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D-Backs pitcher accidentally kills bird with pregame throw

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers aspire to be like Randy Johnson.Zac Gallen unintentionally got real close in emulating the Hall of Famer.While warming up in the outfield before Arizona’s game at Oakland on Wednesday, Gallen threw a curveball that hit a bird in midflight, apparently killing the animal. The throw was captured by cameras for Diamondbacks’ broadcaster Bally Sports Arizona.Johnson infamously killed a bird during a spring training game in 2001. While throwing a pitch against the San Francisco Giants, a bird crossed in front of home plate and was destroyed by the baseball. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

New rule seeks to weed out college programs that leave grads with low income, high debt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — College programs that leave graduates underpaid or buried in loans would be cut off from federal money under a proposal issued Wednesday by the Biden administration, but the rules would apply only to for-profit colleges and a tiny fraction of programs at traditional universities.The Education Department is calling it a significant step toward accountability for the nation’s colleges. With more students questioning the value of a degree, the measure aims to weed out low-performing programs and assure students the cost of tuition will pay off in the long run.“The rules proposed today are about helping ensure that when students invest in a postsecondary education, they get a solid return on investment and a greater shot at the American dream,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.Opponents, however, say the scope is too narrow to help most students.Known as gainful employment, it revives an Obama-era policy that was dismantled by the Trump admi...

1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible sells for $38 million at NYC auction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible that is one of the world’s oldest surviving biblical manuscripts sold for $38 million in New York on Wednesday.The Codex Sassoon, a leather-bound, handwritten parchment volume containing a nearly complete Hebrew Bible, was purchased by former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses on behalf of the American Friends of ANU and donated to ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, where it will join the collection, Sotheby’s said in statement.The manuscript was exhibited at the ANU Museum in March as part of a worldwide tour before the auction.Sotheby’s Judaica specialist Sharon Liberman Mintz said the $38 million price tag, which includes the auction house’s fee, “reflects the profound power, influence, and significance of the Hebrew Bible, which is an indispensable pillar of humanity.”It’s one of highest prices for a manuscript sold at auction. In 2021, a rare copy of the U.S. constitution sold for $43 ...

UN envoy cautiously optimistic Yemen’s warring parties will resume UN-led negotiations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Yemen expressed “cautious optimism” Wednesday that the country’s warring parties will return to U.N.-led negotiations to end their deadly eight-year conflict. Hans Grundberg told the U.N. Security Council he is confident last month’s prisoner releases agreed to by the government and rival Houthi rebels will “build further confidence between the parties” and support an environment conducive for dialogue.The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and further impoverished the Arab world’s poorest nation.Grundberg said he was encouraged by positive and detailed discussions he had recently with officials from the government and the rebels, as well as with senior regional and Yemeni officials in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, and with senior U.S. officials in Washington.The parties “demonstrated an understanding of the immensity of what is at stake and displayed willingness to constructively engage on...

Spieth says wrist is feeling good enough to play ‘nasty’ Oak Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Jordan Spieth finished nine holes of practice at Oak Hill on Wednesday and said his left wrist felt good enough to play in the PGA Championship, and good enough that he’s won’t rule out his chances of a career Grand Slam.That’s a big leap from a week ago, when he wasn’t sure he could make it to New York.“I wouldn’t play if I didn’t think I was in good enough shape to play,” he said after playing the front nine with Justin Thomas and Tom Kim. “I just don’t have the reps I’d like to have going into a major. But I’m happy I’m able to play because I surely didn’t think that a week ago.”Spieth missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship and then withdrew from his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson in the Dallas area because of a wrist injury that required rest.He did not say how he injured his wrist, calling it random, but that it was on the ulnar side. His left wrist is taped, with kinesiology tape r...

What’s pitch tipping, what’s sign stealing, and when are they illegal?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

Start with a couple sideways glances by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge toward the first-base line.Mix in a massive 462-foot homer a couple pitches later.And voila! Major League Baseball has its latest cheating controversy.The latest kerfuffle started on Monday, when cameras caught Judge oddly diverting his eyes away from the pitcher just before smashing a long homer against Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jay Jackson. The Blue Jays weren’t happy.“It’s kind of odd that a hitter would be looking in that direction,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.Jackson — demoted to Triple-A a day later — has since said he believes he was tipping pitches during the Judge at-bat. He thought a Yankees coach could tell what pitch he was about to throw and was signaling that info to Judge before the pitch was delivered.Even if that’s true, though, the Yankees weren’t necessarily cheating.There is no prohibition on teammates or coaches using the naked eye to study pitchers and r...

ViaSat: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — ViaSat Inc. (VSAT) on Wednesday reported earnings of $1.2 billion in its fiscal fourth quarter.The Carlsbad, California-based company said it had profit of $15.56 per share.The provider of satellite and wireless networking technology posted revenue of $666.1 million in the period, which fell short of Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $684.5 million.For the year, the company reported profit of $1.08 billion, or $14.29 per share. Revenue was reported as $2.56 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on VSAT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/VSATSource

Hospital workers continue to protest Bill 60

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

Hospital professionals at Kingston General Hospital held another rally in protest of the Ontario government’s plan to shift some surgeries to private clinics.While much smaller than the demonstration seen in Kingston at the beginning of the month, local unions and others throughout the province are continuing to protest the steps being taken by the province.Ontario passed Bill 60 last week, dubbed the “Your Health Act” by the Ford government, despite pushback from healthcare unions and supporters in the public.The passed legislation aims to “recognize the value of a healthcare system that collaboratively integrates publicly funded, community-based health services with local and regional health system partners” and “expand access to publicly funded community-based health services to improve patient wait times, patient experience and access to care.”The Ontario government says it’s attacking the 200,000 surgery backlog in Ontario, but he...

Colorado marijuana sales lowest since before pandemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado's marijuana sales are at the lowest they've been since before the COVID pandemic, and prices have never been cheaper. Sales skyrocketed at the dawn of the global public health emergency in March 2020. The state saw record sales until September 2021. Since then, sales have been falling. More than a dozen guns stolen out of parked truck In March 2023, there was a statewide total of $139.6 million of recreational and medical marijuana sold in Colorado, about the level of February 2020 and the spring of 2019 before that. Sales have been at this level or lower since autumn 2022. The amount of taxes and fees collected from the industry has fallen as a result. The state collected about $25 million in taxes in fees in March 2023, down from an all-time high of over $40 million in August 2020. The total sales dollars have fallen as the wholesale prices of marijuana products have fallen to some of their lowest ever. The average market rate of a pound of marijuana b...

PHOTOS: Climate change art exhibit opening Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) – Artists from all corners of Colorado worked with scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder to create an exhibit that depicts climate change, and it will be on display at the State Capitol starting Friday.The exhibition titled “Coloradans and Our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change” aims to tell the story of how climate change affects everyday life in specific communities around the state.  How CU students challenged a popular astrophysics theory Artists in the Colorado Art Science Environment Fellows program partnered with scientists at CU Boulder to create each piece. The teams then worked with residents in communities across the state to get site-specific perspectives."The data included, the locations portrayed, and the spatial/temporal variability among the paintings were all decided based on input from local community collaborators," the CASE Fellows website read.The teams all produced several pieces of art that were inspired by...