Buster Posey defends Giants owner Greg Johnson after ‘break even’ comments

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Buster Posey defends Giants owner Greg Johnson after ‘break even’ comments SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey, despite his status as part-owner, board member and newly minted local resident, wasn’t on hand Wednesday morning as the Giants introduced their new manager, Bob Melvin. He tuned in remotely, which meant he didn’t miss his partner in the C-suite, club chairman Greg Johnson, briefly interrupt the fanfare with a dose of reality and a splash of cold water.In between pledges to return to the postseason and promises to revamp the roster this offseason, Johnson, the son of majority owner Charles Johnson, was asked about money. The club hasn’t come close to returning to Bobby Evans-era spending levels since they handed the reins to Farhan Zaidi five years ago. Would they consider broaching the luxury tax threshold? Maybe for one year, maybe for the right player, Johnson said.“But,” he said, “we also represent a group that hopefully our goal is to somewhat break even, which is somewhat of a challenge in this business.”Jo...

China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has died at 68

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has died at 68 Associated PressBEIJING (AP) — Former Premier Li Keqiang, China’s top economic official for a decade, died Friday of a heart attack. He was 68.Li was China’s No. 2 leader from 2013-23 and an advocate for private business but was left with little authority after President Xi Jinping made himself the most powerful Chinese leader in decades and tightened control over the economy and society.CCTV said Li had been resting in Shanghai recently and had a heart attack on Thursday. He died at 12:10 a.m. Friday.Li, an English-speaking economist, was considered a contender to succeed then-Communist Party leader Hu Jintao in 2013 but was passed over in favor of Xi. Reversing the Hu era’s consensus-oriented leadership, Xi centralized powers in his own hands, leaving Li and others on the party’s ruling seven-member Standing Committee with little influence.As the top economic official, Li promised to improve conditions for entrepreneurs who generate jobs and wealth. But the...

Woman drank 'semen-contaminated' water served at Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton hotel: lawsuit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Woman drank 'semen-contaminated' water served at Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton hotel: lawsuit (KRON) -- Last year in November, a woman and her husband booked a room at The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, expecting a relaxing four-night stay at the luxurious five-star hotel. What was supposed to be a fun stay to celebrate the wife's birthday turned out to be a horrific experience.The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, drank "semen-contaminated" water served by a Ritz-Carlton staffer, according to a lawsuit Doe filed this month to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. She says she was sexually assaulted and exploited due to the hotel's own negligence from this incident. Walnut Creek residents concerned after series of recent crimes in downtown The lawsuit claims one of the hotel's employees "ejaculated his semen" into a Ritz-Carlton-labeled water bottle and delivered it to the married couple's room. Doe drank the water bottle and realized she may have ingested semen, prompting her and her husband to contact hotel management and...

Kings All-Star Fox becomes first NBA player to sign with Curry Brand

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Kings All-Star Fox becomes first NBA player to sign with Curry Brand (KRON) -- Stephen Curry and De'Aaron Fox may be competitors on the court, but they will now be on the same team off of it. Under Armour announced Thursday that the All-Star Sacramento Kings guard was joining his "Curry Brand," making him the first athlete to do so."SPLASH!!!! The mission continues.…from 2020 when we launched, to this right here! Another step towards Changing the Game for Good! Welcome to the Curry Brand fam (De'Aaron Fox). Let’s get it!" Curry said in a tweet. Purdy back in practice, advances to next phase of concussion protocol Under Armour revealed the news in a 43-second commercial. In the video, Fox talks about carving his own path while wearing Curry Brand gear."For me, it's not about stepping into someone else's legacy," he said. "It's about building your own. Dedicating everything. Putting in your all so that you, the game, and everyone around you are not the same as when you started." The deal will mark a partnership for two players who faced off in a com...

Connor Hellebuyck makes 35 saves, leading the Jets to a 4-1 win over the Red Wings

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Connor Hellebuyck makes 35 saves, leading the Jets to a 4-1 win over the Red Wings DETROIT (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor scored in the first period and Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.The Jets have won three straight and improved to 6-4-0 in their last 10 visits to Detroit.Ehlers opened the scoring with his first goal of the season at 16:28 of the first period. Just over a minute later, Connor added his team-leading fifth goal at 17:30. Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter (empty net) scored in the third period.Lucas Raymond scored at 3:18 of the second period for Detroit. Dylan Larkin and defenseman Moritz Seider assisted on the goal. James Reimer finished with 28 saves.The assist was Seider’s 100th point in 172 games. He is the third-fastest Red Wings defenseman to reach 100 points behind Reed Larson (139 games) and Nicklas Lidström (160 games).Seider, who has six assists in five career games against the Jets, is the fourth Detroit defenseman to reach 100 points before h...

