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Cora benching Verdugo overshadows frustrating 5-4 Red Sox loss

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

“This is probably one of my worst days here in this organization,” Alex Cora said on Saturday evening.It was a moment of candor that was about something much bigger than his team’s frustrating 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.Alex Verdugo was a late scratch from Saturday afternoon’s lineup, and even when the game ended, his manager wouldn’t say why.“We have to make sure everybody’s available every single day here for us to get wherever we’re going to go, and that wasn’t the case,” Cora said. “As a manager, I gotta take charge of this, and I decided he wasn’t going to play.”Did something happen? Was he late? The visibly-frustrated manager answered those initial follow-up questions, “I decided he’s not going to play.”“I’m just taking care of the 26 guys (on the roster), and he wasn’t gonna play,” Cora added. When asked if it was accurate to describe the situation as disciplinary reasons, he would only answer “Manager’s decision.”Lineup changes happen all the time (the Blue Jays swapp...

This new Gaslamp diner is serving up French-inspired classics

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- When you walk through the doors of Saint James French Diner in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter, you may get a hint of classic American vibes with booth seating options.However, the candlelight and fare may have you saying “oui, oui" when a friendly staffer offers to pour you a glass of French champagne to bubble your mouth as you weigh your dining options.Located below the Palihotel on Sixth Avenue, Saint James French Diner is serving up French-inspired classics for both brunch and dinner, while also becoming a bistro during the morning hours with latte specials and plenty of espresso. This San Diego wine festival is the best in the country: USA Today When it comes to the food, there are variety of bar snacks to choose from if you're just stopping in for some cocktails and conversation. There's the fried oysters, poutine, croquettes, and even some padron peppers with bottarga and lemon. For those who love appetizers, you can start with the French onion soup, stea...

Residents get their first look at new changes to High Park

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

Known for its hiking trails, lakefront and diverse vegetation, High Park is a popular greenspace for residents and visitors. Its popularity has sparked a lot of debate on how to access it. On Saturday some major changes went into effect, including making some parts of the greenspace permanently car-free.“It’s an exciting time, these changes have been a long time coming, other cities are way ahead of us: New York City, Montreal, London,” says Faraz Gholizadeh who is with the group Car Free High Park and welcomes the changes.“Cars don’t make parks more accessible, in fact they limit accessibility for the majority of people. You’re not inhaling exhaust fumes, you’re not hearing the noise of cars. It’s just such a nice quiet space.” The changes are part of the City’s ‘High Park Movement Strategy’ that was launched in 2021 and approved by city council back in May. Those changes include: Moving the main vehicle entrance from Bloor Street Wes...

Washington and Oregon leave behind heritage — and rivals — for stability in the Big Ten

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A day after leaving behind more than a century as a tenant to the premier athletic conference on the West Coast, Washington’s leadership said stability was at the forefront of its decision to join the Big Ten Conference.“It was about having a future that we could count on and build toward,” Washington President Ana Mari Cauce said Saturday.Cauce said there were several concerns that led to Washington and Oregon saying goodbye to their collective heritage to become the 17th and 18th members of the Big Ten beginning in 2024.The Ducks and Huskies were two of the founding members of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1916 that eventually morphed into the Pac-12. The decision by those founding members to leave in lockstep was the first of two crippling blows to the Pac-12 on Friday that left the conference on the precipice of collapse. Utah, Arizona and Arizona State accpeted offers from the Big 12 later Friday, following Colorado’s move late last month.It leaves Califo...

Sights and sounds of Caribbean Carnival take over Toronto

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

The sounds, dance and vibrant costumes of the Caribbean overtook the lakefront Saturday as thousands from around the world flocked to Toronto to take in the 56th annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival. Over 10,000 masqueraders performed along Lake Shore Boulevard as part of the Grand Parade which showcased a variety of elaborate costumes around this year’s theme “Diversity and Culture Live Here.”“I started my costume in late May and finished in the middle of July so it takes a lot of months,” said one participant. “But before then there’s a lot of planning, designing, finding material. It takes a while.”People from far and wide travelled to Toronto to take in the event, one of the largest Carnival celebrations in North America. Premier Doug Ford, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh were among the dignitaries who were in attendance. “We’re kind of used to this with Marti Gras but this...

