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Column: Pedro Grifol doesn’t need a T-shirt slogan to win back disgruntled Chicago White Sox fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

During a postgame news conference last June at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa showed up wearing a T-shirt with the word “FAMILY” spelled out in capital letters above the team’s logo.It was clearly a message of unity during a trying time for both the Sox and La Russa, who was in the spotlight for some head-scratching in-game decisions.During a June 11 home game against the Texas Rangers, the first volley of “Fire Tony” chants was heard at the ballpark.“They are coming to the game and they can say whatever they want,” infielder Jake Burger said afterward. “I know this clubhouse is a family and we are going to stick together no matter what. You can have outside opinions, but this clubhouse, we are tight and it’s a family.”La Russa is gone now and the Sox “FAMILY” T-shirts are collectibles. The players themselves didn’t actually believe they were a family, it turns out, but they...

Sentence reduced for man in deadly DUI case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- On Wednesday, a judge reduced the sentence for a man serving time for driving under the influence in a deadly 2018 crash.Rene Ruiz will now avoid that sentence on part of a re-sentencing law now that went into effect last year. Under Penal Code 654, it gives the court discretion when sentencing two charges that essentially cover the same conduct.Click here to view the Penal Code 654. Man suspected of motorcycle theft, drug possession “I’m going to be perfectly clear: at the time of sentencing, this was not an easy case for the court,” said the San Diego County judge.In 2018, Ruiz was found to be driving under the influence of methamphetamine and Xanax when he crashed his vehicle, in turn, killing one of his passengers -- a woman named Melani Feliciano.Under Penal Code 654, it states while a person may be charged and convicted of more than one crime covering the same conduct, the court can chose to punish on the lesser charge.A jury found Ruiz guilty of murder, gross ...

Esports, cosplay, live music & more at San Diego's newest gaming festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A global gaming and entertainment festival is coming to San Diego for the very first time in April 2023.DreamHack, a three-day event to be held held at the downtown Convention Center, will include an array of activities, experiences and non-stop action.From esports tournaments, cosplay championships, exclusive screenings, live music and art showcases, event organizers say there will be plenty to do and see. Logic’s ‘College Park Tour’ coming to San Diego with special guest Juicy J Here's a breakdown of what attendees can expect.50+ arcade machinesDreamHack's "arcade cabinet area" will have a wide variety of classic and modern games that can be enjoyed with family and friends. This image shows the arcade area of a previous DreamHack festival. (Photo Credit: Kim Ventura/ ESL FACEIT Group)Artist AlleyLocal artist will be showcasing their work, which is expected to include an array of comic, pop, cosplay, original work and other creative works that will available for pur...

La Nina, which worsens hurricanes and drought, is gone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After three nasty years, the La Nina weather phenomenon that increases Atlantic hurricane activity and worsens western drought is gone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.That’s usually good news for the United States and other parts of the world, including drought-stricken northeast Africa, scientists said. The globe is now in what’s considered a “neutral” condition and probably trending to an El Nino in late summer or fall, said climate scientist Michelle L’Heureux, head of NOAA’s El Nino/La Nina forecast office.“It’s over,” said research scientist Azhar Ehsan, who heads Columbia University’s El Nino/La Nina forecasting. “Mother Nature thought to get rid of this one because it’s enough.”La Nina is a natural and temporary cooling of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide. In the United States, because La Nina is connected to more Atlantic storms and deeper droughts and wildfires in the West, La Ninas often are more...

US stocks open modestly higher as worries linger on rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening modestly higher on Wall Street as markets remain anxious about the prospect of more aggressive action by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. The modest moves came after two days of testimony before Congress by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who said the central bank was prepared to continue making big interest rate increases if necessary. Investors fear the inflation-fighting policies may tip the economy into a recession and put many people out of work. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% early Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite aslo rose. Treasury yields pulled back.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street drifted modestly lower early Thursday amid increasing anxiety following Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell’s warning to Congress this week that rate hikes might accelerate because upward pressure on prices has been stronger than expected.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials...

