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José Ramírez hits a grand slam as Guardians beat Royals 14-1, move into 1st in AL Central

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — José Ramírez hit his fifth career grand slam and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 14-1 on Wednesday night, moving into first place in the AL Central despite a losing record.Ramírez lined a first-pitch cutter from Austin Cox into the left-field bullpen after Cox opened the third by allowing a single and two walks.“He’s been one of the best hitters in the game for a number of years,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The grand slam didn’t even seem like that bad of a pitch.”Ramírez has 13 homers this season.“José stole the show, got us on the board early,” Josh Bell said. “A grand slam like that takes the pressure off and allows us to relax in the box. He’s an incredible player, makes the adjustments.”Ramírez added an RBI double in the seventh and is hitting .411 (30 for 73) with 14 extra-base hits in his last 18 games.Cleveland has won seven of nine to surpass Minnesota (40-42) in the division standings.“We kind of expected this, day one o...

Navy listens to local residents' input on potential issues of 3 aircraft carriers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

CORONADO, Calif. -- The Navy wants to hear the public's concerns and thoughts on the environmental impact of having three aircraft carriers docked simultaneously in North Island for for more days out of the year.The Navy is holding a series of meetings to address potential issues.“We live right along the main corridor into Coronado, off the bridge, and we’re a little concerned it’s going to increase the traffic,” Coronado resident Barry Bruins said.The Navy will analyze the impact of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers being in port for an average of 180 days out of the year. “I’m sympathetic to Navy but having lived here since 1998 on 1st Street, the issue is the traffic from the base makes our street for four to six hours a day not useable by residents,” Coronado resident Lucy Howell said. City announces opening of first safe sleeping lot for homeless This is one of three meetings the Navy is holding to hear from residents about how the changes could impact traffic, socioeconomics, e...

French police, protesters clash in multiple towns after 17-year-old killed by police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

NANTERRE, France (AP) — Protesters angry after police shot a 17-year-old boy dead set cars and buildings ablaze in Paris suburbs and unrest spread to some other French cities and towns Wednesday night and Thursday morning, despite increased security efforts and the president’s calls for calm.The killing of 17-year-old Nael Tuesday during a traffic check in Nanterre, captured on video, shocked the country and stirred up long-simmering tensions between young people and police in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods around France.Nael’s surname has not been released by authorities or by his family. Clashes first erupted Tuesday night in Nanterre, a town west of Paris, and nearby, and the government deployed 2,000 police to maintain order Wednesday. But violence resumed after night fell, and police and firefighters struggled to contain protesters and extinguish numerous blazes.The national police service on Thursday reported fires or skirmishes in multiple cities overn...

Chance to challenge 2020 census numbers is ending, with funding for states and cities at stake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

The window for local, state and tribal governments to challenge their 2020 census figures closes after Friday, and with it the opportunity to correct mistakes in population totals that could cost them millions of dollars in federal funding.As of this week, almost 160 challenges had been filed through two programs the U.S. Census Bureau started to give governments opportunities to appeal their population totals. Those 2020 census figures help determine how $2.8 trillion in federal government spending is distributed each year.Some cities like Brookhaven, Georgia, found out this month that their challenge was successful. Officials in the city of more than 57,000 residents in metro Atlanta said new parcels were annexed in late 2019 but the 1,200 residents living in them weren’t counted toward the city’s figures during the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident, which started three months later. The U.S. Census Bureau conceded the error, a victory Brookhaven city off...

New Zealand says it’s the first to ban thin plastic bags from supermarkets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beginning Saturday, New Zealand will become the first country to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket customers use to collect their fruit and vegetables.The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and silverware, as the government expands a campaign against single-use plastics it started in 2019 when it banned the thicker plastic shopping bags that customers used to carry home their grocery items. These days, most customers bring their own reusable tote bags to stores.Officials estimate that on average, each New Zealander sends more than three-quarters of a ton of waste to landfills every year.“New Zealand produces too much waste, too much plastic waste,” said Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking.Brooking said the 2019 bag ban had already prevented more than 1 billion plastic bags from being used in New Zealand, and the new ban on thin bags would add a further reduction of 150 million bags per year.Officials investigated concerns th...

