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Column: Chicago Cubs need to ensure Kyle Hendricks never wears another team’s jersey

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

Starting pitching could be the difference in a division such as the National League Central, in which no team really stands out.And in spite of all their faults, the Chicago Cubs have consistently shown they have a rotation that stacks up with the best, especially if Kyle Hendricks continues to pitch like the Hendricks of old.Hendricks earned his second straight win Friday in a 10-3 romp over the Baltimore Orioles, leaving with a one-run lead after five innings and watching the offense pour it on against the Orioles bullpen.In his first start since taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants, Hendricks allowed two runs on five hits in an 88-pitch outing.“Seeing the results like that definitely builds confidence,” Hendricks said of his no-hit bid. “Before that I’ve been feeling really good, feeling like I’ve been making a lot of pitches. My fastball has been down at the bottom, which is different than the last couple years,...

Yankees know A’s fans are hurting after years spent in Montreal and Oakland

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

Brad Wilkerson remembers feeling “pretty emotional” on Sept. 29, 2004.That day, Major League Baseball announced that the former outfielder and first baseman’s Expos were moving to Washington, D.C. after years of dysfunction. That same night, Wilkerson and teammates played their final game in Montreal in front of 31,395 devastated fans.The Expos, who became the Nationals in 2005, went out with a whimper that evening, losing to the Marlins, 9-1. But the real goodbyes came after the game, when Wilkerson and his peers stayed at Olympic Stadium an extra two hours so that they could thank and interact with the people their franchise was leaving behind.“I think the people in Montreal, they respected me for that,” Wilkerson, now an assistant Yankees hitting coach, told the Daily News. “But it was tough, going around and seeing everybody [and them saying], ‘We wish you could stay,’ that kind of stuff. It was a tough last day.”It appears t...

The future of automated flight may be closer than you think

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

In Robert Rose’s vision for the future, we are currently on the cusp of a dramatic transformation of human mobility. A veteran of Tesla and Space-X, Rose’s new company, Reliable Robotics, is now working to fully automate flight.A May demonstration at Travis Air Force base, where an automated plane took off and landed without human assistance, is proof that that future may not be so distant.We spoke with Rose about Reliable Robotics’ work, and what comes next.Q: Can you tell us a little about your background?A: I’m a software engineer by training. I worked at a bunch of different places in my career–most notably, I ran the flight software team at SpaceX. I also ran the autopilot program at Tesla Motors back in the early days. I shipped the first version of autopilot on the Model S.I started Reliable Robotics back in 2017 with a former colleague from SpaceX. His background is hardware and electrical systems engineering. We’re trying to bring more advanced levels of automation and safe...

1 dead, nearly 2 dozen injured after multiple tornadoes sweep through Mississippi

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG (Associated Press/Report for America)JACKSON, MISS. (AP) — Multiple tornadoes swept through Mississippi overnight, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen, officials said Monday. State emergency workers were still working with counties to assess the damage from storms in which high temperatures and hail in some areas accompanied tornadoes. The death and injuries were reported by officials in eastern Mississippi’s Jasper County. The small, rural town of Louin bore the brunt of the damage. Drone footage and photos showed wide expanses of debris-covered terrain, decimated homes and mangled trees. At least one person was lifted from the wreckage in a stretcher. Most of the people injured in Jasper County, including the person who died, were transported to the South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel between 2 and 3 a.m., said Becky Collins, a spokeswoman for the facility. About 20 people had bruises and cuts. Most were in stable condition Monday ...

Padres fans set new record for sellout games at Petco Park

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Padres fans have really showed up for their team this year, setting a new Petco Park record for the number of game sellouts just three months into the season.This weekend, Petco Park hit their 27th and 28th sellout games this season, with two packed crowds at the final games of the homestand series against the Tampa Bay Rays.The previous franchise record was 26 sellouts in the downtown stadium, set just last year."Thank you to America's Finest fans for being the best in all of baseball," the Padres said in a tweet Saturday announcing the new record.The Padres took their 2-0 victory Saturday in front of a crowd of about 43,180 people, marking the franchise's 27th sellout for the 2023. Another 44,404 people were in attendance at Sunday's 5-4 win against the Rays, bringing the tally of sellouts up to 28. Still swinging: 90-year-old softball player continues playing in local league Just three months into the season, the team has only had nine games with attendance under t...

