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Twins blanked by MLB-best Rays in series opener

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Maybe Luke Raley’s rally-starting triple was fair. Maybe it wasn’t. His home run certainly was. But anyways, it doesn’t much matter because the Twins finished the night Tuesday with just four hits.Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin delivers to the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)Louie Varland followed the best outing of his young career with the worst of his career, and his teammates could do little at the plate, sending the Twins to a 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin started the night by striking out the first four batters he faced, a continuation of the Twins’ troubling season-long trend. The major league leaders in strikeouts added 12 more to their tally on Tuesday.They didn’t collect a hit off Eflin until Carlos Correa doubled off the left-field wall in the fourth inning. It was the o...

Army Corps revokes permit for PolyMet copper nickel mine, cites threat to downstream tribe’s water standards

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it has revoked a crucial federal permit for the proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, a project popularly known as PolyMet, saying the permit did not comply with the water quality standards set by a sovereign downstream tribe.The Corps said in a statement that it revoked the Clean Water Act permit, which it had previously suspended, “because the permit does not ensure compliance with water quality requirements of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.” The tribe’s reservation, on the St. Louis River, is downstream from the mine and processing plant site near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes.“This is a huge victory,” said Paula Maccabee, an attorney for WaterLegacy, one of the environmental groups that have been fighting the proposed mine in court and in the regulatory process for several years. “It’s a victory for tribal sovereignty, it’s a victory for science, it’s a victory for the law. Although PolyMet h...

Apple’s Vision Pro goggles unleash mixed reality that could trigger innovation, isolation

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Reporters are a skeptical bunch, so it was unusual to hear so many of them raving about their firsthand experience with Apple’s next Big Thing: the high-priced headset called Vision Pro, a device infused with totally virtual reality as well as augmented reality that projects digital images on top of real-world settings.But after wearing the Vision Pro during a half-hour demonstration meticulously orchestrated by Apple, I joined the ranks of those blown away by all the impressive technology Apple has packed into the goggles-like headset. Still, that excitement was muted by a disquieting sense of having just passed through a gateway that eventually will lead society down another avenue of digital isolation.THE POTENTIAL UPSIDESBut first the good stuff: Vision Pro is a highly sophisticated device that is fairly easy to set up and incredibly intuitive to use. The setup requires using an iPhone to automatically take some assessments of your eyes and ears. If you wear ...

Cows attack jogger on Boulder County Open Space trail

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

A small herd of cattle attacked a jogger running on the Meadowlark Trail near Superior on Tuesday morning, prompting a closure of the trailhead.Another person on the trail saw the jogger trying to protect herself on the ground, surrounded by about 15 or 20 cows, most of them mothers with their calves, and called 911.Boulder County Parks and Open Space rangers responded within approximately 15 minutes, according to Erin Hartnett, one of the rangers who responded. The jogger was taken to the hospital, and her condition is unknown.According to Hartnett, the cows were most likely trying to protect their calves and the jogger did nothing wrong.“This time of year they’re just very protective of their calves,” Hartnett said.The trailhead was reopened in the early afternoon, once the rancher who leases the field moved the herd to a fenced-in pasture south of the trail.Although the herd had been in the field for a couple of weeks without incident, people have reported aggressive cattle in th...

Denver runoff election results: Updates on mayor, city council races

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

Click here to see results from the April 4 election.Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

Kyle Freeland’s NBA Finals prediction: “It depends on who wants it more.”

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland was a man on a double mission Sunday. Unfortunately for Freeland, both failed.He began the day by making an excellent start in Kansas City, only to see the Rockies fall, 2-0, at Kauffman Stadium. When he returned to DIA on the team plane, he immediately headed to Ball Arena for Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Nuggets and Heat.“I made it for the second half,” Freeland said. “Tough game, tough loss.”The Heat caught fire from 3-point range and beat Denver, 111-108, squaring the series at 1-1.Freeland, a Denver native, graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and huge fan of former Nuggets guard Carmelo Anthony, is keeping the faith as the Nuggets enter Game 3 on Wednesday night in Miami.“Obviously, they have their work cut out for them, but I think the Nuggets are going to take care of business and get right what they need to get right,” Freeland said. “Then they can come back home and hopefully clinch the...

