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Red Sox free agent target Yamamoto reaches third straight Japan Series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

The Boston Red Sox need pitching, and over the past year Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto has loomed as one of the most tantalizing arms set to hit the market. The 25-year-old right-hander, a longtime teammate of Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, has posted preposterous numbers throughout his career and is expected to become among the most highly coveted free agents of the coming offseason.Assuming this is his last hurrah in his native country, Yamamoto is certainly finishing his run in Japan on a high note.The Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto’s current and Yoshida’s former Nippon Professional Baseball club, are back in the Japan Series for the third straight year. The Buffaloes fell short in 2021 before winning their first championship since 1996 last fall, and now Orix is looking to repeat as NPB champion for the first time since winning three straight titles from 1975-77.At the heart of Orix’s success has been Yamamoto, who is the two-time defending Pacific Leag...

Column: Low expectations are becoming the norm for the Chicago Bulls in Year 3 of the Big 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

Jerry Reinsdorf’s credo for making fans happy will be put to the test once again as the Chicago Bulls prepare for the 2023-24 season opener.Winning championships is a laudable goal, no doubt, but the key to happiness is being in contention down the stretch, or so says the Bulls chairman.“I think the important thing to fans is, while they want you to win championships, they want to know that when they get down to the last month of the season you still have a shot,” Reinsdorf said at a symposium last spring. “You’re still playing meaningful games. If you can do that consistently, you’ll make your fans happy.”Thus, the quest for “meaningful games” in March begins Wednesday night at the United Center against the Oklahoma City Thunder.No one expects much out of the Bulls, who slid backward last season to a play-in spot and then made only minor changes to the roster in the offseason, signing forward Torrey Craig and point guard Jevon C...

Hezbollah and Israel exchange fire and warnings of a widened war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah announced the deaths of five more militants as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border intensified and the Israeli prime minister warned Lebanon on Sunday not to let itself get dragged into a new war.The tiny Mediterranean country is home to Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim political party with an armed wing of the same name. Israeli soldiers and militants have traded fire across the border since Israel’s war with the Palestinian group Hamas began, but the launches so far have targeted limited areas. Hezbollah has reported the deaths of 24 of its militants since Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel. At least six militants from Hamas and another militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and at least four civilians have died in the near-daily hostilities. Hezbollah has vowed to escalate if Israel begins a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which is likely, and Israel said it would aggressively retaliate.“If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, ...

Norway’s 86-year-old king tests positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Norway’s 86-year-old King Harald V, who has been in frail health in the past few years, has tested positive for the coronavirus and has mild symptoms, royal officials said on Sunday.“His Majesty the King has been diagnosed with corona and is on sick leave until he is symptom-free. The king has cold symptoms and stays at home,” the royal household said in a brief statement.The Norwegian monarch had also tested positive in March 2022 with mild symptoms. Officials have earlier said Harald had received three COVID-19 vaccine shots but it’s not known whether he had received booster shots.Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre wished the king “a speedy recovery” in a comment to the Norwegian news agency NTB, which said Harald’s son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, would take over his duties for now.The aging monarch, who has been seen using crutches in various occasions, has been hospitalized several times in recent years.In August 2022, he spent three day...

Frost advisory issued for Toronto and GTA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

A frost advisory has been issued for Toronto and the GTHA.Environment and Climate Change Canada says patchy frost is expected Sunday night into Monday morning as temperatures approach the freezing mark overnight.Temperatures across the GTA are expected to drop to a low of -2 C, feeling closer to -6.“Frost may damage some crops in frost-prone areas. Take preventative measures to protect frost-sensitive plants and trees,” the national weather service said in a statement.

