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Column: A well-earned day off for Dansby Swanson sees the Chicago Cubs lose 5-2 to end a satisfying homestand

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

The Chicago Cubs lineup was missing one of its key pieces Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners, but no one could begrudge Dansby Swanson for taking the day off.Before missing his first game since Sept. 10, 2021, when he played for the Atlanta Braves, Swanson said sitting was the “smart thing to do considering all the circumstances.” He expects to return to the lineup Friday in Los Angeles, where the Cubs open a six-game trip against the Dodgers and Oakland A’s.The Cubs fell to 6-5 after winning back-to-back series on the homestand.The “circumstances” Swanson referred to that left him exhausted and cramping Tuesday night — when he asked to be taken out of a 14-9 comeback win over the Mariners — are the kind of family matters that transcend baseball.It was a husband taking his wife to the hospital at 4 a.m., spending the day there and then reporting to work before leaving in the late night hours.In this case it was Swanson taking hi...

San Diego has bounced back from pandemic better than any other city, study finds

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Diego has surged back from COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, but a few hundred miles north, San Francisco's downtown is near death, according to recent findings from the Institute of Governmental Studies public policy research center. In a study updated earlier this year titled "The Death of Downtown?" researchers looked at a number of economic health factors for 62 major cities to see which appeared least damaged by nearly three years of economic uncertainty. "With the initial shock of the pandemic, downtowns emptied out. Even as life has gradually returned to malls and neighborhood commercial corridors, the urban core is no longer a bustling center of activity. This trend has led many to wonder: is this finally the death of downtown?" study authors wrote. Researchers say a debate is forming about whether urban centers have emptied out permanently, similar to what was seen in the 1970s, or whether the recent urban resurgence will regain momentum as we fully e...

Suspect arrested after high-speed chase, running across 5 Freeway

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

A man originally accused of driving recklessly led California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles County Wednesday afternoon before eventually being taken into custody.The chase began around 3:15 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the 101 Freeway in Hollywood where CHP says the driver of the dark-colored sedan refused to pull over for a traffic stop. The driver took off, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph as he traveled northbound onto the 5 Freeway.At around 4:00 p.m., the chase reached the Lebec area where a CHP officer performed a successful PIT maneuver on the vehicle. Reckless driving pursuit suspect seen running across lanes of the 5 Freeway in the area of Lebec on April 12, 2023. (KTLA)Sky 5 footage showed the driver jumping out of the car and running across busy lanes of traffic on the 5 Freeway, narrowly avoiding getting hit. He was taken into custody a short time later.

Arkansas requires parents’ OK for children on social media

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas on Wednesday became the second state to restrict social media use by children, as Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders approved legislation requiring minors to get their parents’ permission to create a new account.The bill signed by the Republican governor requires social media companies to contract with third-party vendors to perform age verification checks on new users. The law will apply to new accounts created starting in September.“While social media can be a great tool and a wonderful resource, it can have a massive negative impact on our kids,” Sanders said before signing the legislation. The proposal is similar to a first-in-the-nation law that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed last month. Utah’s law takes effect in March 2024. Several other states are considering similar measures, touted by supporters as a way to protect children. California last year enacted a law requiring tech companies to put kids’ safety first by barring them from profil...

Woman tied to polygamous sect leader accused of threats

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — A woman believed to be one of the 20 wives of a polygamous sect leader jailed in Arizona faces federal charges for allegedly sending threatening emails to child welfare workers in a bid to get her two daughters released from state foster care. The indictment of Josephine Barlow Bistline marks the fourth woman associated with self-declared prophet Samuel Bateman to face federal charges. Three of Bateman’s wives were previously charged with kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution after eight girls associated with the sect fled from foster care. Authorities say Bistline told a case manager with the Arizona Department of Child Safety in a March 24 email that she would be sent to prison, where she would live on a ventilator and people would have to help her breathe and clean up after her. According to a criminal complaint filed against her, Bistline told the case manager: “And, you know, I wouldn’t mind helping with that too. Because I love you. But you have gone...

