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Just days to spare, Senate gives final approval to debt ceiling deal, sending it to Biden

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING, STEPHEN GROVES, FARNOUSH AMIRI and MARY CLARE JALONICK (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline.The compromise package negotiated between Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves neither Republicans nor Democrats fully pleased with the outcome. But the result, after weeks of hard-fought budget negotiations, shelves the volatile debt ceiling issue that risked upending the U.S. and global economy until 2025 after the next presidential election.Approval in the Senate on a bipartisan vote, 63-36, reflected the overwhelming House tally the day before, relying on centrists in both parties to pull the Biden-McCarthy package to passage.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the...

Red Sox 8-2 win overshadowed by Sale leaving start with shoulder soreness

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

After beginning the season 0-8 against National League Central teams at Fenway Park, the Red Sox kicked off the month of June with an 8-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.Unfortunately, the victory is bittersweet, overshadowed by Chris Sale leaving his start early with left shoulder soreness.The game began as a pitchers’ duel, with Sale and Reds starter Hunter Greene combining for 12 strikeouts over the first three frames. After allowing a leadoff single, Sale got three consecutive strikeouts to end the first inning, then set down the Reds 1-2-3 in the second, including back-to-back swinging strikeouts for the second and third outs.Sale scuffled in the top of the third, allowing back-to-back 1-out doubles to give the Reds a 1-0 lead, but settled back down and got the next two outs.It was the top of the fourth when things took a concerning turn for the southpaw. After another set of back-to-back doubles, Alex Cora and the team’s athletic trainer, Masai Takahashi, came out...

Dev Shah wins National Spelling Bee, going out on top after up-and-down spelling career

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Soft-spoken but brimming with confidence, Dev Shah asked precise questions about obscure Greek roots, rushed through his second-to-last word and rolled to the Scripps National Spelling Bee title Thursday night.Dev, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, had his spelling career interrupted by the pandemic, then didn’t make it out of his regional bee last year. He got through his highly competitive regional this year for a third and final try at the national title, and he ended up holding the trophy over his head as confetti fell.His winning word was “psammophile,” a layup for a speller of his caliber.“Psammo meaning sand, Greek?” he asked. “Phile, meaning love, Greek?”He soaked up the moment by asking for the word to be used in a sentence, something he described a day earlier as a stalling tactic. Then he put his hands over his face as he was declared the winner.Charlotte Walsh, a 14-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, was the runner-up, and she gave Dev a cong...

Drought, water overuse prompt Arizona to limit construction in some fast-growing parts of Phoenix

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the restrictions that could affect some of the fastest-growing areas of the nation’s fifth-largest city. Officials said developers could still build in the affected areas but would need to find alternative water sources to do so — such as surface or recycled water.Driving the state’s decision was a projection that showed that over the next 100 years, demand in metro Phoenix for almost 4.9 million acre-feet of groundwater would be unmet without further action, Hobbs said. An acre-foot of water is roughly enough for two to three U.S. households per year.Despite the move, the governor said the state isn’t running out of water. “Nobody who has water is going to lose their water,” Hobbs said.Officials ...

Japan police say flaws in basic security allowed attacker to throw pipe bomb at prime minister

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s National Police Agency said in a report Thursday that flaws in basic security such as an absence of metal detectors and bag checks allowed an attacker to enter a campaign crowd unnoticed and throw a pipe bomb at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April.The bomb fell near Kishida and he was pushed away by special police before it exploded and he was unhurt.A suspect, Ryuji Kimura, 24, was arrested at the scene of the April 15 attack in the fishing port of Saikazaki in the western prefecture of Wakayama, where Kishida was about to make a campaign speech for a local candidate. Kimura remains in police custody and is undergoing a court-approved mental evaluation until Sept. 1.Some of the people attending the campaign rally, who were mostly from the fishing community, said they were surprised by the loose security arrangements, such as the lack of bag checks and the close distance between them and the prime minister. The attack occurred less than a year after the ...

