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‘They made it really easy.’ After playing a waiting game, Jed Hoyer buys in on Chicago Cubs roster at trade deadline.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

Jeimer Candelario, back in the Wrigley Field home dugout for the first time almost exactly six years later, glanced down at his new first baseman’s mitt.Well, not really new but borrowed, a smiling Candelario noted. Written in script across the light blue glove is Chicago Cubs teammate Miguel Amaya’s name. Acquired Monday by the organization, Candelario started at first base Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.It’s a position manager David Ross said the 29-year-old switch hitter will play a “significant amount.” Except Candelario, who hasn’t played first base since 2020 in Detroit, no longer owns a first baseman’s mitt. He bought a couple after that season but then didn’t play the position the following year and he gave them away.So, for now, he is borrowing Amaya’s, but it’s Candelario’s offense and the power he adds to the Cubs that makes his addition especially valuable over the next two months as they try to...

Cole Strange among six missing, three starters limited at Patriots’ padded practice Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots starting left guard Cole Strange was absent from Day 8 of training camp two days after suffering an apparent leg injury.Strange was present but didn’t participate in practice Tuesday. He was not spotted at all at the start of Wednesday’s fully padded session, the Patriots’ second of the summer.Strange was among six players absent from Wednesday’s practice session, including running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery and linebacker Terez Hall. Montgomery did not participate in stretching but was later spotted on the lower conditioning field in uniform.Safety/special teamer Cody Davis and starting right guard Mike Onwenu remain on the physically unable to perform list. Swing tackle Calvin Anderson is still on the non-football illness list. Head coach Bill Belichick declined to give an update on Anderson Tuesday before practice.Seven players were limited in practice: Starting left tackle Trent Brown, edge defender Matthew Judon, running ba...

Past month was about ‘putting Chicago White Sox in as good a position possible going forward.’ So where do they stand now?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

There was a lot of dialogue between the Chicago White Sox and other teams leading up to Tuesday’s trade deadline.“There was, as usual and really just the nature of the beast, a lot of at times erroneous or contradictory information out there about what we would do or what we wouldn’t do or who we’d listen on and who we want,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said during a video conference call Tuesday. “And the reality is that from the start of this process, we entered the entire thing extremely open-minded.“That’s how you end up with a Jake Burger for (Jake) Eder deal. Obviously far, far more deals did not come to fruition than the six that did, but even those conversations could help us come this offseason. Sometimes these conversations take a little longer. Different periods for player acquisition have different results. But we got a good sense of the value of many of our players, potential fits for not only the past few days but for t...

Latino player alleges racist head-shaving in 10th hazing lawsuit against Northwestern University

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Ramon Diaz says he was just 17 years old when Northwestern University upperclassmen shaved “Cinco de Mayo” onto the back of his head as the entire football team watched.“The holiday itself has a significant meaning to me and my family and then the Latino community at large,” Diaz told The Associated Press. “I was mocked and ridiculed.”Diaz said he was the only Latino offensive lineman on the team at a time when the athletic department’s culture allowed racist and sexual abuse to thrive and caused psychological and emotional damage to athletes of color. A lawsuit announced on Diaz’ behalf Wednesday is the 10th against the prestigious private university since student journalists at The Daily Northwestern published an article on July 8 that suggested head coach Patrick Fitzgerald may have been aware of hazing, leading to his firing after 17 seasons. Northwestern announced Tuesday that it has hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to lead an investig...

Georgia prosecutors are suing to strike down a new law that hamstrings their authority

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Four district attorneys in Georgia are asking a judge to strike down a law creating a commission to discipline and remove state prosecutors, arguing it violates the U.S. and Georgia constitutions.The attack on Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, filed Wednesday in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, comes after Republicans pushed through a law creating the panel earlier this year. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp pledged when he signed the law that it would curb “far-left prosecutors” who are “making our communities less safe.”Sherry Boston, the district attorney in the overwhelmingly Democratic Atlanta suburb of DeKalb County and the lead plaintiff challenging the law, called the issue “bigger than Georgia.”“We are talking about prosecutorial discretion and prosecutorial independence, both of which have been solidly under assault the last few years,” Boston told The Associated Press.Republicans nationwide are pushing back on a sea change in pros...

