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Mets’ directors Kevin Howard, Jeff Lebow included in front office firings: source

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

The Mets aren’t waiting until the end of the season to make front office moves. The club let go of director of development Kevin Howard on Thursday, according to a source. The club also parted ways with director of pro scouting Jeff Lebow, performance coordinator Jim Cavallini and development assistant Bryan Hayes, according to reports. More changes are expected as the club gears up to hire a president of baseball operations during the offseason.Howard was hired as the executive director of player development in 2021 to replace Jared Banner, who was let go when the sale of the franchise went through and new owner Steve Cohen cleaned house. He also worked as an assistant hitting coach in 2021 after hitting coaches Chili Davis and Tom Slater were fired a little over a month into the season. He returned to his position as the farm director when the season concluded and remained there until Thursday.Howard, who grew up in the Los Angeles area but is now based in Arizona, visited t...

‘I don’t see any way in the world’ gunfire came from inside White Sox park, Jerry Reinsdorf says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

Nearly a week after two women were injured by gunfire while attending a White Sox game, team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf dismissed the notion that someone could get a firearm into Guaranteed Rate Field.Addressing the media Thursday about team issues, Reinsdorf took up the shooting mystery that has perplexed Chicago for days. He said he has spoken to police leaders and they told him they have not ruled out that gunshots fired outside the stadium landed in the bleachers and injured the women.“They’re still investigating. I don’t want to get into specific facts while they’re investigating but have really done a deep dive into this and I don’t see any way in the world that the shots could have come from inside the ballpark,” Reinsdorf said. “Let’s let the police continue with their investigation. At this point all the superintendent is prepared to say is they have not ruled out that they came from outside the ballpark.”Police were expec...

Patriots sign ex-Eagles WR to practice squad before opener vs. Philadelphia

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

The Patriots are signing former Eagles and Vikings wide receiver Jalen Reagor to the last spot on their practice squad Thursday, a source confirmed to the Herald.Reagor, 24, was recently cut by the Vikings and cleared waivers. The Eagles selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and released him after two disappointing seasons. Reagor resurfaced in Minnesota, where he caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown last year.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots WR Demario Douglas aiming to ‘make a statement’ in NFL debut New England Patriots | Source: Patriots claiming QB Matt Corral off waivers from Panthers New England Patriots | Patriots WR DeVante Parker misses second straight practice Thursday New England Patriots | Callahan: Bailey Zappe’s release another reminder the Patriots have no sacred cows New England Patriots | Patriots sign 15 to practice squad, includ...

A look inside Donald Trump’s deposition: Defiance, deflection and the ‘hottest brand in the world’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In newly public testimony, Donald Trump boasts about building a multibillion-dollar brand and saving “millions of lives” as president.He spars with the New York attorney general suing him for fraud, telling Letitia James “the whole case is crazy” and accusing her staff of trying to trip him up like TV lawyer Perry Mason.Trump gave seven hours of sworn testimony in April as part of James’ lawsuit, which accused the Republican and his company of defrauded banks, insurers and others with annual financial statements that inflated the value of assets and boosted his net worth by more than $2 billion in some years.Trump’s lawyers posted a transcript of his deposition in a flurry of court filings Wednesday, ahead of a possible October trial.Here are the highlights:A ‘TERRIBLE THING’Trump decried James’ lawsuit as a “terrible thing,” telling her and her staff “you don’t have a case.”He insisted the banks she alleges were snookered with lof...

California panel votes to increase storage capacity at site of worst US methane leak despite risks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California regulators on Thursday approved a controversial proposal to greatly increase storage capacity at the site of the nation’s largest known methane leak, which sickened thousands of families and forced them from their Los Angeles homes in 2015.Despite opposition from lawmakers and nearby residents, the California Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 to to permit underground storage of up to 68.6 billion cubic feet of gas at the vast Aliso Canyon field on the northern edge of Los Angeles County as a way to guard against fuel price spikes.That’s more than a 50% increase over the current cap at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Facility, which is slated to be closed in 2027. It’s also near the maximum capacity of 86 billion cubic feet but within safety standards set by another state agency.“This vote is a slap in the face to the community members who have been living with the ongoing consequences of the worst gas blowout in American history,” And...

