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Right whale sighting in Cape Cod Canal a positive sign for future of species, scientists say 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

A recent right whale sighting provided hope over the weekend as a mother whale and her calf were seen feeding in the Cape Cod Canal. The right whale is one of the most endangered whale species in the world. This weekend’s sighting, scientists said, is a positive sign for the species’ future as whales reproduce.“Even if we stop killing the whales, if we don’t give them enough of an opportunity to bulk up and get pregnant and half calves and do what that animal was doing — No amount of effort will make a difference if we can’t also get them healthy enough to make more calves,” Dr. Michael Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said. “So, it’s really good to see a calf there.”Officials temporarily closed the Cape Cod Canal on Sunday to make way for the whales as they moved through the area. The sighting, in turn, followed other right whale sightings in recent weeks and months as officials and scientists keep close watch on local w...

Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish exits game vs. Rangers in 2nd inning after taking line drive to right leg

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish exited Monday’s game against the Texas Rangers early after taking a line drive off his right leg.Bradish left his 2023 debut after a 104 mph line drive from Rangers catcher Jonah Heim appeared to strike Bradish on his lower right leg.The 26-year-old right-hander attempted to walk it off as manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel visited the mound. But Bradish was quickly pulled after throwing one warmup pitch and limped off the field.Bradish retired the side in order in the first inning, averaging 96 mph on his fastball and striking out two batters on his slider. He allowed an infield single and a walk in the second before the comebacker, which resulted in an out after the ball ricocheted to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.Left-hander Danny Coulombe, whom the Orioles acquired from the Minnesota Twins last week, relieved Bradish and struck out Rangers designated hitter Brad Miller to end the inning. Bradish ended his first ...

Chicago White Sox allow 7 homers — 5 off Michael Kopech — as the San Francisco Giants spoil the home opener 12-3

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

Chicago White Sox starter Michael Kopech paced behind the mound as David Villar circled the bases after hitting the San Francisco Giants’ fourth home run of the fifth inning.Talk about spoiling a party.The Giants hit seven homers in all and thumped the Sox 12-3 to put a damper on Monday’s home opener in front of 34,784 at Guaranteed Rate Field.“The first inning, (Kopech) threw the ball really well, the velocity was high and he looked really good,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “They made some adjustments on him. Whatever that was, we’ve got to get back to the video and see what we’ve got and see what we see.“We’re going to flush this one. This is one of 162. We’ve got to flush it, day off (Tuesday) and come ready to play on Wednesday.”The seven home runs allowed are tied for the second-most in club history, one shy of the record eight the New York Yankees hit on July 31, 2007.Five of the homers came against Kopech an...

Yankees Notebook: Rob Thomson returns to the Bronx

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

Rob Thomson thought the chance to manage had passed him by when the Yankees hired Aaron Boone in 2017.Thomson spent nearly three decades with the organization, most recently as bench coach from 2015-2017. The loyal pinstriper interviewed to succeed Joe Girardi, but the Yankees plucked the inexperienced Boone out of the broadcast booth instead.Having already interviewed for a few managerial openings at that point, Thomson figured he would never get another shot in the majors. So he stopped thinking about it and became the Phillies’ bench coach — first under Gabe Kapler, and then under Girardi.But when the Phillies fired Girardi last season, they turned to Thomson, who led them to the World Series. Philadelphia lost to the Astros, but the franchise rewarded Thomson with a two-year contract and removed his interim tag prior to the Fall Classic.“When I went to the Phillies, I sort of shut down the idea of managing,” Thomson said Monday, when he visited Yankee Sta...

Ban on mini bottles of booze returns to City Council for debate

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

A proposal to ban mini bottles of alcohol took a lurching step again in City Council chambers with both strong support from some public officials and opposition from local business owners.“I think that this is one of those issues where we get the ability to do some good,” said Councillor Ricardo Arroyo, the sponsor of the hearing, referencing the bottles’ connection to issues like alcoholism and littering. “I think that the public safety, public health, public good is worth whatever that trade-off is financially.”The discussion, introduced a couple of weeks prior, could lead to a ban of the sale of 50 ml and potentially 100 ml bottles of liquor — the more colloquial name for the bottles was nixed from the meeting due to its alternative meaning as a slur used against Japanese people — in the city if it were reviewed and approved through Boston’s Licensing Board. If it moves forward, the proposal will face several more hearings.Proponent...

