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In Iowa and elsewhere, bans on LGBTQ+ ‘conversion therapy’ become a conservative target

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of Iowa’s largest cities repealed its ban on “conversion therapy” — the discredited practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling — after a Christian organization threatened legal action, part of a deepening national movement to challenge protections for LGBTQ+ kids.The city council in Waterloo voted this week to remove its restrictions after Liberty Counsel warned in a letter June 30 that it would “take further action” if the city did not repeal the ordinance by August 1. It was enacted in May.The organization, which is based in Orlando, Florida, argued the ordinance infringes on the constitutional right to free speech and acted on behalf of a therapist in Waterloo “who was concerned about the implications of this on the practice of counseling,” Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel founder and chair, said in an interview in which he promised further litigation targeting states.In Iowa and across the c...

Questions linger after 2 women were shot at Guaranteed Rate Field during White Sox game Friday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

A day after two women were wounded by gunfire while sitting in the outfield seating area at Guaranteed Rate Field Friday night, questions remained on whether the shots were fired inside or outside the stadium and why the game continued despite a request from a high-ranking officer to halt play.Both women, 26 and 42, were expected to recover from the unusual incident at the Bridgeport ballpark that occurred during the fourth inning. Officials on Saturday described a delay in the police response, because the incident first appeared to be a fan who needed first-aid for an undetermined wound.“No one understood it was a bullet or gunshot. So there was this time delay as that person got treatment,” Scott Reifert, the Sox senior vice president of communications told reporters Saturday. “Then as they investigated a little bit more, we stared to understand what may have happened.”Officials said no one knows exactly where the gunshot came from.The game was not interrup...

Chicago Cubs call up 2021 1st-round pick Jordan Wicks for his MLB debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

The Chicago Cubs envisioned a potentially fast track to the majors when they selected left-hander Jordan Wicks in the first round of the 2021 draft.Armed with a wicked changeup, Wicks’ journey reached the big leagues Saturday night at PNC Park where he made his MLB debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Right-hander Javier Assad was pushed back one day and will start the series finale Sunday. Right-handed reliever Michael Fulmer was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain, retroactive to Friday, as the corresponding move for Wicks.Wicks became the fourth starter in Cubs history dating to 1901 with at least nine strikeouts in his MLB debut.“It’s not surprising that he climbed pretty quickly,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Saturday. “I just see a guy who’s a competitor and who’ll go out there and give you everything he’s got for as long as you leave him out there.“What he does really well is he knows who he...

Patriots roster cuts tracker: Quandre Mosely, Carl Davis out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

The Patriots are required to whittle their roster down to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and they’ve started clearing spots early.The Patriots plan to release veteran defensive tackle Carl Davis and waive cornerback Quandre Mosely, sources told the Herald.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots must make important roster decision without key information New England Patriots | Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte earns praise after conspicuous lack of playing time New England Patriots | NFL notes: 4 potential Patriots trades before cutdown day, including a blockbuster New England Patriots | Patriots QB Bailey Zappe on re-entering preseason finale: ‘That was the head man’s decision’ New England Patriots | Patriots have difficult decision to make with Malik Cunningham as cutdowns loom Davis joined the Patriots in 2020 and has played 36 games with seven starts in three seasons....

Column: Chicago White Sox defend decision to continue play after shooting at Guaranteed Rate Field. Was it the right call?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

The unthinkable happened Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field when two women were hit by gunfire in the left-field bleachers during the fourth inning of the Chicago White Sox’s loss to the Oakland A’s.One day after the shooting, a Chicago Police Department investigation still had no answers as to how the incident occurred or where the shots came from.A shooting inside a major-league ballpark obviously would seem serious enough to stop the game and clear the ballpark. But play continued as if nothing had happened, and Sox security simply moved fans to a different area while searching the stands for casings.The Sox on Saturday defended the decision to keep playing, saying there was no “active threat” to anyone in the park.“Initially it was presented as just a fan who needed first aid,” vice president of communications Scott Reifert said before Saturday’s game. “It was a wound. No one understood it was a bullet or gunshot. So there was t...

