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Craig Breslow leaves Chicago Cubs front office to be the Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

It was only a matter of time before another organization hired Chicago Cubs executive Craig Breslow for a top front-office position.The Boston Red Sox on Wednesday tabbed Breslow, 43, to become their new chief baseball officer. He replaces Chaim Bloom, whom the Red Sox fired last month.The Cubs hired Breslow in January 2019 as director of strategic initiatives for baseball operations, and he worked his way up to assistant general manager and vice president of pitching as a trusted voice in president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer’s inner circle.Under Breslow’s oversight of adjustments to the pitching infrastructure, the Cubs saw gains in velocity and homegrown arms during his five seasons in the organization.The Cubs’ struggles to develop homegrown arms contributed to their inability to build off their 2016 World Series title. This season represented another important step forward on that front.Left-hander Justin Steele became a Cy Young Award contender during a ...

Celtics far from perfect, but prove resilient late in season-opening win over Knicks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

NEW YORK — Joe Mazzulla admitted before Wednesday’s season opener that the Celtics didn’t have an identity last season. The circumstances of the beginning of that training camp simply didn’t give them enough time. But with enough preparation going into this season, Mazzulla emphasized the importance of setting one.“Humility. Mindset. Toughness. Passion. Togetherness. Just be nasty,” Mazzulla said. “So we’ll see if that happens.”The first test came Wednesday. In control for most of their opener, the Celtics suddenly let go of the rope. They were unraveling. The Knicks and their rabid Madison Square Garden crowd smelled blood. But they never tasted it.The expectation is that these Celtics, with their superior top-end talent, should breeze to at least the conference finals, if not win the whole thing. But Wednesday revealed they’re unsurprisingly not close to a finished product. On Wednesday, they relied on that newly formed identity to tough out an ugly but gritty 108-104 victor...

At least 16 dead in Maine shooting and dozens injured, officials say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

By David Sharp, Associated PressLEWISTON, Maine (AP) — A man opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, killing at least 16 people and engulfing the state’s second-largest city in chaos. The suspect remained at large as authorities ordered residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets.Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press dozens of people also had been wounded. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6,4 kilometers) away. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed a gunman walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.“Please stay off the ...

UN Security Council fails again to address Israel-Hamas war, rejecting US and Russian resolutions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council failed again Wednesday to address the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, rejecting rival United States and Russian resolutions.The council is the U.N.’s most powerful body, charged with maintaining international peace and security, but its divisions have left it impotent and scrambling to try to find a resolution with acceptable language.The resolution drafted by the United States, Israel’s closest ally, would have reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defense, urged respect for international laws — especially protection of civilians — and called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza.In Wednesday’s vote in the 15-member council, 10 countries voted in favor, Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates voted against, and Brazil and Mozambique abstained. The resolution was not adopted because permanent council members Russia and China cast vetoes.The Russian resolution, which was then put to a vote, would have called for ...

Federal prosecutors urge judge to reinstate Trump gag order, citing comments about ex-chief of staff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to reinstate a gag order on Donald Trump, citing recent social media posts about the former president’s chief of staff that they said represented an attempt to influence and intimidate a foreseeable witness in the case.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the federal case charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, last week temporarily paused her order barring Trump from making inflammatory comments about prosecutors, court staff and potential witnesses. The ruling came as Trump’s lawyers challenge the limited gag order in higher courts.In a motion filed Wednesday night, special counsel Jack Smith’s team encouraged Chutkan to put the restrictions back in place. Prosecutors cited in part statements in social media and at a news conference over the last day by Trump about his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who was reported by ABC News on Tuesday to have ...

No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama debuts with the Spurs and the world is watching

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Victor Wembanyama era is underway in San Antonio.Wembanyama made his NBA debut with the Spurs against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night and made an immediate splash.The No. 1 pick in the NBA draft blocked a shot in the opening minute of the game and misfired on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key. But the 19-year-old who stands nearly 7-foot-4 found his spot and scored his first NBA points with a 3-pointer — again from near the top of the key — at the 8:25 mark of the first quarter. Wembanyama played pro basketball in France before being drafted. His first game in the NBA had the world watching.“How can I deny that,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said prior to Wednesday’s game. “It’s pretty obvious. Victor’s had a lot of attention pointed toward him for a very long time and that’s not going to change. Fortunately for us, he’s a really mature, prioritized young man that knows what he wants. He’s already a pro.”Wembanyama drew the undivided ...

Union workers arrested on Las Vegas Strip for blocking traffic as thousands rally

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Thousands of hotel workers fighting for new union contracts rallied on the Las Vegas Strip, halting rush hour traffic Wednesday night before police arrested dozens sitting in the street in stepped-up labor unrest that organizers say aims to draw attention to negotiations with three major casino companies.Dozens of workers sat in two separate circles across multiple lanes of the Strip, stopping cars in both directions before police officers with zip ties started taking protesters into custody. They were led into a white police bus with red and blue lights flashing.For about a half-hour, traffic ground to a halt on one of the most recognizable stretches of the Strip with views of the Bellagio fountain, the Eiffel Tower replica and Caesars Palace.Las Vegas police said they had no immediate estimate of the number of arrests. The casinos had no immediate comment.The Culinary Workers Union said ahead of the protest that 75 workers could be arrested for “civil disobedience...

At least 16 dead in Maine shooting and dozens injured, law enforcement officials say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

At least 16 people have been killed and dozens of others injured in shootings in Lewiston, Maine, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.The shootings happened Wednesday evening at a bar and bowling alley.The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.Investigators were still processing the crime scenes and working to gather evidence. Police were searching for the man who opened fire.Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley.“Please stay off the roads to allow emergency responders access to the hospitals,” police said.On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.The alert for Lewiston was made shortly...

Stadium Showdown: Will Evanston City Council block Northwestern's plan for Ryan Field concerts?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — On a late September Saturday morning on Central Street in Evanston, hundreds of people wearing their school colors were walking toward Ryan Field, the football stadium where the Northwestern Wildcats have played for nearly a century.  The Sept. 30 game was between Penn State and Northwestern.The six home games a year boost business for several stores along the stretch, like Hewn Bakery, which posted a chalk sign welcoming football fans to "Stop in for some coffee and pastries before the game" and subsequently saw a line out the door and wrapping down the block.At Ten Mile House, a restaurant and bar in the shadow of the stadium, owner Fred Gale is serving brunch on one of his busiest days of the year.  “We’re literally steps away,” he said. “Our business probably triples versus a normal Saturday.”Northwestern University is proposing to tear down Ryan Field, the 97-year-old stadium that looms over an upscale residential neighborhood, and replace it with a p...

Dance teacher moves students in the right direction with confidence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

WILMETTE, Ill. — From ballet to modern and hip hop, our October Teacher of the Month helps her students find the joy of movement at a high school in Wilmette.Students say Mrs. Ally Valadez, or “Mrs. V” is encouraging, positive and passionate about dance. And she’s helping them move in the right direction.Valadez is the dance teacher at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette.“You start the program with dance foundations. So you learn the basics of ballet, jazz, modern and hip hop,” she said. “From there you can take a whole semester of modern, a whole semester of jazz and dance composition, which is one of my personal favorites because its more student led and the students learn to choreograph dances on their own.”She also runs their dance company Orchesis. Since she started six years ago, the program has stretched tremendously and now includes 70 students. That’s a third of the school. “We see all levels in Orchesis,” she said. “We have some advanced dancers that have been da...