14-year-old accused of trying to drown Black youth in pond charged with attempted murder

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

CHATHAM, Mass. (AP) — A 14-year-old white boy was indicted Thursday on charges of attempted murder and assault in Massachusetts after investigators say he tried to drown a Black youth in a pond on Cape Cod.The incident occurred on July 19 at Goose Pond in Chatham when the 14-year-old met at the pond with the alleged victim, a young Black male, as well as another juvenile, according to Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois.After meeting, the 14-year-old white juvenile male picked up a stone and threatened the Black youth, referring to him with a racial slur, investigators said.Before entering the water, the Black juvenile put on a life vest and told the others he couldn’t swim, according to authorities. All three then entered the pond.Once in the water, the 14-year-old pulled on the life jacket submerging the alleged victim four to five times and causing him to experience breathing distress, Galibois said. The prosecutor added that the third juvenile laughed at him durin...

Mississippi candidate for attorney general says the state isn’t doing enough to protect workers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In Mississippi — one of the poorest states in the U.S. and where a 16-year-old worker recently died after becoming entangled in a factory conveyor belt — a candidate for attorney general said Thursday that elected officials must play a more aggressive role in protecting labor rights. At a news conference ahead of Labor Day weekend, Greta Kemp Martin, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, rolled out a plan to create a fair labor division within her office if elected. The division would investigate and litigate cases involving child labor, wage violations and unsafe working conditions, Kemp Martin said. “Labor has been a dirty word in Mississippi for generations. Some might ask why, because to some people, making money is more important than taking care of the people who make that possible,” Kemp Martin said. “Not every employer fits this mold, but it certainly seems to be the case for our governor, attorney general and the majority of our lawmakers.”The p...

Alaska board of education votes to ban transgender girls from competing on high school girls teams

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska state board of education on Thursday voted to bar transgender girls from competing on high school girls athletic teams.The board met in special session and approved on a 7-1 vote a regulation saying, “If a separate high school athletics team is established for female students, participation shall be limited to females who were assigned female at birth.” The only dissenting vote came from Felix Myers, the high school representative on the board. The military advisor on the board abstained.The decision is dependent upon review and final approval by the state’s attorney general’s office.The board had initially taken up the matter in July, but it delayed its vote after hearing more than 2 1/2 hours of testimony and receiving about 1,400 pages of written comments.The board did not take any public comments at the latest meeting. However, member Lorri Van Diest said the earlier comments were about evenly split until a conservative family advo...

Residents pick through the rubble of lost homes and scattered belongings in Hurricane Idalia’s wake

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida and Georgia residents living along Hurricane Idalia’s path of destruction on Thursday picked through piles of rubble where homes once stood, threw tarps over ripped-apart roofs and gingerly navigated streets left underwater or clogged with fallen trees and dangerous electric wires. “My plan today is to go around and find anything that’s in the debris that is salvageable and clean out my storage shed,” said Aimee Firestine of Cedar Key, an island located in the remote Big Bend area where Idalia roared ashore with 125 mph (201 kph) winds Wednesday. Firestine rode out Idalia about 40 minutes inland. When she drove back onto the island hours after the storm passed, her heart sank. The gas station was gone. Trees were toppled. Power lines were on the ground. An entire building belonging to the 12-unit Faraway Inn her family owns had been wiped away. Another building lost a wall.“It was a little heart-wrenching and depressing,” Firestine sa...

Judge blocks changes in teacher evaluations prompted by Texas’ takeover of Houston school district

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:38 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A judge on Thursday granted a request by a teachers union in Texas’ largest school district to temporarily block a new system to evaluate educators that’s being implemented following a state takeover. The order comes days after the Houston school district began its first school year under a contentious takeover that replaced its superintendent and board of trustees. It also follows rare public comments on the takeover by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath since he announced it in March. One of the changes being put in place by new superintendent Mike Miles is a new teacher evaluation system that will pay educators based largely on standardized test scores and their classroom performance.In its lawsuit, filed Wednesday in state district court, the Houston Federation of Teachers alleges the new system was approved without input from teachers and school committees, a violation of state law. The union says the new evaluation system will pit teachers agai...