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Michael Conforto returns to Citi Field with ailing hamstring: ‘I don’t know if I’m going to be able to step in the box’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

Michael Conforto had been looking forward to this moment since he signed with the San Francisco Giants. Coming back to Citi Field was something he felt he needed to do to seek closure from his chapter in Flushing.But this isn’t how he imagined it. A hamstring injury will probably keep him from getting on the field this weekend.“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to step in the box,” the San Francisco Giants outfielder said Friday before his new team faced his old one. “It’s super disappointing. But we’ll see what happens in the next couple of days.Conforto spent eight seasons with the Mets organization and became an All-Star with the team in 2017. He played in a World Series as a rookie and his summer call-up helped key the Mets’ run to the NL pennant. He was part of the Mets’ rise and part of its fall, experiencing his own career rise and fall in New York as well, with left shoulder surgery, free agency and right shoulde...

Apple grabs $3 trillion valuation, the first public company to do so

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple became the first publicly traded company to close a trading day with a $3 trillion market value, marking another milestone for a technology juggernaut that has reshaped society with a line-up of products that churn out eye-popping profits.Apple shares closed up 2.3% at $193.97 Friday, bringing its market value to $3.04 trillion. Apple is one of a handful of technology companies, including Microsoft and chipmaker Nvidia, that helped drive the S&P 500 to a gain of nearly 16% in the first half of the year.The 47-year-old company co-founded by Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs had briefly eclipsed a $3 trillion market value on back-to-back days in January 2022, but couldn’t hold on by the time the market closed. Instead, Apple’s stock sunk into a prolonged descent that pushed its market value briefly below $2 trillion earlier this year amid a slowdown in growth and investor jitters about rising interest rates that affected the entire tech sector.Apple didn’...

San Diego State tells Mountain West it is not exiting, an AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego State University informed the Mountain West on Friday that it is not withdrawing from the conference, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday due to the sensitivity of the situation.SDSU faced a deadline of late Friday night to give a one-year notice of withdrawal without having its exit fee doubled from approximately $17 million to about $34 million.The Aztecs hope to join either the Pac-12 or the Big 12 but have not received a formal invitation. Talk of SDSU potentially moving to the Pac-12 intensified after Southern California and UCLA announced last summer that they will move to the Big Ten in August 2024.However, the Pac-12 isn’t expected to announce any expansion plans until it finalizes a TV contract, which isn’t expected until sometime in the summer.San Diego State, a charter member of the Mountain West, didn't immediately respond to a Public Records Act ...

Strong earthquake shakes Indonesia’s main island, killing 1 and damaging dozens of homes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A strong undersea earthquake shook parts of Indonesia’s densely populated main island of Java, causing panic Friday as it killed at least one person, injured two others and damaged dozens of houses. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.8 quake was centered 84 kilometers (52 miles) southwest of Bambanglipuro, a village in Bantul regency of the special province of Yogyakarta. It occurred at a depth of 86 kilometers (53 miles).Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, said a 67-year-old woman in Bantul died when she fell while fleeing in panic and at least two other residents were unjured.The quake damaged at least 93 houses as well as other buildings, such as schools, health centers, houses of worship and government facilities, in Yogyakarta and its neighboring provinces of Central Java and East Java, Muhari said.Television reports showed local residents in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces panicki...

Report: Raptors re-sign Jakob Poeltl to four-year, $80M contract

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

The Toronto Raptors have re-signed centre Jakob Poeltl to a four-year, $80-million deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.ESPN Sources: Free agent C Jakob Poeltl has agreed on a four-year, $80 million contract to stay with the Toronto Raptors. Poeltl is represented by Michael Tellem and Sam Goldfeder of @excelbasketball. Deal includes a player option.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023Poeltl gets a new deal after being dealt by the San Antonio Spurs to the Raptors at last year’s NBA trade deadline for Khem Birch, a protected 2024 first-round pick and two future second-round picks.It was a reunion for Poeltl and the Raptors, as Toronto originally selected the Austrian big man with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Poeltl was then dealt to the Spurs as part of the Kawhi Leonard deal.Statistically, Poeltl’s best season was the 2021-22 campaign with the Spurs, where he averaged 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds over 68 regular season games.In 26 games with ...

