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Trump won’t be at the GOP’s first presidential debate. But his presence will be felt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — He’ll be missing from the stage, but Donald Trump will still be a central figure at the first Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday night as the remaining candidates hoping to take on President Joe Biden confront each other in person for the first time. The eight contenders who are scheduled to attend the Milwaukee debate hosted by Fox News will likely face pressure to articulate how they would differ in style and substance from Trump, who holds a commanding early lead in the race. That could be a delicate task, forcing candidates to decide how closely to align themselves with the former president’s most outlandish positions, including his lies about widespread fraud during the 2020 election. With less than five months until the Iowa caucuses jumpstart the GOP presidential nomination process, the debate is a critical opportunity for lower-polling candidates to introduce themselves to millions of voters, many of whom are just beginning to pay a...

Summer 2023's Hottest Spell in Chicago Ahead Wednesday-Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

"EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING" HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WEDNESDAY AND AN "EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH" IS IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAYN THE CURRENT HOT SPELL: A high of 99° Wednesday would break the 1947 record of 97° for the date which has stood for 76 years.A high of 100° Thursday would tie the record for the date—also set in 1947. It should be noted that a wind-shifting cold front will be flirting with area—and the speed with which is sinks into the area will impact the high temps we ultimate see. But much of the area is in for intense heat Thursday before a welcome break takes place by Friday and over the coming weekend.Models current put top dew points in coming days building to oppressive 77° levels. That could lead to heat indices as high as 114°.Anyone who lived through the GREAT CHICAGO HEAT WAVE of July 12-15, 1995 will never forget it and knows extreme heat can be more than just an inconvenience—it can be deadly. The loss of life which occurred in that oppressive spell of heat in July 1995 remai...

Man stole over $400,000 worth of cars from Southern California dealerships

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

A man was found guilty of a scheme that resulted in over $400,000 worth of stolen vehicles across Southern California.The suspect, Jean Parret, targeted car dealerships in multiple counties including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Kern and San Diego counties, according to the California Attorney General's Office.Between November 2021 and February 2022, Parret used victims’ stolen identities to open lines of credit and purchase numerous high-end vehicles from car dealerships, authorities said.The total amount of stolen vehicles is estimated at over $400,000, according to court documents, with many dealerships victimized in the scheme.A large amount of the stolen vehicles were eventually transported across the border to Mexico for displacement, officials said.“His victims included not only the lenders and dealerships who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also the identity theft victims who were left dealing with the financial, legal, and emotional impacts of having their ide...

‘Aggressive shark behavior’ reported at San Mateo County beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

PESCADERO – Authorities on Tuesday reported “aggressive shark behavior” just south of Pescadero in San Mateo County.The incident happened at Pebble Beach, which is part of Bean Hollow State Beach, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.The sheriff’s office said a “kayaker had a close encounter with a shark, but thankfully emerged unharmed.”Pebble Beach is named after the ocean-polished rocks that make up its shore and is located half a mile south of Pescadero.The sheriff’s office and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which has jurisdiction over the beach, did not immediately respond to messages seeking additional details about the incident.Earlier today, we received a report of aggressive shark behavior in the vicinity of Pebble Beach, just south of Pescadero, in state beach jurisdiction. A kayaker had a close encounter with a shark, but thankfully emerged unharmed. pic.twitter.com/CrAy7K23lb— San Mateo County S.O (...

One injured in stabbing on SF's Market Street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- One person was injured in a stabbing on Market Street on Tuesday night, the San Francisco Police Department said. SFPD officers responded to the area of 4th and Market Streets at about 7:46 p.m. They found a man with an apparent stab wound. He was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.Witnesses helped officers locate a suspect at the scene. The suspect was arrested, and charges are pending, police said.

