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Bill Madden: Subway Series showed just how flawed the Mets and Yankees are this season

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

It is a sorry commentary but true: The one undeniable takeaway from the Subway Series was that New York baseball is a potential train wreck. Both the Yankees and Mets showed themselves to be prime examples of mediocrity, with major holes. Their one saving grace is that mediocrity abounds in baseball this season, and that might still allow one or both of them to eventually creep into the postseason.In the Yankees’ case, never was it more obvious they’re a one-man team. With Aaron Judge sidelined indefinitely with his toe injury, there’s no one in the Yankee lineup that scares anyone, and no one has stepped up to provide even a semblance of his missing offensive thunder. As of Saturday, the Yankees were 9-12 in games Judge didn’t play and they’ve pretty much been playing an outfield of retreads in his absence.Giancarlo Stanton, streaky as usual, has yet to get it going this year, slashing .221/.280/.477 going into the weekend. DJ LeMahieu has become a she...

San Diego business among most reviewed LGBTQ-owned bakeries in US: Yelp

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego bakery with small-batch croissants and wild sourdough has pastry lovers raving online. Tucked away in a loft above a photo studio in East Village, IZOLA prides itself on bringing its customers "the rarest of pastries:" the kind that come right out of a hot oven. This bakers delight has been recognized by many, which is proven in the abundance of reviews the establishment has received on Yelp. First same-sex couple to marry in California post-Prop 8 renews wedding vows In fact, IZOLA was recently highlighted by the well-known crowd-sourced reviews company as one of the most reviewed LGBTQ-owned bakeries in the country.In celebration of Pride Month, Yelp commented, "it’s important to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community in all aspects of our lives." In this case, it's where pastry and desert lovers go to satisfy their sweet tooth.Yelp compiled a list its top 25 most-reviewed LGBTQ-owned bakeries, with this San Diego business landing itself in second pla...

4 women, 1 girl killed in Minneapolis crash after they were hit by a driver who was evading police

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Five people were killed when a driver ran a red light while fleeing Minneapolis police, authorities say. The pursuit started around 10 p.m. Friday when an officer spotted the driver speeding on Interstate 35, Minneapolis police said in a statement. The the driver exited the highway before crashing into another vehicle with four women and a girl inside, police said. All five were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the fleeing motorist then ran from the crash scene. Officers searched the area before taking a suspect into custody. He was taken to a hospital to be evaluated. Police haven’t released his name or the names of the victims. A homicide team is investigating. The Associated Press

Pakistani officials say bus accident in Salt mountain range kills 12, injures 8

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A bus traveling on a highway in Pakistan’s Punjab province overturned after its breaks failed Saturday killing at least 12 people and leaving eight others injured, police and health officials said.Saqib Waheed, spokesman for the federal Motorway Police, said the bus was traveling from the capital Islamabad to the eastern city of Lahore when its breaks failed about 135 kilometers (85 miles) from the capital on a sharp turn in the Salt mountain range.According to Kalar Kahar Town Hospital official Amjad Hussain, seven bus passengers died in the hospital. Five of the 12 dead, including women and children, died at the scene of the accident and eight injured passengers were still being treated.Traffic accidents are common in Pakistan, where safety standards are largely compromised and traffic rules regularly violated and rarely enforced. The Associated Press

US ambassador marches in Warsaw Pride parade, sending message to NATO ally

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The United States ambassador held a U.S. flag high as he marched in the yearly Pride parade in Warsaw on Saturday, a clear message of Washington’s opposition to discrimination in a country where LGBTQ+ people are facing an uphill struggle.“America embraces equality,” Ambassador Mark Brzezinski said, as he marched with more than 30 other members of the U.S. Embassy and alongsides representatives from Canada, Austria and other Western countries in the Equality Parade.In recent years Western governments have been alarmed by a conservative government in Warsaw that depicts gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as threats to the nation and its children. The participation of the U.S. ambassador sent a clear message to the government of Poland, a NATO member on the alliance’s eastern flank where the United States has increased its military presence since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Poland has for decades considered W...

