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Mets Notebook: Tommy Hunter designated for assignment in ‘tough’ move for Buck Showalter

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

PITTSBURGH — The Mets had to part ways with clubhouse favorite Tommy Hunter on Saturday, which was a difficult decision for all involved and now leaves a different decision for the veteran right-hander.Will the 36-year-old continue playing if he’s claimed off waivers, or will he retire?The Mets designated Hunter for assignment on Saturday after he pitched in back-to-back games and gave up four earned runs. The Mets needed fresh arms for a beleaguered bullpen and the Mets were able to get two from Triple-A Syracuse by using Hunter’s roster spot and optioning left-hander Zach Muckenhirn, who pitched 2 1/3 innings in Friday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.Muckenhirn wouldn’t be able to pitch for a few more days and the Mets are still reeling from having to use six pitchers Thursday night in Atlanta. The Mets recalled right-hander John Curtiss and left-hander Josh Walker.“Everybody has history with Tommy, so it’s tough,” manager Buck Show...

Ted Kaczynski, known as the ‘Unabomber,’ dies in prison at 81

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died Saturday. He was 81.Branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI, Kaczynski died at the federal prison medical center in Butner, N.C., Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told The Associated Press. He was found unresponsive in his cell early Saturday morning and was pronounced dead around 8 a.m., she said. A cause of death was not immediately known.Before his transfer to the prison medical facility, he had been held in the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, since May 1998, when he was sentenced to four life sentences plus 30 years for a campaign of terror that set universities nationwide on edge. He admitted committing 16 bombings from 1978 and 1995, permanently maiming several of his victims.Years before the Sept. 11 attacks an...

23-year-old Brockton man accused of shooting six-year Boston police veteran

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

A 23-year-old Brockton man allegedly shot a six-year veteran of the Boston Police Department Friday night after the cop saw the man attempting to rob a pizza delivery driver in Roxbury, according to a police report released Saturday afternoon.Police were already on the lookout for John Lazare, 23, of Brockton after officers spoke with a pizza delivery driver earlier in the week, who said they were robbed at gunpoint as they delivered a pair of pies to a warehouse at 44 Cedric Street, the listed address of Bully Boy Distillers.Boston police officials praised the officer — and other responding law enforcement — for not firing his weapon in return after being shot in the foot and butt. Police Commissioner Michael Cox said the injured officer “did everything he could to honor the sanctity of life and make sure that this person was also captured.”“It could have ended very differently in so many ways,” Cox said Saturday at police headquarters. “If anyone shoots at an officer, they do that...

Man City beats Inter Milan 1-0 to win first Champions League title and complete 3-trophy sweep

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — Manchester City won the Champions League title for the first time by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday.Rodri struck in the 68th minute to see the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners complete a treble of trophies this season.“Today we made history,” City captain Ilkay Gundogan said. “We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there but this team is built to handle the pressure in the best possible way.”While it is the first time City has won European soccer’s biggest club competition, it is a third Champions League crown for Pep Guardiola as a coach.He had tears in his eyes as he celebrated on the field with his players after ending his long wait for the title he last won with Barcelona in 2011.It was his 30th major piece of silverware as a coach and the second time he has won a treble, emulating his feat with Barcelona in 2009. City became just the second English club to complete a sweep of the tw...

‘The battle isn’t won’: Next 48 hours crucial in Quebec wildfire fight: Bonnardel

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

MONTREAL — The next 48 hours will be crucial in Quebec’s wildfire fight in northern and western parts of the province, Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said Saturday, with authorities hoping the situation remains stable ahead of rain forecast for early next week.Bonnardel told reporters that warmer temperatures and lower humidity levels will precede the moment when precipitation is expected Tuesday in those hard hit regions, noting the hotter, drier conditions could exacerbate the wildfire situation.“We have to hold on for the next 48 hours, the flammability index will increase, the humidity will cease and the temperature will rise. It’s a cocktail that could bring new fires,” Bonnardel said.“The battle isn’t won,” he added.Environment Canada meteorologists are forecasting about 10 to 20 millimetres of rain for affected regions when the precipitation does arrive. On Saturday, firefighters set their sights on Normétal — located 720...

US confirms China has had a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — China has been operating a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019, part of a global effort by Beijing to upgrade its intelligence-gathering capabilities, according to a Biden administration official.The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. intelligence community has been aware of China’s spying from Cuba and a larger effort to set up intelligence-gathering operations around the globe for some time. The Biden administration has stepped up efforts to thwart the Chinese push to expand its spying operations and believes it has made some progress through diplomacy and other unspecified action, according to the official, who was familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.The existence of the Chinese spy base was confirmed after The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that China and Cuba had reached an agreement in principle to build an electronic eavesdropping station on the island. The Jo...

16 soldiers face military charges in killing of five men in Mexican border city

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Defense Department said Saturday that 16 soldiers will be tried on military charges related to the killing five men in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo last month. The department said the 16 soldiers were arrested Thursday and will be held at a military prison in Mexico City while awaiting trial before a military tribunal. The soldiers have been charged with violating “military discipline.” The department said those trials would proceed independently of any charges that might be brought by civilian prosecutors. Under Mexican law, any abuses by soldiers involving civilians must go through civilian courts, but separate charges can be filed in military tribunals.Mexico’s president described the May 18 slayings of five men caught on security camera footage as an apparent “execution” in the cartel-dominated city across from Laredo, Texas.Video from a store security camera published earlier this month showed a black pickup truck crashing full speed into ...

Man shot after trying to buy vehicle on social media marketplace in Uptown

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was shot Saturday afternoon after trying to purchase a vehicle on a social media marketplace, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said a 24-year-old man was in the 4400 block of North Malden Street attempting to purchase a vehicle from a social media marketplace around 3:09 p.m.When the 24-year-old man arrived, two unknown male offenders pulled a handgun on the man and demanded his property. Then, the victim tried to run away from the offenders, who opened fire and hit him in the right side of the chest. FBI: 2 male suspects at-large after bank robbery in Matteson The 24-year-old man was then taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in good condition.Police have no one in custody.If you or someone you know has information that could help lead police to an arrest and conviction in the investigation of this incident, anonymous tips can be filed online with CPD at cpdtip.com.

CPD looking to identify vehicle tied to hit-and-run

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department is looking for the public's help in identifying the driver of a vehicle connected to a hit-and-run that happened in late May.According to CPD, a 27-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were crossing the intersection of North Oakley Boulevard and West Chicago Avenue at around 6:20 p.m. on May 23 when a red vehicle struck the 27-year-old woman and fled the scene.The fleeing vehicle, according to CPD.Police describe the vehicle as possibly being a late model red Chevrolet Impala with a sunroof. FBI: 2 male suspects at-large after bank robbery in Matteson The 27-year-old woman was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition at the time.If you or someone you know can help identify the driver of this vehicle, CPD's Major Accident Investigations Unit can be reached at 312-745-4521.

Hundreds attend church service generated by ChatGPT

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:28 GMT

FUERTH, Germany (AP) — The artificial intelligence chatbot asked the believers in the fully packed St. Paul's church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth to rise from the pews and praise the Lord.The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by an avatar of a bearded Black man on a huge screen above the altar, then began preaching to the more than 300 people who had shown up on Friday morning for an experimental Lutheran church service almost entirely generated by AI.“Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year's convention of Protestants in Germany," the avatar said with an expressionless face and monotonous voice. What is a ‘dupe’ on TikTok? Here’s the meaning behind the trend The 40-minute service — including the sermon, prayers and music — was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna.“I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would ...