Latest news with #Fool'sDay
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
9-1-1: Contagion Promo: The 118 Faces Viral Outbreak in ‘Two-Part Thriller'
During a recent interview with TVLine, 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear teased a 'very intense two-parter coming up a little bit before the end of the season.' Friends, the two-parter has arrived — and 'very intense' is actually an understatement. ABC has released an explosive promo for 9-1-1: Contagion, which begins next Thursday, April 10 (8/7c) and concludes the following week. In the first look, which you can watch above, the 118 responds to a call from a lab specializing in — wait for it — exotic viruses. It's a real no-one-is-safe situation. More from TVLine Did You Suspect The Rookie's April Fool's Day Episode Was One Big Prank? Grey's Anatomy Taps grown-ish Vet for a Possible Series-Regular Role American Idol Eliminates Half of Season 23 in Hollywood Week - Did Your Favorites Survive the Arena? This two-parter comes on the heels of Thursday's episode, in which Eddie finally made things right with Christopher. 'I've always been your dad,' Eddie told him. 'Now I'm going to start acting like it.' It was a sweet moment in an otherwise complicated storyline. In other 9-1-1 news, the show has officially been renewed for Season 9. ABC made the big announcement on April 3, along with renewals for Grey's Anatomy (Season 22), The Rookie (Season 8), Shifting Gears (Season 2) and Will Trent (Season 4). The network had already renewed Abbott Elementary (Season 5) and High Potential (Season 2), while the future of Doctor Odyssey remains uncertain. Hit PLAY on the video above for your first look at the explosive 9-1-1 two-parter, then drop a comment with your thoughts on all things Season 8 below. 9-1-1: Nashville — Everything We Know So Far View List
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
National Living Wage lift is not without cost to some workers and economy
The first of April marks the turn of the financial year as well as Fool's Day, but the cost of living increases arriving this month are no joke. Combined water, energy, council tax and communications bills are rising almost £450 for average households, more of a gut punch than a punchline for already stretched households. The increase is largely driven by a long-delayed correction in water bills and energy price fluctuations, but there is some consolation on the other side of the ledger, with household incomes also rising across the board, a trend ministers are predictably seeking to highlight. Money latest: Most household bills rising today Pensioners have become used to the triple-lock delivering income growth and this year's 4.1% settlement amounts to an additional £471 a year for those on the new state pension. Wages more generally, meanwhile, have been rising faster than inflation for almost two years, and were running at 5.6% in January (though individual pay packets are determined by employers). The most impactful change however is to the National Living Wage (NLW), up 6.7% this month, worth £1,386 a year more to someone working a 40-hour week, who can now pull down an annual salary of more than £23,000. The NLW is one of the more strikingly effective public policy interventions of the last 30 years. Backed by governments of all stripes (as popular measures that cost the state nothing tend to be) it has delivered more money to young and lower-paid workers without causing the unemployment spike of which some warned when it was introduced in 1998. Guided by the Low Pay Commission, it last year achieved the goal for which it was established, to lift the minimum wage to two-thirds of the median salary. Cost of living calculator: That is not to say it is without cost. The increases are a burden to employers, one that is felt more keenly this year with the imminent halving of the employer national insurance threshold increasing annual costs by more than £700 per-NLW employee. There are also pressures further up the pay scale, with wage "compression" requiring employers to pay everyone more, as lower earners close the gap on their more senior peers. Economists warn there is also a danger that higher wages disincentivise companies from taking a risk on younger and traditionally cheaper workers, and instead target the experienced and already employed. There is also the question of what it means for graduates, who will emerge from higher education with improved long-term prospects, but laden with debt and looking at starting salaries not a lot higher than they may have earned in their part-time summer jobs.
Sky News
01-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News
National Living Wage lift is not without cost to some workers and economy
The first of April marks the turn of the financial year as well as Fool's Day, but the cost of living increases arriving this month are no joke. Combined water, energy, council tax and communications bills are rising almost £450 for average households, more of a gut punch than a punchline for already stretched households. The increase is largely driven by a long-delayed correction in water bills and energy price fluctuations, but there is some consolation on the other side of the ledger, with household incomes also rising across the board, a trend ministers are predictably seeking to highlight. Pensioners have become used to the triple-lock delivering income growth and this year's 4.1% settlement amounts to an additional £471 a year for those on the new state pension. Wages more generally, meanwhile, have been rising faster than inflation for almost two years, and were running at 5.6% in January (though individual pay packets are determined by employers). The most impactful change however is to the National Living Wage (NLW), up 6.7% this month, worth £1,386 a year more to someone working a 40-hour week, who can now pull down an annual salary of more than £23,000. 4:50 The NLW is one of the more strikingly effective public policy interventions of the last 30 years. Backed by governments of all stripes (as popular measures that cost the state nothing tend to be) it has delivered more money to young and lower paid workers without causing the unemployment spike of which some warned when it was introduced in 1998. Guided by the Low Pay Commission, it last year achieved the goal for which it was established, to lift the minimum wage to two-thirds of the median salary. Cost of living calculator: See how much your bills are going up That is not to say it is without cost. The increases are a burden to employers, one that is felt more keenly this year with the imminent halving of the employer National Insurance threshold increasing annual costs by more than £700 per-NLW employee. There are also pressures further up the pay scale, with wage "compression" requiring employers to pay everyone more, as lower earners close the gap on their more senior peers. Economists warn there is also a danger that higher wages disincentivise companies from taking a risk on younger and traditionally cheaper workers, and instead target the experienced and already employed. There is also the question of what it means for graduates, who will emerge from higher education with improved long-term prospects, but laden with debt and looking at starting salaries not a lot higher than they may have earned in their part-time summer jobs.
