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Top overall draft pick Paul Skenes gets record $9.2 million signing bonus from Pirates

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Right-hander Paul Skenes, taken by Pittsburgh with the first pick in this month’s amateur draft, agreed Tuesday to a contract that includes a $9.2 million signing bonus.The amount is the highest for a drafted player, topping the $8,416,300 Detroit agreed to with first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2021.Skenes helped LSU to this year’s NCAA title after transferring from Air Force. He was selected Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series after going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 19 starts with 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3. innings.“It was a pretty easy decision, with the organization and the people that are here,” Skenes said. “I was very comfortable wanting to come here. It was overall, a very easy offer, in my opinion, to take.”Skenes’ first step as a professional player will be to report to the Pirates’ spring training complex in Bradenton, Florida. The Pirates will then decide when and where Skenes will make his debut.Gene...

Suspected Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus and the surrounding area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli airstrikes hit the area of Damascus early Wednesday, Syrian state media reported.Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported that Syria’s air defenses had shot down “most of” the missiles. It said in a statement, citing military sources, that two soldiers were injured and there were “some material losses” from the airstrikes.Israeli authorities did not comment immediately.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked war monitor, said the strikes marked the 20th time Israel has struck targets in Syria this year. The observatory said the strikes had hit military sites and warehouses of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government, causing the outbreak of a fire.Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment next door, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of neighboring Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges them.The lasted reported Israeli airstrikes i...

As temperatures soar in Colorado, it's important to take care of your vehicle

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KDVR) -- Technicians at Next Auto Care in Highlands Ranch said they are seeing the impact of the hot weather on some of the vehicles coming into their shop.Lead Technician Travis Sickler said one SUV had a coolant leak and overheated. Now the vehicle needs a new engine. If you had one week in Colorado, where would you go? As the temperatures climb, he said it's important to keep up with maintenance, check for leaks, and make sure you have plenty of coolant and oil.But that's not all. "Heat can do a lot of things to a car. It can be something as simple as the air pressure in your tires changing. I've seen vehicles get hot enough where wiring get real flimsy, so to speak, and can actually cause problems," Sickler said.Sometimes drivers don't see it coming.General Manager Chris Oatman said his wife actually had a problem driving home from camping."Overheated," he said. "She broke down on County Line with three kids in the car and a boat attached."If you get a ...

Boulder man accused of possessing, distributing child sexual abuse material

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A Boulder man was arrested on July 13 after a task force discovered child sexual abuse material on his devices, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said in a release.Jonathan Philip Harris, 39, is facing one count of sexual exploitation of a child - distribution and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child - possession of images. Castle Rock 18-year-old charged for alleged terrorist ties A search warrant was executed on May 2 after an investigation discovered the material. The Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab found it was downloaded to a device connected to the IP address associated with Harris' residence in the 4400 block of Broadway Street. Several devices were seized in the search and "multiple files were found in violation of sexual exploitation of a child." Harris has since been released on a $1,000 cash bond. In addition to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, the task force involved in the investigation consists of BCSO investigators, the Lo...

‘They belong to us’: Several owners of stolen birds in SW Miami-Dade offering rewards for their safe return

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

Six beloved birds in Southwest Miami-Dade are missing after a bird thief carelessly stuffed them into a bag and took off running.The business’ camera footage captured the incident— just one in a string of crimes that Miami-Dade Police believe may be connected. “One of our workers was like ‘The birds are stolen, the birds are stolen.’ I was like ‘What?'” said Javier Almedo of Galloway Farm Nursery on 7790 Southwest 87th Avenue.The business reviewed surveillance video from July 6th that caught a man hopping the fence and then heading for two Amazon parrots.“Sticks his hand in and grabs him,” said Almedo, indicating what he saw on the footage. The bird bandit then ran away with the parrots, Jamie and Paco. Riki and Pepe are two other birds that have also gone missing.“We took the cage away because my wife and my kids were heartbroken,” said Eduardo Muñoz, owner of stolen birds. The Harlequin Macaw and Umbrella Cockatoo were ta...

