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Court orders South Bay construction company to stop dumping hazardous waste in Almaden Valley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

A Santa Clara County judge has ordered a San Jose-based construction company to stop dumping hazardous waste on protected agricultural land in rural Almaden Valley, county officials announced Monday.The court decision issued March 30 came in response to a request from Santa Clara County, which conducted an investigation of United Concrete Cutting, Inc. after receiving an anonymous complaint that the company had been pouring liquid concrete into carved-out holes on remote agricultural property.“All too often, we see that companies and people use protected agricultural land — land that is environmentally sensitive and important — for inappropriate industrial uses,” said Tony LoPresti, the chief assistant county counsel for Santa Clara County. “This case is not unique. But it’s a particularly egregious example of that.”The county’s investigation along with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control revealed United Concrete Cutting had crea...

Veto stands: Transgender pronouns OK in N. Dakota schools

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

By Trisha Ahmed | Associated Press/Report for AmericaTeachers in North Dakota can still refer to transgender students by the personal pronouns they use, after lawmakers on Monday failed to override the governor’s veto of a controversial bill to place restrictions on educators.House lawmakers fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to block the veto, days after Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s office announced the veto and the Senate overrode it.The bill would have prohibited public school teachers and employees from acknowledging the personal pronouns a transgender student uses, unless they received permission from the student’s parents as well as a school administrator. It would have also prohibited government agencies from requiring employees to acknowledge the pronouns a transgender colleagues uses.Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have drafted hundreds of laws this year to push back on LGBTQ+ freedoms, particularly seeking to regulate aspects of transgende...

MLBPA reduces liquid assets after labor deal last spring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The baseball players’ association reduced cash, U.S. Treasury securities and investments to $142.4 million on Dec. 31, down from $271.2 million at the start of the year in a decrease typical of the period that follows a collective bargaining agreement.The union increases liquid assets in the years ahead of bargaining in order to have money to distribute to players in the event of a work stoppage. The union made $5.26 million in loans to players of $2,500 to $25,000 each during 2022, listed as licensing advances payable over 36 months. The loans were repaid through a reduction of licensing distributions due in 2022.Union head Tony Clark earned $2.25 million last year, according to the union’s annual disclosure form filed with the U.S. Labor Department, dated March 31. That was the same as his 2021 salary.Bruce Meyer earned $1.36 million, up from $1 million. He was promoted last July to deputy executive director from senior director of collective bargaining and legal.S...

Rendon suspension reduced to 4 games by MLB, appeal dropped

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon says he is dropping his appeal after his suspension was reduced to four games by Major League Baseball for his interactions with a fan last week.Rendon spoke before the Angels opened a series in Seattle on Monday night and said the league had agreed to reduce his suspension from five games to four. The initial five-game suspension was handed down by MLB senior vice president Michael Hill earlier Monday and the appeal by Rendon was immediate.Rendon’s suspension will begin with Monday’s game and he will sit the entire series against Seattle.“It sucks. My emotions got the best of me. I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans. Always like to chirp back at them, kind of have fun with it,” Rendon said in his first comments about the incident. Rendon grabbed a fan by the shirt through the bleacher guardrails after Thursday night’s 2-1 loss at Oakland. Rendon looks to have grabbed the fan’s shirt near his c...

Geraldine Brooks, Saeed Jones win Anisfield-Wolf prize

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Novels by Geraldine Brooks and Lan Samantha Chang and poetry by Saeed Jones are among this year’s winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, presented for literature “that confronts racism and explores diversity.” The journalist and activist Charlayne Hunter-Gault was honored for lifetime achievement.Besides Brooks’ “Horse,” Chang’s “The Family Chao” and Jones’ “Alive at the End of the World,” judges also cited Matthew F. Delmont’s nonfiction “Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad,” “These remarkable books deliver groundbreaking insights on race and diversity,” jury chair Henry Louis Gates Jr. said in a statement Monday. “This year, we honor a profound and funny novel (‘The Family Chao’) centered in a Chinese restaurant, a brilliant story (‘Horse’) of 19th-century horseracing with contemporary echoes, a stunning poetry collection that captures who w...

