Putin says dialogue over WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s release ‘ongoing’ but ‘not easy’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Putin says dialogue over WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s release ‘ongoing’ but ‘not easy’ (CNN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that a dialogue over the detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is ongoing, but that it is “not easy,” as the White House continues to push for his release.Putin said talks with the US are ongoing, and expressed hope for reaching a mutually acceptable solution, but insisted a solution “must suit the Russian side as well.”Speaking during his first long-format press conference since the invasion of Ukraine, with Russian citizens also sending in questions, Putin said: “We have contacts with American partners on this matter. A dialogue is ongoing. It is not easy; I won’t go into details now, but overall, it seems to me that we are speaking a language understandable to each other.”Gershkovich was arrested in March while on a reporting trip in the country. The FSB, Russia’s main security service, accused him of trying to obtain state secrets – a charge Gershkovich, his employer and the US ...

Former Central Catholic star involved in Taylor Clarke trade

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Former Central Catholic star involved in Taylor Clarke trade A former Central Catholic baseball star is headed to the Kansas City Royals as part of a trade involving big league right-hander Taylor Clarke.Cam Devanney, a New Hampshire native who graduated from Central Catholic in 2015, was one of two minor leaguers traded to the Royals by the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Clarke, a five-year MLB veteran.Originally a 15th round pick by the Brewers out of Elon University in the 2019 MLB Draft, the 26-year-old infielder spent this past season at Triple-A, batting .271 with 11 home runs, 47 RBI and an .824 OPS in 103 games.Prior to his professional career, Devanney was a two-time Merrimack Valley Conference MVP and a Boston Herald All-Scholastic at Central Catholic. He went on to become a two-time Second Team All-Conference pick at Elon, and he now heads to Kansas City alongside Double-A righty Ryan Brady.Devanney is the second Merrimack Valley native to join the Royals organization in the past year. Methuen’s Jacob Wallace was also acqu...

Revolution awarded a Concacaf Champions Cup tournament berth

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Revolution awarded a Concacaf Champions Cup tournament berth The New England Revolution had something positive to show from their tumultuous 2023 season.The Revolution were one of 10 MLS franchises in a North America-based field of 27 that qualified to participate in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.The Revolution will face Club Atletico Independiente of Panama in Round One of a home and home series. Five of the 27 teams from the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean were awarded a Round One bye.The Revolution qualified by finishing sixth in the 2023 regular season but were eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs in the first round by the Philadelphia Union.The Revolution will open at Club Atletico on Feb. 6 and play the second match at Gillette Stadium on Feb. 29, with kickoff times to be determined. The winner will be decided by an aggregate score over the two matches. The victor will advance to the Round of 16 in a five-round knockout tournament that will run from February to June.The Revolution are expected to name a new head co...

Man shot in Hilton Bayfront parking garage

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Man shot in Hilton Bayfront parking garage SAN DIEGO -- A 31-year-old man was shot early Thursday in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront parking garage, and the shooter remains on the loose, police said.At 3:20 a.m., police received a call about a shooting on the second floor of the hotel's parking structure, the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department said in an email to FOX 5. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot twice. Paramedics took the victim to a hospital, where he remained in stable condition. Two San Diego universities face discrimination investigations The shooter left the parking structure, police said. A suspect description was not provided.Access to the structure was closed off while police investigate.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Pro bowler saves San Diego bowling alley

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Pro bowler saves San Diego bowling alley SAN DIEGO -- Missy Parkin had an action packed 2021 -- winning a world championship as a professional bowler and saving Mira Mesa Lanes from shutting their doors.“When I heard it was closing my husband and I wanted to do anything we could to save it. We didn’t want to see all the bowlers and the people of San Diego lose another bowling center,” says Missy Parkin, owner of Mira Mesa Lanes.There’s fewer than 10 bowling alleys in San Diego County. So the Parkin's wanted to make sure that number didn't fall. At the time, the Parkins already owned Parkin’s Bowling Supply. Using lessons learned from that business, they reopened Mira Mesa Lanes in April of 2021.“Luckily, right when we opened that’s when everything opened back up for bowling centers. It was kind of perfect timing,” says Parkin.Once the deal was done, Parkin fulfilled her childhood fantasy.“Owning a bowling center has always been a lifelong dream of mine. Since I was a little girl, growing up in bow...

