car is worth to fix. That’s right: Buying $20 worth of diesel fuel by accident can cost you a whole new car.
Again, making this mistake isn’t easy—but it does happen. Always pay attention when handling dangerous stuff like fuel.
California universities are turning dormitory lounges into bedrooms, putting students in hotel rooms, and leasing entire apartment buildings to deal with a housing shortage that recently led to a judge ordering UC Berkeley to freeze its on-campus enrollment.
The state’s public higher learning institutions have added tens of thousands fewer beds than students in recent years, as a problem across the state—a lack of affordable homes caused in large part by restraints on construction—hits college towns particularly hard.
Spurred by a national outcry over the Berkeley decision, California legislators have proposed measures to delay its impact or spur more construction at colleges. On Monday, Democratic Gov.
Gavin Newsom
signed a measure passed unanimously by the state legislature that will render the judge’s decision unenforceable and give Berkeley and other public colleges and universities 18 months to address challenges to campus population growth before a judge can enforce any changes.
State Sen.
Scott Wiener
has introduced a broader proposal that would exempt many student housing projects from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA, which was at the heart of the Berkeley suit.
“We are making it so hard for the next generation of students to access this education because of the lack of housing,” Mr. Wiener, a Democrat, said.
McKenzie Carling in August of 2020. She says UC Berkeley is her dream school.
Photo:
Sara Carling
UC Berkeley, the crown jewel of California’s public higher education system, had been preparing to cut its on-campus enrollment by at least 2,500 students this fall, after the state’s highest court overruled its request to reverse an enrollment cap instituted by a trial judge. The University said Monday that under the law signed by Mr. Newsom, it will instead proceed with its original admissions plan, offering spots to more than 15,000 incoming freshmen and 4,500 transfers for in-person enrollment this year.
Mr. Wiener will still push to pass his proposal, while Republicans in the Democratic-controlled legislature have called for more sweeping CEQA reform.
In their lawsuit, local groups have accused the university of violating CEQA by admitting more students than it had projected without fully considering negative impacts on traffic, noise and housing availability.
Both sides agree there aren’t enough homes for the students who are already there.
Signed into law in 1970 by then-Gov.
Ronald Reagan,
CEQA requires local governments to study the potential environmental impacts of building projects before approving them. Over the years, the law has been wielded by groups that oppose developments for numerous reasons, going far beyond its original intent, according to housing advocates.
California has added 3.2 times more people than housing units over the past 10 years, according to an analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California. Its median home price of $765,580 is more than twice the national average, and the state has the second-lowest homeownership rate in the nation behind New York.
“The student housing affordability crisis is essentially the broader California housing affordability crisis turned up to 11,” said M. Nolan Gray, an urban-planning researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.
UC Berkeley had been preparing to cut its on-campus enrollment by at least 2,500 students this fall.
Photo:
Stephen Reiss/The Wall Street Journal
Since 2015, UC campuses have added 21,700 beds while enrollment grew by about 43,000, according to a report last year by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. More than 16,000 California college students at UC and California State University campuses were wait-listed for university-provided housing last fall.
Those who find housing they can afford off-campus often crowd into small apartments or face long commutes to classes. Rachel Forgash, a Ph.D. student at UCLA, said she spends about half of her $2,580 monthly stipend to split a 600-square-foot apartment and commute an hour to campus. “I feel extremely stressed perpetually about housing,” she said.
McKenzie Carling, who is waiting to find out if she has been accepted to UC Berkeley, said she worries that the court fight will hurt her chances of attending what she says is her dream school.
“I don’t think they’re thinking of the kids who’ve had to work through a pandemic, whose graduations were in cars, whose blood, sweat and tears were in Zoom meetings,” said Ms. Carling, 19, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment with her mother and shares a room with her 18-year-old brother in Rocklin, outside Sacramento.
Phil Bokovoy says university officials have expanded enrollment too quickly without considering the impact on affordable housing.
Photo:
Stephen Reiss/The Wall Street Journal
Many Berkeley residents and city leaders are alumni of the university who now find themselves at odds over whether to give priority to expanding educational access or maintain the look and feel of a low-rise city full of single-family homes. “The most obvious and important thing you can do is build dense student housing right next to campus,” said City Councilmember Rigel Robinson, a 2018 graduate who supports increased construction.
Phil Bokovoy, a local resident who is leading the lawsuit against UC Berkeley, said university officials have expanded enrollment too quickly without considering the impact on residents and students looking for an affordable place to live.