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about the Penguins' goaltender of the future and the NHL trade deadline
SALT LAKE CITY — Many Penguins fans are excited to see Joel Blomqvist back with the NHL team, and there's no question that the young goaltender could have a very bright future in the league. He hasn't been spectacular, but he's been very solid in his NHL cup of coffee. He has a mental toughness that will serve him well. He looks like a keeper. Advertisement Several people in the organization, however, have told me they don't think he's the goaltender in the Penguins' system with the highest ceiling. That would be Sergei Murashov. The goaltender from Yaroslavl, Russia, doesn't turn 21 until April Fool's Day, but his talent is no joke. He has dominated at every level of his hockey career. He has played junior hockey in Russia, professionally in Russia, for ECHL Wheeling and for AHL Wilkes-Barre. This is a list of his GAA per season: The sample size is small, as those numbers comprise only a total of 155 games over the past five seasons. Still, they are staggering. The save percentage numbers during each of his seasons are just as stunning: He hasn't put up those numbers in the NHL and only a handful of these games have come at the AHL level. So, Murashov has much to prove. But … A member of the Penguins organization told me last week: 'That kid is an absolute stud. His ceiling is incredibly high.' Still, we should keep in mind that Murashov is raw. I don't think he'll be ready next season. My guess is that, in the 2025-26 season, the Penguins will go with Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes, unless Nedeljkovic is traded, which isn't unimaginable. Still, Nedeljkovic is the perfect personality to have around a young goaltender. Murashov should get a season being the guy in Wilkes-Barre. He's young, he's raw, and it doesn't seem wise to have a young goaltender play behind these Penguins. In terms of pure physical talent, though, the Penguins believe Murashov is special. Between Murashov and Blomqvist, the Penguins employ two young, talented goaltenders. They're hopeful that at least one of them can become a bonafide No. 1 goaltender at the NHL level. If they both emerge as No. 1 caliber guys, even better. They'll both be given a chance. Advertisement Blomqvist is the more polished and experienced of the two, but Murashov's athleticism is special. The expectations for him in the Penguins' organization are very high. • You'll note that I didn't mention Tristan Jarry in the goaltending plans for next season. Training camp is eight months away. Any number of things could happen between now and then. Maybe Jarry finds his game in Wilkes-Barre, has a great training camp and makes the team. Maybe he'll be traded. Maybe he'll be bought out. Maybe he'll stay in Wilkes-Barre. These are all possibilities. But as long as Blomqvist and Nedeljkovic are healthy and in the organization, it's difficult for me to imagine seeing Jarry in a Penguins uniform at the NHL level again. If a Penguins goaltender gets injured, I suppose it would become a possibility. • As for trade deadline talk, not much has changed. Kyle Dubas wants to aggressively sell. He might not entirely get his wish until this summer simply because it's a great unknown whether this will be a busy trade deadline around the league. In recent years, the week between the NHL Draft and the July 1 free agency opening has produced the most fireworks around the league. Much of this is because of Covid. The salary cap has barely risen in years because of a lack of NHL revenue when Covid hit, which has handcuffed many teams in-season, as players had been signed to lucrative contracts in previous years with the expectation that the salary cap would be higher than it is. Dubas prefers to land young NHL players or prospects over draft picks. But, make no mistake, the Penguins are still perfectly agreeable to add picks. • Marcus Pettersson is still the most likely member of the Penguins to be traded. And he knows it. 'It's not the first time my name has been out there,' he said. 'You have to try and not let it bother you, and not let it have an effect on how you're performing on the ice. I'm doing my best.' Advertisement • I have seen several people on social media spewing venom toward coach Mike Sullivan because Owen Pickering was sent back to Wilkes-Barre. He hates young players! Grrr! Sullivan doesn't hate Pickering. Far from it. He likes him as a player and as a person. The Penguins coaching staff saw what it believed to be minor regression in his game recently, so it decided to keep him out of the lineup for a bit. After discussing the situation with Dubas and the Penguins' braintrust, it was determined that sending him down to Wilkes-Barre where he can play heavy minutes nightly is much more sensible than having him sit in the press box for any length of time. Feel free to disagree with that approach. Maybe it's best for Pickering's growth, maybe it isn't. But the Penguins are hardly down on him. In fact, his stock has significantly risen in their eyes, and they view him as a very clear part of their future. My guess is that we'll see Pickering again soon, probably at the conclusion of the 4 Nations Face-Off or thereabout. • Erik Karlsson detractors will very quickly remind you he's never won anything because he doesn't play 'winning hockey.' That's not particularly fair to Karlsson, who has played on some pretty mediocre rosters throughout his career. Sure, he plays a reckless style that isn't exactly pleasing to most coaches. During most of his time in Pittsburgh, he's been disappointing. Facts are facts. But he's still a great player, and anyone who suggests he doesn't care about winning is misguided. I spoke with Karlsson in Anaheim last week after practice, and he practically whispered when analyzing the Pittsburgh portion of his career. 'It's been two years now, and I haven't really been able to get anything going,' he said. 'It's frustrating.' Karlsson has played better in recent weeks, relatively speaking, but has never been the dynamic presence the Penguins were expecting when they traded for him 18 months ago. He has scored only 15 goals in 134 games after scoring 25 in his final season with the San Jose Sharks. Advertisement The losing is taking a toll on Karlsson, who has never played in a Stanley Cup Final in his 16-year NHL career. He's reached the conference final only once, dispatched by Chris Kunitz and the Penguins in double overtime of Game 7 in 2017. 'We've been a very volatile team,' Karlsson said. 'We've got to get something going. And now the problem is, other teams around us or ahead of us in the standings have started winning. I know the potential is there. We just have to keep going.' (Photo of Sergei Murashov: Maksim Konstantinov / Associated Press)