Inquest into Sammy Yatim’s 2013 death to be held next month

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Inquest into Sammy Yatim’s 2013 death to be held next month A coroner’s inquest into the death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim in Toronto is expected to be held in January. Yatim was shot multiple times by Toronto police Const. James Forcillo while standing alone holding a small knife on the streetcar on July 27, 2013.Cellphone footage of the shooting posted online set off a wave of public outrage and calls for police reform.An inquest into Yatim’s death is mandatory under Ontario’s Coroners Act. It will examine the circumstances surrounding Yatim’s death, and the jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further fatal incidents.A long-awaited inquest into Yatim’s death was set to start in November 2022 but was delayed after Const. Forcillo argued that it should examine the possibility that Yatim died by “suicide by cop” – a theory rejected by the presiding coroner.Toronto teenager Sammy Yatim is shown in a photo from the Facebook page ‘R.I.P Sammy Yatim.’ (Facebook).Const. Forci...

Victims allege sex abuse in Maryland youth detention facilities under new law allowing them to sue

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Victims allege sex abuse in Maryland youth detention facilities under new law allowing them to sue BALTIMORE (AP) — In the months since Maryland eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims, more than 100 victims have filed a slew of lawsuits alleging horrific treatment inside the state’s youth detention facilities.State lawmakers passed the Child Victims Act with the Catholic Church clergy abuse scandal in mind after a scathing investigative report revealed the scope of the problem within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which filed for bankruptcy to protect its assets from the impending wave of lawsuits.With claims against the diocese now relegated to bankruptcy court, an unexpected spotlight has settled on the state’s juvenile justice system.At least 50 plaintiffs sued the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services in early October, when the new law took effect. Rather than effectively rehabilitating at-risk youth, the department “locks them inside a cage to become the prey of sadistic staff whom they cannot escape,” according to one of six lawsuits that were...

Study shows colonials forced Indigenous woolly dogs into extinction

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Study shows colonials forced Indigenous woolly dogs into extinction VANCOUVER — For thousands of years, a breed of white, woolly dog played an important and cultural role for Coast Salish people in Western Canada but when colonists moved in the animal quickly became extinct, a new study says.It started with a dog named Mutton that died in 1859. Its pelt had been in a collection at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. DNA analysis on the pelt, coupled with traditional knowledge from the Coast Salish people, provided new insights on the dog once bred for its unique woolly coat.The study in the journal Science released Thursday says the dog was believed to be introduced in the Americas about 15,000 years ago, and the Coast Salish peoples carefully maintained the genetic integrity of the animal leading up to colonization. Audrey T. Lin, a post-doctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the lead author of the study, says their study highlights the “direct and devastating” ...

Senate bill would require age verification for Canadians accessing porn sites

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Senate bill would require age verification for Canadians accessing porn sites A Senate bill that would require Canadians to verify their age online before accessing porn is moving through the House of Commons without the support of the Liberal government. Independent Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne, who sponsored Bill S-210, says it is difficult to understand why 133 Liberal MPs voted against the bill on Thursday as other parties agreed to send it to a committee for further study. A spokesperson for the Canadian heritage minister told The Canadian Press earlier this year that the government was working on its own approach to dealing with online harms, and the Senate bill overlapped with their work. Quebec Liberal MP Anju Dhillon made similar comments last month when Bill S-210, which passed in the Senate in the spring, was first debated in the House of Commons. Dhillon says the bill is closely linked to the government’s ongoing work to ensure a safer online experience for Canadians, particularly for children and youth. Pornhub is fighting...

Andre Braugher died from lung cancer, rep for ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Homicide’ star says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:54:11 GMT

Andre Braugher died from lung cancer, rep for ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Homicide’ star says LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andre Braugher died from lung cancer, a representative said Thursday. When the Emmy-winning actor who starred in the series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street” died Monday at age 61, his representatives said only that he had been through a brief illness, but his publicist Jennifer Allen gave the cause on Thursday. Braugher generally revealed little about his private life, and his death was unexpected for many of his co-stars. He told the New York Times in 2014 that he stopped smoking and drinking years ago. The Chicago-born Braugher had his Hollywood breakthrough in the 1989 film “Glory” acting alongside Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. He went on to play Det. Frank Pemberton, the lead role in the NBC police drama “Homicide: Life on the Street,” for seven seasons. He would win the first of two career Emmys for his work on the show. Braugher was nominated for Emmys 11 times, four of them for the comic turn he took as Capt. Ray Holt on “Broo...