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Verlander going back to Houston highlights flurry of MLB trades ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — In a matter of days, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer went from teammates on the New York Mets to opposite sides of a Lone Star rivalry.That’s how it goes this time of year.Verlander was shipped from New York to Houston ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, returning to the Astros after he helped them win the World Series last year. The retooling Mets received minor league outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in the deal.“It’s a big day when you have your Cy Young guy come back,” Houston owner Jim Crane told The Associated Press.Verlander’s reunion with the Astros headlined a deadline day that seemed more suited for the sellers than the buyers. With a handful of talented players staying on their underwhelming teams, there were no huge surprises. “This was a very strong sellers’ market,” Phillies President Dave Dombrowski said. “There were very few clubs that were actually looking to sell, and a lot of clubs that were willing to buy.”Looking...

Utah law requiring age verification for porn sites remains in effect after judge tosses lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah law requiring adult websites to verify the age of their users will remain in effect after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from an industry group challenging its constitutionality.The dismissal poses a setback for digital privacy advocates and the Free Speech Coalition, which sued on behalf of adult entertainers, erotica authors, sex educators and casual porn viewers over the Utah law — and another in Louisiana — designed to limit access to materials considered vulgar or explicit.U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart did not address the group’s arguments that the law unfairly discriminates against certain kinds of speech, violates the First Amendment rights of porn providers and intrudes on the privacy of individuals who want to view sexually explicit materials.Dismissing their lawsuit on Tuesday, he instead said they couldn’t sue Utah officials because of how the law calls for age verification to be enforced. The law doesn’t direct ...

Grand jury indicts man accused of shooting and killing 1 and injuring 4 at Atlanta medical practice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A man accused of shooting and killing one woman and injuring four others when he opened fire inside the waiting room of an Atlanta medical practice has been indicted on charges including murder.A Fulton County grand jury indicted Deion Patterson on Thursday in the May 3 shooting in the city’s Midtown neighborhood. He was captured hours later in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta.Amy St. Pierre, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene. Patterson is charged with murder and felony murder in her death.He is charged with four counts of attempted murder, one count each in the shootings of Jazzmin Daniel, Lisa Glynn, Alesha Hollinger and Georgette Whitlow. Patterson is represented by a team from the Georgia Public Defender Council led by attorney Shawn Hoover.“A veteran with a history of mental health issues, Mr. Patterson is innocent until proven otherwise,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. “His defense team is working tirelessly on his behalf and ...

Missouri man executed for 2002 abduction, killing of 6-year-old girl lured to abandoned factory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — A man who abducted a 6-year-old Missouri girl and beat her to death at an abandoned factory two decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the execution over arguments he was mentally incompetent.Johnny Johnson, 45, received a a lethal injection dose of pentobarbital at a state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CDT, authorities said. He was convicted of the July 2002 killing of Casey Williamson in the St. Louis area suburb of Valley Park.Johnson expressed remorse in a brief handwritten statement released by the Department of Corrections hours before being executed. “God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” Johnson’s statement said.As he laid on his back with a sheet up to his neck, Johnson turned his head to the left, appearing to listen to his spiritual adviser shortly before the injection began. He then faced forward with his eyes closed, with no further p...

Indiana police make arrest after weekend shooting at block party kills 1, injures 17

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — Police said Tuesday they have made an arrest in connection with a weekend shooting that left one person dead and 17 others wounded in a central Indiana city.Deputy Muncie Police Chief Melissa Criswell said a 36-year-old Muncie man had been preliminarily charged with several felonies and that evidence would be forwarded to Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman for review “and consideration of additional charges.”The preliminary charges against the man arrested were not specified in Criswell’s news release.The shooting early Sunday unfolded at a block party attended by hundreds of revelers as police were calling the venue’s owner to shut down the gathering, authorities said Monday.The shooting killed 30-year-old Joseph E. Bonner III, whom Muncie Police Chief Nathan Sloan said was among those attending the large party in the city about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis.Sloan said police were aware that the owner of a business that periodica...

