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US military says senior IS commander killed in Syria

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A drone strike carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday.The man killed Monday in the strike was identified by a U.S. military statement as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The military statement added that his death “will temporarily disrupt the organization’s ability to plot external attacks.”The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that one person was killed in a drone strike near the rebel-held village of Kefteen.The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said it evacuated the man from the scene of the attack and he later succumbed to his wounds. The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants and senior members of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria....

Braves will retire Jones’ No. 25 in September

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Atlanta Braves will retire No. 25 in honor of Andruw Jones later this season.The Braves announced Monday the outfielder will be honored in a special number retirement ceremony Sept. 9. The Braves will play the Pittsburgh Pirates after the ceremony.During his 12 seasons with the Braves, Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. He was voted to the All-Star Team five times. In 2005, Jones won the Silver Slugger Award, the NL Hank Aaron Award and the Major League Player of the Year.Jones finished his Major League career with 1,933 hits, 1,289 RBIs and 434 home runs. He was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2016.Jones is from Curacao, an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands“It’s a great honor getting your number retired. You don’t think about things like that while you’re playing. You just play the game you love,” Jones said in a statement released by the team. “I’m thankful to the Braves for giving me the opportunit...

Chicago chooses between progressive, moderate for mayor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Voters in Chicago will choose a new mayor on Tuesday as two candidates with contrasting views on issues including crime, taxes, schools and investment in policing compete to lead the heavily Democratic city, the country’s third-largest. The race pits former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, a moderate Democrat endorsed by Chicago’s police union and major business groups, against progressive Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union organizer backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Both men finished ahead of current Mayor Lori Lightfoot in a February election, making her the first incumbent in 40 years to seek reelection in the city and lose. The top two vote-getters in the all-Democrat but officially nonpartisan race moved to the Tuesday runoff because no candidate received over 50% of the vote. The contest has centered on the increase in violent crime during the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring property taxes. But it also could have implications for Democrats...

Sanogo leads way for UConn in push to NCAA title No. 5

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Adama Sanogo stood on the sideline watching his UConn teammates dribble out the final seconds that secured the program’s fifth NCAA championship. He looked eager, ready to sprint in at the first chance.When the horn sounded, reserve Andrew Hurley used both hands to spike the basketball near midcourt and start the celebration — only to see Sanogo run straight in and secure it.“I need that ball. That’s a ball I want to save for my kids, my grandkids,” Sanogo said. “I need that ball.”It was fitting for the first souvenir to go to the big man who had been the rugged interior presence all season for the Huskies.Sanogo finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Monday night’s 76-59 win against San Diego State in the national title game. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound big man from Mali was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after tallying his fourth double-double in six tournament games, making him the centerpiece of the Huskies’ domin...

March Madness: UConn not a top seed, but played like one

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

UConn was not a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Even so, the Huskies sure played like one.In a March Madness unique because of early exits from the favorites, it was No. 4 seed UConn that emerged victorious with a 76-59 win over No. 5 seed San Diego State in the title game in Houston. It was the program’s fifth national title.UConn controlled the majority of the game, though San Diego State pulled within six points late in the second half. The Huskies responded with a late surge to seal the win. Tristen Newton scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Adama Sanogo also finished with a double-double, contributing 17 points and 10 rebounds.The Huskies and coach Dan Hurley bulldozed through the tournament bracket with relative ease, winning all six games by at least 10 points.San Diego State couldn’t complete a title run, but provided one of the best moments of the tournament Saturday when Lamont Butler hit a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to beat Florida Atlantic 72-...