YMCA camp session canceled, allowing staff to deal with emotional trauma of Idaho bus crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

An upcoming YMCA summer camp session in Idaho has been canceled so staffers can deal with the emotional trauma of a bus crash that injured almost a dozen people, an official said Saturday, as police still tried to determine the cause.The bus was carrying about 30 adolescent campers and staff back to Boise from the Treasure Valley YMCA’s camp at Horsethief Reservoir. Eleven passengers were hospitalized, seven in critical condition, after the bus rolled over on a winding Idaho highway north of the town of Banks on Friday afternoon, Idaho State Police said. The flipped bus blocked a state highway that follows the Payette River, causing a massive traffic jam.The four-day camp at Horsethief Reservoir planned to start Sunday won’t be held, said Treasure Valley YMCA President and CEO David Duro. He said it “would be unfair” to ask the camp counselors, who had spent days with the youths who were injured, to operate as usual.“It’s like a family member is in a traumatic event,” Du...

Officer-involved shooting under investigation in South Shore

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

CHICAGO — An officer-involved shooting in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood is under investigation.The incident happened around 6:45 p.m. in the 2400 block of East 72nd Street.According to the Chicago Fire Department, one person was shot and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and is stable.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesChicago police said no officers were injured.COPA is investigating and asked anyone with information to contact them online or by calling 312-746-3609.This is a breaking news story and will be updated as new information is released.

One home destroyed, multiple evacuations from Oak Grove wildfire, estimated at 100 acres and 10% contained

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Officials responded to a wildfire in Hays County Saturday, according to the Hays County Office of Emergency Services website.The wildfire, known as the Oak Grove Fire, was reported in the 200 block of Oak Grove Road in San Marcos. It is estimated at 300 acres and 10% contained around 7:30 p.m., according to the Hays County Office of Emergency Management (Hays OEM) and the Texas A&M Forest Service. The fire jumped across the Blanco River and was actively burning on the north side, Texas A&M said. Aircraft will prioritize the area.According to Texas A&M, the fire was very active, and structures were threatened. Additional aircraft was ordered to assist. Approximately 12 households were evacuated shortly before 6 p.m. Nearby: Vineyard Hills Fire contained at 150 acres City of Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said in a social media post that one home was destroyed, and several others were threatened. He also said that ap...

Twins Hall of Fame ceremony ‘was emotional for me,’ says Joe Mauer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

Not surprisingly, Joe Mauer used his Twins Hall of Fame induction speech to honor his late father, Jake, during a pregame ceremony on Saturday at Target Field.“I knew he was watching every game,” Mauer told a crowd of about 35,000 before a 6:10 p.m. game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.Father to Joe, Billy and Jake, Donald Charles “Jake” Mauer Jr. passed away from a heart ailment Jan. 17. He was 66.“I talk to (my children) a lot about my dad, and about how much I appreciate him — now more than ever,” Mauer said during his induction speech.From a dais in front of the pitcher’s mound, and near a seated audience that included Twins hall of fame members, former teammates and coaches and family and friends, Mauer made his first public comments about his father, who with his wife, Teresa, raised his three boys in a house on Lexington Ave. and sent them to Cretin-Derham Hall.“It was emotional. For me, it comes in waves,” he told reporters after the ceremony. “Obviously being here, one of ...

As actors and writers push back on automation, Hollywood is in the midst of an AI hiring boom

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:39:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Getting paid $900,000 a year to manage artificial intelligence projects for Netflix would’ve been an eye-popping sum even before two of Hollywood’s major unions went on strike.But now that the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are both picketing outside Netflix’s headquarters in protest of low streaming pay and ascendant automation, such a job listing seems acutely emblematic of where the entertainment industry currently stands — and where it’s going.The “Product Manager — Machine Learning Platform” role, first reported on by the Intercept, offers a pay range of $300,000 to $900,000 for work focused on setting priorities and managing projects related to the streaming giant’s AI software.And Netflix isn’t alone. Disney Branded Television is hiring for a senior vice president “on the leading edge of technology developments, like artificial intelligence.” Sony is pursuing hires related to AI ethics. And Amazon Prime Video and CBS both are looking to fill AI-related r...