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Condemned building used by homeless people falls in Brazil, killing 14 people

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

An apartment building condemned for more than decade but used by homeless people collapsed in Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco, killing 14 people, including six children, firefighters reported Saturday.The building in Recife’s Paulista suburb crumbled in the early hours of Friday, prompting a frantic search for victims.Searchers combed through the rubble with the help of sniffer dogs and rescued two 15-year-old girls and a 65-year-old woman alive, firefighters said. An 18-year-old man was also removed alive, but later died from his injuries.“Search operations are now focused on the removal of animals,” the fire department said Saturday.The building was occupied by homeless people although living there had been forbidden since 2010, the Paulista city hall said in a statement.City officials referred to the structure as a “coffin block,” a name given to buildings built on a large scale in the 1970s in the metropolitan region of Recife, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported...

Toronto mourns Beverley Salmon, city’s first Black female councillor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

Toronto is mourning the loss of Dr. Beverley Salmon, the first Black female city councillor who was known as a trailblazer and advocate for more inclusive practices in municipal government. Salmon’s daughter, Heather, confirmed on social media that her mother passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. Salmon was born in Toronto in 1930. She began her career as a nurse initially in Detroit in the 1950s where she became involved with the civil rights movement before returning to Toronto to continue her activism in the 1960s. In 1985, Salmon became Toronto’s first Black female city councillor, representing North York until her retirement in 1997. Salmon was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2016 and the Order of Canada a year later. Several Toronto politicians took to social media to remember Salmon. Mayor-elect Olivia Chow shared a message of remembrance, citing their time on Metro Council together and praising her leadership in advancing human rights and racial justice. As f...

Crews continue to battle cargo ship blaze that killed 2 New Jersey firefighters

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Fire crews on Saturday continued to battle flames that have smoldered inside a cargo ship docked at the East Coast’s biggest port, days after the blaze claimed the lives of two New Jersey firefighters and injured five others.Newark firefighters Augusto “Augie” Acabou and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr. were killed in the Wednesday night fire aboard the Grande Costa d’Avorio, an Italian-flagged vessel carrying thousands of vehicles and other goods that was at port in Newark.The Coast Guard said Saturday that marine firefighting specialists were “actively conducting fire suppression both pier-side and on the water.”Officials said fire crews arriving at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday reported a blaze in the rear of the ship on the 10th to 12th levels. About an hour later, a mayday call was issued after a firefighter became trapped inside, and a second mayday call was issued for another firefighter.Acabou, a firefighter for more than nine years, was rescued from the ship before m...

Carlos Alcaraz won’t fret about sounding humble at Wimbledon. He wants to face Novak Djokovic

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Let other players downplay their championship chances at Wimbledon. Let other players profess — feign? — humility. Let other players express caution in Week 1 that it’s still way too early to be talking about the possibility of reaching the final at the end of the fortnight.Carlos Alcaraz is not interested in any of that. He is No. 1 in the ATP rankings and No. 1 in the seedings at the All England Club and embraces that status. Every bit of it.So on Saturday, after reaching the fourth round at the All England Club with a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5 victory over No. 25 Nicolas Jarry at Centre Court, when he was asked whether it comes as something of a shock to him to already be one of the faces of the Grand Slam tournament, and already one of its favorites, at the ripe old age of 20, Alcaraz shrugged.“Well, I’m not surprised, honestly, ’cause I know my skills. I know what I’m capable of,” Alcaraz said, wearing the white bucket hat that’s become his signature news...

3 Tigers pitchers combine for no-hitter against Blue Jays

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

Three Detroit Tigers pitchers combined to no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays in a 2-0 win on Saturday.Starting pitcher Matt Manning went the first 6 2/3 innings. Manning walked three batters and struck out five. He was pulled after walking Cavan Biggio with two outs in the top of the seventh. He threw 91 pitches. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was greeted with a chorus of boos from the home crowd when he emerged to pull Manning from the game, ending any chance for him to pull off the complete game no-hitter. The jeers then turned to cheers in appreciation for Manning’s efforts as he walked off the field. Jason Foley came on in relief and got Whit Merrifield to fly out to end the top of the seventh and keep the combined no-hit bid intact for Detroit.Tigers closer Alex Lange came in for the ninth and struck out Bo Bichette on three pitches. Brandon Belt lined out to center field, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out to third on an 0-2 pitch.BREAKINGTigers earn their first combined no-hit...