Mets Notebook: Shohei Ohtani turned down MRI earlier in season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

The best player in baseball got hurt on the Angels’ watch and the club is feeling the heat. One day after revealing that no imaging was done on Shohei Ohtani after he complained of arm fatigue earlier in the season, Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian clarified the comments.Ohtani was diagnosed with a torn right ulnar collateral ligament Wednesday and earlier imaging might have shown strain or damage in the elbow. The Angels could have shut him down to treat the injury and possibly prevent a tear, which is the worst-case scenario.“The imaging was offered earlier in the year and him and his representation turned it down,” Minasian said.The Angels suggested Ohtani undergo imaging because of a cramp in a finger on his right pitching hand. Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo of CAA, did not feel an MRI was necessary for a finger cramp. Minasian said the 29-year-old two-way star had not complained of any elbow soreness until earlier this week.The finger issues start...

Ex-Dodgers Turner, Verdugo lift Red Sox to 8-5 victory over LA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

Winning the breakup is a big part of baseball; when given the chance, make your former team regret letting you go.That’s exactly what Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner did on Saturday, lifting the Red Sox to a 8-5 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.Since Day 1, Verdugo has wanted to be more than the guy from the Mookie Betts trade.Trades are a part of the baseball business, but it’s quite an unfair position in which to find oneself, dealt to one of the game’s most historic franchises in exchange for one of its most decorated homegrown stars. The pile of money Harry Frazee received from the New York Yankees in exchange for Babe Ruth never had to face repeated questions and commentary about the transaction, but Verdugo has been dissected, discussed, and compared to Betts ever since.So when the two finally got to square off at Fenway Park this weekend, the spotlight got even brighter. Especially since both were in the leadoff spot on Friday and Saturday and starting in right fi...

Hawaii authorities evacuate area of Lahaina due to brush fire near site of deadly blaze

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — A brush fire on Saturday prompted Maui authorities to evacuate residents from a neighborhood of Lahaina, just a few miles from the site recently ravaged by blazes.An evacuation order had been issued for a residential area of Lahaina in the hills above Kaanapali resort hotels, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said. The order was for an area around Anapuni Loop, the agency said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.At least 115 people were killed and 2,000 structures destroyed when a wildfire tore through downtown Lahaina on Aug. 8. Minimal rains have pushed the area into drought. The Associated Press

White man fatally shoots 3 Black people at a Florida store in hate crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A masked white man fatally shot three people inside a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General store in a predominately Black neighbourhood on Saturday in an attack after leaving behind racist writings, officials said. The shooter then killed himself.“He hated Black people,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters told a news conference. “There is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group.”Waters said the shooter, who was in his 20s, used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with at least one of the firearms painted with a swastika. He was wearing a bullet-resistant vest.Officials didn’t immediately release the names of the victims or the shooter.The sheriff said the gunman had left behind writings that led investigators to believe that he committed the shooting because it was the fifth anniversary of when another gunman opened fire during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, killing two people before fatally shooting himself.The...

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa wins re-election after troubled vote, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:19 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected for a second and final five-year term late Saturday in results announced much earlier than expected following another troubled vote in the southern African country with a history of violent and disputed elections.An opposition party spokesperson said within minutes of Mnangagwa being declared the winner that they would reject the results as “hastily assembled without proper verification.”Mnangagwa’s victory meant the ZANU-PF party retained the governmental leadership it has held for all 43 years of Zimbabwe’s history since the nation was re-named following independence from white minority rule in 1980. Zimbabwe has had just two leaders in that time, long-ruling autocrat Robert Mugabe and Mnangagwa.The 80-year-old Mnangagwa, who has the nickname “the crocodile” from his days as a guerrilla fighter, won 52.6% of the votes in the midweek election, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said in a late-...