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DENVER — A svelte Russell Wilson smiled at the question.:
You going to take off and run more this fall?
“I’m trying to get moving for you,” he said slyly.
The 12th-year quarterback looked capable of doing just that as he started his second training camp with the Broncos, though any grand conclusions after one day in helmets can safely be avoided, just as Wilson sidestepped a question about how much weight he cut over the offseason.
“I don’t know, I’m just ready to play football. I’m not worried about the numbers on that,” he said. “I think the biggest thing for me is I feel great, feel confident in what I’m doing. Feel strong. Feel fast. Really worked on everything.”
A nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Seahawks, Wilson regressed across the board in Denver. He threw a career-low 16 touchdowns on 60.5% completions last season. The Broncos lost 11 of the 15 games he started. He dealt with three different injuries over the course of the season.
“Last year is last year,” Wilson said. “It wasn’t anything that I ever wanted. … But you take the highs with the lows, the mountains with the valleys.”
Just as alarming as his inefficiency and inaccuracy was the fact that Wilson took a career-high 55 sacks. He’s always been sacked a lot — it’s part of the nature of mobile quarterbacks — but his 10.2% rate last year was the second-highest of his career.
Was it concerning, then, to see Wilson at times on Friday hold the ball, then improvise outside the pocket and either take off running or throw on the run? Head coach Sean Payton said not at all and that, in fact, he even encouraged it.
“You want to play it like a game. That’s what we are trying to simulate,” he said. “It’s hard to practice the spontaneous moments that take place in a game. If you break down a whole game, two thirds of it happens in the pocket the way it’s supposed to. A third of it, there’s a movement adjustment, there’s pressure, there’s all sorts of things that can take place. I’m comfortable when I see him climbing (in the pocket) and taking off because one of those plays is like a 30-yard gain.
“How else do you practice that? It’s the same way with the scramble drill when we are out of the pocket. You just begin working on that all of the time. I think it’s one of the things he does well in the framework of a play. When something breaks down and he flushes, a lot of the time good things happen.”
In the days since the Broncos reported for training camp Tuesday, Payton has gone further in expressing confidence in his quarterback than at any point so far over his first six months on the job. He expressed regret about the tone of his comments in a recent USA TODAY story overall, but stood by what he said about Wilson — essentially that he’s got plenty of ability left and that he didn’t hit a career wall last year.
“He looks good now. He’s moving around well,” Payton said Friday.
Suffice it to say many of Wilson’s teammates feel the same way.
Left tackle Garett Bolles earlier this offseason provided a fiery defense of his quarterback and said he’s looking forward to Wilson’s doubters eating crow.
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton said Wednesday he sees a quarterback who might smile and play nice publicly, but wants nothing more than to engineer a career — and franchise — turnaround.
“You guys have seen him, he looks amazing from the outside appearance, but just talking with him and seeing where his head space is and where he’s trying to get to, it’s amazing to see him in that light,” Sutton said. “He has a chip on his shoulder because he knows he didn’t put out what he wanted to put out last year. Everyone knows who Russ is and the things he’s done and last year wasn’t, obviously, what we wanted to see. Knowing him, it wasn’t what he wanted to put out there.
“To see him show up looking the way he did and having the mindset he has, it’s very encouraging and it’s one of those things where everyone is rallying behind him and is ready to go to work.”
Safety Caden Sterns? He’s on board, too.
“Honestly he’s been the same and I say that in a good way,” the third-year defender out of Texas told The Post. “First one in the building, last one out the building. He’s a good guy. Obviously in this sport, the nature of the beast is you get put on blast sometimes, but I really feel like he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he’s going to redeem himself this year. I’m excited to see what he does. He looks a lot healthier this year. He was going through some injuries (last year), so he’s going to be a big piece to what we do. …
“He’s definitely still got some gas in him, still.”
Part of the challenge in the next several weeks is quickly gaining a mastery of Payton’s offensive system. The coach on Friday said it’s “completely different” than what Wilson and the offense did last year, making for a steep learning curve.
“There’s a great sense of urgency what we’re trying to do and a great sense of urgency to understand the playbook and get everybody on the same page. They’ve done a great job of it. The coaching staff has done a tremendous job of really teaching the details to all of us players,” Wilson said. “… We’ve had a really focused offseason and I think, as I said, it’s one day at a time and we’re trying to embrace every single day. In terms of the playbook and all of that, we’re ahead of schedule.”
In addition to the playbook itself, though, Wilson and Payton have to develop their own on-field rapport through camp and the preseason. Wilson is a very different player than Payton had in New Orleans with Drew Brees. He can tuck the ball away and run for a first down, but Payton likely doesn’t want him freelancing so often that the offense struggles to find rhythm.
Like he has since before Payton even interviewed for the Broncos’ job, Wilson on Friday sounded like a player eager to follow the veteran coach.
“Coach Payton has a great balance of winning and his mentality, how he speaks to us and how he walks into the room,” Wilson said. “He has a certain presence that you feel in the room and everybody feels that and we all collectively feel that. He’s a legend in this game we trust everything that he thinks about and what he’s doing and how we go about it. …
“It’s a joy to be in this building and a joy to play for him.”
When Wilson first waxed poetic about Payton’s offensive prowess in January and imagined what it might be like to play for him, he also acknowledged he needed to follow his worst season with his best offseason. The coach ended up in Denver.
Is the other mission accomplished, too?
“Yeah we did that,” he said. “And now it’s time to just go one day at a time and go do what we know how to do and play at the highest level. That’s our focus.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/heres-the-skinny-on-russell-wilson-he-looks-svelte-and-sounds-ready-to-improve-for-denver-broncos/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-07-30T03:46:20 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/heres-the-skinny-on-russell-wilson-he-looks-svelte-and-sounds-ready-to-improve-for-denver-broncos/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
PHOENIX — The elusive goal of getting to four games over .500, something they’ve failed to do in this back-and-forth season, a start to sustained success and better days ahead, ended with an ugly, flailing swing from Julio Rodriguez on a pitch nowhere near the strike zone.
With their most talented player at the plate, and the Diamondbacks using their third reliever of the top of the ninth, Cade Marlowe, representing the tying run, was waiting to race home from third base if given the chance, and J.P. Crawford, the Mariners best player this season, was on first having worked an eight-pitch walk against lefty Andrew Chafin.
After fouling off multiple pitches from right-hander Scott McGough, Rodriguez finally succumbed to a splitfinger fastball that dropped well out of the zone and off the plate for the final out in a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a swing and result familiar to fans this season.
The defeat snapped the Mariners three-game winning streak.
Arizona took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth when their most talented player, Corbin Carroll, changed the game without getting a hit. The Seattle native worked a leadoff walk from Andres Munoz, coaxed the Mariners reliever into a balk on a base he would’ve stolen anyway, stole third immediately and scored on Dominic Canzone’s bouncing ball up the middle past a drawn-in infield.
The Mariners provided an early 3-0 for rookie starter Bryan Woo. Facing rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, they proved that sacrifice flies are sexy and also useful. They picked up a run in the second inning when Cal Raleigh led off with a single and later came around to score on Tom Murphy’s flyball to deep center.
The Mariners made it 2-0 in similar fashion in the third inning. Kolten Wong led off the inning with a single, moved to second on J.P. Crawford’s single, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice from Julio Rodriguez and scored on Eugenio Suarez’s lineout to left field.
They made it 3-0 in the fourth inning when Murphy ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Pfaadit, sending a missile into the left field seats for his eight homer of the season and his seventh homer since June 1.
In his nine previous starts and 44 innings pitched, Woo had faced left-handed hitters 78 times. They had a .403/.474/.851 slash line against him with seven homers, nine walks and 16 strikeouts. By comparison right-handed hitters came into the game with a .126/.174/.165 slash line against him this season in 109 plate appearances with one homer, four walks and 38 strikeouts.
So, like most teams, the Diamondbacks adjusted accordingly to the numbers.
Facing a lineup with two switch hitters and five left-handed hitters, Woo fought his way through five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with two walks and no strikeouts. It’s the first outing of his young big-league career where he failed to record a strikeout. Five of those hits and a walk came against players swinging from the left side. But the run-scoring hits came against right-handed hitters. | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-cant-get-key-hit-in-ninth-as-diamondbacks-snap-their-three-game-win-streak/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-07-30T03:46:26 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-cant-get-key-hit-in-ninth-as-diamondbacks-snap-their-three-game-win-streak/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
The Texas Rangers acquired three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer in a blockbuster trade with the New York Mets on Saturday night, an all-in move for the surprise leaders in the AL West, a person with knowledge of the deal said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced.
The Rangers added the 39-year-old Scherzer with another former Mets pitcher with Cy Young credentials, two-time winner Jacob deGrom, sidelined by Tommy John elbow surgery, possibly all the way through the end of next season.
According to multiple reports, the deal nets New York one of the top Texas prospects in infielder Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr.
As part of the deal, Scherzer agreed to opt in on the final year of his contract in 2024 at $43 million, according to reports that also said the Mets were paying about $35 million of the remaining $58 million on the right-hander’s contract.
The Mets, one of baseball’s biggest disappointments, unloaded Scherzer two days after sending closer David Robertson to Miami for two minor leaguers.
New York began the season with the highest payroll in baseball at $353 million but started the day 17 games behind Atlanta in the NL East and 6 1/2 games back in the wild-card race.
The next question is what the Mets will do with Justin Verlander, another three-time Cy Young winner signed through next season. There should be plenty of suitors for the 40-year-old right-hander.
Texas has emerged from six consecutive losing seasons to lead the AL West all but one day in three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy’s first season as manager.
The Rangers made the first notable move of this trading season by getting once-dominant closer Aroldis Chapman from Kansas City in June. Chapman has stayed in a setup role with Will Smith handling most of the closing duties.
Now Texas has bolstered the rotation knowing deGrom might be out until Scherzer’s contract expires at the end of next season.
The trade for Scherzer came on the same day the Rangers said they were again bumping back the next start for All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Bochy said Eovaldi had a sore elbow, but the club doesn’t think it’s serious.
The Rangers added deGrom in the offseason on a $185 million, five-year contract, knowing there was risk in signing the oft-injured right-hander.
He lasted just six starts — all Texas wins — before elbow issues sidelined deGrom for a month. It took multiple MRIs to determine the extent of the damage to his elbow, and the Tommy John procedure in June was the second of his career. The other was in rookie ball with the Mets in 2010.
“I think we need to improve as a starting rotation,” Bochy said before the Rangers’ game at San Diego on Saturday night, as reports of the trade were circulating. “I think that’s fair to say.”
Scherzer (9-4) was leading the Mets in victories but had his highest ERA (4.01) since 2011 with Detroit. The eight-time All-Star started Friday at home against Washington, allowing one run in seven innings in a 5-1 New York victory.
With 210 career victories, Scherzer is third among active pitchers behind Verlander and Kansas City’s Zack Greinke.
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AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson in San Diego contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mlb/rangers-get-scherzer-from-mets-in-all-in-blockbuster-from-surprise-al-west-leaders/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-07-30T03:46:32 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mlb/rangers-get-scherzer-from-mets-in-all-in-blockbuster-from-surprise-al-west-leaders/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has requested a trade, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday night.
Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champ, has been seeking a contract extension before his rookie contract expires at the end of this season and he’s been one of several running backs to publicly air their grievances throughout the offseason.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the request hadn’t been made public. NFL Network first reported Taylor’s request to be traded.
It came shortly after Taylor left team owner Jim Irsay’s motorhome after a meeting that lasted nearly an hour as the Colts conducted a night practice.
“It was just a good conversation and, you know, hopeful going forward,” Irsay told reporters after practice. “We’re looking forward to a great season, hoping that Jonathan’s a big part of that and I think we had a good conversation.”
Taylor has not spoken with reporters since being placed on the physically unable to perform list Tuesday. General manager Chris Ballard said then the Colts wanted to wait for a new deal until they could see how a healthy Taylor fit the new offense installed by first-year coach Shane Steichen.
Taylor topped the 2,000-yard mark twice in college at Wisconsin and rushed for 2,980 yards and 29 TDs in his first two NFL seasons. He was a unanimous All-Pro selection in 2021, when he led the league with 2,171 total yards and tied for the league lead in total touchdowns with 20.
Last year, he rushed for 861 yards despite missing six games with an ankle injury that required offseason surgery. Indy also struggled, finishing the season 4-11-1.
Irsay posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday suggesting some player agents were acting in bad faith by complaining about how much running backs earned with a franchise tag designation after the collective bargaining agreement was negotiated in good faith. The $10.1 million price tag is the lowest of any position other than kickers or punters.
On Saturday, in front of a capacity crowd at Grand Park in Westfield a staff member took Taylor to the nearby motorhome. Irsay did not divulge details of the meeting afterward, but did talk about two other former Colts star runners — Marshall Faulk, who was traded after Peyton Manning’s rookie season in 1998, and Edgerrin James, who left as a free agent between the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
“I’m responsible for everyone on the team and to look at the cap money as you go forward,” Irsay said. “It’s a great responsibility and you try to be as fair as you possibly can be with the whole football team. So again, I’m hopeful.”
Now the Colts may be looking to move Taylor before he even gets a chance to team up rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in April.
“We need to make sure he (Taylor) is healthy, and we expect he should have an outstanding year,” Irsay said. “(Linebacker) E.J. Speed had the same surgery and is doing well, but it’s early in the process and we want to make sure Jonathan is 100%.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/nfl/jonathan-taylor-requests-trade-after-meeting-with-owner-jim-irsay-at-colts-practice-source-says/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-07-30T03:46:38 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/nfl/jonathan-taylor-requests-trade-after-meeting-with-owner-jim-irsay-at-colts-practice-source-says/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sweden has dominated the airspace at the Women’s World Cup with its corner kicks, converting them into two victories and a spot in the knockout round of the tournament.
The Swedes have scored four of their seven goals off corners, and on nearly the same play every time. A ball curls inside the six-yard box, finds the head or foot of a Swedish player in the middle of the action and boom – just like that – the Blue and Yellow have another goal.
At the center of it all has been Amanda Ilestedt, the 5-foot-10 defender who has scored three of the goals.
Ilestedt, who plays for Arsenal, has leapt high over defenders, glancing headers into the net and giving Sweden the game winner in a 2-1 comeback over South Africa. Ilestedt scored two more goals in a 5-0 rout of Italy on Saturday.
Corner kicks are a point of emphasis for the Swedes. Although the corner kick may not be as aesthetically pleasing as a goal after a great run down the field, all goals count the same.
“We’ve been good at set pieces for a long time. Regardless of what you might think of Sweden’s type of play, you can always look at the details in the game, look at how you can fine tune,” said Swedish coach Peter Gerhardsson.
Set pieces are “a structural component where you can do a great deal. Serving the ball up is very important. But you can have different varieties,” he added.
Jonna Andersson, who had three assists on her corners against Italy, said it’s a skill she has worked hard at perfecting.
“I’ve been putting (in) a lot of time to do corners. I’ve been training hard to have good deliveries,” she said. “Of course, I know that we have a lot of good players in the box, so I need to deliver them.”
And that she does, said Ilestedt, whose three goals had her tied for the tournament lead among all scorers headed into Sunday night’s games.
“We are good at set pieces,” Ilestedt said. “We have good shooters and we know we are good headers so it feels good the balls are coming where they should.”
Sweden will win the group with anything but a loss to Argentina on Wednesday. The Swedes know they’ve given all future opponents an aspect of their game to worry about.
Said Gerhardsson: “It’s an excellent weapon as we move forward.”
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/soccer/swedens-corner-kicks-causing-trouble-for-opponents-at-womens-world-cup/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-07-30T03:46:44 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/soccer/swedens-corner-kicks-causing-trouble-for-opponents-at-womens-world-cup/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Severe weather in the Delaware Valley led to several cancellations and hundreds of delays at the Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday.
"Just bad weather," Todd Weeks from North Carolina said.
Weeks expected to be in Philadelphia by 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, but instead, he was delayed two and a half hours to his final destination.
"Just go with the flow - there's a lot, I mean we could still be on the plane, so I'm thankful we've been here," said Weeks.
Delays started rolling in due to thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon.
As of 9 p.m., there were 284 delays and more than three dozen flights were canceled.
Among those cancellations was a flight to West Palm Beach in Florida.
"There's a crowd of people that have been waiting since like 7 a.m., trying to get to West Palm Beach," said Ange Stout of Chestnut Hill, New Jersey.
Stout saw the group in passing as she only experienced a short delay with her flight from Chicago, Illinois.
"We left on time and we arrived on time, but there was a delayed flight at our gate, we had to sit on the tarmac," said Stout. "I'm not complaining, I'm still smiling, when I see my luggage I'll be even happier."
The spokesperson for the airport reminded people to check individual airlines for the status of flights and updates. | https://6abc.com/philadelphia-international-airport-severe-weather-flights-delayed-cancelation/13570820/ | 2023-07-30T03:47:27 | 1 | https://6abc.com/philadelphia-international-airport-severe-weather-flights-delayed-cancelation/13570820/ |
NEW JERSEY (WPVI) -- Parts of the Jersey shore were damaged by severe storms that rolled through the area on Saturday evening.
A video from North Wildwood shows rain falling hard and the wind whipping along the 900 block of New York Avenue.
Those same storms are also being blamed for damage in Salem County, New Jersey.
An Action News viewer sent in a video of uprooted trees and chairs scattered about a backyard.
That damage was along the 100 block of Woodstown-Alloway Road in Woodstown. | https://6abc.com/severe-thunderstorms-storm-damage-new-jersey-uprooted-trees/13570762/ | 2023-07-30T03:47:33 | 0 | https://6abc.com/severe-thunderstorms-storm-damage-new-jersey-uprooted-trees/13570762/ |
Firefighters responded to a Popeyes chicken restaurant in Quincy after lightning possibly struck the restaurant Saturday night, the city’s police chief said.
The restaurant is located at 502 Southern Artery (Route 3A), Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy said in an e-mail.
“Smoke was observed building up inside,” Kennedy said.
Quincy fire responded to the scene, Kennedy said. The restaurant will be closed for the evening.
Quincy fire could immediately be reached for comment.
Severe thunderstorms rolled through Massachusetts Saturday evening, causing flooding in some areas. A tornado warning was issued for parts of Plymouth and Bristol counties, but was later canceled by the National Weather Service.
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Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/29/metro/lightning-may-have-sparked-fire-popeyes-restaurant-quincy-official-says/ | 2023-07-30T03:47:34 | 0 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/29/metro/lightning-may-have-sparked-fire-popeyes-restaurant-quincy-official-says/ |
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — With the summer heat wave in full swing in Southern California, a backyard pool is a tempting place to take a dip.
Even for a bear.
Police in the city of Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement Friday.
Police released a video of the animal in the neighborhood, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles and near the Verdugo Mountains.
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The Burbank police have issued warnings for residents to avoid bears and to keep all garbage and food locked up to discourage bears from coming to their residences. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/29/nation/summer-heat-bear-spotted-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi/ | 2023-07-30T03:47:40 | 0 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/29/nation/summer-heat-bear-spotted-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi/ |
HOUSTON — Jeremy Peña had a career-high four RBIs, Yainer Díaz and José Abreu added three apiece, and the Houston Astros had their highest-scoring game of the season in a 17-4 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.
Díaz put Houston up early with a two-run shot in the second. Peña, who had two hits, made it 5-0 with a bases-loaded double in the fourth.
Chas McCormick hit a two-run triple in Houston’s three-run fifth and Abreu made it 11-0 with his 10th homer of the season in the sixth to help the Astros bounce back after a 4-3 loss in the series opener Friday.
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Hunter Brown (7-7) allowed four hits and two runs in 6-plus innings for his first win since June 13.
Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer in the seventh and a solo shot in the ninth and Wander Franco added a home run in the eighth for the Rays, but it wasn’t nearly enough as they fell to 6-16 this month.
With the game out of hand, manager Kevin Cash brought in catcher René Pinto for his first career pitching appearance to start the seventh inning.
With Pinto throwing as slow as 50 mph, the Astros easily padded the lead. Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer with one out and Alex Bregman added a two-run shot with two outs before Yordan Alvarez homered on the next at-bat to make it 16-2.
Houston's 17 runs bested the 14 it scored in a win over St. Louis on June 29.
Tampa Bay rookie starter Taj Bradley (5-7) allowed three hits and five runs in 3⅓ innings for his fourth straight loss.
Franco singled with one out in the first. He stole second base and moved to third on the play on a throwing error by Díaz.
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But the Rays came away empty when Bregman caught a fly ball hit by Brandon Lowe in foul territory and threw home in time for Díaz to tag Franco for the double play.
Abreu opened Houston’s second with a single before Díaz homered to center field to give the Astros a 2-0 lead.
Bradley walked Jake Meyers with one out in the fourth to load the bases and end his night. Kevin Kelly took over and struck out Altuve before Peña doubled off the wall in left field to clear the bases and push the lead to 5-0.
Alvarez and Abreu hit consecutive singles with one out in the fifth before the triple by McCormick made it 7-0. A double by Díaz sent McCormick home and left the Astros up 8-0. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/29/sports/astros-set-season-high-runs-rays-july-collapse-continues/ | 2023-07-30T03:47:46 | 1 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/29/sports/astros-set-season-high-runs-rays-july-collapse-continues/ |
This is a very special day. One that will not be acknowledged, nor remembered. But a very important day nonetheless. Today in the letter section of the Pantagraph, a letter writer that I strongly suspect to be left of center admitted in print that the risk of school shootings are "smaller than microscopic"
Thank you Mr. Lazaroff of Normal. I will look forward to reading your letter supporting the Second Amendment and a person's right to carry when you are so moved as to write and submit it.
Karl Kunkel, Bloomington | https://pantagraph.com/opinion/letters/letter-awaiting-a-second-letter/article_432aad30-2d4c-11ee-9c75-2b35464c6e7d.html | 2023-07-30T03:47:53 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/opinion/letters/letter-awaiting-a-second-letter/article_432aad30-2d4c-11ee-9c75-2b35464c6e7d.html |
Gold-domed mosques and gleaming minarets once broke the monotony of the Ningxia region's vast scrubland every few miles. This countryside here is home to some of China's 10.5 million Hui Muslims, who have practiced Sunni or Sufi forms of Islam within tight-knit communities for centuries, mainly in the northwest and central plains. Concentrated in the Ningxia region, the Hui are China's third-largest ethnic minority.
Now, though, virtually every mosque in Ningxia's countryside has been denuded of its domes, part of a sweeping crackdown on China's Muslim minorities that has reached Hui strongholds in Ningxia, in central China, and as far inland as Henan province in the east. (Up to now, Gansu province in central China has been able to keep most of its mosques intact.)
The crackdown on Muslims has been most extreme in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where scholars estimate that up to 1.5 million Muslim Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking group, and other ethnic minorities have been detained since 2016, in one of the most sophisticated surveillance states in the world.
The same restrictions that preceded the Xinjiang crackdown on Uighur Muslims are now appearing in Hui-dominated regions. NPR has learned that since April 2018, Hui mosques have been forcibly renovated or shuttered, schools demolished, and religious community leaders imprisoned. Hui who have traveled internationally are increasingly detained or sent to reeducation facilities in Xinjiang.
In August 2018, in Ningxia's Tongxin county, authorities attempted to demolish the Weizhou Grand Mosque, claiming it lacked the right building permits. Hundreds of furious residents staged a sit-in, sharing videos of their protest through popular Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Kuaishou, a livestreaming app, faster than censors could take them down.
Taken aback, officials called off the demolition. But the victory was short-lived. In November, local government work units began visiting every household in Weizhou, pressuring residents to sign letters stating their acquiescence to "renovate" the mosque by removing its main dome and domed minarets. In some cases, Weizhou officials threatened to fire state employees if they did not sign the letter, according to multiple residents.
This month, an NPR reporter drove through Weizhou, which is now guarded by checkpoints on the only road leading in and out of town. The mosque is closed, its main dome and minarets replaced with tiled Buddhist-style pagodas, and its entrances blocked by scaffolding.
"Of course we are afraid we will become the next Xinjiang," one Hui man told NPR. He did not provide his name for fear that authorities in Xinjiang would find him. Three years ago, he abandoned his family's property in Xinjiang in order to transfer his residency to Tongxin county. "But what can an individual do? We can only take it year by year."
"We say what we have to say"
Descendants of Arab traders who entered China some 1,500 years ago, the Hui pride themselves on having thoroughly assimilated into Chinese society. Unlike the Uighurs, the Hui have no distinct language, speaking Mandarin and often some Arabic. Save for the occasional white cap customarily worn by Hui men or hair coverings among women, they are often visually indistinguishable from China's ethnic majority, the Han.
Their exemption from the harshest of religious restrictions changed in April 2018, when the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department formally took control of the State Bureau of Religious Affairs — meaning that the party now directly oversees policy for religious affairs, not the government.
"The day-to-day responsibility for managing religious activities and organizations shifted to the UFWD, and its atheist party apparatchiks, whose overarching mission is the protection of party power," James Leibold, an associate professor at Australia's La Trobe University and an expert on China's ethnic minority policy, tells NPR via email.
That same April, a mass dome-removal campaign began in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, and resumed in Ningxia as part of the official effort known as chu shahua, fan ahua, to "expel Saudi and Arabic influence."
All Hui-run nursery schools, child care centers and religious schools were forcibly closed in Ningxia and across Yunnan and Henan provinces, which are also home to a large number of Hui Muslims.
The United Front's new control over Chinese ethnic and religious policy marks a substantial change, says Leibold. While the State Bureau of Religious Affairs was sometimes restrictive, it at least "saw the protection, if not promotion, of 'normal religious activities' as part of their mission and mandate, and many of its officials were religious practitioners themselves," he says in his email to NPR.
Abroad, the United Front is the party body that liaises with international nonstate individuals and organizations. Domestically, the United Front has emerged as one of the most aggressive proponents of stripping away foreign influences within religious practices and bringing them under state control — making them more Chinese, a process known as "Sinification."
"Sinification of religion in China is an important discourse of Party General Secretary Xi Jinping on the problem of religion and religious work," Ma Jin, a United Front official, told the Islamic Association of China, a state-backed organization, in January.
The pressure on not just one's religious behavior, but how one lives one's daily life, is unbearable. It weighs on your chest.
"This recent crackdown on the Muslim activities is really a part of a national campaign of China today to correct what they believe are the excesses in permitting Arab-style mosques ... and influence by the Middle East. The Salafi and Wahhabi groups have been pouring money in China," says Dru Gladney, an anthropologist at Pomona College and an expert on Hui Muslims. "These restrictions through UFWD are part and parcel of government efforts to control Islamic practices, to make them more Chinese."
In Xinjiang, Uighur-language books and films have been expunged, Uighur intellectuals imprisoned, and Uighur children sent to state-run schools to be taught Mandarin Chinese and culture.
For the Hui across China, mosques have become the major vehicle for Sinification. In April 2018, authorities began revoking the state-issued licenses given to imams who have residency outside the province in which they practice and from those who have studied abroad. In Ningxia, smaller mosques without licensed imams have been closed outright.
Ningxia sent senior leadership delegations to visit Xinjiang's detention camps last November and signed a counterterrorism cooperation agreement with Xinjiang a month later.
Imams in Henan and Ningxia must now attend monthly training sessions that can last for days. There, imams told NPR, they are taught Communist ideology and state ethnic policy and discuss Xi Jinping's speeches. Imams must then pass an exam testing their ideological knowledge in order to renew their license each year, mirroring how the government issues licenses to imams in the Xinjiang region.
"We go along with it. We say what we have to say, because it is just words and it lets us continue to work in the mosque," said one of the few imams still based in Henan, requesting his name be kept anonymous because of fears of political reprisal.
Fears of Saudi influence
Mosque employees say orders to demolish mosque domes and minarets are transmitted orally from local officials citing the United Front, with no written notice. The demolitions are swiftly executed at night, to avoid protests and video documentation.
"We ourselves do not even have the documents. [The United Front] takes them back at the end of each meeting," a local Henan official says in a recording NPR listened to of a meeting between local officials and employees at a mosque whose domes were removed after the meeting.
"Party organs like the UFWD work outside the state legal system and thus have far greater power than the state bureaucracy and are not required to report back to the State Council," the equivalent of China's cabinet, says Leibold.
Others say officials are looking to avoid the attention that mass mosque demolitions and detentions of Muslims in Xinjiang have attracted.
"Local officials learned from Xinjiang. They know that by aggressively restricting people in obvious ways, like constructing detention centers and leaving written evidence, they might create resistance," Tianfang, the pen name of a prominent blogger critical of China's religious policies, told NPR.
The crackdown on China's Hui Muslims is in part driven by the government's fears that fundamentalist strains of Islam like Salafism and Wahhabism are filtering into China by way of Hui students who study in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and through private religious foundations on the Arabian Peninsula that have funded some Hui social enterprises and mosques.
Signs of Saudi influence, including Arabic script, are being removed across China. Hui women in Henan and Ningxia provinces say they are no longer allowed to wear the head-to-toe black abaya customary to Saudi women, and Hui shops say they no longer stock Saudi-style clothes for men or women.
Imams suspected of preaching Salafism are also promptly removed. One of them, Han Daoliang, was the imam at Huayuanjie Mosque in Zhengzhou, Henan province's capital, according to mosque attendees. Han raised his hands three times during prayer instead of just once, they said, marking him to Zhengzhou officials as a Salafi adherent.
Forced by local officials to resign this year, Han is now living in Malaysia, according to acquaintances. His former mosque has been given a state-appointed imam. According to a new plaque and mosque employees, the house of worship is now run by a new committee appointed by the state, with a board including two non-Muslim government officials.
"Sweep away the black and root out evil"
The crackdown on Hui Muslims is backed by a national anti-corruption effort launched by the government in 2018 to "sweep away the black and root out evil." Posters exhorting residents to "sweep away the black" are now ubiquitous in Chinese cities and such slogans have been scrawled in graffiti on village walls.
Among the crimes the campaign targets is using "religious connections at villages and townships to form mobs," according to implementation guidelines published late last year. State media reports say 6,885 "black and evil" criminal organizations were taken down under the campaign as of January.
The "sweep away the black" campaign has also decimated power bases outside the Communist Party structure, including among religious communities. Hui communities are now told that unauthorized religious events or proselytizing are considered gatherings of "black" forces or "underworld forces."
Those unauthorized gatherings include Islamic schools run by Hui mosques, nearly all of which have been closed across China, particularly in Henan and Ningxia, according to residents in Henan, Ningxia, Yunnan and Gansu provinces. NPR visited multiple former Islamic schools in September, several of which looked as if they had been cleared in a hurry — with dusty bedding piled on dormitory beds and chipped dishes and other kitchenware stacked haphazardly in corners.
All had taught Arabic language and some Islamic doctrine, but some were run more like vocational schools or social welfare schools for students who might be otherwise ineligible or unable to afford an education.
"We barely taught any Islamic doctrine. It was about making sure these children were educated and would not become criminals or radicalized," said a former teacher surnamed Ma, who did not want her full name used for fear of political reprisal.
She had taught at an Islamic school in China's southwestern Yunnan province, which closed in April 2018. The school had stayed open despite orders in 2014 to expel all non-local students, particularly those having residency status in Xinjiang.
Ma was interrogated by police about the school's curriculum and whether the school was distributing drugs. A common stereotype about ethnic minorities in China is that they sell drugs. One of her colleagues was held incommunicado for three days and subjected to "thought work," or ideological training, Ma says.
