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House GOP passes parents bill of rights in schools clash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

By Stephen R. Groves | Associated PressWASHINGTON — House Republicans on Friday narrowly passed legislation that would fulfill a campaign promise to give parents a role in what’s taught in public schools. It has little chance in the Democrat-run Senate and critics said it would propel a far-right movement that has led to book bans, restrictions aimed at transgender students and raucous school board meetings across the country.Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. who made the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act a priority during the early weeks of his tenure, said Republicans were “keeping our promise, our commitment to America, that parents will have a say in their kids’ education.” The bill passed 213-208, with five Republicans — mostly members of the House Freedom Caucus — voting against it.It would require schools to publish course studies and a list of books kept in libraries, as well as affirm parents’ ability to meet with educators, speak at school boar...

Newsom relaxes California drought rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday relaxed drought rules in California amid a winter season filled with atmospheric river storms, flooding and a massive Sierra Nevada snowpack — soaking conditions that followed three dry, grueling years that had been marked by water shortages, extreme wildfires and heat waves.At an appearance at a groundwater recharge project in Yolo County, Newsom announced the end of state regulations he put in place last March that required cities and water agencies to impose water restrictions such as limits on the number of days a week residents could water lawns and landscaping. The decision now will be up to each local area in the coming weeks and months about whether to drop those restrictions.“Are we out of the drought?” Newsom said. “Mostly. But not completely.”Due to brimming reservoirs and the big snow pack, the state Department of Water Resources also announced Friday that it will increase water deliveries through the State Water ...

Woman left her AirPods on a plane after landing in San Francisco. She tracked them to an airport worker’s home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

By Julia Buckley | CNNWe’ve had people tracking their bags when airlines can’t find them. Now here’s something new: a passenger tracking an item she left on a plane — to an airport employee’s home.Alisabeth Hayden travels frequently to meet her husband on his military postings.(Alisabeth Hayden via CNN) Earlier in March, Alisabeth Hayden, from Washington state, was separated from her AirPods — Apple’s pricey micro headphones — while disembarking from a plane in San Francisco. She swiftly realized that they appeared to have been stolen.But after nearly two weeks, she had them back — thanks to her tenacious tracking abilities.Hayden was flying back from a trip to Tokyo to visit her husband, who is on secondment in the military, when she was parted from the earphones.Disembarking from the plane at San Francisco International Airport — and a little disoriented after a nine-hour flight from Tokyo — she left her denim ...

Home Depot employee in Hayward arrested in theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars of store merchandise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

HAYWARD — An employee at a Home Depot store here has been arrested as a suspect in the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars of store merchandise, authorities said.The person’s name was not immediately released. The employee was arrested Tuesday at the store at 21287 Hesperian Blvd.The investigation began March 1 when the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division Organized Retail Crime Task Force was contacted by Home Depot loss prevention investigators regarding several thefts believed to have been committed by a Hayward store employee.Photos shared in a Facebook post by California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division depict what investigators discovered at the Patterson, California residence of a Home Depot employee accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of products. Investigators said they recovered 600 stolen retail items estimated at a value of $80,000 and seized nearly $90,000 in cash as proceeds from illicit criminal activity. (CHP Golden Gate)...

Man arrested in string of burglaries targeting women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

(KRON) -- A 21-year-old man was arrested for his alleged involvement in a string of at least three burglaries in Redwood City targeting sleeping women at night since January, according to police. The majority of these burglaries took place on the 1200 to 1300 block of Ebener Street, officials said. Five total burglaries are under investigation connected to this suspect, according to Redwood City police.Officers said on two occasions, the suspect allegedly entered women's homes while they were asleep, and on March 19, he allegedly woke a female victim up while inappropriately touching her. Officers responded to this call around 2:20 a.m. When the victim confronted the intruder, he allegedly barricaded himself in the bathroom but escaped through an exterior window before police got there.  Mother of twin 6-year-olds killed by suspect fleeing police in stolen car Evidence from this incident, including surveillance video, led to the identification of the suspect as Cristian Josue Cane...