Web designer in Supreme Court gay rights ruling cited client who denies making wedding site request

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday could refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her.The request in dispute, from a person identified as “Stewart,” wasn’t the basis for the federal lawsuit filed preemptively seven years ago by web designer Lorie Smith, before she started making wedding websites. But as the case advanced, it was referenced by her attorneys when lawyers for the state of Colorado pressed Smith on whether she had sufficient grounds to sue.The revelation distracts from Smith’s victory at a time when she might have been basking in her win, which is widely considered a setback for gay rights.Smith named Stewart — and included a website service request from him, listing his phone number and email address in 2017 court documents. But Stewart told The Associated Press he never submitted the request and didn’t know his name was invoked in the lawsuit until he was ...

Possible B.C. port strike will spare cruise ships, employers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

VANCOUVER — A possible strike by British Columbia port workers will not disrupt cruise ships docked in Vancouver, Prince Rupert or Vancouver Island, employers say.The BC Maritime Employers Association says it and the union representing cargo loaders have “confirmed” that cruise ships will continue to be serviced if a strike starts Saturday morning.The association says in a statement the exemption was a result of the federal “mediation and conciliation service process.”The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada issued a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday and is scheduled to go on strike at 8 a.m. Saturday unless a deal is reached or progress is made in negotiations.The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s schedule shows three cruise ships docked, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, Seabourn’s Odyssey and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority also shows three cruise ships in port, The Royal Princess...

Highland Park prepares for 4th of July one year after mass shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. -- Residents of Highland Park bracing for next week’s 4th of July holiday, which marks the one-year-anniversary of the mass shooting.But the community is somehow finding a way to stand strong while the victim’s families are facing a difficult few days as we draw closer to the anniversary.Among those who suffered harm is the family of Cooper Roberts, the courageous little boy who was left paralyzed following the mass shooting.9-year-old Cooper, despite being paralyzed from the waist down with the help of specialized equipment, playing tennis, his mom says. While preparing for a national championship competition for adaptive swimmers.But Keely Roberts, still struggling to come to terms with the tragic 4th of July shooting in Highland Park where seven people died and 48 others were injured. While looking ahead to the future, the Roberts family are facing an enormous challenge.“And the beauty of that is the love," Highland Park business owner Marlena Jayatilake said....

Report: Whole Foods coming to downtown St. Charles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — Whole Foods is moving into a former market in downtown St. Charles, according to a new report from the Daily Herald.The company has purchased the building where Blue Goose Market used to be, according to the report. 7 award-winning Chicagoland breweries to check out this summer Blue Goose Market closed back in March 2022 after more than 90 years in business.According to the Daily Herald, the deal was finalized on Thursday.The store will be one of just a few in the western suburbs of Kane and DuPage counties.According to the Whole Foods website, the closest stores are currently in Naperville, Wheaton and Schaumburg.Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon.

How important are the Chicago Street Races to NASCAR?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:42 GMT

Jordan Bianchi, a NASCAR beat reporter for The Athletic, discusses the upcoming Xfinity & Cup Series races in downtown Chicago on "9 Good Minutes" on WGN News Now on Friday.CHICAGO — While the event has been debated in Chicago since it was announced in July 2022, the consensus has always been the same for the event for NASCAR. It's a major moment for the stock car company to shine with a unique event in a big media market in hopes of growing its visibility along with a new audience. That's what makes the Xfinity Series' The Loop 121 and Grant Park 220 critical events for NASCAR as they approach this weekend. They'll put their best drivers on a 2.2-mile street course that's like no other in the history of the sport.It starts then ends in front of Buckingham Found as it goes around Grant Park with time on DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue among other streets downtown. Chicago's iconic skyline will be the backdrop for a pair of races NASCAR is counting on to be a success...