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DeSantis signs new bills targeting trans kids, pronouns, drag shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

By Brendan Farrington | Associated PressTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed bills Wednesday that ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of personal pronouns in schools and force people to use certain bathrooms.DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ+ legislation a large part of his agenda as he prepares to seek the Republican presidential nomination. He signed the bills in front of a cheering crowd at the evangelical Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. The ceremony had a campaign-like feel, with DeSantis tossing Sharpies to a crowd, as opposed to when he privately signed measures on abortion and gun rights.Democrats opposed the bills and LBTQ+ rallies were held at the Capitol during the session that ended two weeks ago, but Republicans have a super-majority in both chambers and easily approved the bills for DeSantis’ signature.“It’s kind of sad that we even have some of these discussions,” DeSantis told the crowd, ...

No homers, so what? SF Giants use timely hitting to beat Phillies, sweep first series of 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Where, oh, where have the home runs gone? After being held homerless for a second straight game and completing a sweep of the Phillies, anyway, who cares?One of the homer-happiest teams in the majors, the Giants were starved of the long ball for a second straight game Wednesday. And for the second straight game, it didn’t matter. San Francisco recorded double-digit hits for the second game in a row, too, and proved it could win without the long ball.Beating the Phillies 7-4, the Giants completed their first series sweep of the season.Over the course of the series, the Giants homered only once (Michael Conforto’s three-run shot in the second inning Monday) but outscored the Phillies 17-10.Two straight games without a home run — what’s the big deal? Every team goes dry every once in a while, right? Why, yes, in fact. Entering Wednesday’s series finale, 29 of MLB’s 30 teams had been kept in the yard for at least one two-game stretch. ...

Arizona pitcher accidentally kills bird with throw before game in Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

OAKLAND — Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers aspire to be like Randy Johnson.Zac Gallen unintentionally got really close to emulating the Hall of Famer.While warming up in the outfield before Arizona’s game against the A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday, Gallen threw a curveball that hit a bird in midflight, apparently killing the animal.The throw was captured by cameras for Diamondbacks’ broadcaster Bally Sports Arizona.Johnson, a Livermore native, infamously killed a bird during a spring training game in 2001. While throwing a pitch against the Giants, a bird crossed in front of home plate and was destroyed by the baseball.Gallen’s incident happened one day before the anniversary of Johnson pitching a perfect game for Arizona against the Atlanta Braves in 2004.Zac Gallen really hit a bird with a curveball. pic.twitter.com/T6XOZudoMH— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) May 17, 2023Gallen, 27, is in his fifth big league season and his fourth in Arizona. This year, he...

“He purposefully drove off:” Man who drove Tesla off cliff did it intentionally, wife says in newly unsealed court records

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

REDWOOD CITY — The wife of a man who drove his Tesla off a cliff with his family inside told police after she was rescued that her husband did it on purpose, newly unsealed records in the harrowing attempted murder case show.The three-page court affidavit released Tuesday offers the first public statements from Neha Patel and sheds more light on the near-death experiences of the wife and her two young children after Dharmesh Patel drove off a coastal San Mateo County cliff on Jan. 2.“He drove off. He’s depressed. He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposefully drove off,” Neha Patel said to a California Highway Patrol officer as she was being airlifted out of Devil’s Slide to Stanford Hospital, according to the records.Dharmesh Patel — a radiologist from Pasadena — has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. His attorney, Joshua Bentley, did not return a request for comment on Wednesday.Besides the wife’...

Montana gov. signs bill banning TikTok; challenge expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

By Amy Beth Hanson and Haleluya Hadero | Associated PressHELENA, Mont. — Montana became the first state in the U.S. to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday when Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app.The measure is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned.“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said in a statement.TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has said it will fight for Montana residents to be able to use the app.Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chi...

