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Mets get preview of pitching prospect Mike Vasil against Braves

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

NORTH PORT, Fla. — Mike Vasil went from facing up-and-coming minor league hitters in the Arizona Fall League to facing the Atlanta Braves’ deep group of elite home-run hitters in a matter of months. Spring training means being prepared for anything, even if that means punching above your weight.But Vasil looked like he belonged for the most part. Other than the changeup that Matt Olson got ahold of for a two-run homer in the bottom of the third, the 24-year-old Boston native handled a tough lineup well. Vasil allowed two runs on six hits and struck out three in the Mets 2-2 tie Thursday at CoolToday Park.Those strikeouts might stick with him: Olson, Eddie Rosario and Ronald Acuna Jr.“When I got the lineup [Wednesday night], I kind of looked at it and gave myself a little laugh,” Vasil said. “It doesn’t really get much better than that.”The changeup he threw to Olson had some run on it and the first baseman took it over the fence for his seve...

BU advances to regional final with 5-1 win over Western Michigan

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Boston University has made New Hampshire’s leading metropolis its neutral site of choice in the NCAA tournament.The No. 2 seed Terriers exploded for three goals in the second period and coasted to a 5-1 victory over No. 3 Western Michigan in the opening semifinal of the Manchester Regional on Thursday at SNHU Arena.The Terriers will look to advance to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2015 when they face the winner of the Denver-Cornell semifinal on Saturday at 4 p.m.BU is now 5-0 in NCAA regional games played in Manchester. The included two wins in 2009, when the Terriers last won the national championship. BU goalie Drew Commesso of Norwell made 24 saves to secure his 23rd win of the season.“I thing it being close to Boston certainly helped us,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “We had our band up here and our student body and a lot of family members so it definitely was an advantage having that behind you.”BU got into a flow from the opening faceoff and creat...

Maryland’s Hakim Hart declares for NBA draft while putting name in transfer portal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

Hakim Hart, a senior shooting guard for Maryland men’s basketball, announced Thursday afternoon that he is declaring for the NBA draft while retaining his college eligibility and entering his name in the transfer portal.The 6-foot-8, 206-pound Hart finished this past season ranked second among the Terps (22-13) in points (11.4 per game), assists (2.6) and steals (1.2). He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention, too, and helped the team advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling, 73-51, to overall No. 1 seed Alabama on Saturday night in Birmingham, Alabama.“First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play basketball at the University of Maryland these past four years,” he wrote via Instagram. “To my family, who has supported me throughout this journey, thank you for the sacrifices you have made to help me pursue my dream. To my coaches, teammates, and the entire University of Maryland community, thank yo...

3D-printed rocket fails to make orbit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts made its launch debut Wednesday night, lifting off amid fanfare but failing three minutes into flight — far short of orbit.There was nothing aboard Relativity Space’s test flight except for the company’s first metal 3D print made six years ago.The startup wanted to put the souvenir into a 125-mile-high orbit for several days before having it plunge through the atmosphere and burn up along with the upper stage of the rocket.As it turned out, the first stage did its job following liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and separated as planned. But the upper stage appeared to ignite and then shut down, sending it crashing into the Atlantic.It was the third launch attempt from what once was a missile site. Relativity Space came within a half-second of blasting off earlier this month, with the rocket’s engines igniting before abruptly shutting down.Although the upper stage malfunctioned an...

‘Scared to go to school’: Denver shooting stokes backlash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Outraged Denver students and parents demanded better school security and pushed for tighter firearm controls Thursday, a day after a 17-year-old student shot and wounded two administrators at a city high school beset with violence.More than 1,000 students rallied at the Colorado Capitol to push gun reform legislation, while school board members endorsed the district superintendent’s abrupt reversal of a policy that had banned armed officers from Denver schools.The shooting at East High School near downtown occurred as administrators were searching for weapons on suspect Austin Lyle, who fled from the scene and was found dead Wednesday night in the mountains southwest of Denver. A cause of death was pending. Educators for decades have grappled with how to keep students safe as violence has intensified, and the Denver shooting stoked an immediate backlash among parents who said security was too lax.The uproar echoed community outrage after other school shootings — ...

Asteroid that could wipe out a city is near, but don’t fear

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away. That’s less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.While asteroid flybys are common, NASA said it’s rare for one so big to come so close — about once a decade. Scientists estimate its size somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet (40 meters and 90 meters).Discovered a month ago, the asteroid known as 2023 DZ2 will pass within 320,000 miles (515,000 kilometers) of the moon on Saturday and, several hours later, buzz the Indian Ocean at about 17,500 mph (28,000 kph).“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” the European Space Agenc...

Alberta auditor general seeks reforms to how province manages oilpatch liabilities

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta’s system for managing environmental risks from old oilpatch facilities still hasn’t spelled out how it will collect security to ensure cleanups and doesn’t do enough to check that the work gets done, the province’s auditor general said Thursday.“We conclude that (the Alberta Energy Regulator) had liability management processes in place during the audit period, but not all those processes were well designed and effectively mitigating risks associated with closure of oil and gas infrastructure,” said Doug Wylie’s report.Wylie acknowledged the regulator is reforming how it evaluates and ensures the cleanup of old energy sites.However, he said that program has yet to deal with two major issues — the so-called “legacy sites” that have been abandoned and inadequate security collected to ensure the number of such sites doesn’t increase. Wylie said current programs that mandate spending on well closures may...

Norfolk Southern won’t push for one-person train crews

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

Railroad Norfolk Southern is backing away from its push to reduce its train crews down to one person, the company said Thursday in a joint announcement with the nation’s largest rail union. The two sides said they will instead focus on quality of life issues for employees, such as scheduling and days off, during their ongoing contract talks. Railroad safety, including staffing levels, has come under scrutiny since a fiery freight train derailment involving cars carrying toxic chemicals in early February led to evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio. No one was immediately injured in the Feb. 3 derailment, but state and local officials decided to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars, prompting the evacuation of half of the roughly 5,000 residents. Billowing smoke above the village and reports from residents that they still suffer from illnesses, turned high-level attention to railroad safety and how dangerous materials are transported.Bipartisan legislation introd...

Ontario expects $1.3B deficit, to post surplus in a year

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

TORONTO — Ontario plans to start posting budget surpluses in a year, leaning heavily on booming revenues to outweigh increased spending on health care – which includes boosts to hospitals, home care and the medical workforce. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said his nearly $205-billion plan released Thursday shows that the province can spend responsibly.“We are showing it is possible to balance a budget while investing more in housing, more in highways, more in transit, more in the skilled trades, more in new manufacturing, more in health care, more in education, more in the north,” he said in the legislature.In the fiscal year starting next month, Ontario expects to run a $1.3-billion deficit, before eking out a small surplus of $200 million in 2024-25, followed by a $4.4-billion surplus the following fiscal year. Finance officials say that progression is partly due to increasing revenues – Ontario expects to end this year with about $200 billion in revenue, more th...

Other states are copying Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” efforts

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:06:11 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Florida’s move to expand its prohibition on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom comes as Republican lawmakers in other states are pursuing their own versions of what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law.The prohibition signed last year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a presidential run soon, is being copied by GOP lawmakers pushing for similar limits on what can be taught in public schools. DeSantis and other supporters of the prohibitions portray them as ways to protect children from being taught about inappropriate material. But critics say they are marginalizing LGBTQ people and creating a chilling effect on what teachers and students can discuss.FLORIDA’S EXPANSIONThe Florida state Board of Education is set to vote next month on an effort by DeSantis’ administration to ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4 to 12, unless required by...