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How Ryan O’Hearn went from castoff to Orioles cleanup hitter: ‘I couldn’t be more ecstatic’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

For the Kansas City Royals, Ryan O’Hearn was a part-time player, then was designated for assignment. After a trade to Baltimore, he was designated for assignment, then became a part-time player.O’Hearn has since emerged as the Orioles’ primary cleanup hitter, showcasing talent he had put on display as inconsistently as he had received playing time. If Baltimore is facing a right-handed starter, O’Hearn, a left-handed hitter, will occupy the fourth spot in the lineup, and deservedly so.Months removed from two organizations — including his current one — cutting him from their 40-man roster in a span of days, the 29-year-old first baseman-outfielder is batting .341 with a .993 OPS. That includes a .404 average and 1.167 OPS in the three-plus weeks since adjusting his hand positioning and posture in his batting stance.“Hitting is such a process,” O’Hearn said. “You’re never done learning, I think, and fortunately this yea...

38 years after Air India bombing, poll finds most Canadians are unaware it happened

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

Friday marks the 38th anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight 182, the deadliest mass killing in Canadian history. Yet, a new poll finds many in this country have never even heard of the terrorist attack.On June 23, 1985, 280 Canadians, including 86 children, heading from Toronto to London lost their lives when a bomb detonated, sending the aircraft crashing into the ocean off the coast of Ireland.Research done by the Angus Reid Institute has found that nine out of 10 Canadians have little to no knowledge of the incident while three out of five people under the age of 35 have never even heard of attack.Former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh says he’s not surprised by those numbers, adding it wasn’t treated like a Canadian tragedy, especially when it happened.“The way Canadian leadership looked at this issue at that time was absolutely racist,” he tells CityNews 680. “They thought these brown guys, some with turbans, some without turbans, they’re...

Interstate 95 is set to reopen less than two weeks after deadly collapse in Philadelphia

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Interstate 95 was set to reopen to traffic Friday less than two weeks after a deadly collapse in Philadelphia shut down a heavily traveled stretch of the East Coast’s main north-south highway.Workers were putting the finishing touches on an interim six-lane roadway that will serve motorists during construction of a permanent bridge. Crews worked around the clock and were poised to finish ahead of schedule. The interstate was scheduled to reopen at noon, according to the governor’s office.The elevated section of I-95 collapsed early on June 11 after a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped on an off-ramp and caught fire. State transportation officials said the driver, who was killed, lost control around a curve. There were no other deaths or injuries.The closure of an important commercial artery snarled traffic in and around Philadelphia and threatened to raise the cost of consumer goods as truckers were forced to detour around the area. State and federal ...

German lawmakers approve a plan to attract skilled workers to plug the country’s labor gap

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s parliament on Friday approved plans to attract more skilled workers to Europe’s biggest economy and help address labor shortages in a growing number of professions.Lawmakers voted 388-234 in favor of the legislation, with 31 abstentions. It foresees a “points system” taking into account professional experience and other factors, along the lines of systems already used by countries such as Canada. It will ease entry rules for information technology specialists who lack university degrees but have other qualifications. Asylum seekers who arrived before March 29 and have both qualifications and a job offer can get a residence permit as a professional if they withdraw their asylum applications — eliminating the need to leave the country and apply anew for a work permit. Highly skilled workers will be allowed to bring more relatives to Germany, so long as they can support them financially. Germany has grappled for years with the need to attract more sk...

Danish prosecutors approve the extradition of a man suspected in a 1995 arms smuggling case in India

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s top prosecuting authority said Friday that it has approved the extradition to India of a Danish national accused of involvement in an arms smuggling case 28 years ago, but that a court of law must make the final decision.Niels Holck has admitted taking part in dropping assault rifles, rocket launchers and missiles from a cargo plane in eastern India in 1995. Indian police said they were meant for an Indian revolutionary group.While a Briton and a five Latvians were arrested by Indian authorities, Holck — previously known as Niels Christian Nielsen — escaped.Prosecutor Henriette Rosenborg Larsen said that Denmark has looked into a 2016 Indian extradition request and that “it is our assessment that the requirements in the extradition act have been met.”It is now up to a district court to decide whether he should be extradited, and any such ruling can be appealed to a higher court, she added.If Holck is extradited and convicted in India, he wi...

In its push for more Black players, MLB hopes results are on the horizon from grassroots efforts

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Zion Rose is well aware that the percentage of Black players in Major League Baseball has been on the decline for decades.But the 18-year-old catcher from Chicago, still sweaty from a workout during MLB’s Draft Combine this week at Chase Field in Phoenix, said he’s got some news: That’s not going to be the case for long.“You’ll see,” he said. “We’re starting to come through.”Rose was one of more than 300 players of all backgrounds in Phoenix this week to take part in the combine, which featured workouts, interviews and games in an effort to showcase some of the game’s best amateur talent at the high school and college levels before July’s draft. MLB said that approximately 15% of the players in the showcase were Black.The hope is that the next Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts or Andrew McCutchen will be in that bunch. Possibly several.A recent study from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida found Black p...

Olympic skaters still missing medals 500 days later

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — U.S. ice dancers Evan Bates and Madison Chock remember the empty feeling as they trod back to their rooms in Beijing, not long after being told that the ceremony to present their Olympic medals had been called off.Before going to sleep, one final blow: On their beds sat empty black-and-gold boxes, with notes inside signed from IOC President Thomas Bach. “An Olympic medal is forever,” the note began. The boxes were supposed to be the perfect spot for the skaters to place the medals they never received. Five-hundred days later, the medals remain somewhere in storage because of yet another sordid and as-yet-unresolved doping case to come out of Russia. The nine empty boxes, one belonging to each U.S. skater who finished second in the Olympic team event, are now sitting under glass as part of an exhibit at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum that opened Thursday to commemorate the 500 days since the medals ceremony in Beijing was abruptly canceled. “As ...

Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights. The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel welcome at all games. HAVE THE RANGERS EVER HOSTED A PRIDE NIGHT?No. In September 2003, two years after the Chicago Cubs hosted what is considered the first Pride game, the Rangers invited local LGBTQ+ groups to a game as part of a fundraising event, similar to what they do for all kinds of groups throughout each season. There were some Rangers fans who expressed opposition through a website beforehand and, while not widespread, there were some protests outside the stadium before that game. WHAT DO THE RANGERS SAY ABOUT NOT HOSTING A PRIDE NIGHT?The team has been consistent with its response when asked: “Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in o...

Centre Block on pace to reopen in 2032, include new public area under Parliament Hill

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

OTTAWA — A massive overhaul of Centre Block on Parliament Hill is expected to be completed by 2031 and open to the public by 2032. Rob Wright, an assistant deputy minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada, says structural strengthening and heritage restoration is currently underway. A new three-level welcome centre is being built underneath the building and around the core of the Peace Tower. Wright says crews are digging 23 metres deep to clear space for the 32,000-square-metre centre.The new public entrance will be designed with two accessible pathways leading from the eternal flame and courtyard in front of Centre Block to the welcome centre’s main floor, its security checkpoints and elevators.The lowest level of the centre is expected to feature museum-esque exhibits, a multimedia theatre and on-site classrooms to educate visitors about Parliament. Wright told reporters during a tour of the ongoing renovations on Thursday that getting parliamentarians themselves i...

Friday Forecast: Mostly sunny, mid to high 80s

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:10:37 GMT

Friday: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, NE 5-10 mph G20. High: 86, low: 77Friday Night: Mostly clear, calm, NE 0-5. Low: 64Saturday: Mostly sunny, 20% thunderstorms late day, ESE 10-15. High: 91, Low: 83Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)