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Team Israel’s biggest star, Joc Pederson, rejoins SF Giants from ‘crazy loud’ World Baseball Classic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Back from his starring role for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, Joc Pederson returned to the Giants’ clubhouse Friday morning, jovial as ever. Twirling a bat in his hands, Pederson bounced from locker to locker, catching up with teammates.When it was time to take the field, Pederson was back at first base, where he has been doing the majority of his work this spring.Almost like he never left. Except one thing.It sure is quiet here.“The experience of loud stadiums, passionate fans, yelling, screaming, drums, whistles, it makes it more fun,” Pederson said. “So it might be a little slower here to start.”Pederson, along with Giants closer Camilo Doval (who is expected back in camp Saturday), had the unique experience of playing in a playoff environment in March. While Pederson and Team Israel were eliminated following pool play, it didn’t come as much of a surprise in a stack group that included Venezuela, Puerto Rico an...

Protests escalate in France over retirement age change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

By Sylvie Corbet and Barbara Surk | Associated PressPARIS — Angry protesters took over the streets in Paris on Friday, trying to pressure lawmakers to bring down French President Emmanuel Macron’s government and doom the unpopular retirement age increase he’s trying to impose without a vote in the National Assembly.A day after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invoked a special constitutional power to skirt a vote in the chaotic lower chamber, lawmakers on the right and left filed no-confidence motions that are expected to be voted on early next week.People walk and ride past uncollected garbages in Paris, Friday March 17, 2023, as sanitation workers are on strike. Lewis Joly/Associated PressCrowds gathered throughout the day Friday, halting cars along a Paris ring road and blocking university campuses. Sanitation workers extended their 12-day strike, leaving piles of foul-smelling rubbish across the capital and blockading Europe’s largest incineration site.Leade...

For choreographer Robert Moses, life and art is a work in process

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

Robert Moses has been challenging the dance scene and audiences for over three decades. And he definitely has plans to continue on that path when his company, Robert Moses KIN, celebrates its 28th season at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco March 24-26.Moses, both as a performer and choreographer, has been on the radar of this writer and other dance fans for more than 30 years. As a dancer with ODC and during the early years of his own company, his highly personal style of movement evoked something akin to a dive-bombing pilot. He propelled his body and expression to extreme limits, giving the impression that he would go to anylength to ensure his intentions were clear, just short annihilating himself.Once his performing days were over, his choreography did not lose any of that electrifying power to engage.Much of his work boldly addresses provocative political and social issues, particularly as a Black artist in today’s polarized environment.In an recent interview, Moses ...

Elizabeth Holmes court updates: No ruling for restitution and bail status

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- The disgraced Silicon Valley entrepreneur is back in court Friday. A federal judge is slated to make a ruling over how much restitution she must pay her victims. Elizabeth Holmes, 38, of Woodside, defrauded sophisticated investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars through Theranos. Judge to rule on Elizabeth Holmes’ restitution, freedom U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentenced Holmes to serve 11 years in prison and she is scheduled to report to prison next month. Friday will mark Holmes’ first court appearance as a mother of two. She recently gave birth to her second child. The baby’s father is Holmes’ current boyfriend, millionaire Billy Evans, who accompanies her for every court appearance.In court documents filed recently by her attorneys, Holmes cited her newborn baby as a reason why she should be allowed to delay when she reports to prison. Holmes argues that she deserves to remain free while appealing her conviction, a legal process that co...

These are the top 10 vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft, according to Carfax

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Catalytic converter thefts have become a common occurrence across the Bay Area and beyond. Catalytic converters are devices installed in the exhaust system of a car between the car's engine and its muffler that decrease the amount of harmful pollutants released into the atmosphere.Catalytic converters are composed of three precious metals -- platinum, palladium and rhodium -- that make them an appealing target for thieves. Why do people steal catalytic converters? According to Carfax, some vehicle models are more likely to be targeted for catalytic converter theft than others. Information released by the El Cerrito Police Department identified the 10 vehicles most likely to be targeted for catalytic converter theft.Top 10 vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft:Toyota PriusHonda AccordHonda CR-VToyota TacomaFord F Series TruckSubaru ForesterToyota CamryFord EconolineFord ExplorerNissan NVEl Cerrito PD says it has purchased catalytic converter etchin...