Suspected cooking gas explosion in Philippine restaurant injures 15 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A suspected cooking gas explosion in the Philippines injured at least 15 people and damaged a restaurant and two nearby food outlets on Thursday in a province south of Manila, officials said.Twelve parked cars were slightly damaged by the blast at Mr. Won’s Samgyeopsal Korean restaurant in the port city of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro province.The injured included four restaurant employees and a delivery crew member who were preparing to open the restaurant, which is located on the ground level of a shopping mall, officials said.“We understand the concerns and anxieties of the community and we want to emphasize that the situation is being given the highest priority,” regional police chief Brig. Gen. Joel Doria said.Doria urged the public to report any information that may help in an ongoing police investigation.The Associated Press

Flames and fire – more to Azerbaijan than F1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

The only image many people may have of Azerbaijan is of F1 drivers speeding around the streets of its capital. The city has hosted an annual F1 grand prix since 2017 and the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have become familiar features on the city’s streets each year, writes Martin Banks.What is less familiar to most are the many other wonderful things this country has to offer. There really is much more to the “Land of Fire” and, while tourism is still in its relative infancy here, it hopes to become more of a real visitor destination in the coming years.Actually, some may recall that, culturally, the country really thrust itself onto the international stage when it was chosen to host the Eurovision song contest back in 2012 after Ell and Nikki triumphed the previous year with "Running Scared". The country spent an estimated €160 million on hosting the 2012 contest, including building a completely new arena for the event, now one of the standout landmarks you can see fro...

2 environmental scientists team up to find Kristen Smart's remains

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

A pair of scientists, along with a former analyst at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have joined forces to find the missing remains of Kristin Smart some 27 years after her disappearance and murder.  While Smart’s body has never been located, the case has gained renewed interest from the true crime podcast “Your Own Backyard.” Now, in a mission dubbed “Project Homecoming,” two scientists believe the soil in an actual backyard may be the key to finding the missing Cal Poly San Louis Obispo student’s remains.  Dr. Steve Hoyt is a Cal Poly graduate and an environmental scientist whose business tests soil samples. Timothy Neligan, an environmental engineer who also attended Cal Poly, had an actual run-in with 19-year-old Smart.  “She came knocking at our door a week before she went missing to use the telephone to call somebody,” Neligan explained. “We followed the case ever since and wanted to help the family.” Paul Flores, the last person to see Smart alive, is...

Candlelight vigil held for teen victims killed in crash on 710 Freeway in Long Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

Hundreds of people gathered at the Artesia overpass overlooking the 710 Freeway in Long Beach on Wednesday for a candlelight vigil to remember five people killed in a single vehicle crash earlier in the week. The crash occurred around 4 a.m. in northbound lanes near the 91 Freeway interchange, according to the California Highway Patrol.  Authorities say the driver of the Hyundai Sonata appeared to be speeding when they lost control and slammed into the barriers, flipping the vehicle which led to an explosion. The horrific accident was captured on dash-cam video. At the vigil, mourners remembered the victims, including 15-year-old Ariahh Slemaker.  “I woke up and she was gone,” Ariahh’s mom, Amanda Lopez, told KTLA. “I’m hurting, my family, her sisters, everybody that loved her.”  Ariahh’s uncle, William Pearson said he feels for his brother and his niece’s mom, saying no parent should ever have to bury a child.  “We just miss her. I’m expecting her to w...

Man held to answer for two South San Francisco bank robberies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:02 GMT

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – A 48-year-old San Francisco man has been held to answer on all charges related to a pair of bank robberies late last year in South San Francisco, prosecutors said.Damon Shoemaker is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.Prosecutors said Shoemaker was held to answer following a preliminary hearing Tuesday. His defense attorney, Ross Green, did not present any evidence, while two victims and two South San Francisco police officers took the stand for the prosecution.The bank robberies were reported on Nov. 28 and Dec. 28 at the Chase Bank on McLelland Drive. In both cases, Shoemaker allegedly displayed a semiautomatic handgun and demanded cash from a bank teller, according to the district attorney’s office.Between the two robberies, Shoemaker made off with roughly $3,400, prosecutors said.Video surveillance collected by investigators showed a gray van leaving the scene of one of the robberies....