Roughly 100 letters with suspicious white powder sent to Kansas lawmakers, officials

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — About 100 letters containing suspicious white powder have been sent to lawmakers and other public officials across Kansas, officials said.No injuries have been reported, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. It had counted more than 30 letters as of late Friday afternoon and increased the tally to 100 as of Sunday. In a Facebook post Sunday, the bureau said preliminary tests on the substance were negative for common dangerous toxins. In emails sent to legislators and obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal, Tom Day, director of Legislative Administrative Services, said the Kansas Highway Patrol had informed his office of the letters, which contain a return address of either Kansas City or Topeka.The letters were sent to legislators at their homes and have been turned over to the KBI and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Day wrote.The Associated Press

Ancient Rome temples complex, with ruins of building where Caesar was stabbed, opens to tourists

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

ROME (AP) — Four temples from ancient Rome, dating back as far as the 3rd century B.C. stand smack in the middle of one of the modern city’s busiest crossroads. But until Monday, practically the only ones getting a close-up view of the temples were cats that prowled the so-called “Sacred Area,” on the edge of the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated.With the help of funding from Bulgari, the luxury jeweler, the grouping of temples can now be visited by the public.For decades, the curious had to gaze down from the bustling sidewalks rimming Largo Argentina (Argentina Square) to admire the temples below. That’s because, over the centuries, the city had been built up, layer by layer, to levels several meters above the area where Caesar masterminded his political strategies and was later fatally stabbed in 44 B.C.Behind two of the temples is a foundation and part of a wall that archaeologists believe were part of Pompey’s Curia, a large rectangular-shaped hall tha...

Manitoba to review deadly intersection, bring in experts if needed: premier

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson says the province will bring in experts if necessary as part of a review to ensure safety at an intersection where 15 seniors were killed in a crash.RCMP continue to investigate Thursday’s crash on the Trans-Canada Highway between a semi-trailer truck and a minibus taking seniors on a day trip to a casino at Carberry, west of Winnipeg.Ten people remain in hospital and one of the six in critical condition has been upgraded.Mounties say they have yet to speak to the bus driver as he is still receiving care in hospital.Police have said dashcam footage shows the bus was crossing the Trans-Canada when it went the path of the truck.But they say mechanical inspections and other checks are needed before investigators can determine exactly what happened.Weather conditions were clear at the time. There was also a stop sign at the intersection with a yield sign in the median between the opposite lanes.Stefanson says the province will make the appro...

Ottawa unveils $350-million fund to support green tech in aerospace

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

PARIS — The federal government says it will invest nearly $350 million to support decarbonization of the aerospace industry.In an announcement at the Paris Air Show on Monday, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the cash will flow to a new fund dubbed the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology.The goal is to foster a national network overseen by an industry-led board that backs collaborative research and development projects ranging from aircraft architecture to sustainable fuel.The board’s interim chairman Walter Di Bartolomeo says it is the sector, rather than Ottawa, that will determine the most promising projects for sustainable aviation.The government says the rollout is a direct response to the main recommendation to emerge from recent consultations led by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.Pressure around green innovation is mounting on the aviation sector, which is responsible for two per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, accor...

MUST-WATCH: Back to the final frontier with the Enterprise

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:38:31 GMT

The U.S.S. Enterprise has returned to the MUST-WATCH! But will the crew of Starfleet’s finest reign supreme from the top spot, or could it go to everyone’s favourite streaming depressant? Perhaps a new action film starring one of Australia’s sexiest actors? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!The Full MontyWhere to watch: Disney+First up, let’s take a trip all the way to England!Robert Carlyle in the Full Monty, courtesy of Disney.The Full Monty is a miniseries that’s a sequel to the classic 1997 film of the same name. Both the series and the film star Robert Carlyle (from Angela’s Ashes) and Mark Addy (from Game of Thrones) as two unemployed mates living in Sheffield. The series picks up 26 years after their infamous stripping adventures with the gang getting old, and trying new things to stay afloat. This series also stars Talitha Wing (from Alex Rider), Paul Clayton (from Peep Show), and Tom Wilkinson (from Michael Clayton).You can wa...