Extensive winter rain likely to heighten wildfire risk in California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

(KSWB) – While relentless precipitation across California has eased some of the state’s most concerning environmental conditions, the risk of wildfires along the western coast is likely to increase for residents moving into the dry season.Because of the recent storms, much of the vegetation that had stunted growth over the last few years due to extreme drought has been replenished, but according to experts, this flush could become the perfect tinder for fast-moving wildfires as the plants dry out in the months ahead."When you build up your vegetation to those levels, the fire risk goes up. Just logically, there's more to burn," said Dr. Chris Potter, an ecologist with the Earth Sciences Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center. "That's sort of the downside for our wet years." When will it stop raining in California? Here’s what meteorologists are saying Satellite imaging from NASA's Landsat Program indicates that the state's vegetation cover has recuperated from lows in growth last...

How Iran Won the U.S. War in Iraq

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

In January 2015, as Islamic State militants were waging an offensive across Iraq and Syria, an Iranian intelligence officer known among his colleagues by the code name Boroujerdi sat down for a meeting with an important official: then-Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.The meeting, held at Abadi’s office in Iraq’s presidential palace in Baghdad, took place “without the presence of a secretary or a third person,” according to a report about the discussion contained in a leaked archive of cables from Iran’s shadowy Ministry of Intelligence and Security.Abadi was a member of Iraq’s exiled political class, mostly Shia, who had returned to take power following the U.S. invasion. The two men discussed a range of topics, including the threat of ISIS to the Iraqi state, the role of foreign powers like Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the region, and, finally, the position of the West. On at least one point, they agreed: Despite the threat of ISIS and other regional powers, the political conditi...

The bitcoin bounce: what comes next?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

Markets this year are roiling, uncertainty abounds and the U.S. government has had to step in to rescue two large American banks in recent days. So why is bitcoin, considered among the riskiest bets of them all, rising so fast? Just months ago, all forms of cryptocurrency appeared to be going up in flames, with bitcoin plunging from almost $50,000 at the start of 2022, to less than $17,000 when 2023 rolled around.Bitcoin has since soared more than 60% and it climbed another 8% Friday above $27,000, all in an era of mass layoffs in the tech sector and widespread anxiety about stability in the U.S. banking sector. So what happened? The pandemic was an era of massive growth for both technology companies and crypto. That surge began to wane in late 2021 as people began to travel, go out to restaurants or catch a show. They spent much less time in front of screens and at the same time, the government stimulus checks that allowed people some financial cushion began to run out. Crypto bega...

AP source: Seahawks reach deals with Julian Love, Devin Bush

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks continued the overhaul of their defense on Friday by reaching agreement on a two-year deal with versatile safety Julian Love, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Love’s agreement is worth up to $12 million and came after Seattle announced the signing of former first-round linebacker Devin Bush to a one-year deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the team had not announced Love’s signing. Love’s addition continues Seattle’s spending at the safety position having already heavily invested in Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and the likelihood of a deal in the future for Ryan Neal.Love, who turns 25 on Sunday, started 16 games last season for the New York Giants and recorded career highs in tackles and interceptions. Love played a variety of defensive back positions for the Giants before settling in at safety last season and thriving in the role. Bush’s signing c...

States opt against changes to embattled voter roll system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Election officials from states enrolled in a bipartisan effort to ensure accurate voter lists decided Friday against making changes to the rules that had been pushed by Republicans, some of whom had already decided to leave the system after it was targeted by conspiracy theories tied to the 2020 election. The Electronic Registration Information Center, known as ERIC, has a record of combating voter fraud by identifying those who have died or moved between states. Yet it also has drawn suspicion among conservatives after a series of online stories last year questioning its funding and purpose.Earlier this month, Republican election officials from Florida, Missouri and West Virginia said they planned to withdraw from the group, joining Louisiana and Alabama. Former President Donald Trump, on social media, has called on every Republican-led state to leave, characterizing it as a “terrible Voter Registration System that ’pumps the rolls’ for Democrats and does...