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One favorite for SF Giants’ manager post comes off the table

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

When Gabe Kapler was fired on Friday, it was hard not to think back to his last pregame session with reporters Wednesday afternoon. Or more so, who was performing the same task in the opposite dugout around the same time.It was Bob Melvin, whose tenure in San Diego seemed to be on the skids but, conversely, had emerged as an early favorite as Kapler’s successor. A long track record as a major-league manager, a previous working relationship with Farhan Zaidi and Bay Area roots made Melvin an obvious candidate — if his time with the Padres was up.That proved not to be the case.In his season-ending press conference Wednesday, Padres general manager A.J. Preller confirmed Melvin would return for 2024, despite a reported rift in their relationship and a disappointing 2023 season.“Bob is our manager, and he’s going to be our manager going forward,” Preller said of Melvin, who has one year left on his contract.Related ArticlesSan Francisco Giants | SF Gia...

Bay Area arts: 11 great events and shows to catch this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

From Fleet Week and Litquake to an opera based on a classic Steinbeck novel and the return of the Steinway Society, there is a lot to see and do this weekend in the Bay Area. Here is a partial roundup.Fleet Week is backGiven that Congress seemed bound and determined to ruin this beloved Bay Area event this year, it seems only right that we rejoice in Fleet Week’s arrival, safe from a federal government shutdown that only a few days ago appeared all but certain. But that’s all Tall Ships under the bridge now, and we are free to enjoy this annual tribute to those who serve in America’s armed forces, particularly the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.The event, running through Monday, takes on added meaning with the passing late last week of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who helped launch Fleet week 41 years ago when she was San Francisco mayor. Fleet Week events, nearly all of which are free, range from eye-popping displays of power to more poignant celebrations of the importance of re...

Los Angeles teen launches app to connect aging foster youth with adult mentors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

At just 17 years old, Layla Tehranchi has a lot on her plate. She's a senior at an all-girls high school in Brentwood, co-founder of a nonprofit organization and now she can add the title of tech entrepreneur onto her growing list of accomplishments.In August, Tehranchi launched FosterBuddy, an app that connects emancipated teens and foster youth aging out of the system with mentors and professionals who are interested in making a lasting difference in the lives of those in need.For Tehranchi, it all started with a dream, or rather, a lack of one.During an event hosted by her nonprofit, Coco's Angels, Layla had a life-changing conversation with a foster teen who was aging out of the system."I asked him in just casual conversation, what his dream was, essentially what his dream was for life," Tehranchi said. "And he told me he had none."Delara and Layla Tehranchi, co-founders of Coco's Angels, pose for a photo at an event for the nonprofit in this undated photo. (Coco’s Angels)She st...

Ron DeSantis’ campaign will move more staff to Iowa in his latest bet on the first caucuses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign said Wednesday it will move about a third of its staff to Iowa, underscoring the do-or-die importance the Florida governor is placing on the leadoff caucuses.The development, a little more than three months before Iowa Republicans launch the 2024 nominating calendar, comes as DeSantis seeks to visit all of the state’s 99 counties in an effort to outmaneuver former President Donald Trump. So far, Trump is dominating in Iowa and nationally while DeSantis has seen his national support slip substantially from its high point earlier this year.DeSantis’ team also said they intended to report raising $15 million during the third quarter of 2023.Sending about a third of the 56 Tallahassee-based staff to Iowa gives DeSantis by far the biggest organizational footprint in Iowa, where he has had four staff. However, DeSantis’ organizational work in Iowa has been carried out by a super PAC supporting him, which h...

The US is forgiving more federal student loans in a bid to tackle ‘unsustainable debt’ for borrowers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt relief at Delaware State University, Oct. 21, 2022, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)(AP/Evan Vucci) FILE - President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt relief at Delaware State University, Oct. 21, 2022, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)(AP/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden outlined a new round of federal student loan forgiveness on Wednesday to address the “unsustainable debt” that borrowers accumulate to complete their college education.The announcement comes as borrowers brace for payments to restart after a three-year pause that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and Biden tries to fulfill his campaign promises o...

