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5 takeaways from the MLB postseason, including the ‘attaboy’ heard round the world and Lance Lynn’s record-setting feat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

The matchups in the league championship series, which begin Sunday with the Texas Rangers at the Houston Astros in the ALCS, aren’t exactly what MLB had hoped for.Three teams with 100-plus wins — the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles — all bowed out quickly, leaving baseball with the all-Texas matchup in the ALCS and an NLCS series pitting a rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks team with no household names against the star-studded Philadelphia Phillies.A possible repeat of an Astros-Phillies World Series would likely be greeted by yawns. Last year’s matchup was the second-lowest rated World Series in history.But who knows? It could be riveting baseball, which is something the postseason has lacked in the first two rounds thanks to all the blowouts and sweeps.Here are five takeaways from the postseason.1. Obviously the playoff format will be questioned when 3 of the top 4 seeds who had byes are gone.The long wait for the first postseason...

Biden and Democrats report raising $71 million-plus for his 2024 race from July through September

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised more than $71 million for his reelection in the three months ending Sept. 30, a strong indication that party donors remain united behind him going into a 2024 race that may feature a rematch with Donald Trump. Sunday’s announcement comes after the Biden campaign and the party reported raising $72-plus million in the 10 weeks between his official campaign announcement on April 25 and the end of the second quarter on June 30. Both totals include donations to Biden’s campaign and to a network of joint fundraising arrangements with the national and state parties. The campaign said Democrats had $91 million in cash on hand through the end of last month, the highest-ever total by a Democrat at this point in an election cycle.“This quarter’s fundraising haul and historic cash on hand speak to the very real enthusiasm and support,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez, manager of Biden’s reelection campai...

Water runs out at UN shelters in Gaza. Medics fear for patients as Israeli ground offensive looms

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Water has run out at U.N. shelters across Gaza as thousands packed into the courtyard of the besieged territory’s largest hospital as a refuge of last resort from a looming Israeli ground offensive and overwhelmed doctors struggled to care for patients they fear will die once generators run out of fuel.Palestinian civilians across Gaza, already battered by years of conflict, were struggling for survival Sunday in the face of an unprecedented Israeli operation against the territory following a Hamas militant attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians.Israel has cut off the flow of food, medicine, water and electricity to Gaza, pounded neighborhoods with airstrikes and told the estimated 1 million residents of the north to flee south ahead of Israel’s planned attack. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 2,300 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted last weekend.Relief groups called for the protecti...

A Supreme Court dispute over a $15,000 IRS bill may be aimed at a never-enacted tax on billionaires

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Charles and Kathleen Moore are about to have their day in the Supreme Court over a $15,000 tax bill they contend is unconstitutional.The couple from Redmond, Washington, claim they had to pay the money because of their investment in an Indian company from which, as Charles Moore, 62, said in a sworn statement, they “have never received a distribution, dividend, or other payment.”But significant parts of the story they have told to reach this point seem at odds with public records.The Moores are the public face of a high court case backed by business and conservative political interests that could call into question other parts of the U.S. tax code and rule out a much-discussed but never-enacted tax on wealth. The case is set for arguments on Dec. 5. The Moores are the latest example of plaintiffs whose lawsuits seem to simply be exercising their legal rights, but whose cases are backed by others with enormous amounts of money or a consequential social issue at stak...

Top US envoy will return to Israel after stops in Arab nations aimed at avoiding a broader conflict

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel this week after completing a frantic six-country rush through Arab nations aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from igniting a broader regional conflict.The U.S. State Department announced Blinken’s plan to travel Monday to Israel — his second visit in five days — as America’s top diplomat arrived in Cairo for talks Sunday with Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It was the last of Blinken’s meetings with Arab leaders amid increasing fears that an impending Israeli ground offensive into Gaza could spark a wider war with devastating humanitarian consequences.Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters traveling with Blinken that the secretary was returning to Tel Aviv “for further consultations with Israeli officials.” Miller did not elaborate.Before landing in Egypt, Blinken met on Sunday morning with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. That meeting followed tal...