New dental care program should give First Nations benefits more teeth: NDP

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

OTTAWA — Dental benefits for Indigenous people should be improved if the new national dental insurance plan offers better or more accessible services, NDP health critic Don Davies said Wednesday.The Liberals have dedicated $13 billion over the next five years to phase in a new dental insurance program for low- and middle-income Canadians as part of a confidence-and-supply agreement with the NDP.The government provides dental benefits as part of a federal health-insurance plan for people with First Nations and Inuit status, called the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, as well as urgent dental care for refugees.Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said he is looking closely at that benefits program — which he said is solid, but not perfect — while his department works on the national dental insurance plan.“I’m working with (Indigenous Services Minister Patty) Hajdu, who is responsible for the NIHB, to see how we can learn from their experiences and their lessons in order to...

B.C. pledges $10M funding boost for Chinese Canadian Museum ahead of July 1 opening

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

Vancouver’s Chinese Canadian Museum will open its doors on July 1 on the 100th anniversary of racist legislation known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, after the province pledged an additional $10 million in funding.Lana Popham, minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport, says the investment not only recognizes the contributions of the Chinese Canadian community but will also help revitalize Chinatown, a beloved part of Vancouver.The Chinese Canadian Museum will be located in the Wing Sang Building on East Pender Street, one the oldest buildings in Chinatown.Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the museum, says its opening will be a significant milestone for Chinese communities across Canada, and it will serve as a hub where people can learn more about the communities’ intangible heritage.The museum’s opening will feature a national exhibition titled “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act,” with July 1 marking the centennial of the passing of the Chine...

Hoosier Daddy: Daughter's booming barbecue business pays homage to late father

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

In beautiful St. John, Indiana, you will find longtime staple Welch's Stop and Shop, where they're grilling up the goods with an award-winning assist from a special barbecue sauce: Hoosier Daddy.Kim Foy is the proprietor behind the barbeque sauce that comes in three varieties. Kim's father, Bill, was the mastermind behind the sauce. Kim Foy, owner of Hoosier Daddy. (Photo: WGN)Made from scratch at home with only natural ingredients, Bill made quite the tasty impression among family and friends. When Bill lost his cancer battle, Foy took the love of her father and his sauces to the market under the brand name Hoosier Daddy in 2011.Foy's brother Bill, who also passed prematurely, was an ingredient of inspiration as well.SEE ALSO | How WGN’s Pat Elwood honors his daughter and St Baldrick’sHoosier Daddy was being sold online and at dozens of local grocery stores, at Sox Park and more."It was wonderful," she told WGN News. "We were everywhere. We were in the ballparks in 26 states and th...

Father sues university, says it failed to treat NFL player who fatally shot 6

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

ROCK HILL, S.C. (WJZY) – The father of the former NFL player who shot and killed six people in Rock Hill, South Carolina before killing himself in 2021 is accusing his son's college of failing to take the necessary precautions and educate players against head injuries.In April of 2021, authorities say Phillip Adams shot and killed six people before turning the gun on himself. A coroner later determined in Adams' autopsy that the former NFL cornerback had Stage Two Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), an unusually severe form of the degenerative brain disease that has been shown to cause violent mood swings and memory loss.According to the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS), CTE is a brain condition suspected to be connected to repeated head injuries. The wrongful death lawsuit from Alonzo Adams, below, states that while his son was on South Carolina State University's football team between 2006 to 2009, and during his career in the NFL, Adams sustained head trauma.Alonz...

New York City hires first-ever 'rat czar,' a former teacher who beat out nearly 1,000 applicants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:15 GMT

HARLEM, N.Y. (WPIX) — New York City has hired its first-ever rat czar: a former teacher who hates rodents as much as Mayor Eric Adams. Kathleen Corradi beat out 900 applicants to become the citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation, Adams announced Wednesday. "I knew when my wife's grandma called from North Carolina to see if I would apply, it was meant to be," Corradi said at a press briefing in Harlem. NYC urges New Yorkers to call out ‘dog poopetrators’ in new clean-up effort Corradi previously worked on rodent reduction efforts at the Department of Education, where she focused on cutting off rats' food, water, and shelter supplies. She plans to do the same in her new role. Corradi said getting food and leftover waste into rat-proof compost bins is a start, but broader efforts are expected. "Rats are symptoms of systemic issues. You can't deal with one part of the problem," Corradi said. "This is going to take all of us."Adams said he interviewed Corradi and was impressed with ...