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Death toll from explosion at Pennsylvania candy factory climbs to 4 as hope of finding more survivors wanes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

(CNN) — A fourth person has been confirmed dead in an explosion at an eastern Pennsylvania candy factory, officials said Sunday, as rescue crews continue to search for three others who remain missing amid waning hope of finding more survivors.Rescue crews located the fourth victim in the early morning hours, West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben said in a news conference, beneath the debris at the site of the explosion, which occurred Friday evening at the R.M. Palmer Co. facility.“I want to assure you all that we will not rest until every single person affected by this tragedy has been accounted for,” Holben said. “We are fully committed to this task and we will do everything in our power to ensure that we bring closure to all those involved.”He described the ongoing search and rescue effort as a “long process.” Crews have stopped using drones and heat imaging devices to locate survivors, he said, and are using heavy equipment to...

Orioles option left-hander DL Hall, one of team’s top pitching prospects, to build up as starter in Triple-A

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

One of the biggest questions throughout Orioles spring training was answered Sunday afternoon when the club optioned DL Hall to minor league camp.The left-hander had a slow start this spring with a lower back injury — a setback that prevented Hall, the organization’s No. 2 pitching prospect, from being built up as a starter in time for the beginning of the season.The Orioles had two choices: Ramp him up as a starter in the major league bullpen, where he ended the 2022 campaign, or send him to Triple-A to go through his workload progression in Norfolk. They chose the latter option, putting Hall’s future as a starter above the short-term success of the club’s bullpen.“Just had a little bit of a shortened spring training,” manager Brandon Hyde said after the Orioles’ 4-2 win over the Phillies on Sunday. “He threw the ball great, really happy with the progress he made. I loved the way he threw the ball all spring training. We just want to ...

Orioles observations on Andrew Politi’s roster case, Jorge Mateo in center, Keegan Akin’s versatility and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

Andrew Politi said he wasn’t too nervous at the start of Orioles spring training six weeks ago.“You have this long spring ahead, so the nerves aren’t really there,” he said.Instead, it’s now, with just a few days until the Orioles head to Boston for their opening series of the season, when the nerves start creeping in. Politi, a Rule 5 draft pick, is one of several right-handed relievers competing for a spot in the Orioles’ bullpen.“The closer it gets, the more the nerves come a little bit,” Politi said Friday. “But I think I’ve done what I had to do, and I think I had a good spring from my understanding. It’s kind of funny. The nerves didn’t really hit until later on when you’ve been throwing the ball well and you start to see your chances raise a little bit.”The 26-year-old is hoping to become the latest in a long line of Orioles Rule 5 draftees to make the big league club, including some like Anth...

Ticker: Employment still lags pre-pandemic; Vince McMahon reimburses WWE $17.4M 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

Massachusetts still remains a bit below pre-pandemic levels of employment following an a revision of previously announced data.Bay State employers added a fairly modest 3,000 jobs in February, and labor officials now estimate that businesses added 8,900 jobs in January, not 19,600 as they originally estimated.Accounting for those updates, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said Friday that total statewide employment stands at 3,735,800, nearly 8,000 positions shy of the level reported in February 2020 before the COVID-19 crisis prompted enormous cuts across the economy.Vince McMahon reimburses WWE $17.4MVince McMahon has footed the $17.4 million bill for the WWE’s investigation into the misconduct allegations raised against him, which triggered his brief retirement.The wrestling executive reimbursed the sports entertainment company last week  for all costs associated with the probe through Jan. 31, according to an SEC filing by the WWE on Friday. McMahon has sai...

Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner available for Magic’s home game vs. Nets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

Second-year guard Jalen Suggs and forward Franz Wagner will be available for the Orlando Magic’s home game vs. the Brooklyn Nets tonight, the team announced 2 1/2 hours before tipoff.Suggs had missed the previous four games because of a concussion from the March 16 loss at Phoenix.Wagner accidentally stepped on Goga Bitadze’s foot and turned his left ankle early in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s home win over the New York Knicks. He was later ruled out because of a sprained left ankle. Wagner didn’t practice but went through drills with skill development/shooting coach Aubrey McCreary.Suggs and Wagner both were listed as questionable on the team’s injury report entering Sunday.This story will be updated.This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price. ()

Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm to sit out Carolina game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

The Bruins will be without three top players when they face the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at 5 p.m.Captain Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm will not be in uniform because of nagging injuries, coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in Raleigh. He said Bergeron is also battling an illness that “progressively got worse during the game” on Saturday against Tampa Bay.The injuries allowed them to make an emergency call-up and the Oskar Steen will make his season debut for Boston. He’s got 14-17-31 totals in 62 games in Providence.Montgomery hinted that the injured players will be back in the lineup on Tuesday when he B’s return home to play Nashville.“We don’t want to get to the point where they couldn’t play and it’s getting close to that point. So we have an opportunity to rest guys for two days because of those nagging injuries. They’re playing through some pain right now. We don’t want them to ...

Biden’s pick to lead FAA withdraws  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Washington’s withdrawal in a tweet Saturday night, calling him “an excellent nominee” and blaming undeserved and partisan attacks.Republicans were united in opposition to Washington, calling him unqualified because of limited aviation experience. Democrats and allied independents still might have pushed the nomination through, but key senators on their side balked at supporting Biden’s pick.Washington’s fate appeared settled when Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., abruptly called off a scheduled vote last Wednesday — a sign that she lacked enough votes to move the nomination out of committee. She ...

West Reading chocolate factory explosion: Fourth body pulled from rubble

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

NEW STORY: West Reading chocolate factory explosion death toll rises to 5The death toll from the Friday explosion of a West Reading chocolate factory has risen to four.During a Sunday morning press briefing, Police Chief Wayne Holben announced that a fourth body had been pulled from the rubble of the R.M. Palmer Co. plant on South Second Avenue in the early hours of the day.Officials have not released any details about the individuals who lost their lives in the incident.Three people believed to have been inside the plant at the time of the blast are still unaccounted for, Holben said. There have been no official updates on the casualty toll since Sunday morning.The explosion took place just before 5 p.m. Friday, rocking the borough with a loud, quick blast. Rescue crews have been working around the clock since, digging through the debris in hopes of finding survivors.One survivor was discovered early Saturday morning. Holben said Sunday that a woman was pulled from the rubble after...

SDSU advances to Final Four after beating Creighton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) --  The San Diego State University Men’s Basketball team is headed to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history.Darrion Trammell converted a go-ahead free throw after he was fouled on a floater with 1.2 seconds left, and San Diego State muscled its way into its first Final Four, grinding out a 57-56 victory over Creighton on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament's South Region final.Lamont Butler scored 18 points and Trammell had 12 for the fifth-seeded Aztecs (31-6), who slowed down the high-scoring, sixth-seeded Bluejays (24-13) and became the first Mountain West Conference team to reach the national semifinals.The experienced Aztecs, in their sixth season under coach Brian Dutcher, will play the surprising East Region champion, ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic, on Saturday in Houston for a spot in the national title game.With the game tied at 56-all on San Diego State’s final possession, Trammell drove toward the free-throw line, elevated ...

2 officers killed in Louisiana police helicopter crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:28 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two Baton Rouge police officers died Sunday when their helicopter crashed into a sugarcane field, Louisiana authorities said. The Robinson R-44 helicopter went out at 2 a.m. to help with pursuit and never returned, local media reported. The aircraft’s disappearance wasn’t noticed for several hours, when a search was launched. The wreckage was found before 11 a.m. The names of the officers have not been released. “On behalf of the City of Baton Rouge, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of the BRPD officers who tragically lost their lives,” Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said on Twitter. Baton Rouge police officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash. The Associated Press