Cueto exits early with injury after rough Marlins debut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Johnny Cueto’s debut with the Miami Marlins didn’t last long.The 37-year-old right-hander exited with an undisclosed injury after allowing a three-run homer to Joey Gallo in the second inning of Miami’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.Cueto gave up four runs and three hits in one-plus inning. Max Kepler also went deep for the Twins leading off the game.The Marlins signed Cueto to an $8.5 million, one-year contract in January that includes a club option for 2024. The 15-year veteran took Pablo López’s spot in Miami’s rotation after López was traded to Minnesota for AL batting champion Luis Arraez.Kepler also left early because of right knee soreness. He hobbled off first base after reaching on an infield single in the fourth.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Reporte policial muestra aumento de crimen en el condado Prince William

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

El crimen parece que se desborda en el condado Prince William: el más reciente reporte de la policía muestra un incremento de la actividad delictiva alrededor del condado.  De acuerdo al informe anual de la policía, los crímenes en la localidad se incrementaron casi cinco puntos por encima de 2021, ubicándose en 37.7 para 2022, con al menos 18,385 incidentes.“Hay muchos robos. A veces uno ya no puede estar tranquilo y dejar el carro porque están pendiente que sí, le van a robar algo”, dijo Celinda Méndez.Los asesinatos también aumentaron, duplicandose en 2022, registrando 20 víctimas, 10 más que en 2021.Para los residentes, las causas son varias. “Entre más vicios hay, drogas, alcohol, el enemigo, el diablo se mete siempre”, dijo el residente Wilfredo Acosto. Pero para las autoridades, aunque la tendencia es al alza, aún se está levemente por debajo del promedio y alrededor de los niveles antes de la pandemia, aunque dicen que la seguridad es prioridad para ellos...

Boca Juniors women’s coach accused of sexual harassment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — A female staffer of Argentinian soccer giant Boca Juniors has accused the women’s team coach Jorge Martinez of sexual harassment.Andrea Lucangioli, the attorney for the complainant, told local media Monday she had taken the accusation against Martinez to prosecutors. She said her client had been sexually touched by the coach against her will last year, among other incidents involving him.Lucangioli said her client had taken the accusation to the club’s Department for Equality and Inclusion before reaching out to prosecutors.Neither the club nor the coach has commented on the allegations.News of the allegations was reported a day after the Boca Juniors women’s team beat archrivals River Plate 3-0.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

$12M revamp will replace Kennedy-era escalators at one of Maryland’s busiest MVA offices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

A major remodel of Maryland’s Motor Vehicles Administration facility in Glen Burnie will include $12 million worth of renovations — and the removal of some ancient escalators.As part of the revamp, which got underway Monday, crews were starting to remove the building’s original escalators — dating to 1961 — and believed to be among the last of their kind remaining in any state-owned building, according to an MVA release.More Maryland NewsMore Local NewsOfficials say the 18-month renovation to Maryland’s largest MVA branch, which opened in the early 1960s, will result in a facility that will provide a one-stop shop for other state services and “won’t look like your parents’ MVA” — but they are promising a limited impact on customers.The branch will remain open to customers throughout the remodel, and all work will be done after normal business hours, the MVA said in a news release. The Glen Burnie branch sees more than 390,000 visitors each y...

Sunday’s NCAA women’s title game draws record TV audience

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:49 GMT

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — LSU’s 102-85 victory over Iowa in Sunday’s national championship game was the most-viewed NCAA women’s basketball game on record, with 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2 according to fast national numbers by Nielsen.The total audience is a 103% jump over last year, when South Carolina defeated UConn and averaged 4.85 million on ESPN and ESPN2. The audience on Sunday at one point peaked at 12.6 million.LSU’s first national title in women’s basketball was the first on network television since UConn’s win over Tennessee in 1995. That game averaged 7.4 million on CBS.ESPN took over the rights to the entire tournament the following year. The previous network high for a women’s national championship game was in 2002, when UConn beat Oklahoma.The record ratings come as the NCAA is deciding whether to separate the women’s tournament or keep it as part of the championships TV package that includes at least 24 sports. That cont...