Harry and Meghan’s cab driver in paparazzi ordeal ‘wouldn’t call it a chase,’ as NYPD downplays the danger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

Queen Elizabeth III’s famous statement, “recollections may vary,” might apply to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s claim that they became prey Tuesday night to a “near catastrophic” pursuit by paparazzi through the streets of New York, with photographers allegedly causing multiple near collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.While Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson described a two-hour ordeal that is reminiscent of “The French Connection,” New York City police officials and a taxi driver briefly enlisted to help the couple evade the paparazzi offered far less dramatic accounts. A NYPD spokesperson agreed that there were numerous photographers following the couple Tuesday night, which made their “transport challenging.” But the spokesperson, Julian Philips, also said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination safely and there were no reported collisions or injuries and no one was a...

Woman arrested after meth, thousands in cash seized in Santa Rosa drug bust

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman was arrested Wednesday for being involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in Santa Rosa, the Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) said in an alert. The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Santa Rosa resident Maria Mondragon. Man arrested after stabbing at Safeway parking lot in Santa Rosa: police Mondragon was arrested around 10:40 a.m. when she was in her car on the 1100 block of Sebastopol Road. Authorities then served a search warrant and found six ounces of suspected meth packaged for sale and approximately $6,770 in cash (pictured above), according to SRPD. SRPD detectives began their investigation into a local meth distributor back in January of this year. They eventually identified the suspect to be Mondragon. Mondragon was booked into Sonoma County Jail for possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation of a controlled substance for sale. Her bail is currently set at $250,000, according to Sonoma County Jail records. KRON On is s...

Md. man leads Virginia State police on chase in stolen SUV, rams into trooper car

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

The disabled Virginia State Police SUV that was rammed multiple times during a stolen car pursuit on May 17, 2023. (Courtesy Virginia State Police)Police say a man from Brooklyn, Maryland, stole an SUV from a dealership in Prince William County, Virginia, on Wednesday morning, ramming into a Virginia State trooper vehicle multiple times after leading them on a chase.Prince William County police said that a GMC Yukon from the Koons dealership on Richmond Highway was reported stolen around 10:40 a.m. A detective located the vehicle and attempted to arrest the driver, but he fled the scene, according to police.The vehicle headed north, where the Virginia State Police identified the stolen SUV as it was headed into Fairfax County on Route 1.A state trooper activated his emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop, but the SUV driver would not stop and sped off, according to officials. The trooper pursued the stolen vehicle, and officers said the driver rammed the state trooper...

Outman hits grand slam to propel Dodgers to 7-3 victory over Twins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Outman hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo homered for the Twins, who dropped two of the three in a matchup of division leaders.The Dodgers trailed 3-2 in the seventh before scoring five runs all with two outs. Will Smith tied it after Emilio Pagan walked Miguel Vargas with the bases loaded and Outman put them on top when he drove a first-pitch fastball over the wall in center. It was the rookie outfielder’s ninth home run of the season and second career grand slam.José De León (0-1) took the loss after he allowed two-out base hits to Smith and Max Muncy in the seventh. Brusdar Graterol (2-1) got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in what was largely a bullpen game for the Dodgers. Starter Dustin May left after the first inning due to right elbow pain. May had Tommy John Surgery two years ago.Manager Dave Roberts said af...

Plebes no more! Naval Academy students complete famed ‘Herndon Climb’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

It started and ended with the shot of a cannon.After all the grease was wiped away, the class of 2026 at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, were plebes no more—now midshipmen and women.It was 21 feet to glory for the annual Herndon Climb, where first-year students are tasked with scaling a greased monument — erected in honor of Cmdr. William “Bill” Herndon — to knock off the “dixie cup” on top, and plant the hat of an upperclassman on top of the marker in its place.(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "c9893ec4-62d9-4808-9776-85267fdb84be"}).render("7219b17b87c54a749d1a961410c888f5"); });It took a little over two and half hours on a brisk Wednesday morning, with older midshipmen dousing plebes with water the whole time, for the first-year academy studen...