After slow start, Twins’ Jose Miranda breaks through at plate

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

After slow start, Twins’ Jose Miranda breaks through at plate The hopeful signs were there for Jose Miranda.After spending the first part of the season hitting the ball into the ground repeatedly, he finally had started feeling more like himself at the plate. And Wednesday, the third baseman slugged his first two home runs of the season, driving in three Twins six runs in a 12-6 loss to the New York Yankees.“This is the type of day we were looking to see from him,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “The types of at-bats he’s had over the last week were signaling positive things for Jose, and he was making some better decisions. He was, again, using the whole field. He was doing the things we wanted to see that eventually lead to bigger swings.”Miranda was hitless during the first two games of the series, but had been 7 for 19 (.368) in the five games before that, as he started to get the results he sought at the plate.“The past few games felt OK, but the five or six games before that, something was starting to click a little bit,” Miranda said. “Hi...

Scheibel, Bolon, Carlson, Ploger: For Hamline University, a phoenix moment

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

Scheibel, Bolon, Carlson, Ploger: For Hamline University, a phoenix moment It has been a tumultuous year for Hamline University. The crisis about academic freedom and diversity centered us in a debate that was reported across the globe.Now a working group of students, faculty and staff are beginning an assessment process to discover what is needed to bring the campus together. The crisis has made us examine how to be a vibrant and relevant institution of higher education in today’s world.Hamline University is poised for a phoenix moment. In mythology, the phoenix is a firebird that arises reborn from its own ashes.It’s an important moment for Minnesota’s oldest university as it has the opportunity to rise up.Hamline may not be unique from other private liberal-arts institutions in its needs for contemporary branding, a rich curriculum, met-budgets, and strong enrollment. However, what Hamline has faced in early 2023 has provided it an opportunity to “take the lead” in reimagining itself. And that makes it unique.As is typical of colleges and universi...

Other voices: Stop sniping and work on stopping fentanyl gangs

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

Other voices: Stop sniping and work on stopping fentanyl gangs A round of indictments against a major Mexican fentanyl trafficking ring last week presents an opportunity to hobble the multinational drug enterprise killing people on both sides of the border — but only if leaders in the United States and Mexico can stop sniping at each other and overcome a rift between them.U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, announcing the indictments against Sinaloa cartel leaders and other alleged drug traffickers Friday, called it “the largest, most violent and prolific fentanyl traffic operation in the world.” But it didn’t take long for Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to question the investigation that led to the charges against Los Chapitos, four sons of the infamous drug lord Joaquín Guzmán, known as El Chapo and believed to have handed leadership of the Sinaloa cartel to his sons. López Obrador on Monday accused the U.S. government of spying and violating Mexico’s national sovereignty.Such discord is, unfort...

Woman dealing with nesting neighbor

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

Woman dealing with nesting neighbor SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - As spring has sprung and nature comes back to life, a turf war is developing in Schoharie Village and NEWS10 is on the frontlines.Here in the village of Schoharie where most neighbors get along, one woman is battling it out with the community’s newest residents. No names added to DWI Victims Memorial, this year Meredith Foster has a new neighbor 10 feet from her back porch that she says threatens her safety.“They started moving in in 2019. They started scoping out my property,” said Foster.These neighbors don’t just live next door, they live in a tree. Meredith has named him Daryl and says she has been dive-bombed several times by him and his family, while working in her backyard or relaxing on the patio.“They are very aggressive. And if you make a movement, they don’t like, they can go for you,” said Foster.She says she has reached out to several agencies for help with her fickle feathered friends, including the Department of Environmental Conservation....

NYS Budget: Republican lawmakers don't want messages of necessity

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

NYS Budget: Republican lawmakers don't want messages of necessity ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--- The New York State budget is nearly a month late. In a letter to the Governor, the state comptroller said a budget or budget extender must happen no later than noon on Tuesday in order for state workers to get paid on time."We’ve been told today that we don’t need to do another extender on the budget until next Tuesday," said Senator Tom O'Mara. "So we don’t know when the next day of session will be. We are now 26 days late on the state budget. The latest budget in 13 years."Republican lawmakers on Wednesday held a press conference saying that while they are still awaiting to see what’s included in the final budget, they want time to read the bills before voting."We’re here today to demand that the governor not issue messages of necessity on this budget when the bills are done, when the agreements are made," said O'Mara. And if the governor does issue messages of necessity, that the leaders of the legislative majority do not accept those and allow these budg...

