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Column: A new baseball mile marker, a former Cubs owner’s legacy and a White Sox flashback for the ages

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

Memorial Day traditionally has been the first real mile marker in the long baseball season, in spite of its relative insignificance in a six-month marathon.In lieu of baseball’s ongoing quest to speed things up, we’ve decided to change that arbitrary milestone to May 21, more or less the quarter pole of the season. Coincidentally, that’s also the date for this week’s Sunday baseball smorgasbord.Reality bitesVeteran TV sports director Marc Brady once said interest in Chicago Cubs telecasts weren’t necessarily dependent on the team’s place in the standings.“The funny thing is the team’s record does not play as much into what’s interesting as one would think, because it’s a reality show and every day is different regardless,” Brady said. “You could have a really good team that wins by 10 runs every game and be boring.”We won’t be able to test that theory this season. The Cubs aren’t built to win b...

Zelenskyy denies Ukrainian city of Bakhmut occupied by Russian forces

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russian forces weren’t occupying Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow’s insistence that the eastern Ukrainian city had fallen.Responding to a reporter’s question about the status of the city at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Zelenskyy said: “Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today.”“We are not throwing people (away) to die,” Zelenskyy said in Ukrainian through an interpreter. “People are the treasure. I clearly understand what is happening in Bakhmut. I cannot share with you the technical details of what is happening with our warriors.”The fog of war made it impossible to confirm the situation on the ground in the invasion’s longest battle, and a series of comments from Ukrainian and Russian officials added confusion to the matter.Zelenskyy’s response in English to a question earlier at the summit about the status of Bakhmut suggested that he believed the c...

Back in hoodies and gym shorts, Fetterman tackles Senate life after depression treatment

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself in to the hospital for clinical depression in February, he walked the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits. These days, he’s back to wearing the hoodies and gym shorts he was known for before he became a senator. Male senators are expected to wear a jacket and tie on the Senate floor, but Fetterman has a workaround. He votes from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his “yay” or “nay” is recorded before ducking back out. In between votes this past week, Fetterman’s hoodie stayed on for a news conference with four Democratic colleagues in suits, the 6-foot-8 Fetterman towering over his colleagues. People close to Fetterman say his relaxed, comfortable style is a sign that the senator is making a robust recovery after six weeks of inpatient treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where his clinical depression was treated with me...

Light rain, cloudy skies to finish the weekend

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Light rain showers will continue to spread east through the morning, keeping our temperatures much cooler than normal to finish the weekend. INVESTIGATION: LCRA didn't plan for climate change until KXAN investigation BLOG: Summer forecast released: When do 100º days begin The clouds and very light precipitation on Sunday should keep high temperatures in the 70s. A few breaks in the clouds during the late afternoon will be possible as drier weather takes over. Temperatures will rise back to the low to middle 80s Monday with more heat toward the middle of the week.Our highest rain chances come Wednesday and Thursday, but overall this week is looking much drier than the last few.FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Stay up-to-date with the First Warning Weather teamFollow the KXAN First Warning Weather team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.You can also follow our meteo...

This Texas metro is one of the least expensive to raise a child

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (NEXSTAR) - It’s no secret that raising a child can be expensive. From childcare, housing, food, and other associated costs, the expenses can rise quickly. Depending on where you live, being a parent can be even more expensive. Using data from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, personal finance website SmartAsset found that nationally, raising a child costs roughly $20,800 annually. That cost includes childcare (which, on average, will set you back more than $9,000), food and housing, healthcare, transportation, and other necessities. SmartAsset reviewed 381 U.S. metro areas to determine how much it could cost for a two-adult household to raise a child in 2023. Rounding out the 10 cheapest metros were Jackson, Tennessee; Gadsden and Dothan, Alabama; Longview, Texas; Columbia, Florence, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. Unsurprisingly, many of the most expensive cities were in California, specifically in and around the Bay...

