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With Ken Griffey Jr.’s help, MLB hosts HBCU All-Star Game hoping to create opportunity for Black players

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

Ken Griffey Jr. holds a plethora of titles, especially in this part of the country. Hall of Famer. Cultural icon. The guy who made baseball in the Pacific Northwest relevant. Arguably, the greatest of his generation.He even holds a title in association with Major League Baseball as a special adviser to Commissioner Rob Manfred.But what’s most meaningful to Griffey currently is his association with Friday’s HBCU Swingman All-Star Classic that serves as the first major event of All-Star Game festivities, featuring players from 17 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.The event was an idea generated by Griffey, fostered into reality with help from MLB and comes at a time when U.S.-born Black representation in the majors is at its lowest level since tracking began more than 30 years ago.“It’s all about trying to get seen. I mean, if I can give an opportunity for a kid, one kid, two kids, three kids to be seen, how many kids can that be over the next five, ...

5 rooftop bars in San Diego shaking up tiki drinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- With warmer weather and longer days filled with sunshine, many would agree it's "tiki time" in San Diego.Summertime vibes have locals and tourists alike thirsty for drinks with Hawaiian backdrops and Polynesian flavors.The good news is there are several San Diego-area spots serving up rum concoctions and spiked punch, all while offering a breezy rooftop view. 10 of the best rooftop bars in San Diego Here are five rooftop bars in the county shaking up tiki drinks frothed with fruity flavors. CococabanaThis Caribbean-style cocktail bar is located in the coastal beach town of Oceanside. Guests can take in sights of the Pacific Ocean while trying one of their many tiki drinks. One option includes the Caribe Welcome, which is made with a house rum blend, coconut water, apricot brandy, coconut cream, coconut water and fresh lime. Or there's the Swedish Bikini Team, which is made with a house rum blend, strawberry, cucumber, coconut and lemon.Coco MayaThis Yucatan-inspired&...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed after jobs report comes in warm but hopefully not too hot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is holding relatively steady Friday after data suggested the U.S. job market is still warm enough to keep the economy growing but maybe not so hot that it stokes inflation much higher.The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 56 points, or 0.2%, at 33,865, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher.A lot is riding on whether the economy can navigate the narrow pathway to avoid a long-predicted recession. It needs to keep growing despite much higher interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to bring down inflation. But it can’t grow so quickly that the Fed feels pressure to brake much harder on the economy to prevent inflation from spiraling.Friday’s report showed U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs last month, a slowdown from May’s hiring of 306,000. Perhaps more importantly, it wasn’t far off economists’ expectations. That’s unlike a report from Thursday, which sent stoc...

Woman arrested outside Taylor Swift’s beachfront Rhode Island home on trespassing charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) — A woman who was previously warned to stay away from Taylor Swift’s home in Rhode Island was arrested this week outside the beachfront property, police said.The woman was discovered in front of the home and arrested on Monday, said Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella.TMZ published photos showing someone in handcuffs outside the home’s gates, which had multiple “No Trespassing” signs.Overzealous fans have been a problem for Swift over the years, with several arrests at her homes. In July 2019, an Iowa man who said he wanted to meet Swift was arrested near her beachfront mansion carrying a crowbar and lock picks, and a New Jersey man was caught inside the home months later. A Florida man who broke into Swift’s home in New York City in 2018 was sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to criminal contempt and attempted burglary.It’s unclear if Swift was home on Monday. She is in the middle of a 52-show stadium tour dubbed “Eras.” On Friday, she r...

UN nuclear agency seeks more access to plant that Kyiv, Moscow say is under threat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The head of the United Nations nuclear agency said Friday he was pushing for access to the roof of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine after Ukraine and Russia accused each other anew of planning attacks. The plant was seized by Russia, in March 2022, in the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, raising fears of a nuclear accident. The Russians have granted only limited access to officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency, citing security.Wrapping up a four-day visit to Japan, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said his agency was making progress on access to Zaporizhzhia. “It’s like a conversation and I’m pushing to get as much access as possible,” Grossi said, in an interview with The Associated Press in Tokyo, adding that there was “marginal improvement.”“I’m optimistic that we are going to be able to go up and see,” Grossi said, referring to the plant’s rooftops.Citing intelligence reports, Ukrainian Preside...

