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OBF: Pennant fever? Red Sox begin season amid astounding sense of apathy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

The Red Sox open the 2023 season Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park.First pitch against Baltimore is at 2:10 p.m.Pregame festivities begin at 12:30 with the ceremonial raising of the White Flag to honorBoston’s 2022 last-place finish.Plenty of good seats are still available.For Opening Day.At list price.Or below.And it isn’t even going to snow.That’s not a throwaway line. It’s a sobering truth. As of this writing, dozens of seats betweenfirst and third base were still available for list price (plus fees) through the Red Sox official ticketwebsite. For Opening Day. The crash in the secondary ticket market rivals that of FTX.And not all these available seats are strategically positioned behind poles. One example:Section 24, Row 9, Seats 1-4. Each seat offers a clear and unobstructed view of the entireplaying field – save for a spot in the deep left-field corner. Nothing but Fenway Park’s pristine,hallowed field, an 80-foot-long MassMutual sign above the big screen, and the alluringBetM...

Alabama police officer killed, another wounded in shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama police officer has died and another was critically wounded after being shot by a man who was captured after barricading himself inside an apartment, authorities said.A woman called 911 on Tuesday afternoon and reported that she had been shot, Huntsville Deputy Police Chief Michael Johnson told news outlets. Officers arriving at the scene found the shooting victim, whose injuries were not life-threatening. The suspect fired at the two officers, hitting them both, and barricaded himself inside an apartment. The officers were transported to a hospital, where one died from his injuries and the other underwent emergency surgery and was in critical condition, city officials said in a news release.The suspect was apprehended a little more than an hour later and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.“This is a devastating loss for our department, the Huntsville community and the state of Alabama,” Huntsville Police C...

Police: Man who jumped to death in UAE killed wife, 2 kids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A man in the United Arab Emirates’ sheikhdom of Sharjah jumped off a balcony to his death after killing his wife and two children, police said Wednesday. Officers found the man, whom police only described as an Asian in his 30s, with a paper in his clothing that contained an apparent confession that he committed the slayings, Sharjah police said. Investigators entered his apartment and discovered “that the information in the letter was correct,” police said. They did not elaborate. Sharjah is a neighboring emirate to Dubai. The Associated Press

Spanish judge releases fugitive Catalan Euro MP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

Madrid (AP) — A Spanish Supreme Court judge on Wednesday ordered the release of Clara Ponsatí, a Euro MP and a former regional Catalan government Cabinet member who fled Spain five years ago after a failed independence bid for Catalonia. Ponsatí, who is a member of the Together for Catalonia party, was released after being detained a day earlier when she entered Spain and held a press conference in Barcelona. She faces charges of disobeying the law for helping stage Catalonia´s illegal independence referendum in 2017. Hours after her release, Ponsatí flew to Brussel for a European Parliament meeting but must appear before court on April 24 and be constantly trackable by Spanish authorities. If convicted of disobeying explicit court injunctions not to proceed with the breakaway referendum, Ponsatí could face a fine and be barred from public office for up to two years but will not face prison.She previously faced charges of sedition, which would have meant time in prison, but a recent...

Germany’s high court orders amendment of child marriage ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s constitutional court ruled Wednesday that a law banning child marriages needs to be amended because it removes the possibility of continuing a marriage once both spouses become adults. The German government passed the law in 2017 with the stated purpose of protecting girls who were married abroad. A large number of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan arrived in Germany in 2015.The Federal Constitutional Court said marriages of individuals under age 16 conducted in other countries still may be declared null and void without an examination of the circumstances of the case. But the justices said there should be a way for such unions to remain legal if both people have since reached adulthood. The court also ruled that the law needs to be amended to provide for spousal support after a divorce.The court instructed the government and lawmakers to revise the law by mid-2024.The Associated Press

Sweden summons Russian envoy over ‘retaliation’ remark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s Foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned the Russian ambassador after Moscow’s diplomatic mission to Stockholm posted on its website that the Scandinavian country would become a “legitimate target for Russia’s retaliatory measures” if it joins NATO. Foreign Minister Tobias Billström decried what he called an ”obvious attempt at influence.” Billström told Swedish news agency TT that the country’s security policy is determined by its government and no one else. It’s unclear when the Russian ambassador will appear at the Foreign Ministry.In May, Sweden and neighboring Finland angered Moscow after jointly applying for NATO membership, abandoning decades of non-alignment in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Sweden’s bid has stalled due to opposition from Turkey whose president has said his country wouldn’t ratify membership before disputes between Ankara and Stockholm are resolved. The Turkish government has accused Sweden ...

Reparations for Black Californians could top $800 billion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It could cost California more than $800 billion to compensate Black residents for generations of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination, economists have told a state panel considering reparations.The preliminary estimate is more than 2.5 times California’s $300 billion annual budget, and does not include a recommended $1 million per older Black resident for health disparities that have shortened their average life span. Nor does the figure count compensating people for property unjustly taken by the government or devaluing Black businesses, two other harms the task force says the state perpetuated. Black residents may not receive cash payments anytime soon, if ever, because the state may never adopt the economists’ calculations. The reparations task force is scheduled to discuss the numbers Wednesday and can vote to adopt the suggestions or come up with its own figures. The proposed number comes from a consulting tea...

Woman found shot to death in Chatham alley

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman was shot and killed early Wednesday in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood neighborhood.According to police, officers responded to a Shotspotter alert in an alley in the 7900 block of South Vincennes around 1 a.m.Officers located the woman who was unresponsive. She was taken to the emergency room with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesShe has not been identified.No one is in custody.Police are investigating.

Cloudy, light snow possible before temps bounce back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

Wednesday is set to be cloudy with some light snow possible in parts of the Chicago area.Clouds will decrease as the day goes on, NNW 10-15 G25. High of 39 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Wednesday night will be mostly clear. NNE 0-5. Low of 24Thursday will see increasing clouds with a chance of rain later in the day. SSE 5-10 G20. High of 52 and low of 48

WATCH: 33 swimmers were harassing dolphins, Hawaii authorities say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:05 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii authorities on Tuesday say they have referred 33 people to U.S. law enforcement after the group allegedly harassed a pod of wild dolphins in waters off the Big Island.It's against federal law to swim within 50 yards (45 meters) of spinner dolphins in Hawaii’s nearshore waters. The prohibition went into effect in 2021 amid concerns that so many tourists were swimming with dolphins that the nocturnal animals weren’t getting the rest they need during the day to be able to forage for food at night.In this photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, department enforcement officers speak to swimmers in Honaunau, Hawaii, March 26, 2023, after the swimmers allegedly harassed a pod of wild spinner dolphins. (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)In this photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, department enforcement officers speak to swimmers in Honaunau, Hawaii, March 26, 2023, after t...