Cardinals to use Contreras as primary DH for next few weeks

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Cardinals to use Contreras as primary DH for next few weeks ST. LOUIS (AP) — Signed as Yadier Molina’s replacement, Willson Contreras won’t be spending much time behind the plate during the next few weeks.Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said before Saturday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss to Detroit that Contreras will be primarily a designated hitter and Andrew Knizner will get most of the time at catcher.“It allows for some familiarity behind the plate with our guys, which I think will help, especially in the state that we’re in,” Marmol said. “At the end of the day when you start winning ballgames. And some familiarity with our pitchers and our bullpen.”St. Louis is on an eight-game losing streak, its longest in 16 years and is a National League-worst 10-24, the Cardinals’ first time 14 games under .500 since ending the 1997 season at 73-89.Contreras agreed to an $87.5 million, five-year contract during the offseason.“We’re not losing ballgames because of Willson Contreras,” Marmol said. “This is a guy that’s putting in an amazing...

Denver weather: Chance for afternoon showers continues

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Denver weather: Chance for afternoon showers continues DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's weather will stay in a typical spring pattern with sunshine in the morning, warmer than normal temperatures and the chance for a few afternoon showers. Weather tonight: Partly cloudy and seasonalOvernight we will stay under a partly cloudy sky. Low temperatures will be seasonal and fall to the lower 40s. Weather tomorrow:Tomorrow will start off with sunshine and a southerly breeze. Clouds will increase through the afternoon ahead of a few isolated showers and a northerly shift in wind. Looking ahead: More warm temperatures and chance for showers This spring pattern will continue next week. Denver will see a dry start to the week with sunshine and a high in the mid 70s Monday. The rest of the workweek will see warmer than normal temperatures and an increasing chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

Theft leads to shooting scare at Dadeland Mall; police say no shots fired

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Theft leads to shooting scare at Dadeland Mall; police say no shots fired A theft at Dadeland Mall prompted a shooting scare after, police said, the subject told officers he was armed, but that was not the case.Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the shopping center located along the 7500 block of North Kendall Drive, at around 7:45 p.m., Saturday.Investigators said officers were able to determine there was no gun and no shots were fired.The mall was evacuated while police searched for a firearm..In a tweet, MDPD officials wrote, “The scene is under control and there’s no public safety concern at this time.”The incident takes place hours after an active shooter incident at an outlet mall in suburban Dallas resulted in multiple fatalities, according to authorities.

Alyssa’s Law: Texas passes legislation requiring silent alert system in classrooms

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Alyssa’s Law: Texas passes legislation requiring silent alert system in classrooms A Broward County School Board member is working to make classrooms safer for students well beyond the Sunshine State.Broward County School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff lost her daughter Alyssa in the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Since the tragedy, Alhadeff started a nationwide campaign to improve security on campuses by getting schools to install alert systems.“I’m very excited that everybody has embraced Alyssa’s Law, come to the table and to say that this is an option to help to create safer schools,” she said.Texas is the latest state to pass legislation that will require all classrooms, including charter schools, to have some type of panic-button silent alert system.These efforts stem from Senate Bill 838 and House Bill 669 — together known as Alyssa’s Law.“I feel that this bill is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is a lifesaving issue,” said Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry.In a bipartisan...

7’s Amaka Ubaka serves as Regis College commencement speaker

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

7’s Amaka Ubaka serves as Regis College commencement speaker 7’s own Amaka Ubaka was the 2023 commencement speaker at Regis College in Weston on Saturday.“You represent the very best of the American Dream,” Ubaka said during her speech. “The idea that your future is yours to write.” Ubaka was also awarded an honorary doctorate for her accomplishments in journalism and contributions to the community. She urged the graduates to find ways to put their accomplishments in the classroom into practice.