Your Mega Millions ticket can score you a sweet prize at Krispy Kreme this week, win or lose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Even if you don't hit the Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday, your ticket could still be the winner of a sweet prize.Krispy Kreme is offering guests one original glazed donut during its “Mega Glaze Days" on August 1 and 2. All you have to do is show your Mega Millions lottery ticket at the store. Feeling lucky? Mega Millions jackpot at $1.1B for Tuesday’s drawing “Krispy Kreme fans, you’re all winners in our hearts,” Krispy Kreme said in a press release.Your ticket also has a decent chance of winning you some money, even if you don't land the grand prize. You have a one in 24 chance of winning any prize, according to Mega Millions game officials. The lowest possible prize is $2, while the second-largest is $5 million. Why the winner of the $1.1B Mega Millions jackpot would take home way less If your ticket has matched any numbers, regardless of the possible prize size, be sure to hang onto it and sign it. Where you can claim your prize and how long you have to d...

Democratic leaders: Trump indictment 'most serious and most consequential thus far'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

(The Hill) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday said the third indictment of former President Trump is the "most serious and most consequential thus far" and "will stand as a stark reminder to generations of Americans that no one, including a president of the United States, is above the law." “The insurrection on January 6, 2021 was one of the saddest and most infamous days in American history, personally orchestrated by Donald Trump and fueled by his insidious Big Lie in an attempt to undermine the 2020 election,” the Democratic leaders said in their joint statement on Tuesday. “In a deadly effort to overturn the will of the American people and block the peaceful transition of power, our nation’s Capitol—the very symbol and home of American patriotism and democracy—fell under attack to thousands of vicious and violent rioters.”The lawmakers also said in their statement that the latest indictment provides deta...

Powder Keg Pine Fire in Bastrop estimated at 40 acres, 35% contained

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — First responders said they're working Tuesday afternoon to evacuate homes as a "precautionary measure" because of a wildfire burning near Bastrop State Park. The fire, which is now called the Powder Keg Pine Fire, is estimated at 40 acres and is 35% contained as of 6:45 p.m., according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.Additionally, the Austin Fire Department said it and other Travis County ESDs sent multiple units as mutual aid to to the fire.Smoke seen from Bastrop County fire Aug. 1, 2023. (KXAN ReportIt photo)Smoke from Bastrop wildfire Aug. 1, 2023 (KXAN ReportIt Photo)Smoke from a Bastrop fire Aug. 1, 2023 (Courtesy Morgan Hay)Smoke from a Bastrop fire Aug. 1, 2023 (Courtesy Morgan Hay)First responders said the houses affected by the evacuations are located between Harmon Road and Pine Hill Loop in Bastrop. It's unclear how many homes are impacted at this time. Neighbors are advised to contact the county hotline at (512) 303-4300 for more information....

Smith: Trump Jan. 6 indictment responds to plot 'fueled by lies'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

Special counsel Jack Smith previewed an indictment against Donald Trump, saying the former president’s efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election were “fueled by lies.”“The attack on our nation's Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies — lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation's process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election,” Smith said.Smith’s comment came shortly after the Justice Department unveiled a 45-page indictment against Trump, charging him with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to impede an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights, a statute protecting the right to vote.Smith encouraged the public to read the indictment in full — the same plea he issued after bringing charges against Trump in the Mar-a-Lago case earlier this su...

End of an era: Cardinals send Jack Flaherty to Baltimore in deadline buzzer beater

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS - After seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and nearly a decade in the organization, pitcher Jack Flaherty is on the move. The Cardinals agreed to a last-minute deadline-day deal that sends the 27-year-old starting pitcher to the Baltimore Orioles for three prospects. The deal came shortly before the 5 p.m. trade deadline. In return, the Cardinals received infielder César Prieto, right-handed pitcher Zack Showalter, and left-handed pitcher Drew Rom. MLB Pipeline ranks the trio respectively as the ninth, 23rd and 26th best in the organization. The Flaherty deal capped a frenzy of Cardinals trades over the last few days. the Cardinals dove into the seller's market by trading pitchers Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton and Jordan Hicks in two separate deals. All three, like Flaherty, were pending free agents. The Cardinals also traded shortstop Paul DeJong to the Blue Jays earlier Tuesday."We knew there was still some potential to trade a few more players," said Cardina...