CPD: 15-year-old boy missing from Montclare

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department is seeking the public's help in finding a teenage boy who went missing from the Montclare Neighborhood Friday.According to police, 15-year-old Angel Rodriguez went missing from the 2700 block of North Newcastle sometime Friday.Missing 15-year-old Angel Rodriguez. (Courtesy: Chicago Police Department)Rodriguez is Hispanic and described as being around 5-foot-6-inches-tall, weighing around 120 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, and having scars on his neck. He was last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt, t-shirt and sweatpants. Police said Rodriguez may have attended his summer school class in the 3000 block of North Mobile Avenue. The class took place between 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and there is no indication that he did not attend the class. Last contact family had with Rodriguez was around 6:40 a.m. Friday morning.Rodriguez is also known to frequent the Brickyard Shopping Center and the X-Port Fitness Gym in the Brickyard.If you or someone...

Wild: Lakeville’s Henry Welsch is having a blast in his first NHL prospects camp

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

Henry Welsch has a dream, and although he is a year away from earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts-Lowell, don’t let the specialized educational path fool you.“It’s never been my dream to be an engineer,” he said Saturday.Welsch was speaking from TRIA Rink in downtown St. Paul, where he is one of 36 players in the Wild’s weekend prospects camp, which will wrap up on Sunday morning. There, he clarified his Plan A.“I’d like to play the highest level of pro hockey that I can,” Welsch said, “and I’m gonna give it a shot.”One of 11 invitees to this weekend’s camp, Welsch, 22, is one step closer, and if he’s not quite on the doorstep of an NHL career, his participation is part of a climb that began at Lakeville South, moved to Aberdeen, S.D., and will continue this fall in Lowell, Mass.This is the closest Welsch has been so far, unless one counts the day he played goalie while the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs played 3-on-3 hockey at the seasonal ice rink near Rice...

Movie review: ‘Joy Ride’ is a delightful mix of poignant and prurient

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

“Crazy Rich Asians” screenwriter Adele Lim swings for the fences with her directorial debut, “Joy Ride,” and knocks it out of the park with this rowdy, raucous comedy about a search for identity and finding yourself in friendship. Hilariously daring, deeply moving, and stereotype-busting in equal measure, “Joy Ride” is also the raunchiest movie to most likely to make you shed a tear.Broadway and “Emily in Paris” superstar Ashley Park plays Audrey, who was adopted from China as a baby by white American parents (Annie Mumolo and David Denham). She and her bestie Lolo (Sherry Cola) have been fast friends since the day her parents sought out the only Asian family on the playground, and the odd couple have been a fiercely loyal pair ever since: Audrey the uptight, high-achieving lawyer, Lolo the loutish layabout artist committed to her “body positive” mission statement.The duo head to China for Audrey’s business trip, where she hopes to lock down an important business deal and make partn...

St. Louis named among best cities 'to live without a car'

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Not everyone can drive or has access to a car. If that's the case for you, new research shows you might be better off without one in St. Louis compared to many other places. St. Louis was named among the Top 20 best cities to live without a car in a recent report from CoworkingCafe, a business platform that helps people find and book co-working spaces. This Missouri home for sale comes with an underground cave The report analyzed more than 300 cities around the United States and ranked cities based on certain factors that could add to one's quality of life without needing a car. That includes public transportation arrangements, modes of travel (like biking and walking) and costs associated with non-car transportation. According to CoworkingCafe, around 7 percent of people in St. Louis use public transportation as their primary mode of traveling. Another 4 percent commute most often by walking and around 1 percent commute most often by biking. Close ...

Mikolas goes seven sharp, Cardinals win 3-0 over White Sox

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:16:17 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Miles Mikolas pitched seven efficient innings, Jordan Walker homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Saturday.Mikolas allowed four hits — all singles — in his first win since May 30. The 34-year-old right-hander struck out six and walked none, throwing 71 of his 95 pitches for strikes.Mikolas (5-5), a two-time All-Star, was 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his previous six starts.Giovanny Gallegos worked around Oscar Colás' leadoff single in the eighth, and Jordan Hicks finished the seven-hitter for his seventh save.Walker hit a solo drive in the ninth for his eighth homer for last-place St. Louis. Paul DeJong singled in Nolan Gorman in the second, and Brendan Donovan added a run-scoring groundout in the fifth.White Sox right-hander Touki Toussaint (0-2) allowed five hits — all singles — in five innings. He struck out five and walked one in his second start since he was claimed off waivers from Cleveland last month.Chicago dropped to 10-18 in its p...