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Former Cubs president Theo Epstein sells Lakeview home after purchasing a $12M mansion in Connecticut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

Former Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein and his wife, Marie, on Friday sold their six-bedroom, 7,000-square-foot brick and limestone mansion in Lakeview for $3.5 million. The sale follows their purchase last year of an $11.9 million mansion in Greenwich, Conn.Now a consultant for Major League Baseball, Epstein oversaw the Cubs’ baseball operations from 2011 until stepping down in November 2021. That included leading the team to the 2016 World Series title.In Lakeview, Epstein and his wife paid $3.25 million in late 2011 for the mansion, which at that time was newly built. They outbid then-Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Sharp for the mansion.The Epsteins first listed the mansion in September 2022 for $3.6 million through real estate agents’ private listing network, and the house briefly went under contract. After that deal fell through, the Epsteins and listing agent Jeff Lowe of Compass listed it publicly at a higher, $3.75 million asking price.The couple then listed...

Magnitude 3.7 earthquake reported off Oceanside coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A 3.7 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oceanside early Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The quake struck shortly after 1 a.m. roughly 37.5 miles southwest of the Oceanside coast, 27.8 miles away from San Clemente Island at a depth of 3.7 miles.According to the USGS Shake Map, the earthquake was able to be felt from Tijuana in the south to Long Beach in the north, with reports of shaking throughout San Diego County. Commuters in these San Diego areas spend 10% of their annual wages on the drive: report Within an hour of the initial earthquake, a pair of smaller quakes, with a magnitude of 1.5 and 1.6, were reported in the nearby area in the Pacific Ocean.The National Weather Service also said that no tsunami warnings or advisories were expected due to the earthquake.There were no reports of damages or injuries as of 7 a.m. Tuesday related to the earthquake.

A “farewell ceremony” for Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has taken place, his spokespeople say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A “farewell ceremony” has taken place for mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last week, his spokespeople said Tuesday in a terse statement on social media.“Those who wish to bid their farewell” to the mercenary leader should go to the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, his hometown, the statement said.Earlier media reports about the funeral mentioned other cemeteries in the city as likely sites for the burial, which has been shrouded in secrecy. It wasn’t clear from the statement if Prigozhin has already been buried or if it was still to happen.Earlier, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin is not planning to attend a funeral for Prigozhin, who who challenged the Russian leader’s authority in an armed rebellion in June. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t say where or when he would be buried because it was a private family matter.Also on Tuesday, a funeral was held at St. Petersburg’...

US consumer confidence wanes with prices still high and signs of a cooling job market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

Americans are feeling less confident financially as summer comes to a close and high prices and interest rates weigh on their willingness to spend.There were also signs Tuesday of cooling in what has been a very resilient U.S. jobs market. The Conference Board, a business research group, said its consumer confidence index tumbled to 106.1 in August from a revised 114 in July. Analysts were expecting a reading of 116.August’s swoon — which has somewhat mirrored the stock market decline this month — erased gains from June and July.The index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Both measures saw significant declines in August.Consumers’ view of current conditions fell to 144.8 from 153, and the index for future expectations slid to 80.2 from 88 in July. Readings below 80 for future expectations historically signals a recession within a year.Consumer spending accounts for around 70% of U.S. economic act...

3M agrees to pay $6 billion to settle earplug lawsuits from U.S. service members

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Chemical and consumer product manufacturer 3M has agreed to pay $6 billion to settle numerous lawsuits from U.S. service members who say they experienced hearing loss or other serious injuries after using faulty earplugs made by the company.The settlement, consisting of $5 billion in cash and $1 billion in 3M stock, will be made in payments that will run through 2029. The agreement announced by the Minnesota company on Tuesday marks a resolution to one of the largest mass torts in U.S. history.Hundreds of thousands of veterans and current service members have reportedly sued 3M and Aearo Technologies, a company that 3M acquired in 2008, over their Combat Arms Earplug products. The service members alleged that a defective design allowed the products — which were intended to protect ears from close range firearms and other loud noises — to loosen slightly and allow hearing damage, according to Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis, & Overholtz PLLC, one of the law firms represen...

