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Chicago Cubs win a big series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Next up: a key stretch against opponents in NL wild-card race.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

The Chicago Cubs’ path to the postseason is not division-champion-or-bust.But they kept a National League Central title in their sights by securing a series win with a 3-2 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday at Wrigley Field, putting them three games back of the division leaders. The rivals meet one more time in Milwaukee in the final series of the season.“It just solidifies the confidence,” said Kyle Hendricks after allowing two runs (one earned) in six innings. “We’ve been playing with that anyway, but we knew coming in it was going to be a big series, a little more energy, a little more tension from the outside, but we’re able to stay locked in and keep it pitch to pitch.“We know going forward every game is going to be huge.”The Cubs’ next 11 games and 14 of their next 17 are against the three teams behind them in the NL wild-card race in which they hold the second spot, starting with a four-game series against ...

Gerrit Cole’s strong start against Tigers leads Yankees to first series win since July

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

For the first time in over a month, the Yankees won a series.Gerrit Cole continued his Cy Young Award-caliber campaign in Wednesday night’s 6-2 road win against the Detroit Tigers, during which a balanced offensive outburst from the Yankees lineup gave the right-hander more than enough run support.Cole struck out seven over six innings, allowing two runs on four hits to a Detroit offense that ranks second-to-last among MLB teams in scoring.The 32-year-old Cole improved to 12-4 with a 2.95 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 174 innings this season. He’s never won a Cy Young Award but finished within the top five of the voting five times.The Yankees received at least one RBI from four different players, including DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton, who each hit solo home runs. Torres, who has homered three days in a row in Detroit, and Stanton went back-to-back in the fourth inning.The 425-foot blast was Stanton’s 398th career home run and his 20th of the seaso...

Woman killed in I-15 wrong-way crash identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A woman killed in a wrong-way crash Sunday on Interstate 15 near the Serra Mesa neighborhood has been identified, local medical officials said.Yannira Rodriguez, 32, was announced as the deceased, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said on its website.The collision occurred around 1:30 a.m. on southbound Interstate 15, south of Aero Drive according to California Highway Patrol.Authorities say the 32-year-old woman was traveling southbound on I-15 in a Honda Fit when a 25-year-old man driving an Infiniti QX 30 northbound in the southbound lanes hit Rodriguez's vehicle. Man killed in stabbing near McDonald’s Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene while another woman inside the Honda was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.The Infiniti driver, however, continued to drive after hitting Rodriguez's vehicle, then crashing into a Nissan Altima driven by a 58-year-old woman, per CHP. The 25-year-old man was taken to a hospital as well.CHP did not immedi...

Government incentives and cost-conscious customers lead to electric vehicle boom in India

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Groceries stashed in the back of an electric delivery scooter are an increasingly familiar sight in the Indian city of Bengaluru. In crowded markets, electric rickshaws drop off and pick up passengers. And the number of tech startups focused on electric transport has shot up as the city — and country — embrace electric vehicles.India is one of the fastest-growing electric vehicle markets in the world and now has millions of EV owners. More than 90% of its 2.3 million electric vehicles are the cheaper and more popular two- or three-wheelers — that’s motorbikes, scooters and rickshaws — and over half of India’s three-wheeler registrations in 2022 were electric, according to an IEA report released in April. A $1.3 billion federal plan to encourage EV manufacturing and provide discounts for customers, along with the past decade’s rising fuel costs and consumer awareness of the long-term cost benefits are combining to drive up sales, analysts say. Electric v...

This trans woman was begging on India’s streets. A donated electric rickshaw changed her life

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — When Preethi moved to Bengaluru in southern India 10 years ago after being kicked out of her family home for being transgender, she hoped for a better future.But 38-year-old Preethi, who only uses her first name, couldn’t get consistent work. For most of the decade, her main way of making money was begging on the city’s streets, making her susceptible to abuse and violent crime. “I just didn’t want that kind of life anymore,” she recalls.Then in March last year, she got a chance to turn things around. She got the keys to her very own electric rickshaw, using it to make a living by transporting passengers around Bengaluru’s clogged roads. She’s now one of millions of electric vehicle owners in India, but one of very few to have received an EV through a charitable donation. Preethi can be seen as a success story as India attempts to slash planet-warming emissions in a way that benefits people across economic backgrounds, known as a “just...

