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Orioles ownership needs a reality check | STAFF COMMENTARY

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

As discomfiting as the “Free Kevin Brown” debacle proved to be — including a happy-to-be-back statement issued under the Orioles announcer’s name that read suspiciously like the work product of a soulless corporate AI computer (”John Angelos and I have a solid dialogue based on mutual respect…”) — the suspension of the well-regarded play-by-play man was far from the most troubling news to filter out of Camden Yards in recent days. That title would have to go to the slowly leaked details of exactly what’s been holding back Orioles chairman and CEO Angelos from signing a long-term, long-promised lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority. As previously reported, it’s the absence of a deal to create an entertainment district on par with The Battery outside Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. But what’s new is just what ownership expects from MSA: $300 million (on top of $600 million in facility upgrades) and the deed...

Coronado Bridge reopens following closure from police activity

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

CORONADO, Calif. — The Coronado Bridge was closed in both directions Tuesday due to police activity, Coronado police said.Shortly before 7 a.m., the City of Coronado tweeted that both westbound and eastbound lanes of the bridge were closed due to the unspecified police activity.Around 7:35 a.m., Caltrans tweeted that the eastbound lanes were reopened, but the westbound lanes remained closed.By 8 a.m., Coronado police said that both directions of the bridge were back open to traffic. Pedestrian hospitalized after hit-and-run crash in Southcrest Police did not provide any additional details regarding the nature of the police activity.You can check the latest traffic conditions and road closures on the FOX 5 Traffic Map.According to Caltrans San Diego, the bridge was also closed due to police activity around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday before reopening just before 5 a.m.

Stock market today: Wall Street slumps with markets worldwide after weak economic data from China

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks worldwide are slumping Tuesday as China’s faltering recovery raises worries for the rest of the global economy.The S&P 500 slipped 1% in morning trading after data showed a deepening slump in July for the world’s second-largest economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 311 points, or 0.9%, at 34,996, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite dipped 1%.Coming into this year, the expectation was that China’s economy would grow enough after the government removed anti-COVID restrictions to prop up a global economy weakened by high inflation. But China’s recovery has faltered so much that it unexpectedly cut a key interest rate on Tuesday and skipped a report on how many of its younger workers are unemployed.Worries about the knock-on effects for the rest of the global economy are weighing on Wall Street, where stocks have already been retrenching in August. The pullback follows a gangbusters first seven months of the year that c...

A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump election scheme

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged Monday in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power.The indictment, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, follows an investigation that lasted more than two years and marks the fourth criminal case brought against the former president.Those charged in Monday’s indictment face a slew of charges, including racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, false statements and other offenses. Prosecutors say they must all surrender to authorities by Aug. 25.Here’s a look at the 19 defendants charged in the indictment:DONALD TRUMP: Then-President Donald Trump fixated on Georgia after the 2020 general election, refusing to accept his narrow loss in the state and making unfounded assertions of widespread election fraud there. He also called top state officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp, ...

Death toll rises to 10 in powerful explosion near capital of Dominican Republic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

SAN CRISTOBAL, Dominican Republic (AP) — The death toll from a powerful explosion near the capital of the Dominican Republic rose to 10 on Tuesday as firefighters searched through smoldering rubble, authorities said.More than 50 people were injured in Monday’s explosion at a bustling commercial center in the city of San Cristobal, located just west of Santo Domingo. At least 36 of the injured remained hospitalized, according to Joel Santos, minister of the presidency.Local media reported that an additional 11 people were missing. Health Minister Daniel Rivera said authorities have still not been able to access “ground zero” where the explosion occurred because it was still burning.The country’s emergency telephone system said the explosion occurred at a bakery in the city’s center, a bustling area known as “Old Marketplace” where people buy goods ranging from vegetables to clothes. The fire then spread to a hardware store next door and a nearby furniture store.Among the victims was ...

University presidents elevate free speech under new partnership

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

The presidents of a wide-ranging group of 13 universities are elevating free speech on their campuses this academic year, as part of a new nonprofit initiative announced Tuesday to combat what organizers call dire threats to U.S. democracy.The Campus Call for Free Expression will take different forms on different campuses. The campaign, created by The Institute for Citizens & Scholars with funding from the Knight Foundation is designed to cultivate the freedom of expression on campuses and help students work together to find solutions to complicated, divisive problems.“The national context of the deep political polarization, the inability of people to speak across difference in constructive and civil ways, it seems to me that colleges and universities need to be the institutions at the forefront of showing a better way to do that,” said Jonathan Alger, president of James Madison University, which is participating in the initiative. The Institute for Citizens & Scholars first...

Boy, 8, dies after being shot by juvenile inside home on West Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

CHICAGO — An 8-year-old has died after being shot by another juvenile while inside a home on the city's West Side.The incident happened around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 3100 block of West Flournoy in the Garfield Park neighborhood.Police said an 8-year-old boy was inside a residence with another male juvenile when they found a firearm. According to police, the weapon discharge one time, striking the 8-year-old in the chest.The boy was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Man charged with murder after 50-year-old stabbed to death in Glenview No other injuries were reported. Police said the weapon was recovered on the scene.Area Four detectives are investigating.

A Chicago area village shows its support for Steve McMichael

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

HOMER GLEN, Ill. — As he continues the fight against ALS along with his quest to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a municipality in Chicagoland is rallying around "Mongo" this August.Homer Glen showed that support to Steve McMichael and his family shortly after a stay in the hospital in early August.The village in which the former Bears defensive tackle and his wife, Misty, reside in the southwest suburbs made known their desire to see McMichael join the greatest in the history of the game of football.(Courtesy: Misty McMichael)On August 9, Homer Glen's Village Board passed a resolution "with the purpose of wholeheartedly urging the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee to bestow the well-deserved honor of inclusion in the Class of 2024 upon Steve “Mongo” McMichael."This came after he'd been hospitalized with sepsis at pneumonia in early August, returning home after a few days. Misty McMichael was in attendance at the event and accepted a copy of the resolution f...

Baby alligator found in softball dugout at Florida school

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A baby alligator was found in a softball dugout at a school in Polk County, Florida, on Friday.The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the gator was found in one of the dugouts at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School."Today was the first day of school at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School, and look who showed up to try out for the softball team," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook. ‘Never seen anything like it’: Wildlife photographer captures gator launching itself out of water School Resource Deputy Clanton provided a little "gator-aid" by helping the gator leave the dugout.Noting the rivalry between the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles, the sheriff's office joked that the deputy checked the dugout for a Seminole as well, but had "no such luck.""Would have been a nice matchup," the sheriff's office said.

Will Donald Trump show up at next week’s presidential debate? GOP rivals are preparing for it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:31 GMT

By STEVE PEOPLES and HANNAH FINGERHUT (Associated Press)DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — He says he won’t sign the pledge required to participate, but former President Donald Trump’s Republican rivals are actively preparing as if he will be onstage for the GOP’s first 2024 presidential debate next week.Former Vice President Mike Pence is hosting mock debate sessions with someone playing the part of the former president. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been participating in weekly debate prep sessions for several weeks with an eye toward drawing clear contrasts with Trump. And Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, is planning to show she can stand up to bullies.In all, eight Republican candidates have met the Republican National Committee’s fundraising and polling thresholds required to qualify for the debate next Wednesday, Aug. 23, hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee. Trump is among them, although he has said publicly and privately that he’s...