A’s top Royals 5-4 to spoil Zack Greinke’s return from the injured list

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shea Langeliers homered for the second consecutive day, and the Oakland Athletics spoiled the return of former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.Aledmys Díaz added three RBIs for the A’s, and Brent Rooker had two hits a day after hitting his second game-ending home run of the season.The game between the two worst teams in baseball attracted a crowd of 4,021, with chants of “Sell the team” echoing throughout a mostly quiet Coliseum during much of the evening.Greinke had been out for two weeks with a right elbow injury before being activated off the injured list prior to Tuesday’s game. A six-time All-Star who has 224 career wins and won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, followed opener Angel Zerpa (1-2) and pitched out of the bullpen for the first time since doing so for the Houston Astros against the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 10, 2021.The 39-year-old Greinke looked sharp while throwin...

Reggie Chaney, who helped Houston reach the Final Four, dies at 23

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Reggie Chaney, a forward who was part of Houston’s Final Four team in 2021, has died. He was 23.Chaney was found unresponsive in an apartment in Arlington, Texas, on Monday, Arlington police spokesman Tim Ciesco told the Houston Chronicle. Ciesco added that the cause of death was unknown, but that foul play was not suspected following a preliminary investigation.Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said in a statement that Chaney was “the ultimate teammate, the identity of our Cougar basketball culture and a winner.”“Thank you, God, for allowing Reggie to come into our lives,” Sampson said. “Rest easy Reg. Your legacy will live on forever. I love you and will miss you dearly.”Chaney spent two years at Arkansas before joining the Cougars for the 2020-21 season. He appeared in 32 games with 13 starts as Houston reached the Final Four for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama teams made it three straight years from 1982-84.Chaney played in 104 games over three seasons with the...

Soler slugs his 33rd HR, Luzardo works 6 strong innings as the Marlins blanked the Padres 3-0

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jesús Luzardo threw a two-hit shutout over six innings and Jorge Soler hit his 33rd homer of the season to lead the Florida Marlins to a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night in a matchup of National League wild-card hopefuls.The Marlins (62-52) entered the game having lost five of their last six games and moved five games ahead of the Padres (60-67) in the race for a wild-card spot. The teams play the finale of the three-game series on Wednesday.Luzardo (9-8) effectively mixed his upper 90-mph fastball with a slider and change-up, working six innings and giving up no runs and two hits while striking out seven.Andrew Nardi, Tanner Scott and closer David Robertson each pitched an inning of scoreless relief. Robertson earned his 18th save.Padres starter Blake Snell (10-9) came in as the MLB leader in ERA (2.65), but was roughed up in the third, giving up three runs. Soler hit a mammoth 442-foot solo homer off a 97.3-mph fastball to center field.Later in t...

Reds spoil Mike Trout’s return to the Angels’ lineup with a 4-3 victory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Graham Ashcraft racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts over seven innings, and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled Mike Trout’s return to the Angels’ lineup by scoring three unearned runs in the fifth inning of a 4-3 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday night.Elly De La Cruz used his incredible speed to score the tiebreaking run from first on Spencer Steer’s double just moments after Angels rookie first baseman Nolan Schanuel made a two-run error on what should have been an inning-ending grounder by De La Cruz.Ashcraft (7-8) finished his first victory of August by allowing five hits, although three were solo homers. Alexis Díaz pitched the ninth for his 34th save in 35 chances.Matt McLain homered for the Reds in the opener of a 10-game West Coast trip.Trout went 1 for 4 with an infield single in his first game back from a seven-week injury absence for the Angels. Trout missed 38 games after surgery on a broken bone in his hand, but the three-time AL MVP is p...

Four years into crisis, Lebanon’s leaders hope tourism boom will help bypass reforms in IMF bailout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:25 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Four years into its historic economic meltdown, Lebanon’s political elites, masters at survival, are pushing for a recovery that would sidestep tough reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund.Economic experts and former officials involved in designing Lebanon’s original IMF-approved recovery plan in 2020 say the political leadership and associates in the banking sector are deliberately implementing a “shadow plan” to torpedo the deal and place the burden of bailing out the financial system on ordinary Lebanese who are already impoverished by the crisis.Carrying out the IMF reforms, which include audits of Lebanon’s long secretive central bank and other banks, would not just force the elites to bear much of the cost of repairing the financial meltdown. It would also threaten the networks of corruption, patronage and waste that allowed them to milk the system for years, experts say.“I would have never thought that these people, despite the size of the catastrop...