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Vida Blue, led Oakland to 3 World Series titles, dies at 73

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

Vida Blue, a hard-throwing left-hander who became one of baseball’s biggest draws in the early 1970s and helped lead the brash Oakland Athletics to three straight World Series titles before his career was derailed by drug problems, has died. He was 73.The A’s said Blue died Saturday but didn’t give a cause of death.“There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the team said in a statement Sunday. “Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend.”Blue was voted the 1971 American League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player after going 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts with 24 complete games, eight of them shutouts. He remains among just 11 pitchers to win both honors in the same year.Blue finished 209-161 with a 3.27 ERA, 2,175 strikeouts, 143 complete games and 37 shutouts over 17 seasons with Oakland (1969-77), San Francisco (1978-81, 85-86) and Kansas City (1982-83).A six-time All-Star, Blue helped pitch the Sw...

7 killed by driver near Texas migrant shelter; police say it may have been intentional

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) - Seven people were killed Sunday morning after a driver ran over them in Brownsville, Texas. The collision does not appear to have been accidental, police said.The victims were standing at a bus stop in front of the Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and homeless people in the Texas border city, at 8:30 a.m. when they were hit. Lt. Martin Sandoval said seven victims died at the scene and another four to six people were taken to area hospitals.Sandoval said the driver was arrested and charged with reckless driving. Sandoval said more charges will likely be filed. He said as officers investigated, the crash was looking more and more like an intentional act.A woman who drove by the scene said she saw several bodies covered on the road, plus another victim being put into an ambulance. She also saw several people praying nearby.A badly damaged gray Range Rover is in the middle of the street. By Brian Svendsen/ValleyCentralA Brownsville Fire Department truck ...

Lowell man accused of threatening people with box cutter outside Tewksbury motel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

A Lowell man is facing criminal charges after police say he was threatening people outside a Tewksbury motel with a box cutter on Saturday night, officials said.Justin Maryland, 47, was arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, threatening to commit a crime (murder), and disorderly conduct following his arrest, according to Police Chief Ryan Columbus.Officers responding to a report of a man threatening to kill people in the parking lot of a motel on Main Street around 8:30 p.m. After initially refusing to comply, Maryland was taken into custody without incident.No additional information was immediately released.

Opening Day at Del Mar Racetrack: How to snag tickets early

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The summer horse racing season is set to begin in Del Mar on Friday, July 21 and those looking to attend Opening Day can snag their tickets as early as Friday. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club recently announced details for the upcoming 2023 season, following a record-breaking year in 2022. Club officials say last season featured the "highest-ever daily average wagering and prize money seen in California." San Diego among cities with the most ‘house poor’ homeowners: study The club says Opening Day will feature 10 races, the Opening Day Hats Contest and "all the fanfare that makes it an unofficial San Diego holiday." Attendees can expect world-class racing, luxury food and drinks, plus horse racing fashion displayed with big hats and more.There will be limited general admission tickets for the first race day of the season and the club says tickets are anticipated to sell out quickly. In order to secure entry, racegoers are encouraged to buy tickets early.Tickets for Open...

Serbia mourns shooting victims, prepares illegal gun amnesty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Days after two mass shootings left 17 people dead in Serbia, the European country’s Interior Ministry urged citizens Sunday to turn in all unregistered weapons or run the risk of a prison sentence. Individuals who hand over illegally owned guns, grenades, ammunition and other weaponry between Monday and June 8th will not face any charges, the ministry said in a statement. Those who ignore the order will face prosecution and if convicted, potentially years behind bars, government officials have warned.Weekend funerals were held for the victims of the shootings at a Belgrade school on Wednesday and in a rural area south of the capital city on Thursday night. The violence, which also wounded 21 people, has stunned and anguished the Balkan nation.While Serbia is awash with weapons and tops the European list of registered arms per capita, it is no stranger to crisis situations following the wars of the 1990s that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia. The mo...

Officer convicted in Iraq killing of frequent militia critic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi police officer was convicted and sentenced to death Sunday in the killing of a prominent security analyst and frequent critic of powerful militias. The ruling came nearly three years after the analyst was gunned down outside his Baghdad home following militia threats.The family of the victim, Hisham al-Hashimi, said it supported the verdict, but expressed concern it could be overturned on appeal. A relative of al-Hashimi, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, alleged that those who ordered the killing remain at large.The defendant, Ahmed Hamdawi al-Kinani, was convicted on a terrorism charge and sentenced to death by a criminal court, according to Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council. The case was referred to an appeals court. A video of his purported confession was released after his arrest two years ago.Al-Hashimi, 47, was gunned down in July 2020 in front of his home in Baghdad by two attackers on a motorcycle after receiving threats f...

Police: 7 dead, 6 hurt in border city of Brownsville, Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

Seven people are dead and at least six are injured after they were struck by a vehicle while waiting at a city bus stop, police in Brownsville, Texas, said Sunday.Brownsville police investigator Martin Sandoval said the crash happened about 8:30 a.m. Sunday at a bus stop near a shelter for migrants in the border city. It’s unclear what led to the crash.More to come

Oregon GOP walkout marks 5th day, delays Democrat-led bills

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A walkout by most Republicans in the Oregon Senate aimed at delaying action on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care bills extended to a fifth day Sunday.Senate President Rob Wagner adjourned the body until Monday morning because a quorum could not be reached.Republicans have staged walkouts before, but this year legislators with 10 unexcused absences are disqualified for reelection, thanks to a new constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters in November.The boycott comes as several statehouses, including in Montana and Tennessee, have become battlegrounds between conservatives and liberals. Oregon has increasingly been divided between liberal population centers like Portland and Eugene and its mostly conservative rural areas.The Associated Press

Peanut butter is a liquid – the physics of this and other unexpected fluids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

(The Conversation) - Those Transportation Security Administration requirements are drilled into every frequent flyer’s head: You can carry on liquids that are only less than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) in volume each.But when the TSA recently confiscated a jar of Jif under this rule, peanut butter lovers were up in arms. Some skeptics of security may suspect hungry officers just wanted to make their own PB&Js. TSA, however, contends that peanut butter is a liquid – and a full-size jar of Jif is over the 3.4-ounce limit.Just like Americans’ favorite legume-based sandwich ingredient, the story – and the outrage it inspired – began to spread. However, I’m a mechanical engineer who studies fluid flows, and the TSA action made sense to me. By the scientific definition, peanut butter is indeed a liquid.First consider fluidsTo define a liquid, we must first define a fluid. Any material that flows continuously when a shearing force is applied is a fluid. Think ...

Business People: Donahue to lead state Small Business Development Center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:30 GMT

OF NOTEAndy DonahueThe Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development announced Andy Donahue as Small Business Development Center director. The center offers no-cost technical assistance and support to businesses at any point in their life cycle. Donahue previously served in a similar role at the University of Wisconsin-Superior for eight years.ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERINGLHB, Duluth, announced that Stacee Demmer has been named to lead the firm’s Integrative Design Team, succeeding Michael Fischer, who will remain with the firm with an increased focus on city and county government clients. Both are based in Minneapolis.DEVELOPMENTThe Opus Group, a Minneapolis-based multi-disciplined commercial real estate developer, announced the promotion of Nick Murnane to vice president and general manager, overseeing its Minneapolis development team. Murnane has been with Opus since 2010, most recently as vice president, real estate development.FINANCIAL SERVICESTopLine Financial Credit...