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Column: Manager David Ross accepts blame for the Chicago Cubs’ fade down the stretch in the NL wild-card race

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

The arc of the Chicago Cubs season has been amazing to watch unfold because no other season was quite like it.The Cubs were 10 games under .500 on June 8, then got hot and played 22 games over .500 (50-28) from June 9 to Sept. 6, when they had a 92% chance of making the playoffs.But just when it looked as if they could plan their postseason rotation, they faltered down the stretch, going 6-14 from Sept. 7 through Friday’s loss, putting them on the brink of elimination with a 4.7% chance of getting in.“The odds of anything, I don’t kind of buy into that,” manager David Ross said.No one has taken more blame than Ross, who was under fire at the start of the season, then briefly mentioned in manager of the year talk and currently is being raked over the coals for the team’s late-season fade.Before Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ross said he deserved his share of the blame.“We’re in this together,” Ross said. ...

Congress votes to avert shutdown

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

Congress has averted a shutdown with just hours to spare, capping a dramatic day that started with a lapse in government funding appearing all but inevitable.The Senate voted 88-9 to pass a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that funds the government at current levels through Nov. 17 and gives the Biden administration $16 billion it requested to assist victims of natural disasters. The House had earlier passed the measure in a bipartisan 335-91 vote.The CR notably lacks any funding for Ukraine, spending cuts or border policy changes.The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature before midnight, with both sides claiming victory. “Bipartisanship, which has been the trademark of the Senate, has prevailed. And the American people can breathe a sigh of relief," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.The vote came together after a hectic day on both sides of the Capitol, one Schumer described as full of “twist and turns.”House Republicans huddled in the m...

Senate OKs stopgap bill to fund government until Nov. 17: live coverage

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

With less than three hours before a government shutdown would start, the Senate passed a stopgap funding measure first approved by the House, with more Democratic support than Republican. The bill keeps the government funded until Nov. 17. It keeps the FAA funded through year's end.The "clean" continuing resolution notably lacks any funding for Ukraine, spending cuts or border policy changes.Follow along with live updates below.

A government shutdown is averted for now with a temporary funding bill. What happens in a shutdown?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has averted for now a threatened government shutdown that would have disrupted many services, squeezed federal employees and roiled politics.The threat was set aside late Saturday after Congress voted to keep agencies open until Nov. 17. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for House passage, before the Senate easily approved the measure Saturday night. House Republicans, fueled by hard-right demands for lower spending, had been forcing a confrontation over federal spending.In a shutdown, some government entities would be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, would still go out — and other functions would be severely curtailed. Federal agencies would cease all actions deemed nonessential, and many of the federal government’s roughly 2 million employees, as well as 2 million active-duty military troops and reservists, would not receive paychecks.A look at what could happen in the ev...

4 suspects sought in two break ins at Old City Hall

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

Police are searching for three men and a woman wanted for a pair of break ins at Old City Hall.Investigators say around 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 10, the four broke into the building located at Queen Street West and Bay Street and spent approximately two hours inside before leaving with several stolen items. Later that evening, around 9:30 p.m., two of the four suspects returned and remained in the building until the early morning hours of Sept. 11 before once again leaving with several stolen items. Police did not specify what types of items were taken from the building.Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Green Day to headline Grey Cup halftime show in Hamilton

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

Grammy Award-winning band Green Day will headline the halftime show for the 2023 Grey Cup game.The CFL made the announcement Saturday night during halftime of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats-Calgary Stampeders game at Tim Hortons Field. The Grey Cup game will be held Nov. 19 in Hamilton.“You better be ready because we’re about to turn the Grey Cup green and into the loudest f****** night in CFL history,” the band said in a statement.Green Day, a punk-rock band that’s captured five Grammy Awards, has sold more than 75 million records. It was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, its first year of eligibility.Green Day was formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong along with bassist/backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. The band is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States.On Tuesday, Hamilton’s Grey Cup organizing committee announced that country star Carrie Under...

Man accused of locking a woman in a cell in Oregon faces rape, kidnapping charges in separate case

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man accused of abducting a woman in Seattle, driving her hundreds of miles to his home in Oregon and locking her in a makeshift cinder block cell is facing fresh charges of kidnapping and rape in a separate case involving alleged crimes two months earlier, court documents show.An indictment returned by a grand jury in southern Oregon’s Klamath County says that on or around May 6, Negasi Zuberi kidnapped a victim referred to as an unidentified Jane Doe in the county in order to rape her. The indictment also alleges that he knowingly injured the victim by using or threatening to use weapons including a handgun and a stun gun.Zuberi was indicted on 11 counts, including first-degree rape, sexual abuse and kidnapping. The indictment was filed with the Klamath County Circuit Court last week.Online court records didn’t appear to list a defense attorney for Zuberi for the case, which is in the state court system. There was no immediate response Saturday a...

15 buses carrying migrants, asylum seekers expected to arrive in Chicago over the weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

CHICAGO — More than a dozen buses with South American refugees are scheduled to arrive in Chicago this weekend. The new arrivals come as the city struggles to figure out how to support the migrants and many others in need across the city.As new asylum seekers arrive in the city, committed volunteers are doing the best they can to make the families feel welcome despite of the uncomfortable circumstances.On Saturday, Sonia Garcia, who serves with Chicago Father's for Change, brought her food truck out to feed new arrivals living at the 15th Police District in Austin."We want them to have a better life and we need the help from the city to help them, but we just wanted to feed them, we wanted to give them good food," Garcia said. Pritzker: Illinois has spent $328M on helping Chicago’s migrant crisis Annie Gomberg, who volunteers as the District 15 Lead Organizer assisting asylum seekers, says at least 15,000 people have arrived in Chicago from Venezuela and other South American count...

Instant Analysis: A big win over Kansas, now it's Red River Rivalry time

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 3 Texas Longhorns played perhaps its most complete game of the season in a 40-14 blowout win over No. 24 Kansas on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.With 661 yards of total offense, the Longhorns now head into the Red River Rivalry next week at the Cotton Bowl undefeated. This is the first time since 2009 that Texas has started the season 5-0.Noah Gross and Roger Wallace break down the victory and discuss the finer points of the matchup in the video above.

Texas A&M beats Arkansas 34-22 with backup QB, tough defense

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:24 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson agrees that it is easy for the Aggies to imagine just how good they really can be if they clean up some mistakes. Especially with the way their defense is dominating games.Johnson threw for 210 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 57 yards, but also had three second-half turnovers while the Aggies missed two field goals in a 34-22 win over Arkansas on Saturday.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters“We should have put up a lot more points than we did,” Johnson said. “The defense played unbelievable.”Or as coach Jimbo Fisher put it, Texas A&M's defense was “tremendously outstanding.”Again.The Aggies (4-1, 2-0 SEC) had seven quarterbacks sacks and 15 tackles for loss for the second week in a row while limiting Arkansas to 174 total yards. They even got a defensive score with linebacker Chris Russell Jr. returnin...