'It's what I came here to do': Butler not shy of big moment

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- If Monday night's NCAA basketball championship game comes down to a last-second shot opportunity for the San Diego State University Aztecs, all eyes will surely be on Lamont Butler.Butler wasn't afraid of the moment in Saturday's Final Four matchup against Florida Atlantic University, when the Aztecs were down by one with about 10 seconds left on the clock. FAU had an opportunity to extend the lead on their last possession, but fell short after a missed layup. That's when SDSU center Aguek Arop grabbed the rebound and passed the ball forward to Butler for him to hold for the last shot. How to watch San Diego State in the NCAA National Championship Butler, of Moreno Valley in Riverside County, dribbled down the court and made his way toward the right corner sideline where he was able to juke the defender off balance. The Aztec guard took full advantage of it, pulling up for a midrange jumper and releasing it just in time before the buzzer. Swish! Nothing but net f...

A look at re-elected Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Leader Dennis King

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — A look at Dennis King of Prince Edward Island’s Progressive Conservatives, who led the party to a majority government Monday night. Age: 51Early years: King was born Nov. 1, 1971, in Georgetown, P.E.I., to Catherine (Cattie) Rachel Stevens and Lionel MacKenzie King; he has three brothers and four sisters.Education: He graduated from Montague Regional High School in 1990, and after studying journalism in Ontario, he returned to P.E.I.Career: King has worked for various media outlets, including as a reporter with P.E.I.’s The Eastern Graphic and The Guardian. Before starting his own public relations company in 2013, he served in several communications roles, including as communications director to former premier Pat Binns and to the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island.Family: King married Jana Hemphill in 1999. They have three children — Jacob, Camdyn and Callum. The couple operate Storybrook Stables, a horse farm in Brookfield, P.E.I.Quote: “I thin...

Progressive Conservatives win decisive majority in Prince Edward Island

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — Voters in Prince Edward Island delivered a decisive majority to the incumbent Progressive Conservatives on Monday after an election campaign dominated by debate over heath care.With all polls reporting, Premier Dennis King’s Tories were elected in 22 of the province’s 27 ridings, the Liberals won three seats and the Greens two. The Conservatives captured 55.9 per cent of the popular vote, and King was easily re-elected in his riding of Brackley-Hunter River.King’s first four years in office were marked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two major post-tropical storms and mounting health-care woes.His party’s main challengers were the Green Party, led by Scottish-born dentist Peter Bevan-Baker, and the Liberals, led by former bureaucrat Sharon Cameron, who was acclaimed leader less than five months ago. She challenged Bevan-Baker in his riding and lost to him Monday.At dissolution, the Conservatives held a slight majority with 15 seats. The Green...

Alaska oil plan opponents lose 1st fight over Willow project

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Environmentalists lost the first round of their legal battle over a major oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope on Monday as a judge rejected their requests to halt immediate construction work related to the Willow project, but they vowed not to give up. The court’s decision means ConocoPhillips Alaska can forge ahead with cold-weather construction work, including mining gravel and using it for a road toward the Willow project. Environmentalists worry that noise from blasting and road construction could affect caribou.U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said she took into account support for the project by Alaska political leaders — including state lawmakers and Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation. She said she also gave “considerable weight” to the support for Willow by an Alaska Native village corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation and the North Slope Borough, while also recognizing that project support among...

Fungus that causes deadly white nose syndrome among bats detected in B.C. guano

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:54:17 GMT

GRAND FORKS, B.C. — A fungus that has led to some Canadian bat populations becoming endangered has been found in British Columbia.The province’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says the fungus that causes white nose syndrome, which has no proven treatment, has been detected in bat guano in the Grand Forks area.First discovered in New York state in 2006, white nose syndrome has spread to 38 states and eight provinces and is responsible for three Canadian bat species being listed as “endangered” under the federal Species at Risk Act.The ministry says the fungus is primarily spread by bat-to-bat contact and doesn’t affect humans but can spread through the movement of contaminated clothing and gear, or through accidental transport of the animals.The public is being asked to contact the BC Community Bat Program or the ministry if they know the location of winter bat roosting sites, or if they see dead bats or unusual behaviour like flying during t...