NL Central Preview: Cards seek repeat without Pujols, Molina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

Two familiar faces from St. Louis’ run to the NL Central title last season aren’t around anymore as the Cardinals attempt to become the division’s first repeat champion in six years.The retirements of Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols leave the Cardinals having to replace two likely Hall of Famers. Second-year manager Oliver Marmol says Molina and Pujols did much to assure the club’s winning culture would endure even after their departures.“Albert and Yadi would talk about that often, like, ‘What’s this look like when we’re no longer here? We want to make sure we’re passing along what we know in the same way it was passed along to us,'” Marmol said. “They did that really well.”The Cardinals still have plenty of star power, returning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt at first base and third baseman Nolan Arenado, who finished third in the voting. That makes St. Louis the favorite in a division that hasn’t had a team finish first in back-to-back seasons since the Chicago C...

NL East Preview: Braves, Phillies, Mets to duke it out again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The National League East made a strong argument as the majors’ toughest division in 2022 and lines up as perhaps even better this season.The NL East boasted two 101-win teams — the Atlanta Braves, who won their fifth consecutive division title, and the New York Mets. A third playoff team from the division, the Philadelphia Phillies, advanced to the World Series.The NL East is poised for another strong run. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Braves, Mets and Phillies among its top eight picks to win the World Series. The AL East, which also sent three teams to the playoffs last season, has three of the betting site’s top nine World Series picks as the next strongest division.“Now there’s three big-headed monsters in this division and it’ll be a battle to the end like it always is,” said Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud.The stiff competition in the division fueled an offseason of big spending. The Mets expect to carry a record payroll of $370 million after adding AL...

AL West Preview: Can Ohtani, Angels unseat the Astros?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

Once Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout for an epic finish to the World Baseball Classic, the former AL MVPs quickly returned to being teammates again for what could be their last chance together to lead the Los Angeles Angels to the playoffs. For the Athletics, this might be their last season in Oakland. A long postseason drought is over for the Seattle Mariners after their first playoff appearance since 2001 — and they feel like they can do it again. Three-time World Series champion manager Bruce Bochy and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom have joined the Texas Rangers, who have had six losing seasons in a row. In the AL West, they all still have to try to get by Dusty Baker and his reigning World Series champion Houston Astros. Even with Jose Altuve injured and three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander gone in free agency, Houston is a solid favorite to win another division title, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Its leadoff-hitting second baseman is out unt...

AL Central Preview: Guards try defending lackluster division

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

Guardians ace Shane Bieber was musing about Cleveland manager Terry Francona’s importance to the club earlier this spring when he made a somewhat surprising acknowledgement of what baseball’s youngest team had done a year ago.“We kind of maximized our input,” Bieber said, “and our output.”Indeed, that young bunch of Guardians rolled to the AL Central title by a whopping 11 games last season. They did it by relying on one of the best bullpens in baseball, crafty hitting and speed on the basepaths, and some wisdom from their 63-year-old manager, who heads into a new year feeling good after a series of serious health concerns.“Just him being in the clubhouse, it breeds confidence,” Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said.The Guardians return largely intact, poised to defend their title in an otherwise down division, though with some extra pop in the lineup with the arrival of switch-hitter Josh Bell and catcher Mike Zunino. Bieber again tops the rotation, while Jo...

NWSL’s Carson Pickett embraces being a role model

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:07 GMT

There was a time earlier in her soccer career when Carson Pickett didn’t want to draw attention to her left arm or even talk about it. She just wanted to be like all the other players.Pickett has since become more comfortable with what makes her both unique and a role model for others like her. The 29-year-old defender, who plays professionally for Racing Louisville in the National Women’s Soccer League, was born without a left hand and forearm.“As I’ve gotten older and more mature, I’ve realized that there is a platform that I have that other people don’t have. And I think for far too long I allowed myself just to kind of only focus on soccer, only focus on fans who want to talk about soccer and, you know, doing interviews that only discuss soccer and not my arm. And I think that that was something that I had to learn,” she said.Of course, there’s much more to Pickett than her limb difference. She’s a skilled defender who has earned call-ups to the U.S...