Trump’s pretrial hearing in classified documents case ends with no immediate decision on trial date

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and prosecutors sparred in court Tuesday over when his landmark criminal trial concerning the mishandling of classified documents should begin, but the judge put off an immediate decision. Judge Aileen Cannon said she would issue a written order after the nearly two-hour hearing in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where lawyers for Trump pressed for an indefinite delay of a trial date. Trump’s lawyers say they need more time to prepare for what they describe as a complex case with a huge amount of evidence to review. They also argue the former president can’t get a fair trial ahead of the 2024 election, in which he is seeking to reclaim the White House. Prosecutors have proposed that the trial begin in December, saying the case is not complex and there’s no need for a lengthy delay. Prosecutor David Harbach told the judge that Trum...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says list of critics meant to protect city workers, not intimidate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

Mayor Michelle Wu said she was not seeking to intimidate the people included on the list of critics she provided to the Boston Police Department.Rather, the list was made after “threats” and “explicit violence” committed by the included critics reached a tipping point at last year’s Dorchester Day Parade, and the city was forced to implement an entirely new safety plan for future public events, Wu told reporters on Tuesday.“This is really a matter of safety and having to protect the city workers who unfortunately like my family for over a year have been subject to situations that have crossed the line,” Wu said at an unrelated City Hall event.Wu dismissed the notions that her list was similar to the so-called enemies lists compiled by former President Richard Nixon with a laugh, stating, “I certainly wasn’t around then and have no sense that there’s any relevancy.”“The people who were on this list, that was in preparation for safety — safety prep for a parade,” Wu said. “The reality...

Photos: Extreme weather surges around the world

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

The first two weeks of July have seen a striking surge of wildfires, extreme heat, flooding, and drought across the globe. Tornadoes have hit Denver, Chicago and Boston, while five people – including two children – died after being swept away by flash flooding in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke cities in the Northeast, while a massive swath of states in the southern half of the country remain under heat warnings.The extreme weather is not isolated to the U.S. Much of Europe has been afflicted by a heat wave named Cerberus, the multi-headed dog that guards the underworld of Greek myth. Spain, Switzerland, Lebanon, and Greece are also battling wildfires. India, Pakistan, and Japan have been hit by devastating floods and landslides, and people are being forced to ration water due to a drought in Costa Rica.PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 16: In an aerial view, a billboard displays the temperature that was forecast to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit ...

Trevor Gott feels his pitch command ‘is the best’ it has been in his career

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

Trevor Gott’s career trajectory started fast, plateaued even faster and has gone up and down a few times since. The right-hander might be in a good spot now — so good the Mets were willing to take on the salary of another pitcher to get him in a trade with the Seattle Mariners — but it was only two years ago that he was in Triple-A, trying to figure out how to use all of his pitches effectively again.Gott came to the Mets in a trade with the Mariners right before the Mets went on a six-game winning streak a few weeks ago. With the club desperately trying to get back into the Wild Card race, some bullpen bolstering was badly needed. He checked all of the boxes for the Mets with five pitches that he could command.“I feel like my command is the best it’s been in my career with all of my pitches,” Gott told the Daily News.It wasn’t always this way. It took an entire year in Triple-A to figure out how to do that again.Less than two years after th...

Colorado teen accused of trying to go to Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:26 GMT

By COLLEEN SLEVIN (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — An 18-year-old from suburban Denver who allegedly planned to go to Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group was arrested last week as he tried to board a flight to Turkey.Davin Daniel Meyer of Castle Rock, who was arrested Friday, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced late Monday.Meyer’s lawyer did not immediately return a telephone message or email seeking comment. According to his arrest affidavit, law enforcement began investigating him in June 2022 when someone who knew him contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The person said they were concerned because, after following white supremacist ideology, Meyer, then 17, had turned to Islam and was frequently watching and listening to “radical Islamic sermons online.” The FBI was notified by the sheriff’s office, it ...