Graduate student charged with murder in killing of University of North Carolina faculty member

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Police charged a University of North Carolina graduate student Tuesday with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a faculty member that caused a campus lockdown amid a search for the gunman.Tailei Qi, 34, is due in court later Tuesday for an initial hearing in the Monday killing of Zijie Yan inside a science building on the Chapel Hill campus. In addition to the murder count, he is charged with having a gun on educational property.Yan is listed on the school’s website as an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences, while Qi is listed as a graduate student in Yan’s research group.Qi, who lives in Chapel Hill, was arrested during a roughly three-hour lockdown that followed the shooting, authorities said at a Monday news conference.“To actually have the suspect in custody gives us an opportunity to figure out the why and even the how, and also helps us to uncover a motive and really just why this happened today. Why ...

Dutch prosecutors demand 12-year sentence for Pakistani cricketer for call to kill lawmaker Wilders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch prosecutors demanded a 12-year prison sentence Tuesday for a former Pakistani cricketer accused of incitement to murder firebrand anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders.The suspect, identified by Wilders as Khalid Latif, is accused of offering a bounty of some 21,000 euros ($23,000) to anybody who killed Wilders.Latif did not appear in the high-security courtroom near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport for the trial. He is believed to be in Pakistan.Prosecutors did not name Latif, but said in a statement that a video posted online in 2018 showed a famous Pakistan cricketer offering the money for killing Wilders. The lawmaker has lived under round-the-clock protection for years because of repeated threats to his life sparked by his fierce criticism of Islam.The threat came after Wilders said he would organize a competition of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Many Muslims consider any depictions of Muhammad to be blasphemous. Ultimately, the contest did not g...

US commerce secretary rejects Chinese appeal to ease export controls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she rebuffed an appeal Tuesday by Chinese leaders to reduce U.S. export controls on technology with possible military uses but the two governments agreed to have experts meet to discuss disputes over protecting trade secrets.During a visit to revive frosty relations, Raimondo said she conveyed complaints to officials including China’s No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, about Chinese restrictions on U.S. technology companies. She said conditions for foreign companies are getting worse following an expansion of an anti-spying law and raids on consulting firms.Raimondo joined a series of American officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen who have visited Beijing in the past three months. They are trying to restore relations that are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over technology, security, Taiwan and other issues.A key Chinese complaint is limits on access to processor chips and other U.S. technology on ...

Ontario to ban gambling commercials featuring athletes, celebrities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

The province is banning gambling commercials featuring athletes and celebrities, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced Tuesday.As part of the announcement, the AGCO said it plans to prohibit the use of athletes in internet gaming (igaming) advertising and marketing in Ontario. The new restrictions will come into effect on February 28, 2024.“Following the first year of Ontario’s open, regulated igaming market, the AGCO identified advertising and marketing approaches that use athletes, as well as celebrities with an appeal to minors, as a potential harm to those under the legal gaming age and is taking this step to reduce the risk,” the AGCO said in a statement.“In April 2023, the AGCO held consultations on its proposal to ban such ads and received submissions from a broad range of stakeholders, including mental health and public health organizations, responsible gambling experts, gaming operators, broadcast and marketing groups, and the...

Canadian anti-crime researcher sentenced to two years in prison in Algeria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:15 GMT

MONTREAL — The lawyer for a Canadian researcher detained in Algeria since February says his client has been sentenced to two years in prison.Raouf Farrah, who studies migration and criminal economies for an international anti-crime non-governmental organization, had been charged with publishing secret information and being paid to commit offences against public order.His father, Sebti Farrah, a Montreal-area resident, received a one-year suspended sentence from the same court in the eastern Algerian city of Constantine. Farrah’s lawyer, Kouceila Zerguine, says he plans to appeal the verdict.Human Rights Watch has said Farrah’s arrest came amid a larger crackdown against Algeria’s pro-democracy movement and that anyone working for an NGO that isn’t perfectly aligned with government positions is at risk of arrest. Farrah was born in Algeria but moved to Canada when he was 18. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023. The Canadian Press