Rewards for reporting suspicious behavior
In Ningxia's Tongxin county, a rare female-only Islamic school once renowned across China's north-central and west is being readied for demolition after it was shut down last year to make way for residential development.
"It is the government's policies. Who knows if they will change and when?" one of the school employees told NPR in hushed tones. She withheld her name because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Hui residents of Tongxin say local officials are offering rewards between $700 and $2,820 to those who report suspicious religious behavior, such as proselytizing Islam or secretly teaching Islamic texts. Some male mosque attendees have begun wearing cloth masks covering the lower half of their faces when attending daily prayers to avoid identification.
Hui who have performed the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, fall under particular suspicion. Last year, a group of about 20 pilgrims was detained in Saudi Arabia for having the wrong visas before being sent back to China, according to two people with friends in the group. Two Hui pilgrims with residency in Xinjiang were promptly sent to low-security Xinjiang detention facilities, according to the two people with friends in the group.
"Unbearable" pressure
NPR found evidence of significant pushback from Hui seeking to delay or avoid implementing religious restrictions. Hui say they drag out orders to demolish mosque domes, and some students continue to secretly attend religious classes, despite shuttered schools.
In Henan, NPR came across one mosque in the process of "renovating" its dome by building a cover to shield it from view, a compromise between local officials who demanded its removal and nearby Hui residents who refused to do so. Mosque employees were also installing translucent plastic Arabic calligraphic inscriptions on the mosque walls – nearly invisible to all but true believers – to satisfy demands that they remove all Islamic symbols and Arabic script.
"The Hui people have been through one storm after another, and this is a storm that will pass," the mosque's imam told NPR. "Who knows how the political environment may change? We do not want to spend money to tear our dome down, only to have to pay to build it up again next year."
Fearing the worst, some younger Hui Muslims are looking to leave China and have emigrated to Malaysia and Dubai in the past few years.
"The pressure on not just one's religious behavior, but how one lives one's daily life, is unbearable," said a young Hui man from Ningxia surnamed Tian, who did not want to use his full name for fear of being punished for talking to a foreign journalist. "It weighs on your chest."
Ma Ju, a leader in a Sufi sect of Hui Muslims, left China for the United Arab Emirates in 2009 because of his outspoken criticism of religious restrictions in Xinjiang. This year, he fled to the United States, because the UAE has an extradition agreement with China.
"The oppression I saw inflicted on Tibetans 20 years ago and the Uighurs 10 years ago has finally reached my people," he says.
Ma Ju worries for his community back in China, especially now that technological tools like facial recognition make evading restrictions in China nearly impossible.
"You have legs, but you can't run away," he says. "You have money, but it's of no use. You have a heart, but you cannot lift yourself up. This is a new kind of repression."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wqcs.org/2019-09-26/afraid-we-will-become-the-next-xinjiang-chinas-hui-muslims-face-crackdown | 2023-07-30T03:48:38 | 0 | https://www.wqcs.org/2019-09-26/afraid-we-will-become-the-next-xinjiang-chinas-hui-muslims-face-crackdown |
A shooting Saturday evening at a popular Huntsville shopping center leaves two people injured. Police reportedly have detained two people for questioning.
The shooting at the north end of Bridge Street Town Centre was reported to Huntsville Police shortly before 7:30 p.m., according to WAFF.
A male victim is said to be in serious but stable condition. A female victim’s injuries are not considered life-threatening. Both victims were taken to local hospitals. No other information about the victims has been released.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office told WHNT that the shooting appears to be an isolated incident and is believed to have occurred after a fight escalated. | https://www.al.com/news/2023/07/2-injured-in-huntsville-shooting-at-bridge-street-town-centre.html | 2023-07-30T03:49:00 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/2023/07/2-injured-in-huntsville-shooting-at-bridge-street-town-centre.html |
Looking to save money? Check your cell phone data plan, new report says
If you’re looking for ways to save money, your cell phone plan could be a good place to start.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - According to a new report from WhistleOut, a company that helps you shop around for phone plans, some people could be paying for data they never use.
According to their research, more than 80% of Americans have an unlimited data plan, but almost 50% use less than 10 gigabytes a month.
To find out whether an unlimited plan is truly right for you, start by reviewing how much you’re really using each month.
On your monthly statement, your carrier should break down your usage.
WhistleOut also says shopping around when it comes to carriers can also save you significantly in your monthly phone expenses.
“When you switch to a smaller carrier you can save a lot of money each year and we find that is about $1,300 a year,” says telecommunications expert Sherri Hill. “You could save $74,000 over the course of their lifetime just by simply switching to a smaller carrier.”
If you need to move to a limited plan, there are ways to make the most out of your data. Using Wi-Fi is a good move, and another tip WhistleOut suggests is setting limits on how much data you use, many popular apps have monitors and alarms that can help you make those changes.
Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.
Copyright 2023 WBRC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbrc.com/2023/07/30/looking-save-money-check-your-cell-phone-data-plan-new-report-says/ | 2023-07-30T03:49:28 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/2023/07/30/looking-save-money-check-your-cell-phone-data-plan-new-report-says/ |
The San Francisco Giants let the Red Sox hang around all game, and for a brief moment it looked like it might cost them. After being held to just three hits through the first eight innings, the Red Sox finally broke out and tied the game in the ninth, with Justin Turner coming through in the clutch again with a game-tying two-run single.
But in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants only needed one pitch to put the Red Sox away.
J.D. Davis crushed the first pitch he saw from Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen for a walk-off solo home run, giving the Giants the 3-2 win on a day where they finished 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners on base.
In the process, San Francisco snapped Boston’s five-game winning streak, setting up a big rubber match on Sunday to conclude the series.
Sean Manaea, who threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox the last time he faced them in the Bay Area during his time with Oakland, continued his dominance over Boston. Coming on in the third inning following opener Ryan Walker, he shut the Red Sox down and allowed two hits with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
His excellence was needed on a day where San Francisco’s offense did everything it could to leave the door open for Boston.
Despite seemingly having Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton on the ropes throughout his entire outing, the Giants couldn’t deliver the knockout blow. San Francisco started the game with an Austin Slater single, a Wilmer Flores RBI double and a J.D. Davis single, but Paxton was able to escape after getting three straight outs to end the threat.
Paxton later drew a double play to get out of a two-on, one-out jam in the third, and in the fourth he got a big assist from Alex Verdugo, who made a sliding stop to cut off a Marco Luciano double and prevent lead runner Michael Conforto from scoring. The Giants subsequently load the bases but Paxton forced a flyout to escape again, and he finished with one run allowed over five innings with eight hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
San Francisco scored its second run in the sixth off reliever Richard Bleier after Luciano singled and came around to score on a Slater RBI groundout, but they couldn’t capitalize on a bases-loaded situation in the eighth that likely would have put the game away.
Instead the Red Sox pounced.
Facing Giants All-Star closer Camilo Doval, the Red Sox had Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Yu Chang, and he sparked the rally by drawing a leadoff walk. Jarren Duran followed up with a double off the right field wall, and then Turner tied the game with a clutch two-run single.
But the momentum was short-lived. Rob Refsnyder, who pinch ran for Turner, was caught stealing for the first out and then Doval got Rafael Devers and the red hot Triston Casas to keep things tied heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Then Davis got ahold of a 92.1 mph cutter by Jansen and that was all she wrote.
In addition to Bleier and Jansen, Boston also trotted out newly acquired reliever Mauricio Llovera, who pitched an eventful but ultimately scoreless eighth in his Red Sox debut. He allowed a hit and two walks to load the bases but struck out the side to keep it a 2-0 game heading into the ninth.
Turner led the offense by going 2 for 4 with two RBI, and Duran also went 2 for 4 with a double. Casas, who came into the game as the hottest hitter in baseball since the All-Star break, was bumped up to the cleanup spot but went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
Boston (56-48) will look to take the three-game series on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/29/turner-ties-game-in-ninth-but-red-sox-fall-3-2-on-giants-walk-off-home-run/ | 2023-07-30T03:49:40 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/29/turner-ties-game-in-ninth-but-red-sox-fall-3-2-on-giants-walk-off-home-run/ |
BISMARCK, N.D. — Everybody loves a good underdog and the Williston Keybirds are writing their own cinderella story at the Class AA state tournament as the nine-seed.
After losing to Fargo Post 2 on Tuesday, Williston had their backs against the wall with their season on the line. However a magical run in the consolation bracket with four wins, including a walk-off, clinched the Keybirds their first berth in the Central Plains Tournament since 2004 and a spot in Saturday’s championship game.
“It’s just surreal,” Kadin Finders says. “The fact that we came all the way back through the loser’s braket after losing that first one to these guys, but we just kep fighting every game showed up ready to play and we just want to win more than anybody else here.”
“This weekend really kind of changes the standard for our program and sets the bar high for the next guys coming up and excited to go to Rapid,” head coach trever Sorenson adds. “It’s always fun playing there, going down there and hanging out. Should be fun to see some good compeition.” | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/local-sports/baseball-willistons-cinderella-story-secures-spot-in-central-plains-tournament/ | 2023-07-30T03:49:40 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/local-sports/baseball-willistons-cinderella-story-secures-spot-in-central-plains-tournament/ |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the Twins send Bailey Ober out to the mound, they usually have a pretty good sense of what they’re going to get from him. Most of the time this season, it’s been a quality start. That was the case in his seven starts heading into Saturday’s tilt against the Kansas City Royals.
But Ober, who has been the Twins’ most consistent starter this season, instead turned in an uncharacteristic performance on Saturday night. In his shortest start of the season (four innings), Ober gave up a season-high six runs on a season-high 11 hits.
It was that hole that the Twins spent the whole night trying to claw their way back from. And while they came close to tying the game, they never could quite recover and eventually fell 10-7 to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“Probably the best that I’ve felt in a long, long time,” Ober said. “Execution was not where it needed to be today. I was missing out of the zone. Whenever I needed to go in the zone, I was missing over the plate, and obviously they were hitting it pretty well and putting balls where we weren’t today.”
Ober, who gave up a solo home run to Bobby Witt Jr. in the first inning, allowed another three runs in the second and two more in the third. Without his best command, it was a slog just getting through his four innings.
Things weren’t much better for the rest of the pitching staff. The Twins (54-52) gave up 18 hits in the loss.
“Normally he’s able to evade the barrels like that,” manager Rocco Baldelli said of Ober. “But they came and they stuck around, even when we went to our bullpen. We had a tough time slowing them down.”
After Ober’s departure, though, his teammates did string some quality at-bats together to get themselves back in the game. The Twins cut the lead in half in the fourth inning, using a Jorge Polanco RBI groundout and Byron Buxton’s first of three doubles, which brought home a pair of runs.
“Mentally, I just feel like I’m in a better spot,” said Buxton, who returned Friday from the paternity list.
Two innings later, Max Kepler hit his 15th home run of the season, and catcher Christian Vázquez singled in another run to bring the Twins within one run of the Royals (31-75).
The inning ended when second baseman Michael Massey made a nice play on a Carlos Correa groundball to start a double play and end the threat. The Twins saw an earlier inning end on another nice defensive play by the Royals when Kepler was thrown out at the plate by left fielder M.J. Melendez, trying to score on what would have been a sacrifice fly.
The Twins challenged, wanting to the umpires to take a look to see if catcher Salvador Perez had committed a plate blocking violation. But the call was not overturned.
“We didn’t lose the game today just based on that play,” Baldelli said. “But you are not sure, truthfully, the way that it’s going to get ruled, and we’re not alone.”
Even after Royals tacked on against the Twins’ ‘pen — Jordan Balazovic gave up a run, Jovani Moran two and Josh Winder one — the Twins fought back, adding two runs in the eighth.
But they ran themselves out of a good opportunity in that inning — they would have had the tying run in the form of Edouard Julien at the plate — when Willi Castro aggressively tried to make third on a Correa single and was thrown out.
“Normally, if we’re putting up that up that many runs, we’ll be OK. But there were a lot of things in this game that we didn’t do real well,” Baldelli said. “Shooting ourselves in the foot and things like that. … Every team is going to make mistakes and things aren’t going to go smoothly. But overall, that was a hard one to watch, because as we get closer, the game seemed to get a little further away every time we got closer.” | https://www.twincities.com/2023/07/29/bailey-ober-hit-hard-in-twins-loss-to-royals/ | 2023-07-30T03:49:40 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2023/07/29/bailey-ober-hit-hard-in-twins-loss-to-royals/ |
St. Paul Saints infielder Ernie Yake raised more than a few eyebrows and created complete hysteria in the home dugout on Friday night when the second of his two homers in the game cleared the right-field wall at CHS Field.
After all, the 25-year-old Yake, a 10th-round draft pick by the Twins in 2021, had more than 300 at-bats in his professional career without hitting a home run. Within a matter of minutes, he suddenly had two.
“I’ve never done anything like that in my life,” Yake said prior to Saturday night’s 7-3 loss to the Toledo Mud Hens.
Indeed, Yake, a four-year starter at Gonzaga, hit .300 or better in each season — while hitting a total of six home runs in his college career.
To make Friday night that much more special, Yake’s parents, Vern and Anne, made the drive from their home in Bellingham, Wash., and were in attendance. After the game, Yake was thrilled to be able to hand his dad the ball he hit for his first home run.
“Just like me,” Yake said, “he was in shock over what happened.”
Vern Yake played collegiately at Eastern Washington but fell short of his dream of playing professionally. He then turned to coaching his son in hopes of seeing him fulfill his own dream of reaching the major leagues. The ball is symbolic of all the work they have put in together.
And then there’s this: Yake believes the homers were not a fluke.
“Ever since I became a professional I’ve been working on my swing a lot,” he said. “I had a super-steep path coming in. My old swing was just me using my hands. Now I’m trying to get my whole body into it.
“The power thing is showing a little bit. I mean, it’s feeling good.”
Not to be overlooked is the fact that Yake entered Saturday’s game hitting a robust .375. Whether it’s hitting for a high average or calling on his new-found power, Yake said the focus is the same — squaring up the baseball.
“Based on my size (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) and the way I play the game, contact is my thing,” Yake said. “But that means I’m putting more emphasis on the strength part and getting stronger. I’m trying to eat more and gain some weight.
“It’s kind of hard to do in season; my goal in season is to maintain it.”
Just like the power.
Briefly
There was a Royce Lewis sighting at CHS Field on Saturday, but it did not signal that he was close to beginning his rehab stint with the Saints as he recovers from an oblique strain. With the Twins out of town, Lewis came over to get in a workout. He will not be joining the Saints on their road trip that begins Tuesday at Columbus. … Saints manager Toby Gardenhire was ejected in the bottom of the first inning for arguing an overturned call after an apparent three-run home run by Kyle Garlick was ruled foul after the umpires huddled. | https://www.twincities.com/2023/07/29/saints-infielder-ernie-yake-starting-to-find-his-power/ | 2023-07-30T03:49:46 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2023/07/29/saints-infielder-ernie-yake-starting-to-find-his-power/ |
FUKUOKA, Japan — Here's why Katie Ledecky is one of the greatest freestyle swimmers in the history of the sport: She is never quite satisfied.
The 26-year-old American won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the world championships to become the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds. It was also her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most golds at worlds.
She also is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in both the 800 and 1,500.
But that winning time — 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds, which is the seventh-quickest she'd ever swum — wasn't quite good enough in her favorite event.
“I'm just always trying to think of new ways to improve. I mean I’ve already got everything turning in my head right now. I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight,” she said, twirling her right hand beside her right ear, trying to stir up ideas.
“I’m pretty tough on myself," she said. “But I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace.”
The 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free. Li Bingjie of China took silver in 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia got the bronze in 8:13.59.
“It's fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool," Ledecky said.
It was only the fourth gold for the United States in the seventh of eight days in the pool. Meanwhile, Australia has been piling it on with 13 golds, matching its best at the worlds. Australia won three more golds on Saturday.
The Americans lead the overall table with 31 medals (16 silver), Australia has 20 and China 13.
Kaylee McKeown of Australia made history of her own with gold in the women’s 200 backstroke. McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events after earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
It all made up for her disqualification earlier in the 200 IM.
“You can’t change the rules,” she said. “I got ruled out. It’s just the cards I was dealt with and I couldn’t do much more than that. So I just had to carry myself the best I could and channel all my anger and turn a huge negative into a positive.”
Regan Smith of the United States picked up the silver in 2:04.94, while Peng Xuwei of China got the bronze in 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjöström of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the 50 butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 seconds and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjöström’s individual medals at the worlds to 20, equaling Phelps’ mark.
Sjöström also broke her own record in the 50 free, going 23.61 in a semifinal heat. Her old mark was 23.67 set in 2017.
“There are not too many secrets,” Sjöström said about her longevity. “Just do the work every day, go to practice, and stay humble.”
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Japanese fan favorite Rikako Ikee finished seventh (25.78) in the 50 fly but was greeted warmly by the home crowd.
The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and was expected to be a favorite in the Tokyo Olympics. But she was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia led all the way to capture the gold in the 50 free in 21.06. It was his first individual gold in the worlds or Olympics.
American Jack Alexy collected his second silver of the worlds in 21.57 to go with his silver in the 100 free. Benjamin Proud of Britian, last year’s world champion, took the bronze in 21.58.
Caeleb Dressel won the event at the Olympics but did not qualify for the U.S. team. McEvoy's time was quicker than Dressel's winning time in Tokyo — 21.07.
Maxime Grousset of France won gold in the 100 fly in 50.14. The 24-year-old took the early lead and held on. Josh Liendo of Canada earned the silver in 50.34, while American Dare Rose made the podium with the bronze (50.46).
Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania equaled the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the 50 breaststroke.
Australia won the 4x100 mixed freestyle relay in a world record of 3:18.83. The Americans took silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68. The relay is not an Olympic event. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed | 2023-07-30T03:50:20 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed |
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — Thousands of die-hard football fans braved hot and humid weather to show up for the Carolina Panthers’ “Back Together Saturday” practice of their training camp.
Front office staff told Queen City News 15,267 tickets were distributed for Saturday’s practice at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. In 2022, 10,210 tickets were distributed.
“I’m really excited about this season. I’m excited about our new coach, new quarterback. Change is good. I really do feel that we’re going to improve a lot this year,” said Panthers fan Allen Rodgers.
Doors opened at 9:30 a.m. for the 11 a.m. practice, but fans were in line as early as 6 a.m. to try to get front-row seats.
“We got up at 4:30 for a two-and-a-half-hour drive,” said Panthers fan Weldon Gainey. “We come every year to training camp. We came the first day Wednesday and we got signatures, autographs, and all that. We love it.”
When asked about the most exciting aspect of this year’s season, nearly all fans said it was the addition of first-overall draft pick Bryce Young, who was already announced as the starting quarterback for week one.
“He went first overall for a reason. You don’t get picked number one for no reason, so hopes are high for him,” said Panthers fan Cade Carlisle.
Despite new players and fresh coaching staff, fans brought the same electricity and optimism for a winning season that we’ve seen in years past.
“I think they looked phenomenal. I liked Bryce Young. He looks like he’s throwing the ball tall. Defense looks good. I like the Vonn Bell addition, moving Jeremy Chinn around. Defense looks fast, young, hungry,” said Panthers fan John Burnside. “We’re definitely going to be making the playoffs. Our division is a little soft this year, so I think it’d help us out. But we’ll see how far in the playoffs we get.” | https://www.qcnews.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-fans-gather-for-saturdays-training-camp-with-quarterback-bryce-young/ | 2023-07-30T03:51:59 | 1 | https://www.qcnews.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-fans-gather-for-saturdays-training-camp-with-quarterback-bryce-young/ |
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) – Panthers Training Camp began this week, and Saturday, CSL stopped by their Saturday practice.
The rookies began to settle in on Monday, and the vets began to trickle in by mid-week.
On Wednesday, head coach Frank Reich officially named the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, quarterback Bryce Young, as the starter.
“Yes, he [Young] is QB1,” Reich said. “He’s QB1.”
Young began taking first-team reps during June practices in a move that Reich called the ‘next step’ in the rookie quarterback’s progression. Now, it’s officially his time in Carolina.
Reich also praised the offense as a whole.
“I think Bryce has made good progress,” Reich said. “He and the whole group on offense, just speaking about how we’ve progressed things with the offense.”
Not only that, but Young seems to have already gained the fans’ love, as they flocked to the rookie during Wednesday’s training camp practice.
“The energy out here was different than what it was,” Young said, smiling. “It was just fun.”
For most fans, this was the first training camp they had attended. Some traveled across the Carolinas, and two young fans came from Windsor, Ontario.
As always, Charlotte Sports Live keeps you updated with the latest from Panthers Training Camp. | https://www.qcnews.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-saturday-training-camp-with-quarterback-bryce-young/ | 2023-07-30T03:52:05 | 0 | https://www.qcnews.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-saturday-training-camp-with-quarterback-bryce-young/ |
(PINPOINT WEATHER) — Good evening and happy Saturday! Scattered strong storms are moving through the Carolinas and will continue through midnight tonight. More isolated thunderstorms are possible Sunday as well as a weak front moves through the region. Temperatures and mugginess next week will fall behind the front with afternoon temperatures around 90 and the humidity more tolerable compared to the past week.
As for tonight and Sunday, the storms this evening will dissipate as we go through the later evening hours and should be completely dry by roughly midnight. Sunday will start off with more sunshine in the morning, helping to push us into the 90s in the afternoon, followed by isolated afternoon thunderstorms with some of them potentially being on the stronger side as well.
Early next week we are expecting more comfortable conditions as our humidity and temperatures fall behind the front. Temperatures will still be around 90, but combined with lower dew points it should be noticeably less oppressive outside, especially from north of Charlotte. Wet weather potential will be low through most of the week until Friday and the weekend when our next front is expected.
In the meantime, have an umbrella tonight and enjoy the rest of the weekend! Have a great night! | https://www.qcnews.com/weather/weather-forecast/rain-dissipates-overnight-ahead-of-toasty-sunday/ | 2023-07-30T03:52:11 | 1 | https://www.qcnews.com/weather/weather-forecast/rain-dissipates-overnight-ahead-of-toasty-sunday/ |
FUKUOKA, Japan — Here's why Katie Ledecky is one of the greatest freestyle swimmers in the history of the sport: She is never quite satisfied.
The 26-year-old American won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the world championships to become the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds. It was also her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most golds at worlds.
She also is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in both the 800 and 1,500.
But that winning time — 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds, which is the seventh-quickest she'd ever swum — wasn't quite good enough in her favorite event.
“I'm just always trying to think of new ways to improve. I mean I’ve already got everything turning in my head right now. I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight,” she said, twirling her right hand beside her right ear, trying to stir up ideas.
“I’m pretty tough on myself," she said. “But I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace.”
The 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free. Li Bingjie of China took silver in 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia got the bronze in 8:13.59.
“It's fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool," Ledecky said.
It was only the fourth gold for the United States in the seventh of eight days in the pool. Meanwhile, Australia has been piling it on with 13 golds, matching its best at the worlds. Australia won three more golds on Saturday.
The Americans lead the overall table with 31 medals (16 silver), Australia has 20 and China 13.
Kaylee McKeown of Australia made history of her own with gold in the women’s 200 backstroke. McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events after earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
It all made up for her disqualification earlier in the 200 IM.
“You can’t change the rules,” she said. “I got ruled out. It’s just the cards I was dealt with and I couldn’t do much more than that. So I just had to carry myself the best I could and channel all my anger and turn a huge negative into a positive.”
Regan Smith of the United States picked up the silver in 2:04.94, while Peng Xuwei of China got the bronze in 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjöström of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the 50 butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 seconds and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjöström’s individual medals at the worlds to 20, equaling Phelps’ mark.
Sjöström also broke her own record in the 50 free, going 23.61 in a semifinal heat. Her old mark was 23.67 set in 2017.
“There are not too many secrets,” Sjöström said about her longevity. “Just do the work every day, go to practice, and stay humble.”
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Japanese fan favorite Rikako Ikee finished seventh (25.78) in the 50 fly but was greeted warmly by the home crowd.
The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and was expected to be a favorite in the Tokyo Olympics. But she was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia led all the way to capture the gold in the 50 free in 21.06. It was his first individual gold in the worlds or Olympics.
American Jack Alexy collected his second silver of the worlds in 21.57 to go with his silver in the 100 free. Benjamin Proud of Britian, last year’s world champion, took the bronze in 21.58.
Caeleb Dressel won the event at the Olympics but did not qualify for the U.S. team. McEvoy's time was quicker than Dressel's winning time in Tokyo — 21.07.
Maxime Grousset of France won gold in the 100 fly in 50.14. The 24-year-old took the early lead and held on. Josh Liendo of Canada earned the silver in 50.34, while American Dare Rose made the podium with the bronze (50.46).
Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania equaled the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the 50 breaststroke.
Australia won the 4x100 mixed freestyle relay in a world record of 3:18.83. The Americans took silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68. The relay is not an Olympic event. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed | 2023-07-30T03:53:21 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed |
NEW YORK – At a moment of growing legal peril, Donald Trump ramped up his calls for his GOP rivals to drop out of the 2024 presidential race as he threatened to primary Republican members of Congress who fail to focus on investigating Democratic President Joe Biden and urged them to halt Ukrainian military aid until the White House cooperates with their investigations into Biden and his family.
“Every dollar spent attacking me by Republicans is a dollar given straight to the Biden campaign,” Trump said at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night. The former president and GOP frontrunner said it was time for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others he dismissed as “clowns” to clear the field, accusing them of “wasting hundreds of millions of dollars that Republicans should be using to build a massive vote-gathering operation” to take on Biden in November.
The comments came two days after federal prosecutors unveiled new criminal charges against Trump as part of the case that accuses him of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club and refusing to turn them over to investigators. The superseding indictment unsealed Thursday alleges that Trump and two staffers sought to delete surveillance at the club in an effort to obstruct the Justice Department's investigation.
The case is just one of Trump's mounting legal challenges. His team is currently bracing for additional possible indictments, which could happen as soon as this coming week, related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election brought by prosecutors in both Washington and Georgia. Trump already faces criminal charges in New York over hush money payments made to women who accused him of sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Nevertheless, Trump remains the dominant early frontrunner for the Republican nomination and has only seen his lead grow as the charges have mounted and as his rivals have struggled to respond. Their challenge was on display at a GOP gathering in Iowa Friday night, where they largely declined to go after Trump directly. The only one who did — accusing Trump of “running to stay out of prison” — was booed as he left the stage.
In the meantime, Trump has embraced his legal woes, turning them into the core message of his bid to return to the White House as he accuses Biden of using the Justice Department to maim his chief political rival. The White House has said repeatedly that the president has had no involvement in the cases.
At rallies — including Saturday's — Trump has tried to frame the charges, which come with serious threats of jail time, as an attack not just on him, but those who support him.
“They’re not indicting me, they’re indicting you. I just happen to be standing in the way,” he told the arena crowd in Erie, adding that, “Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it actually a great badge of honor.... Because I’m being indicted for you.”
But the investigations are also sucking up enormous resources that are being diverted from the nuts and bolts of the campaign. The Washington Post first reported Saturday that Trump’s political action committee, Save America, will report Monday that it spent more than $40 million on legal fees during the first half of 2023 defending Trump and all of the current and former aides whose lawyers it is paying. The total is more than the campaign raised during the second quarter of the year.
"In order to combat these heinous actions by Joe Biden’s cronies and to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed, the leadership PAC contributed to their legal fees to ensure they have representation against unlawful harassment," said Trump's spokesman Steven Cheung.
At the rally — held in a former Democratic stronghold that Trump flipped in 2016, but Biden won narrowly in 2020 — Trump also threatened Republicans in Congress who refuse to go along with efforts to impeach Biden. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this past week that Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry into the president over unproven claims of financial misconduct.
Trump, who was impeached twice while in office, said Saturday that, “The biggest complaint that I get is that the Republicans find out this information and then they do nothing about it."
“Any Republican that doesn't act on Democrat fraud should be immediately primaries and get out — out!” he told the crowd to loud applause. “They have to play tough and ... if they’re not willing to do it, we got a lot of good, tough Republicans around ... and they're going to get my endorsement every singe time.”
Trump, during the 2022 midterm elections, made it his mission to punish those who had voted in favor of his second impeachment and succeeded in unseating most who had by backing primary challengers.
At the rally, Trump also called on Republican members of Congress to halt the authorization of additional military support to Ukraine, which has been mired in a war fighting Russia’s invasion, until the Biden administration cooperates with Republican investigations into Biden and his family’s business dealings — words that echoed the call that lead to his first impeachment.
“He’s dragging into a global conflict on behalf of the very same country, Ukraine, that apparently paid his family all of these millions of dollars,” Trump alleged. “In light of this information,” Congress, he said, “should refuse to authorize a single additional payment of our depleted stockpiles ... the weapons stockpiles to Ukraine until the FBI, DOJ and IRS hand over every scrap of evidence they have on the Biden crime family’s corrupt business dealings.”
House Republicans have been investigating the Biden family’s finances, particularly payments Hunter, the president’s son, received from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that became tangled in the first impeachment of Trump.
An unnamed confidential FBI informant claimed that Burisma company officials in 2015 and 2016 sought to pay the Bidens $5 million each in return for their help ousting a Ukrainian prosecutor who was purportedly investigating the company. But a Justice Department review in 2020, while Trump was president, was closed eight months later with insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
Trump’s first impeachment by the House resulted in charges that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on the Bidens while threatening to withhold military aid. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate. | https://www.wsls.com/news/politics/2023/07/30/trump-amid-legal-perils-calls-on-gop-to-rally-around-him-as-he-threatens-primary-challenges/ | 2023-07-30T03:53:49 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/politics/2023/07/30/trump-amid-legal-perils-calls-on-gop-to-rally-around-him-as-he-threatens-primary-challenges/ |
DULUTH — A total of 109 Minnesota breweries and 4,400 people descended on Bayfront Festival Park for All Pints North hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild on Saturday.
The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild is a nonprofit association made up of over 180 Minnesota craft brewery and brewpub members. Proceeds from the event support the nonprofit mission to promote, protect, and grow the Minnesota craft beer industry. This is the 11th year of the beer festival.
Attendees were given a sample glass that they could fill at any of the brewery tents on site.
The festival featured music from Fenestra Funk and Big Dave and the Ripples. First Wrestling held several wrestling matches during the event.
Games included a water fight station, a dunk tank, cornhole toss, giant beer pong and a mini golf course that people could test their skills at. A shade tent and misting tent were available for those looking for shelter from the sun.
ADVERTISEMENT | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/crowds-pour-in-to-bayfront-festival-park-for-all-pints-north | 2023-07-30T03:53:49 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/crowds-pour-in-to-bayfront-festival-park-for-all-pints-north |
Toxic blue blue-green algae in Lake Okeechobee draws concern
It's the weekend and the Muck Tavern on Lake Okeechobee is typically a busy place. But lately business has been a bit slow and there's a reason for it.
"It's not typical it's been typical these last couple of months because of the algae that you guys know that's present in the water here in the lake," Manager Whitney Cunningham said.
She said the marina at times is like a ghost town as many people have gone elsewhere to fish, boat and eat.
"It's kind of a deterrent because of the smell. It is very aggravating. It's not appealing. It'll typically run off customers or people that are coming to view the lake," she said.
The Florida Department of Health issued a health alert for the presence of blue green algae toxins for multiple locations on Lake Okeechobee.
Water samples taken on Wednesday showed the presence of the algae.