Artscape’s receivership news sparks concern from artists about their future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

After more than three decades of operation, Artscape has announced it’s going into receivership, sparking concern from artists who live and work in its 14 properties.The non-profit provides residences and creative spaces for artists, along with event venues such as the old streetcar facility at Wychwood Barns. In a statement posted to its website, Artscape says it was forced to take on debt over the years in order to expand its offerings to support the creative and the artist community. With event spaces shut down due to the pandemic, its finances were stretched even further. Artscape says it commenced a financial restructuring plan this year to try and reduce debt, including the sale of the Artscape Daniels Launchpad property on Queens Quay. Additional lending to maintain operations was also sought, including the city committing $1.1 million, but it says the primary lender took steps that led to Artscape being placed into receivership. “While Artscape had begun to see s...

Nebraska volleyball stadium event draws 92,003 to set women’s world attendance record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska laid claim to the world record for largest attendance at a women’s sporting event with 92,003 filling Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night for the Cornhuskers’ volleyball match against Omaha.The university took aim at the record last spring when it announced it would hold a daylong celebration of a sport that enjoys immense popularity in this state of fewer than 2 million.The event began with an exhibition between in-state Division II powers Nebraska-Kearney and Wayne State and was followed by the Huskers’ regular-season match. Country artist Scotty McCreery was to perform afterward.The previous attendance record was 91,648, set during a Champions League soccer match when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2022.Memorial Stadium’s official capacity is just over 85,000 for football, but that number was higher for this event because there were seats and standing room on the field. The cour...

Senators hail Health Dept. recommendation to ease restrictions on marijuana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the agency has responded to President Joe Biden’s request “to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.”“We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously,” he added.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that HHS had recommended that marijuana be moved from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.“HHS has done the right thing,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “DEA should now follow through on this important step to greatly reduce the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws.”Rescheduling the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalt...

Traveling to Florida? What to know after Hurricane Idalia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

(WFLA) – Hurricane Idalia tore across Florida Wednesday as a dangerous Category 3 storm, destroying homes, flooding neighborhoods and snapping trees before moving into Georgia as a still-powerful storm.Along with its path of physical destruction, Idalia also upended travel plans for those hoping to visit Florida or nearby states in the Southeast. For those people whose itineraries are now anything but certain, here is what we know so far.Flights and airportsAirports in Florida are planning to reopen as Hurricane Idalia, now a tropical storm, moves across Georgia and South Carolina Wednesday night.The Federal Aviation Administration cautioned on social media Wednesday that the storm is causing flight cancellations and that severe weather can affect flights beyond the immediate area. Hurricane Idalia causes 100-year-old oak tree to split, fall on Gov. DeSantis’ mansion Flight tracking service Flight Aware registered more than 1,000 canceled U.S. flights Wednesday, hundreds with dest...

Nebraska volleyball stadium event sets women's world attendance record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska laid claim to the world record for the largest attendance at a women's sporting event with 92,003 filling Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night for the Cornhuskers' volleyball match against Omaha.The university took aim at the record last spring when it announced it would hold a daylong celebration of a sport that enjoys immense popularity in this state of fewer than 2 million.The event began with an exhibition between in-state Division II powers Nebraska-Kearney and Wayne State and was followed by the Huskers' regular-season match. Country artist Scotty McCreery was to perform afterward.The previous attendance record was 91,648, set during a Champions League soccer match when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2022. Monster Jam trucks damaged in California highway fire Memorial Stadium's official capacity is just over 85,000 for football, but that number was higher for this event because there were...