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An uncertain trade deadline status awaits the Chicago Cubs. Will they be buyers or sellers?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

Any hope the Chicago Cubs would start stacking wins to move closer to .500 during their West Coast trip has not gained traction.The Cubs’ 7-4 loss at Angel Stadium Tuesday night featured a little bit of all the things, big and small, that have plagued the team en route to a 26-34 start in what was supposed to be a more competitive season.At the 60-game mark, the 2023 iteration of the Cubs is only three wins better than their 2022 counterpart, though last year’s group was seven games into a 10-game losing streak at this point. Go back to the team’s last win before the double-digit skid — through Game 53 — and the two squads share a 23-30 record.A challenging stretch of the schedule hasn’t helped, however, this roster is much more talented than last season’s with Frank Schwindel as the 2022 cleanup hitter.The Cubs squandered a 4-0 lead in the second, mashing as usual off a left-handed starter, when a disastrous mistake-filled and poorly-execut...

Wrestling legend The Iron Sheik passes away at 81: WWE

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

Wrestling legend The Iron Sheik has passed away at the age of 81, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has confirmed in a statement.“Today, we gather with hearts to bid farewell to a true legend, a force of nature, and an iconic figure who left an incredible mark on the world of professional wrestling,” the WWE wrote in a statement Wednesday.“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of The Iron Sheik, but we also take solace in knowing that he departed this world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come.”The WWE said when he wasn’t punishing opponents in the ring, The Iron Sheik, whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, was a “devoted family man” to his children Tanya, Nikki, Marissa and his son in law Eddie.“He cherished the love and support of his wife of 47 years Caryl, who stood by his side through thick and thin, offering unwavering encouragement throughout his life.&...

Nevada revisits Oakland Athletics stadium plan in special legislative session

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Legislature is set to convene Wednesday for a special legislative session to consider whether to provide $380 million in public financing for a $1.5 billion stadium that would host the Oakland Athletics on the Las Vegas Strip.The public funding would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.The proposed 30,000-seat stadium would be the smallest in Major League Baseball.The Legislature adjourned Monday after its 120-day, biennial session with disputes over one of the five major budget bills that funds capital improvement proje...

Owner of funeral homes accused of spraying insecticide at cops, assaulting media at Jan. 6 riot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

An owner of several funeral homes in Long Island was arrested Wednesday on charges that he sprayed wasp killer at police officers and attacked journalists — including an Associated Press photographer — during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said. Peter G. Moloney, 58, of Bayport, New York, faces numerous charges, including civil disorder and assaulting police officers, according to court documents. He was expected to make an initial court appearance in New York later Wednesday. There was no lawyer listed for him yet in the court docket. A woman who answered the phone at Moloney Family Funeral Homes, where he is listed as co-owner, said they had no comment. An FBI agent wrote in court papers that Moloney appears to have come to the Capitol “prepared for violence,” with protective eyewear, a helmet and a can of insecticide — wasp, hornet & yellow jacket killer. Monoley was seen at the Capitol with a colleague, who authorities did not identify publicly. Vide...

Harvard women’s hockey coach retires amid allegations she verbally abused, hazed players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — One of the most decorated coaches in women’s hockey history has stepped down after nearly 30 years leading Harvard’s women’s hockey program in the shadow of allegations by players that she engaged in abuses and other misconduct during her tenure. The school said Tuesday that Katey Stone had made the decision to retire from coaching. The six-paragraph announcement came after The Boston Globe published a report in January detailing the accounts of multiple players who alleged Stone ran a program rife with verbal abuse, hazing and pressure to return prematurely from injuries.Harvard initiated a review after one alleged incident last season, the Globe reported, but ultimately decided to keep her as coach.Stone, 57, has not publicly addressed allegations raised in the Globe report.In her retirement announcement, Stone listed her relationships with players as one of the things she was most proud of during her time at Harvard.“The relationships fostered with my play...

Feds looking at options for a national disaster response agency as wildfires rage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government is studying options for creating a new national disaster response agency.The discussions come as Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season in history and after governments once again had to call on the military to step in and help.With several hundred fires still burning, dozens of them in western and northern Quebec, wildfire smoke is blanketing large swaths of that province and eastern and southern Ontario.Environment Canada has issued special air quality advisories in both provinces.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to update Canadians on the fire situation Wednesday afternoon.Earlier this week, he said the government is heavily focused on getting through this difficult fire season but that “absolutely” discussions need to be had about how to be better prepared as climate change makes fire seasons like this one more likely.“We have since 1982 had CIFFC, the Canadian Interagency Fire Fighting Centre, that has over th...

Bank of Canada raises interest rates as it tries to get ahead of hot economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

OTTAWA — As the economy continues to outperform expectations, the Bank of Canada has chosen to act sooner rather than later to clamp down on inflation, raising interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday.Its key interest rate now sits at 4.75 per cent, the highest it’s been since 2001.“Based on the accumulation of evidence, governing council decided to increase the policy interest rate, reflecting our view that monetary policy was not sufficiently restrictive to bring supply and demand into balance and return inflation sustainably to the two per cent target,” the Bank of Canada said in a news release.It says excess demand in the economy appears to be more persistent than it had anticipated, citing a tight labour market, better-than-expected economic growth in the first quarter as well as “surprisingly strong” consumption growth.Inflation also came in hotter than expected in April, the central bank said, noting prices for a “broad range” of good and services rose m...

Shopify launches fight against ‘patent trolls’ and their funders, files Texas lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

Shopify Inc. says it wants to push back against the trend of companies filing hundreds of patent infringement lawsuits against businesses every year, and is waging a court battle to make its point.So-called patent trolls are often shell companies who own vast portfolios of patents, which they profit from by demanding license payments from businesses within the scope of the patents or pursuing court cases against firms they allege are patent infringers.Ottawa-based e-commerce software company Shopify said Wednesday that patent trolls often target small businesses and startups that can’t afford to fight or lose a legal battle, thus stifling innovation. “Shopify and our entrepreneurs are builders and innovators. They spend years, sometimes their entire lives, creating products designed to improve the world,” said Shopify general counsel Jess Hertz in a LinkedIn post.“Patent trolls? They lazily sit back, burying hard-working entrepreneurs in piles of legal paperwork &#...

Irving Oil reviewing strategic options including possible sale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Irving Oil says a strategic review of the company is underway and that it is looking at a series of options about its future, including a possible sale of the business.In a statement on its website, the company says consideration will be given to a new ownership structure, a full or partial sale, or a change in its portfolio of assets and how it operates them.The company says it will evaluate its options in the coming month.The statement is signed by chairman Arthur Irving, president Ian Whitcomb and executive vice-president Sarah Irving.Irving Oil operates the largest oil refinery in Canada and Ireland’s only refinery.The company also has more than 900 gas stations and a network of distribution terminals.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.The Canadian Press

K’atl’odeeche First Nation residents in N.W.T. allowed to return to reserve

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:02 GMT

HAY RIVER, N.W.T. — The K’at’lodeeche First Nation says residents can return to the reserve in the Northwest Territories more than three weeks after they were forced to leave their homes due to a wildfire.Residents of the reserve, home to about 300 people, along with the nearby town of Hay River, where more than 3,000 people live, were ordered to evacuate on May 14. Community members were allowed to return to Hay River, which did not sustain damage from the fire, on May 25, while the wildfire continued to burn on the reserve. The wildfire, which is now classified as being under control and was last mapped at about 32 square kilometres, damaged more than a dozen buildings on the reserve, including the First Nation’s band office. The First Nation says it is still in a state of emergency and there is no public access to the reserve.It says power, water and sewer services have yet to resume. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023. The Canadi...