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Yankees Notebook: Rob Thomson returns to the Bronx

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

Rob Thomson thought the chance to manage had passed him by when the Yankees hired Aaron Boone in 2017.Thomson spent nearly three decades with the organization, most recently as bench coach from 2015-2017. The loyal pinstriper interviewed to succeed Joe Girardi, but the Yankees plucked the inexperienced Boone out of the broadcast booth instead.Having already interviewed for a few managerial openings at that point, Thomson figured he would never get another shot in the majors. So he stopped thinking about it and became the Phillies’ bench coach — first under Gabe Kapler, and then under Girardi.But when the Phillies fired Girardi last season, they turned to Thomson, who led them to the World Series. Philadelphia lost to the Astros, but the franchise rewarded Thomson with a two-year contract and removed his interim tag prior to the Fall Classic.“When I went to the Phillies, I sort of shut down the idea of managing,” Thomson said Monday, when he visited Yankee Sta...

Ban on mini bottles of booze returns to City Council for debate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

A proposal to ban mini bottles of alcohol took a lurching step again in City Council chambers with both strong support from some public officials and opposition from local business owners.“I think that this is one of those issues where we get the ability to do some good,” said Councillor Ricardo Arroyo, the sponsor of the hearing, referencing the bottles’ connection to issues like alcoholism and littering. “I think that the public safety, public health, public good is worth whatever that trade-off is financially.”The discussion, introduced a couple of weeks prior, could lead to a ban of the sale of 50 ml and potentially 100 ml bottles of liquor — the more colloquial name for the bottles was nixed from the meeting due to its alternative meaning as a slur used against Japanese people — in the city if it were reviewed and approved through Boston’s Licensing Board. If it moves forward, the proposal will face several more hearings.Proponent...

'It's what I came here to do': Butler not shy of big moment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- If Monday night's NCAA basketball championship game comes down to a last-second shot opportunity for the San Diego State University Aztecs, all eyes will surely be on Lamont Butler.Butler wasn't afraid of the moment in Saturday's Final Four matchup against Florida Atlantic University, when the Aztecs were down by one with about 10 seconds left on the clock. FAU had an opportunity to extend the lead on their last possession, but fell short after a missed layup. That's when SDSU center Aguek Arop grabbed the rebound and passed the ball forward to Butler for him to hold for the last shot. How to watch San Diego State in the NCAA National Championship Butler, of Moreno Valley in Riverside County, dribbled down the court and made his way toward the right corner sideline where he was able to juke the defender off balance. The Aztec guard took full advantage of it, pulling up for a midrange jumper and releasing it just in time before the buzzer. Swish! Nothing but net f...

A look at re-elected Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Leader Dennis King

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — A look at Dennis King of Prince Edward Island’s Progressive Conservatives, who led the party to a majority government Monday night. Age: 51Early years: King was born Nov. 1, 1971, in Georgetown, P.E.I., to Catherine (Cattie) Rachel Stevens and Lionel MacKenzie King; he has three brothers and four sisters.Education: He graduated from Montague Regional High School in 1990, and after studying journalism in Ontario, he returned to P.E.I.Career: King has worked for various media outlets, including as a reporter with P.E.I.’s The Eastern Graphic and The Guardian. Before starting his own public relations company in 2013, he served in several communications roles, including as communications director to former premier Pat Binns and to the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island.Family: King married Jana Hemphill in 1999. They have three children — Jacob, Camdyn and Callum. The couple operate Storybrook Stables, a horse farm in Brookfield, P.E.I.Quote: “I thin...

Progressive Conservatives win decisive majority in Prince Edward Island

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — Voters in Prince Edward Island delivered a decisive majority to the incumbent Progressive Conservatives on Monday after an election campaign dominated by debate over heath care.With all polls reporting, Premier Dennis King’s Tories were elected in 22 of the province’s 27 ridings, the Liberals won three seats and the Greens two. The Conservatives captured 55.9 per cent of the popular vote, and King was easily re-elected in his riding of Brackley-Hunter River.King’s first four years in office were marked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two major post-tropical storms and mounting health-care woes.His party’s main challengers were the Green Party, led by Scottish-born dentist Peter Bevan-Baker, and the Liberals, led by former bureaucrat Sharon Cameron, who was acclaimed leader less than five months ago. She challenged Bevan-Baker in his riding and lost to him Monday.At dissolution, the Conservatives held a slight majority with 15 seats. The Green...

Alaska oil plan opponents lose 1st fight over Willow project

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Environmentalists lost the first round of their legal battle over a major oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope on Monday as a judge rejected their requests to halt immediate construction work related to the Willow project, but they vowed not to give up. The court’s decision means ConocoPhillips Alaska can forge ahead with cold-weather construction work, including mining gravel and using it for a road toward the Willow project. Environmentalists worry that noise from blasting and road construction could affect caribou.U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said she took into account support for the project by Alaska political leaders — including state lawmakers and Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation. She said she also gave “considerable weight” to the support for Willow by an Alaska Native village corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation and the North Slope Borough, while also recognizing that project support among...

Fungus that causes deadly white nose syndrome among bats detected in B.C. guano

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

GRAND FORKS, B.C. — A fungus that has led to some Canadian bat populations becoming endangered has been found in British Columbia.The province’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says the fungus that causes white nose syndrome, which has no proven treatment, has been detected in bat guano in the Grand Forks area.First discovered in New York state in 2006, white nose syndrome has spread to 38 states and eight provinces and is responsible for three Canadian bat species being listed as “endangered” under the federal Species at Risk Act.The ministry says the fungus is primarily spread by bat-to-bat contact and doesn’t affect humans but can spread through the movement of contaminated clothing and gear, or through accidental transport of the animals.The public is being asked to contact the BC Community Bat Program or the ministry if they know the location of winter bat roosting sites, or if they see dead bats or unusual behaviour like flying during t...

B.C. throat slashing suspect charged with terrorism linked to Islamic State group

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

SURREY, B.C. — A suspect accused of slashing a person’s throat on a bus in Surrey, B.C., has been charged with four terrorism-related offences in the attack that left a man with life-threatening injuries.Surrey provincial court documents show that Abdul Aziz Kawam, born in 1995, is accused of four counts of acting “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group, to wit: the Islamic State.”He also faces one count of attempted murder, one count of assault and one count of aggravated assault for slashing the neck of a man with a knife on Saturday.The court documents show that Kawam is accused of assault in a separate case for allegedly attacking another person on that same day. Kawam, who was back in Surrey provincial court Monday, will appear next in court on Wednesday.Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they discovered during their investigation that “the suspect made several concerning comments,” leading investigators t...

Almanac for April 4, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

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WWE pro wrestling legend dies on night of WrestleMania

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:14 GMT

(WKBN) – A tag team pro wrestling legend and member of the WWE Hall of Fame has died, according to multiple reports. Robert "Bushwhacker Butch" Miller was 78. Miller's death came after he was hospitalized following a medical episode at an event during WrestleMania 39 weekend. Miller's niece and the daughter of tag team partner Bushwhacker Luke Williams, Jackie, announced Monday that he had passed away. Seaweed bloom reaches record size: ‘Major beaching events are inevitable’ Over their decadeslong career, the tag team competed for several different companies including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), All Japan Pro Wrestling and Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Canada. Over the course of the 1980s, they were a violent tag team known as "The Sheepherders." During this time, they had rivalries with legends Roddy Piper and Rick Martel. They even wrestled against the father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Rocky Johnson. The Bushwhackers came to the WWE in 1988 as a comedy tag team...