Burnout, low pay and politics are driving away teachers. Turnover is soaring for educators of color

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Rhonda Hicks could have kept working into her 60s. She loved teaching and loved her students in Philadelphia’s public schools. As a Black woman, she took pride in being a role model for many children of color.But other aspects of the job deteriorated, such as growing demands from administrators over what and how to teach. And when she retires in a few weeks, she will join a disproportionately high number of Black and Hispanic teachers in her state who are leaving the profession.“I enjoy actually teaching, that part I’ve always enjoyed,” said Hicks, 59. “Sometimes it’s a little stressful. Sometimes the kids can be difficult. But it’s the higher-ups: ‘Do it this way or don’t do it at all.’”Teachers are leaving jobs in growing numbers, state reports show. The turnover in some cases is highest among teachers of color. A major culprit: stress — from pandemic-era burnout, low pay and the intrusion of politics into classrooms. But the burdens can be heavier in school...

Broadway star Phillipa Soo is working on picture book about her childhood stage fright

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway star Phillipa Soo has not forgotten her childhood stage fright. The Grammy-winning actor and singer known for her roles in “Hamilton,” “Into the Woods” and other musicals is collaborating with her sister-in-law Maris Pasquale Doran and illustrator Qin Leng on a picture book about a girl more at ease singing to her stuffed animals than in front of a crowd. Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, announced Wednesday that “Piper Chen Sings” will come out next April.“I have often been asked, ‘If you could say anything to your younger self, what would it be?’ ‘Piper Chen Sings’ is certainly an answer to that question,” Soo, 32, said in a statement. “This book comes straight from the heart and is inspired by my own life and experiences — a little girl who loves to sing, but is overwhelmed with nervousness about singing in front of others.”Soo originated the role of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton’s wife, ...

RCMP say body of Nova Scotia youth who went missing in flood has been found

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

Nova Scotia RCMP said Wednesday they believe they have recovered the body of a youth who went missing July 22 during a severe storm.The province’s medical examiner still needs to positively identify the remains found on Tuesday morning, police told reporters. They said they recovered the body along the shore in Advocate Harbour, N.S., about 70 kilometres northwest of the area where the youth and three other people went missing in floodwaters.Last week, searchers recovered the bodies of two six-year-old children — identified as Natalie Hazel Harnish and Colton Sisco — and 52-year-old Nicholas Holland, who was travelling with the youth who had been missing.At a news conference Wednesday, Premier Tim Houston thanked RCMP and other first responders, including volunteer firefighters, who helped search shorelines and flooded fields for the missing people.“We’re thankful and grateful for your efforts,” Houston said. “And we’ll never know how ...

U.S. director Barry Jenkins to head Platform prize jury at Toronto film festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

TORONTO — Acclaimed filmmaker Barry Jenkins has been selected as the jury chair for the competitive Platform program at the Toronto International Film Festival.The “Moonlight” director heads a three-member panel that will select the winner of a $20,000 award. The jury includes Canadian filmmaker Anthony Shim, whose film “Riceboy Sleeps” won last year’s prize, and Nadine Labaki whose Oscar-nominated film “Capernaum” won the 2018 jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.The 10-film program opens with “Dream Scenario” from U.S. filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli and includes Canadian drama “The King Tide,” directed by Christian Sparkes.The program is meant to showcase “films with unique directorial perspectives.” All titles will have their world premieres at TIFF, including “Dear Jassi,” from Indian director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar.TIFF takes place Sept. 7 to 17.Here’s a look at the rest of the Platform lineup:-“Great Absence,” directed by Kei Chika-ura, Japan;...

‘I got bad news’: Toronto Blue Jays’ Kiermaier says bike was stolen from garage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:50:30 GMT

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier is quickly getting acclimated to his new team and city, sharing a rather upsetting but perhaps unsurprising update regarding his new life in the 6ix.Kiermaier, who joined the Blue Jays as a free agent after spending his entire baseball career with the Tampa Bay Rays, told CityNews ahead of Tuesday’s game that his bike was stolen from his Toronto home.“I got some bad news,” Kiermaier told CityNews sports reporter Lindsay Dunn. “My garage door was malfunctioning during a road trip, and it was going up and down. The neighbour said it was left open for maybe more than a day, and it was real enticing for someone, and they yanked it.”The 33-year-old was using his bike to get around the city, including to the Rogers Centre, for home games.“It’s alright, though. It got me to and from the park. I am thankful for my bike rides.”Kiermaier is everything Blue Jays could have hoped forKiermaier has been a...