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‘Big decisions’ loom for the Chicago White Sox — now 37-50 and 7 games back — with the trade deadline less than a month away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

There were plenty of interesting notes from the Chicago White Sox’s California trip.Starter Lance Lynn took umbrage with Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrew Velazquez bunting Thursday. Third baseman Jake Burger disclosed after homering Sunday against the Oakland Athletics that tips from his wife, Ashlyn, helped.There just wasn’t enough sustained success.The Sox went 3-4 in the two series. After beginning their final homestand before the All-Star break with a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, they are 13 games under .500 (37-50) and seven games back in the American League Central.The trade deadline is less than a month away. And the Sox have to make some choices.“Obviously we’ve got big decisions to make by Aug. 1,” general manager Rick Hahn said before Tuesday’s game. “I’ve seen quotes from players, I’ve heard from players directly, (manager) Pedro (Grifol) and the coaches have heard from players directly, that their priority an...

Antoni: Court’s student loan decision will tether tuition prices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

Taxpayers can be grateful that the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s unconstitutional student loan bailout. The justices saved America from not just a massive expense on the current federal balance sheet, but excessive borrowing and higher tuition costs in the future.Biden’s student loan amnesty plan was a misuse of the 2003 HEROES Act and would have put taxpayers on the hook for up to $20,000 per student loan borrower. Even those borrowers with relatively high incomes were eligible for the handout; households making $250,000 annually were eligible for up to $40,000 in “forgiveness” – a euphemism for a taxpayer bailout.The exact cost of such a bailout would have been far higher than the White House’s estimate of $380 billion, with some estimates exceeding $1 trillion. The disparity between these estimates stems from the fact that a taxpayer-funded bailout of student loan debt would have created incentives that in turn change people’s behavior.If the Supreme Court had g...

China accuses the US of turning Taiwan into a powder keg with its latest sales of military equipment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Defense Ministry accused the United States of turning Taiwan into a powder keg on Wednesday with its latest sales of $440 million in military equipment to the self-governing island democracy. The U.S. State Department approved of the sale of 30 mm ammunition and related equipment, along with spare parts for Taiwan’s vehicles, small arms, combat weapon systems, and logistical support items. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Tan Kefei responded that “the U.S. ignores China’s core concerns, crudely interferes in China’s internal affairs, and deliberately escalates tensions across the Taiwan Strait.”China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be conquered by force if necessary, and Tan said “stern representations” had been lodged with the U.S. “This is tantamount to accelerating the transformation of Taiwan into a ‘powder keg’ and pushing the Taiwanese people into the abyss of disaster,” he said in a statement on the ministry̵...

1 dead, 6 hurt in July Fourth block party shooting on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — A 14-year-old boy was killed and six other people were injured in a shooting at a Fourth of July block party on Maryland’s Eastern Shore early Wednesday, according to the county sheriff’s office.The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting in Salisbury shortly after midnight, according to a statement posted on social media. Salisbury is a city of about 33,200 people about 120 miles (193 kilometers) southeast of Washington, D.C.Investigators determined that seven people were shot and one victim, a 14-year-old boy, died at a hospital, the sheriff’s office said. The other six victims were being treated at a hospital, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening.No arrests have been made, but there was an active investigation, Capt. Timothy Robinson said by telephone. The Salisbury shooting was one of several mass shootings over the holiday weekend, including fatal shootings in Baltimore, Fort Worth, Texas, and Philadelphia. T...

Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah to make MLB return on Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

After striking out 10 in five innings of one-run ball for double-A New Hampshire on Sunday night, looking more like his former self than the pitcher who struggled earlier this year, Alek Manoah was asked about his next steps.The way he answered the question is, in part, why the Toronto Blue Jays feel confident in starting him Friday night against the Detroit Tigers.“For me it’s everything I’ve learned through this process and taking it with me, that’s the biggest thing,” Manoah said outside the Fisher Cats clubhouse. “Being able to take everything and not let it happen again and understand there are going to be bad days and there are going to be great days, but the work doesn’t stop.”Along those lines, the Blue Jays are leaning on the work more than the results in making the intriguing call to bring him back. They could easily have given him one more outing somewhere in the minors, saying they wanted to see him further cement his progress, and recalled him after the all-star break. ...

