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Column: Chicago White Sox’s ugly season could get even uglier if Liam Hendriks is out for long

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

“Winning Ugly” became the mantra of the 1983 White Sox, a team that stormed back from being 8 games under .500 on May 26 to win the American League West by 20 games.Despite a postseason reckoning, that ’83 season was so special to Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf that the Sox wear the sartorially-challenged uniforms from that era during Sunday home games on the South Side.Forty years later, the 29-38 Sox perfected the art of losing ugly while wearing those throwbacks.The bullpen blew their second straight ninth-inning lead Sunday in another stomach-churning loss to the Miami Marlins, leaving manager Pedro Grifol to declare “those guys are human.”Without Liam Hendriks to close either game, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman took turns gagging on cue, turning a would-be sweep of the Marlins into a series loss and killing any momentum from an uplifting 5-1 stretch against the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees.With a day off for recovery, the Sox begin a six-game Wes...

Police investigating body found on highway in Medford

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

Police are investigating after a person was found dead on the highway in Medford.State Police report they found the victim upon responding to the area south of Exit 21 on Interstate 93 at 4:30 a.m., Tuesday, according to State Police.No further information was available about the cause of death of identity of the victim at this time.Lane closure remain in place on Interstate 93 south approaching Exit 21, Route 38/Mystic Avenue, while police investigate.The state’s Department of Transportation said commuters should expect “major impacts and delays” while the investigation continues into this morning’s commute.Drivers are advised to avoid the area if possible or consider jumping on the MBTA’s Orange Line or commuter rail to get to work.— Developing

‘Hair,’ ‘Everwood’ actor Treat Williams dies after Vermont motorcycle crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

DORSET, Vt. (AP) — Actor Treat Williams, whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series “Everwood” and the movie “Hair,” died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Vermont, state police said. He was 71.Shortly before 5 p.m., a Honda SUV was turning left into a parking lot when it collided with Williams’ motorcycle in the town of Dorset, according to a statement from Vermont State Police.“Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle. He suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York, where he was pronounced dead,” according to the statement.Williams was wearing a helmet, police said.The SUV’s driver received minor injuries and wasn’t hospitalized. He had signaled the turn and wasn’t immediately detained although the crash investigation continued, police said.Williams, whose full name was Richard Treat Williams, lived in Manchester Center in southern Vermont, police said.His agent, Barry McPhe...

Stellantis recalling over 354,000 Jeeps worldwide; rear coil springs can detach while they’re moving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is recalling more than 354,000 Jeeps worldwide because the rear coil springs can fall off while they’re being driven.The recall covers certain 2022 and 2023 Grand Cherokee and 2021 to 2023 Grand Cherokee L SUVs. The company says in documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the springs may have been installed incorrectly in production. They can detach from the vehicle while it’s moving, increasing the risk of a crash and possibly creating a hazard for other drivers.Stellantis says in the documents that it’s aware of 17 warranty claims, two customer assistance reports and two field reports that may be caused by the problem. But as of May 25 it had no reports of crashes or injuries. Most of the recalled vehicles are in North America.SUVs with air suspensions are not affected. Dealers will inspect the springs and replace the assemblies if necessary. Owners are to be notified by letter starting Jul...

US consumer price growth slowed last month, though underlying inflation measures stayed high

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices in the United States cooled last month, rising just 0.1% from April to May and extending the past year’s steady easing of inflation. At the same time, some measures of underlying price pressures remained high. Measured year over year, inflation slowed to just 4% in May — the lowest 12-month figure in over two years and well below April’s 4.9% annual rise. The pullback was driven by tumbling gas prices and smaller increases in grocery prices and other items. The drop-off in overall inflation isn’t likely to convince the Federal Reserve’s policymakers that they’re close to curbing the high inflation that has gripped the nation for two years. The Fed tends to focus more on “core” prices, which exclude volatile food and energy costs and generally provide a clearer view of inflation.And core prices remained high last month, rising 0.4% from April to May, the sixth straight month of increases at that level or higher. Compared with a year ago, core i...