Concerns continue to grow during this summer heat.
Blue green algae blooms can appear year-round but are more frequent in summer and fall. Plus, blue-green algae can produce toxins.
Signs are up at the Pahokee City Marina and Boat Ramp warning folks about the situation.
Cunningham said something has to be done.
"Not sure how they'll get this under control but definitely as you can see it's empty here," she said.
Scripps Only Content 2023 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/30/toxic-blue-blue-green-algae-lake-okeechobee-draws-concern/ | 2023-07-30T03:53:54 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/30/toxic-blue-blue-green-algae-lake-okeechobee-draws-concern/ |
DULUTH — A collision course that had been developing for days will make one of two semifinals in the 2023 Arrowhead Invitational to take place on Sunday morning at Ridgeview Country Club.
Defending and two-time champion Matt Mellin continued his title defense with another comfortable victory in the match-play tournament's quarterfinals on Saturday, this one a 4-and-3 edge over 2021 semifinalist Scott Pavelski.
Mellin's other previous win came in 2018.
Joel Johnson was also a 4-and-3 winner, as the No. 5 seed from Hugo, Minnesota, dismissed No. 13 Shane Sienko.
Mellin and Johnson had a close encounter in the 2021 final, with Mellin winning 1-up.
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On the other side of the bracket, third seed Ryan Bakken faced his sternest test of the tournament so far, going the distance with Jackson Purdy before winning 1-up.
He'll meet Brandon Owen in the second semifinal after Owen, the 18th seed, bounced No. 10 Derek Farrell (no score available).
The morning winners will face off for the 97th annual championship in the afternoon. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/arrowhead-championship-rematch-set-for-semifinal | 2023-07-30T03:54:00 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/arrowhead-championship-rematch-set-for-semifinal |
DUBAI – Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in early August seeking to find a way to start negotiations over Russia's war on the country, an official said Saturday night. The kingdom and Kyiv did not immediately acknowledge the planned talks.
The summit will be held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as no authorization had been given to publicly discuss the summit.
Those taking part in the summit will include Ukraine, as well as Brazil, India, South Africa and several other countries, the official said. A high-level official from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also is expected to attend, the official said. Planning for the event is being overseen by Kyiv and Russia is expected not to attend, the official said.
Details regarding the summit, however, remain in flux and the official did not offer dates for the talks. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the summit, said the talks would take place Aug. 5 and 6 with some 30 countries attending, citing “diplomats involved in the discussion.”
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. News of the summit comes after U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited the kingdom on Thursday.
The official who spoke to the AP said the summit would be the next step in talks that took place in Copenhagen.
Saudi Arabia's hosting of the talks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May attended an Arab League summit in Jeddah to press those nations to back Kyiv. Arab nations largely have remained neutral since Russia launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022, in part over their military and economic ties to Moscow.
Saudi Arabia also has maintained a close relationship with Russia as part of the OPEC+ group. The organization’s oil production cuts, even as Moscow’s war on Ukraine boosted energy prices, have angered Biden and American lawmakers.
But hosting such talks also help raise the profile of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to reach a détente with Iran and push for a peace in the kingdom's yearslong war in Yemen. However, ties also remain strained between Riyadh and the West over the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, which U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Prince Mohammed ordered.
___
Madhani reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. | https://www.wsls.com/news/world/2023/07/30/official-tells-ap-that-saudi-arabia-will-host-ukrainian-organized-peace-summit-in-august/ | 2023-07-30T03:54:00 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/world/2023/07/30/official-tells-ap-that-saudi-arabia-will-host-ukrainian-organized-peace-summit-in-august/ |
It was 2010 and David Boren, then president of the university, appeared to want nothing more than to have Oklahoma enter the then-called Pac-10.
I couldn’t help but hope it would happen, yet I don’t remember writing it should happen because my reasons were entirely personal.
I wanted to go to Los Angeles, baby.
Simple as that.
Writing sports, though few may agree any longer, you can’t be cheering for the teams you cover. You can’t have emotional interests defining your coverage.
Leave it for the fans.
Instead, internally, you cheer for the story, and, yes, as it happens, the stories tend to draw more interest and readers when the teams you cover win, so there’s still that.
You can also cheer for yourself, privately, and that’s what I was doing 13 years ago, back in a time newspapers still put sportswriters on planes fairly easily.
I wanted to cover football games at the Coliseum and Rose Bowl, conference basketball tourneys in Los Angeles, Phoenix and maybe Seattle, and anything in the Bay Area, because, well, have you been there?
But when OU wound up staying put and the Big 12 embraced itself as a 10-team league whose football teams played every single conference opponent and whose basketball teams went home and away against agains the entire league slate, too, it made all the sense in the world to me and I wrote about it.
Had the Sooners bolted, I would still have been thrilled, but only for myself. However, now, I wonder if that’s the way it’s going to work for media, traveling fans, even plain-old television watching fans, after the initial rush of watching the Sooners enter the SEC.
Coming up, just one more academic year way, fortunate media and traveling fans will have new destinations: Tuscaloosa, Athens, Lexington, Knoxville, Nashville, Oxford and Starkville and other places, too.
It will be new.
It will be different.
It will be amazing.
Not just to be there, but just to watch.
After all, who didn’t love tuning into interleague play when it first arrived on the diamond?
But after two, three, four or five years of the Sooners’ new league — especially if they’re perpetually stuck behind Alabama, Georgia, LSU and maybe Tennessee, too — how many will begin to wonder why the move was ever made in the first place.
It’s a question that seems worth bringing up, even before the move actually happens, now that the Big 12 absolutely appears to have its act together.
At-the-time conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby acted swiftly in the wake of OU and Texas announcing their departures, securing the entry of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and Central Florida before a year had passed.
Soon after, Brett Yormark stepped into Bowlsby’s role and has since wowed everybody with his energy and accomplishments, most notably renegotiating the Big 12’s television contract with ESPN and Fox — six years, $2.28 billion — that goes into affect in 2025, giving every school in the conference a raise of almost $10 million per year, from about $22 million to an annual $31.7 million, which is amazing given OU and Texas’ departures.
Then, Thursday, Colorado made it official that it would also be joining the Big 12, coming home to the conference it left in 2011.
And because Yormark did a bang-up job in his media rights negotiations, the Buffs and whoever might join them by 2025, pushing the league to a permanent 14 schools — presuming Yormark stops there, because he might not — will receive the same annual $31.7 million payout as everybody else.
Yes, the Sooners and Longhorns will receive greater windfalls where they’re going, but will it matter to the fans if they never sniff an SEC title game?
It’s all interesting and funny.
Because of its gridiron value, OU became a welcome addition to the SEC. Because it did, every one of its athletic programs should forever find itself on better financial footing. And for most of those programs, because they can spend more on coaching, support, travel and other things, their place on the national stage ought to be raised. But maybe not in football, the sport that made it all possible.
Additionally, because OU and Texas chose to depart, the Big 12 woke up, landed perhaps the four most attractive non-Power Five universities, grabbing solid programs and huge media markets: Salt Lake City, Houston, Orlando, Cincinnati.
Indeed, the conference OU chose to leave is not remotely the conference it will be leaving. The one it will be leaving is richer, with greater staying power.
All that and still it’s a conference the Sooners might well dominate on the football field for another 25 years, just as they have the last 25 years.
Alas, it can’t happen.
They’ve already said goodbye. | https://www.normantranscript.com/sports/horning-this-big-12-may-have-suited-sooners-but-their-departure-made-it-happen/article_ea4c4f2a-2d69-11ee-a879-3fdc282c5096.html | 2023-07-30T03:54:02 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/sports/horning-this-big-12-may-have-suited-sooners-but-their-departure-made-it-happen/article_ea4c4f2a-2d69-11ee-a879-3fdc282c5096.html |
THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Canada — Thirteen hits on the scoreboard didn't do the Duluth Huskies nearly enough good in a 7-4 Northwoods League loss at the Thunder Bay Border Cats on Saturday.
The Huskies stranded 12 runners on base and played from behind from the second inning on.
Raymond Velazquez scored in the first inning as part of a double steal but the Border Cats scored single runs in each of their first three at-bats, then four in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 7-2 game.
Duluth cut into the lead when Calyn Halvorson homered in the top of the seventh but got no further.
Halvorson was 3-for-4 with a double, the homer and three RBIs, while Brandon Compton was 3-for-5 with a solo shot. Jared Mettam and Velazquez had two hits apiece.
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On the mound, Liam Thompson came in to start the second inning and was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Duluth (16-9) will play the final game of the series in Thunder Bay on Sunday afternoon. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/huskies-unable-to-cash-in-on-hit-advantage-in-loss | 2023-07-30T03:54:02 | 0 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/huskies-unable-to-cash-in-on-hit-advantage-in-loss |
BALTIMORE – Aaron Judge is giving the New York Yankees an immediate boost — at a time when their front office has some tough decisions to make.
Judge homered and singled twice in his second game back from the injured list and the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 on Saturday night. Giancarlo Stanton and Kyle Higashioka went deep as well for New York, which is still 3 1/2 games behind Toronto and Houston for the last two wild cards in the American League.
That's a tricky spot with Tuesday's trade deadline approaching.
“We've had years where we stick with who we got. We've had years where we get some bullpen arms, starters, a big bat,” Judge said. “It comes down to us doing our job on the field and then letting them take care of the rest. We'll see what happens."
The Yankees knocked out struggling Orioles starter Tyler Wells (7-6) in the third inning. In the sixth, Isiah Kiner-Falefa capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a three-run double to make it 8-3.
Judge has three walks and three hits in nine plate appearances since returning Friday from the toe injury that kept him out since early June.
Ryan Mountcastle homered for the Orioles, but Clarke Schmidt (7-6) made it through five tough innings and the New York bullpen took it from there.
The Orioles remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Tampa Bay atop the AL East.
Judge walked three times Friday night, but the Yankees lost that game 1-0 on a ninth-inning homer by Baltimore's Anthony Santander. New York's offense was relentless a night later.
Stanton's first-inning drive easily cleared the big wall in left field at Camden Yards. Mountcastle tied it in the second, and Baltimore went ahead 2-1 on an RBI infield single by Ramón Urías. That lead was short-lived.
Judge hit a two-run shot — 442 feet to center field — in the third. Then Gleyber Torres added a sacrifice fly an inning later.
Santander made it 4-3 with an RBI groundout in the fifth, but New York broke the game open in the sixth. Cole Irvin allowed a leadoff homer by Higashioka — his third hit of the night — and then one-out singles to Judge, Stanton and Anthony Rizzo.
Bryan Baker came in and struck out DJ LeMahieu, but after fouling off five pitches, Kiner-Falefa cleared the bases with a line drive to left.
“One of the best at-bats of the season right there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Wells entered the game with a major league-leading WHIP of 0.99, but he allowed three runs, three hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. In three starts since the All-Star break, he's lasted just nine innings total.
“I think we’re going to be talking about a lot of things here coming up,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Obviously, we’re in a weird week. He’s had tough times his last few starts. I think there are going to be discussions going on.”
Boone said he's leaning toward giving Judge a day off in the series finale Sunday night. The Yankees are in a stretch of 13 games in 13 days.
“I kind of look at it as, hopefully he's in a position to start nine or 10 of them," Boone said. “Forget the toe. He hasn't come close to playing games for almost two months. As much as I want him in there, we've got to be smart here a little bit, especially in this run.”
DIFFERENT ORDER
The Orioles used catcher Adley Rutschman in the leadoff spot because of his ability to get on base. He was hit by a pitch, walked and scored a run.
UP NEXT
New York's Luis Severino (2-4) starts Sunday night against Baltimore's Dean Kremer (10-4). It's the final game of the season series, which is tied 6-all.
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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wsls.com/sports/2023/07/30/aaron-judge-has-a-homer-and-3-hits-in-his-2nd-game-back-to-help-the-yankees-top-the-orioles-8-3/ | 2023-07-30T03:54:02 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/sports/2023/07/30/aaron-judge-has-a-homer-and-3-hits-in-his-2nd-game-back-to-help-the-yankees-top-the-orioles-8-3/ |
FUKUOKA, Japan — Here's why Katie Ledecky is one of the greatest freestyle swimmers in the history of the sport: She is never quite satisfied.
The 26-year-old American won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the world championships to become the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds. It was also her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most golds at worlds.
She also is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in both the 800 and 1,500.
But that winning time — 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds, which is the seventh-quickest she'd ever swum — wasn't quite good enough in her favorite event.
“I'm just always trying to think of new ways to improve. I mean I’ve already got everything turning in my head right now. I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight,” she said, twirling her right hand beside her right ear, trying to stir up ideas.
“I’m pretty tough on myself," she said. “But I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace.”
The 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free. Li Bingjie of China took silver in 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia got the bronze in 8:13.59.
“It's fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool," Ledecky said.
It was only the fourth gold for the United States in the seventh of eight days in the pool. Meanwhile, Australia has been piling it on with 13 golds, matching its best at the worlds. Australia won three more golds on Saturday.
The Americans lead the overall table with 31 medals (16 silver), Australia has 20 and China 13.
Kaylee McKeown of Australia made history of her own with gold in the women’s 200 backstroke. McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events after earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
It all made up for her disqualification earlier in the 200 IM.
“You can’t change the rules,” she said. “I got ruled out. It’s just the cards I was dealt with and I couldn’t do much more than that. So I just had to carry myself the best I could and channel all my anger and turn a huge negative into a positive.”
Regan Smith of the United States picked up the silver in 2:04.94, while Peng Xuwei of China got the bronze in 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjöström of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the 50 butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 seconds and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjöström’s individual medals at the worlds to 20, equaling Phelps’ mark.
Sjöström also broke her own record in the 50 free, going 23.61 in a semifinal heat. Her old mark was 23.67 set in 2017.
“There are not too many secrets,” Sjöström said about her longevity. “Just do the work every day, go to practice, and stay humble.”
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Japanese fan favorite Rikako Ikee finished seventh (25.78) in the 50 fly but was greeted warmly by the home crowd.
The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and was expected to be a favorite in the Tokyo Olympics. But she was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia led all the way to capture the gold in the 50 free in 21.06. It was his first individual gold in the worlds or Olympics.
American Jack Alexy collected his second silver of the worlds in 21.57 to go with his silver in the 100 free. Benjamin Proud of Britian, last year’s world champion, took the bronze in 21.58.
Caeleb Dressel won the event at the Olympics but did not qualify for the U.S. team. McEvoy's time was quicker than Dressel's winning time in Tokyo — 21.07.
Maxime Grousset of France won gold in the 100 fly in 50.14. The 24-year-old took the early lead and held on. Josh Liendo of Canada earned the silver in 50.34, while American Dare Rose made the podium with the bronze (50.46).
Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania equaled the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the 50 breaststroke.
Australia won the 4x100 mixed freestyle relay in a world record of 3:18.83. The Americans took silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68. The relay is not an Olympic event. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed | 2023-07-30T03:54:41 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed |
INDIANAPOLIS – Who ever said mullets weren’t in style?
If you attended the Indiana State Fair on Saturday you might be surprised to find just how stylish they can be. Fifteen lucky Hoosiers competed on the stage at the Indiana State Fair in the USA Mullet Championship qualifiers.
The qualifiers are basically the semi-finals of the contest, with the winner gaining a spot in the top 25 national championship.
“This was my first time in the mullet contest, first time ever hearing about a USA Mullet contest,” said Angela Elliot, a.k.a. Mammy Mullet. “So been rocking the mullet for 28 years.”
If you ask those with the hairdo, like Mammy Mullet, it could even be considered a lifestyle. For others, the hair has some deeper and more meaningful roots.
“I had it before and got it back after I had my colon cancer, and decided I only had one life to live and liked long hair,” said contestant John Poor.
No matter the backstory, 15 lucky, mullet-wearing Hoosiers got to show off their hairdo on Saturday. The USA Mullet Championship is actually fairly new. It kicked off back in 2020.
“We expected this to be a fun small thing,” said MC Christian Hoffer. “Our founder only did this because he realized no one else was doing it and next thing we know people like Barstool Sports, Access Hollywood, and the Today Show are all picking it up and sharing it without us even mentioning it to them.”
Saturday marked the semi-final contest. It narrowed down from thousands of applicants to the 15 meanest and cleanest mullets in America.
“Today we’re going to be learning about the mullets, what brought them to life, what brought them into their character,” Hoffer said.
Some participants did not know such a thing existed, but now they are walking away pretty proud of their flow.
“I got a little nervous, not going to lie,” Mammy Mullet said. “So it didn’t kind of go as I had planned it out in my head. I wanted to take first place but I’m very happy with third place. So it was great and grand.”
But nobody left more excited than the first-place winner and veteran John Poor, especially after he missed out on last year’s mullet mania.
“All my guys at work encouraged me to do it saying you’ll win and I thought, ‘Nah, I’ll be the least on the stage,'” Poor said. “I am so shocked. Oh my god, it’s been fun. It’s been a blast. All the contestants were great.”
Saturday’s winner at the State Fair got a $500 prize and the chance to compete in the top 25 “Mane Event” national championships for best mullet in America later this fall.
The contest has also raised over $95,000 for local charities so far. | https://cbs4indy.com/news/usa-mullet-championship-qualifiers-held-at-indiana-state-fair-saturday/ | 2023-07-30T03:55:02 | 0 | https://cbs4indy.com/news/usa-mullet-championship-qualifiers-held-at-indiana-state-fair-saturday/ |
WESTFIELD — Another twist — a significant one — has been added to the simmering Indianapolis Colts-Jonathan Taylor rift.
Taylor, the expected cornerstone of Colts coach Shane Steichen’s offense and two years removed from authoring the greatest season by a running back in franchise history, has requested a trade.
A source confirmed Taylor’s wishes, and that came after the team decided it wouldn’t be offering its featured back a contract extension. The 2020 second-round draft pick and one-time All-Pro is in the final year of his rookie deal and due a base salary of $4.3 million.
Owner Jim Irsay was quick to shut down any trade possibility Friday evening.
“We will not trade Jonathan Taylor,’’ he told FOX59/CBS4. “That is a certainty. Not now or not in October.
“That is the bottom line.’’
Steichen put the Colts through an evening workout Friday at Grand Park Sports Campus, but the media’s attention shifted from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.
At the north end of the practice field, Irsay’s private luxury bus was parked. Inside, he and Taylor spent nearly an hour discussing . . . whatever.
“It’s something that’s going to stay between us,’’ Irsay said. “But it was a good conversation.’’
Perhaps, but the message was the same as Taylor had previously heard.
A possible extension?
“At this point, that’s not really something that we’re discussing right now,’’ Irsay said. “Again, we’re just hopeful in going forward, looking forward to a great season, hopin’ Jonathan’s a big part of that.’’
Once, twice, a half-dozen times Irsay mentioned he’s “hopeful.’’
“It’s my hope that we have an outstanding year, that Jonathan and Anthony Richardson have a chance to do great things along with the football team we have,’’ he said.
But first, Taylor has to begin practicing. He underwent surgery on his right ankle in January, passed his pre-camp physical but was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) when it was determined he wasn’t ready to hit the practice field.
It’s worth wondering if Taylor is using his PUP status as a tool to emphasize his displeasure with the lack of an extension. A player’s only real leverage is withholding his services. Taylor is avoiding a possible $50,000 per day fine by reporting to camp and being there every day.
“We don’t have any concerns,’’ Irsay said. “I’m hopeful that we all understand the situation we’re in. We’re all professionals and we have to pull together to have a great season.
“E.J. Speed had a similar surgery and he’s doing really well. It’s early in the process and we want to make sure everyone’s 100% when they get on the field and get ready to go.’’
The Colts have drawn criticism for drawing the line with Taylor while signing other players to extensions: Shaquille Leonard, Braden Smith, Nyheim Hines, Quenton Nelson, Grover Stewart and others.
“I’m not going to talk about his situation directly,’’ Irsay said. “That’s something that Jonathan and I have discussed, and Chris has discussed with Jonathan and his agent.
“I’m not saying right time, wrong time, anything like that. At this point, there’s a lot of work to be done. It’s not about talking about individual contractual cases.’’
Irsay envisions Taylor offering the type of top-level support to Richardson as Marshall Faulk did for Peyton Manning in 1998 — Manning’s rookie season.
“Marshall had gotten the magic back and really helped Peyton have a great rookie year even though it was 3-13,’’ Irsay said. “The flashes were there and Marshall was a big part of that.’’
However, Faulk’s career with the Colts ended after the ’98 season. He had two years remaining on his seven-year rookie contract, but was seeking an extension. Then-general manager Bill Polian traded Faulk to the St. Louis Rams, clearing the path for the team to select Edgerrin James with the No. 4 pick in the 1999 draft.
Irsay was quick to defend how he’s handled players. He noted two Colts’ Hall of Famers — James and Marvin Harrison — requested him to present them for enshrinement.
“My responsibility is to represent every single player on the team,’’ he said. “I represent every player, and it’s my responsibility to be fair and to make sure everyone’s treated as fairly as they can be to get their piece of the cap.
“I don’t need to defend the Colts on how we treat our players. No organization — and I mean no organization — treats their past or their present players like the Colts do.
“I don’t think anyone can attack our franchise for not taking care of the players.’’ | https://cbs4indy.com/sports/indianapolis-colts-owner-jim-irsay-were-not-trading-jonathan-taylor/ | 2023-07-30T03:55:08 | 0 | https://cbs4indy.com/sports/indianapolis-colts-owner-jim-irsay-were-not-trading-jonathan-taylor/ |
Heart attack or homicide? Husband poisoned with eye drops
▶ Watch Video: Sneak peek: The Eye Drop Homicide
[This story originally aired on March 22, 2022.]
Lana Clayton said she found her husband Steve Clayton dead at the bottom of a staircase in their South Carolina home. The businessman, who created physical therapy clinics, had been married to his wife for five years when he died.
Initially, the coroner’s office ruled Clayton died from a possible heart attack. However, Clayton’s nephew, Nick French, a police officer in a nearby town, noticed something was odd about Lana’s behavior when he rushed to the mansion to console her.
“She made no mention of attempting to revive him,” French tells “48 Hours” correspondent Peter Van Sant. “And Steve always had his phone with him. We were not able to find Steve’s phone anywhere.”
Concerned about the nature of his death, the family asked for an autopsy and a toxicology test. The blood test revealed an unusual chemical – tetrahydrozoline – in Steve Clayton’s blood that would shift the investigation into a whole new direction.
What happened in the Clayton household? And could that case have led to a copycat crime?
A STRANGE ACCIDENT?
James Blackledge: I’m a Vietnam veteran. So, I’ve seen things, done things.
But James Blackledge wasn’t ready for what was about to happen as he rode by the home of Steve and Lana Clayton on the morning of July 21, 2018.
James Blackledge: I was out riding my motorcycle…coming down this road… … And all of a sudden, I see a woman running across this yard…and she was waving me down.
It was Lana Clayton who apparently had just run out of her house.
James Blackledge: She flagged me down, stopped me. And first thing she said was “call 911.”
JAMES BLACKLEDGE: Is this 911?
911 DISPATCHER: It is.
JAMES BLACKLEDGE: I was just ridin’ by and a woman came running out and said her husband fell down the steps and she thinks he’s dead.
As Blackledge stayed on the phone with the dispatcher, he watched Lana run across the street to a neighbor’s house.
Terry Floyd: All of a sudden, I heard this loud knock on the screen. … It almost sound like somebody, you know, was gonna bust the glass out. … It was Lana.
Terry Floyd is a close friend of Lana and Steve.
Terry Floyd: And I asked her, of course, what was wrong. And she just kept saying, “It’s Steve. It’s Steve.”
The two jumped into Terry’s golf cart and dashed over to the Clayton’s front door.
Terry Floyd: And I said, “Well, where is he?” And she said, “He’s at the base of the stairs there in the foyer.”
Peter Van Sant: And what were you thinking as all of this is unfolding?
James Blackledge: I just thought it was an accident, a strange accident. Then, what I really thought was strange, was she sat on the front steps. The man went inside the house.
Terry Floyd: I tried to get a pulse. … I couldn’t get a pulse. And I just, I knew he was dead.
According to Lana, Steve had come down with a bout of vertigo three days prior. News reporter Kristi O’Connor of CBS affiliate WBTV covered the story.
Kristi O’Connor: He was nauseated and dizzy and bedridden.
Peter Van Sant: Their bedroom was on the second floor of this house, right?
Kristi O’Connor: That’s exactly correct.
Lana said she checked on him around 11 that morning and found him sound asleep, so she went outside to mow the lawn.
Kristi O’Connor: She made sure he had his water. She had his medications and things next to his bed, made sure he had everything he needed.
Lana was a nurse – a calling that made Steve’s sister, Rosie, very happy.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: I felt, wow, she’ll be there for him. God forbid something should happen, he should fall ill.
The couple met online in 2010. Three years later, they married in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: I sensed that my brother loved her very much, that she loved him very much.
It was Lana’s second marriage. Steve’s family had lost count on the number of times he’d been down the aisle.
Kris Phagan: I think the number’s somewhere around six or seven. … Steve loved being in love. … It didn’t always work out well for him.
Steve’s nephew, Kris Phagan, says his uncle was an accountant by trade who, in the 1980s, created a highly successful physical therapy business, targeting sports injuries.
Peter Van Sant: And he made millions off of this, correct?
Kris Phagan: He did. … He, then, fully retired at the age of 40.
Peter Van Sant: From all outside appearances, what was their life like here?
Kristi O’Connor: I would say, dare to say that they had it all.
But on July 21, 2018, when Lana came in after a couple hours of yard work, she discovered her 64-year-old husband was dead.
Terry Floyd: Myself and a few of the other neighbors, we consoled in her. … All the neighbors were behind her 110 percent.
When York County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived, they found Lana in distress over her husband’s apparent fall down the stairs.
TERRY FLOYD [BODY CAM VIDEO]: She’s kind of on a guilt trip about not checking on him.
OFFICER: Oh, no.
TERRY FLOYD: Just take a look to see if you see any signs of him falling or anything …
OFFICER: OK. OK.
TERRY FLOYD: Everything look OK?
OFFICER: Pretty much, pretty much.
The officer on the scene and a friend comforted her.
LANA’S FRIEND [BODY CAM VIDEO]: You can’t blame yourself for any of this.
SGT. DAY: Oh, no, not at all.
As word spread about Steve’s sudden death, his nephew, Nick French, a police officer in a nearby town, rushed to the mansion.
Nick French: She … gave me a big hug, started crying. … Right after that, I walked in where Steve was and saw him. … It was very much a shock. I loved Steve and to see him in a vulnerable position like that was very difficult for me.
Shortly after 1 p.m., Coroner Sabrina Gast received a call that Steve had died.
Sabrina Gast: I have a deputy coroner and she responded to the home.
Gast says her deputy saw nothing suspicious and believed the cause of death was most likely due to a heart attack.
Sabrina Gast: She concluded at that point in time that it appeared to be a natural death.
But being an experienced cop and investigator, Nick French couldn’t help noticing some red flags about Lana’s actions immediately after she found Steve.
Nick French: There were at least two phones in that house and she’s a nurse. Why wouldn’t she have called from one of those phones? And also, why wasn’t she doing CPR when they arrived on scene?
That’s when he began to make mental notes.
Nick French: Steve always had his phone on him. Always. It was his lifeline. … we were not able to find Steve’s phone anywhere.
Nick also noted Lana’s reaction when the deputy coroner asked about funeral arrangements.
Nick French: Lana said, “it’s just too much right now.” She had her head in her hands, and she said, “I have no idea.”
So, the deputy coroner offered to take Steve’s body to the morgue and run some tests.
NICK FRENCH [BODY CAM VIDEO]: I would do that Aunt Lana.
Nick French: And she looked up from her hands and said “that funeral home … the one that’s right down the street … Let’s take him there and have him cremated.” … and it was just that quick … She went from “I have no idea what I’m going to do” … to … let’s “have him cremated.”
Nick wanted to call Kris and let him know their beloved uncle had died. He says Lana insisted she didn’t want Kris to see his uncle in that state.
Nick French: Kris is an adult, he’s a big boy. That should be Kris’s choice. … I started thinking something’s going on. So, when she told me no the third time and yelled at me, I walked upstairs and called Kris.
Peter Van Sant: Why would you be excluded?
Kris Phagan: That I couldn’t tell you. It still puzzles me to this day.
Kris then called Steve’s sister, Rosie in Florida.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: I still hear him crying. … I couldn’t speak. … It wasn’t real. It didn’t seem real.
For three days prior to his death, Rosie had been worried she couldn’t reach her brother on the phone.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: Suddenly, there were no replies. … And that was not like him to just completely cut off … I thought it was very odd.
Also odd was what Nick would later discover in Steve’s upstairs bedroom.
Nick French: The state of the bedroom … indicated to me that Steve had been in that bed multiple days and he wasn’t able to get out of the bed. … Just a culmination of everything we saw out there was highly suspicious.
A FAMILY’S SUSPICIONS MOUNT
Kris Phagan: I try not to go into the house a whole lot. That’s where the bad memories are really.
For Steve’s nephew, Kris Phagan, visiting his uncle’s home, brings back mixed emotions.
Kris Phagan: But out here is where we enjoyed parties.
Peter Van Sant: In the best of times at this house what was it like?
Kris Phagan: A lot of fun. The dogs running around, the kids chasing them, Steve telling jokes, music going.
One favorite memory — the July Fourth party Lana and Steve threw just weeks before his death.
Kris Phagan: Steve was always big on July 4th. He had huge celebrations out here … We’d have a dance floor right here. … fireworks out there.
To most outsiders, the couple appeared happy and in love.
Terry Floyd: I thought it was a good relationship. … She always kissed Steve on the forehead there and said, “I love you.”
But Dr. Nan Saye, a veterinarian who took care of their dogs at the Clayton mansion, claims it was all a façade.
Peter Van Sant: When you saw the two of them together, were they a loving couple?
Dr. Nan Saye: No. No. I wondered why they got married. … It was strange … The simplest thing was that she did not speak when he was in the room.
Then there was a bizarre incident in the bedroom just two years before Steve’s death. Lana said she accidentally shot her husband in the head with a crossbow while he slept.
Kristi O’Connor: Steven himself … said it was an accident. Lana said it was an accident.
Miraculously, Steve’s injury was minor, and police never filed charges.
Peter Van Sant: I don’t know how many crossbows you have in your bedroom … But that seemed kind of strange, right?
Dr. Nan Saye: Yes.
Lana and Steve moved on from that incident. But two months before his death, Steve confided to Kris that their marriage of five years was in trouble.
Kris Phagan: He had mentioned … that he wasn’t as happy as he thought he was going to be.
When Kris got to the house that day, he comforted Lana. She told him she needed his help in organizing Steve’s affairs.
Kris Phagan: And I said, “Well, the first thing we need to do is find the will … and that’ll tell us what Steve’s wishes were in terms of whether he should be buried or cremated.”
Kris was startled by Lana’s response.
Kris Phagan: She said, “well, there is no will.” And I said, “no, there’s a will, I know that there is, I’ve seen it.” … Steve had asked me to be his executor. … And at that point she stood up and said, “I said there is no will.” And … she went into the house.
Nick French: My aha moment came about the same time.
Nick was gobsmacked when he heard Lana bad-mouthing Steve.
Nick French: “She was in the kitchen and she was telling these lurid stories of all Steve’s illicit drug abuse. … She used the words he was a hardcore drug abuser. … And she’s telling these stories and she’s laughing.
