Was Joey Bart the SF Giants’ answer at catcher all along?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Was Joey Bart the SF Giants’ answer at catcher all along? HOUSTON — The Giants this week effectively gave a vote of confidence to their young catching tandem, Joey Bart and Blake Sabol, when they released veteran two-time All-Star Gary Sánchez from his minor-league contract.But Bart, the Giants’ highest draft pick since Will Clark, the supposed successor to Buster Posey, didn’t take it as a coronation. He viewed the news in exactly the same way as he did this spring, when the Giants brought in all the competition they could and challenged him to earn the job.“That’s stuff I don’t really pay attention to,” Bart said. “I can’t really get caught up with what’s going around with the buzz and the media. If you get too caught up on that it’s going to really take a toll on you. I’m just coming into the yard excited every day to compete, trying to do my best job I can all the way around.”Quietly, the former No. 2 overall draft pick and top prospect just might be establishing himself as the Giants’ answer b...

Why are Oakland teachers on strike?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Why are Oakland teachers on strike? OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Thousands of Oakland Unified School District teachers refused to return to their classrooms on Thursday and a strike is underway at hundreds of schools. The goal of the strike is to compel the district to approve a new contract with Oakland Education Association teachers union that will improve working conditions for teachers, as well as learning supports for students. Nearly 3,000 educators have been working without a contract from OUSD since October.Teachers are demanding a livable wage, improved services for students with disabilities, additional mental health support for students struggling post-pandemic, and investment in Historically Black Community Schools.The school district held a 25-minute-long news conference with reporters Thursday morning. (Watch the full OUSD press conference in the video player above.) There are about 34,000 students enrolled in Oakland Unified School District schools. Oakland teachers are seen striking on Thursday. (KRON4 im...

SF city leaders demand more information from PG&E on days-long power outage

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

SF city leaders demand more information from PG&E on days-long power outage San Francisco civic leaders are excoriating PG&E over what they say is the company's failure to keep them informed during and after a five-day power outage in the city's northeast neighborhoods. In a letter sent to PG&E Wednesday, Mayor London Breed, Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin, City Attorney David Chiu, and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager Dennis Herrera asked for information about the outages "that created significant public health and safety risks, as well as economic disruption" in the city. SF ‘feels post-apocalyptic,’ Musk tweets in response to latest store closures The outage, which initially impacted 9,454 customers, was reported at about 9:15 p.m. April 26 and appears to have involved some kind of underground equipment failure near Clay and Montgomery streets in the city's Financial District. By 6 a.m. April 27, nearly 3,000 customers had their power restored, with more people coming back online over the course of the ...

GOP boycott: What’s halting vote on guns, abortion and more?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

GOP boycott: What’s halting vote on guns, abortion and more? PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Partisan tensions in Oregon skyrocketed this week because Republican state senators haven’t shown up to work since Tuesday, meaning the Democrats who control the chamber don’t have enough people to lawfully convene. The move is casting doubt on planned votes set for this week on legislation about gun control, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care. Here’s what to know about where Republicans and Democrats are divided and what’s at stake.WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE OREGON LEGISLATURE?Republican state senators skipped a Senate floor session Wednesday and Thursday. According to the office of Democratic Senate President Rob Wagner, 10 Republicans and the chamber’s lone independent were absent both days. In Oregon, two-thirds of the state House and Senate members need to be present to conduct business, or 20 of the 30 current members. Currently, 17 senators are Democrats, 12 are Republicans and one is an independent.Two bills on gun con...

Garcia yet to pay European tour fine for playing LIV event

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Garcia yet to pay European tour fine for playing LIV event VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Sergio Garcia is the only defector to LIV Golf who hasn’t paid a fine imposed by the European tour for playing in the Saudi-backed competition without permission.The European tour said Thursday that 16 of the 17 players have paid the fine of 100,000 pounds ($125,000) for serious breaches of its conflicting tournament regulation policy.Garcia, the tour said, has not paid “nor has he given any indication that he intends to.”The tour said it will take “appropriate action” if Garcia continues to ignore the sanction.Garcia was one of four players — along with Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Richard Bland — who resigned from the European tour following last month’s ruling by Sport Resolutions that a number of players committed serious breaches of the tour’s code of behavior by playing in LIV Golf events last year.Westwood, Poulter and Bland all paid their fines, the tour said.___More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_S...

