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Baseball legend Vida Blue dies at 73

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

Legendary pitcher Vida Blue passed away at the age of 73, the Oakland Athletics announced on Sunday.The cause of death wasn’t disclosed.“There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the A’s said in a statement. “He was a three-time champion, an MVP, a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and an Oakland A’s Hall of Famer. Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time.”Blue played 17 seasons in the major leagues from 1969 to 1986. He started his career in Oakland, where he was a key contributor to the franchise’s three straight World Series championships from 1972-74.The left-hander was a six-time All-Star and won the Cy Young award in 1971.This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ()

‘Surprised’ Ian Hamilton relishes first save opportunity, success with Yankees

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG — Ian Hamilton notched 28 saves during his college career at Washington State and 46 more over 201 minor league contests. But the right-hander’s first major league save didn’t come until his 27th game on Saturday, when Hamilton took over the ninth in the Yankees’ 3-2 win over the Rays.Hamilton faced the bottom of Tampa Bay’s lineup after Clay Holmes — the Yankees’ usual closer coming off two rough outings — handled the heart of the order in the eighth. Still, Hamilton “definitely” felt more adrenaline pitching in a save situation, especially since he didn’t know the final frame belonged to him until the bullpen phone rang.“I was like, ‘Dang,’” said Hamilton, who worked around a Luke Raley double and struck out one. “I was surprised for sure.”Hamilton, often reserved, flashed large smiles after the game and kept the ball from his first save. He clearly enjoyed the oppo...

San Diego among cities with the most 'house poor' homeowners: study

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- According to a new study, several cities in the San Diego metro area rank within the top 20 cities with the most cost-burdened homeowners in the nation.A survey conducted and released by Chamber of Commerce in April 2023 shows four in 10 homeowners in Oceanside, San Diego and Chula Vista are considered "house poor."The expression "house poor" is used to described homeowners that are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, as explained in the study. Chamber of Commerce says this a popular standard for budgeting. San Diego grant program to give some families, seniors $4K; find out if you qualify For many homeowners, however, it appears this isn't an easy tactic to follow. To determine rankings of cities with the most "house poor" homeowners, Chamber of Commerce says it analyzed median household income and median monthly housing costs across more than 9 million households located in the most populated 170 census-defined places via the U.S. Census Bureau’...

Yellen: ‘No good options’ if Congress fails to act on debt

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that there are “no good options” for the United States to avoid an economic “calamity” if Congress fails to raise the nation’s borrowing limit of $31.381 trillion in the coming weeks. She did not rule out President Joe Biden bypassing lawmakers and acting on his own to try to avert a first-ever federal default.Her comments added even more urgency to a high-stakes meeting Tuesday between Biden and congressional leaders from both parties. Democrats and Republicans are at loggerheads over whether the debt limit should even be the subject of negotiation. GOP lawmakers, led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, are demanding spending cuts in return for raising the borrowing limit, while Biden has said the threat of default shouldn’t be used as leverage in budget talks.Yellen, interviewed on ABC’s “This Week,” painted a dire picture of what might happen if the borrowing limit is not increased be...

Man charged in 1988 Michigan slaying dies in SC jail

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

THREE RIVERS, Mich. (AP) — A man who was arrested last month in the 1988 stabbing and strangulation of a Michigan woman has died in a South Carolina jail, where he was awaiting extradition to face a murder charge, authorities said.Police in Three Rivers, Michigan, said they were told Saturday about the death of Robert Waters, 53, at the detention center in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Waters was arrested April 30 after investigators used genealogical data to narrow the list of suspects to his family, authorities said. He was charged in the killing of 19-year-old Cathy Sue Swartz in Three Rivers, which is in southwestern Michigan about 136 miles (218 kilometers) southwest of Detroit.Prosecutor David Martin said Waters had waived extradition to Michigan. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating Waters’ death, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. No other details were released.Swartz was stabbed and strangled in her apartment. Her death ...

Alleged killer of prominent Iraqi analyst sentenced to death

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi court on Sunday issued a death sentence against the alleged killer of prominent Iraqi security analyst Hisham al-Hashimi, nearly three years after his assassination.A criminal court sentenced police officer Ahmed Hamdawi Al-Kinani to death for the analyst’s killing after convicting him of a terrorism charge, according to a statement from Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council. A video of al-Kinani appearing to confess to his purported involvement in the crime was released shortly after his arrest two years ago, but many say he had the backing of armed groups.A relative of al-Hashimi’s said the family was pleased with the verdict, but said those who ordered the assassination should be brought to justice in addition to those who carried it out.“Until now, we have not learned who is backing the killer of Hisham al-Hashimi and who gave the orders to execute,” they said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of armed groups.The family expressed concern ove...

Is your company planning layoffs, closures? Many states let you check

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Between tons of tech layoffs and major retailers closing up shop, it's understandable if you're feeling a little uneasy in terms of job security. Depending on the size of your company and your state of residence, you may be able to easily check if your employer is planning serious cuts or branch closures. It's thanks to a federal law called the WARN Act, which stands for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Essentially, the law requires employers with 100 or more full-time employees to give 60 days of advanced notice for plant closings or mass layoffs. A "mass layoff" is defined as: (1) loss of 500 or more jobs at an employment site or (2) loss of 50 to 499 jobs, if that number makes up more than 33% of the company's workforce. Layoffs but low unemployment: What is going on in this strange economy? Some states have even stricter rules, requiring WARN notices from smaller companies or employers planning layoffs that affect fewer people. For-profit an...

Weekend Gardening with Tim Joyce: May 'To-Do List'

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

WGN's 'Plant Daddy' is back with a May 'to-do list' to get your gardens ready for summer. Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Road rage suspect had 3 kids in his car during shooting, police say

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A Memphis man shot at a couple on the interstate while he had three children riding in his own car, police say. The couple told police they were driving on I-240 through Memphis when the driver of a silver SUV shot at them. The bullet went through the rear window and out the front windshield, cutting the passenger on her head. The driver managed to get a photo of the SUV. Officers who responded to the shooting saw the SUV's license plate number from the photo and traced it to a Nissan Pathfinder registered to a man in Memphis' Frayser neighborhood. These are the 10 safest states in the US, data shows When officers arrived at to the address, they saw a Pathfinder in the home's driveway, and Leo Jones getting out of the driver's seat. Jones was wearing a holster containing a 9 mm handgun, they said.Inside the SUV were three juveniles, ages 3, 8 and 11. Police said Jones told officers all three children were in the vehicle when he fired shots during a road ra...

These are the 10 safest states in the US, data shows

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:55 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Which states in the U.S. are safest? U.S. News and World Report recently revealed the 10 states that are safest in regards to occurrences of both violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents using data from the FBI.As explained by the FBI, violent crimes include murder, robbery, aggravated assault and sexual assault. Property crime includes events like burglary and motor vehicle theft. U.S. News explains the data shows that while violent crime rose 4.6% between 2019 and 2020, property crime dropped 8.1%. RANKING: The safest cities in the U.S. 2023, according to SmartAsset Currently, the 10 safest states are:State/rankViolent crime rateProperty crime rate1. Maine109 per 100K residents1,156 per 100K residents2. New Hampshire146 per 100K residents1,099 per 100K residents3. New Jersey195 per 100K residents1,158 per 100K residents4. Vermont173 per 100K residents1,217 per 100K residents5. Idaho243 per 100K residents1,112 per 100K residents6. Rhode Island231 per 100K res...