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Column: Chicago Cubs rotation picture appears clear after another strong performance from rookie Hayden Wesneski

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

David Ross confirmed the worst-held secret in Chicago Cubs camp Thursday when he announced Marcus Stroman as his opening-day starter.“He will take the bump opening day, yes sir,” the Cubs manager said before an 11-1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.Stroman took the liberty of announcing the news Wednesday on Twitter, spoiling an ill-advised marketing plan by MLB to get teams to announce all 30 starters Friday to help promote opening day.Memo to MLB: Opening day needs no help getting attention.Ross said several factors went into the Stroman decision, but one reason stood out.“Stro deserved it,” he said. “He earned it last year. Probably one of our better pitchers on the back half. He’s got a presence about him and he’s a guy that’s expected to pitch big innings in this rotation we have throughout the season.”Ross declined to spell out the rest of the rotation order among Drew Smyly, Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele or name hi...

San Diego man sentenced for underage sex trafficking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A long-time sex trafficker was sentenced Thursday to more than 15 years in prison, prosecutors said.Kevin Lamont Beal, 29, of San Diego, knowingly coerced and enticed a teenage girl to engage in commercial acts, Kelly Thornton with the Office of the United States Attorney Southern District of California stated in a news release. In 2021, a complaint was filed against Beal, charging him with sex trafficking of underage girls and women. Beal pleaded guilty to federal charges in January 2022, prosecutors said."In his plea agreement, Beal admitted that he transported underage girls and women and provided them to customers for commercial sex acts, which took place in California and elsewhere from December 2016 through August 2018," Thornton said. Suspect in triple murder arrested following transfer from Mexico Prosecutors claim Beal used his cellphone to entice and coerce an underage girl to have her engage in commercial sex acts and prostitution in San Diego County and ot...

Utah social media law requires parental permission for kids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah became the first state to enact laws limiting how children can use social media after Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a pair of measures Thursday that require parental consent before kids can sign up for sites like TikTok and Instagram.The two bills Cox signed into law also prohibit kids under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and seek to prevent tech companies from luring kids to their apps using addictive features. The laws passed through Utah’s Republican-supermajority Legislature are the latest reflection of how politicians’ perceptions of technology companies are changing — and that includes pro-business Republicans. Tech giants like Facebook and Google have enjoyed unbridled growth for over a decade, but amid concerns over user privacy, hate speech, misinformation and harmful effects on teens’ mental health, lawmakers have b...

New Mexico tribe keeps title to portion of national preserve

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Native American tribe has been granted title to a portion of a national preserve in northern New Mexico following a yearslong court battle against the federal government, a ruling that could provide hope to other tribes seeking to regain rights to their traditional homelands.The 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals issued a split ruling Wednesday in the case brought by Jemez Pueblo over lands it was seeking to reclaim in the Valles Caldera National Preserve.The pueblo had argued its aboriginal property rights — or rights to occupy and use land as their ancestors did — were never extinguished despite a lower court ruling in 2019 that found the U.S. government had clear title to the expansive preserve. Following an appeal and a subsequent trial, the pueblo opted to narrow its claims to four specific areas within Valles Caldera’s boundaries.The latest ruling acknowledged the pueblo’s title to an area known as Banco Bonito but rejected claims to three other area...

Rio police raid slum to arrest drug lords, 13 people killed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police exchanged fire with gunmen Thursday when they raided one of Rio de Janeiro’s slums to arrest alleged drug traffickers, and 13 people were killed, authorities said.Police said the raid was tied to drug traffickers originally from the northern state of Para, where more than 40 police officers have been killed since 2021.Rio police said all people who died during the operation were criminals. They added that two suspects were arrested and two women were wounded.TV footage showed an intense exchange of gunfire inside the Salgueiro favela.Rio police said they would later release further information about the operation.The newspaper O Globo said the reputed head of Para-based drug trafficking organization was killed in the raid, which police did not confirm.The Associated Press

