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From Mississippi to pro ball: 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez makes the leap with the Chicago White Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

Jacob Gonzalez had a full day on Sept. 16 at Guaranteed Rate Field.The shortstop met with Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, threw a ceremonial first pitch before the team’s game against the Minnesota Twins and even swung by the gift shop.The 2023 first-round MLB draft pick toured the ballpark he’s aiming to call the home after beginning his professional baseball journey.Gonzalez appeared in 34 games with the Arizona Complex League White Sox (four contests) and Class A Kannapolis (30) this season.“It was a lot of fun,” Gonzalez said. “Coming from college to the minors, it’s nice to be done with school and focus on baseball every day. I like playing every day. It’s a change of pace obviously because in college, you only play four times a week. Having games every day is fun, being able to compete every day.”The Sox selected Gonzalez with the No. 15 pick of the MLB draft out of Mississippi on July 9. The Sox announced terms on a deal...

Trump argues First Amendment protects him from ‘insurrection’ cases aimed at keeping him off ballot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — Attorneys for former President Donald Trump argue that an attempt to bar him from the 2024 ballot under a rarely used “insurrection” clause of the Constitution should be dismissed as a violation of his freedom of speech.The lawyers made the argument in a filing posted Monday by a Colorado court in one of the most significant of a series of challenges to Trump’s candidacy under the Civil War-era clause in the 14th Amendment. The challenges rest on Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden and his role leading up to the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.“At no time do Petitioners argue that President Trump did anything other than engage in either speaking or refusing to speak for their argument that he engaged in the purported insurrection,” wrote attorney Geoffrey Blue.Trump also will argue that the clause doesn’t apply to him because “the F...

Haunted Houses in San Diego to visit this Halloween

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- With the return of crisp autumn air, grim grinning ghosts have returned to revel in the Halloween season, bringing with them plenty of spooky experiences to San Diego County for thrill seekers to enjoy.From haunted houses to immersive spooky carnivals, there are plenty of ways for fear-enthusiasts to feel the adrenaline rush of a bone-chilling scare.Kick off the Halloween season right at one of these San Diego spook-filled events worthy for you to face your fears. Where to find pumpkin patches in San Diego County Here's a round-up of spooky experiences across the county:SeaWorld Howl-O-ScreamThe spooky carnival returns to SeaWorld with the annual Howl-O-Scream event. Get a nighttime thrill with angry haunts in scare zones, houses of horrors and more. Delicious cocktails, beer and spirits will also be available to quench your thirst while watching electric live shows.When: Sept. 29 through Oct. 31Where: 500 SeaWorld Dr., San Diego, CA 92109Admission: Starting at $41.99...

Trump stops by a gun shop, resuming in-person campaigning after a weekend leveling treason claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump stopped by a gun shop and toured a boat building facility in South Carolina Monday, ramping up his in-person campaign after a weekend online threatening the media, making multiple accusations of treason and urging congressional Republicans to go ahead and shut down the government.He also claimed he could design a better fighter jet than the military.The Republican presidential front-runner, who has spent far less time on the campaign trail than his leading rivals, began his trip to small-town Summerville with a meet-and-greet with volunteers at a local campaign office and a visit to a local gun store, where he admired a Glock handgun and posed for photos.Spokesman Steven Cheung posted that the former president, who is currently under federal indictment, had purchased the weapon during his visit to Palmetto State Armory, but later deleted the post on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, and clarified that Trump, “says he wa...

Video shows California deputy slamming 16-year-old girl to the ground outside football game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A viral video shows a Southern California sheriff’s deputy slamming a teenage girl to the ground during a fight outside a Friday night high school football game, a use of force her mother says sent the 16-year-old to the hospital with injuries to her head and spine.The altercation prompted a protest Sunday at the San Bernardino County sheriff’s substation in Victorville, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The video, recorded on a bystander’s cellphone, shows the 16-year-old girl at first struggling with one San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy. Another approaches her from behind and grabs her around her torso. That deputy lifts her up off the ground and slams her backwards to the pavement. The footage shows the teen’s head and back hitting the ground hard as her legs fly up into the air.The department’s news release said the deputy “pulled the female away causing her to land on the ground.”The sheriff’s d...

Monday night’s $785M Powerball jackpot is ninth largest lottery prize. Odds of winning are miserable

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The ninth-largest lottery jackpot will be on the line Monday night when numbers are drawn for a $785 million Powerball prize.The payout has grown so large because it has been building for more than two months, since a player in California matched all six numbers on July 19 and won $1.08 billion. That’s 28 consecutive drawings without a big winner.That winless streak is due to the miserable odds of winning the Powerball jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million. It’s those long, long odds that result in such large top prizes, as they cause the jackpot to roll over week after week.The jackpot is the ninth-largest in the world, behind top prizes in the Powerball and Mega Millions games that all topped $1 billion. The biggest jackpot was a $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in November 2022 in California.Although the game highlights the $785 million prize, that is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 30 years. Winners almost always choose the cash pay...

Energy stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets also up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in energy stocks helped Canada’s main stock index close slightly higher Monday, while U.S. stock markets also ended up to start the week.Gains in oil and gas stocks, however, were offset by losses in financials, telecoms and utilities to leave the S&P/TSX composite index up only 20.64 points on the day at 19,800.61.“There’s a lot of mixed messaging in today’s market,” said Stephen Duench, vice-president and portfolio manager for AGF Investments Inc.High bond yields continue to weigh on markets, amid increasing signs that interest rates will remain higher for longer.Last week, the U.S. Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged, but signalled it could hike one more time this year and halved its projections for cuts next year. The news helped set Wall St. on its worst week in six months.U.S. markets were mixed during the trading day Monday but managed to make gains. The Dow Jones industrial average ended up 43.04 points at 34,006.88. The S&P ...

Canadian auto workers to target General Motors after deal with Ford is ratified

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Canadian auto workers say General Motors will be their next target after members ratified a new three-year labor contract with Ford.Unifor, which represents about 4,300 workers at three GM facilities in Canada, said Monday it reached a strong deal with Ford and now will try to negotiate a pattern agreement with GM.President Lana Payne said the union has a lot of bargaining leverage with GM because a factory in Oshawa, Ontario, is working around the clock to build profitable Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks. “I don’t expect this to be an easy round of talks, and I want to make sure our union is best positioned to move this pattern forward for the benefit of all members, active and retired,” she said in a statement.Workers at Ford of Canada ratified a new deal on Sunday that raises base hourly pay for production workers by almost 20% over three years, and by more than 25% for trade workers. It also gives permanent workers a $10,000 bonus and adds a cost-of-living adjus...

CP NewsAlert: Quebec police say three fishers are dead after boat sinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police say three people are dead after a fishing boat sunk off the province’s Lower North Shore.Police say six people were aboard the boat out of Blanc Sablon, Que., when it ran into trouble around midnight.More coming.The Canadian Press

CP NewsAlert: Regulator rules in favour of Trans Mountain route deviation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:22 GMT

CALGARY — The Canada Energy Regulator has approved Trans Mountain Corp.’s application to modify the pipeline’s route.More coming.The Canadian Press