Government shutdown warnings rise as Republicans seek deeper cuts in budget battle

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid to appease Republican hard-liners and get the House moving again after a recent party rebellion on the floor has some Democrats warning of a difficult road ahead when it comes to passing legislation that will keep the government running. Republicans teed up votes this past week on guns and on censuring one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent critics, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Those votes helped get the House moving again, though the latter effort failed, with Schiff helped by some 20 Republicans. The most consequential move of the week, however, was an announcement from GOP leadership that arrived with little fanfare. Republicans said they plan to pursue appropriations bills, which fund government programs and agencies, with less spending than the top-line numbers they agreed to in a deal with the White House last month. That compromise avoided what would have been an unprecedented federal default.McCarthy arg...

Eviction filings are 50% higher than they were pre-pandemic in some cities as rents rise

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Entering court using a walker, a doctor’s note clutched in his hand, 70-year-old Dana Williams, who suffers serious heart problems, hypertension and asthma, pleaded to delay eviction from his two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta.Although sympathetic, the judge said state law required him to evict Williams and his 25-year-old daughter De’mai Williams in April because they owed $8,348 in unpaid rent and fees on their $940-a-month apartment. They have been living in limbo ever since. They moved into a dilapidated Atlanta hotel room with water dripping through the bathroom ceiling, broken furniture and no refrigerator or microwave. But at $275-a-week, it was all they could afford on Williams’ $900 monthly social security check and the $800 his daughter gets biweekly from a state agency as her father’s caretaker. “I really don’t want to be here by the time his birthday comes” in August, De’mai Williams said. “For his health, it’s just not right.”T...

Plane crash kills ‘Flying Wild Alaska’ pilot Jim Tweto and Idaho hunting guide

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Bush pilot Jim Tweto, known for his starring role in the Discovery Channel’s “Flying Wild Alaska” series, was killed along with a hunting and fishing guide from Idaho when their small plane crashed shortly after takeoff, Alaska State Troopers said. Tweto’s family-run rural aviation business in Unalakleet was featured in three seasons of the television series a decade ago. He and passenger Shane Reynolds of Orofino, Idaho, died Friday near the coastal village of Shaktoolik, roughly 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Nome, the statement said. The plane “was witnessed taking off but not climbing and then crashing,” their report said. Troopers were notified of an SOS activation around 11:48 a.m. Friday, followed by a report that a Cessna 180 had crashed 35 miles northeast of Shaktoolik.Troopers responding from Nome recovered both bodies. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating.The Anchorage Daily News reported that Tweto was a co-owner ...

What to know as King Charles takes part in his first Trooping the Color birthday parade as monarch

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III rode on horseback Saturday to take part in his first Trooping the Color ceremony as U.K. monarch, inspecting hundreds of soldiers and horses in a spectacular annual military display at central London’s Horse Guards Parade. Charles, 74, the colonel in chief, received the royal salute and watched as the most prestigious regiments in the U.K. army paraded to mark his official birthday. It was the first time in more than 30 years that a U.K. monarch has taken part in the pomp-filled ceremony on horseback. Earlier, Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and the king’s siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, also rode on horseback in procession from Buckingham Palace. All the royals were dressed in red and gold tunics and tall black bearskin hats, matching the uniforms worn by many of the 1,400 soldiers taking part. Others in the royal family, including Queen Camilla, Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her three young children, rode in horse...

Search for survivors, bodies from sunken migrant boat continues in the Mediterranean off Greece

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 04:31:15 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities continued their search and rescue operation following the sinking of a trawler overcrowded with migrants in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea, the country’s coast guard said early Saturday afternoon.The coast guard said that one Greek Navy frigate and four other vessels are operating 47 nautical miles (54 miles; 87 kilometers) southwest of the town of Pylos in Greece’s southwest. Earlier, two helicopters from the navy and coast guard had joined the operation, the coast guard said.To date, 104 survivors have been rescued and 78 bodies have been retrieved from among the passengers of the trawler that carried as many as 750 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, Palestine and Pakistan. No survivors or bodies have been found since Wednesday, the day of the accident. Greek authorities continue to face criticism, however, over their failure to act more quickly. They say the migrants insisted they didn’t need any help, but N...