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Ian Happ’s 2 home runs fuel the Chicago Cubs’ 9-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the London Series

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

A few hours before the Chicago Cubs took the field at London Stadium on Saturday night, Ian Happ acknowledged the attention around the makeshift ballpark’s dimension changes after the inaugural series’ offensive onslaught in 2019.Between the walls in center field and the power alleys getting pushed back and a change with the baseball used in this event four years ago, Happ surmised their matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn’t feature the same hitter-friendly setting.”I don’t think it’s going to be like a home run derby out there,” Happ predicted.Happ, though, put on a show, slugging two home runs in the Cubs’ 9-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. He hit a homer in each of his first two at-bats, both off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright. The Cubs (37-38) bookended their scoring on the international stage with Dansby Swanson going deep for a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth.Happ donated the Chicago flag-inspired bat...

White Sox walk off Red Sox after James Paxton exits with knee soreness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

After going at least six innings and throwing at least 91 pitches in each of his last three starts, it was concerning when James Paxton didn’t return for the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.The veteran left-hander was only at 63 pitches when the fourth ended. Within the hour, the Red Sox announced that he’d departed with right knee soreness. It was that kind of day for the Red Sox, who lost 5-4 to the host Chicago White Sox after allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth.Postgame, Paxton admitted that he felt his knee flare up “a little bit” during his last start in Minnesota, but attempted to assuage concerns by saying that he thinks he’ll be ready for his next start.“I think I’ll be, I’m good going forward,” the veteran southpaw told reporters. “Just a little bit of soreness.”“No concern,” Alex Cora agreed. “He was sore, so we were thinking ahead.”But given Paxton’...

Fire in abandoned East Village home prompts two-alarm response

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A two-alarm fire broke out at an abandoned home in East Village Saturday afternoon, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue.Around 4:12 p.m., crews were alerted to the fire in a home on the 1700 block of Island Avenue. The incident was raised to a two-alarm, given the fire's proximity to several large apartment buildings.Aerial view of a fire in an East Village abandoned home on June 24, 2023. (San Diego Fire-Rescue)As of 5 p.m., SDFD said the fire has burned two structures and remains active.Officials are asking residents to avoid the area of the next few hours while crews work contain and extinguish the fire.At this time, no evacuations, fatalities or injuries have been reported by SDFD. The cause of the fire remains unknown.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Assistant Josh Eilert picked as interim coach at West Virginia, replacing Hall of Famer Bob Huggins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

Assistant Josh Eilert has been selected as the interim coach at West Virginia, punctuating a hectic week after Bob Huggins resigned following a drunken driving arrest.Eilert, who has no previous head coaching experience, emerged as athletic director Wren Baker’s choice to shepherd the team through a challenging offseason stretch. Baker stayed in-house and chose not to hire a full-time coach given the limited options of conducting a nationwide search in June and the urgency of finding someone — anyone — with the start of practice only four months away.“I spoke with knowledgeable basketball people around the country over the last week, including coaches, professional basketball executives and others of whom I trust to identify a strong group of candidates to speak with,” Baker said in a statement announcing the move Saturday night. “Ultimately what I came to recognize, was that conducting this search in late June was difficult for many of our candidates and also it put our talented st...

Sister, mother, wife, soldier, pastor: Dr. Lightsey's journey through self-discovery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

CHICAGO — If you give her a moment, the smile on Dr. Pamela Lightsey’s face will bring you in, as she tells you the story of her life. Her style is that of a preacher, for good reason.  She is one.Lightsey, the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Meadville Lombard Theological School in downtown Chicago, is writing her third book, drawing on her intersectionality of being a black woman, a Christian minister, a mother, a queer lesbian who lived in the closet for years and a U.S. Army Veteran.She grew up in South Florida in a low-income family. Despite financial hardships and being one of the first generations to face the blow back of school desegregation, she felt supported by family and teachers who saw her potential.“I had several Black teachers who thought I was smart and who invested in me and always encouraged me to go to school,” Lightsey said. “I didn’t go directly into college. I went directly into the military.” Stunning photos document gay, Black life i...

