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Cubs lose for 6th time in 7 games, 13-7 defeat to Pirates as Palacios hits 3-run homer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Joshua Palacios hit a three-run homer in a seven-run fourth inning and the Chicago Cubs’ postseason drive remained stalled with their sixth loss in seven games, 13-7 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.Connor Joe hit a two-run homer in the sixth as All-Star Justin Steele (16-5) lost his second straight start, allowing six runs and eight hits in three-plus innings.Chicago (79-73), which has lost nine of 12, remained a half-game ahead of Miami (79-74) for the third NL wild card spot, with Cincinnati (79-75) another half-game back.Ian Happ’s third career grand slam, a drive off Mitch Keller (13-9) in a five-run fifth, cut the deficit to 8-6. Christopher Morel started the inning with his 24th homer, a 440-drive to left that sailed to Waveland Avenue.Joe, who finished with three hits, homered off Mark Leiter Jr. Jared Triolo added a solo shot for Pittsburgh.Keller, like Steele a first-time All Star in 2023, yielded seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 inn...

Iraqi refugee killed in carjacking sought 'freedom from violence' in the US

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — One of the people who helped Ahmed Zainuldeen, the Iraqi immigrant killed in a carjacking on Tuesday, and his family start their new lives in the U.S. talked to FOX31.The 23-year-old's local caseworker said this loss will impact his family more than it appears on the surface. Anna Hanel has known the Zainuldeen family for some time."These are refugees who came here to seek freedom from violence and persecution," Hanel said.Hanel is a case worker for the African Community Center, a local refugee resettlement agency. On Wednesday, along with his family, Hanel mourns the loss of Ahmed."He was a bright guy," Hanel said. "This family is fairly new to the United States."Ahmed Zainuldeen was shot and killed by carjackers in Arapahoe County on Sept. 19, 2023. His family said they just moved to Denver from Iraq less than a year ago in search of a better life. (Credit: Ahmed Zainuldeen)Ahmed and his brother, Hanel said, assimilated quickly to their new life in ...

Denver business owners urge city to address encampments

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Some Denver business owners are growing impatient amid what they call an increasing presence of encampments in the downtown area.“I don’t think they’re very violent in the daytime, but at nighttime, you hear gunshots," Chakra Tattoo owner Maze Garcia told FOX31. Denver to clear homeless camp along 8th Avenue, move people to a hotel Entrepreneur Natasha Butler opened the Little Bodega store near 22nd and Welton streets six months ago. She told FOX31 she has noticed an increase in crime since an encampment appeared across the street.“I’ve had people running in and out and just take whatever they want," Butler said.Mayor Mike Johnston’s plan is to transition 1,000 people living in encampments to stable housing by the end of the year.“It’s doable. I don’t know -- how much money are you going to throw at it? And how many of these people are going to be willing to conform?" Garcia said.Denver mayor's office respondsThe plan’s $48.6 million in funding will purchase and le...

Creepy, yummy: 3 Mexican restaurants in Miami-Dade invite diners to try out menu items with insects

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

Spooky season is upon us, but at three Mexican restaurants in Miami, creepy crawlies are on the menu all year round. By creepy crawls, we mean bugs — lots of them!Like worms, ants and insect caviar — a delicacy, if you can wrap your head around it that way. Open up, because delicious little critters are what’s for dinner.“B” is for bugs, and Bakan.Altarenzo Symonette: “This is where you can get real Mexican food.”The popular Wynwood restaurant is all about authenticity.Alex Miranda: “It’s a bug’s life at Bakan.”Even to the Aztec-era extreme.Altarenzo Symonette: “We’re talking about worms.”Alex Miranda: “Worms?!”Altarenzo Symonette: “Yes.”Worm tacos, to be specific.Altarenzo Symonette: “In a tostada. We sauté the worms with onions and cilantro.”Yummy!Alex Miranda: “I feel the crunch, which is definitely the worm.”Especially after a worm-infused tequila s...