Bank of Canada expected to raise rates next week, despite rise in unemployment rate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian labour market is showing some signs of softening as the unemployment rate rises and wage growth slows, but with another solid job gain last month, forecasters are still expecting a rate hike next week.Statistics Canada reported Friday the economy added 60,000 jobs in June, driven by gains in full-time work. But as more Canadians searched for work and the population continued to grow, the unemployment rate climbed higher to 5.4 per cent, the highest it’s been in a year. “The reason the unemployment rate can rise alongside historically strong employment growth is that population growth continues to set new records — including an 84k monthly increase in June,” wrote RBC assistant chief economist Nathan Janzen in a note to clients.June marked the second month in a row the unemployment rate has risen as economists watch for softening in the labour market amid high interest rates.Job gains were concentrated in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturi...

Ferry disruptions hurting P.E.I. businesses after years of COVID-19 closures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — The Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island says the sporadic ferry service this year between the province and Nova Scotia has been challenging for local businesses.Corryn Clemence, chief executive officer of the association, says the MV Confederation was pulled from service on Canada Day and will stay off-line this weekend for the Cavendish Beach Music Festival.The company that operates the ferry between Nova Scotia and eastern Prince Edward Island says the MV Confederation will be out of service until at least next week, leaving the Confederation Bridge as the Island’s only link to the mainland.Northumberland Ferries says the ferry was removed from the water because of a mechanical glitch and that the required parts are due to arrive Saturday.Clemence says this year is important for most businesses because it’s the first time they’re in full swing after two years of COVID-19 closures.She says the financial hit to businesses will be ca...

Caribbean leaders seeking discounted oil criticize US sanctions against Venezuela

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Caribbean leaders on Friday denounced U.S. economic sanctions against oil-rich Venezuela, saying they’ve been forced to buy costlier petroleum elsewhere as they struggle with tight budgets.Members of a Caribbean trade bloc known as Caricom called for removal of the sanctions, which prevent them from purchasing oil at a discounted rate as part of a deal with Venezuela known as Petrocaribe.“We in the Caribbean are suffering immensely,” Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said at the close of a three-day Caricom conference on Wednesday. “People should be allowed to go about their lives, especially in these difficult times.”Both Skerrit and Keith Rowley, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, said the issue was raised with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he met with Caribbean leaders this week at the conference in Trinidad.The Petrocaribe deal that began in 2015 and was recently revived allows Caribbean nations to pay 60% of oil purchases with...

Fatal fire still burns on cargo ship in New Jersey, raising questions about response capability

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A cargo ship burned for a third day Friday at a New Jersey port after the fire claimed the lives of two firefighters and exposed gaps in the ability of fire crews to respond to emergencies on hulking container ships.Crews shot jets of water into the Italian-flagged Grande Costa d’Avorio docked in Newark as flames flared periodically from the section of the ship where hundreds of vehicles were loaded onto multiple decks.The Coast Guard and other officials were set to hold a news conference later Friday to give an update on the situation.Newark firefighters Augusto “Augie” Acabou and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr. died fighting the blaze that broke out Wednesday night on the 10th floor of the ship. The fire quickly reached the 11th and 12th floors as firefighters were forced to retreat in the intense heat. Five other firefighters were injured. Newark Fire Chief Rufus Jackson said the department had trained on ships before, but not the specific kind of cargo vessel t...

Florida judge to murder suspect on run for 40 years: “You knew you were running from something.”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:48 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A judge in Florida has ordered a 65-year-old California fugitive held without bond in connection with the death of a woman nearly 40 years ago.Donald Santini was arrested by U.S. marshals in California last month, and extradited to Florida. He had used at least 13 aliases over the years. Santini was the last person seen with 33-year-old Cynthia “Cindy” Ruth Wood. The arrest warrant said a medical examiner determined she had been strangled, and Santini’s fingerprints were found on her body.“You being on the run for almost 40 years is a consciousness of guilt. You knew you were running from something,” Judge Catherine Catlin told Santini during a hearing in Tampa on Thursday. Photos taken in the courtroom showed Santini weeping before the judge denied bond.Wood’s stepdaughter, Denise Kozer told the Tampa Bay Times she’s hoping to find closure in a case that resulted in “total devastation” for her family.Back in 1984, Santini was known as Charles Michael ...