5 Things to Read Today: Police Probe 'Ambush' of Officers in Ferguson, Retail Sales Fall Amid Bad Weather and More
In case you missed them, here are our picks for today’s top stories.
#1: Authorities Investigate ‘Ambush’ Shooting of Officers in Ferguson
Police are investigating the shooting of two officers involved in crowd control at a protest early Thursday morning in Ferguson, Mo., in what the St. Louis County police chief called an “ambush.” The shootings occurred after the city’s police chief resigned, the latest official to step down after an investigation of the police department. The St. Louis suburb has become a flashpoint over race and policing since an unarmed black teen was fatally shot by police there in August. The officers suffered serious injuries, but should recover. A 32-year-old officer from nearby Webster Groves was shot in the face, and a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder. A Facebook post by the department said the two officers have been released from a local hospital.
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#2: Bad Weather Hits Consumer Spending
U.S. retail sales fell for the third consecutive month in February, damped by bad weather and consumer caution. What do the figures say about the economy’s overall health? Consumer spending is a driver of growth, and a persistent slowdown bodes ill for the economy. Many economists and some retailers expect sharply lower gasoline prices and steady job gains to deliver a stronger spring. But the surging dollar and a global slowdown are likely to restrain the U.S. economy through at least the first half, according to The Wall Street Journal’s March survey of economic forecasters.
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#3: Study Backs Raising Tobacco Purchase Age to 21
If Congress increases the tobacco purchase age to 21 from 18, it will “substantially” reduce the number of 15- to 17-year-olds who begin smoking, according to the results of an independent study conducted for the FDA. The report estimates that raising the tobacco purchasing age to 21 now would result in 249,000 fewer premature deaths related to cigarette smoking for people born between 2000 and 2019. About two-thirds of smokers start lighting up daily before 18 and it appears to take less nicotine for teenagers to become addicted, compared with adults, the Surgeon General’s report added.
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#4: Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh: A Wolverine Is on the Loose
On Dec. 30, Jim Harbaugh did the unthinkable: He left a successful NFL coaching career to coach his alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines. The last decade has been disappointing for Michigan, college football’s all-time winningest football team. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Wolverines have a 46-42 record. Harbaugh, who previously coached Stanford and the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, isn’t yet three months into his tenure as his alma mater’s coach. Yet Harbaugh’s résumé and passion have inspired Michigan fans to give him a reception like no coach before him, making him college football’s foremost celebrity.
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#5: A New Way to Use a Prenup
These days prenuptial agreements aren’t just for the “affluent playboy marrying the meter maid.” Long used to protect assets of a far wealthier partner in a marriage, prenups are now being used by couples who are financial peers and often entering second marriages. Both parties already have successful careers and significant assets, as well as important commitments to children from previous marriages. Instead of shielding a family’s fortune from a newcomer, these kinds of prenups are more concerned with how the couple will pay for a new shared home; which investments they will mingle or keep separate; and who will inherit each partner’s assets.