Kenya’s foreign minister reassigned days after touchy comment on country’s police mission in Haiti

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s foreign affairs minister was moved to the tourism post Wednesday as part of a Cabinet reshuffle just days after the official said the country’s police in the Kenya-led Haiti peacekeeping mission would be deployed “within a short time.”Alfred Mutua’s statement came shortly after the U.N Security Council approved the force Monday and was issued before President William Ruto’s statement. The president did not mention when the deployment would take place.Kenya has committed to leading a multinational force to combat gang violence in Haiti, a plan that has been controversial locally and internationally.As foreign minister, Mutua was vocal about the Haiti mission, giving prospective deployment times and preparations that are underway. His counterpart in the interior security ministry, where policing issues fall, has been quiet about the deployment.Ruto reassaigned Mutua to the tourism ministry and handed the foreign affairs post to politician Musalia Mudavadi...

Giannis Ioannidis, who coached teams that dominated Greek basketball in 1980s and 90s, dies at 78

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Giannis Ioannidis, one of Greece’s most successful basketball coaches who later entered politics and served as a minister for sports, has died at the age of 78.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis led plaudits Wednesday for the veteran player and coach, whose teams dominated Greek basketball in the formative 1980s and 1990s, winning 12 league championships and six cups.“He set his own seal on the history of Greek basketball,” Mitsotakis said in a social media post.Born in 1945 in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Ioannidis played for local team Aris and then went on to coach the club from 1978-79 and 1982-90. During that period Aris won eight league championships, including six straight titles from 1985-90, and five cups.Parliament speaker Konstantinos Tassoulas said Ioannidis contributed greatly “to the popularity of basketball and the active participation of many young people in the sport.” The 1980s were seminal for Greek basketball, and Ioannidis’...

Turkey strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq again after warning of retaliation for a bombing in Ankara

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkish warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes against Kurdish militant targets in Iraq on Wednesday hours after the foreign minister warned that Turkey would hit the militant group’s positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Ankara earlier this week. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack outside the Interior Ministry in Ankara in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police were wounded in the attack.The Turkish jets targeted 22 suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves, shelters and depots used by the militants, the Turkish defense ministry said. The PKK maintains bases in the region, where its leadership has a foothold. It was the Turkish air force’s third airstrike against suspected Kurdish militant sites in northern Iraq following the attack, which came as parliament p...

Browns GM Berry says ‘easy decision’ to sit QB Deshaun Watson against Ravens with shoulder injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said it was “a very easy decision” — made by several people — to sit quarterback Deshaun Watson on Sunday against Baltimore because he was unable to throw effectively.Watson was sidelined by a bruised right shoulder and the Browns (2-2) were trounced 28-3 by the Ravens, who intercepted rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson three times and sacked him four times in his NFL debut.Berry reiterated coach Kevin Stefanski’s comments earlier this week that Watson’s shoulder is structurally sound and the injury is not a long-term issue. Watson is expected to be back for an Oct. 15 game against San Francisco.During his bye week news conference Wednesday, Berry also tried to clarify what led to the decision for Watson to be one of Cleveland’s inactive players. There had been some conflicting, confusing comments about who ultimately made the call.On Monday, Stefanski said the decision was made solely by Watson, and ...

Biden dice que brindará un discurso “muy importante” sobre Ucrania

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

WASHINGTON – El presidente Joe Biden dijo el miércoles que pronunciaría un discurso “muy importante” sobre la financiación de Ucrania y “por qué es de vital importancia para Estados Unidos y nuestros aliados que mantengamos nuestro compromiso”.Los comentarios se produjeron en respuesta a una pregunta de NBC News sobre si le preocupaba que Estados Unidos no pudiera entregar ayuda a Ucrania debido al desorden en el Capitolio.El presidente respondió a las preguntas de la prensa tras sus comentarios previstos sobre la deuda estudiantil. Biden asegura a Ucrania el apoyo de EEUU pese a la oposición del ala trumpista El comandante de la flota rusa del Mar Negro habría muerto en ataque con misiles, según Ucrania “Voy a argumentar que a Estados Unidos de América le conviene abrumadoramente que Ucrania tenga éxito”, dijo Biden.Biden argumentó que el enfoque de la administración en la construcción de una c...