Analysis: Why the Nuggets are failing to defend Miami Heat 3-pointers in NBA Finals, and how Denver can adjust in Game 3

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

MIAMI — The screener was actually the screenee. Max Strus slithered from the baseline toward the top of the key, positioning himself to set a pick to Jimmy Butler’s right. But Strus sprung into his next motion immediately.The Heat anticipated Denver switching on the ball screen. Jamal Murray, originally on Strus, stayed put as Butler took a dribble to his right. Butler’s matchup, Aaron Gordon, started sliding right to guard the screener. But he blindly collided with a wall of Bam. Miami center Bam Adebayo had lifted from the foul line, screening for Strus. With Butler’s initial move to the right, Miami had used the Nuggets’ screen coverage against them. Butler passed to an open Strus on the left wing. Nikola Jokic lunged too late for an effective close-out.Brick.That was Game 1. After a win, coach Michael Malone was nonetheless critical of Denver’s perimeter defense. The Heat simply didn’t make open 3-point shots (33%). Strus was 0 for 9. On...

Heat’s Jimmy Butler: Bam Adebayo “going to be the reason why we win the championship”

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

MIAMI — Championship on deck? Give Heat center Bam Adebayo credit.Through the first two games of the Finals, he’s been Miami’s first line of defense against Nikola Jokic, doing his best to dictate how the two-time MVP operates offensively. Even though Jokic scored 41 points in Game 2, the scoring came on the Heat’s terms. With only four assists, Jokic wasn’t the unstoppable, unguardable engine he was in Game 1.And that’s just the energy Adebayo’s exerting defensively. Offensively, he’s averaged 23.5 points, 11 rebounds and 4.5 assists through two games. In Game 2, he looked like Jokic Lite, serving as an offensive fulcrum for Miami.Jimmy Butler has been underwhelming offensively and credited Adebayo for his all-encompassing impact.“Bam has been playing incredibly well this entire playoffs, for sure this series, and that’s when he’s got like the toughest matchup by far on the defensive side of the ball,” Butler said.“…He has been there for us all year long, and like...

L.A. County District Attorney to stop posting on Twitter, citing 'hateful content'

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will no longer post content on Twitter, citing concerns about “harmful and hateful content,” D.A. George Gascón announced Tuesday.“As a prosecutor’s office, we uphold the principles of justice, fairness and equality for all,” Gascón posted – on Twitter. “The rise of unchecked vitriol targeting marginalized communities, false information, lack of community guideline enforcement or mechanisms to otherwise address these issues, has left us with no other choice.”Last October, Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion with the stated goal of protecting free speech.  Since then, the social media platform has lost market value and some high-profile users who expressed concern about a rise in hate speech, including the reinstatement of previously banned white nationalists.In his statement, Gascón alluded to hateful comments that followed official tweets by his office.“While we respect the principles of the First Amendment, we also reco...

California's DMV is changing the disabled parking permit renewal process: These are the changes

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:45:28 GMT

The process to renew disabled parking placards in California will require a little more work in an effort to curb widespread misuse. Beginning on June 30, California drivers who have had disabled parking placards for six or more years will need to renew it to keep placards valid. California bill would ban the sale of Skittles, Hot Tamales & other food items  This is the first year the rule is in effect under Senate Bill 611, which requires placard holders to sign a form with the California DMV every six years to ensure they are still alive and need the placard, the Los Angeles Times reported.The bill turned law, which passed in 2017, was introduced to curb the mistreatment of disabled parking placards. SB 611 passed six months after a 2017 state audit revealed that the DMV wasn’t checking to ensure people who were issued the placards still used them.The audit also found that the department hadn’t canceled the parking permits after people died and found that some were misu...