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The Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani $700 million to hit and pitch — but also because he can sell

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s jaw-dropping $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers has some similarities to other contracts for the world’s biggest sports stars, including soccer icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes.In terms of his marketability, experts point to another name.The real comparison? Try Taylor Swift.The global music sensation’s broad appeal — one that bridges the gap between generations and expands to other countries — is an extremely rare phenomenon that Ohtani shares. There’s no doubt the Dodgers hope they can leverage the Japanese star’ s arrival into even more money for a franchise that is already one of the most popular in Major League Baseball.“He’s rocketed into a stratosphere all his own,” sports agent Leigh Steinberg said.Ohtani was expected to sign the biggest deal in MLB history as a free agent this offseason and didn’t disappoint. He’s the sport&...

NWS: Strong winds could bring poor visibility on roads

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Strong winds in the foothills and in the Front Range mountains could bring reduced visibility and snow-covered roads in areas on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.Areas were under a high wind warning until 5 p.m. Sunday. Winds between 35 and 45 mph were expected, as well as gusts of up to 80 mph.This caused the Colorado Department of Transportation to urge anyone driving in either direction of Interstate 70 between exit 221 and 244 and U.S. Route 6 from mile point 225 to mile point 244 to be especially careful of the winds.Some areas had already seen strong gusts as of 8:30 a.m., including Coal Creek Canyon, which saw a wind gust of 88 mph.Berthoud Pass also saw a wind gust of 74 mph early in the morning, according to NWS data.

Police search for missing teen Lauderdale Lakes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

The Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit is seeking the public’s assistance to locate a 15-year-old girl missing from Lauderdale Lakes.According to detectives, Ariana Hightower was last seen at around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday near the 3500 block of Northwest 29th Street in Lauderdale Lakes. Hightower was riding a purple bicycle with a silver basket on the front. She weighs around 125 pounds. She is 5 feet 5 inches tall and has burgundy hair and brown eyes. According to Hightower’s family, she suffers from mental illness and requires medication.Anyone with information on Hightower’s whereabouts should contact BSO Detective Chris Blankenship at 954-321-4268 or at the BSO non-emergency number 954-764-4357.

Still unclear how, when Israel-Hamas fighting will end, US says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

As the war between Israel and Hamas passes the two-month mark, it’s still unclear how the fighting will end and how long it will last, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.“We have these discussions with Israel including about the duration as well as how it is prosecuting this campaign against Hamas. These are decisions for Israel to make,” Blinken said Sunday during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”“But Hamas has decisions to make, too. It could get out from hiding behind civilians tomorrow. It could put down its arms tomorrow. It could surrender tomorrow and this would be over,” he added.The fighting, which began after Hamas attacked and killed about 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7, has devastated Gaza. In response to the attack, Israel launched an air and ground war that has killed thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians, and forced some 1.9 million people to flee their homes, according to the Associated Press. With aid delivery rendered impossible in...

Gaza fallout: US university head quits in antisemitism row sparked by Israel-Hamas war 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned after coming under fire for her response to antisemitism on campus, as the U.S. homes in on higher education’s response to the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel. Elizabeth Magill stepped down on Saturday, days after she appeared before the U.S. Congress alongside other university leaders. Magill, along with Harvard President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, participated in a contentious, five-hour grilling from lawmakers on Tuesday over their response to antisemitism on their campuses.They faced an intense backlash for evading a question about pro-Palestinian student protesters’ calls for “intifada” or “the genocide of Jews.”Magill, whose position was already under pressure following her rejection of calls to cancel a planned Palestinian literary conference, on Wednesday released a video statement apologizing for her testimony. The video, published on X, has been viewed more ...

Column: The circus surrounding the Shohei Ohtani courtship was one for the books

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

Shohei Ohtani wound up where almost everyone expected from the start Saturday when he agreed to a record 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.It is the biggest contract in North American team sports, and its reverberations will be felt in baseball for years after surpassing the next-highest MLB deal, Mike Trout’s 12-year, $427 million contract signed in 2019, by $273 million.But the story of the Ohtani courtship was a long and twisting road that had baseball fans engrossed for weeks, especially in the 24 hours before the deal was agreed upon, when an errant report and social media speculation had the entire country of Canada on edge over an alleged trip Ohtani took to Toronto on a private jet.As it turned out, tracking Ohtani’s phantom flight to Toronto on Friday afternoon to find out whether baseball’s unicorn would shock the world and sign with the Blue Jays was a colossal time-waster for fans with social media accounts and plenty of time to wa...

Thousands march in Europe in the latest rallies against antisemitism stoked by the war in Gaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Thousands of people marched in the Belgian and German capitals on Sunday to protest soaring antisemitism since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The demonstrations in Brussels and Berlin were the latest in a series of rallies in European capitals that have expressed support for Jewish communities. Previous marches in Paris and in London drew tens of thousands of people. There have also been many pro-Palestinian rallies, often drawing large crowds.Marchers at the Brussels rally held up signs reading “You don’t have to be Jewish to march against antisemitism,” “antisemitism kills” and other slogans. Police said at least 4,000 people attended.Joël Rubinfeld, president of the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, said Belgium has witnessed “a huge increase” in anti-Jewish hatred since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that triggered their latest and deadliest war.“We are living in a very complicated period,” he said, adding that the ra...

Pedestrian suffers life-threatening injuries when struck by vehicle in North York

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

One person is in hospital with life-threatening injuries from being struck by a vehicle in North York on Saturday night.At approximately 8:42 p.m. officers responded to reports of a collision in the area of Epsom Downs Drive and William Cragg Drive area.A black BMW sedan was reportedly travelling eastbound on Epsom Downs Drive when it struck a pedestrian who was walking eastbound on the same street.The pedestrian was transported to Sunnybrook Hospital with life-threatening injuries.An investigation is ongoing by members of Traffic Services and police are asking witnesses and residents with information to contact them.

Police chase in Philadelphia ends in shootout that leaves 2 officers, suspect wounded

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A police pursuit of a suspected gunman ended in a shootout that left two officers and a suspect wounded, police said.The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Sunday, interim city Police Commissioner John Stanford said, after officers responded to reports of gunfire and saw a pickup truck that was believed to have been involved in that shooting. Offers tried to stop the truck, but the driver drove off.Officers soon spotted the truck again and the pursuit ended when the driver rammed a police car. He then got out and started shooting at police, Stanford said.Four officers returned fire, striking the man at least once. He was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery, and he was listed in critical condition. One officer had a head wound while another was shot in the leg and face. Both were in stable condition and their injuries were not considered life-threatening. Stanford said one of the injured officers had been wounded in a previous shooting, but he didn’t imme...

Baku to the future: After stalemate, UN climate talks will be in Azerbaijan in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:14 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — For years, climate change has been a factor — not the only one — in wars and conflicts. Now for the first time, it’s part of a peace deal.A long-time stand-off that had turned the choice for next year’s United Nations climate talks into a melodrama and mystery resolved as part of a prisoner swap settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It set the stage for the COP29 climate talks in 2024 to be in a city where one of the world’s first oil fields developed 1,200 years ago: Baku, Azerbaijan.It also means that for back-to-back years an oil powerhouse nation will be hosting climate talks — where the focus is often on eliminating fossil fuels. And it will become three straight years that the U.N. puts its showcase conference, where protests and civil engagement often take center stage, in a nation with restrictions on free speech.In 2021, the COP was in Glasgow, where the modern steam engine was built and the industrial revolution sta...