Keir Starmer says no to UK drugs reform

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

LONDON — U.K. Labour Party boss Keir Starmer said he has “no intention” of changing drug laws in the country if his party wins at the next election.Speaking to Anne McElvoy, the host of POLITICO’s new Power Play podcast, opposition leader Starmer said: “Other countries will take different approaches they traditionally have, but our approach is settled and not really a subject of great debate even within the Labour Party.”Yet some in the party have been calling for just that. Earlier this year, Labour peer and former U.K. Home Secretary David Blunkett told POLITICO’s Westminster Insider podcast that there should be an “open debate” about how victims of drug abuse are treated, and urged Starmer to launch an inquiry into the decriminalization of drugs. Meanwhile, Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has introduced pilot projects to end the prosecution of young people caught with cannabis in some London boroughs.They’re not alone in their changing attitude toward drug use p...

Keir Starmer International: UK Labour leader puts the world to rights

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast In this inaugural episode of POLITICO’s new global podcast Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to the man who hopes to be Britain’s next prime minister, Keir Starmer.In a wide-ranging interview on global affairs, the Labour leader reveals his concerns about China. He warns that the U.K. needs to “wean itself off” China “when it comes...

For a super-comfy fall, make it cashmere

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

There are so many fall pleasures, from apple picking to leaf peeping. I’ll tell you mine: cashmere sweaters.With all due respect to other materials — fluffy Angora, say, or warming boiled wool, or maybe a super practical fleece — nothing is quite like cashmere. The extreme comfort it affords makes every moment of my day 100% better.Of course, not all cashmere is created equal. There are many different levels of quality. Some are sustainable (my preference), and others aren’t. A few fun facts about cashmere: It comes from the undercoat of a specific goat that originated in Kashmir, and the best quality fibers are thought to come from that breed who live in Mongolia now. Cashmere is naturally moisture-wicking, meaning it adjusts to all different kinds of environments and temperatures. And it gets softer with time. As long as you take good care of it (I brush mine softly and carefully between wearings to take care of any pilling), it will last for many years and remain a super solid in...

‘It Lives Inside’ a skillful horror debut

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

An intense, Indian-American-centric horror film, “It Lives Inside” will appeal to fans of such cult horror hits as “It Follows” and “Talk to Me.” Directed and co-written by award-winning India-born, U.C. Berkeley graduate Bishal Dutta making his feature film debut, the film stars Megan Suri of “Never Have I Ever” as Samidha, a high school student who is seriously conflicted about her heritage and frankly more interested in fashion, TikTok, make-up and flirting with a good-looking white guy from school. Samidha’s beautiful mother Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) is a fine cook, who wants her daughter to accept her heritage and its beliefs and to continue to speak Hindi at home. For example, Poorna wants Samidha to attend a Puja gathering with her father at their home with friends and relatives. Samidha prefers to hang out with her non-Indian friends, who appear to accept her.But when Tamira (Mohana Krishan), once Samidha’s dearest childhood friend, shows up at the “Home of the Werewo...

Coggin: Is that rescue dog really a trafficking victim?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

If you’re thinking about adopting a rescue dog, good for you. But you should also do your homework.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently declared an extension of a suspension of dog imports from 110 countries. The move is designed to mitigate the risk of animal diseases accidentally spreading.According to the Agriculture Department, 1 million dogs are imported every year and regulations are lax. That’s convenient if you take your pet dog on a trip. But the lack of regulations has also given rise to pet trafficking, often under the guise of “animal rescue,” and a serious risk of disease outbreak.According to the CDC, “Many dogs are bred irresponsibly in large numbers in ‘puppy mills’ overseas, where the risk of congenital abnormalities and disease is high. Importers then fly them as cargo in large batches, claiming them as ‘rescue’ dogs, valued at $0 on their paperwork, and allowing the importers to evade entry and broker fees.”In June 2020, a Ukrainian Internationa...

Editorial: The meter’s running on Bay State shelter crisis

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

House Speaker Ronald Mariano wants to get a handle on the state’s emergency shelter crisis and migrant surge, asking for “hard numbers” before acting on a $250 million funding request from Gov. Maura Healey.It’s perfectly reasonable to want to know how much things cost, where the money’s going and how much more is going to be needed going forward.Unfortunately for Mariano, Healey and Massachusetts taxpayers, the cost of the shelter crisis is a moving target.The state is caught in the crossfire of two converging emergencies: 1. the rise in the number of local homeless residents and 2. the influx of new migrants.Either situation on its own would be formidable to solve, but together, the ship of state is taking on water, fast. The Massachusetts housing department estimates we could see 1,000 families enter the emergency shelter system each month. More than 6,500 families are staying in the emergency shelter system as of Tuesday.The Bay State’s “right to sh...