Body found on CTA Red Line track after fleeing traffic stop on Dan Ryan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

CHICAGO -- A body was found on a CTA Red Line track after fleeing a trooper on the Dan Ryan Friday night. Illinois State Police said a trooper initiated a traffic stop on I-94 southbound on 95th Street for a code violation when the occupant of the car fled on foot. 8-year-old boy killed, woman injured after stabbing in Plainfield Township The trooper lost sight of the occupant who was then found deceased on the 95th Street Red Line CTA track. There was no additional information provided and policer are investigating the incident.

From 70s to 90s this week

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Surface high pressure over northwest Kansas is providing a dry north wind for our area. That dry air cools quickly and warms just as fast.A ridge of high pressure aloft over the southwest United States is giving us a dry northwest flow resulting in a clear sky. This high will continue to our west for a few days leading to sunny days and clear nights.We want to thank all who sent us pictures and videos of Saturday's Annular Solar Eclipse. A photo gallery has been created for you to see all the photos. PHOTOS: Solar eclipse passes over Austin area NEXT UP: The Total Solar Eclipse that will be even more incredible on April 8, 2024! Afternoon temperatures will be cooler than normal (low 80s) the next three afternoons with highs in the low to mid 70s today and Monday ... and the mid to upper 70s Tuesday.Mornings will be chilly with most in the mid/upper 40s to low 50s tomorrow morning. Tuesday morning will be coldest with lows in the 40 everywhere. The last time Austin...

Texas cities rank in the top 5 most overworked cities in US, study says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Two Texas cities rank among the most overworked cities in the United States, according to a new study from FinanceBuzz, a financial informational website. Austin and Dallas both rank in the top 5 most overworked cities, according to the study. Austin is ranked at No. 3, and Dallas sits at No. 5. Other cities in the top five include Washington D.C., ranked first, Denver, Colorado at No. 2, and Minneapolis, Minnesota at 4.Other Texas cities weren't spared in the study. The study listed Houston and San Antonio in the top 40. FinanceBuzz ranks the cities based on a number of metrics: Average number of hours worked per weekAverage commute timePercentage of households where two or more people have jobsPercentage of workers that work 50+ weeks per yearPercentage of active workers that are aged 65+Percentage of workers in each city's state who have two or more jobsPercentage of workers with a side hustleAccording to FinanceBuzz, "Austin also has a high percentage of househo...

From showers to sun, with rain hints in the forecast

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- We have a few light showers out there this morning as a little wave works its way southeast across Missouri. Today will be another cool one, with highs maxing out in the upper 50s. Scattered light rain/sprinkles at times, breezy, and mostly cloudy. Clouds may start to break up a little bit this afternoon and evening. Sprinkles come to an end this evening but tonight will still be a bit breezy and lows will fall to the low to mid-40s. On Monday, the metro (and most of the area) should see decent sunshine. Three metros on the verge of passing St. Louis in size We'll possibly have clouds move back into some of our south-central Illinois counties. Highs near 60. Temperatures climb to the low 70s by Wednesday and at least slight shower chances return late this week.

Will Kroenke finally build a true game-day experience around the Colorado Rapids’ stadium?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:54:41 GMT

COMMERCE CITY — The weather-beaten Victory Crossing sign with its peeling laminate stands in a dirt field near Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, where the only inhabitants are prairie dogs and the occasional piece of wind-blown trash.There’s nothing here to indicate a win for Commerce City, even though the sign has stood for nearly a decade. Instead, the barren field has been described as “unsightly” and “disgusting,” something that “tarnishes the city’s image.”And that’s just what the mayor said.Commerce City Mayor Benjamin Huseman gave that summary when he went on a rant during a City Council meeting earlier this year, as frustration boiled over with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment over failed promises to develop the land into a town center filled with retail stores, restaurants, offices and a hotel.On that Monday night in May, Kroenke Sports representatives appeared before Commerce City’s council to support a th...