In the fall of 2001, the median rent for a studio apartment for new leases was $900, according to data from the city of Berkeley. Last fall, it was nearly $1,800.
“They’ve created a housing crisis that makes it almost impossible for low-income students in any greater numbers to come to Berkeley,” said Mr. Bokovoy, who received a master’s degree from the university in 1989. He said the bill Mr. Newsom signed doesn’t address the underlying issue.
UC Santa Cruz says lawsuits from local residents stalled a 3,000-bed student housing development approved by university officials years ago.
Photo:
Clara Mokri for The Wall Street Journal
He said he would like UC Berkeley to follow the path of UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz, which have said they would provide housing to accommodate any increase in on-campus student enrollment.
UC Santa Cruz has struggled to make good on that pledge. Cynthia Larive, the school’s chancellor, told state legislators in November that lawsuits from local residents stalled a 3,000-bed student housing development approved by university officials nearly three years ago.
“We can’t move forward even though students need housing now,” Ms. Larive said in an interview.
In the interim, UC Santa Cruz has increased capacity by placing as many as six students in converted lounges, and has rented dozens of hotel rooms to provide overflow housing for some graduate students.
UC Santa Cruz student Louise Edwards says she has slept in her car.
Photo:
Clara Mokri for The Wall Street Journal
Louise Edwards often studied and slept in her car alongside her dog, Thelma, while she attended community college in the Bay Area.
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The 53-year-old was admitted to UC Santa Cruz last year, but has struggled to find a reliable place to live with her Section 8 housing voucher. She signed a lease on a one-bedroom unit 9 miles from campus last fall for $2,216 a month—the maximum she could afford with her voucher—but now her landlord is trying to sell the property, she said.
She is hoping to live closer to campus because of rising gas prices, but hasn’t found anything yet. She opted to enroll in online classes next quarter because of the uncertainty.
“The only thing I know how to do is go into a shelter,” Ms. Edwards said of her options when she loses her current dwelling. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Tuition at America’s public universities has nearly tripled since 1990. With President Biden looking to ease the burden for some students, experts explain how federal financial aid programs can actually contribute to rising costs. Photo: Storyblocks
Write to Christine Mai-Duc at christine.maiduc@wsj.com
This story contains spoilers from the reunion episode of Love Is Blind season two.
Things definitely didn’t work out between Deepti Vempati and fiancé Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee on LoveIs Blind, but has she found love with another co-star?
Throughout season two of the Netflix reality show, viewers saw Shake confide in his friends and family that he didn’t find Deepti physically attractive, even comparing her to his aunt. In an empowering onscreen moment, Deepti “chose” herself and turned him down at the altar.
During the eye-opening reunion episode, released March 4, the cast revealed that Shake’s onscreen antics were actually a “watered down” version of what actually transpired. Dropping a bombshell, Kyle Abrams admitted that he wished he had proposed to Deepti instead of Shaina Hurley, who eventually broke things off with him.
“I should’ve asked Deepti to marry me,” Kyle shared. “That’s what I learned the most, I f–ked up.”
Sonos has acquired the Bluetooth audio startup T2 Software, Protocol reports, adding fuel to rumors that Sonos is developing its own headphones. T2 had been working on implementations of the new Bluetooth LE Audio standard and LC3 codec, which delivers better audio quality at lower bitrates for improved headphone battery life.
A recent LinkedIn post from Sonos VP of global marketing and communications Pete Pedersen suggests that a Sonos headphone launch may be imminent. He said the company was looking for a marketing agency to help it launch “a new category” of product, “targeting a new audience/consumer segment.”
A spokesperson for Sonos confirmed the acquisition to Protocol. “Occasionally, we will acquire teams, talent, and/or technology that augment our existing and future product roadmap,” the spokesperson said. T2 Software was acquired by Sonos in November 2021, Protocol reports, around three years after the startup was originally founded.
Sonos’ long-rumored debut pair of headphones could have the most to gain from a power-efficient Bluetooth codec like LC3. Headphones typically have to make difficult tradeoffs between having large enough batteries to offer good battery life, and being lightweight enough to wear for extended periods. LC3’s promise is that it can help mitigate this tradeoff with higher audio quality that requires less power.
If you want to hear the kind of benefit the LC3 Codec can provide, the Bluetooth SIG has an interactive comparison available on its website which lets you toggle between different audio encoders and bitrates. The tool shows how LC3 audio remains listenable at bitrates far lower than the usual SBC codec. And, most interestingly, it notes that the encoded audio streams were provided by “T2 Labs,” the old name of T2 Software.
