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Marcus Stroman is back with the Chicago Cubs and will pitch out of the bullpen — for now: ‘I’m good to go’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

Marcus Stroman is back and determined to do what he can to help the Chicago Cubs reach the postseason.The Cubs activated the right-hander from the injured list before Friday’s series opener in Arizona and optioned right-hander Daniel Palencia to Triple-A Iowa.Stroman will be used out of the bullpen — at least for now — as he continues to build up. He threw three innings and about 45 pitches in his last live batting practice Monday at the team’s complex in Mesa, Ariz.“I want them to be able to use me in whatever role and help the team, not necessarily force me into starting rotation,” Stroman said Friday. “I know I can start and contribute in that way. I’m going to be a starter for the rest of my career. But in this instance, I don’t want to push anyone out. I want it to blend and mix and use me to my best ability.”A week after suffering a right rib cartilage fracture Aug. 13 in Toronto, Stroman received a cortisone shot. He...

US: Mexico extradites Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Sinaloa cartel leader 'El Chapo,' to United States

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.“This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Garland said. The Mexican government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Mexican security forces captured Guzmán López, alias “the Mouse,” in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel’s namesake.Three years earlier, the government had tried to capture him, but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan.January’s arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel. The army used Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel’s truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Cartel gunmen hit two military ai...

Man arrested on suspicion of ghost gun possession in North County

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

VISTA, Calif. -- A motorcyclist was arrested Thursday after authorities found a ghost gun and loaded magazine during a traffic stop, law enforcement said.Alan Altamirano, 19, was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition, resisting an officer and carrying a concealed weapon, Sgt. Seung Park with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said in a news release Friday.The incident occurred just before 10:30 a.m. in the 700 block of North Santa Fe Avenue, where deputies pulled over a man for not having a license plate on a motorcycle, according to the sheriff's department. Woman dead in apparent fall at US-Mexico border: SDPD While deputies were initiating the traffic stop, the man pulled over and then ran inside a restaurant, Park said. He was located and taken into custody.Authorities found that the suspect was in possession of a ghost gun and loaded magazine.Altamirano was released from jail after he posted $50,000...

Rep. Lauren Boebert apologizes after getting kicked out of show and falsely denying she vaped

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized Friday after getting kicked out of a musical play in Colorado last weekend for disruptive behavior and then falsely denying she had been vaping.The apology came a day after surveillance video emerged that showed Boebert vaping at her seat in a Denver theater. Her campaign earlier denied the theater’s contention that she had been vaping.The normally combative Boebert said in a Friday statement that her actions were not meant to be malicious or cause harm “but the reality is they did.”She was kicked out of the “Beetlejuice” musical last Sunday following complaints from people in the audience that she and another guest were vaping, singing, using phones and causing a disturbance. When the lights were still on and as people were taking their seats around Boebert, she could be seen in the surveillance video putting her hand to her mouth then blowing out a cloud of vapor. After the lights went off, the footage showed Boebert da...

Maritimers race to tie down gear, stock up on food as hurricane Lee approaches

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

HALIFAX — Maritimers were buying last-minute groceries and hauling boats out of the water Friday as forecasters warned hurricane Lee could soon bring destructive winds, high waves, flooding and power outages.In a busy grocery store parking lot in Liverpool, N.S., Connor Hanrahan loaded pints of strawberries, sliced meats and bottles of water into the trunk of his car. Liverpool is in Queens County, one of many regions in Nova Scotia that was under a hurricane watch issued by Environment Canada.“Power outages could be the No. 1 concern,” he said in an interview. “Because if I can’t get gas, I can’t get food. And you never know around here, with our infrastructure, how long the power could be out for.”“You can’t be too safe, you know?” he added. It was a sentiment echoed by politicians, forecasters and emergency officials Friday as Lee moved north toward Atlantic Canada.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the incident response g...

In victory for Trump, Florida GOP won’t require signing loyalty oath to run in presidential primary

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican Party of Florida voted Friday against requiring candidates running in the state’s presidential primary to pledge to support the eventual nominee, ensuring former President Donald Trump won’t have to sign an oath to compete in the March election alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis.The decision is seen as a victory for Trump, who has refused to take a similar pledge required for candidates to participate in national GOP debates. The state party had just instituted the pledge requirement in May. Since then, Trump has maintained dominance over the Republican field while DeSantis, whom he has long targeted as his chief rival, has faltered and had to lay off dozens of staffers. Trump and DeSantis have a particularly fierce rivalry in their shared home state of Florida.The oath requirement would have forced primary candidates to back the eventual nominee in order to get placed on the ballot. Had Trump been excluded from the primary ballot, he mig...

Eno Ichikawa, Japanese Kabuki theater actor and innovator, dies at 83

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Eno Ichikawa, who revived the spectacular in Japanese Kabuki theater to woo younger and global audiences, has died. He was 83.Ichikawa died after suffering heart problems on Wednesday in Tokyo, the entertainment company Shochiku Co., a major Kabuki producer, said Saturday.Ichikawa, or Masahiko Kinoshi, became known for “Super Kabuki,” incorporating modern music and storytelling as well as the circus-like elements of the tradition — such as “flying” supported by ropes — that had been discarded over the years. He focused on what he called the three S’s: “Speed, story and spectacle.” Kabuki, which features live music and dance on a revolving stage, originated in the 17th Century Edo era and is traditionally performed only by men. So, Ichikawa played beautiful damsels, as well as witches, samurai and even animals throughout his career. He is best known for bringing back the stunt “chunori,” which translates as “lifted into space,” portraying a joyous fox that receives from ...

Son of El Chapo extradited to Chicago to face drug trafficking charges

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.“This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Garland said. The Mexican government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.According to Chicago Tribune, Guzmán López has been extradited to Chicago where he will face numerous narcotics trafficking charges.Mexican security forces captured Guzmán López, alias “the Mouse,” in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel’s namesake.Three years earlier, the government had tried to capture him, but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan.January’s arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel. The arm...

Lawmakers push to separate disaster relief funding from aid for Ukraine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — As the funding fight in Congress intensifies, there's a push to pass urgently-needed disaster relief funding separate from more controversial aid for Ukraine.In the wake of several deadly natural disasters across the U.S., the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it needs more money.President Joe Biden sent a request to Congress for $40 billion of supplemental funding for disaster relief and aid to Ukraine. Senator Rick Scott is pushing to vote on the issues separately."This needs to get done. It needs to get done separately. It needs to get done in a bipartisan manner," Scott said. "There's no logic to putting them together. One is taking care of Americans, another is helping Ukraine win a war against Russia." Concerns grow as Kim Jong Un meets with Vladimir Putin Supporting Ukraine is becoming more controversial among U.S. lawmakers. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of a growing number of Republicans who are against sending more aid."I'm a n...

Virgin Mary statue stolen from New Mexico church

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:42 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –  Hundreds of parishioners at a New Mexico church are heartbroken over a well-known statue that's now missing. The church says someone stole the decades-old figure of the Virgin Mary from their front steps. A bit of wire is all that is left where a five-foot statue of the Virgin Mary used to greet parishioners at St. Anne's Catholic Church in the South Valley area of Albuquerque. The statue was stolen back in August after a church member spotted a car doing donuts in the parking lot. The church has since filed a police report, hoping to get the statue back.  What’s with all the student driver stickers? "The police came, and there was a report filed at that time; there was really nothing they could do, they said, but to ask around and to ask our community," said St. Anne's Associate Pastor Benjamin Maes. He said they have seen police patrolling the area more after the incident.  The church commissioned artist Felix Pedroncelli...