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MLB experimenting with pearl white baseballs to rid sticky stuff problem

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Pristine white baseballs that would not require rubbing are under consideration by Major League Baseball as a way to solve the issue of pitchers using sticky substances for better grip.“We continue to work with the people at Dow Chemical on developing a tacky ball,” Commissioner Ron Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday. “It would literally eliminate all — well, not all — but many of the variables in the current process. It would come out of a sealed foil pouch at the ballpark. No individual mudding.”MLB executive vice president Morgan Sword said the balls were tested in the first half of this season in the Double-A Southern League. The balls would retain colored stitches.“Like everything in baseball, when you inch towards a solution, you figure out another problem,” Manfred said. “The baseball, if we get there with the Dow people, would be a pearl, right? A pure white baseball. I think if you take hitters and pitchers out fr...

Ticket scam warning issued ahead of Taylor Swift concerts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Concert tickets that are hard to come by are also easy to scam fans trying to get their hands on them. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser recognized that ticket scamming is an issue, specifically with Denver's biggest show of the year, Taylor Swift, coming to town this weekend. “If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, or you’re checking out any of the other amazing events in Colorado, don’t let it be a cruel summer,” Weiser said in a release Tuesday. “Be a smart eventgoer by making sure the tickets you’re buying are authentic and you know the full cost of any tickets you’re purchasing.” ‘We almost lost $1,400’: ticket scammers targeting Swifites Weiser advises consumers to be diligent about checking the validity of the seller they're buying tickets from and be cautious about other possible scamming mechanisms.How to avoid ticket scammers Here are some guidelines Weiser suggested in the release for consumers to follow when considering a purchase:Understand the “all-i...

Denver Zoo offering Taylor Swift fans a discount over Eras Tour weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Zoo knows places... where Taylor Swift fans can go if they're in town for this weekend's concerts or are even looking for something to do if they weren't lucky enough to get tickets.Specifically, the Denver Zoo is hoping that fans will live out their "Wildest Dreams" this weekend over at the zoo.They're offering 25% off admission for anyone who shows their ticket or shows up decked out in Swift merch. This means that Swift fans will only have to pay $18 for a general admission ticket that typically costs $24. Where to grab a bite and drink before Taylor Swift concert The discount will run from Thursday, July 13 to Monday, July 17. The zoo's post on social media announcing the discount included a "Which era are you?" photo, along with altered album covers with animals on it.These animals ranged from a lion on the "Fearless" album cover, to a snake on the "Reputation" album cover, to a giraffe on the cover of Swift's 2020 album "Evermore."

Man charged in connection with Worcester shooting, standoff appears in court

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

The man accused of shooting his mother and brother before engaging in an hourslong standoff with police in Worcester last week was called to court on Tuesday. Caleb Boateng faced a judge in Worcester as he faces several charges including two charges of assault with intent to murder. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. Police said officers were called to the home off Colby Avenue on Friday morning around 8:30 a.m. after they said a man allegedly shot two of his family members. Prosecutors said Boatend shot his brother and mother several times. The pair, according to prosecutors, escaped and were taken to the hospital. Investigators said Boateng then barricaded himself inside the house, where he remained for roughly 13 hours before he was arrested. Boateng is due back in court next Monday for a dangerousness hearing.

Two state troopers assaulted in separate incidents in Wakefield, Tewksbury

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

Two men are facing charges after separate incidents in Wakefield and Tewksbury last week where Massachusetts State Police troopers were assaulted, state police said. One incident happened on July 5 on the I-95 Exit 57 offramp in Wakefield. There, state police said a motorcyclist tried to run into a trooper who approached him on foot. The trooper, police said, had tried to pull over the motorcyclist “after observing him operating erratically.”Police said the motorcyclist at one point turned his bike’s ignition back on after it had been shut off and drove toward the trooper. “The Trooper was able to disengage from the motorcycle as it continued forward, allowing him to narrowly avoid being hit by a pickup truck passing through the intersection,” state police said.A second incident happened on Friday when police said a trooper stopped a Lawrence man for motor vehicle violations on I-495 in Tewksbury. After the traffic stop, police said the trooper found the man had four warra...

