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Blue Jays OF Springer reaches 2nd place on career list with 55th leadoff home run

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Blue Jays outfielder George Springer hit his 55th career leadoff home run in Sunday’s game against Oakland, breaking a tie with Alfonso Soriano and moving him into sole possession of second place on baseball’s all-time list.Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson leads with 81 career leadoff home runs, including a single-season high nine with the Yankees in 1986. Henderson’s 3,081 games played is the fourth-highest total in MLB history.Springer connected off Athletics right-hander Luis Medina’s 1-0 pitch, driving it 392 feet to left. The homer was Springer’s 11th of the season.A four-time All-Star and MVP of the 2017 World Series with Houston, Springer set an Astros single-season record with 12 leadoff home runs in 2019.Sunday’s blast was Springer’s 16th leadoff shot with the Blue Jays, his team since the start of the 2021 season. He set Toronto’s single-season mark for leadoff homers with nine in 2022.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Samsonova, Errani advance at Bad Homburg Open

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

BAD HOMBURG, Germany (AP) — Second-seeded Liudmila Samsonova eased into the second round of the Bad Homburg Open with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Viktoriya Tomova on Sunday.Sara Errani claimed her first tour-level grass-court victory since the 2016 edition of Wimbledon, beating Belgian qualifier Maryna Zanevska 6-2, 6-3.Ninth-seeded Anna Blinkova rallied to beat home favorite Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, and Russian player Evgeniya Rodina beat American Katie Volynets 6-0, 6-4.There were wins too for Alizé Cornet and Rebeka Masarova.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

UDC unveils statue honoring ‘Grandfather of Black Basketball’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

UDC’s statue at its unveiling. (Courtesy Danard Grays)A statue unveiled at the University of the District of Columbia on Saturday paid homage to a former student credited as the first person to introduce basketball to African Americans.Edwin Bancroft Henderson’s statue was placed just outside the recently renamed Dr. E.B. Henderson Sports Complex at the school’s Van Ness campus. Both highlight Henderson’s roots in UDC and nearby Howard University, his pioneering of physical education programs in Washington’s segregated public schools throughout the early- and mid-1900s and his work to bring basketball to Black populations.His grandson, E.B. Henderson II, spoke at the unveiling Saturday. He said his grandfather worked to bring the game of basketball from Harvard University to his community when he “recognized that it was uniquely adapted to people of the African American race.”“He didn’t learn it just for himself. He learned it to...

Spring Creek wildfire has burned over 200 acres, UCR said

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A wildfire near Parachute, Colorado has burned over 200 acres of land, Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit estimated Sunday.It was first reported at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday on County Road 306, according to Garfield County Sheriff's Office. SUV lands upside down in sinkhole UCR first posted about the fire Saturday when it was actively running and burned an estimated 150 acres.With warm, sunny weather and breezes throughout the state, the fire has since spread.As of Sunday morning, UCR and Grand Valley Fire Protection District were fighting the fire and estimated that it has burned 201 acres with "moderate fire behavior."The Spring Creek wildfire near Parachute, Colorado has burned over 200 acres of land as of Sunday, June 25. The Grand Junction Air Tanker Base flew several planes to help suppress the fire.(Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management)The Spring Creek wildfire near Parachute, Colorado has burned over 200 acres of land as ...

Russian mercenaries' short-lived revolt could have long-term consequences for Putin

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

Russian government troops withdrew from the streets of Moscow and people flocked to parks and cafes Sunday following a short-lived revolt by mercenary forces that weakened President Vladimir Putin and raised questions about his ability to wage war in Ukraine.The march on the capital by Wagner troops led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the late-night deal that eventually halted it severely dented Putin’s reputation as a leader who is willing to ruthlessly punish anyone who challenges his authority. That may open the door for others who are unhappy with Putin’s two-decade grip on power, especially after his ill-fated invasion of Ukraine.Under terms of the agreement, Prigozhin will go into exile in Belarus but will not face prosecution and his forces won't either. Neither Putin nor Prigozhin has been heard from since the deal, brokered by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, was announced Saturday night. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the weekend’s events as “extraord...