Revival of ‘Steamworks: The Musical’ reflects changing attitudes toward gender identity, HIV status

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

CHICAGO — The Annoyance Theatre in Lake View is one of the city’s edgy and experimental improv comedy clubs. And it’s also home to some of the city’s best queer theatre productions. One of the most beloved is “Steamworks: The Musical,” a show that has been revived with new songs and characters to be more inclusive.“Steamworks: The Musical” is a send-up of “Alice in Wonderland,” set in a fictionalized version of legendary Boystown bathhouse, Steamworks. A newly-out-of-the closet young man has just arrived in Chicago from small town Nebraska, wondering how he’ll fit in in the big city.“So we have Al as our ‘Alice,’ Steven Stefan as our ‘white rabbit,’ that Al follows into the hole of Steamworks,” said Mary Catherine Curran, the show’s director. “The idea that you never know what’s going to happen when you go into Steamworks.”It’s a humorous journey through the rooms of the bathhouse, in which Al encounters a number of characters, wearing only their bath towels, who each teach him hu...

Shooting at Michigan street party leaves 2 dead, 15 injured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

(The Hill) — Two people were killed and 15 others were injured in a shooting at a street party in Saginaw, Mich., early Saturday morning, state police said.Police began receiving calls about the shooting shortly after midnight, according to a news release from Michigan State Police.  Previous passengers recall ill-fated Titan: ‘I 100% knew this was going to happen’ A preliminary investigation suggested that shots were fired after a fight broke out between partygoers, leading others in the crowd to begin shooting in response, state police said. At least five different caliber weapons were used in the incident.A 19-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman were killed, while 15 others were transported to local hospitals to receive medical treatment. His LGBTQ teen book is one of the most banned in the U.S. Here’s why he keeps writing Some of the victims were injured by gunshots, while others were injured after being struck by cars as people attempted to flee the scene, according to th...

Travis Co. Clerk's Office celebrating Marriage Equality Day with free wedding ceremonies Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Travis County Clerk's Office is celebrating Pride month, as well as the eighth anniversary of marriage equality on Monday, with free wedding ceremonies conducted by Judge Nicholas Chu, the clerk's office said in a news release.Twenty-four couples are scheduled to be married Monday, with weddings taking place throughout the day, the release said.On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court determined the constitution recognized a right to same-sex marriage via Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, the release said. Earlier that year, the Travis County Clerk's office issued the first marriage license to a same-sex couple in Texas.“This is an important moment for Travis County to reaffirm its commitment to civil rights,equality, and protecting the right to marry who you love. I’m grateful to Travis County ClerkLimon-Mercado and her office’s work in making sure Travis County is at the forefront of beinginclusive and supportive of all members of our community,” Chu said in the release...

1,350 riders attend Harley-Davidson rally in St. Charles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – More than 1,200 Harley-Davidson riders from across the country descended on St. Charles this week for the Mid-America H.O.G. Rally. On Saturday, the group lined the streets of St. Charles for a parade of flags, representing chapters of Harley owners across America.The parade kicked off at 4 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Boat House. The riders then traveled down Riverside Drive to Clark Street, then took Clark to Second Street. Police share image of teens wanted for questioning in St. Louis mass shooting They drove down Second Street through Frenchtown to the roundabout, went up to Fifth Street, traveled down Fifth to Boone's Lick, and back to the Lewis and Clark Boat House."The parade is for the benefit of the local business and the local people that are allowing us to do this here,” said Paul Blotske, St. Charles regional manager of Harley-Davison Owners Group (HOG). “So, we want to show off our bikes to the locals.”

Keeler: Deion Sanders’ secret? The harder you root for CU Buffs to fail, the stronger Coach Prime gets. “They don’t like it because they know he’s going to be good.”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:08 GMT

Cripes, he scares them. If you’re a college football coach, Deion Sanders is the telephone, the automobile and the atom bomb all rolled into one, dropped in a Louis Vuitton bag from a Mile High.Because if it works, if he works, oh, Lordy. It changes the game. It changes everything. Forever.“Opposing coaches around the country ask me more about Deion than fans ask me about Deion,” FOX Sports analyst and former CU Buffs quarterback Joel Klatt told me earlier this month. “And they don’t like it. They don’t like it because they know he’s going to be good.”The fear is the fun part. Coach’s Prime revolution will be televised, and if you’re a CU fan, the louder the protests from the establishment, the sweeter the compliment. Boulder is college football’s new Trinity Site, the sort of experiment in power and process that has NCAA lifers rooting for a 3-9 fall.At least Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi had the stones to stick a name behind his anti-Sanders barbs. Which is more than you can say for at leas...