Shohei Ohtani’s homer helps lift Angels past Mariners 7-3

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his second home run of the season, Taylor Ward added a two-run shot in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 on Monday night. Ohtani drove a 1-1 pitch from George Kirby (0-1) an estimated 431 feet into the right-center field seats in the fifth inning for a 4-2 lead. Ohtani had grounded out in his first two at-bats before the rare home run off Kirby, who surrendered only one long ball during the final three months of last season. Ward’s homer came off Matt Festa with two outs and after Luis Rengifo had walked on a couple of borderline pitches. Rengifo also was a problem for Seattle with a pair of RBI singles earlier in the game, both scoring Jake Lamb. Rengifo wasn’t in the original starting lineup but was inserted after Anthony Rendon dropped the appeal of his suspension for an incident last week in Oakland and started serving his four-game punishment on Monday. Mike Trout was also on base five times with a ...

Dahl, Kim homer in the 9th to lift Padres over D-backs 5-4

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter David Dahl and Ha-Seong Kim hit consecutive home runs opening the bottom of the ninth inning, and the San Diego Padres stunned the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Monday night.The Diamondbacks took a 4-3 lead on Evan Longoria’s homer in the top of the ninth, two innings after rookie Corbin Carroll tied the game with a leadoff shot to right field.But the Padres came right back with Dahl’s leadoff drive and Kim’s long ball off Scott McGough (0-1), his first walk-off hit in the majors.Tim Hill (1-0) got the win after getting the final two outs in the ninth.Juan Soto also hit his first home run of the season for the Padres, who won their third straight game to move above .500 for the first time this season. They have World Series expectations after making it to the NL Championship Series last year and then signing shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a $280 million, 11-year contract. They’ll get Fernando Tatis Jr. back on April 20 from an 80-gam...

Crashes where distracted driving is involved are up in DC, Va. but drop in Md.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

As more drivers took to the road following the outbreak of COVID-19, the nation chalked up a significant increase in the number of crashes to distracted driving in 2021.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that there were 3,522 fatal crashes nationwide in which at least one driver was distracted in 2021. That’s 368 more fatal crashes due to distracted driving in the previous year — an increase of 12%.Handheld phone use, either texting or surfing social medial, is at the center of the problem of distracted driving.More Local NewsMore Transportation News“It is definitely cellphones, but really it can be anything that’s taking your attention away from your driving,” said 2nd Lt. Ian Yost, of the Traffic Division of Fairfax County police. “It could be just as simple as adjusting your radio controls. You look down for a second, the next thing, you know, something happens in front of you and you just don’t have the time to react.&...

Aztecs shown outpouring of support for historic season

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State University men's basketball Twitter account said it best, "What a ride."Although they lost to the University of Connecticut Monday night in the NCAA national championship game, it was a season to remember for SDSU.The fighting Aztecs made history during March Madness, from making it out of the Sweet 16 for the first time, to making it all the way to the finals.Many local and state figures took to Twitter to show their support for San Diego State:San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria"What a historic journey for @Aztec_MBB ! Our entire city is so proud. Thank you for an incredible season and I look forward to welcoming the entire team home. #GoAztecs""Amazing run. History made. Beyond proud. Way to go @Aztec_MBB! #TheTimeIsNow"Gov. Gavin Newsom"An incredible season by an incredible team who showed us all what true grit and CA pride look like. #GoAztecs"President pro Tempore of the California State Senate Toni G. Atkins"Terrific playing by @SDSU @Aztecs_MBB in the fi...

1 dead, several injured in train crash near The Hague

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:45:14 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — One person died and some 30 passengers were injured, many of them seriously, when a train partially derailed near The Hague in the early hours of Tuesday, sending at least one carriage into a field next to the tracks, Dutch emergency services said. Television images showed one of the people using makeshift bridges to cross a canal running alongside the rails to reach the stricken train in the darkness. Many windows in the train carriages were broken. It was not clear if that happened during the accident or as passengers attempted to escape.Injured passengers were treated in homes near the rails and transported in a fleet of ambulances to hospitals, including a “calamity hospital” opened in the central city of Utrecht.The cause of the accident that happened around 3:25 a.m. (0125 GMT) in the town of Voorschoten, near The Hague, was not immediately clear. Dutch media reported that there was a small construction crane on the tracks, but authorities did not...