Sonos historically shunned streaming over Bluetooth in favor of Wi-Fi for its home speakers, and has only embraced Bluetooth audio more recently for portable speakers like the Sonos Move and Sonos Roam. Sonos’ headphones will reportedly compete with high-end competitors from Sony and Bose while also neatly integrating with Sonos’ existing speakers.
HOUSTON — For the second time in 10 days, the Houston Rockets were giving the Golden State Warriors every inch of fight they had in them. And for about three quarters, it looked to be wearing the Warriors down.
But then in the fourth, Stephen Curry erupted. He scored 21 of his 40 points in the final frame giving Golden State enough juice to get the 122-108 victory. And it all started with Kevin Porter Jr.s’ trash talk on Curry.
“It’s a nice game within the game,” Curry said. “It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time. I started bringing it to another level. You always have it, but you definitely bring another level of competitiveness when you have fun stuff like that. I take it all as entertainment, but sometimes you need a little boost.”
Curry was held to 10 points in the first half and had hit just one 3-pointer. His splash brother, Klay Thompson, had also made just one three. Andrew Wiggins — who finished with 17 points — was doing all he could to keep the Warriors afloat, but he needed help.
In the third quarter, while Curry was catching his breath and waiting for the ball to be inbounded, Porter matched Curry’s position — both with the hands on their knees — with his face right over Curry’s shoulder.
And the trash-talking ensued. But it was all one-sided. Curry never said a word back to Porter.
“I highly encourage it,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr of players jarring with Curry.
“I think he’s unfazed by it, to be honest,” Juan Toscano-Anderson said. “He finds it comedic. I mean, he’s great. He’s gonna do what he does … What do y’all say? Steph’s gonna Steph.”
Porter understood that as much as anyone, as after the game the third-year guard went up to the two-time MVP and asked him for advice.
“I went up to him and I asked him for some pointers,” Porter said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “Being MVP, first unanimous, that’s someone I can learn from. He’s been doing this for so long. People get comfortable with what he’s capable of doing. It’s not really a surprise. But seeing him play like this is definitely something to learn from.”
Curry went 7-of-10 from the floor in the fourth, including 4-of-7 from three. His 21 points that period are the most he’s scored in a fourth quarter during the regular season. The only time he’s scored more in the fourth in his career is when he put up 23 points in the final period of Game 6 of the 2019 Western Conference Finals. That game was also against the Rockets.
“We’ve seen Steph do that a million times,” Kerr said. “It was bound to happen, even though it’s been a couple of weeks. Not surprising but it’s fun to see him shake free and have a game like he did.”
As Kerr alluded to, Curry’s night was a breakout performance from a turbulent month of January. Though, there has never been any level of concern.
Earlier in the day, Curry and Kerr had a conversation about Curry’s recent shooting numbers. Kerr told Curry that he has never worked with another player who he is hesitant to discuss shot selection with.
There’s an understanding between everyone at the Warriors that Curry’s shooting will work itself out, and there’s not much more to be done about it other than wait.
Monday’s game in Houston is an example of why.
“You always feel like the next shot is going to start the vibe like that,” Curry said. “Obviously, it’s no secret how I’ve been shooting the ball recently. But the confidence is always like, it takes just one to ignite a night like that in the fourth quarter.”
Curry’s confidence has always been high, and it’s remained high during this slump because he approaches each game with the belief that his game and the work he puts in will show through eventually. He calls it the “major even-keeled approach.”
He never doubted that he would find his shot, no matter what. But Porter’s trash talk expedited the process.
“I don’t react, but it’s a little adrenaline rush,” Curry said. “Whatever gas that’s got to go in the tank to get you out of a low point I’ll take.”
HOUSTON — For the second time in 10 days, the Houston Rockets were giving the Golden State Warriors every inch of fight they had in them. And for about three quarters, it looked to be wearing the Warriors down.
But then in the fourth, Stephen Curry erupted. He scored 21 of his 40 points in the final frame giving Golden State enough juice to get the 122-108 victory. And it all started with Kevin Porter Jr.s’ trash talk on Curry.
“It’s a nice game within the game,” Curry said. “It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time. I started bringing it to another level. You always have it, but you definitely bring another level of competitiveness when you have fun stuff like that. I take it all as entertainment, but sometimes you need a little boost.”
Curry was held to 10 points in the first half and had hit just one 3-pointer. His splash brother, Klay Thompson, had also made just one three. Andrew Wiggins — who finished with 17 points — was doing all he could to keep the Warriors afloat, but he needed help.