Peter Van Sant: And you guys had known him forever. Did you ever see him high on illicit drugs?
Kris Phagan: Never.
Nick French: Never. … She basically said that she didn’t want an autopsy done because she was worried about what the toxicology would show … And, you know, for me, it was jarring when I heard it.
Nick would soon be jarred again. He went upstairs, where Lana had said Steve was bedridden for three days.
Nick French: The bed was the worst part of the upstairs. … Just drenched with urine. … I asked Lana … And she said, “Oh, Steve does that when he has vertigo — that happens.”
Kris Phagan: Really made me think he was there suffering and could reach no one for help.
A short time later, Kris says Lana demanded that everyone leave.
Kris Phagan: When we got in the car — my wife and I — I said, “something is wrong.”
Nick was having a similar conversation with his wife.
Nick French: We were both of the opinion … that she had a hand in his death. … We didn’t know how.
Meanwhile, Rosie was trying to reconcile how Steve’s vertigo may have led to a heart attack.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: It seemed too weird to attribute what was happening to him, to what we already knew were his very benign, light symptoms.
On Sunday, the day after Steve’s death, Kris and his Wife had planned to help Lana find his will.
Nick French: Lana … said, “do not come here. This is my house. … He was my husband. I will handle everything” … And she hung up.
That’s when Nick and his wife drove to Kris’s house.
Nick French: We looked at each other, and we went through the small talk … And I said, “something’s wrong.”
Kris Phagan: I said, “thank God,” because we feel the exact same way.
Nick French: And we went to work. … and we knew one of the first things that we had to do was get in touch with the coroner’s office.
It was a race against the clock. Lana had scheduled a cremation for the very next day.
Nick French: Steve … was at the funeral home. …And they can move forward.
Peter Van Sant: With whatever Lana says.
Nick French: Exactly.
Nick and Kris demanded the coroner order an autopsy and a toxicology test. She agreed.
Nick French: We were relieved at that point … but we also knew that Lana didn’t know.
When the autopsy was done, the family’s suspicions were confirmed. Steve had not succumbed to a heart attack.
Sabrina Gast | Coroner: They looked at the chest. They looked at the heart, the lungs Nothing really suspicious with the autopsy.
But the toxicology results revealed something sinister. Not hardcore drug use, but the presence of poison — a chemical found in eye drops. And in an instant, Steve’s death became highly suspicious.
Peter Van Sant: So suddenly … this could be a poisoning?
Demi Garvin | Forensic Toxicologist: Yes … it was without question the cause of death.
Sabrina Gast: Was it an accidental overdose? We didn’t know that. … Was it a homicidal overdose?
Demi Garvin: His mobility is limited … He’s incapacitated. … it will cause respiratory depression, which then causes death.
AN UNUSUAL DISCOVERY
When Coroner Sabrina Gast first reviewed Steve Clayton’s toxicology report, there was a chemical found in his blood that she had never heard of before.
Sabrina Gast: Hmm, what is tetrahydrozoline? I don’t know what that is … So, I had to look up what tetrahydrozoline was. … I was like, “whoa, wait.”
Peter Van Sant: And what is it? What is this drug?
Sabrina Gast: Tetrahydrozoline is the common ingredient in Visine.
Peter Van Sant: The eye drop.
Sabrina Gast: The eye drop.
Peter Van Sant: Get the red out.
Sabrina Gast: Exactly.
And Steve’s results revealed a large amount of the chemical, which is found in a number of brands of eye drops.
Demi Garvin: In fact, at a concentration of 68 nanograms per mil in the blood sample.
Peter Van Sant: And in English that means?
Demi Garvin: In English that means I’m very worried.
Peter Van Sant: It’s a lot.
Demi Garvin: It’s a lot.
Forensic toxicologist Demi Garvin was aware of the many ways tetrahydrozoline, also known as THZ, could be abused.
Demi Garvin: We refer to this drug as a modern-day Mickey Finn. … Where a substance is introduced into a beverage without the consent of the individual who’s going to consume it for purposes of incapacitating them. That could be for robbery. It could be for sexual assault. It could be for both.
In the movie “Wedding Crashers,” a character squirts eye drops into the drink of his rival, causing trouble.
Demi Garvin: Nausea, vomiting, reduced heart rate … dizziness, confusion.
But if a poisoner empties an entire bottle in someone’s drink, it can attack the respiratory system.
Demi Garvin: And if breathing slows sufficiently, it will cause respiratory depression which then causes death.
Poisoning with eyedrops is also the plot line of an episode of the CBS drama “CSI”:
There is tetrahydrozoline in the victim’s drink.
She killed him with eye drops.
Well it’s not that far-fetched.
Demi Garvin: It’s colorless, odorless and tasteless.
Peter Van Sant: So, like I have a water bottle here. If it was in there, I wouldn’t know it.
Demi Garvin: Correct.
The results of Steve Clayton’s toxicology were a potential game changer.
Peter Van Sant: The initial assessment at the scene is this appeared to be a natural death. … What are you thinking now?
Sabrina Gast: I’m thinking, “Wow, we’ve got some work to do” … the next phone call was to the sheriff’s office.
Kevin Brackett: Well, now, of course, there are a whole series of questions that have been raised.”
Solicitor Kevin Brackett acts as the prosecutor in York and Union Counties in South Carolina.
Kevin Brackett: The first and foremost, how did the Visine get in his system?
Sabrina Gast: We didn’t know if he had intentionally taken the tetrahydrozoline with the intent of harming himself.
To find out, the coroner called Lana in for an interview.
Peter Van Sant: Describe the woman that was sitting across from you.
Sabrina Gast: I would describe her as confident.
By now, Lana knew that an autopsy had been performed on Steve. What she didn’t know was that investigators from the sheriff’s office and the FBI were in the next room listening in.
Sabrina Gast: We had set up microphones in the office so that they could hear the questions … and her responses.
DEPUTY CORONER [interrogation]: We’ve got a couple questions. Let’s go over some things, like I said we got some of the reports back.
Sabrina Gast: We were trying to get information from her about how he used the product, how often did he use the product?
LANA CLAYTON: Somebody, somebody one time told him Visine would help him go to the bathroom … He put like two drops in his coffee and um, make him go to the bathroom.
DEPUTY CORONER: And how long had he been doing that for?
LANA CLAYTON: For years.
Sabrina Gast: He would put it in his coffee every morning so that he would have a bowel movement.
Demi Garvin It would not be something that you would ever want to do.
Kevin Brackett: What that comment did tell us is that she was aware … that we were going to find Visine in his system because she put it there.
SABRINA GAST: Um, let’s go over the toxicology … there’s a drug called tetrahydrozoline.
LANA CLAYTON: That is his Visine.
Sabrina Gast: Immediately she knew exactly what tetrahydrozoline was.
Peter Van Sant: You saw it on her face?
Sabrina Gast: She said, “Oh, yes, that’s Visine” … that was where it clicked for me of, oh, OK. This is kind of, this is really odd.
That’s when those investigators nearby entered the room, surprising Lana.
OFFICER 1: I’m a detective with the York County Sheriff’s Office.
LANA CLAYTON: I’m just …
OFFICER 2: Overwhelmed, I’m sure. Yes, ma’am. Now listen you are by no means in any trouble, we do wanna ask you some questions.
OFFICER 2: … you are a witness in this case for us … we have to read our Miranda rights to everybody, OK … you have the right to remain silent …
Lana Clayton began turning on her husband:
LANA CLAYTON: I’m wondering if he tried to commit suicide. … He had a mood disorder. … I always walked on eggshells. I didn’t know what Steven I was gonna come home to … or if he was angry. You know he could be really nasty, you know.
OFFICER 2: What was nasty Steve like?
LANA CLAYTON: He was really verbally abusive, you know, call me names, stupid, bitch.
Kris Phagan: We never saw any evidence of that.
Peter Van Sant: Never? [to Nick] Did you ever see it?
Nick French: I never saw it. And not only did we never see it, but there was no record of anything like that.
LANA CLAYTON: I feel I’m painting a bad picture of him. He wasn’t, you know, a monster.
The two investigators pressed her:
OFFICER 1: Right now, the death is suspicious in nature.
OFFICER 2: Did you make his coffee for him?
LANA CLAYTON: No, he made his coffee. … everybody keeps asking me, you know, about the coffee and I know they wanted to know about the Visine.
OFFICER 2: There was only two people in the house, Miss Clayton.
LANA CLAYTON: I know, I know.
OFFICER 1: It was you, and him.
LANA CLAYTON: I know.
OFFICER 1: Did he have any —
LANA CLAYTON: He always had the Visine on him.
OFFICER 1: Did he have any that day?
LANA CLAYTON: That’s what I don’t know.
OFFICER 1: You are in the nursing business though … wouldn’t you know the effects of it?
LANA CLAYTON: Sure. I didn’t think Visine was anything that would be serious to your, to your health.
With the tough questioning, Brackett says Lana got defensive.
LANA CLAYTON: I feel like you guys are, you know, doing your job and you’re, you know, wondering if I killed my husband and I did not kill my husband.
Lana then stopped the interview and returned to the mansion. Investigators followed her home where she continued talking. They recorded the conversation:
Kevin Brackett: After that conversation, the situation changes significantly.
What Lana Clayton told investigators was nothing short of a confession.
LANA CLAYTON: You know, I had this little table set up next to the bed with his tissues, his urinal, his, you know, medications, his Visine … And I just saw it and just, I was just so angry. … I just took and squirted it. … I think I put the whole thing in.
That amount of THZ would have caused Steve to stop breathing.
DETECTIVE: So, you — the whole bottle?
LANA CLAYTON: I think I did.
DETECTIVE: OK.
LANA CLAYTON: I squeezed it hard.
DETECTIVE: OK. So, where was he when you did this?
LANA CLAYTON: He was sleeping. … I don’t know — I just saw it there and I just I just did it. I don’t have an excuse, I don’t have — I just did it.
When Nick learned of Lana’s confession, he called Kris.
Kris Phagan: And he said, “She did it.” And I knew immediately what he was talking about. And I had a few choice words and screamed. I started crying as well.
Peter Van Sant: This was murder.
Kris Phagan: Correct.
WAS THIS LANA’S FIRST ATTEMPT?
After admitting she emptied a bottle of eye drops into her husband’s water, Lana kept talking to the investigators back at the mansion.
LANA CLAYTON: Just — what if I did kill him? What if I caused his death with the Visine?
She quickly transformed from a grieving widow into an embittered wife.
LANA CLAYTON: I just wanted him to just — I just wanted him to suffer.
Suffer, because Lana claimed she was fed up with Steve’s constant demands.
LANA CLAYTON: I was just, I was just angry. … He was just constantly, “Lana, come here, Lana, come here” you know “help me to the bathroom,” “do this,” “do that” and everything …
DETECTIVE: And it all just built up?
LANA CLAYTON: It just all, all, all just built up and I just …
Lana tried to convince investigators that she never wanted to kill Steve.
LANA CLAYTON: I just wanted him to have diarrhea.
DETECTIVE: To just suffer?
LANA CLAYTON: I wanted him to just be, miserable.
Kevin Brackett: She’s admitted that she’s poisoned him.
Solicitor Kevin Brackett.
Kevin Brackett: She’s trying to think of her story that keeps her out of you know the trick bag.
As Lana’s story evolved – it now included allegations of physical abuse.
LANA CLAYTON: He was verbally and physically abusive. He had hit me several times.
Peter Van Sant: Is there any evidence that he was physically abusing her?
Kevin Brackett: No, no.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: The way she portrayed him — I don’t know that person. Nobody that knows Steve knows that person.
The unflattering portrait of Steve does not ring true for those who loved him. Iliana Ivanova was Steve’s girlfriend for almost three years before meeting Lana.
Peter Van Sant: Was he ever abusive toward you verbally or physically?
Iliana Ivanova: Never, never. He was nothing close to being abusive. … This is completely made up … everybody who knew him knew how generous and loving and kind he is.
His former partners shared similar sentiments about the abuse claims.
Kevin Brackett: They did not believe them. … Some of them still considered him to be the love of their life.
And what about that bizarre crossbow shooting incident back in 2016? Lana changed her story, admitting it was no accident.
LANA CLAYTON: I was trying to protect myself from him ’cause he was, you know, coming at me. … And I had picked up the crossbow and turned and I just shot it at him.
Nick French and Kris Phagan didn’t learn of the crossbow story until after Steve’s death. They don’t believe Lana was defending herself.
Peter Van Sant: Nick, what do you think of that story?
Nick French: Unofficially, horses—.
Peter Van Sant: Do you think that was an attempted murder?
Nick French: Absolutely. I think it was, yeah.
Kris Phagan: One hundred percent. … We think that was her first attempt at doing this.
After Lana’s devastating interrogation, investigators left her at the mansion to prepare an arrest warrant. That’s when she attempted suicide.
Kevin Brackett: She took some pills and turned the gas on. … She left notes … indicating …. that she felt bad about poisoning her husband … and that she couldn’t live with herself.
A neighbor went to the house that morning and called for help.
Kevin Brackett: She was treated briefly at the hospital and taken into custody at that point.
Brackett had developed a drip-by-drip theory of this eye drop crime.
Kevin Brackett: She incapacitated him with a smaller amount and then gradually ramped it up until the fatal dose.
That would explain why Steve was bedridden for three days prior to his death. Brackett theorizes that Steve may have somehow attempted an escape.
Kevin Brackett: He might have gotten a surge of adrenaline, realizing … that he was very, very sick — and he needed help and he tried to go for help and made it as far as the bottom of the stairs, where he died. … he couldn’t call for help. His phone could not be found after he died.
On August 31, 2018, more than a month after Steve’s death, Lana Clayton was formally charged with murder.
Kevin Brackett: I think Lana Clayton had several million reasons why she wanted her husband dead.
Peter Van Sant: And you’re talking about millions of dollars?
Kevin Brackett: Yes, exactly right.
Steve’s family speculates Lana started planning Steve’s death back in 2016, when Lana convinced him to move from North Carolina to the mansion in South Carolina.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: It was important for her to be in South Carolina. And I think I was able to put some puzzle pieces together after the fact.
Kevin Brackett: She was married to a very wealthy man. And if that man were to die in the absence of a will … then he would die intestate which, under South Carolina law, leaves her inheriting the entire estate.
And remember, Lana insisted there was no will. Kris recalls she became agitated when he asked her about it the day Steve died.
Kris Phagan: She stands up. She turns, looks me right in the eye and says, “There is no will,” just like that.
Kris is certain Lana destroyed the will in a fire the neighbors saw her start the day after Steve’s death.
Kris Phagan: My personal opinion is that’s the first thing that she burned.
Kris Phagan: This is the firepit Peter. … his whole life in paper was burned right here.
About three weeks after Lana’s arrest, there was another suspicious death just 12 miles away in Mount Holly, North Carolina.
Kevin Brackett: The method of killing in that case was the same as ours, a poisoning with THZ.
Peter Van Sant: With eye drops?
Kevin Brackett: With eye drops, yes.
For investigators, it seemed like déjà vu.
Kevin Brackett: Our office was consulted on that because it happened in such close proximity … It’s very possible that the suspect in that case heard about our case down here, saw it on the news.
Stacy Hunsucker, a 32-year-old mother of two young children, was found dead by her husband Joshua Hunsucker. Just like in the Clayton case, her cause of death was initially ruled a heart attack.
Kristi O’Connor: Shortly after Stacy died, he collected almost $250,000 from two life insurance policies taken out on her behalf. And that apparently didn’t sit right with Stacy’s mother.
Mike Causey: We got involved because Stacy’s mother contacted us with the possible insurance fraud. … who would ever guess that an insurance fraud investigation could lead to a full-blown murder investigation?
A COPYCAT CASE?
Stacy and Josh Hunsucker had been married for eight years before her tragic death from an apparent heart attack. Stacy had suffered from heart problems and had a pacemaker.
Kristi O’Connor: They were high school sweethearts. They had two children together.
Stacy was a paralegal at one time and then was a preschool teacher. … He was a paramedic, a flight medic actually, at Atrium Health, the major hospital system in the Charlotte area.”
Reporter Kristi O’Connor says Josh’s actions after Stacy’s passing raised eyebrows.
In fact, babysitter Kailyn MacDonald, who looked after the couple’s children after Stacy’s death, says Josh was dating a coworker, Jennifer Elkins.
Kailyn MacDonald: I never saw him sad, ever.
Kailyn MacDonald: … he was happy with his new girlfriend, very happy. … It was always about Jen.
For Stacy’s mother, Suzie Robinson, that was a red flag. Another one was when she learned, just 48 hours after Stacy’s death, Josh started the process of collecting $250,000 in two life insurance policies. Suzie called the North Carolina Department of Insurance to investigate.
Mike Causey: Had it not been for Suzie …we may not have any of … this murder investigation.
Mike Causey is the commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Insurance — his agents got involved in Stacy’s case in May 2019.
Mike Causey: It was referred to our criminal investigations’ division. … initial reports from the local police department had it a natural death, heart attack.
But Stacy’s body had been cremated at the request of her husband.
Peter Van Sant: No autopsy.
Kristi O’Connor: No autopsy. Joshua actually did not want an autopsy done because he didn’t want her cut up.
But the agents got a huge break when they discovered Stacy was an organ donor and a vial of blood had been collected and stored before she was cremated. That blood was sent out for a toxicology screening.
Mike Causey: There was traces of some poison … specifically THZ … a common chemical that’s used in eye drops to get the red out.
Peter Van Sant: In the Hunsucker case, have you given authorities there some advice based on your experience here?
Demi Garvin: Yes … that the presence of the tetrahydrozoline in the concentration that was reported warranted further investigation.
Kristi O’Connor: They ended up … accusing him of poisoning her with tetrahydrozoline.
On December 19, 2019, 15 months after Stacy’s death, Hunsucker was charged with her murder. His attorney says his client is innocent, and the allegations will be strenuously opposed. He is free on bail.
Experts fear homicidal poisonings have been going undetected because their symptoms can mimic natural illness and labs don’t routinely screen for them.
Peter Van Sant: Do you think that this drug should be part of a basic screen in toxicology test?
Demi Garvin: Yes.
Peter Van Sant: Do you feel the same way?
Sabrina Gast: Yes.
Sabrina Gast: Because it is so innocuous. It’s odorless, it’s tasteless. …Anybody can buy it.
In a statement, Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Visine, said they are “devastated that anyone would use our product for such an abhorrent act” and “Visine is clearly labeled for external use only and should never be swallowed.”
In Lana Clayton’s case — she decided to plead guilty to tampering with food and drugs and voluntary manslaughter.
She continued to insist she never meant to kill him.
LANA CLAYTON: I would like to apologize to Steven’s family.
LANA CLAYTON: I did impulsively put the Visine in Steven’s drink and I did it with the intent to make him sick and uncomfortable.
Her defense team painted Lana as a victim who suffered from PTSD, stemming from sexual abuse in her past.
Kristi O’Connor: So, their claims were that she was sexually assaulted throughout her youth … and that went unreported to authorities … Then when she went into the U.S. Air Force … her defense team says that she was raped by three servicemen.
But that alleged assault also wasn’t reported. Lana told the court it was Steve’s treatment of her that made her snap.
LANA CLAYTON: I was upset about the abuse and just wanted him to leave me alone. I never thought it would kill him. I had never heard of Visine being deadly.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: I told the judge … I knew it had to be very difficult to see someone who looks so frail, so gentle, so quiet and meek … and think that that person could be a cold-blooded murderer.
JUDGE BURCH: What a tangled web we weave, Miss Clayton you sure have tangled this one up.
On January 16, 2020, Judge Burch sentenced Lana Clayton to 25 years in prison.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: I didn’t think it was enough. … my brother was my world. He was the center of my world.
Kris Phagan: She … stole an amazing man … from a lot of people that loved him.
Nick French: … there’s a huge hole in everyone that knew Steve. And I think that that hole will be there for the rest of our lives.
Lana Clayton declined “48 Hours”‘ request for an interview, writing in an email, “it’s been a long journey for me, and it hasn’t been easy coming to terms with Steven’s death. … I’m now at peace.”
And as for Steve’s loved ones, they are struggling with their loss.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: None of us can ever be made whole because Steven is gone.
Rosie prays the mother of Stacy Hunsucker may find peace.
Rosie Clayton-Leslie: We have a saying in Spanish … which means “the blood cries out for justice.” … I would like to one day meet the mother of that precious girl that was killed using the same method … ’cause I do believe her daughter’s blood was crying out for justice, too.
Lana Clayton has not been awarded any money from Steve’s estate.
Josh Hunsucker has not yet entered a plea and awaits trial. Stacy’s parents say they have complete faith in the judicial process.
Produced by Asena Basak. Ryan Smith and Michelle Sigona are the development producers. Hannah Vair is the associate producer. Mike Baluzy, Marlon Disla and James Taylor are the editors. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcaster producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer. | https://www.wsgw.com/heart-attack-or-homicide-husband-poisoned-with-eye-drops/ | 2023-07-30T03:55:14 | 0 | https://www.wsgw.com/heart-attack-or-homicide-husband-poisoned-with-eye-drops/ |
Ledecky breaks Phelps’ record for most individual world titles
Olympic champion Katie Ledecky on Saturday broke Michael Phelps’ record for most individual world swimming titles.
At the World Aquatic Championships in Fukoka, Japan, Ledecky collected her 16th world title by winning the 800-meter freestyle, her favorite distance, with a time of 8:08.87. It marked her sixth consecutive time winning that distance — the longest ever streak in a single event in the championships’ history.
Ledecky had tied Phelps’ record on Tuesday when she won in the 1,500-meter freestyle — her fifth victory in that specific race.
“I know Michael, I know how many events he swam at meets like this,” Ledecky said in a poolside interview. “It’s an honor to even be in that same sentence.”
While she recognized the magnanimity of beating Phelps’ record, Ledecky calmly took in her record-breaking victory, giving credit to her competitors for pushing her to perform at such a high level.
“I’ve never even dreamt of even coming to meets like this, so to be here and to have been to a bunch of world championships is amazing,” Ledecky said poolside. “It is always a battle, it is always a great race. So I know I have to bring my best every single time.”
The 26-year-old said the 800-meter race is her favorite because she has worked the hardest at it over the years.
“It’s just the one that I hold closest to me given that the 1,500 was only added to the Olympics in 2021. I think it’s the one I’ve focused on the most,” she said.
Ledecky beat out silver medallist Li Bingjie of China by almost 4.5 seconds. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus came in third.
The Maryland native is the most decorated female swimmer of all time with six individual Olympic gold medals along, with her 16 individual world titles. The World Aquatics Championships are held every two years.
Ledecky began her Olympic career at age 15, picking up her first gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle in the 2012 London Olympics. | https://www.wsgw.com/ledecky-breaks-phelps-record-for-most-individual-world-titles/ | 2023-07-30T03:55:15 | 0 | https://www.wsgw.com/ledecky-breaks-phelps-record-for-most-individual-world-titles/ |
QUESTA, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico State Police (NMSP) said a 14-year-old has been charged with the shooting death of a 13-year-old girl in Questa.
They alleged the two, along with two other juveniles, were at a home listening to music Friday around 2:30 in the afternoon.
NMSP said the boy then pulled out a pistol and shot, killing the 13-year-old girl. He allegedly dragged her body outside.
Police said the father of the boy, 39-year-old William Brown, arrived at the home, and the two initially refused to leave.
The boy was charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and assault on a police officer. Brown, who owned the guns in the home, was charged with negligent making a firearm accessible to a minor resulting in death. | https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/14-year-old-father-charged-in-connection-to-girls-death-in-questa/ | 2023-07-30T03:56:06 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/14-year-old-father-charged-in-connection-to-girls-death-in-questa/ |
Browns’ Grant Delpit wants defense to be league leaders in turnover ratio
Delpit spoke after practice on Saturday down in Greenbrier
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - One thing is for certain: the Browns are going to look to be very aggressive in forcing turnovers this upcoming season.
Safety Grant Delpit spoke after Saturday’s practice down in Greenbrier, WV about the emphasis on winning the turnover battle each week.
“The Cleveland Browns are 23 and six in the past four or five years that we are even or better in the turnover ratio. So that number needs to be higher. We need to set ourselves up right. Defense, we need to go get the ball – Ball in the air is ours. Offense, don’t give it away. That’s like one of the most important stats in football is that turnover ratio and we need to be top, leading the league,” said Delpit.
New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz brings a scheme that relies on the defensive line being elite. And they have, as throughout Schwartz’s 14 seasons as a defensive coordinator, he has had eight run defenses ranked top 10 in fewest opposing rushing yards per game.
Schwartz’s defenses have also been ranked in the top 10 for total takeaways six times in his entire coaching career.
That mentality coming to Cleveland, along with the star potential on that side of the ball, ignites a fire inside Delpit’s belly.
“We have a great defensive line; DBs love that. When they get after the quarterback, man, good things happen for DBs and as long as we stick in coverage and as long as we – alignment, technique, sound, it’s going to be good things for us,” said Delpit.
The Browns wrap up their portion of training camp in Greenbrier on Sunday, July 30. The team will then travel back to Berea.
Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved. | https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/07/30/browns-grant-delpit-wants-defense-be-league-leaders-turnover-ratio/ | 2023-07-30T03:56:07 | 1 | https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/07/30/browns-grant-delpit-wants-defense-be-league-leaders-turnover-ratio/ |
Francona tossed, White Sox roll to 7-2 win over Guardians
Francona’s ejection was his first of the season
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - It was safe to say that Saturday night was just not meant to be for the Cleveland Guardians.
Manager Terry Francona was ejected in the first inning, Tim Anderson hit a lead-off home run, and the Guardians offense was held quiet once again as the White Sox (43-63), defeated Cleveland (52-53), 7-2.
Francona was ejected after arguing with umpires for not getting enough time to have a questionable outfield catch on a Jose Ramirez flyball looked at. The play, which on review appeared to be the correct call on the field, resulted in a double play that ended the inning for Cleveland.
The ejection was Francona’s first of the year.
In the first, Anderson smacked his first home run of the year on the very first pitch by Allen, giving Chicago the early 1-0 lead.
In the third, Yoan Moncada brought home two more via an RBI single into center to make things 3-0 in the fifth.
A two run blast by catcher Andrew Vaughn in the sixth blew the doors open, making things 5-0 Chicago.
Cleveland attempted to get back into the game in the seventh, getting a run in via an RBI single from Mike Freeman, but the White Sox responded the next half inning with two of their own, making things 7-1.
Josh Bell brought in the second run for Cleveland via grounding into a double play in the ninth.
Former Indian/Guardian Mike Clevinger picked up the win against his former team, while Logan Allen took the loss.
The two teams close the weekend series tomorrow afternoon. Aaron Civale gets the start for the Guardians.
Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved. | https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/07/30/francona-tossed-white-sox-roll-7-2-win-over-guardians/ | 2023-07-30T03:56:09 | 1 | https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/07/30/francona-tossed-white-sox-roll-7-2-win-over-guardians/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — What was a routine shopping trip for Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen and his wife Friday night quickly escalated after three people tried stealing hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise right in front of them.
“I was excited to come home from a long day of work, and my wife and I were going to shop for a yoga mat and a pair of shoes, and that didn’t happen,” Allen explained.
Even off duty, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is demonstrating its commitment to tackling retail crime: a recent social media post showed BCSO’s sheriff holding down a man he said he saw shoplifting while he was out with his wife.
According to the sheriff, he was out running errands when he saw the three attempting to steal from the Dick’s Sporting Goods warehouse off of Ellison and Coors.
“While I was walking in, I saw a couple [of] subjects walk in, and I then I kind of went into, cop mode per se, so I kind of kept an eye on them, and I saw what they were doing,” Allen said.
Their actions raised red flags for him: “I went to the back of the store, and I witnessed one, or two, filling in duffel bags, so I knew he had the intent, so I backed up, cleared the area out a little bit, and I confronted the gentleman and told him to put the stuff back,” Allen stated.
According to BCSO, two of them dropped the stuff they were trying to steal and left. The other, later identified as 23-year-old Antonio Oros, did not. After arguing with Allen, he reportedly tried to run. According to the criminal complaint, Oros got physical with Allen, hitting him twice.
“So, a foot pursuit ensued inside the store, and luckily, I don’t know who it was, or there was another citizen in a grey shirt, I thank him. He cut him off for me before he got outside, and I took him down and tackled him, and this gentleman pursued to have an altercation with me, so immediately I went into defensive tactics mode,” Allen said.
They called in help, and Oros was handcuffed and taken in. As it turns out, he had two felony warrants out already for narcotics and resisting and evading police.
“People are tired of it, including me. As the sheriff in Bernalillo County and a law enforcement officer, I can’t sit there and watch a crime occur in front of me and just let it go,” he said.
“Look, I could become angry. I could become mad, but if you see in the photos, it’s about de-escalating also, and that’s what I was doing with the gentleman when I back control with him.”
The sheriff said while they’re working to crack down on retail and drug-related crime like this, there’s still a long way to go. They hope newly enacted retail crime laws will help.
“We can’t see that people feel unsafe here. [We] can’t even shop with their families for back-to-school supplies for clothes and shoes. I’m not going to have it; I’m not going to stand for it.”
Oros has nearly a dozen drug-related offenses on his rap sheet. Had the sheriff not stopped him, he would have made off with nearly $600 worth of merchandise. | https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/bernalillo-county-sheriff-catches-shoplifters-in-the-act-on-his-day-off/ | 2023-07-30T03:56:12 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/bernalillo-county-sheriff-catches-shoplifters-in-the-act-on-his-day-off/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Kenneth Simons turned ninety this month and his passion for growing watermelons goes back to the 1940s, when he bought his first car for just thirty dollars.
Today he sells them out of the back of his pickup truck, down a long dirt road near Haysville. Simons normally sells out within a few hours.
He began planting his watermelons on the land of Colonial Heights Church almost eight years ago. Originally, Simons was growing his melons across the roadway, but due to vandalism, he looked for a solution that was more off of the main road.
The church’s members say he has put them on the map.
“He sort of made our church famous. We’re the watermelon church in South Wichita,” said pastor Mark Combs.
Combs thought he was just going to tend to a small portion of the acreage behind the church. When he went to check on Kenneth, he was stunned.
“He’d been working all day, and he had plowed about 10-12 acres, and I said, Ken, I thought it was a little patch, and he said, oh, this is little, I have a big patch down south,” said Combs.
His customers have remained loyal over the years. One couple that stopped by on Saturday, has been buying from Kenneth for 10 years.
“It’s crazy, heat of the day, love it, love it, he was like, he’s not going to be out there in the heat of the day. I said watch, 2-6, ya we’re going,” said customers Jamey and Heather Thomas.
Simons watermelon season normally lasts until early October. However, due to this season’s drought, he says he’ll only be selling until the end of August.
You can find him, most days, from 2-6 in the afternoon, at 5200 S. Broadway in Wichita. | https://www.ksn.com/news/haysville-man-celebrates-85-years-in-watermelon-farming/ | 2023-07-30T03:56:17 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/haysville-man-celebrates-85-years-in-watermelon-farming/ |
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Emmett Till would have turned 82 today. Till was tortured and murdered in Mississippi after a white woman accused the Black 14-year-old of whistling and grabbing at her. Till and his mother's willingness to share the brutality Till suffered marked a pivotal moment in the early Civil Rights Movement. Mamie Till Mobley described her decision in a 2003 interview with The Chicago Project.
