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Hypocrisy isn’t new in sports, it’s just more obvious in PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

Major League Baseball was once so concerned about gambling it banned Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays just for working as casino greeters. Now MLB itself and almost all of its teams have official casino sponsors.The NCAA railed for decades that paying players would destroy college sports, all while raking in billions off of their unpaid labor. Now schools boast of booster collectives that help recruit top talent to their teams.So when the PGA Tour overcame its indignation and agreed to merge with LIV Golf — despite the human rights abuses of its Saudi Arabian backers — the flip-flop followed a long-established tradition in sports of flexible attitudes that often hurtle into full-blown hypocrisy.“Phil Mickelson initially said, ‘Oh, my God. It’s frightening some of the things have occurred.’ But for the right amount of money, he decided he’s going to join the LIV Tour. And this does seem to be much the same thing,” said Matthew Mitten, a sports law professor at Marquette U...

Rays slugger Brandon Lowe shut down 2 to 3 weeks by back injury

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays slugger Brandon Lowe won’t participate in baseball activities for two to three weeks because of another back injury.“He’ll have a lot of rehab work, core work,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said before Wednesday night’s game against Minnesota.Lowe went on the 10-day injured list with a lower-back issue on Monday and is hitting .199 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 50 games. He struck out 63 times in 176 at-bats.Lowe was limited to 65 games last season by injuries, including a stress reaction in his lower back. He hit 39 homers and drove in 99 runs in 2021 but went deep just eight times and had 25 RBIs last year,Cash said the current injury is different from the back problem last season.Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks, out since May 28 with right hip inflammation, is expected to either throw batting practice or pitch in a rookie-level Florida Complex League game on Friday. The right-hander is 0-1 with five saves and an 1.54 ERA in 13 a...

Newer heart transplant method could allow more patients a chance at lifesaving surgery

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most transplanted hearts are from donors who are brain dead, but new research shows a different approach can be just as successful and boost the number of available organs.It’s called donation after circulatory death, a method long used to recover kidneys and other organs but not more fragile hearts. Duke Health researchers said Wednesday that using those long-shunned hearts could allow possibly thousands more patients a chance at a lifesaving transplant — expanding the number of donor hearts by 30%.“Honestly if we could snap our fingers and just get people to use this, I think it probably would go up even more than that,” said transplant surgeon Dr. Jacob Schroder of Duke University School of Medicine, who led the research. “This really should be standard of care.”The usual method of organ donation occurs when doctors, through careful testing, determine someone has no brain function after a catastrophic injury — meaning they’re brain-dead. The body is left o...

Drive for Uber? DC wants to give you a free dash cam

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

In an effort to put more cameras on the streets to help police investigate crimes, D.C. leaders will be giving away free dash cameras to people who spend a lot of time behind the wheel.“It is focused on public safety,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday.The cameras will be handed out later this summer at designated locations to drivers who work for food delivery or rideshare companies.It is being funded through a $500,000 donation by the on-demand food delivery service DoorDash.“Advancing the safety of our entire community is incredibly important to everyone at DoorDash,” said John Horton, a spokesman for the company. “We look forward to taking this bold step with Mayor Bowser and the Metropolitan Police Department as we work together toward achieving a safer future for everyone in the District.”City agencies and DoorDash also plan to work together to raise awareness about other preventive efforts to reduce the risk of crime, such as never leaving a car runnin...

Phillies-Tigers game postponed to Thursday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies’ series finale against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night was postponed due to poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires. The game was rescheduled for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, originally an off day for both teams. Philadelphia won 1-0 Tuesday in haze and with the smell of smoke in the air. Phillies players and manager Rob Thomson said the conditions did not affect them, though a strong wind blowing in from center field halted three would-be home runs short of the fence.About a half-hour before the postponement was announced by Major League Baseball, Thomson said he thought Wednesday night’s game would be played. The Philadelphia skyline could not be seen from the ballpark due to haze and a smoky smell remained.The defending NL champion Phillies (29-32) have won four in a row after losing five straight. Ace right-hander Zack Wheeler (4-4, 4.33) was scheduled to start Wednesday’s contest against Tigers roo...