In the third quarter, while Curry was catching his breath and waiting for the ball to be inbounded, Porter matched Curry’s position — both with their hands on their knees — with his face right over Curry’s shoulder.
And the trash-talking ensued. But it was all one-sided. Curry never said a word back to Porter.
“I highly encourage it,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr of players jarring with Curry.
“I think he’s unfazed by it, to be honest,” Juan Toscano-Anderson said. “He finds it comedic. I mean, he’s great. He’s gonna do what he does. … What do y’all say? Steph’s gonna Steph.”
Porter understood that as much as anyone, as after the game the third-year guard went up to the two-time MVP and asked him for advice.
“I went up to him and I asked him for some pointers,” Porter said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “Being MVP, first unanimous, that’s someone I can learn from. He’s been doing this for so long. People get comfortable with what he’s capable of doing. It’s not really a surprise. But seeing him play like this is definitely something to learn from.”
Curry went 7-of-10 from the floor in the fourth, including 4-of-7 from 3. His 21 points that period are the most he has scored in a fourth quarter during the regular season. The only time he has scored more in the fourth in his career is when he put up 23 points in the final period of Game 6 of the 2019 Western Conference finals. That game was also against the Rockets.
“We’ve seen Steph do that a million times,” Kerr said. “It was bound to happen, even though it’s been a couple of weeks. Not surprising but it’s fun to see him shake free and have a game like he did.”
As Kerr alluded to, Curry’s night was a breakout performance from a turbulent month of January. Though, there has never been any level of concern.
Earlier in the day, Curry and Kerr had a conversation about Curry’s recent shooting numbers. Kerr told Curry that he has never worked with another player who he is hesitant to discuss shot selection with.
There’s an understanding between everyone on the Warriors that Curry’s shooting will work itself out, and there’s not much more to be done about it other than wait.
Monday’s game in Houston is an example of why.
“You always feel like the next shot is going to start the vibe like that,” Curry said. “Obviously, it’s no secret how I’ve been shooting the ball recently. But the confidence is always like, it takes just one to ignite a night like that in the fourth quarter.”
Curry’s confidence has always been high, and it has remained high during this slump because he approaches each game with the belief that his game and the work he puts in will show through eventually. He calls it the “major even-keeled approach.”
He never doubted that he would find his shot, no matter what. But Porter’s trash talk expedited the process.
“I don’t react, but it’s a little adrenaline rush,” Curry said. “Whatever gas that’s got to go in the tank to get you out of a low point I’ll take.”
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Staff/File Photo
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Stocks drop in Europe, Asia after Wall Street sell-off
Oil prices fall further away from 7-year highs
Treasury yields drop as investors seek safety
Graphic: Global asset performance
Graphic: World FX rates
NEW YORK/LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Risk aversion dominated markets on Friday as stocks slumped on Wall Street and in Europe, oil prices fell from seven-year highs earlier in the week and bond prices surged with traders scurrying for the relative safety of government debt.
Concerns about how aggressively the Federal Reserve will tighten monetary policy shook investors, as did poor subscriber growth reported late Thursday at Netflix Inc cast a pall over the market and sent its shares plunging 21%.
The Nasdaq, the standout performer of the stock market boom since the pandemic began, has fallen more than 10% from a November all-time high and is poised for its worst week since markets crashed in March 2020.
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With expectations the Fed will raise interest rates up to four times this year and also reduce its balance sheet, fear of a hard landing has risen among investors.
But a slowing economy in the months ahead will probably give the Fed second thoughts, said Steven Ricchiuto, U.S. chief economist at Mizuho Securities USA LLC.
“By the time we get to the second rate hike, everything will be rolling over enough that everybody will back off from these calls,” he said. “The growth numbers will be slowing much more quickly than the Fed anticipated.”
U.S. Treasury and euro zone government bond yields fell as concerns about potential conflict in Ukraine also dented risk appetite and stock market drops increased demand for the debt.
The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 9.4 basis points to 1.740%, a sharp drop from a two-year high of 1.902% touched on Wednesday.
In Europe, the German, French and Italian indices fell almost 2%, with the broad Euro STOXX index (.STOXX) of 600 leading regional companies closing down 1.84%. MSCI’s all-country world index (.MIWD00000PUS) fell 1.37%.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) slid 1.20%, the S&P 500 (.SPX) fell 1.74% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) lost 2.39%.