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MAMIE TILL MOBLEY: Let the people see what I've seen. And I want open casket viewing from now until the time we take Emmett for burial.
KELLY: Now, almost 70 years after Till was beaten, shot, had a cotton gin tied around his body and was thrown in the Tallahatchie River, Till and his mother are being memorialized in the form of three monuments in Chicago and Mississippi. President Biden signed the proclamation designating the sites earlier today. Patrick Weems is the executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Miss. He was at the White House when President Biden put pen to paper. We spoke before he headed to that event.
Patrick Weems, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
PATRICK WEEMS: Thank you, Mary Louise.
KELLY: You've come to D.C. for this event at the White House, and you picked up the Till family en route.
WEEMS: We drove from Chicago to D.C. to be here today, and I couldn't think of a more memorable trip to be here with Wheeler Parker, who's one of the most gracious, forgiving human beings and probably one of the most important people alive.
KELLY: So tell me about the three locations. There are two in Mississippi, one in Illinois. Start with the one that marks the site where Till's body was believed to have been pulled from the Tallahatchie River. What will visitors see there?
WEEMS: Yeah, well, hopefully what they won't see is a bullet-riddled sign. You know, we've had a lot of history of this site being desecrated, being shot up. We were able to put a bulletproof marker there recently in the last couple of years. But more significant is that the site where Till's body came out of the Tallahatchie River will now be a part of the National Park Service system. And to know that it will be federally protected - to make sure that if someone does vandalize our signs, it won't be a local sheriff. It will be the federal government that will get involved. But this is the big bang of the Civil Rights Movement, as Jesse Jackson talked about. This is a site where so many Black bodies were thrown into rivers. But Emmett's miraculously emerged. An 18-year-old fisherman found the body and brought it to the banks of the Tallahatchie River, where his body was initially identified because he had his father's ring on his finger. But then later, Mamie Till made sure the body came to Chicago, where she said, this is my son. I know my son.
KELLY: Yeah. And that's - the site in Illinois is the site where she insisted on an open casket. Describe what we'll see there.
WEEMS: Yeah. So, I mean, public officials wanted to bury Emmett in Mississippi. The sheriff had a directive to make sure the body was buried in Money, Miss. Mamie refused. She wanted to have a very private mourning for her son, first and foremost. But she also took that moment to remember and kind of resist white supremacy, resist the Jim Crow system by having a public funeral, having an open casket to show the world what they did to her son.
KELLY: And then the last location is also in Mississippi, back in Tallahatchie County.
WEEMS: That's right. So the site of the injustice - right? - so the miscarriage of justice took place in our courtroom in 1955. And it's also the site where people like Willie Reed, an 18-year-old sharecropper who witnessed the murder. He testified at the trial, and he whispered his testimony because he was scared to death. He later had a nervous breakdown, changed his name and moved to Chicago and didn't talk about this until 30 years later. And so, you know, it's a low point in American history, the fact that these men get off without any penalty. But it also is a testimony to people like Medgar Evers, Willie Reed, Mose Wright, Mamie Till, Dr. T.R.M. Howard - people who did the right thing that day and had the courage to at least try to get some attempt at justice.
KELLY: You know, I'm thinking about how this monument designation comes as a national conversation is underway about how to teach Black history in our schools. Do you think these monuments might help inform that conversation?
WEEMS: They already are. I mean, this is American history. We have young people visit these sites already. This will only amplify and make it easier for young people to come. It takes the best of us to talk about the worst of us. And if we're going to have a true democracy and multicultural democracy, we have to understand where we've stumbled. And we stumbled badly in 1955. And no matter party affiliation, I think we should all agree that what took place in 1955 was wrong. The system was wrong. Mississippi was wrong. The United States was wrong. But we can be better. It's our hope that this memorial marks a line in the sand that says, never again, and that if we want to hold and cherish our democracy, we need to learn about Mose Wright and Mamie Till.
KELLY: Patrick Weems. Thank you.
WEEMS: Thank you, Mary Louise. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. | https://www.wdiy.org/2023-07-25/the-journey-for-the-emmett-till-and-mamie-till-mobley-national-monuments | 2023-07-30T03:56:50 | 1 | https://www.wdiy.org/2023-07-25/the-journey-for-the-emmett-till-and-mamie-till-mobley-national-monuments |
Of all extreme weather conditions, heat is the most deadly. It kills more people in the U.S. in an average year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. The human body has a built-in cooling mechanism – sweat. But that system can only do so much, especially in soaring temperatures with high humidity.
Here's a look at what happens to the human body in extreme temperatures – and the three main pathways to fatal consequences.
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Organ failure caused by heatstroke
When the surrounding temperatures approach your internal body temperature – which is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit for most of us – your body starts to cool off through evaporative cooling, better known as sweating. But when it's very humid out, that sweat won't evaporate as well and cool you down.
When your body is exposed to heat, it will try to cool itself down by redirecting more blood to the skin, says Ollie Jay, a professor of heat and health at the University of Sydney, where he directs the Heat and Health Research Incubator. But that means less blood and less oxygen are going to your gut. If these conditions go on long enough, your gut can become more permeable.
"So, nasty things like endotoxins that usually reside and stay inside the gut start leaking out of the gut, entering the circulation. And that sets off a cascade of effects that ultimately result in death," Jay says.
For example, those toxins can activate white blood cells, says Camilo Mora, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who has researched how heat can turn fatal. "They say, Oh my God, we're getting attacked right now. And the white blood cells are going to attack this contamination in the blood, creating coagulation" – or blood clots, Mora says. Those clots can lead to multiple organ failure.
"And at that point, it's pretty irreversible," Jay adds.
Cardiovascular collapse
The second way people die in high heat also has to do with your body pumping more blood to the skin. Your heart has to pump faster – which can make you feel lightheaded – to keep your blood pressure up.
"We might have a heart rate of 60 beats per minute, all of a sudden, we might be asking the heart to contract 100 times per minute, 110 times per minute. So now you're asking the heart to do a lot more work," Jay says.
Those spikes in the heart rate can be triggers for a heart attack, he says, especially for the elderly and those with underlying heart conditions.
Fluid loss leading to kidney failure
The third deadly danger has to do with the fluids your body is losing in extreme heat. People can sweat as much as a liter and half per hour, Jay says. And if you don't replenish those fluids, you get dehydrated and your blood volume shrinks, which makes it harder to maintain blood pressure. That can strain your heart and your kidneys.
"People with kidney disorders can be at greater risk of a negative health outcome during extreme heat exposure," Jay says.
Mora notes another danger to the kidneys that people who work physically demanding jobs in high heat outdoors face. Rhabdomyolysis causes muscle tissue to break down, releasing proteins into the blood that can clog kidneys. This usually occurs in the acute phase of heatstroke. Jay says there's also some evidence that habitually working outdoors in high heat without proper hydration can increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.
What you can do to stay safe
Watch for the first signs of mild heat exhaustion:
If that happens, Jay says, get out of the heat and into the shade or indoors ASAP. Drink plenty of water and wet your clothes and skin. Immersing your feet in cold water can also help.
Jay says the goal is to cool down so you don't progress to severe heat exhaustion, where you might start vomiting or seem to lose coordination – signs of neurological disturbance.
If your core body temperature rises to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit, Jay says, that's where you risk heatstroke.
How hot is too hot?
Experts say there's no absolute temperature at which extreme heat can turn dangerous.
"It depends on the individual," says Lewis Halsey, a professor of environmental physiology at the University of Roehampton in the U.K. "It depends on how acclimated they are to heat. It depends how long they're exposed to the heat for. It depends on how they're experiencing this heat."
If sweating is our superpower to keep cool, then "the kryptonite to that superpower is humidity," Halsey says.
So a person might start feeling overwhelmed much sooner in higher humidity at lower temperatures than if they're in dry heat, he says. Direct sunlight will heat us up faster than when we're in the shade. A nice breeze could help sweat evaporate and cool us off.
The elderly and very young are considered particularly vulnerable in the heat. But Mora of the University of Hawaii at Manoa notes heat stress can hit anyone.
He points to the story of a young family who died after becoming dangerously overheated while hiking on a day in August 2021 when temperatures reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit in Northern California. The husband, wife, their one-year-old daughter and even the family dog were found dead two days later.
Mora says those kinds of conditions could kill within a few hours — even if you are young and healthy.
"The military has done a lot of research into heat exposure and they find the first symptoms of heat exhaustion, heatstroke after only a few hours, even among the healthiest of people," Mora says.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wdiy.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-23/how-heat-kills-what-happens-to-the-body-in-extreme-temperatures | 2023-07-30T03:56:56 | 1 | https://www.wdiy.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-23/how-heat-kills-what-happens-to-the-body-in-extreme-temperatures |
In summer heat, bear spotted in Southern California backyard Jacuzzi
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — With the summer heat wave in full swing in Southern California, a backyard pool is a tempting place to take a dip.
Even for a bear.
Police in the city of Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement Friday.
Police released a video of the animal in the neighborhood, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles and near the Verdugo Mountains.
The Burbank police have issued warnings for residents to avoid bears and to keep all garbage and food locked up to discourage bears from coming to their residences. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/in-summer-heat-bear-spotted-in-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi-2/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:03 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/in-summer-heat-bear-spotted-in-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi-2/ |
Official tells AP that Saudi Arabia will host Ukrainian-organized peace summit in August
By AAMER MADHANI and JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in early August seeking to find a way to start negotiations over Russia’s war on the country. That’s what an official told The Associated Press on Saturday night. The kingdom and Kyiv did not immediately acknowledge the planned talks. The official says the summit will be held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. The official says the summit will include Ukraine, as well as Brazil, India, South Africa and several other countries. The official added that a high-level official from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration also is expected to attend. Russia is not expected to attend. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as no authorization had been given to publicly discuss the summit. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/official-tells-ap-that-saudi-arabia-will-host-ukrainian-organized-peace-summit-in-august/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:09 | 0 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/official-tells-ap-that-saudi-arabia-will-host-ukrainian-organized-peace-summit-in-august/ |
Rangers get Scherzer from Mets in all-in blockbuster from surprise AL West leaders, AP source says
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
A person with knowledge of the trade says the Texas Rangers have acquired three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer in a blockbuster deal with the New York Mets. It’s an all-in move from the surprise leaders in the AL West. The Rangers added the 39-year-old Scherzer with Jacob deGrom sidelined possibly until the end of next season by Tommy John elbow surgery. Multiple reports say the Mets are getting one of the top Texas prospects in Luisangel Acuña. He’s the younger brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/rangers-get-scherzer-from-mets-in-all-in-blockbuster-from-surprise-al-west-leaders/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:15 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/rangers-get-scherzer-from-mets-in-all-in-blockbuster-from-surprise-al-west-leaders/ |
Trump, amid legal perils, calls on GOP to rally around him as he threatens primary challenges
By JILL COLVIN
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — At a moment of growing legal peril, Donald Trump on Saturday ramped up his calls for his GOP rivals to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. At a rally in Pennsylvania, he also threatened to primary Republican members of Congress who fail to focus on investigating Democratic President Joe Biden and urged them to halt Ukrainian military aid unless the White House cooperates with investigations into Biden and his family. The comments came two days after federal prosecutors unveiled new criminal charges against the former president and GOP frontrunner as part of the case that accuses him of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/trump-amid-legal-perils-calls-on-gop-to-rally-around-him-as-he-threatens-primary-challenges/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:21 | 0 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/29/trump-amid-legal-perils-calls-on-gop-to-rally-around-him-as-he-threatens-primary-challenges/ |
Two-time Super Bowl champion RB Sony Michel retires early in Rams camp
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Two-time Super Bowl champion running back Sony Michel has decided to retire on the opening weekend of training camp with the Los Angeles Rams.
Coach Sean McVay announced Michel’s decision Saturday after the third practice of camp for the Rams, who re-signed Michel last month. McVay said they had a conversation on Saturday morning in which Michel informed the team of his decision.
The 28-year-old Michel was entering his sixth NFL season after a four-year college career at Georgia. He won a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season with the New England Patriots, and he earned a second championship with the Rams three years later.
Michel spent last season as a backup with the Los Angeles Chargers before re-signing with the Rams. He was expected to be the primary backup to Cam Akers this season, but McVay said the Rams will now look to sign another veteran running back to join Akers and young players Kyren Williams and Zach Evans.
Michel was a first-round pick by the Patriots in 2018, and he scored the only touchdown in their 13-3 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl 53. He rushed for at least 900 yards in each of his first two seasons with New England, and he added 845 yards for the Rams in the 2021 regular season.
Michel rushed for 3,243 yards and 18 touchdowns in his five NFL seasons.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://kion546.com/news/2023/07/29/two-time-super-bowl-champion-rb-sony-michel-retires-early-in-rams-camp/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:27 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/2023/07/29/two-time-super-bowl-champion-rb-sony-michel-retires-early-in-rams-camp/ |
Gelof and Rooker homer in five-run second inning as A’s go on to 11-3 win over Rockies
By DENNIS GEORGATOS
Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Zack Gelof and Brent Rooker each homered in a five-run second inning that helped carry the Oakland Athletics to an 11-3 victory over Colorado on Saturday night, handing the Rockies their fourth straight loss and fifth in six games.
Rooker finished with three RBIs, two from his 17th home run of the season and a sacrifice fly. Ramón Laureano’s two-run double highlighted Oakland’s four-run sixth inning and Seth Brown had three hits and a pair of RBIs as the A’s ended the night one run shy of their season high.
Randal Grichuk had three hits for the Rockies, including a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning off Tayler Scott.
Paul Blackburn (2-2) allowed two runs and nine hits in a 106-pitch, six-inning outing for Oakland. He struck out seven and walked none.
The Rockies trailed 6-0 before putting up their first run on Michael Toglia’s RBI single in the second inning. They added a second run on C.J. Cron’s slow roller down the third base line that scored Ryan McMahon from third in the third inning.
But Oakland added four runs in the in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Gelof, who reached on a passed ball third strike in the first before scoring on Seth Brown’s sacrifice fly, homered for the second time in two games on a 2-0 offering from Chris Flexen, making his Rockies debut after having his contract selected from Triple A Albuquerque earlier in the day. JJ Bleday was hit by a pitch ahead of Rooker’s drive over the center-field wall.
Flexen (0-5) went 3 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on on four hits. He walked six and struck out four.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: CF Esteury Ruiz went 1 for 2 with a triple and a run scored Friday in his first game at Triple-A Las Vegas as part of a rehab assignment. Ruiz, who is on the 10-day injured list, has been sidelined since suffering a right shoulder subluxation diving back to first after a pickoff attempt on July 5 at Detroit. Ruiz was off Saturday but was expected to play another rehab game Sunday for Las Vegas, most likely as a DH, according to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay.
Rockies: OF-DH Charlie Blackmon took part in a pregame batting practice session at Coors Field on Saturday, his first time back on the field since suffering a right hand fracture that landed him on the 10-day injured on June 10. “I think I’m right on track, maybe a little ahead of schedule,” Blackmon said. “It felt good to get out from the dungeon of the batting cage and get out of the training room. Felt good to get outside and hit some balls on the field.” Blackmon anticipates heading out on a rehab assignment in the coming days.
UP NEXT
RHP Luis Medina (3-7, 5.50 ERA) is slated to start Sunday’s series finale for the Athletics. Colorado counters with Ty Blach (0-0, 5.51 ERA), who is making his second start of the season as part of an anticipated bullpen game for the Rockies staff. | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/gelof-and-rooker-homer-in-five-run-second-inning-as-as-go-on-to-11-3-win-over-rockies/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:33 | 1 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/gelof-and-rooker-homer-in-five-run-second-inning-as-as-go-on-to-11-3-win-over-rockies/ |
In summer heat, bear spotted in Southern California backyard Jacuzzi
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — With the summer heat wave in full swing in Southern California, a backyard pool is a tempting place to take a dip.
Even for a bear.
Police in the city of Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement Friday.
Police released a video of the animal in the neighborhood, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles and near the Verdugo Mountains.
The Burbank police have issued warnings for residents to avoid bears and to keep all garbage and food locked up to discourage bears from coming to their residences. | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/in-summer-heat-bear-spotted-in-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:39 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/in-summer-heat-bear-spotted-in-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi/ |
J.D. Davis homers in 9th to give the Giants a 3-2 win over the Red Sox
By MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — J.D. Davis homered on the first pitch from Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night.
After the Red Sox tied it in the top of the ninth on Justin Turner’s two-run single against All-Star closer Camilo Doval that deflected off diving second baseman Casey Schmitt’s glove and rolled into center field, Davis came through for San Francisco with his second game-ending hit of the season.
Jansen dropped to 2-5 with the blown save.
Giants slugger Wilmer Flores continued his hot streak with three hits and an RBI and made a terrific defensive play at first base.
Marco Luciano added two hits as the Giants remained unbeaten when using Ryan Walker as an opener this season. San Francisco won for third time in 10 games.
Doval (3-3) got the win after blowing the save.
Justin Turner doubled for Boston, the 20th time in the last 22 games that the versatile two-time All-Star infielder has had at least one hit.
That was one of the few Red Sox highlights on a day when pitcher James Paxton suffered through an uneven outing. Paxton allowed one run and eight hits in five innings and absorbed his second loss in his last three outings. It marked the sixth time in 13 starts that Paxton has failed to last longer than five innings.
Flores, who has reached base safely in his last 12 games, had an RBI double off Paxton in the first, then added singles in the third and fifth. He also made the defensive play of the game when he snagged Adam Duvall’s high pop-up while falling backward onto the grass in foul territory in the fifth. Flores grounded out and struck out looking in his other two at-bats.
Flores is batting 28 for 71 with 12 extra-base hits (.394) since July 2, raising his overall average to .297.
Sean Manaea allowed two hits over 4 2/3 innings in relief of Walker. Signed by the Giants in the offseason to be a starter, Manaea had five strikeouts and didn’t allow a runner past first base.
Walker worked through the order once, allowing one hit with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. The Giants improved to 7-0 in games using Walker as the opener. San Francisco is 13-4 overall this season when using openers.
The Red Sox missed their best chance to score in the first inning when Turner doubled and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice. Walker then got Triston Casas to strike out swinging to end the inning.
Leading 1-0, San Francisco doubled its lead in the sixth after Luciano singled leading off and Casey Schmitt was hit by a pitch. After both runners were sacrificed over, Austin Slater hit a sharp grounder to second and Luciano scored on a headfirst slide into home without a throw.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: To make room, for Llovera, LHP Joe Jacques was optioned to Triple-A Worcester.
Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was activated from the disabled list but did not start after missing 11 games with left knee inflammation. … INF Thairo Estrada (left hand fracture) is making progress, according to manager Gabe Kapler. … INF/OF Brett Wisely was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
UP NEXT
Neither team has announced starting pitchers for the series finale Sunday.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/j-d-davis-homers-in-9th-to-give-the-giants-a-3-2-win-over-the-red-sox/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:45 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/j-d-davis-homers-in-9th-to-give-the-giants-a-3-2-win-over-the-red-sox/ |
Los Angeles sheriff’s academy recruit who was struck by SUV on training run dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles County sheriff’s recruit who was struck by an SUV during a training run last year has died, authorities said.
Alejandro Martinez fought for his life for the past eight months, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said late Friday.
“Tragically, he was not able to fulfill his calling of helping others,” the department said in a statement. “He will forever live in our hearts & never be forgotten.”
About 75 recruits, from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and several local police agencies, were running in formation on a street in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier last November when an SUV veered into them. Twenty-five cadets were injured.
The SUV driver had been identified as a 22-year-old man from suburban Diamond Bar who suffered a minor injury. He was initially arrested for investigation but authorities later released him on grounds that more investigation was needed. His attorney said he has no animosity toward law enforcement and that it was a tragic accident. | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/los-angeles-sheriffs-academy-recruit-who-was-struck-by-suv-on-training-run-dies-2/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:51 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/los-angeles-sheriffs-academy-recruit-who-was-struck-by-suv-on-training-run-dies-2/ |
Mookie Betts is scratched from Dodgers lineup with right ankle soreness
LOS ANGELES (AP) — All-Star Mookie Betts was scratched from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup with right ankle soreness on Saturday night.
He injured his ankle while trying to back out of an inside pitch from Alexis Diaz in the eighth inning of Friday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Manager Dave Roberts said Betts is day-to-day with minor swelling and soreness.
Betts has played in 99 of the team’s 102 games this season, starting 98 times. He is batting .277 with 27 home runs.
He had been set to start at second base against Reds right-hander Luke Weaver. He was replaced by Chris Taylor.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/mookie-betts-is-scratched-from-dodgers-lineup-with-right-ankle-soreness/ | 2023-07-30T03:57:57 | 1 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/mookie-betts-is-scratched-from-dodgers-lineup-with-right-ankle-soreness/ |
Rangers acquire Scherzer while losing 4-0 to Padres, their 6th loss in 8 games
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The slumping Texas Rangers acquired three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer on Saturday night during a 4-0 loss to Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres, their sixth loss in eight games cutting their AL West lead to one game over Houston.
The blockbuster trade with the New York Mets came as Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi had his next start pushed back again and manager Bruce Bochy spoke of the need for the rotation to improve. Then Martín Pérez gave up four runs in the second inning, when the 32-year-old left-hander allowed five straight baserunners and two runs before getting his first out.
The Rangers added the 39-year-old Scherzer with another former Mets pitcher with Cy Young credentials, two-time winner Jacob deGrom, sidelined by Tommy John elbow surgery, possibly all the way through the end of next season. A person with knowledge of the deal spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced.
According to multiple reports, the deal nets New York one of the top Texas prospects in infielder Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr. As part of the deal, Scherzer agreed to opt in on the final year of his contract in 2024 at $43 million, according to reports that also said the Mets were paying about $35 million of the remaining $58 million on the right-hander’s contract.
The Padres have won two straight against the Rangers after looking dismal in losing two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are last in the NL Central.
San Diego has fallen short of expectations after it reached the NL Championship Series last year and increased its payroll to about $250 million, third-highest in the majors. The Padres came into Saturday night buried in fourth place in the NL West, nine games behind Los Angeles, and six games out of the third wild-card spot.
Darvish (8-7) held his former club to three hits in six innings while striking out nine and walking two.
Pérez (8-4) allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, walked three and struck out one.
Luis Campusano hit a bases-loaded RBI single to start the scoring in the second inning while Gary Sanchez followed with a run-scoring walk. Ha-Seong Kim added a two-run single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: Bochy said Eovaldi “has just a touch of mild soreness there” in his elbow so he’ll be pushed back again. “We don’t think it’s serious or anything,” the manager said.
Padres: Manager Bob Melvin said an MRI on Juan Soto’s right middle finger “looked good,” although pain is “going to be there some.”
UP NEXT
With Eovaldi’s next start pushed back, the Rangers will go with a bullpen game for Sunday’s series finale while Padres LHP Blake Snell (7-8, 2.61 ERA) is scheduled to make his final start before the trade deadline. Snell has been mentioned as a trade possibility if the struggling Padres think they’re too far out to make a playoff run.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/rangers-acquire-scherzer-while-losing-4-0-to-padres-their-6th-loss-in-8-games/ | 2023-07-30T03:58:03 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2023/07/29/rangers-acquire-scherzer-while-losing-4-0-to-padres-their-6th-loss-in-8-games/ |
Carson Hocevar came from the back of the field at the start to win Saturday night’s Craftsman Truck Series race for his third victory of the season.
Hocevar had to start at the rear because of unapproved adjustments. He came back to lead 64 of the 250 laps.
MORE: Richmond results
The race marked the end of the regular season. Nick Sanchez, Matt DiBenedetto and Matt Crafton claimed the final three spots in the 10-driver playoff.
Ty Majeski, who won the first two stages and led a race-high 168 laps, finished second. Zane Smith placed third. Rookie Jake Garcia was a career-best fourth. Matt Mills finished a career-best fifth.
Corey Heim was sixth and claimed the regular-season championship. Crafton placed seventh and was followed by Sanchez, Grant Enfinger and William Sawalich.
The playoffs begin Aug. 11 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. | https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/richmond-truck-race-results-carson-hocevar-wins | 2023-07-30T03:58:20 | 0 | https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/richmond-truck-race-results-carson-hocevar-wins |
4 dead, 2 injured in separate aircraft accidents in Wisconsin, authorities say
Jul 29, 2023, 4:50 PM
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — Two people were killed and two others injured Saturday in a midair collision at an airport in Wisconsin.
A Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA Eclipse 10 gyrocopter collided shortly after noon local time at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, authorities said. The aircraft belonged to individuals attending the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in convention in Oshkosh but were not involved in the air show, a statement from the organization said.
The association, citing the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, said two people were killed and two injured. The injured were taken to a local hospital and were in stable condition.
The association said further information would be released as additional details are confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Separately, a plane earlier Saturday crashed into Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh, killing two people, according to the sheriff’s office. The NTSB is also investigating that case, which involved a single-engine North American T-6 aircraft. | https://mynorthwest.com/3914814/4-dead-2-injured-in-separate-aircraft-accidents-in-wisconsin-authorities-say/ | 2023-07-30T03:58:20 | 1 | https://mynorthwest.com/3914814/4-dead-2-injured-in-separate-aircraft-accidents-in-wisconsin-authorities-say/ |
Travis Kelce promises to give peace a chance.
The Chiefs tight end took to social media to acknowledge that he was out of line after multiple practice altercations in recent days.
“Gotta be a better teammate gotta be a better leader… plain and simple,” Kelce tweeted, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com.
Kelce on Saturday punched linebacker Jack Cochrane. On Friday, he threw hands at cornerback Dicaprio Bootle.
Per Teicher, both incidents happened after the defender’s tried to knock the ball loose from Kelce’s grip after a catch.
On Friday, coach Andy Reid spoke out against the practice of practice altercations.
“Fighting is a waste of time,’' Reid said, via Teicher. “You get thrown out of games doing it, you get hurt out here doing it. But they’re going to jaw. It’s hot, humid. They’re going to jaw a little bit. Just as long as there are not punches thrown, we’re all right.’'
It continued on Saturday, despite Reid’s comments from Friday. It will be interesting to see what Reid does about it, given that Kelce is one of the best and most important players on the team. | https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/travis-kelce-vows-to-be-a-better-teammate-after-multiple-practice-incidents | 2023-07-30T03:58:30 | 0 | https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/travis-kelce-vows-to-be-a-better-teammate-after-multiple-practice-incidents |
Los Angeles sheriff’s academy recruit who was struck by SUV on training run dies
Jul 29, 2023, 6:38 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles County sheriff’s recruit who was struck by an SUV during a training run last year has died, authorities said.
Alejandro Martinez fought for his life for the past eight months, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said late Friday.
“Tragically, he was not able to fulfill his calling of helping others,” the department said in a statement. “He will forever live in our hearts & never be forgotten.”
About 75 recruits, from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and several local police agencies, were running in formation on a street in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier last November when an SUV veered into them. Twenty-five cadets were injured.
The SUV driver had been identified as a 22-year-old man from suburban Diamond Bar who suffered a minor injury. He was initially arrested for investigation but authorities later released him on grounds that more investigation was needed. His attorney said he has no animosity toward law enforcement and that it was a tragic accident. | https://mynorthwest.com/3914820/los-angeles-sheriffs-academy-recruit-who-was-struck-by-suv-on-training-run-dies/ | 2023-07-30T03:58:35 | 1 | https://mynorthwest.com/3914820/los-angeles-sheriffs-academy-recruit-who-was-struck-by-suv-on-training-run-dies/ |
In summer heat, bear spotted in Southern California backyard Jacuzzi
Jul 29, 2023, 7:21 PM
(Burbank Police Department via AP)
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — With the summer heat wave in full swing in Southern California, a backyard pool is a tempting place to take a dip.
Even for a bear.
Police in the city of Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement Friday.
Police released a video of the animal in the neighborhood, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles and near the Verdugo Mountains.
The Burbank police have issued warnings for residents to avoid bears and to keep all garbage and food locked up to discourage bears from coming to their residences. | https://mynorthwest.com/3914830/in-summer-heat-bear-spotted-in-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi/ | 2023-07-30T03:58:51 | 1 | https://mynorthwest.com/3914830/in-summer-heat-bear-spotted-in-southern-california-backyard-jacuzzi/ |
FUKUOKA, Japan — Here's why Katie Ledecky is one of the greatest freestyle swimmers in the history of the sport: She is never quite satisfied.
The 26-year-old American won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the world championships to become the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds. It was also her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most golds at worlds.
She also is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in both the 800 and 1,500.
But that winning time — 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds, which is the seventh-quickest she'd ever swum — wasn't quite good enough in her favorite event.
“I'm just always trying to think of new ways to improve. I mean I’ve already got everything turning in my head right now. I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight,” she said, twirling her right hand beside her right ear, trying to stir up ideas.
“I’m pretty tough on myself," she said. “But I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace.”
The 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free. Li Bingjie of China took silver in 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia got the bronze in 8:13.59.
“It's fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool," Ledecky said.
It was only the fourth gold for the United States in the seventh of eight days in the pool. Meanwhile, Australia has been piling it on with 13 golds, matching its best at the worlds. Australia won three more golds on Saturday.
The Americans lead the overall table with 31 medals (16 silver), Australia has 20 and China 13.
Kaylee McKeown of Australia made history of her own with gold in the women’s 200 backstroke. McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events after earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
It all made up for her disqualification earlier in the 200 IM.
“You can’t change the rules,” she said. “I got ruled out. It’s just the cards I was dealt with and I couldn’t do much more than that. So I just had to carry myself the best I could and channel all my anger and turn a huge negative into a positive.”
Regan Smith of the United States picked up the silver in 2:04.94, while Peng Xuwei of China got the bronze in 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjöström of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the 50 butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 seconds and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjöström’s individual medals at the worlds to 20, equaling Phelps’ mark.
Sjöström also broke her own record in the 50 free, going 23.61 in a semifinal heat. Her old mark was 23.67 set in 2017.
“There are not too many secrets,” Sjöström said about her longevity. “Just do the work every day, go to practice, and stay humble.”
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Japanese fan favorite Rikako Ikee finished seventh (25.78) in the 50 fly but was greeted warmly by the home crowd.
The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and was expected to be a favorite in the Tokyo Olympics. But she was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia led all the way to capture the gold in the 50 free in 21.06. It was his first individual gold in the worlds or Olympics.
American Jack Alexy collected his second silver of the worlds in 21.57 to go with his silver in the 100 free. Benjamin Proud of Britian, last year’s world champion, took the bronze in 21.58.
Caeleb Dressel won the event at the Olympics but did not qualify for the U.S. team. McEvoy's time was quicker than Dressel's winning time in Tokyo — 21.07.
Maxime Grousset of France won gold in the 100 fly in 50.14. The 24-year-old took the early lead and held on. Josh Liendo of Canada earned the silver in 50.34, while American Dare Rose made the podium with the bronze (50.46).
Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania equaled the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the 50 breaststroke.
Australia won the 4x100 mixed freestyle relay in a world record of 3:18.83. The Americans took silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68. The relay is not an Olympic event. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed | 2023-07-30T03:59:03 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed |
FBI worried about AI and disinformation ahead of the 2024 election
After months of warnings from tech executives about the dangers of artificial intelligence, the FBI has a new list of concerns.
The agency's biggest fears are not only about what the technology does but also about who is using it.
During a rare background briefing call with reporters, a senior FBI official, who even acknowledged that they haven't done significant outreach on the topic of AI, described a pretty concerning situation, or a "threat landscape," as the FBI calls it.