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Nepal damages dozens of homes and causes a landslide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A 5.2 magnitude earthquake and some aftershocks damaged nearly two dozen houses in the hilly Dhading district near Nepal’s capital Sunday, an official said.The shaking also caused a landslide in the region, Hum Nath Parajuli, a district government administrator, said. Details were not immediately available.The area is nearly 60 kilometers (40 miles) west of Kathmandu, and the earthquake was felt in the Nepalese capital.Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.1. The U.S. Geological Survey provided measurements of a 5.2 magnitude with a depth of 24.7 kilometers (15.4 miles) and an epicenter near Bharatpur.Three tremors of 4.3, 4.1 and 3.8 magnitude also hit the region later Sunday, according to India’s Center for Seismology.The Press Trust of India news agency said the tremors were also felt in Bagmati and Gandaki provinces and caused panic among people. One woman suffered injuries in the Gorkha distric...

A funeral is set for a slain Detroit synagogue president as police continue to investigate a motive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

Funeral services were set Sunday for a Detroit synagogue president found fatally stabbed at her home as authorities investigated a motive and asked the public not to draw quick conclusions. Samantha Woll, who led the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and was a former aide to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and campaign staffer for Attorney General Dana Nessel, was remembered as a community leader who worked to build bridges. “Sam was as kind a person as I’ve ever known,” Nessel said Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “She was driven by her sincere love of her community, state and country. Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for everyone.”Funeral services were to take place Sunday afternoon in suburban Detroit. Detroit Police Chief James E. White said the killing has left many unanswered questions, and he asked the public to be patient as investigators examine all available evidence. In a statement late Saturday, he said the department had “mobilized man...

EVs getting easier to find but price tags out of reach for many Canadians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

Canada’s electric vehicle market keeps getting bigger, but that’s not necessarily good news for consumers — or the environment. Manufacturers are leaning heavily on electrified SUVs, trucks and large cars that mean high prices and profits for the automakers.The trend has helped push the average price for an EV to almost $73,000, according to Canadian Black Book, making it well out of reach for most households. That’s true even with signs of downward pressure from Tesla price drops.Experts say cheaper options will be crucial if Canada is to transition away from the combustion engine. They say Chinese automakers could fill the gap if established players don’t step up.“We drastically have to figure out how to produce more affordable vehicles,” said Rebekah Young, head of resilience economics at Scotiabank. In a recent report, her team calculated that EV prices will have to come down by about one-third to be affordable for middle-income households and by half for ...

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver robbed at gunpoint: reports 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

(KTLA) -- Los Angeles Rams wide receiver DeMarcus Robinson was robbed at gunpoint Friday, according to multiple reports. Law enforcement sources told TMZ Sports that officers responded to a call of a robbery outside of a hotel in L.A. just after midnight on Friday.  L.A. Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick arrested on weapons charge Robinson was not injured in the incident but had over $100,000 in jewelry stolen from him including a luxury watch, Sports Illustrated said. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (15) during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Emilee Chinn)According to Bleacher Report, police have launched an investigation, but no suspects have been apprehended as of Saturday morning.Robinson, 29, signed with the Rams in June after spending six seasons in Kansas City – where he was part of the Chiefs’ team that won Super Bowl LIV – and one season with the Baltimore Ravens. 

Man suspected of killing Maryland judge has ties to 4 states: US Marshals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:57 GMT

NORTH CAROLINA (WJZY/WDVM) — The search continues for a man suspected of killing a Maryland judge overseeing his divorce case last week. Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, was found dead at his Hagerstown home Thursday night after a reported shooting, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said on Friday. Deputies found Wilkinson in the driveway with apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died, according to Nexstar's WDVM.Wilkinson's wife and son were in the home at the time of the shooting. SUV driven by suspect in judge’s death found; manhunt continues The sheriff's office said they are “actively working” to apprehend Pedro Manuel Argote, 49, of Frederick, Maryland, for the “targeted attack” of Wilkinson.The online court system for the Washington County Circuit Court showed that Argote had a divorce case before Wilkinson and that a hearing took place earlier in the day on Thursday. Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert said Wilkinson ga...