Markets in Asia were broadly lower, including in China where benchmark mortgage rates were cut on Thursday in the latest move to prop up an economy soured by its property sector. read more
But the sharpest drops in recent days have been in U.S. markets, with the benchmark S&P 500 heading toward its worst month since late 2020.
S&P 500 stock index set for biggest weekly fall since late 2020
The U.S. dollar edged lower with U.S. Treasury yields, with investors looking to next week’s Fed meeting for more clarity on the outlook for rate hikes and quantitative tightening.
The dollar index , which tracks the greenback versus a basket of six currencies, fell 0.104%, to 95.661. The yen was last down 0.39% at $113.6400. The euro was last up 0.25%, at $1.1338
Oil prices slid for a second day, pressured by an unexpected rise in U.S. crude and fuel inventories while investors took profits after global oil benchmarks touched seven-year highs.
Brent crude futures fell 49 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $87.89 a barrel, while U.S. futures settled down 41 cents at $85.14 a barrel.
Gold was set to gain for a second week as inflation and geopolitical risks lifted its safe-haven appeal, but it slipped on Friday amid a broader decline in commodities.
U.S. gold futures settled down 0.6% at $1,831.80 an ounce.
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Reporting by Herbert Lash, dditional reporting by Sujata Rao in London and Kanupriya Kapoor and Stella Qiu in Singapore; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Kirsten Donovan, Alexander Smith and Jonathan Oatis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Director of research at American Federation for Children reacts to standoff between Chicago mayor and teachers union, saying parents need to be empowered in the equation on ‘Kennedy’
Hundreds of students in Boston and Chicago walked out of classes Friday in protests demanding a switch to remote learning as a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant disrupted efforts at returning to in-person education around the United States.
In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest school district, the walkout came two days after in-classroom instruction resumed for 340,000 students who were idled during a five-day work stoppage by unionized teachers pressing for tougher COVID-19 safeguards.
Protesting students said they were dissatisfied with the additional health protocols the teachers union agreed to earlier this week, ending its standoff with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“I think CPS is listening, but I’m not sure they’ll make a change,” Jaden Horten, a junior at Jones College Prep High School, said during a rally at district headquarters that drew around a thousand students.
Students stage one of several mass walkouts for COVID safety at high schools due to the omicron spread in Chicago Jan. 14, 2022. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska / Reuters)
STUDENT LENDER NAVIENT CANCELS $1.7B IN STUDENT LOANS
The demonstration followed student walkouts at various schools around the city.
About 600 young people from 11 Boston schools participated in student walkouts there, according to the school district, which serves nearly 52,000 pupils. Many protesting students returned to classrooms later, while others went home after taking part in peaceful demonstrations.
An online petition started by a Boston high school senior branding schools a “COVID-19 breeding ground” and calling for a remote learning option had collected more than 8,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
The Boston Student Advisory Council, which organized the walkout, posted a series of demands on Twitter, including two weeks of online instruction and more stringent COVID-19 testing for teachers and students.
The latest wave of infections has renewed the debate over whether to keep schools open, as officials seek to balance fears about the highly contagious omicron variant with concerns that children could fall further behind academically after two years of stop-and-start instruction. The result has been a patchwork of COVID-19 policies around the country that has left parents feeling exhausted and bewildered.
Students gather outside of CPS headquarters to stage one of several mass walkouts for COVID safety at high schools due to the omicron spread in Chicago Jan. 14, 2022. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska / Reuters)
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Ash O’Brien, a 10th-grade student at Boston Latin School who left the building with about a dozen others on Friday, said he didn’t feel safe staying in school.
“I live with two grandparents who are immune-compromised,” he said. “So I don’t want to go to school, risk getting sick and come home to them.”
In a statement, Boston Public Schools said it supports students advocating for their beliefs and vowed to listen to their concerns.
New York City Mayor elect Eric Adams speaks to supporters Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II / AP Newsroom)
Earlier this week, students at several New York City schools staged a walkout to protest what they said were inadequate safety measures. Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday his administration was considering a temporary remote learning option for a significant number of students who were staying home.
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Nearly 5,000 public schools across the country have closed for at least one day this week due to the pandemic, according to Burbio, a website that tracks school disruptions.
The omicron surge appears to be slowing in areas of the country that were hit first. In the last week, the average daily tally of new cases has risen only 5% in Northeastern and Southern states compared with the prior seven-day period, according to a Reuters analysis. In Western states, by contrast, the average number of infections documented every day has climbed 89% in the past week compared with the previous week.
Overall, the United States is still tallying nearly 800,000 new infections a day amid record numbers of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