He said that China is looking to steal U.S. AI technology and data for AI programs and then use it not just to advance their own AI programs but to influence Americans.
He also said that the FBI is closely monitoring the role that AI may play in the 2024 election and is concerned about the spread of disinformation and deep fake videos.
He said that criminals and terrorists are seeking AI to simplify the production of dangerous chemicals and biological substances to increase their potency.
SEE MORE: Tech giants commit to Biden administration-brokered AI safety rules
Scripps News asked about explosives, and this official said that a variety of criminal and national security actors, from violent extremists to traditional terrorists, are using AI to try to come up with ways to create different types of explosives.
He said, "There have been people who have successfully elicited recipes or instructions for creating explosives."
He also said that AI is a force multiplier for crafting fishing e-mails and for using it in other cyberattacks. He says that the FBI has found AI-generated websites that are infected with malware to target users' sites that have more than a million followers.
The bottom line, the FBI says, there are fewer people, less expertise, and less time needed for a lot of these threats, so there's a much lower bar or barrier for entry here.
Furthermore, the FBI is spending some of its time working on being able to determine what is synthetically AI-generated content online. They are working with private companies, and they're working with academia. But as this official said, this technology is advancing really quickly, and it is hard to stay on top of it.
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Scripps Only Content 2023 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/30/fbi-worried-about-ai-disinformation-ahead-2024-election/ | 2023-07-30T03:59:35 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/30/fbi-worried-about-ai-disinformation-ahead-2024-election/ |
A Pasadena Church is asking for the public’s help after a historic cross was stolen by vandals amid repeated break-ins.
The beloved cross was taken straight from the altar inside the St. James United Methodist Church. The distinct cross holds special meaning because it also survived a fire during the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Thieves smashed their way inside the church on July 23 before escaping with the cross.
“This is the theater,” said church member Jude Lucas-Rynerson of the damage. “What they did is, they removed the moulding and took the glass out,” she said while pointing at a set of doors.
“The cross, with original and unique mosaic design detail, was originally found after the earthquake and used as a centerpiece for the architectural design of the St. James United Methodist Church in Pasadena, built in 1941,” officials explained.
Church members said thieves and vandals have continually targeted the church over the past three years. Trespassers would break doors, shatter stained glass windows and even sleep inside the church.
“They were breaking into this area and using it mainly for sleeping, but they were also using this small kitchen which has an exterior door that they would break into,” Lucas-Rynerson said. “We have since installed these locks.”
Throughout the years, the vandals have frightened churchgoers as well.
“We walked in and one of them was here coming out of the kitchen saying, ‘What are you doing in my home?’ recalls Katsy Chappell, a church member. “We’re like, ‘Okay, this is a crazy situation.’”
Although the church has remained an open community gathering place for generations, officials now feel they have no choice but to lock up and increase security.
“You’ll notice that this is bolted,” Lucas-Rynerson said. “You’ve got this lock here and on all the doors.”
Church officials hope the increase in security measures will prevent future break-ins from happening.
“Everyone is just devastated and on top of that, a lot of people feel unsafe and feel like their place of worship has been intruded upon and has been desecrated,” said Sara Rynerson, a church attorney.
Most importantly though, the church just wants the safe return of the beloved cross to its rightful place on the altar. Without the cross, they said the soul of the church has been taken from them.
“No questions asked,” Chappell said. “Just put it out there, wrap it up, toss it over the side, just bring it back. It’s a cross. It has lots of meaning to this church.”
Church members also say they forgive the suspects who took the cross.
“The cross is there to bless them,” said Lucas-Rynerson. “We’re hoping that they’re going to return it. In the meantime, the church prays not only for the return of the cross but for the health and well-being of the persons who took it.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to raise funds to upgrade the church’s security system throughout the facility. Donated funds will be used for security camera installation, motion-sensor lights, improved gates and locks, and repairs to facilities that have been repeatedly broken.
“It’s a big campus and there are lots of different points of entry,” explained Alexander Rynerson, a church attorney. “So having cameras outside, inside would be very beneficial and also that security system would be one that alerts law enforcement.” | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/california/historic-cross-stolen-from-pasadena-church/ | 2023-07-30T04:00:29 | 0 | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/california/historic-cross-stolen-from-pasadena-church/ |
Mountain of miscues cost Phillies in 7-6 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates
The Phillies blew a 4-1 lead, rallied, but fell short on Saturday night.
PITTSBURGH — Even as he conceded that the time had come to drop struggling Trea Turner out of the No. 2 spot in the Phillies’ batting order, manager Rob Thomson held firm to a core belief.
“Our best lineup,” Thomson said, “is when [Turner] is hitting and he’s hitting in the two spot.”
The proof came later Saturday night. Nick Castellanos, the first choice to move into Turner’s vacated spot, came up with two out and the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the eighth inning, and chased a low-and-away curveball to punctuate an 0-for-5, three-strikeout game in a 7-6 loss to the Pirates at sold-out PNC Park.
“Just been no-good, man, honestly,” said Castellanos, 7-for-60 (.117) with 21 strikeouts since representing the Phillies in the All-Star Game. “Hard time just finding that consistent rhythm. Just been bad.”
» READ MORE: Phillies drop struggling Trea Turner to seventh in the batting order vs. Pirates
Castellanos’ rough game also included playing a fly ball to right field into a leadoff double in the Pirates’ two-run fourth inning. But let’s be clear: He was hardly was the lone Phillies culprit in an eyesore of a game.
A rundown of a few of the more egregious moments:
Aaron Nola couldn’t hold a 4-1 lead. He put 12 runners on base (nine hits, three walks), got only 14 outs, and didn’t complete five innings for the first time since opening day.
The Pirates needed a shutdown inning after cutting the margin to 4-3 in the fifth. Bryce Harper helped them get it. Harper got thrown out easily at second base trying to stretch a single. He explained that he was thinking “two out of the box,” but admitted also that he “thought I hit it better than I did.”
A half-inning later, Harper made his first error at first base, booting a grounder that could‘ve started a double play. Instead, it helped fuel the Pirates’ four-run rally. “That’s the one play, the double play, that kind of gets me going a little bit,” Harper said. “Just got to slow it down and make it next time.”
After stroking a double to clear the bases in the fourth inning, Brandon Marsh helped the Pirates do the same in the fifth. He was unable to knock down Endy Rodríguez’s sinking line drive to center field. It was scored a three-run triple to give the Pirates a 6-4 lead; it should’ve been a single and an error.
Oh, and with the tying run on third base and one out in the ninth inning, J.T. Realmuto grounded into a game-ending double play.
All together now: Ugh.
“I thought we could’ve caught a couple of balls in the outfield,” Thomson said. “The Harper error, he just rushed on it. It’s the body clock thing [at a new position] that he has to get used to.”
Thomson said he intends to stick with Castellanos in the No. 2 spot, at least until Turner finds his timing at the plate. Turner struck out on a slider with the bases loaded in the fourth inning but drew a walk in the sixth before singling and scoring in the eighth.
Castellanos insists he doesn’t feel any added pressure.
“Sometimes I find myself in a hole, I want to get out of it,” Castellanos said. “The harder I try, the deeper I get. Just got to stay at it, stay working.”
No, No, Nola
For all the miscues that took place behind him, Nola allowed a lot of hard contact, especially against the inexperienced bottom half of the Pirates’ order.
Rodríguez, Jared Triolo, Alika Williams, and Liover Peguero — the No. 6-9 hitters — came into the game with a total of 33 hits. They went 5-for-9 with two walks against Nola.
It was a 4⅔-inning slog for Nola. He allowed his league-leading 24th homer, a third-inning shot by Peguero. But he was bothered most by a lack of command. After going 20⅓ innings without walking a batter in his last three starts, he issued three walks to the Pirates.
» READ MORE: A year later, trading for Brandon Marsh is still paying off for the Phillies
“Really didn’t have much command outside the first inning,” Nola said. “A lot of leadoff guys on and getting behind in counts a lot.”
Through 22 starts, Nola has a 4.43 ERA and one word to describe his season.
“Inconsistent,” he said. “The guys gave me runs tonight, and I didn’t produce for them. Couple of innings really got away from me.”
Another hit for Rojas
With the trade deadline looming at 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Phillies are still hunting for a right-handed hitter to play left field. It remains their top priority.
But Johan Rojas remains an alternative worth considering.
Rojas wasn’t in the lineup against Pirates righty Quinn Priester. But he stayed in the game after pinch-hitting for Jake Cave against a lefty and robbed Andrew McCutchen of a hit in the sixth inning with the diving catch that Marsh was able to come up with in the fifth.
» READ MORE: Phillies move on from Rule 5 pick Noah Song
In the eighth inning, Rojas chopped an RBI single against Pirates closer David Bednar, a nasty right-hander. Rojas, known for his defense, is 7-for-20 (.350) with four strikeouts since getting called up from double A two weeks ago.
“He’s having good at-bats. He’s playing well,” Thomson said. “Now, we’re going to ease him into this, so we don’t overexpose him, if there’s a chance of that, and pick our spots to play him. I like what I see. I really do.” | https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-pirates-score-aaron-nola-20230729.html | 2023-07-30T04:00:39 | 0 | https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-pirates-score-aaron-nola-20230729.html |
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Best five-year anniversary gifts for her Tradition dictates that the five-year wedding anniversary gift is wood, but you don’t have to stick to that. Read on for the best anniversary gifts for her. | https://www.localsyr.com/weather/sundays-harborfest-boating-forecast/ | 2023-07-30T04:02:10 | 1 | https://www.localsyr.com/weather/sundays-harborfest-boating-forecast/ |
Wichita community cools off at Splash Aqua Park despite recent vandalism
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - As extreme heat continues across the state, some people are choosing to cool off at the Splash Aqua Park.
“It’s miserable,” said Parker Smith. “It’s hard to stay hydrated and keep up with it, you know?”
“I’m sure it’s going to feel great to get in and I’m hoping it’s cold,” said Grant Hoffman.
However, visitors didn’t get access to the full experience. The Splash Aqua Park is only half open because of recent vandalism.
“It’s been a lot more rampant,” said Todd Stover, manager of Splash Aqua Park. “Last year, we only had one incident, this year its been quite a few. The one recently is most upsetting.”
Stover said the vandals caused $60,000 to $75,000 in damages. The park reopened this week at half capacity. This recent heat wave is leading to a loss in revenue.
“It was at a bad timing with this heat wave,” Stover said. “It’s perfect weather to have a full park right now. We are doing half price at $9.00 which is a good thing.”
Visitors aren’t happy with the vandalism.
“I think it’s really messed up that somebody would do that, you know? It’s just a fun place,” said Smith.
Despite the setbacks, the Splash Aqua Park said it’s going to continue to provide heat relief for its guests through the end of the season.
“The perseverance is real,” said Stover. “We’re going to strong and we’re going to keep going.”
Copyright 2023 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/30/wichita-community-cools-off-splash-aqua-park-despite-recent-vandalism/ | 2023-07-30T04:02:46 | 0 | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/30/wichita-community-cools-off-splash-aqua-park-despite-recent-vandalism/ |
Nearly two years after 10 people were crushed to death during the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, no charges have been filed — even though some people, including event workers, expressed safety concerns.
Pinpointing “who exactly caused those deaths is not an easy question to answer,” said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a criminal law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
“It’s a very difficult thing to say, unless you have some kind of clear evidence that somebody in charge, whose job it was to ensure safety and who should have known better, failed to take action,” she said.
A nearly 1,300-page report on the investigation into the tragedy released by Houston police Friday said contract worker Reece Wheeler told authorities that he saw a crush of people and warned an event organizer that people could die, shortly before rapper Travis Scott went onstage.
In the report, investigators wrote that Scott said he did see one person near the stage getting medical attention, but said that overall, the crowd seemed to enjoy the show. He said he did not see any signs of serious problems, nor did he hear anyone tell him to stop the show.
Hip-hop artist Drake, who also performed, told police it was difficult to see from the stage what was going on in the crowd and that he didn’t hear anyone call for the show to stop.
Despite no charges being filed, more than 500 lawsuits have been filed over the deaths and injuries at the concert, including many against concert promoter Live Nation and Scott. Some of those suits have since been settled.
Those who were killed ranged in age from 9 to 27, and all 10 people died due to compression asphyxia, according to medical examiners.
In June, a Texas grand jury declined to indict six people in the case, including Scott. Prosecutors said, then, that the circumstances of the deaths limited what charges they were able to present, eliminating potential counts such as murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Thompson said the sheer number of people involved in putting on the event, the large scale of it, and the high bar for proving criminal negligence or recklessness are challenges for prosecutors in cases like this.
“It goes back to, who knows what’s going on, is that being communicated?” she said. “Were they being told that people have died, and they still wanted the concert to go on? Or, were they being told that ‘Hey, some people are getting hurt, which might not be that unusual at an event like that?”
Assistant Harris County District Attorney Alycia Harvey said after the grand jury declined to issue indictments that prosecutors were left with only possible counts of endangering a child in connection with the deaths of the two youngest concertgoers, ages 9 and 14.
Scott’s lawyer, Kent Schaffer, has said that the performer was not responsible for the tragedy.
“He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt,” Schaffer said.
Scott has previously said he was unaware of the deaths until after the show. He has since created what he called Project HEAL, a $5 million initiative that includes funding for an effort to address safety challenges for festivals and large-scale events.
The police report said Scott told investigators that around the time Drake came onstage he was told to end the show after the performance, but that no one told him of an emergency.
Following the tragedy, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott formed a task force to study concert safety, and to recommend crowd control and security measures during mass gathering.
The task force in April 2022 reported that people without tickets entered the outdoor festival area hours before the performances began, overwhelming staff and leading to a variety of injuries. It also concluded that the process for issuing permits for mass gatherings is inconsistent statewide.
The task force recommended creating a command center that is authorized to pause or cancel a show in response to safety concerns.
“Sometimes, sadly, industries learn safety practices following disasters,” said Thompson, the law professor. “The standards for live concerts like this, I would imagine, are going to change.”
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Miller reported from Oklahoma City, Willingham reported from Charleston, West Virginia. | https://www.koin.com/entertainment-news/ap-10-people-died-at-the-astroworld-music-festival-two-years-ago-what-happens-now/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:19 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/entertainment-news/ap-10-people-died-at-the-astroworld-music-festival-two-years-ago-what-happens-now/ |
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday.
Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country’s new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa’s Sahel region.
Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the U.S. hinged on the release of Bazoum and “the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger.”
“Our economic and security partnership with Niger — which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars — depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days,” Blinken said. “So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed.”
Blinken stopped short of calling the military actions in Niger a coup, a designation that could result in the African country losing millions of dollars of military aid and assistance.
Speaking in Brisbane, Blinken said he had spoken with President Bazoum on Saturday but did not provide details. He cited the support of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other regional entities in trying to bring an end to the unrest.
“The very significant assistance that we have in place that’s making a material difference in the lives of the people of Niger is clearly in jeopardy and we’ve communicated that as clearly as we possibly can to those responsible for disrupting the constitutional order and Niger’s democracy,” Blinken said.
Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Niger had accounted for the safety of all staff members and their families, while issuing a security alert advising U.S. citizens in the country to limit unnecessary movements and avoid areas impacted by the coup.
The military group that conducted the coup, calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said its members remained committed to engaging with the international and national community.
“This is as a result of the continuing degradation of the security situation, the bad economic and social governance,” air force Col. Major Amadou Abdramane said in the video released by the coup leaders Wednesday. He said aerial and land borders were closed and a curfew was in place until the situation stabilized.
Bazoum was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France.
Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa’s Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism.
France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with Niger’s military, while the U.S. and other European countries have helped train the nation’s troops.
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Hannon reported from Bangkok. | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-blinken-says-us-economic-support-for-niger-is-at-risk-as-military-takeover-threatens-stability/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:26 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-blinken-says-us-economic-support-for-niger-is-at-risk-as-military-takeover-threatens-stability/ |
TOKYO (AP) — Toshihiro Mutsuda was only 5 years old when he last saw his father, who was drafted by Japan’s Imperial Army in 1943 and killed in action. For him, his father was a bespectacled man in an old family photo standing by a signed good-luck flag that he carried to war.
On Saturday, when the flag was returned to him from a U.S. war museum where it had been on display for 29 years, Mutsuda, now 83, said: “It’s a miracle.”
The flag, known as “Yosegaki Hinomaru,” or Good Luck Flag, carries the soldier’s name, Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, and the signatures of his relatives, friends and neighbors wishing him luck. It was given to him before he was drafted by the Army. His family was later told he died in Saipan, but his remains were never returned.
The flag was donated in 1994 and displayed at the museum aboard the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Its meaning was not known until it was identified by the family earlier this year, said museum director Steve Banta, who brought the flag to Tokyo.
Banta said he learned the story behind the flag earlier this year when he was contacted by the Obon Society, a nonprofit organization that has returned about 500 similar flags as non-biological remains, to the descendants of Japanese servicemembers killed in the war.
The search for the flag’s original owner started in April when a museum visitor took a photo and asked an expert about the description that it had belonged to a “kamikaze” suicide pilot. When Shigeyoshi Mutsuda’s grandson saw the photo, he sought help from the Obon Society, group co-founder Keiko Ziak said.
“When we learned all of this, and that the family would like to have the flag, we knew immediately that the flag did not belong to us,” Banta said at the handover ceremony. “We knew that the right thing to do would be to send the flag home, to be in Japan and to the family.”
The soldier’s eldest son, Toshihiro Mutsuda, was speechless for a few seconds when Banta, wearing white gloves, gently placed the neatly folded flag into his hands. Two of his younger siblings, both in their 80s, stood by and looked on silently. The three children, all wearing cotton gloves so they wouldn’t damage the decades-old flag, carefully unfolded it to show to the audience.
“After receiving the flag today, I earnestly felt that the war like that should never be fought again and that I do not wish anyone else to go through this sadness (of separation),” Toshihiro Mutsuda said.
The soldier’s daughter, Misako Matsukuchi, touched the flag with both hands and prayed. “After nearly 80 years, the spirit of our father returned to us. I hope he can finally rest in peace,” Matsukuchi said later.
Toshihiro Mutsuda said his memory of his father was foggy. However, he clearly remembers his mother, Masae Mutsuda, who died five years ago at age 102, used to make the long-distance bus trip almost every year from the farming town in Gifu, central Japan, to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, where the 2.5 million war dead are enshrined, to pay tribute to her husband’s spirit.
The shrine is controversial, as it includes convicted war criminals among those commemorated. Victims of Japanese aggression during the first half of the 20th century, especially China and the Koreas, see Yasukuni as a symbol of Japanese militarism. However, for the Mutsuda family, it’s a place to remember the loss of a father and husband.
“It’s like an old love story across the ages coming together … It doesn’t matter where,” Banta said, referring to the Yasukuni controversy. “The important thing is this flag goes to the family.”
That’s why Toshihiro Mutsuda and his siblings chose to receive the flag at Yasukuni and brought the framed photos of their parents.
“My mother missed him and wanted to see him so much and that’s why she used to pray here,” he said. “Today her wish finally came true, and she was able to be reunited.”
Keeping the flag on his lap, he said, “I feel the weight of the flag.” | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-its-a-miracle-say-family-of-japanese-soldier-killed-in-wwii-as-flag-he-carried-returns-from-us/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:34 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-its-a-miracle-say-family-of-japanese-soldier-killed-in-wwii-as-flag-he-carried-returns-from-us/ |
CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A body has been recovered in the waters off Coney Island.
The body was found around 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Police are still working to confirm the identity, but rescue teams had been searching for a 15-year-old boy who was swept away on Thursday afternoon.
The teen and his 14-year-old brother were playing in shallow water by a jetty when they got swept away by a current.
Witnesses pulled the younger boy to safety.
ALSO READ | City investigating 'unique' crane fire, collapse in Manhattan
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Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. | https://abc7ny.com/nyc-body-found-coney-island-missing-swimmer-brooklyn/13571009/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:36 | 1 | https://abc7ny.com/nyc-body-found-coney-island-missing-swimmer-brooklyn/13571009/ |
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand striker Hannah Wilkinson has helped create two milestones at the Women’s World Cup.
With her 48th-minute goal in the tournament opener against Norway, she led the co-host Football Ferns to their first win in six trips to the Women’s World Cup. She’s also one of at least 95 out members of the LGBTQ+ community competing in this year’s tournament, according to a count being kept by Outsports, a website that covers the LGBTQ+ sports.
The Ferns were greeted with a fan-made sign at their next match in Wellington: “Gay for soccer, gay for Wilkie,” it read.
The 95 out participants make up roughly 13% of the 736 total players at the Women’s World Cup, more than doubling the 40 players and coaches Outsports counted in 2019.
The 2023 tournament also is hosting the first openly trans and non-binary player in either a men’s or Women’s World Cup, Quinn of Canada.
“Last World Cup was so big, especially with the visibility of the U.S. women’s national team winning and (Megan Rapinoe) fighting with (Donald) Trump. So I think that was a huge year for LGBTQ+ visibility,” said Lindsey Freeman, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.
“It’s just the ad hoc, fun culture of women’s soccer that you’re seeing in this World Cup,” said Freeman, who is in New Zealand conducting research on the topic.
Jim Buzinski, co-founder of Outsports, agreed. “In the Western world, it’s such a non-issue that it really just doesn’t get talked about,” he said. “And I think that’s in a good way.”
VISIBILITY
Prior to the start of the tournament, FIFA designated eight socially conscious armbands team captains could wear throughout the Women’s World Cup. The decision came after “One Love” armbands were denied to men’s teams in Qatar in 2022.
The armbands being used this year include anti-discriminatory sayings and multiple colors, but the rainbow version Germany wanted to use is not allowed. None of the available options explicitly mention LGBTQ+ rights.
The decision has led many players to express their support in more creative ways across Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand midfielder Ali Riley was interviewed on the official Women’s World Cup broadcast after her team’s upset of Norway. Her painted fingernails, left hand in the colors of the pride flag and right hand as the trans flag, were clearly visible as she held her head and fought back tears.
“She’s such an advocate and she’s definitely someone who uses her platform in such a positive way. We are all so proud of her and the way she represents the LGBTQ+ community,” teammate CJ Bott said. “Good on her. We’re all backing her, and we all back the community as well.”
The Philippines, making its Women’s World Cup debut, took home its own historic win over New Zealand 1-0 thanks to the foot of Sarina Bolden. Bolden’s Instagram bio reads, “i just wanna have fun n b gay.”
Irish star Katie McCabe wowed fans with a goal directly from a corner kick. She’s also made tabloid news for her relationships with other players.
Thembi Kgatlana, who has scored in the tournament for South Africa, has a patch of her hair dyed rainbow colors.
“My personality is very big for me, and my hair has become a part of my personality,” Kgatlana said. “And I did this rainbow because I want to represent all the people that are part of the LGBTQ and cannot talk while in countries where they’re oppressed.”
FAN EXPERIENCE
Kristen Pariseau and her wife started a U.S. women’s national team supporters group on Facebook ahead of traveling to this year’s Women’s World Cup. Aside from some hateful users she blocked, it’s been “super LGBT friendly.”
She and her wife did not go to Qatar for the 2022 men’s World Cup to avoid referencing each other as friends and receiving questions on their sexuality. In New Zealand, she said she’s met many same-sex couples at games and while traveling around the country.
“Everywhere you turn, it’s like, ‘Oh, my wife, my girlfriend.’ It’s been so welcoming and open,” Pariseau said. “In a way, it is kind of cool to be where there’s a lot of other people like you.”
Kelsie Bozart took her own pride flag armband to the United States’ second match in Wellington, along with a pride scarf.
“If you look back a couple years, I feel like it just wasn’t really talked about or there just wasn’t much of a presence,” Bozart said. “But moving forward I feel like, especially for the U.S., they’ve done an amazing job of just incorporating pride and LGBTQ.”
NOT UNIVERSAL
Though this year’s tournament has highlighted vast gains for the LGBTQ+ community in women’s soccer, advocates feel there is still work to be done.
According to Buzinski and Outsports, there were at least 186 LGBTQ+ athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. Women outnumbered men by a 9:1 ratio. There also were no confirmed out players at the 2022 men’s World Cup.
“I think women’s sports have always been open,” Denmark striker Pernille Harder said, adding that there are many role models for women who want to come out.
Freeman said it would be good to see men feel the same level of comfort.
“What can happen in the women’s game, I would love to spill over to the men’s game,” she said. “Because obviously, there’s way more queer players in the men’s game and it’s just not safe for them to come out.
“If you want to say that you’re in an inclusive space, you really have to be an inclusive space,” Freeman added. “And I think that that includes also holding the World Cup in places where it’s fine to be a queer person.”
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Max Ralph is a student in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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Contributing reporters included Joe Lister in Wellington and Rafaela Pontes in Auckland, students in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State, and Clay Witt in Sydney, Australia, a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-lgbtq-community-proud-and-visible-at-womens-world-cup/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:41 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-lgbtq-community-proud-and-visible-at-womens-world-cup/ |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The cosmos is offering up a double feature in August: a pair of supermoons culminating in a rare blue moon.
Catch the first show Tuesday evening as the full moon rises in the southeast, appearing slightly brighter and bigger than normal. That’s because it will be closer than usual, just 222,159 miles (357,530 kilometers) away, thus the supermoon label.
The moon will be even closer the night of Aug. 30 — a scant 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) distant. Because it’s the second full moon in the same month, it will be what’s called a blue moon.
“Warm summer nights are the ideal time to watch the full moon rise in the eastern sky within minutes of sunset. And it happens twice in August,” said retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, dubbed Mr. Eclipse for his eclipse-chasing expertise.
The last time two full supermoons graced the sky in the same month was in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.
Masi will provide a live webcast of Tuesday evening’s supermoon, as it rises over the Coliseum in Rome.
“My plans are to capture the beauty of this … hopefully bringing the emotion of the show to our viewers,” Masi said in an email.
“The supermoon offers us a great opportunity to look up and discover the sky,” he added.
This year’s first supermoon was in July. The fourth and last will be in September. The two in August will be closer than either of those.
Provided clear skies, binoculars or backyard telescopes can enhance the experience, Espenak said, revealing such features as lunar maria — the dark plains formed by ancient volcanic lava flows — and rays emanating from lunar craters.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the August full moon is traditionally known as the sturgeon moon. That’s because of the abundance of that fish in the Great Lakes in August, hundreds of years ago.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-two-supermoons-in-august-mean-double-the-stargazing-fun/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:48 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-two-supermoons-in-august-mean-double-the-stargazing-fun/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Chatter on one of Prabha Rao’s WhatsApp groups exploded last week when India announced that it was severely curtailing some rice exports to the rest of the world, triggering worry among the Indian diaspora in the United States that access to a food staple from home might soon be cut off.
As in any crisis situation — think bottled water and toilet paper— some rushed to supermarkets to stock up, stacking carts with bags and bags of rice. In some places, lines formed outside some stores as panic buying ensued.
But Rao, who lives near Syracuse, New York, was reassured when the proprietor of her Indian market sent out an email to customers to let them know there was no need to worry: There was an ample supply of rice.
At least for now.
An earlier than expected El Niño brought drier, warmer weather in some parts of Asia and is expected to harm rice production. But in some parts of India, where the monsoon season was especially brutal, flooding destroyed some crops, adding to production woes and rising prices.
Hoping to stave off inflationary pressures on a diet staple, the Indian government earlier this month imposed export bans on non-Basmati white rice varieties, prompting hoarding in some parts of the world.
The move was taken “to ensure adequate availability” and “to allay the rise in prices in the domestic market,” India’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution announced July 20. Over the past year, prices have increased by more than 11%, and by 3% over the past month, the government said.
Non-Basmati white rice constitutes about a fourth of the rice exported by India.
“On WhatsApp, I got a lot of messages saying that rice was not going to be available. I think there was a lot of confusion in the beginning because, as you know, rice is very important for us,” Rao said.
“When we first heard the news, there was just mild confusion and people started panic buying because they thought that it may not be available,” she said.
There are scores of different varieties of rice, with people having their preference depending on taste and texture. India’s export ban does not apply to Basmati rice, a long-grain variety that is more aromatic.
The ban applies to short-grain rice that is starchier and has a relatively neutral flavor — which Rao says is preferable in some dishes or favored in specific regions of India, especially in southern areas of the country.
At Little India, a grocery store in New York City’s Curry Hill neighborhood in Manhattan, there was no shortage of Basmati rice and other varieties.
That wasn’t the case at other Indian groceries.
On its Facebook page, India Bazaar, an Indian grocery chain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, told customers not to panic. “We are working hard to meet all our shoppers’ demands,” the post said.
Customers cleared shelves and waited in long lines to stockpile bags of rice, reported NBC Dallas affiliate KXAS.
“They really wanted to purchase ten, 12, 15 bags,” India Bazaar’s president, Anand Pabari, told the station. “It was a really crazy situation.”
India’s move came days after Russia backed out of a deal to allow Ukrainian wheat safe passage through the Black Sea, prompting warnings that the action could lead to surging prices.
Some economists say the ban might further hurt food supplies around the world, and some governments have urged the Indian government to reconsider the export ban.
At least in the United States, the supply of imported rice from India may not yet be a problem — despite the panic buying — but a long-term ban would certainly deplete that stock.
Roa says she and others will just have to adapt by purchasing rice grown in the United States or imported from other countries.
“I might have to substitute Basmati rice,” she said, “but it doesn’t taste that good, especially with South Indian dishes.”
A U.S. resident for three decades, Rao said she is accustomed to improvising.
“When we first came here, there was not even that much rice from India,” she said. “So I’ve learned to substitute, and I’m fine with the other brands that we get.” | https://www.koin.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-india-cuts-rice-exports-triggering-panic-buying-of-food-staple-by-some-indian-expats-in-the-us/ | 2023-07-30T04:03:55 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-india-cuts-rice-exports-triggering-panic-buying-of-food-staple-by-some-indian-expats-in-the-us/ |
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Saturday that Sri Lanka is a key partner in a Tokyo-led initiative aimed at building security and economic cooperation around the Indo-Pacific but also at countering an increasingly assertive China.
Sri Lanka, strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is integral to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Hayashi said. He was speaking after a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ali Sabry, in the capital, Colombo.
The initiative, announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in March includes Japan’s assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation.
Last year Sri Lanka, which owed $51 billion in foreign debt, became the first Asia-Pacific country since the late 1990s to default, sparking an economic crisis.
While Japan is Sri Lanka’s largest creditor, about 10% of its debt is held by China, which lent Colombo billions to build sea ports, airports and power plants as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. In March, China agreed to offer Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on loan repayments.
Hayashi said that he conveyed expectations for further progress in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process. He welcomed Sri Lanka’s efforts under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which includes anti-corruption measures and transparency in the policy-making process.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Sabry said that he, along with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, invited Japan to resume investment projects already in the pipeline and to consider fresh investments in sectors such as power generation, ports and highways, and dedicated investment zones, as well as in the green and digital economy.
Over many decades, Japan became one of Sri Lanka’s key donors, carrying out key projects under concessionary terms. However, relations between the two countries came under strain after Wickremesinghe’s predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa unilaterally scrapped a Japan-funded light railway project following his election in 2019.
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has already approved a proposal to restart the railway project.