Biden vetoes measure overturning student loan forgiveness plan

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

President Biden has vetoed a measure that would have overturned his student debt relief plan, leaving the fate of the program in the hands of the Supreme Court."Congressional Republicans led an effort to pass a bill blocking my Administration’s plan to provide up to $20,000 in student debt relief to working and middle class Americans," Biden said in a tweet on Wednesday. "I won’t back down on helping hardworking folks."“Let me make something really clear, I’m never going to apologize for helping working- and middle-class Americans as they recover from this pandemic, never,” Biden said.The president’s proposal, which has been a target of Republicans since he first unveiled it, would impact 40 million borrowers and give $10,000 in loan forgiveness to those making less than $125,000 annually and $20,000 in forgiveness for Pell Grants recipients.A two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate would be required to overturn Biden's veto, a threshold that opponents of Biden's e...

Reportedly suicidal man shot, killed by deputies in Conifer, investigators say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Police shot and killed a person in Jefferson County Wednesday afternoon and an investigation is now underway into the use of force.According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the shooting happened near Callae Drive and Piano Meadows Drive in Conifer. Roads were closed nearby but there was no threat to the public as of 1:44 p.m. Wednesday.A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said deputies were initially called for a report of a man who was threatening suicide. When they arrived around 10 a.m., deputies heard a shot and began searching for the person who had fired.Police were on the scene investigating a police shooting in Jefferson County on Wednesday afternoon. (KDVR)Police were on the scene investigating a police shooting in Jefferson County on Wednesday afternoon. (KDVR)Police were on the scene investigating a police shooting in Jefferson County on Wednesday afternoon. (KDVR)During the search, deputies found a man threatening suicide with a shotgun, acc...

Colorado has enough inaccessible public land to cover the entire Denver metro

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- In a state famed for its public lands, there are hundreds of square miles nobody can use. A report from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership details tens of thousands of square miles of public lands in the western U.S. that are practically inaccessible to the public. These are called landlocked public lands. Conservation groups including hunters and fishermen are lobbying for a solution, arguing that billions of dollars in economic activity are wasted by letting the land go unused. Denver weather: Severe thunderstorm warning until 4:45 p.m. Landlocked areas are "defined as federally managed lands that cannot be accessed directly from a public road (direct access) and cannot be accessed via adjoining public land by way of a public road (indirect access)," according to the report. In some cases, there is simply no permanent access. In others, public lands are "corner locked" with private land in a checkboard fashion, meaning public land users can't cross ...

Darrell Watson wins Denver District 9 by biggest margin in 3 runoff elections

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Tuesday's runoff election contained one of the biggest losses in recent city runoff elections.Mike Johnston has been elected mayor of Denver, defeating Kelly Brough in the runoff race as voters also decided some council seats.The mayoral race had been tight since the two advanced to the runoff following April’s election, with a poll early in the race showing Johnston with a slight lead over Brough. A total of 17 candidates for mayor were on the ballot in April. Mike Johnston elected Denver’s next mayor Johnston had a significant advantage in money raised to support his candidacy, with millions more in super PAC money backing his campaign than Brough's.Other city council winners included Flor Alvidrez for District 7, Shontel Lewis for District 8, Darrell Watson for District 9 and incumbent Chris Hinds for District 10. The District 9 council race between incumbent Candi CdeBaca and challenger Darrell Watson is notable as one of the biggest blowouts of the last decade...

Denver Fire Department receives oxygen masks for pets

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:04:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Fire Department received oxygen masks specifically designed for dogs and cats. The Pittsburgh-Philadelphia-based company, Pawprint Oxygen, is providing kits for every fire station in Denver.It is not just human beings that firefighters will rescue from burning structures. “It happens I would say at least once or twice a year we will pull out a dog or cat. To a lot of people, their animals are like their children,“ Denver Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff Linville said. Jogger attacked by cows in Boulder County Rescue equipment that is designed for humans does not necessarily work efficiently on pets. “A lot of times we would just try to improvise with a mask that we would use on a human being,“ Linville said.DFD will receive free of charge a total of 120 masks which will be distributed to every Denver fire station. “Fire departments have really taken to this kind of thing because they often encounter pets whether through smoke inhalation or carbon m...