7 hospitalized following officer-involved shooting on Chicago's south side

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- Seven people, including three police officers, have been hospitalized after a reported officer-involved shooting on Chicago's south side Thursday night.According to the Chicago Police Department, officers responded to the 4100 block of South Wells Street in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood on Thursday. 2 teens charged for killing of Waukegan volleyball coach The Chicago Fire Department reports that seven people have been hospitalized, including three police officers and two civilians were transported to University of Chicago Hospital in good conditions. Two others were also transported, but are in critical condition.The extent of the injuries are unknown at this time.The Chicago Office of Police Accountability also reportedly responded to the scene.No further information has been provided at this time. Anyone with information regarding this incident are asked to contact the Chicago Office of Police Accountability at 312-746-3609.Stay wit...

2 teens charged in killing of Illinois volleyball coach

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WGN-TV) — Two teenagers were arrested Thursday in connection to the shooting death of Illinois volleyball coach Niolis Collazo.The Waukegan Police Department executed two arrest warrants around 8 a.m. Thursday at two different locations for two teenagers who are believed to be involved in the shooting death of 23-year-old Collazo last month. ORIGINAL: Waukegan High School volleyball coach shot and killed while driving: police Collazo, of Waukegan, was killed in a shooting in Waukegan on Saturday, May 8. Police said Collazo’s car was one of two vehicles struck by gunfire that night.According to officials, a man, who occupied the first vehicle that was hit, was not injured. The second vehicle was occupied by Collazo, who was struck by the gunfire. She was pronounced dead at the hospital sometime later.Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor released the following statement Thursday:“Niolis Collazo was a beloved Waukeganite, a cherished coach, and a mentor to Waukegan students. Whi...

'Mom for the neighborhood': Friends remember woman allegedly killed by Raul Meza

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) —The memory of Gloria Lofton lives on as the investigation into her death continues."She used to have a little hill next to that trash can and her mailbox was right there," said Sara Rodriguez. "Every time I would see her at the gate I would go run over there."Rodriguez grew up across the street from Lofton and quickly became friends with her."She was a good person, always invited us to go to her house," Rodriguez said.DNA evidence from the 2019 death of Lofton linked her case to Raul Meza, Jr., according to court documents — and police arrested him on a murder charge related to her death soon after.Sergio Rodriguez was also her neighbor, who said she was well liked by many people in the neighborhood. APD launches internal review into handling of 2020 DNA linked to Raul Meza "She was like another mom to me -- a mom for the neighborhood," Sergio said. "I knew her for like 30 years, she knew me when I was a kid."According to Meza's arrest affidavit for Lofton's murder,...

Willi Castro’s winning sacrifice caps Twins’ madcap victory over Guardians in series opener

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

If Thursday night at Target Field was any indication, the four-game series between the Twins and AL Central rival Cleveland is going to be a wild one.Both teams battled back from multi-run deficits before a sacrifice fly by Willi Castro in the bottom of the ninth gave the Twins a 7-6 before an announced crowd of 16,788.Christian Vazquez led off the ninth with a walk. He moved to third on a double by Jorge Polanco. An intentional walk to Alex Kirilloff loaded the bases with no outs, setting up Castro’s heroics.A two-run home run by Twins third baseman Royce Lewis in the eighth inning tied the game at 6-6. The drive to straightaway center field was measured at 421 feet, with an exit velocity of 106.2. It was Lewis’ second home run since rejoining the Twins on Monday after missing almost all of last season because of a second ACL tear in his right knee.The third-place Guardians are now 4.5 games behind the Twins.Through five innings it looked as though June 1 might be the start of some...

Lynx push one of WNBA’s top teams but fall to 0-6 when Sun make key late plays

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:11:30 GMT

A couple of hours before Thursday’s game, Kayla McBride spoke about how the Lynx need to play with desperation and figure out who they are.It almost proved prophetic.Minnesota rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get clutch play in the final moments, falling 89-84 to Connecticut at Target Center.Napheesa Collier scored a career-high 30 points and Jessica Shepard had her second consecutive double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, but the Lynx remain winless in six starts.McBride and Tiffany Mitchell each scored 12 points.Alyssa Thomas set a Connecticut franchise record with 16 assists, the most in WNBA history by a forward. The old Sun record of 13 was set by former Gophers and Lynx great Lindsay Whalen in June 2004.Thomas, the league’s top rebounder, had just nine but scored 16 points, including a jumper with just under a minute left and, after a Lynx turnover, a driving layup with 24.7 seconds to go.It was apropos the winning points came from inside. ...