Rajapaksa was forced to resign in July 2022 amid angry public protects over the country’s worst economic crisis. | https://www.koin.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-with-one-eye-on-china-japan-backs-sri-lanka-as-a-partner-in-the-indo-pacific/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:01 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-with-one-eye-on-china-japan-backs-sri-lanka-as-a-partner-in-the-indo-pacific/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 24-year-old Portland man described as “a serial car thief” was arrested Saturday at his home, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said.
Jesse Dane Brower is the first “high profile arrest” from the Auto Theft Task Force, DA Mike Schmidt’s office said in a release. Brower is suspected in dozens of car thefts after the investigation by the task force, which includes the Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Brower, 5-feet-7 and 135 pounds, was arrested after a search warrant at his Northeast Portland home found evidence of the car thefts “and many different stolen car parts” at the home, officials said.
He was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on 6 charges — unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, felony elude, misdemeanor elude, reckless driving and possessing burglary tools — and his probation was revoked.
The DA’s Office said the case remains under investigation and that more charges are coming. | https://www.koin.com/news/crime/serial-car-thief-arrested-at-ne-portland-home/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:08 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/crime/serial-car-thief-arrested-at-ne-portland-home/ |
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The African Union has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the junta in Niger to reinstall the country’s democratically elected government just as the coup leaders met with senior civil servants to discuss how they would run the country and as the U.S. and the European Union threatened sanctions against the regime.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Toumba, one of the soldiers who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday, told state television that the junta met with civil servants on Friday and asked them to continue their work as usual following the suspension of the constitution. “The message given was not to stop the processes underway, to keep on with things,” said Brig. Gen. Toumba.
“Everything that must be done will be done,” he said, signaling the intention of the regime led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who also goes by Omar, to remain in power.
After its meeting on Friday, the African Union Peace and Security Council said it was concerned by the “alarming resurgence” of coups that undermine democracy and stability on the continent. It asked the soldiers to “return immediately and unconditionally to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum of fifteen (15) days.”
Bazoum, whose condition and that of his officials remains unknown since the government was overthrown, should also be released immediately and unconditionally, the AU said. Failure to do so would compel the bloc to take “necessary action, including punitive measures against the perpetrators.”
On the streets of the Nigerien capital Niamey on Saturday, things appeared to be returning to normal, though many in the international community were still on lockdown with hotels full of foreigners, many given instructions not to leave.
Locals say they’re waiting to see what unfolds, with many still in support of Bazoum who has not yet resigned. “I’m with him, he does a good work. (But) what can we do?” said Mohamed Cisse, a street seller. “This is (the new leader’s) time, Bazoum’s time is over,” he said.
Tchiani, the junta leader and commander of Niger’s presidential guard, is close to former Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou, who stepped down in 2021 after a decade in office. Tchiani’s takeover of power will reinforce speculation that Issoufou is behind the coup, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German think tank and consultancy.
The U.S. threatened to halt its economic support to Niger while the European Union announced the immediate indefinite suspension of budgetary support and security assistance.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, estimated America’s economic and security partnership with Niger at hundreds of millions of dollars and said its continuity depends on “the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order.”
“So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed,” Blinken said.
While there are no signs of the junta backing down amid growing international pressure, analysts called for synergy in the interventions of the international community and continental organizations such as the AU and the regional bloc of ECOWAS, which is scheduled to meet over the coup on Sunday.
A successful coup in Niger and the sanctions in the aftermath could cause more hardship for millions of poor and hungry people in West Africa and could further threaten international relations with the region, which is seeing a resurgence of coups in recent years, according to Idayat Hassan, senior Africa program fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“A non-reversal of the coup also means that we are defining a new world order in West Africa in particular as you are pitching the west and other countries against few military regimes which may be backed by Russia,” said Hassan.
———
Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali contributed. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-african-union-gives-15-day-ultimatum-to-niger-junta-to-end-regime-but-soldiers-seek-continuity/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:14 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-african-union-gives-15-day-ultimatum-to-niger-junta-to-end-regime-but-soldiers-seek-continuity/ |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Salvage crews were preparing Saturday to tow a car-carrying cargo ship that has been burning for days to an anchor point in the North Sea after flames and smoke on board subsided, the Dutch government said.
Fire erupted in the Fremantle Highway late Tuesday night near a chain of islands in the northern Netherlands and has been blazing ever since. The ship is carrying 3,783 new vehicles, including 498 electric vehicles, the company that chartered the vessel said.
One crew member died and others were injured after the fire broke out on the ship that was heading from Bremerhaven in Germany to Singapore. The crew was evacuated in the early hours of Wednesday. The cause of the fire has not been established.
Measurements Friday showed that heat, flames and smoke had subsided enough for salvage experts to board the ship for the first time and establish a strong towing connection with a tugboat, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said.
It will be towed, likely over the weekend, to a new position 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of the island of Schiermonnikoog , the ministry said in a statement. The timing of the operation that is expected to take 12-14 hours depends on smoke development and weather, the ministry added. The aim is ultimately “once conditions on board allow,” to tow the ship to a port, though the destination has not yet been decided.
The ministry said the ship is stable and intact below the waterline.
The burning vessel is close to the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed area that is considered one of the world’s most significant habitats for migratory birds. It’s also near the Netherlands’ border with Germany, whose environment minister, Steffi Lemke, has warned of “an environmental catastrophe of unknown proportions,” if the ship were to sink. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-burning-cargo-ship-off-dutch-coast-will-be-towed-to-a-new-location-after-flames-and-smoke-subsided/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:19 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-burning-cargo-ship-off-dutch-coast-will-be-towed-to-a-new-location-after-flames-and-smoke-subsided/ |
BAGHDAD (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Shiite militant group Hezbollah said Saturday that if governments of Muslim-majority nations do not act against countries that allow the desecration of the Quran, Muslims should “punish” those who facilitate attacks on Islam’s holy book.
The comments by Hassan Nasrallah came in a video address to tens of thousands gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashoura, a Shiite holy day commemorating the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein.
Nasrallah often uses religious occasions to send political messages to followers, and on Saturday slammed recent incidents in which the Quran was burned or otherwise desecrated at authorized demonstrations in Sweden and Denmark.
He said Muslims should watch for the outcome of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, scheduled to take place in Baghdad on Monday to discuss the organization’s response to the Quran burnings.
The organization and its member states should “send a firm, decisive and unequivocal message to these governments that any repeat of the attacks will be met with a boycott,” Nasrallah said. If they do not, he said, Muslim youth should “punish the desecrators.”
He did not elaborate what such a boycott and punishment should entail.
Members of the crowd, who carried banners with religious slogans alongside the flags of Hezbollah, Lebanon and Palestine, chanted, “Oh, Quran, we are at your service; Oh, Hussein, we are at your service.”
Shiites represent over 10% of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein’s death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and continues to this day to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity.
Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, while Saturday marked the culmination of the observances in countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered in the Iraqi city of Karbala, where Hussein is entombed in a gold-domed shrine. In the streets of the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, mourners gathered to watch reenactments of the Battle of Karbala and Hussein’s death.
In the streets, young men clad in black and white slashed their heads with swords and knives to demonstrate their grief. Friends swabbed each other’s heads with tissues and handed each other water.
In Syria’s capital, Damascus, the crowds were mourning not only the death of Hussein but a deadly attack in the suburb of Sayida Zeinab, home to a shrine to Zeinab, the daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
A bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded there on Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more. On Tuesday, another bomb in a motorcycle had wounded two people.
On Friday, the Islamic State group — a Sunni militant group that often targets Shiites — claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying Thursday’s bombing came “during their annual polytheistic rituals.” The group’s extreme interpretation of Islam holds Shiite Muslims to be apostates.
___
Associated Press writers Anmar Khalil in Karbala, Iraq, and Hassan Ammar in Beirut contributed to this report. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-lebanons-hezbollah-leader-urges-muslims-to-punish-quran-desecrators-if-governments-fail-to-do-so/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:26 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-lebanons-hezbollah-leader-urges-muslims-to-punish-quran-desecrators-if-governments-fail-to-do-so/ |
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) —
A 9-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother have been called as witnesses in a criminal case against their mother after she was accused of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian army.
Lidia Prudovskaya and her two children were summoned by investigators in the northern Russian region of Arkhangelsk on Friday to give testimony in the case, Russian news outlet Sota reported.
Prudovskaya previously faced administrative charges on similar allegations after sharing anti-war posts on Russian social media platform VKontakte in September 2022.
Discrediting the Russian military is a criminal offense under a law adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The law is regularly used against Kremlin critics.
In April, Russian authorities petitioned to restrict the parental rights of a single father convicted of discrediting the army following an anti-war sketch drawn by his daughter at school.
Alexei Moskalyov, 54, was sentenced to two years in prison for social media comments he had made criticizing Moscow’s war in Ukraine, while his daughter Maria was placed in an orphanage.
The 13-year-old was later moved to live with her mother. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-russian-investigators-call-children-as-witnesses-against-their-mother-accused-of-discrediting-army/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:33 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-russian-investigators-call-children-as-witnesses-against-their-mother-accused-of-discrediting-army/ |
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has been charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrections among other offenses, the public prosecutor said Saturday.
The announcement comes weeks after Sonko was convicted on separate charges of corrupting youth and sentenced to two years in prison, which ignited deadly protests across the nation.
Prosecutor Abdou Karim Diop made the announcement on state television, a day after Sonko’s lawyer said he was taken into custody for questioning at the police courthouse in the capital, Dakar.
In June, Sonko was acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. But he was convicted on a lighter sentence of corrupting young people, which includes using one’s position of power to have sex with people under age 21. Corrupting youth is a criminal offense in Senegal that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to more than $6,000.
The conviction led to deadly clashes across the country between Sonko supporters and police, where at least 23 people were killed and dozens injured.
Sonko placed third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and is popular with the country’s youth. His supporters maintain the charges against him are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.
Sonko’s ongoing legal battles may bar him from running. Once in prison, he can ask for a retrial for his June conviction.
Saturday’s charges are separate, said the public prosecutor. The accusations include calling an insurrection, criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism, compromising public security and theft.
It is unclear what led to the charges. Sonko has mostly stayed in his house since being sentenced to prison.
In a tweet posted shortly before his arrest on Friday afternoon, Sonko said a team of soldiers were breaking down the door following an altercation with secret service agents who were taking videoing him.
Friday evening, an AP reporter saw around 20 protesters burning tires in the middle of the road in Parcelles Assainies, an outer neighborhood of Dakar. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-senegals-opposition-leader-charged-with-conspiracy-against-the-state-and-calls-for-insurrection/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:40 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-senegals-opposition-leader-charged-with-conspiracy-against-the-state-and-calls-for-insurrection/ |
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian police arrested the president’s son Saturday as part of a high-profile money laundering probe into funds he allegedly collected from convicted drug traffickers during last year’s presidential campaign.
President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel who rose through Colombia’s political ranks as an anti-corruption crusader, said he wouldn’t interfere with the investigation.
“As an individual and father, it pains me to see so much self destruction and one of my sons going to jail,” Petro said in an early morning message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “As president of the republic, I’ve assured the chief prosecutor’s office that it will have all of the guarantees so it can proceed according to the law.”
The arrest of Nicolas Petro is a major blow to the government, which has been buffeted by conservative attacks from day one at the same time it has struggled to maintain bipartisan support for Colombia in the U.S., a longtime ally in the war on drugs and fight against illegal armed groups.
The investigation stems from shocking declarations made by Nicolas Petro’s ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, to local media outlet Semana earlier this year.
In the extended interview, Vasquez detailed how she was present at meetings when her husband arranged a donation of more than 600 million pesos (around $150,000) from a politician once convicted in Washington of drug trafficking and who was seeking the Petro campaign’s support to resume his political career.
She said President Petro was unaware of her son’s dealings and the money he collected in his campaign’s name was kept inside a safe inside the couple’s home in the coastal city of Barranquilla.
Nicolas Petro has denied his ex wife’s claims as unfounded.
The chief prosecutor’s office said in a statement that Nicolas Petro and his ex-wife were taken into custody on orders of a court in Bogota around 6 a.m. local time Saturday. It said that once brought before a judge, prosecutors would seek their provisional detention as it investigates the two for money laundering. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-son-of-colombias-president-arrested-as-part-of-money-laundering-probe/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:48 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-son-of-colombias-president-arrested-as-part-of-money-laundering-probe/ |
DUNMORE, Pa. — A memorial soccer game was held in Lackawanna County in honor of a young man who was killed in 2021.
This was the 3rd Tyler Sitar Memorial Soccer Game.
More than 100 people came out to Schautz Stadium in Dunmore to watch the alumni vs. current Dunmore boys varsity team game.
Newswatch 16's Jack Culkin emceed the game.
The proceeds benefit the Tyler Sitar Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/tyler-sitar-memorial-soccer-game-held-in-dunmore-schautz-stadium-scholarship-fund-jack-culkin-lance-corporal/523-32bf29ce-d716-4659-929a-5f4d1ffdf4bd | 2023-07-30T04:04:51 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/tyler-sitar-memorial-soccer-game-held-in-dunmore-schautz-stadium-scholarship-fund-jack-culkin-lance-corporal/523-32bf29ce-d716-4659-929a-5f4d1ffdf4bd |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it.
The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to “abandon the Russian heritage,” including that of “imposing the celebration of Christmas” on Jan. 7. It cited Ukrainians’ “relentless, successful struggle for their identity” and “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays,” fueled by Russia’s 17-month-old aggression against the country.
Last year, some Ukrainians already observed Christmas on Dec. 25, in a gesture that represented separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions.
The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to Oct. 1 from Oct. 14.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims sovereignty over Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and some other Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the ancient Julian calendar. Christmas falls 13 days later on that calendar, or Jan. 7, than it does on the Gregorian calendar used by most church and secular groups.
The Catholic Church first adopted the modern, more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Protestants and some Orthodox churches have since aligned their own calendars for the purpose of calculating Christmas and Easter.
Ukraine’s religious landscape has fractured for years. There are two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, even as it enjoys broad autonomy, the other completely independent of it. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the branch that is separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year that it was switching to the Revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on Dec. 25.
Its leadership last year allowed believers to celebrate the holiday on Dec. 25.
Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday that the rival Orthodox Church, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, vowed to continue observing Christmas on Jan. 7.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Saturday that the move “is a sign of something that has been happening for centuries” and that “has to do with the relations between the Catholic church and the Orthodox one.”
Zelenskyy on Saturday traveled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed, but only partially occupies, and met with members of the country’s Special Operation Forces. Zelenskyy noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying that the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities. A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings, but the team was disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns.
Zelenskyy described the attack as one of Russia’s “most vile and cruel crimes” in a video statement Saturday.
In a separate Telegram statement, he hailed the soldiers in the Donetsk region for “bringing closer the day when all our land and all our people will be free from the occupiers” and underscored the Special Operations Forces’ role in the recent retaking of the village of Staromaiorske in the area.
His visit to the east comes just days after Western and Russian officials said that Kyiv’s forces intensified attacks in the southeast of the country as part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Putin said Saturday that the intensity of Ukrainian atacks along the front line has gone down “compared to two days ago.” He reiterated that Russian forces are successfully repelling all attacks and in some parts of the front line are even mounting successful counteroffensive operations.
___
Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-ukraine-moves-official-christmas-day-holiday-to-dec-25-denouncing-russian-imposed-traditions/ | 2023-07-30T04:04:55 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-ukraine-moves-official-christmas-day-holiday-to-dec-25-denouncing-russian-imposed-traditions/ |
LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — It was a first-of-its-kind cat show in Luzerne County on Saturday.
The show was held at the Lands at Hillside Farms, in Kingston Township, near Shavertown as a cooperative effort by the Penn State Extension, 4-H, and Cat Fanciers' Association.
There have been cat shows in PA for adults, but this was the first one that kids could enter.
Organizers say a lot goes into determining the winners, "What the judge is looking for is, is the cat responsive on the table, was the cat responsive on the table, is it going to play on the pole, or will it play with a toy," said Albert Sweitzer, national member Cat Fanciers' Association.
More than a dozen cats were shown at the event in Luzerne County.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/cat-show-held-in-luzerne-county-lands-at-hillside-farms-kingston-township-shavertown-albert-sweitzer/523-7a9214e8-2d21-41fc-9879-70428ee759da | 2023-07-30T04:04:57 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/cat-show-held-in-luzerne-county-lands-at-hillside-farms-kingston-township-shavertown-albert-sweitzer/523-7a9214e8-2d21-41fc-9879-70428ee759da |
Calls for higher minimum wage in Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The Lyric Theatre hosted “Kentuckians for the Commonwealth,” a group whose aim is to combat poverty in the Bluegrass State.
It was a night fueled by faith and a fervor for change.
“Wherever there’s been full transformation in America, it’s when the rejected have come together,” said Reverend William Barber.
Rev. Barber, who was once banned from Kentucky’s state capitol, spoke at the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth annual meeting and on behalf of the Poor People’s Campaign.
Barber demanded elected officials better financially help their constituents, while also calling on constituents to speak up for others with empathy.
“When you get up, you get up high. You get up with a bigger heart. You get up with more compassion,” said Rev. Barber.
A core push by Rev. Barber is for Kentucky to raise its minimum wage, which sits at $7.25/hour.
“We’ve not raised the minimum wage for 14 years. Fourteen years. Everything else has gone up,” said Rev. Barber. “Prices have gone up. Productivity and workers have gone up. Congresspeople’s salaries have gone up. Workers, low wage workers have stayed the same.”
This year’s meeting focused on uplifting the voices of BIPOC Kentuckians and facing existing structures that have hindered the ability for all Kentuckians to succeed.
“Because we have come up through a white supremacist structure, we really have to reckon with matters of race in order to advance toward that goal,” said Joan Brannon, co-executive of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.
Tomorrow, Rev. Barber will speak in Louisville.
Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/30/calls-higher-minimum-wage-kentucky/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:01 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/30/calls-higher-minimum-wage-kentucky/ |
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of “very serious criminal conduct” in publishing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.
Australia’s center-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the elections last year that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States.
Assange’s freedom is widely seen as a test of Australia’s leverage with President Joe Biden’s administration.
Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia.
“I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think it’s very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter,” Blinken told reporters.
“Mr. Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country,” he added.
Wong said Assange’s prosecution had “dragged for too long” and that Australia wanted the charges “brought to a conclusion.”
Australia remains ambiguous about whether the United States should drop the prosecution or strike a plea bargain.
Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010.
American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.
Australia argues there is a “disconnect” between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-us-secretary-of-state-tells-australia-that-wikileaks-founder-is-accused-of-very-serious-crime/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:02 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-us-secretary-of-state-tells-australia-that-wikileaks-founder-is-accused-of-very-serious-crime/ |
SWOYERSVILLE, Pa. — It was all about wings in one part of Luzerne County Saturday night.
People flocked to the Roosevelt Softball Field in Swoyersville for their first Wing Fling.
There were many different vendors and bands that played throughout the day.
Several local restaurants were there to show off their wings and sauces.
"A lot of people just have one certain restaurant that they like. This way, you get to try something different, and you know, maybe you'll go there," said Lynn Gilligan, Wyoming.
Organizers hope to make the wing fling an annual event here in Luzerne County.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/inaugural-wing-fling-held-in-swoyersville-roosevelt-softball-field-luzerne-county-lynn-gilligan/523-8ecc2088-1739-4d17-a211-46db6dd71309 | 2023-07-30T04:05:03 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/inaugural-wing-fling-held-in-swoyersville-roosevelt-softball-field-luzerne-county-lynn-gilligan/523-8ecc2088-1739-4d17-a211-46db6dd71309 |
MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Thunder Walker traveled from her home in Oklahoma to the Pocono Canna Fest in Chestnuthill Township saying the most important things in her luggage are her crystal, sage, and cannabis.
"So I actually travel to all the states where there is adult use or whether it's medical to actually connect through a green thread, all of the states together. It's like a big quilt to me. My father had cancer, so we started our cannabis journey, through that process, the medicinal process, and it talked about wellness," said Thunder Walker, Cannabis Real Estate Influencer.
Giving her and her dad, what she calls, a sense of physical and spiritual wellness while fighting lung cancer.
"He decided he wanted to go on Hospice and just really work with the plant and transition himself with his own choices," said Walker.
Although her dad is no longer with us, Thunder is now encouraging others to explore the realm of cannabis when it comes to taking control of their health like others in her own family.
"My daughter who has autism, and she's nonverbal, it allowed her to focus and actually learn and participate in her education," added Walker.
This is Kia's first time partaking in the Pocono Canna Fest, "Like you try, and you see how it makes you feel, and I realized that it helped with my anxiety," said Kia Marie Quintero, Saylorsburg.
This was her first time seeing cannabis through Thunder's point of view, "It helped me with my anxiety, and I've had really bad anxiety, and I feel like it can help others as well," Kia said.
Both say that this simple plant means so much more to them.
"If you consume cannabis, you're more likely to be mistaken as a bad parent, a bad caregiver, there's so many stigmas or just someone who is lazy. We're not lazy, we are scientists, we're advocates," said Walker.
Advocating for people like Thunder Walker's daughter and father, who she took care of with the help of a plant.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/monroe-county/pocono-canna-fest-returns-to-monroe-county-thunder-walker-cannabis-real-estate-influencer-chestnuthill-township/523-27286983-1edc-4e00-b6ea-0328763cc9ad | 2023-07-30T04:05:09 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/monroe-county/pocono-canna-fest-returns-to-monroe-county-thunder-walker-cannabis-real-estate-influencer-chestnuthill-township/523-27286983-1edc-4e00-b6ea-0328763cc9ad |
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday.
Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland.
Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border.
Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the group’s short-lived rebellion earlier this summer.
The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania.
Poland’s government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to destabilize Poland and other EU countries. It calls the migration a form of hybrid warfare, and has responded by building a high wall along part of its border with Belarus.
“Now the situation becomes even more dangerous,” Morawiecki told reporters.
He added that “this is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory.”
Morawiecki spoke during a visit to an arms factory in Gliwice, in southern Poland, where Leopard tanks used by the Ukrainian army are being repaired. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-wagner-mercenaries-in-belarus-move-closer-to-the-polish-border-polands-prime-minister-says/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:08 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-wagner-mercenaries-in-belarus-move-closer-to-the-polish-border-polands-prime-minister-says/ |
FUKUOKA, Japan — Here's why Katie Ledecky is one of the greatest freestyle swimmers in the history of the sport: She is never quite satisfied.
The 26-year-old American won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the world championships to become the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds. It was also her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most golds at worlds.
She also is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in both the 800 and 1,500.
But that winning time — 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds, which is the seventh-quickest she'd ever swum — wasn't quite good enough in her favorite event.
“I'm just always trying to think of new ways to improve. I mean I’ve already got everything turning in my head right now. I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight,” she said, twirling her right hand beside her right ear, trying to stir up ideas.
“I’m pretty tough on myself," she said. “But I think I have found the balance of being tough on myself but also having that grace.”
The 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free. Li Bingjie of China took silver in 8:13.31, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia got the bronze in 8:13.59.
“It's fun to leave a meet with your favorite event, and I just wanted to leave it all in the pool," Ledecky said.
It was only the fourth gold for the United States in the seventh of eight days in the pool. Meanwhile, Australia has been piling it on with 13 golds, matching its best at the worlds. Australia won three more golds on Saturday.
The Americans lead the overall table with 31 medals (16 silver), Australia has 20 and China 13.
Kaylee McKeown of Australia made history of her own with gold in the women’s 200 backstroke. McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events after earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
It all made up for her disqualification earlier in the 200 IM.
“You can’t change the rules,” she said. “I got ruled out. It’s just the cards I was dealt with and I couldn’t do much more than that. So I just had to carry myself the best I could and channel all my anger and turn a huge negative into a positive.”
Regan Smith of the United States picked up the silver in 2:04.94, while Peng Xuwei of China got the bronze in 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjöström of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the 50 butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 seconds and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjöström’s individual medals at the worlds to 20, equaling Phelps’ mark.
Sjöström also broke her own record in the 50 free, going 23.61 in a semifinal heat. Her old mark was 23.67 set in 2017.
“There are not too many secrets,” Sjöström said about her longevity. “Just do the work every day, go to practice, and stay humble.”
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Japanese fan favorite Rikako Ikee finished seventh (25.78) in the 50 fly but was greeted warmly by the home crowd.
The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and was expected to be a favorite in the Tokyo Olympics. But she was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia led all the way to capture the gold in the 50 free in 21.06. It was his first individual gold in the worlds or Olympics.
American Jack Alexy collected his second silver of the worlds in 21.57 to go with his silver in the 100 free. Benjamin Proud of Britian, last year’s world champion, took the bronze in 21.58.
Caeleb Dressel won the event at the Olympics but did not qualify for the U.S. team. McEvoy's time was quicker than Dressel's winning time in Tokyo — 21.07.
Maxime Grousset of France won gold in the 100 fly in 50.14. The 24-year-old took the early lead and held on. Josh Liendo of Canada earned the silver in 50.34, while American Dare Rose made the podium with the bronze (50.46).
Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania equaled the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the 50 breaststroke.
Australia won the 4x100 mixed freestyle relay in a world record of 3:18.83. The Americans took silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68. The relay is not an Olympic event. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed | 2023-07-30T04:05:15 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/507-a7750f56-2a2d-4696-8048-afe9293dc5ed |
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — Two people were killed and two others injured Saturday in a midair collision at an airport in Wisconsin.
A Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA Eclipse 10 gyrocopter collided shortly after noon local time at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, authorities said. The aircraft belonged to individuals attending the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in convention in Oshkosh but were not involved in the air show, a statement from the organization said.
The association, citing the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, said two people were killed and two injured. The injured were taken to a local hospital and were in stable condition.
The association said further information would be released as additional details are confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Separately, a plane earlier Saturday crashed into Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh, killing two people, according to the sheriff’s office. The NTSB is also investigating that case, which involved a single-engine North American T-6 aircraft. | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-4-dead-2-injured-in-separate-aircraft-accidents-in-wisconsin-authorities-say/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:16 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-4-dead-2-injured-in-separate-aircraft-accidents-in-wisconsin-authorities-say/ |
The planned execution of a 45-year-old Missouri man with schizophrenia is back on after an appellate court reversed course Saturday.
Johnny Johnson is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing 6-year-old Casey Williamson after trying to sexually assault her in 2002.
With questions swirling about his mental competency, the execution was halted last Tuesday by a divided three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court. But after the Missouri Attorney General’s Office asked that the full court reconsider, that decision was reversed in a 7-3 ruling.
The case will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before the scheduled execution date.
Attorneys for Johnson have claimed his schizophrenia prevents him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. They have also said Johnson has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world.
The Missouri Supreme Court in June declined to halt the execution based on the mental health claim. The attorney general’s office challenged the credibility of psychiatric evaluations of Johnson and contended that medical records indicate he is able to manage his mental illness through medication.
Johnson lured the girl to an abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with bricks and rocks, then washed off in the Meramec River. Johnson confessed to the crimes.
Casey’s disappearance set off a frantic search involving first responders and volunteers. Her body was found in a pit less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris.
The execution would be the fourth in Missouri this year. | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-appellate-court-rules-that-missouri-man-with-schizophrenia-can-be-executed-after-all/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:22 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-appellate-court-rules-that-missouri-man-with-schizophrenia-can-be-executed-after-all/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — “Excuse me, are you a city of Atlanta voter? Do you know about ‘Cop City?’”
Clipboards in hand, canvassers Sienna Giraldi and Gabriel Sanchez approached shopper after shopper at a Kroger supermarket lot on a recent evening collecting signatures for a referendum over whether to cancel the city’s lease of a proposed police and firefighter training center that’s become a national rallying cry for environmentalists and anti-police protesters.
Most people kept on walking. Others said they weren’t registered to vote or didn’t live within the city limits, both of which are required. Many seemed to have no idea what “Cop City” was and weren’t interested in finding out. The fact that it began raining certainly didn’t help. By the end of a 90-minute shift, 21 people had signed.
“We definitely need to come back here,” Sanchez said. “I was on a roll before the rain started.”
Over the past month, hundreds of people like them — many volunteers, some paid — have spread out across the city of about 500,000, in hopes of persuading more than 70,000 registered voters to sign on to the petition drive. The deadline had been mid-August, but the effort got a boost Thursday when a federal judge extended it to late September, though significant logistical and legal hurdles remain.
Technically, organizers say, they need just 58,203 signatures by Aug. 14 to qualify for the November ballot — the equivalent of 15% of registered voters as of the last city election — but they set the higher goal knowing some will be disqualified. If that’s not reached until late August or September, the referendum wouldn’t happen until March, when a competitive GOP presidential primary could turn out conservative voters and hurt its chances. The city also could move forward with construction in the meantime, unless a judge intervenes.
As of July 25, the drive had collected more than 30,000 signatures, according to Paul Glaze, a spokesperson for the Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition. And with the paid canvassing effort still ramping up, he expects the pace to pick up significantly.
“We’re confident of hitting our number,” Glaze said. “How much extra padding we’re able to get is still a question. … Our experience is that when you talk about this with people, when they hear the price tag, when you ask them if they would choose this or something else to spend the money on, the vast majority are against it.”
Organizers of the drive say Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council have failed to listen to a groundswell of opposition to the $90 million, 85-acre (34-hectare) training center, which they fear will lead to greater militarization of the police and exacerbate environmental damage in the South River Forest in a poor, predominantly Black area.
Officials counter that the campus would replace outdated, far-flung facilities and boost police morale, which is beset by hiring and retention struggles, especially in the wake of 2020 protests over racial injustice. Dickens has said that the facility will teach the “most progressive training and curriculum in the country” and that officials have repeatedly revised their plans to address concerns about noise pollution and environmental impact.
In June, after hearing about 14 hours of public testimony that was overwhelmingly against the training center, council members voted 11-4 to approve $67 million toward the project. Outraged but not surprised, organizers of the petition drive announced it the next day.
Outside the Kroger, located in a majority-Black neighborhood a few miles south of a Wendy’s parking lot where officers fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in 2020, Giraldi chatted with Lee Little, a Black construction worker who stopped to talk despite the rain, his hands full of bagged groceries.
Little was working near the proposed training center in March and saw the helicopters and mass of armed officers that descended on the area after about 150 masked activists stormed the site and torched construction equipment. He hadn’t thought about it much since, but he signed the petition after hearing Giraldi’s pitch.
“She was just saying that City Council approved 60-something million dollars without listening to the taxpayers. Does that sound fair to you? That should be for the voters to decide,” Little said afterward.
Another who signed was Makela Atchison, who was wearing a “Black Voters Matter” T-shirt as she left the store with her two children.
“I’m not saying I’m for it or against it,” Atchison said, “but I want to be able to have my input.”
The signature drive is the most ambitious in terms of numbers that has ever been launched in a Georgia city, but it has precedent from last year in Camden County, where voters overwhelmingly rejected a planned launchpad for blasting commercial rockets into space. The Georgia Supreme Court in February unanimously upheld the legality of that referendum, though it remains an open question whether citizens can veto decisions of city governments.
In a recent court filing seeking to quash the Atlanta referendum, attorneys for the city said residents can’t force officials to retroactively revoke the lease agreement, which was made in 2021. They called organizers’ efforts “futile” and “invalid.” The state agreed with the city in a separate filing, though that dispute is on hold for now.
Still, activists see the referendum as the best remaining option to block the project. They’ve gotten support from numerous groups, including the Working Families Party and the New Georgia Project Action Fund, which pledged to get 15,000 signatures over the next few weeks.