Live updates | Bombardment levels swaths of Gaza after Israeli troops and tanks briefly enter

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Live updates | Bombardment levels swaths of Gaza after Israeli troops and tanks briefly enter More airstrikes have ravaged swaths of the Gaza Strip, and residents are running out of food, water and other supplies. The bombardment continued as the Israeli military said its troops and tanks briefly entered northern Gaza to prepare for a full-scale incursion, the Israeli raid since the war began more than two weeks ago. Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told The Associated Press that the Palestinian militant group needs greater intervention from its allies, including Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in its war with Israel.The war, now in its 20th day, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed so far — more than three times the number killed in the six-week-long Gaza war in 2014. In the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids following Hamas’ surprise rampage on Oct. 7 in southern Israel.The Associated Press couldn&#...

Smith scores twice, Penguins end Colorado’s NHL-record road winning streak at 15 in 4-0 win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Smith scores twice, Penguins end Colorado’s NHL-record road winning streak at 15 in 4-0 win PITTSBURGH (AP) — Reilly Smith scored twice, Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins ended Colorado’s NHL-record road winning streak with a decisive 4-0 victory on Thursday.The Avalanche had won 15 straight away from Ball Arena dating back to March and came in as one of three teams in the league unbeaten on the young season. Both runs came to a halt on a night the Penguins offered a glimpse of the team they hope they can become more regularly over the next six months.Smith beat Alexandar Georgiev twice in the first period to put Colorado down multiple goals for the first time all season. Lars Eller added his first goal for Pittsburgh in the second period and Sidney Crosby scored his fourth goal midway through the third. Jarry did the rest while picking up his 15th career shutout.Georgiev, making his seventh start in seven games, stopped 19 of 23 shots before exiting after Crosby’s goal put the game out of reach 9:25 into the third. Georgiev’s per...

Johansson makes 23 saves, Stamkos has goal and assist, and Lightning hammer Sharks 6-0

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Johansson makes 23 saves, Stamkos has goal and assist, and Lightning hammer Sharks 6-0 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jonas Johansson made 23 saves for his second consecutive shutout, Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning hammered the winless San Jose Sharks 6-0 on Thursday night.Tampa Bay also got goals from Brayden Point, Michael Eyssimont, Brandon Hagel, Nicholas Paul and Luke Glendening.San Jose goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, under constant siege, was pulled at 7:29 of the second after allowing five goals on 21 mostly quality shots.The Sharks have opened the season at 0-6-1. Dating to a 7-2 win at Arizona last Apr. 1, San Jose is winless in 13 games at 0-11-2.“We’ve just to play with more of a competitive edge to our game,” Sharks coach David Quinn said before the game. “I mean, just because you are around a battle doesn’t mean you’re in the battle. There’s a big, big difference. We have to play with a more freakin’ attitude if we’re going to be successful and generate more offense and spend less time in our end.”San Jose has eight goals in its sev...

Hurricane Otis survivors search for friends and necessities in devastated Acapulco

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Hurricane Otis survivors search for friends and necessities in devastated Acapulco ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Survivors of a Category 5 storm that killed at least 27 people as it devastated Mexico’s resort city of Acapulco spent Thursday searching for acquaintances and necessities and hoping that aid would come quickly in the wake of Hurricane Otis.The Pacific storm had strengthened with shocking swiftness before slamming into the coast early Wednesday, and the Mexican government deployed around 10,000 troops to deal with the aftermath. But equipment to move tons of mud and fallen trees from the streets was slow in arriving.Resentment grew Thursday in impoverished neighborhoods as residents worried that government attention would go to repairing infrastructure for the city’s economic engine of tourism rather than helping the neediest. Flora Contreras Santos, a housewife from a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, sought help in looking for a 3-year-old girl who was swept away from her mother in a mudslide. She went from soldier to soldier trying to i...

Fairfax Co. elementary school teacher charged with exposing himself to child

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:17:52 GMT

Fairfax Co. elementary school teacher charged with exposing himself to child A 27-year-old elementary school teacher has been arrested and accused of exposing himself to a child and several others in the Fort Hunt area of Fairfax County, Virginia, police said in a news release Thursday.Police say James Nugent, of Alexandria, a special-education teacher at Groveton Elementary School, approached a child while in his Toyota Sienna near the intersection of Camden Street and Wittington Boulevard around 1:30 p.m. Saturday.Police said Nugent lured the child to his van then exposed himself. The child ran away and called police.Thanks to surveillance from someone in the area, police said they were able to identify the van and Nugent. During a search of his home Thursday morning, police said they found numerous child sex abuse materials. Nugent is charged with taking indecent liberties with child and 13 counts of distributing child porn.Police said they believe Nugent has exposed himself to at least four others near Stratford Elementary School within the past two week...