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Column: The circus surrounding the Shohei Ohtani courtship was one for the books

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

Shohei Ohtani wound up where almost everyone expected from the start Saturday when he agreed to a record 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.It is the biggest contract in North American team sports, and its reverberations will be felt in baseball for years after surpassing the next-highest MLB deal, Mike Trout’s 12-year, $427 million contract signed in 2019, by $273 million.But the story of the Ohtani courtship was a long and twisting road that had baseball fans engrossed for weeks, especially in the 24 hours before the deal was agreed upon, when an errant report and social media speculation had the entire country of Canada on edge over an alleged trip Ohtani took to Toronto on a private jet.As it turned out, tracking Ohtani’s phantom flight to Toronto on Friday afternoon to find out whether baseball’s unicorn would shock the world and sign with the Blue Jays was a colossal time-waster for fans with social media accounts and plenty of time to wa...

Thousands march in Europe in the latest rallies against antisemitism stoked by the war in Gaza

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Thousands of people marched in the Belgian and German capitals on Sunday to protest soaring antisemitism since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The demonstrations in Brussels and Berlin were the latest in a series of rallies in European capitals that have expressed support for Jewish communities. Previous marches in Paris and in London drew tens of thousands of people. There have also been many pro-Palestinian rallies, often drawing large crowds.Marchers at the Brussels rally held up signs reading “You don’t have to be Jewish to march against antisemitism,” “antisemitism kills” and other slogans. Police said at least 4,000 people attended.Joël Rubinfeld, president of the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, said Belgium has witnessed “a huge increase” in anti-Jewish hatred since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that triggered their latest and deadliest war.“We are living in a very complicated period,” he said, adding that the ra...

Pedestrian suffers life-threatening injuries when struck by vehicle in North York

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

One person is in hospital with life-threatening injuries from being struck by a vehicle in North York on Saturday night.At approximately 8:42 p.m. officers responded to reports of a collision in the area of Epsom Downs Drive and William Cragg Drive area.A black BMW sedan was reportedly travelling eastbound on Epsom Downs Drive when it struck a pedestrian who was walking eastbound on the same street.The pedestrian was transported to Sunnybrook Hospital with life-threatening injuries.An investigation is ongoing by members of Traffic Services and police are asking witnesses and residents with information to contact them.

Police chase in Philadelphia ends in shootout that leaves 2 officers, suspect wounded

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A police pursuit of a suspected gunman ended in a shootout that left two officers and a suspect wounded, police said.The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Sunday, interim city Police Commissioner John Stanford said, after officers responded to reports of gunfire and saw a pickup truck that was believed to have been involved in that shooting. Offers tried to stop the truck, but the driver drove off.Officers soon spotted the truck again and the pursuit ended when the driver rammed a police car. He then got out and started shooting at police, Stanford said.Four officers returned fire, striking the man at least once. He was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery, and he was listed in critical condition. One officer had a head wound while another was shot in the leg and face. Both were in stable condition and their injuries were not considered life-threatening. Stanford said one of the injured officers had been wounded in a previous shooting, but he didn’t imme...

Baku to the future: After stalemate, UN climate talks will be in Azerbaijan in 2024

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — For years, climate change has been a factor — not the only one — in wars and conflicts. Now for the first time, it’s part of a peace deal.A long-time stand-off that had turned the choice for next year’s United Nations climate talks into a melodrama and mystery resolved as part of a prisoner swap settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It set the stage for the COP29 climate talks in 2024 to be in a city where one of the world’s first oil fields developed 1,200 years ago: Baku, Azerbaijan.It also means that for back-to-back years an oil powerhouse nation will be hosting climate talks — where the focus is often on eliminating fossil fuels. And it will become three straight years that the U.N. puts its showcase conference, where protests and civil engagement often take center stage, in a nation with restrictions on free speech.In 2021, the COP was in Glasgow, where the modern steam engine was built and the industrial revolution sta...