Activist Hannah Riley tries to collect a handful of them whenever she is out in public, including on a recent afternoon as she worked remotely from Muchacho, a popular taco restaurant in the ultra-liberal Reynoldstown neighborhood. At the end of her table, she taped a sign that read: “Voter? Sign Stop Cop City Petition Here.”
“This is a bit of a Hail Mary, but it’s a Hail Mary that makes a lot of sense,” Riley said. “They’ve begun to clear-cut the trees. They’re getting close to pouring concrete. … Our options are quite limited right now, so this does feel like the most practical, effective next step.”
At the same time, a small number of activists have continued taking a more violent tack, including torching eight police motorcycles over the Fourth of July weekend, actions that canvass organizers have not condemned.
Curtis Duncan, 40, said the first day he went out canvassing, a man approached and accused him of being one of the vandals.
“I said, ‘Well, sir, respectfully, I wasn’t burning cars, and the majority of people within this movement have not been engaging in any type of violent actions,’” Duncan said. He added that troopers fatally shot an activist in the forest and that authorities have brought dozens of “very flimsy” domestic terrorism charges against “Stop Cop City” protesters this year — actions he considers far worse.
Sanchez, who works for a voting rights nonprofit, said that even if the signature drive falls short, it will have made an important impact.
“I feel like we’ve exhausted all the other options, aside from full-on revolution, which I don’t think we need for this,” he said. “There’s a lot of obstacles in our way. … If we only get to 50,000, I think that still shows a real warning sign for these politicians for the 2025 election.” | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-atlanta-cop-city-activists-say-theyre-confident-of-getting-70k-signatures-but-big-hurdles-remain/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:28 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-atlanta-cop-city-activists-say-theyre-confident-of-getting-70k-signatures-but-big-hurdles-remain/ |
Police said at least eight dogs being transported inside an uncooled cargo van in Indiana died of heat-related injuries this week as temperatures soared amid an intense heat wave gripping much of the United States. The heat was not letting up Saturday in many areas, including in New York City, where temperatures were expected to surge into the lower 90s (around 35 C). Officials say the humid, thick air could make it feel well over the century mark for many Americans.
The sizzling air has heated up everything from the ocean to pools, making it difficult to cool off. One woman in the Southwest has been throwing blocks of ice in her pool.
Metro Phoenix hit its 30th consecutive day of record-breaking heat on Saturday. Scientists calculate this month will be the hottest globally on record and likely the warmest human civilization has seen.
Here’s what’s happening related to extreme weather and the climate right now:
— Police said the eight dogs that died were among 18 Shepherds being transported from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to a K-9 training facility in Michigan City, Indiana. The driver told police he was unaware that the air conditioning unit was not cooling the back of the van until he heard dogs barking. He pulled over in Lake Station, Indiana, to open the back. Lake Station police said he then found several dogs dead and others suffering.
— Heat advisories continued in New York City, where high humidity has made it uncomfortable and dangerous. Some 500 cooling centers have opened across the city’s five boroughs, and the governor authorized the state’s swimming pools to stay open later. The extreme heat was forecast to ease Sunday.
— Parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut were under a heat advisory through Saturday night. In northern New England, temperatures were down 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit after getting into the 90s (around 35 degrees Celsius) on Friday, but the humidity lingered throughout the region.
— The weather was equally stifling and muggy in the center of the United States. An excessive heat warning was issued for much of Missouri, Kansas and western Illinois, where the sweaty mix of heat and humidity could make it feel like up to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) in some areas. St. Louis health director Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis said the risk of heat stroke was high and warned that interior car temperatures could reach lethal levels in minutes.
— Similar warnings were issued for much of the Deep South, which encompasses Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, with temperatures in the 90s (around 35 Celsius) and heat indexes past 100 (43.3 Celsius).
— The extreme heat has refocused attention on the lack of air conditioning in prisons. The Prison Policy Initiative, a national think tank, included Missouri and Kansas in a 2019 list of 13 “famously hot states” that lack universal air conditioning in prisons. In Missouri, only half of the prisons are fully air conditioned. And in Kansas, adding air conditioning to the newest prison sparked outrage among some lawmakers who saw it as coddling inmates.
— Phoenix broke another heat record Saturday, marking the 30th consecutive day of temperatures reaching or surpassing 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius). With the arrival of monsoon rains, temperatures are forecast to start to drop in the hottest areas in the U.S. Southwest, especially Phoenix. Temperatures are also expected to ease in Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Death Valley, California.
— With the scorching heat, even going for a swim offered little to no relief. Sea surface temperatures rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) at a spot off Florida’s southern tip, while swimming pools in the Southwest gave the sensation of being in soup.
— The high temperatures are reaching across the globe, including in Bolivia, where a drought alert has been declared for Lake Titicaca after water levels of the world’s highest navigable lake receded to a critically low threshold.
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Associated Press writers Bobby Caina Calvan in New York; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; Chevel Johnson in New Orleans; John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois; and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
) | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-climate-glimpse-heres-what-you-need-to-see-and-know-today-8/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:34 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-climate-glimpse-heres-what-you-need-to-see-and-know-today-8/ |
(AP) — Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America.
Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies.
In fact, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding,” said Jack Grogger, a chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments.
That search for something bigger, he said, can take on many forms, from following a religion to crafting a self-driven purpose to believing in, of course, angels.
“For a lot of people, angels are a lot safer to worship,” said Grogger, who also pastors a nondenominational church in Orange, California, and is a chaplain for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
People turn to angels for comfort, he said. They are familiar, regularly showing up in pop culture as well as in the Bible. Comparably, worshipping Jesus is far more involved; when Grogger preaches about angels it is with the context that they are part of God’s kingdom.
American’s belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief in heaven and the power of prayer, but bested by belief in God or a higher power (79%). Fewer U.S. adults believe in the devil or Satan (56%), astrology (34%), reincarnation (34%), and that physical things can have spiritual energies, such as plants, rivers or crystals (42%).
The widespread acceptance of angels shown in the AP-NORC poll makes sense to Susan Garrett, an angel expert and New Testament professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky. It tracks with historical surveys, she said, adding that the U.S. remains a faith-filled country even as more Americans reject organized religion.
But if the devil is in the details, so are people’s understandings of angels.
“They’re very malleable,” Garrett said of angels. “You can have any one of a number of quite different worldviews in terms of your understanding of how the cosmos is arranged, whether there’s spirit beings, whether there’s life after death, whether there’s a God … and still find a place for angels in that worldview.”
Talk of angels, Garrett said, is often also about something else, like the ways God interacts with the world and other hard-to-articulate ideas.
The large number of U.S. adults who say they believe in angels includes 84% of those with a religious affiliation — 94% of evangelical Protestants, 81% of mainline Protestants and 82% of Catholics — and 33% of those without one. And of those angel-believing religiously unaffiliated, that includes 2% of atheists, 25% of agnostics and 50% of those identified as “nothing in particular.”
The broad acceptance is what fascinates San Francisco-based witch and author Devin Hunter: Angels show up independently in different religions and traditions, making them part of the fabric that unites humanity.
“We’re all getting to the same conclusion,” said Hunter, who spent 16 years as a professional medium, and started communicating as a child with what he believed were angels.
Hunter estimates that a belief in angels applies to about half of those practicing modern witchcraft today, and for some who don’t believe, their rejection is often rooted in the religious trauma they experienced growing up.
“Angels become a very big deal” for long-time practitioners who’ve made occultism their primary focus, said Hunter, an angel-loving occultist. “We cannot escape them in any way, shape or form.”
Jennifer Goodwin of Oviedo, Florida, also is among the roughly seven in 10 U.S. adults who say they believe in angels. She isn’t sure if God exists and rejects the afterlife dichotomy of heaven and hell, but the recent deaths of her parents solidified her views on these celestial beings.
Goodwin believes her parents are still keeping an eye on the family — not in any physical way or as a supernatural apparition, but that they manifest in those moments when she feels a general sense of comfort.
“I think that they are around us, but it’s in a way that we can’t understand,” Goodwin said. “I don’t know what else to call it except an angel.”
Angels mean different things to different people, and the idea of loved ones becoming heavenly angels after death is neither an unusual belief nor a universally held one.
In his reading of Scripture as an evangelical Protestant, Grogger said he believes angels are something else entirely — they have never been human and are on another level in heaven’s hierarchy. “We are higher than angels,” he said. “We do not become an angel.”
Angels do interact with humans though, said Grogger, but what “that looks like we’re not 100% sure.” They worship God who created this angelic legion of unknown numbers, he said, adding that evangelicals often attribute the demonic forces in the world to the angels who fell from heaven when the devil rebelled.
The Western ideas about angels can be traced through the Bible — and to the worldviews of its monotheistic authors, Garrett said. Those beliefs have changed and developed for millennia, influenced by cultures, theologians and even the ancient polytheistic beliefs that came before the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, she said.
“There are sort of lines of continuity from the Bible that you can trace all the way up to the New Age movement,” said Susan Garrett, who wrote “No Ordinary Angel: Celestial Spirits and Christian Claims about Jesus.”
The angels in the Bible do God’s bidding, and angelic violence is one part of their job description, said Esther Hamori, author of the upcoming book, “God’s Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible.”
“The angels of the Bible are just as likely to assassinate individuals and slaughter entire populations as they are to offer help and protect and deliver,” said Hamori. She doesn’t believe in these angels, but studies them as a Hebrew Bible professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York where she teaches a popular “Monster Heaven” class.
“They’re just God’s obedient soldiers doing the task at hand, and sometimes that task is in human beings’ best interests, and sometimes it’s not,” she said.
The perception that angels act angelic and look like the idyllic, winged figurines atop Christmas trees could be attributed to an early centuries belief that people are assigned one good angel and one bad — or have a good and bad spirit to guide them, Garrett said.
This idea shows up on the shoulders of cartoon characters and is likely what Abraham Lincoln was alluding to in his famous appeal for unity when he referenced “the better angels of our nature” in his first inaugural address, she said.
“It’s also tied in with ideas about guardian angels, which again, very ancient views that got developed over the centuries,” Garrett said.
For Sheila Avery of Chicago, angels are protectors, capable of keeping someone from harm. Avery, who belongs to a nondenominational church, credits them with those moments like when a person’s plans fall through, but ultimately it saves them from being in the thick of an unexpected disaster.
“They turn on the news and a terrible tragedy happened at that particular place,” Avery said, suggesting it was an “angel that was probably watching over them.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-u-s-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:40 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-u-s-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/ |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors, a federal judge ruled Saturday.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks issued a preliminary injunction against the law, which also would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible by kids. The measure, signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year, was set to take effect Aug. 1.
A coalition that included the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock had challenged the law, saying fear of prosecution under the measure could prompt libraries and booksellers to no longer carry titles that could be challenged.
The judge also rejected a motion by the defendants, which include prosecuting attorneys for the state, seeking to dismiss the case.
The ACLU of Arkansas, which represents some of the plaintiffs, applauded the court’s ruling, saying that the absence of a preliminary injunction would have jeopardized First Amendment rights.
“The question we had to ask was — do Arkansans still legally have access to reading materials? Luckily, the judicial system has once again defended our highly valued liberties,” Holly Dickson, the executive director of the ACLU in Arkansas, said in a statement.
The lawsuit comes as lawmakers in an increasing number of conservative states are pushing for measures making it easier to ban or restrict access to books. The number of attempts to ban or restrict books across the U.S. last year was the highest in the 20 years the American Library Association has been tracking such efforts.
Laws restricting access to certain materials or making it easier to challenge them have been enacted in several other states, including Iowa, Indiana and Texas.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in an email Saturday that his office would be “reviewing the judge’s opinion and will continue to vigorously defend the law.”
The executive director of Central Arkansas Library System, Nate Coulter, said the judge’s 49-page decision recognized the law as censorship, a violation of the Constitution and wrongly maligning librarians.
“As folks in southwest Arkansas say, this order is stout as horseradish!” he said in an email.
“I’m relieved that for now the dark cloud that was hanging over CALS’ librarians has lifted,” he added.
Cheryl Davis, general counsel for the Authors Guild, said the organization is “thrilled” about the decision. She said enforcing this law “is likely to limit the free speech rights of older minors, who are capable of reading and processing more complex reading materials than young children can.”
The Arkansas lawsuit names the state’s 28 local prosecutors as defendants, along with Crawford County in west Arkansas. A separate lawsuit is challenging the Crawford County library’s decision to move children’s books that included LGBTQ+ themes to a separate portion of the library.
The plaintiffs challenging Arkansas’ restrictions also include the Fayetteville and Eureka Springs Carnegie public libraries, the American Booksellers Association and the Association of American Publishers. | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-judge-blocks-arkansas-law-allowing-librarians-to-be-criminally-charged-over-harmful-materials/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:46 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-judge-blocks-arkansas-law-allowing-librarians-to-be-criminally-charged-over-harmful-materials/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Trader Joe’s is recalling a broccoli cheddar soup that may contain insects and cooked falafel that may contain rocks, about one week after the grocery chain recalled two cookie products over similar concerns.
The soup recall impacts Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup with “Use By” dates ranging from July 18 to Sept. 15, according to a Thursday announcement from the company. On Friday, the grocer announced that Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Falafel sold in 35 states and Washington, D.C., was also under recall.
On July 21, Trader Joe’s announced that it was recalling Trader Joe’s Almond Windmill Cookies and Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies with “sell by” dates ranging from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21. Like the falafel, the cookies may also contain rocks, the company said.
When asked for further information about how the insects and rocks may have gotten into these products, a Trader Joe’s spokesperson said that “there was an issue in the manufacturing processes in the facilities.” Suppliers alerted Trader Joe’s of the possible foreign material for each recall, the company said.
“We pulled the product from our shelves as soon as we were made aware of the issue. Once we understood the issue we notified our customers,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Associated Press Saturday.
All of the recalled cookies, soup and falafel have been removed from sale or destroyed, Trader Joe’s said in its announcements. But the Monrovia, California-based company is still urging consumers to check their kitchens for the products.
Trader Joe’s says customers who have the recalled products should throw them away or return them to any store for a full refund. Lot codes and further details about the products under recall, as well as customer service contact information, can be found on the company’s website.
Trader Joe’s did not specify how many products were impacted with each recall or identify suppliers. But one Food and Drug Administration notice cited by NBC News says that the Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup recall impacts around 10,889 cases sold in seven states. Winter Gardens Quality Foods, Inc. is identified as the recalling firm, per the notice.
No formal releases about the three recalls were published on the FDA’s Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts page as of Saturday. The Associated Press reached out to the FDA and Winter Gardens Quality Foods for information on Saturday.
“We have a close relationship with our vendors and they alerted us of these issues. We don’t hesitate or wait for regulatory agencies to tell us what to do,” the Trader Joe’s spokesperson said. “We will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer.” | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-more-trader-joes-recalls-this-soup-may-contain-bugs-and-falafel-may-have-rocks-grocer-says/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:52 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/national/ap-more-trader-joes-recalls-this-soup-may-contain-bugs-and-falafel-may-have-rocks-grocer-says/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri is joining No Labels ‘ increasingly contentious effort to lay the groundwork for a moderate third-party presidential ticket in the 2024 election. He gives the embattled organization another prominent ally amid escalating concerns from Democratic officials that the No Labels campaign could unintentionally help Republican Donald Trump return to the White House.
Nixon, a 67-year-old lawyer, is stepping back into national politics for the first time since leaving office in 2017 and will serve as No Labels’ director of ballot integrity. He said in an interview that he was drawn to the role after learning that well-funded groups aligned with Democrats were working to stop No Labels from securing ballot access in key states.
He said that those seeking to block the group’s right to appear on the presidential ballot are attacking a pillar of American democracy.
“What do I say to those Democrats? I say, ‘You’re entitled to your opinion. But we are also entitled to use our constitutional and statutory rights to allow Americans to have another choice,’” Nixon told The Associated Press.
President Joe Biden and Trump have dominated the 2024 campaign conversation so far. But No Labels, a Washington-based group that promotes compromise, national unity and centrist policy solutions, has been preparing for the strongest third-party presidential bid at least since Texas businessman Ross Perot earned nearly 19% of the popular vote in 1992.
Working with an operating budget of roughly $70 million, No Labels is taking steps to secure presidential ballot spots in roughly 20 states this year; the group has done so already in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.
While No Labels has yet to nominate candidates for president and vice president, its leadership insists there is a path to victory for a centrist third-party ticket “if the two parties select unreasonably divisive presidential nominees.”
The group’s critics across the Democratic Party are terrified that No Labels will siphon votes that would otherwise go to Biden, who narrowly beat Trump in 2020 with a coalition that included moderate Democrats, independents and disaffected Republicans.
No Labels’ leadership has promised a series of checks and balances that would allow the organization to withdraw its presidential ticket if it appears the group’s participation would help Trump win. No Labels has not outlined a detailed plan about that, and leaders acknowledge privately there is some urgency to come out with their specific safeguards, which would vary state by state. They intend to do so by “early fall.”
Anxious Democrats are unconvinced.
On Thursday, two prominent Democratic groups, the centrist Third Way and more progressive MoveOn, hosted private meetings on Capitol Hill with dozens of chiefs of staff and senior aides to House and Senate Democrats to emphasize the need to stop No Label’s presidential ambitions. In a nod to the seriousness of the Democratic establishment’s concerns, the meetings were held in both the House and Senate Democrats’ campaign headquarters.
“We told them what we have been saying consistently now for a long time: This is dangerous,” said Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett, who helped lead the briefing along with MoveOn’s executive director, Rahna Epting.
The organizers detailed data showing that a No Labels ticket would undercut Biden in the general election and warned that it could handicap vulnerable House and Senate candidates is tight elections. They also questioned that No Labels’ promise to withdraw its ticket if necessary to stop Trump.
No Labels’ leaders are furious.
“They are telling the elected leaders of this country right now that our ballot is a runaway train. And that is categorically false. That is propaganda. And that is why we’re bringing on a director of ballot integrity to stop it because it’s outrageous,” said No Labels’ founder Nancy Jacobson, a former Democratic fundraiser.
For now, Democrats are not willing to take Jacobson’s word for it.
“I don’t want to be doing this. I’d much rather focus on other things. I am concerned, genuinely,” Epting said. “They’re in over their head. They have not given any assurances that they’re clear and sober in their analysis. And when they talk about being able to put the horse back in the barn, they are not consistent about when or how they’re going to do that.”
“They’re just saying, ‘Trust us,’” Epting said. “We can’t. We don’t know you. And the stakes are too high.”
Meanwhile, Nixon joins a growing roster of former elected officials in both parties now affiliated with No Labels. Among the others: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; former Govs. Jon Huntsman Jr., R-Utah, Larry Hogan, R-Md., and Pat McCrory, R-N.C.; and former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat who became an independent late in his political career.
Manchin and Huntsman, ambassador to China under President Barack Obama and to Russia under Trump, hosted a town hall in New Hampshire this month, driving speculation they may ultimately become the No Labels presidential ticket.
No Labels plans to hold a presidential nominating convention next April in Dallas, and the group is showing no signs of backing off its 2024 plans. With a massive budget fueled by anonymous donations, No Labels can afford to be patient in the fights ahead.
Democrats in Arizona filed a complaint this month with the secretary of state asking to have the group suspended until it discloses it donors. In May, Maine’s top elections official sent a cease-and-desist letter regarding No Labels voter registration efforts after claiming the group was misleading voters.
The group Citizens to Save Our Republic formed a super political action committee this month specifically designed to stop No Labels. The group’s members includes Bennett from Third Way, several advisers to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo.
Nixon, who declined to criticize Biden or Trump, said he understands that he is walking into a political firestorm. But he said he is passionate about No Labels’ constitutional right to secure a place on the ballot.
“I feel calm. I feel correct. I think we have a high moral ground here,” he said. | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-ex-missouri-gov-jay-nixon-joins-push-for-third-party-presidential-bid-as-democrats-try-to-stop-it/ | 2023-07-30T04:05:59 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-ex-missouri-gov-jay-nixon-joins-push-for-third-party-presidential-bid-as-democrats-try-to-stop-it/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The oldest historically Black collegiate fraternity in the U.S. says it is relocating a planned convention in two years from Florida because of what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration’s “harmful, racist and insensitive” policies towards African Americans.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity said this week that it would move its 2025 convention from Orlando to another location that is yet undecided. The convention draws between 4,000 and 6,000 people and has an economic impact of $4.6 million, the fraternity said.
The decision comes after the NAACP and other civil rights organizations this spring issued a travel advisory for Florida, warning that recently passed laws and policies are openly hostile to African Americans, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Willis Lonzer, the fraternity’s general president, said in statement on Wednesday that the decision was motivated in part by Florida’s new education standards that require teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”
“Although we are moving our convention from Florida, Alpha Phi Alpha will continue to support the strong advocacy of Alpha Brothers and other advocates fighting against the continued assault on our communities in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis,” Lonzer said.
An email seeking comment on Saturday about the fraternity’s decision was sent to Jeremy Redfern, the governor’s press secretary and the governor’s office.
DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has come under fire this week over Florida’s new education standards. Among those criticizing the Florida governor on Friday was a rival for the Republican nomination, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the sole Black Republican in the Senate.
Responding to the criticism, DeSantis said Friday that he was “defending” Florida “against false accusations and against lies. And we’re going to continue to speak the truth.”
In May, the NAACP joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors. The groups cited recent laws that prohibited state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory, and the Stop WOKE Act that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.
They also cited laws that they say made life more difficult for immigrants in Florida and limited discussions on LGBTQ topics in schools.
At least nine other organizations or associations have pulled the plug on hosting conventions in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, two of the state’s most population convention cities, because of Florida’s political climate, according to local media reports.
Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, the last year figures are available.
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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-historically-black-fraternity-drops-florida-for-convention-because-of-desantis-policies/ | 2023-07-30T04:06:06 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-historically-black-fraternity-drops-florida-for-convention-because-of-desantis-policies/ |
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of the evening.
She admits recruiting is not the job that she or other Marines had in mind when they enlisted. But after stints as a recruiter and senior officer at the Eastern recruiting command, she has become emblematic of the Corps’ tradition of putting its best, battle-tested Marines on enlistment duty. They get results.
Marine leaders say they will make their recruiting goal this year, while the active-duty Army, Navy and Air Force all expect to fall short. The services have struggled in the tight job market to compete with higher-paying businesses for the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.
On that night, Nash achieved her own goal. She had gotten the valet at the hotel and the hostess at the restaurant to provide their phone numbers and to consider a Marine career.
Nash’s boss, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, who head the Eastern recruiting region, says the Corps has historically put an emphasis on selecting top-performing Marines to fill recruiting jobs. He says that has been a key to the Marines’ recruiting success, along with efforts to increase the number of recruiters, extend those who do well and speed their return to high schools, where in-person recruiting stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said his recruiters — who cover the territory between Canada and Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi — will meet their mission and expect to have 30% of their 2024 goal when they start the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. More broadly, Marine officials say they expect the Corps to achieve its recruiting target of more than 33,000.
Last year, the Navy, Air Force and Marines had to eat into their pools of delayed entry applicants in order to make their goals. The Marines will avoid that this year.
“That would be a great ending,” said Field, speaking to The Associated Press on a recent steamy day at South Carolina’s Parris Island, along the Atlantic Coast. “I’m bearish for not only concluding FY23 on a strong footing, but also how we set the conditions for FY24.”
The Marine Corps may get some help from its small size. The Army, for example, has a recruiting goal of 65,000 this year, which is nearly double the Corps’, and expects to fall substantially short of that. Air Force and Navy officials say they will also miss their goals, although the Space Force, which is the smallest service and does its recruiting within Air Force stations, is expected to meet its goal of about 500 recruits.
Sitting in the shadow of Parris Island’s replica of the Iwo Jima monument, Field said his biggest challenge is that a number of Marine hopefuls cannot pass the military’s academic test, known as the Armed Services Voluntary Aptitude Battery.
That is a widespread problem, but the Army recently set up a program that targets recruits who score below 30 on the test and provides schooling for several weeks to help them pass. Already more than 8,800 recruits have successfully gone through the classes, raised their scores and moved on to basic training.
The Navy is taking another route with a pilot program that allows up to 20% of their recruits to score below 30 on the test, as long as they meet specific standards for their chosen naval job. Marine leaders, however, do not take those lowest scoring recruits, and so far have no plans for any type of formal improvement program such as the Army’s.
Field said the Marines are repositioning recruiting stations, moving them around based on where population totals have increased in the latest census. More important, he said, the Corps maintains its focus on choosing the right recruiters, encouraging successful ones to stay in the job and increasing the number of Marine reservists tapped for recruit duties from the current 31 to 96 by the end of next year.
Nash, who until last month was assistant chief of staff for the Eastern region, said Marines are hand-selected for recruiting command jobs. Many three- and four-star Marines, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, will cite their years doing enlistment duty.
“We put our best and brightest in those positions,” said Nash, adding that those chosen for recruiting posts have a proven track record of success in previous assignments and have demonstrated critical leadership skills. “That’s why they got selected, because they were above their peers.”
She acknowledged that the first time she was picked for a recruiting job she was “voluntold.” But now, recounting her sales pitch in Atlanta, her rapid fire pitch comes without taking a breath.
“I say, ‘Hey, ever thought about being Marine? We’re a bunch of Marines. And, you know, I think you potentially could be a good Marine. You ever thought about it?’ And usually you get, ‘Yeah, I thought about it.’ And I’m, like, ‘What’s holding you back? Would you like to learn more about your opportunities?’ ‘Absolutely.’ `OK. Mind giving me your name and phone number? I’ll have one of my recruiters give you a phone call.’”
The Marines have resisted increasing bonuses to attract recruits — something the other services have found helpful.
Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant, got some ribbing for his response when he was asked about bonuses during a naval conference in February.
“Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine,” he said. “That’s your bonus, right? There’s no dollar amount that goes with that.”
Field, Nash and others also say the Corps prefers to give a lot of recruits a few thousand dollars, rather than increasing the amount and giving money to far fewer people.
Field said that getting Marine recruiters in uniform back into high schools this year, after several years of COVID-19 restrictions, has been a key driver. There, young people line up to compete in pull-up contests, vying for a free T-shirt if they can do 20. And recruiters say many are drawn to the cache of being a Marine.
“If you told me you’ll give me $10 million worth of advertising and I can do something with it, or you’ll give me 10 great-looking Marines in a Marine uniform — what’s going to get the most value? Give me those 10 Marines and give me a day,” Nash said. “We’ll go out and we’ll get more out of that, I think, than $10 million in advertising.” | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-the-few-and-the-proud-arent-so-few-marines-recruiting-surges-while-other-services-struggle/ | 2023-07-30T04:06:14 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-the-few-and-the-proud-arent-so-few-marines-recruiting-surges-while-other-services-struggle/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — At a moment of growing legal peril, Donald Trump ramped up his calls for his GOP rivals to drop out of the 2024 presidential race as he threatened to primary Republican members of Congress who fail to focus on investigating Democratic President Joe Biden and urged them to halt Ukrainian military aid until the White House cooperates with their investigations into Biden and his family.
“Every dollar spent attacking me by Republicans is a dollar given straight to the Biden campaign,” Trump said at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night. The former president and GOP frontrunner said it was time for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others he dismissed as “clowns” to clear the field, accusing them of “wasting hundreds of millions of dollars that Republicans should be using to build a massive vote-gathering operation” to take on Biden in November.
The comments came two days after federal prosecutors unveiled new criminal charges against Trump as part of the case that accuses him of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club and refusing to turn them over to investigators. The superseding indictment unsealed Thursday alleges that Trump and two staffers sought to delete surveillance at the club in an effort to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation.
The case is just one of Trump’s mounting legal challenges. His team is currently bracing for additional possible indictments, which could happen as soon as this coming week, related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election brought by prosecutors in both Washington and Georgia. Trump already faces criminal charges in New York over hush money payments made to women who accused him of sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Nevertheless, Trump remains the dominant early frontrunner for the Republican nomination and has only seen his lead grow as the charges have mounted and as his rivals have struggled to respond. Their challenge was on display at a GOP gathering in Iowa Friday night, where they largely declined to go after Trump directly. The only one who did — accusing Trump of “running to stay out of prison” — was booed as he left the stage.
In the meantime, Trump has embraced his legal woes, turning them into the core message of his bid to return to the White House as he accuses Biden of using the Justice Department to maim his chief political rival. The White House has said repeatedly that the president has had no involvement in the cases.
At rallies — including Saturday’s — Trump has tried to frame the charges, which come with serious threats of jail time, as an attack not just on him, but those who support him.
“They’re not indicting me, they’re indicting you. I just happen to be standing in the way,” he told the arena crowd in Erie, adding that, “Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it actually a great badge of honor…. Because I’m being indicted for you.”
But the investigations are also sucking up enormous resources that are being diverted from the nuts and bolts of the campaign. The Washington Post first reported Saturday that Trump’s political action committee, Save America, will report Monday that it spent more than $40 million on legal fees during the first half of 2023 defending Trump and all of the current and former aides whose lawyers it is paying. The total is more than the campaign raised during the second quarter of the year.
“In order to combat these heinous actions by Joe Biden’s cronies and to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed, the leadership PAC contributed to their legal fees to ensure they have representation against unlawful harassment,” said Trump’s spokesman Steven Cheung.
At the rally — held in a former Democratic stronghold that Trump flipped in 2016, but Biden won narrowly in 2020 — Trump also threatened Republicans in Congress who refuse to go along with efforts to impeach Biden. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this past week that Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry into the president over unproven claims of financial misconduct.
Trump, who was impeached twice while in office, said Saturday that, “The biggest complaint that I get is that the Republicans find out this information and then they do nothing about it.”
“Any Republican that doesn’t act on Democrat fraud should be immediately primaries and get out — out!” he told the crowd to loud applause. “They have to play tough and … if they’re not willing to do it, we got a lot of good, tough Republicans around … and they’re going to get my endorsement every singe time.”
Trump, during the 2022 midterm elections, made it his mission to punish those who had voted in favor of his second impeachment and succeeded in unseating most who had by backing primary challengers.
At the rally, Trump also called on Republican members of Congress to halt the authorization of additional military support to Ukraine, which has been mired in a war fighting Russia’s invasion, until the Biden administration cooperates with Republican investigations into Biden and his family’s business dealings — words that echoed the call that lead to his first impeachment.
“He’s dragging into a global conflict on behalf of the very same country, Ukraine, that apparently paid his family all of these millions of dollars,” Trump alleged. “In light of this information,” Congress, he said, “should refuse to authorize a single additional payment of our depleted stockpiles … the weapons stockpiles to Ukraine until the FBI, DOJ and IRS hand over every scrap of evidence they have on the Biden crime family’s corrupt business dealings.”
House Republicans have been investigating the Biden family’s finances, particularly payments Hunter, the president’s son, received from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that became tangled in the first impeachment of Trump.
An unnamed confidential FBI informant claimed that Burisma company officials in 2015 and 2016 sought to pay the Bidens $5 million each in return for their help ousting a Ukrainian prosecutor who was purportedly investigating the company. But a Justice Department review in 2020, while Trump was president, was closed eight months later with insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
Trump’s first impeachment by the House resulted in charges that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on the Bidens while threatening to withhold military aid. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate. | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-trump-amid-legal-perils-calls-on-gop-to-rally-around-him-as-he-threatens-primary-challenges/ | 2023-07-30T04:06:21 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/politics/ap-trump-amid-legal-perils-calls-on-gop-to-rally-around-him-as-he-threatens-primary-challenges/ |