Russian missile attack on Ukraine kills at least 11 in Zelenskyy’s hometown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles hit civilian buildings in a central Ukrainian city overnight, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than two dozen in a warehouse and an apartment building, regional officials said Tuesday.The devastation in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, come as Ukrainian forces are in the early stages of a counteroffensive, more than 15 months after Russia invaded.Russian forces have unleashed overnight missile strikes repeatedly against targets across Ukraine since late April, and Tuesday’s toll was among the highest from a single attack on a city since then. In late April, missile strikes hit an apartment building in the central city of Uman killed 23 people, including six children.Images from the scene relayed by Zelenskyy on his Telegram channel showed firefighters battling the blaze as pockets of fire poked through multiple broken windows of the damaged apartment building. Charred and damaged vehicles littered the nearby grou...

Children injured by acid poured on playground slides

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

LONGMEADOW, Mass. (AP) — Two children suffered what were described as “burn-like injuries” after playing on slides that had been doused with acid at a Massachusetts park, authorities said.Police and firefighters responded to Bliss Park in Longmeadow on Sunday morning for a report of a suspicious substance on the playground equipment, the fire department posted on social media.At about the same time, firefighters and emergency medical technicians went to a home in town for a report of two children with burns who had just left the park.Authorities determined that someone broke into a storage room where chemicals are kept at the park’s swimming pool and stole some muriatic acid. The acid, which can be used for cleaning or for maintaining a pool’s pH balance, was then poured on three slides, authorities said.Evidence was gathered and sent to the state crime lab for forensic analysis.No one has been charged, but authorities said the suspect or suspects may have also been inju...

A rapporteur resigns. Is a public inquiry on foreign interference next?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

Two weeks ago, special rapporteur David Johnston said nothing would stop him from completing his work investigating foreign interference in Canadian politics. On Friday, he resigned, leading to a weekend of confusion in Canadian politics, followed by a chaotic Monday when the house resumed.Cormac Mac Sweeney, the parliament hill reporter at CityNews, says Johnston’s resignation has left Justin Trudeau and the Liberals in a tough spot politically. “A couple of experts that I spoke to said they don’t see, politically, how the government can really do anything else but a public inquiry right now, to really restore trust in Canada’s democracy,” said Mac Sweeney.So why did Johnston quit? Will Canada now finally get the public inquiry many have lobbied for? And are we going to end up having an election over this?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Last day to shop at Nordstrom stores in Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

Tuesday is the last day to shop at Nordstrom stores in Canada before they close their doors for good.The stores have been in liquidation since the high-end retailer announced in March it would be shutting down its Canadian locations on June 13. Some locations are already closed due to lack of inventory.The Seattle-based retailer says discounts of between 70 to 80 per cent are available during its final days of liquidation. Online shopping is already no longer available on the company’s website.Nordstrom’s CEO says the decision to close all six Nordstrom and seven Nordstrom Rack locations across the country was made because they did not see a realistic path to profitability.Nordstrom first expanded to Canada with its first store in Calgary at CF Chinook Centre in September 2014. It quickly expanded its presence with stores at CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa, CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver and CF Eaton Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto.Nordstrom...

German commission backs restitution of Kandinsky painting owned by Bavarian bank to Jewish heirs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:50 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — An independent German commission on Tuesday recommended that a painting by Wassily Kandinsky currently owned by the Bavarian state bank be returned to the heirs of a Jewish family that originally owned the piece of art. The commission can be called on in cases of disputes over the restitution of Nazi-confiscated cultural property, especially Jewish property. In the case of the heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann and Irma Lewenstein Klein versus Bayerische Landesbank, the commission advised that the 1907 painting “The Colorful Life” by Russian artist Kandinsky be returned to the heirs.The commission’s recommendations are non-binding but are mostly followed by the parties once they have agreed to call on it to resolve the conflict.The large tempera painting shows a group of colorfully clad people on a lawn, some eating or playing music, while others seem to be dancing.In its conclusion, the commission says that from November 1927, the painting belonged to Hedwig and Ema...