Scandal-plagued Japan tech giant Toshiba gets tender offer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Scandal-embattled Japanese electronics and technology manufacturer Toshiba has accepted a 2 trillion yen ($15 billion) tender offer from Japan Industrial Partners, a buyout fund made up of the nation’s major banks and companies. If the proposal succeeds, it will be a major step in Toshiba’s yearslong turnaround effort, allowing it to go private and delist from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. But overseas activist investors own a significant part of Toshiba’s shares, and it’s unclear if they will be happy with the latest bid. Tokyo-based Toshiba Corp. announced its board accepted the bid at 4,620 yen ($36) a share late Thursday. Toshiba closed at 4,213 yen ($32) a share Thursday, and is trading at 4,474 yen ($34) early Friday. The offer was announced after trading closed in Tokyo. The move comes while the world’s financial sector is in turmoil over the ripple effects from the recent collapse of banks in the U.S. The critical point is that the latest offer, if successful, will ...

ACLU: Officials mocked Nevada prison-firefighter burns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A group of prison firefighters said their feet burned and their socks melded to their feet during a gruesome fire clean-up assignment that left several unable to walk, stand or shower without assistance for days, according to a new lawsuit.Still, the firefighters were “mocked and ignored” when they initially told their supervisors of what would later be determined as second-degree burns and blisters, according to the Thursday filing by the ACLU of Nevada. The 35-page civil complaint alleges negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of state and federal constitutional bans on cruel and unusual punishment. It seeks at least $700,000 in damages for seven plaintiffs in Nevada, several changes in training and policy, and discipline for state employees “whose negligence and/or intentional conduct results in injury to … people required to work while incarcerated.”The firefighters were trained at Jean Conservation Camp, the only t...

Court blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for US gov’t workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s order that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 was blocked Thursday by a federal appeals court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans rejected arguments that Biden, as the nation’s chief executive, has the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated. The ruling from the full appeals court, 16 full-time judges at the time the case was argued, reversed an earlier ruling by a three-judge 5th Circuit panel that had upheld the vaccination requirement. Judge Andrew Oldham, nominated to the court by then-President Donald Trump, wrote the opinion for a 10-member majority.The ruling maintains the status quo for federal employee vaccines. It upholds a preliminary injunction blocking the mandate issued by a federal judge in January 2022. At that point, the administration said nearly 98% of covered employees had been vaccinated.And, Oldham noted, with the preliminary injunction a...

N Korea says it simulated nuke attacks with drone, missiles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Friday its cruise missile launches this week were part of nuclear attack simulations that also involved a detonation by a purported underwater drone as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to make his rivals “plunge into despair.”North Korea has stepped up its weapons demonstrations in a tit-for-tat response to military exercises between the United States and its ally South Korea aimed at countering the North’s growing nuclear threat. The allies completed an 11-day exercise that included their biggest field training in years on Thursday, but North Korea is expected to continue its weapons tests as the United States reportedly plans to send an aircraft carrier in coming days for another round of joint drills with the South.Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim supervised a three-day exercise that simulated nuclear counterattacks against enemy naval assets and ports that involved detonations of mock nuclear warheads. KCNA said the dril...

These innocent-looking emojis could be hiding nefarious messages, Ohio officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:50 GMT

CLEVELAND (WJW) — Concerning activity could be hiding behind friendly-looking text messages.The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) is warning all parents about emojis that are reportedly being used on social media and cellphones to market, sell and buy illegal drugs. According to the ONIC, seeing certain emojis on your child’s phone could be an indication of possible drug activity, though emojis can be used in many other ways as well. McDonald’s fans can get this popular menu item at Wendy’s “The use of emojis in this manner is a nationwide trend, and our analysts are seeing it here in Ohio as they analyze electronic devices seized in ongoing drug investigations,” ONIC Executive Director Cynthia Peterman said. “Although the use of these emojis is most often harmless, it’s important that parents keep this alert in mind, especially if their child is showing other signs of withdrawal or drug abuse.” Park outside: Hyundai, Kia recall vehicles due to fire risk According to the...