Three Kings blaze started in back of the building, firefighters say

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

Three Kings blaze started in back of the building, firefighters say UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. – An early morning fire in the Delmar Loop destroyed one business and left a firefighter injured.The University City Fire Department received a call around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday for a fire that had fully engulfed the flagship location for Three Kings Public House.“They had heavy fire inside Three Kings and in the rear of the building,” University City Fire Department Chief Bill Hinson said. “Some crews went in to evacuate the residents, which were already evacuated. They started checking the walls and found there was fire on the first, second, and third floors of the walls, following the pipe chases and utility chases.” Top Story: Mushroom hunter describes discovering body in the woods By all accounts, a prepared team of firefighters, with assistance from St. Louis City and County units, were able to contain the fire and make sure no one else was injured. One firefighter suffered only minor injuries while extinguishing the blaze.Three Kings management released a...

'Weirdest St. Louis thing?' Funny comments from FOX 2 fans

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

'Weirdest St. Louis thing?' Funny comments from FOX 2 fans ST. LOUIS -- What's the weirdest thing you've seen in St. Louis? That is the question FOX 2 posed to Facebook and YouTube fans Friday. We received thousands of creative, funny, and sarcastic comments.Many people stated that it could take a long time to come up with a list. Others joked that they didn't know where to start. Some people tagged friends, while others said that the entire city was weird, or that they were strange. This St. Louis restaurant has the best soul food in Missouri, food writers say Some fans did get specific about the weird things they've encountered while living in the area. Here are a few selected comments and some more information about the topics our fans chose to highlight.Weird St. Louis things"Naked bike ride throughout the city," recalls Brenda. Yes, that is strange. Check out our pics from last year."Pickle jar on Manchester and 270," writes Lisa. Yes, you can often see a pickle jar there. It also has a very active Facebook group called Team Pickle, ...

Cardinals option rookie Jordan Walker to minors

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

Cardinals option rookie Jordan Walker to minors SAN FRANCISCO - The St. Louis Cardinals have optioned rookie outfielder Jordan Walker to Triple-A Memphis, less than a month after his MLB debut. Walker had been held out of the lineup in three of the past four games, and five times in the Cardinals' last 11 games. Before that, he had started 13 consecutive contests and opened his MLB career on a historic 12-game hitting streak. Though some rest always seemed inevitable on a crowded Cardinals roster, Walker's absences from starting lineups have mounted in recent weeks. The Cardinals, searching for answers to one of their slowest starts in nearly half a century, have shuffled lineups on a near-daily basis. St. Louis has also dropped its last four without the 20-year-old rookie in the starting lineup, leaving many fans wondering whether there's something more behind the decision. This St. Louis restaurant has the best soul food in Missouri, food writers say Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told several media members Tuesday, including ...

House Republicans pass US debt bill, push Biden on spending

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

House Republicans pass US debt bill, push Biden on spending By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government’s legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer.The bill passed by a razor-thin 217-215 margin.Biden has threatened to veto the Republican package, which has almost no chance of passing the Democratic Senate in the meantime, and the president has so far refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling which the White House insists must be lifted with no strings to ensure America pays its bills.But McCarthy’s ability to unite his slim majority and bring the measure to passage over opposition from Democrats and even holdouts in his own party gives currency to the Republican speaker’s strategy to use the vote as an opening bid for...

The way of Ukraine to systemic reforms

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:35:22 GMT

The way of Ukraine to systemic reforms The official logo of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of UkraineSince the Russian Federation’s aggression in 2014, the United States and European countries have constantly supported Ukraine. The European Union has allocated money for different programs, starting from social programs, education, healthcare, energy efficiency, environmental protection, and other programs. After the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022, the aid from European Union significantly increased. One of the conditions of the European aid’s continuation includes reforms, particularly anti-corruption reforms. During the 24th Ukraine-EU summit in February 2023, the European Council and the European Commission admitted the fight against corruption and particularly welcomed the progress in ensuring the independent and effective work of anti-corruption institutions. However, people in Ukraine and Western countries sometimes wonder whether this fight is truly effective.How much money does the EU give Ukraine?Since ...