Ticker: Feds probing Ford Explorer recall; Comcast to expand in-office work

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a Ford Motor Co. recall of more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. after receiving complaints about repairs intended to prevent the vehicles from unexpectedly rolling away even while placed in park.The problem, ascribed to fractures of a rear axle mounting bolt that could lead the drive shaft to disconnect, was addressed by a Ford software update designed to apply the electronic parking brake if the drive shaft failed, the agency said. But according to two complaints from vehicle owners, their SUVs behaved erratically following the repair.In one of those cases, the Explorer would reportedly slam to a complete stop at speeds of up to 30 or 40 miles per hour. In the other, it would reportedly lurch into motion while the driver was attempting to disengage the electronic brake. No injuries were reported in these cases.A Ford representative said the company is working with the NHTSA on the matter.Comcast to...

Record rainfall may set up banner wine year for California

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

NAPA, Calif. — As sunlight spilled into California’s famed Napa Valley on a summer day, rows of wine grapes reflected the benefits of this winter’s record rainfall.California has more than 960 square miles of vineyards dedicated to the wine industry, perhaps none as iconic as those growing in Napa Valley just north of San Francisco.This year, wine grapes are thriving after record winter rainfall in California, but cool days of spring that have carried into summer are threatening to keep the grapes from ripening. The longer the fruit has to stay on the vine the more exposed it is to possible wildfires in the fall and rain in early winter.The state’s normally bountiful wine grape harvest had been hindered in recent years by a combination of drought and wildfires.California growers reported $600 million worth of grapes lost to smoke damage after the 2020 fire season, the office of U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla said. California’s wine industry generates $170.5 billion a...

VIDEO: A 'wave' of pride ripples across Snapdragon Stadium

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A wave of pride for both the home team and the LGBTQ+ community rippled across the crowd at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday.San Diego Wave FC took on Seattle-based OL Reign in a heated World Cup send-off match that had both sides kicking grass while vying for the "W." SD Wave stars Naomi Girma and Alex Morgan have been named to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with this match being their last ahead of training. Over 50% of players selected to represent USWNT in FIFA World Cup linked to California Saturday also marked SD Wave’s Pride Night, an annual event held by the team to celebrate San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community. A portion of Pride Pack sales, which included a custom bucket hat and ticket, will be donated to San Diego Pride in support of the local movement.An enthusiastic crowd was seen repping the colors of the rainbow while rallying on their squad Saturday. In the video above, many of those in attendance for the SD Wave matc...

Greece’s conservative New Democracy party wins landslide election victory for second 4-year term

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s conservative New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed to speed up reforms following his landslide victory Sunday in the country’s second election in five weeks that granted him a comfortable parliamentary majority to form a government for a second four-year term.Jubilant supporters gathered outside party headquarters in Athens, cheering, clapping, setting off fireworks and waving blue and white party flags. Near complete results show his party has won just over 40.5% of the vote, crushing his main rival, the left-wing Syriza party, which was struggling to reach 18%, 2 percentage points lower than the last elections in May.“With today’s electoral result, Greece opens a new, historic chapter in its course,” Mitsotakis said in a televised statement. Voters, he said, “gave us a strong mandate to move faster on the course of the big changes our country needs. In a loud and mature way they have permanently closed a traumat...

Massacre of 11 in pool hall in Honduras prompts president to impose security measures

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:06:57 GMT

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Gunmen burst into a pool hall in northern Honduras and opened fire, killing 11 people and prompting President Xiomara Castro to announce security measures including curfews in the area amid a wave of drug trafficking-linked violence.The attack occurred in the city of Choloma in Cortes province late Saturday night. It left 10 men men and one woman dead.The massacre followed the killing of three people Thursday in a bakery in the city of San Pedro Sula. Among the victims was Ericka Julissa Bandy García, wife of an alleged associate of former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is imprisoned in the U.S. awaiting trial for drug trafficking-related charges.In central Honduras, 46 inmates were killed Tuesday by Barrio 18 gang members in a women’s prison in Tamara, north of Tegucigalpa.“SPS (San Pedro Sula) and Choloma: I have taken measures to give you security in the face of the brutal and ruthless terrorist attack you face by hired thugs trained and direct...