Texas mall shooting witnesses saw bodies; exact toll unclear

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Texas mall shooting witnesses saw bodies; exact toll unclear By JAKE BLEIBERG (Associated Press)ALLEN, Texas (AP) — A gunman stepped out of a silver sedan and began shooting people at an outlet mall in the Dallas suburb of Allen, Texas, on Saturday, killing an unknown number and sending hundreds of shoppers fleeing in panic in the latest gun violence to strike the country.Witnesses who were at the Allen Premium Outlets told The Associated Press they saw multiple victims, including some who appeared to be children, and that they saw a police officer and a mall security guard who appeared to be unconscious on the ground.Allen police said in a Facebook post that nine victims had been taken to hospitals. Medical City Healthcare, a Dallas-area hospital system, said in a written statement it was treating eight between the ages of 5 and 61. Their conditions were unknown.Dashcam video that circulated online showed a gunman step out of a vehicle outside the mall and immediately start shooting at people on the sidewalk. More than three dozen shot...

Pitching carries the day — and so on — as the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 4-2 at Wrigley Field

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Pitching carries the day — and so on — as the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 4-2 at Wrigley Field On a day the Chicago Cubs celebrated some of the legendary pitching of their past, their starting pitcher of the moment got caught up in it just long enough to steal a pregame peek at Kerry Wood on the field and to daydream about Wood’s glory 25 years ago Saturday at Wrigley Field.“When I was warming up, I was like, ‘Hey, maybe I can strike out a bunch of guys today,’ " said Drew Smyly, who didn’t last long enough to get the win, much less strike out 20, by the time the Cubs came back late to beat the Miami Marlins 4-2. “Unfortunately that wasn’t the way it worked out.”He did, however, leave the ballpark with some related swag — his son having nabbed one of the bobbleheads of Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins given to fans before the game.“I saw him after the game with a Fergie bobblehead, so we’ll take that home,” Smyly said.The greatest pitcher in franchise history later was shown on the video board between in...

‘Why?’ Mother and child fatally stabbed outside Edmonton school, police shoot suspect

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

‘Why?’ Mother and child fatally stabbed outside Edmonton school, police shoot suspect EDMONTON — Dozens of people gathered Saturday around a memorial of flowers and stuffed animals in a park as Indigenous drummers sang in honour of a slain mother and her 11-year-old.Family members identified the victims of the Friday afternoon attack outside an elementary school as Carolann Robillard, 35, and Sarah Miller, who had started using the first name Jayden.“I’m really grateful for everyone for being here,” said a sobbing Donna Robillard, as others held hands and said prayers.“Carolann, my daughter, she was a beautiful girl … and Sarah was always happy and full of joy. She loved her family very much, and her sisters and her mom.“Why my daughter? Why my granddaughter?”Police have said the woman and child were stabbed about suppertime Friday outside Crawford Plains School in southeast Edmonton.They said officers responded and shot a man matching a description of the suspect after an altercation. The woman died at the scene and the child later died in hospital.The s...

S. Korean, Japanese leaders to meet again to improve ties

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

S. Korean, Japanese leaders to meet again to improve ties SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The leaders of South Korea and Japan are to meet Sunday for their second summit in less than two months, as they push to bolster cooperation following years of fraught ties over historical issues.Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is to arrive in South Korea on Sunday for a two-day visit, which reciprocates a mid-March trip to Tokyo by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.The exchange of visits between the leaders of the Asian neighbors, the first of its kind in 12 years, signals that both nations are serious about strengthening ties in the face of shared regional challenges such as North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal and China’s increasing assertiveness. “I hope to have an open-hearted exchange of views with President Yoon based on our relationship of trust,” Kishida told reporters before his departure at his official residence. “Since March, there have been various levels of communication in areas including finance and defense, and I plan...

Eloy Jiménez to be sidelined 4-6 weeks after undergoing appendectomy

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:44:00 GMT

Eloy Jiménez to be sidelined 4-6 weeks after undergoing appendectomy CINCINNATI (AP) — White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jiménez was hospitalized on Saturday due to abdominal pain.“He had some abdominal pain last night and it intensified throughout the night,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “This morning we took him to the hospital for further evaluation and he’s still there. We should know something shortly.”The White Sox released an update on Twitter on Jimenez's condition after their 5-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds Saturday, saying the star slugger underwent an appendectomy at Cincinnati's Good Samaritan Hospital and is expected to be discharged Saturday night.The team also said Jimenez will return to Chicago, where his expected recovery time will be about 4-6 weeks.Jiménez is on a season-high eight-game hitting streak after going 1 for 4 with a single and two strikeouts in Friday night’s 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He went 3 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs on Thursday. Liam Hendriks gets a step closer to a return to the White Sox “...