Malaysia ex-PM Muhyiddin faces graft charges, vows to fight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was arrested Thursday and will be brought to court to face corruption charges, the anti-graft agency said.Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia from March 2020 until August 2021, will be the country’s second leader to be indicted after leaving office. Ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak was hit with multiple graft charges after he lost a 2018 general election and began a 12-year prison term in August after losing his final appeal in the first of several trials.The anti-graft agency said Muhyiddin, 75, will face charges Friday related to alleged abuse and money laundering linked to government projects awarded under his rule. It said Muhyiddin was detained shortly after he arrived at the agency for the second time in three weeks to answer questions about an economic stimulus program for ethnic Malay contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic.Muhyiddin was released on bail later Thursday and denied any wrongdoing. He told ...

14 dead, 54 rescued off Tunisia in migrant boat sinking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — At least 14 Africans died and 54 were rescued when a boat in which they were trying to reach Europe sank off the coast of Tunisia, the Tunisian National Guard said Thursday.The 14 bodies were recovered overnight in the Mediterranean Sea off Tunisia’s central Sfax region, National Guard spokesperson Houssameddine Jbabli told the Associated Press. The National Guard said the migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa but did not release their nationalities.On the same night, coast guard vessels thwarted 14 other boats carrying a total of 435 migrants attempting a similar journey from central and southern regions of Tunisia, Jbabli said.People fleeing conflict or poverty routinely take boats from Tunisian shores toward Europe, even though the central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration. Many are from sub-Saharan Africa, but Tunisians and people of other nationalities are also ...

At least 36 people killed by extremists in eastern Congo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — At Least 36 people were killed by extremists in conflict-riddled eastern Congo, the military said on Thursday. The Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel militia with links to the Islamic State group, killed civilians in Mukondi village in North Kivu province, said Congo army spokesman in Beni town, Capt. Anthony Mwalushayi. “The enemy made the incursion into the chiefdom of Bashu and managed to kill 36 of our compatriots and burned some residents’ huts in the area,” he said. Several people were injured in Wednesday night’s attack and an investigation has been launched to search for the missing, he said.Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups fight for power, influence and resources and some to protect their communities. The ADF has been largely active in North Kivu province but has recently extended its operations into neighboring Ituri province and to areas near the regional capital, Goma. The ADF rebels are ...

Nigeria bus crashes into train; 6 dead and dozens injured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Six people were killed and dozens injured when a train crashed into a passenger bus in Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday, said the emergency response agency.The bus was taking government staff to work when it collided with the intra-city train in the Ikeja area of Lagos, said Ibrahim Farinloye, head of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency in the state. “So far, 84 people were rescued alive and taken to the hospital … (and) the total deaths so far is six including those who died at the hospital,” said Farinloye. All of the injured people were from the bus, no one on the train was hurt, he said. Train and truck accidents are common in many Nigerian cities where traffic regulations are usually not adhered to, say local residents. They are a serious problem in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city and commercial hub, despite tough penalties introduced by authorities in recent years to try to curb the crashes.The bus driver involved in Thursday’s crash disobe...

Facing uproar, Tunisian president denies he’s stoking racism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:41 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president has rejected accusations that he is stoking anti-Black racism, saying that he has sub-Saharan African friends and that his comments last month targeting migrants were misinterpreted by his enemies.President Kais Saied drew international criticism and concern with those comments, in which he ordered a crackdown on sub-Saharan African migrants and lashed out at a perceived plot to erase Tunisia’s identity. The comments fanned racist abuse targeting Black people in Tunisia, and prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens.On Wednesday evening, at a meeting with the president of Guinea-Bissau, Saied denounced what he called a “malicious interpretation’’ of his comments, and issued a “blatant denial’’ that he is racist.“I am African, and proud to be so,” he said in televised comments. He said some of his family members are married to sub-Saharan Africans and that he had friends in law school who were Africans. He also describe...