Carlson, Entzel, Berkelman: Stop with sulfide mining permits until Minnesota updates its laws

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

More than ever, our state needs an extended public debate on the issue of our drinking water because continued availability will be determined by the decisions being made relative to sulfide mining in northern Minnesota.According to the Minnesota Pollution Control agency, 56% of our lakes streams, etc were “ impaired “ by 2019 and another 304 bodies of water were added in 2021. More will be listed this fall. Further, a University of Minnesota study warned the state in 2012 that demand will soon exceed supply and that appropriate steps must be taken now.Yet, our state leaders have done nothing — absolutely nothing.Sulfide mining is the search for valuable and necessary metals like copper, nickel, titanium, lithium and zinc and involves a process that releases sulfuric acid and toxic chemicals that poisons water for centuries. Our current mining laws were designed for iron ore mining and have not been updated for sulfide mining, meaning that they do not consider vital and basic ...

113th annual Annie Malone May Day Parade happening today

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The 113th annual Annie Malone May Day Parade returns to downtown St. Louis. It's one of the oldest and biggest parades in the area.The pre-show and pep rally start sat 10:30 a.m. at the Annie Malone Offices. The parade officials will then kick off the parade, moving to the parade route, which begins at Market Street and Compton Avenue in downtown St. Louis.The Annie Malone May Day Parade is a St. Louis tradition and the oldest African-American parade in the nation. Annie Malone Children and Family Service helps nearly 500 children and parents per year. New top prosecutor leaves high-powered law firm for public service Programs include crisis management, therapeutic education, community based programming, and youth substance abuse prevention and treatment."We always have lots of police presence at the May Day Parade, but we have taken the extra step and hired private security as well just to ensure the safety of people that want to come and bring their kids - that extra...

Man shot and killed in downtown St. Louis overnight

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man is dead after a shooting overnight.It happened around 2:30 a.m. on Lumiere Place Boulevard. On a map, it looks like it's on the same block as America's Best Value Inn, near downtown St. Louis. New top prosecutor leaves high-powered law firm for public service City police said the victim was shot twice in the torso and died at the scene. No further information has been revealed, as the investigation is still active.FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

'Bark in the Park' by Humane Society of Missouri Returns for 28th year\

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It was a “paws-itively” “purr-fect” morning in Tower Grove Park as dogs and their owners celebrated the 28th annual 'Bark in The Park' event.Saturday morning was for the dogs.Dog lovers and their four-legged friends packed Tower Grove Park for the 28th annual 'Bark in the Park.' The festival kicked off with a 5k. Dogs representing every breed imaginable took their owners for a walk or sprint. Including, Woody the beagle.“My husband is a runner, so Woody has been trained up, and he’s done 6 half-marathons and many 10ks and everyday runs a 5K, he’s pure muscle,” said owner of beagles Woody and Jessie, Mollie Heinz.There was also a spot for agility testing - vendors and a show full of trick put on by the organizer, Purina Farms and benefitting the Humane Society of Missouri. Trending -- Glenn Zimmerman’s long-range summer 2023 forecast Dubbed the biggest pet festival in the Midwest, it’s no wonder so many breeds showed up.“I wanted her to come and get some socializing wit...

Colorado’s cannabis industry has fallen on hard times. What does the future hold?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:32 GMT

The heyday of marijuana sales in Colorado – back in 2020 when recreational and medical sales topped out at a combined $226 million – is a distant memory, as the state’s dispensaries struggle through an economic downturn, with sales plummeting and small businesses foundering.“The market’s just bad. It’s bad right now,” said 29-year-old Val Tonazzi, who works in cannabis sales. “There’s businesses closing, left and right.”In March, Colorado’s total medical marijuana sales were about $17 million – around $5 million less than last March. Retail marijuana sales racked up to $122 million, but that’s still a $17 million drop from March 2022.It’s an improved outlook from February when medical marijuana sales dipped to their lowest point since retail sales began – around $15 million. And sales for both recreational and medical weed totaled to over $139 million, which is the highest it’s climbed to since last October.But ...