Matthieu Pavon shoots 8-under 63 to lead Italian Open

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Matthieu Pavon shoots 8-under 63 to lead Italian Open ROME (AP) — Matthieu Pavon shot the lowest round of his European tour career at the Italian Open on Thursday on the same course that will host this year’s Ryder Cup.The 30-year-old Frenchman hit an 8-under 63 to boost his chances of capturing European captain Luke Donald’s attention.His impressive opening round gave him a two-shot lead over Maximilian Kieffer of Germany.Pavon carded nine birdies and a single bogey at the Marco Simone club outside Rome. Even he was surprised.“All in all it was just great playing,” said Pavon, who has never won a European tour title. “Nothing bad to say about today. I was really, really solid off the tee, probably only missed two fairways today — and every time it was by a few inches.“Everything was just excellent today. I was not really sure about a low, low score like this. I knew I could do great, but that great, I’m a bit surprised.”Six of the birdies came in an excellent first stretch and Pavon then made gains on two of the first three holes on t...

Justin Verlander gives up 2 HRs in Tigers’ 2-0 win over Mets

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Justin Verlander gives up 2 HRs in Tigers’ 2-0 win over Mets DETROIT (AP) — Justin Verlander gave up back-to-back home runs in his New York Mets debut and Eduardo Rodriguez threw eight scoreless innings as the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep with a 2-0 win Thursday.Riley Greene and Javier Baez hit solo homers off Verlander in the first inning and that was enough offense for Detroit.Rodriguez (3-2) gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out nine. Alex Lange pitched the ninth for his fifth save.Verlander (0-1) settled in after his rough start, showing signs of the form that led to him winning the Cy Young award last year for the third time and helping the Houston Astros win the World Series for a second time.The 40-year-old right-hander gave up two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five in his 79-pitch outing. He started the season on the injured list with a muscle strain in his upper back.Jeff Brigham, Dominic Leone and Drew Smith combined to throw three innings of scoreless relief, but the slumping Mets co...

How does Colorado's minimum juvenile prosecution age compare to other states?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

How does Colorado's minimum juvenile prosecution age compare to other states? DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado could be changing its juvenile prosecution laws, joining a small share of states with juvenile prosecution limits in the preteens. Bill to raise prosecution age passes committee The Colorado House approved a bill in April that would raise the minimum age of criminal prosecution from 10 years old to 13 years old, a minimum age held by two other states and the highest in the U.S. The bill, HB 1249, passed its first committee and will be reviewed next by the appropriations committee.The bill tracks with a national push in many states to raise juvenile prosecution limits, or at very least to set them. Half of U.S. states — 24 — have no minimum age for criminal prosecution at all, according to the National Juvenile Justice Network, which advocates that all states set a minimum prosecution age of 14 years old. Denver and Colorado both rank second for women-owned businesses Colorado is currently one of 16 states in which the minimum age for criminal prosecuti...

Can you drive without shoes in Colorado?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Can you drive without shoes in Colorado? DENVER (KDVR) -- Whether you are the type of person who just doesn't like to wear shoes or you're in a hurry and don't want to put shoes on, have you ever wondered if it is legal to drive barefoot?The answer is yes, it is legal in Colorado to drive without shoes. There is no law against driving barefoot. Caught on camera: ‘Road rage’ shooting in Denver However, it can be dangerous because the amount of pressure you apply with your foot can be different than the pressure you have when you wear a shoe."A shoe has a hard sole that doesn't bend when applying pressure on the pedals. So if your foot only hits part of the pedals, most times the shoe will stay on it. The barefoot may need more pressure to keep on the pedals which may not be able to happen with toes involved, Colorado State Patrol Master Trooper Gary Cutler told FOX31.What are the dangers of driving barefoot?According to an insurance story by Bankrate, these are some of the safety risks associated with driving without sho...

Ex-Democrat Florida gov nominee not guilty of lying to FBI

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:58:53 GMT

Ex-Democrat Florida gov nominee not guilty of lying to FBI TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum, who came within a whisker of defeating Republican Ron DeSantis in 2018, was acquitted Thursday of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also involved illegal use of campaign contributions.But the federal jury hung on charges that Gillum funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money to personal accounts. Prosecutors said they will retry him on those counts. They had claimed Gillum was struggling financially after quitting his $120,000-a-year job with the People for the American Way group to run for governor.Gillum was acquitted of lying to undercover FBI agents posing as developers who paid for a 2016 trip he took with his brother to New York, including hotel rooms, meals, a boat tour and a ticket to the hit Broadway show “Hamilton.”Outside the courthouse, Gillum thanked his family, wife, legal team and pastor for their support, but took a dig at prosecutors.“They have quite litera...