Thousands of homes, businesses impacted by historic flooding in Vermont, governor says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

Historic flooding continued to hit Vermont Tuesday, turning roads into rivers, forcing people out of their homes and prompting a statewide state of emergency. As cleanup efforts get underway, Governor Phil Scott said thousands of homes and businesses have been impacted. “The devastation and flooding we’re experiencing across Vermont is historic and catastrophic,” he said.Vermont’s capitol of Montpelier was hammered by a record-setting 5.28 inches of rain on Monday, more than any other day on record. Streets were seen completely covered by water, with no signs of cars or people nearby. Rescuers were seen traveling by boat over flooded streets. In Montpelier, one man was also seen using a kayak to paddle around flooded streets.In Londonderry, south of Montpelier, a drone captured video of rising water moving through town, leaving homes looking like islands. A similar sight played out in Ludlow, where cars were left abandoned in roads. Restaurant owner Andrew Molen of Fo...

Portland officer issues video apology for hitting photographer during 2020 racial justice protest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A police officer in Portland, Oregon, issued a video apology Tuesday for hitting a photographer in the head with a baton during the 2020 protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Prosecutors dismissed a related fourth-degree misdemeanor assault charge against Portland Police Bureau Officer Corey Budworth last week, KGW-TV reported. In the video statement, Budworth said he met with independent photographer Teri Jacobs through a restorative justice process.The force he used against Jacobs on Aug. 18, 2020, could have been avoided, Budworth said.“I’m sorry, Ms. Jacobs, for unnecessarily hitting you in the head with my baton,” he says in the video, adding that he has also apologized to her privately.The officer also acknowledged the fractured relationship between police and some members of the community.“I understand the harm that was caused was not limited to Ms. Jacobs and was felt by others in the community when there was a great distrust o...

Cuba calls the presence of US nuclear-powered submarine at Guantanamo Bay naval base a provocation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government on Tuesday called the presence of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine at the Guantanamo Bay naval base for several days last week a “provocative escalation,” while a U.S. official said it was a logistics stop by the vessel at a U.S. base on its way to maritime exercises.A statement from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the submarine was at the U.S. naval base on the island from July 5 to July 8. It gave no more details.“This constitutes a provocative escalation by the United States, whose political or strategic motives are unknown,” the foreign ministry statement said.The U.S. State Department said it does not discuss the movements of U.S. military assets.A U.S. Defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide details of a military operation, said the Navy submarine made a scheduled logistics stop at Guantanamo Bay. It then continued south to participate in UNITAS, the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise.“T...

North Korea launches ballistic missile toward sea day after making threat over alleged US spy flight

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made on Wednesday morning but gave no further details such as how far the weapon flew.Japan’s Defense Ministry said it also detected a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea.The launch, the North’s first weapons firing in about a month, came after North Korea earlier this week released a series of statements accusing the United States of flying a military plane close to North Korea to spy on the North.The United States and South Korea dismissed the North’s accusations and urged it to refrain from any acts or rhetoric that raises animosities.In a statement Monday night, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean sister Kim Jong Un,...

Insurance companies sue energy corporation after it was blamed for helping start Colorado wildfire

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:12 GMT

Dozens of insurance companies are suing Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy to recoup money paid out to homes and businesses lost in Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in 2021.The lawsuit was filed Thursday, a few weeks after investigators announced that a sparking power line owned by Xcel was one of the causes of a fire that, fanned by high winds, destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and left two people dead. Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire set days before on a nearby property used by a Christian religious communal group was also found to have been another cause. The two fires combined to cause a blaze fanned by high winds that is blamed for causing $2 billion in damage in a suburban area between Denver and Boulder. In response to the allegations, Xcel re-issued a statement first given in response to the results the fire investigation, saying that it strongly objected to its findings.“We strongly disagree with any suggestion that Xcel Energy’s power lines caused the second ignit...