Blinken defends bypassing Congress to sell weapons to Israel and presses lawmakers to help Ukraine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and also called for quick congressional approval of more than $100 billion in aid for Israel, Ukraine and other national security priorities.Blinken said the needs of Israel’s military operations in Gaza justify the rare decision to bypass Congress. “Israel is in combat right now with Hamas,” he said during television interviews. “And we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas.”The tank ammunition and related support constitute only a small portion of military sales to Israel, Blinken said, and that the rest remains subject to congressional review. “It’s very important that Congress‘s voice be heard in this,” he said.The decision to proceed with the sale of more than $106 million for tank shells came as the Biden administration’s larger aid package is caught up in a debate over U....

Driver dies after being hit head-on by alleged intoxicated driver in Wheeling

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

WHEELING, Ill. — A driver is dead after they were hit head-on by an alleged intoxicated driver early Sunday morning in Wheeling, police said.Wheeling Police Department officers responded to the crash around 2:15 a.m. near East Palatine Road and Wheeling Road. Massive fire at historic, abandoned Emerson High School in Gary Deputy Chief Al Steffen said the suspected intoxicated driver was in the wrong lane and hit another car head-on and killed the 53-year-old driver.Two people were in each car, Steffen said in a news release. One other person suffered a serious but non-life-threatening injury. The crash is under investigation by police and the Northwest Suburban Major Case Assistance Team's Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction unit. The identities of those involved and additional details haven't been released.

'Heart-wrenching': Grandmother's ashes taken from porch in Tennessee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) -- A Tennessee woman is coming to terms with losing her grandmother for a second time after a porch pirate stole the package containing her ashes.Amy Rost lost her grandmother in October, which she says was hard enough. "She was definitely my rock when it came to grandparents. She was there for all the graduations, all the birthdays," Rost told Nexstar's WREG. Dealing with that loss twice, according to Rost, is heart-wrenching. "It’s definitely been difficult. It’s one of those things where we’re trying to weigh the pros of the situation," Rost said. How to tip your mail carrier and 8 other people this holiday season Amy’s father, Jeff, says his mother died in October, and his sister, who lives in Ohio, divided her ashes. According to Jeff, the tracking information on his package showed it was delivered on December 4. But when he went outside later on to get the package off of the porch of his Midtown home, there was nothing there. This isn't the first ...

Will holiday travel be chaotic again this year? What's changed since 2022

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

(NewsNation) — Travelers plagued by last year's mass flight cancellations may have better luck this holiday season as cancellation rates continue to fall, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).Nationally, 2023 saw the lowest cancellation rates in five years and less than 1% of flights were canceled over the Thanksgiving holiday, despite record travel, a DOT spokesperson said an in email to NewsNation. That could be good news for travelers whose plans were upended last year when thousands of Southwest Airlines travelers experienced canceled flights over the Christmas holiday. Many complained of short notice, days-long delays and lost luggage. Globally, Mariah Carey is still dominating Christmas The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection is currently investigating several domestic airlines for unrealistic scheduling of flights, according to the DOT.Since last year's meltdown, Southwest Airlines says it’s reinforced airport infrastructure, increased staff at airpor...

Austin opening overnight cold weather shelters Sunday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — With temperatures forecasted at or below freezing heading into Monday morning, the City of Austin announced Sunday its overnight cold weather shelters had been activated.Cold weather shelters are implemented when overnight weather meets the following criteria:32 degrees or colder overnight35 degrees with rainy or wet precipitation35 degrees with a wind chill of 32 degrees or colderAustin Mayor Kirk Watson shared the news on social media Sunday morning. Registration for shelter services will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at One Texas Center, located at 505 Barton Springs Road.CapMetro will assist registered shelter attendees and transport them from One Texas Center to their shelter. They're available to anyone seeking a warm place to stay overnight, officials added.All Austin libraries and parks facilities are also available as warming centers during normal hours Sunday, officials added. Those with questions on shelter access can call the city's Cold Weather Shelter Hotli...