Israel ends West Bank raid, calling it a blow to militants. Palestinians grapple with destruction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Israel withdrew troops from a West Bank militant stronghold Wednesday, but warned that its most intense military operation in the occupied territory in nearly two decades could be repeated. Twelve Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in the two-day raid.Residents of the Jenin refugee camp emerged from their homes to find alleys lined by piles of rubble and flattened or scorched cars. Shopkeepers and bulldozers started clearing the debris. Thousands who had fled the fighting began returning.Kefah Dabayyah, a 33-year-old Jenin refugee camp resident, said that he and his family had returned Wednesday to find widespread destruction. “Roads were destroyed and many houses were affected, glass from windows was everywhere,” he said. His home was not hit, but there was no water, electricity or internet service.The army claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on militant groups in the operation, which included a series of airstrikes and hundreds ...

Condition critical? Britain’s beloved but battered National Health Service turns 75

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — It’s unusual to throw a birthday party for a health care system, but that’s exactly what the U.K. is doing for the National Health Service, a beloved but increasingly creaky institution that turns 75 on Wednesday.The date is being marked with charity tea parties, royal visits and a service of thanksgiving at London’s Westminster Abbey. The events are a fitting tribute for an institution that is often likened to Britain’s secular religion – though one in which some people are losing faith.Backlogs, treatment delays, funding gaps and an unhappy workforce have created an increasingly threadbare and overstretched system. Three respected health think tanks warned Wednesday that the NHS is “in critical condition” and won’t make it to 100 without more money and better long-term planning.“Pressures on services are extreme, and public satisfaction is at its lowest since it first began to be tracked 40 years ago,” the King’s Fund, Health Foundation and Nuffield Trust said in an ...

Clothing retailer Kit and Ace bought by company co-owned by Joe Mimran

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

VANCOUVER — Kit and Ace Technical Apparel Inc. has been bought by a company co-owned by Canadian fashion designer and entrepreneur Joe Mimran.The price paid for the clothing retailer by Unity Brands Inc., which is owned by Mimran and veteran retail executives David Lui and Frank Rocchetti, was not disclosed.Under the deal, Lui will become CEO based at the company’s head office in Vancouver.Meanwhile, Kit and Ace’s product design and development will relocate to Toronto where it will be managed by Mimran’s creative design centre. Kit and Ace was founded in 2014 by Shannon and J.J. Wilson — the wife and son of Lululemon Athletica Inc. founder Chip Wilson.George Tsogas acquired the retailer from Wilson’s family in 2018. He will remain with the company and assume the role of chief operating officer.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2023.The Canadian Press

Toronto area transit systems need to improve services, reliability: report cards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

Toronto had the least reliable transit service in 2022 compared to other municipalities in the region, according to newly released transit report cards from the Toronto Region Board of Trade.The average score was based on frequent and basic services, reliability, transit priority, 24-hour service, integration with neighbouring transit systems and service improvement.While Toronto and Mississauga both received a composite score of about 69 per cent — or a B letter grade — Toronto had the lowest score for transit reliability with only 58 per cent of trips being on time. Other municipalities scored over 70 per cent on reliability.Toronto’s lower score was attributed to congestion issues and frequent diversions due to construction. The report notes most recent Toronto transit service cuts are not accounted for and “would negatively affect grading.”The report cards said more funding and integration is needed to keep up with population growth and operating costs of...

More travelers get cozy with glamping, even amid high costs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:39 GMT

Camping can be one of the cheapest ways to travel. Yet a relatively new style of camping is proliferating — by some metrics — and it’s glamping.Glamping is a fusion of luxury and nature, where tents are filled with plush pillows, and some even have private bathrooms with heated, running water. Campgrounds typically are outfitted with fast Wi-Fi, and such camping activities as pitching a tent and starting a fire are already done for you. But the blend of outdoor glamor with hotel comfort commands prices more expensive than those of high-end hotels. It’s also a sharp contrast to what traditional campers spend.U.S. national park visitors in 2021 spent, on average, $351 daily per group on traditional lodging outside the parks, such as hotels or bed-and-breakfast establishments. Parties who camped spent just $149, according to a Department of the Interior 2021 visitor spending report. That’s a 58% discount for visitors willing to exchange concrete for canvas. But canvas doesn’t always co...