Paradise News

Tag: General News

  • A’s Butler keeps hitting but Oakland’s winning streak ends at 3

    Just a week into spring training, A’s flashy outfielder Lawrence Butler is doing it again. He’s hitting, hustling and making things difficult for the team’s decision-makers, just like last spring.

    Butler sits atop the team’s batting leaders with a .455 average after getting a pair of hits, including a double, in Oakland’s 5-3 loss to San Diego in Mesa, Ariz. on Thursday.

    The loss snapped the A’s modest three-game winning streak. Oakland fans may recall the A’s only had one winning streak longer than three games last season.

    A year ago, Butler turned heads as a 22-year-old from Single-A in his first big-league camp by leading the team with a robust slash line of .478/.556/.870 in 12 games. The A’s decided to fast-track Butler last season, moving him from Double-A, Triple-A and, finally, on Aug. 11, to the big leagues.

    Butler’s numbers in Oakland were pretty pedestrian – he hit .211 with four homers in 42 games – but he made enough of an impression to believe he’s got a shot to break camp with the A’s later this month. Butler is in competition with six others, including All-Star Brent Rooker, Esteury Ruiz, J.J. Bleday, Seth Brown and minor league free-agents Miguel Andujar and Hoy Park, for probably five roster spots.

    Should Butler continue hitting, though, it’s a safe bet he’ll spend a lot of time with a club looking to break away from last year’s 112-loss season.

    The A’s got another strong outing from hard-throwing starter Joe Boyle, who routinely threw 98 mph Thursday during his 3 1/3 innings. Boyle faced the minimum through three innings without permitting a run before allowing two runs (one earned) in the fourth inning.

    A’s second baseman Zack Gelof, who is quickly establishing himself as the team’s best player, homered for a second straight game.

    Notable

    — Former Giants left-hander Alex Wood will make his spring debut with Oakland Friday when he starts against Kansas City in Surprise. Wood, who signed a one-year, $8.5 million free-agent deal with the A’s, will be opposed by lefty Cole Ragans, the Royals’ breakout star last year.

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  • 6 Kid-Friendly Crafts To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

    Parenting Today

    Mark your calendars to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with your kids!

    The holiday was originally a religious celebration in Ireland to honor St. Patrick and his teachings (presumably marking the day he died). Today, St. Patrick’s Day signals food, parades, trickery, and plenty of green! Interestingly, in the early days of the celebration, the color palette differed—leprechauns wore red, and St. Patrick’s predominant color was blue. 

    Over time, Ireland’s nickname “The Emerald Isle” and symbols such as the green shamrock transformed the holiday into a sea of green. Now, popular symbols like the shamrock and leprechaun represent luck and appreciation for Irish culture and heritage, while meals like corned beef and cabbage celebrate Irish and Irish-American traditions. To make the most of this festive occasion at home, break out the craft supplies and have your kids help decorate, incorporating these themes along the way.

    Rainbow Paper Chain

    Have your kids make these easy paper chains to celebrate the pot of gold at the end of each rainbow. Cutting the rainbow strips is great practice for the littlest hands learning to use scissors, and the older kids can help make the more intricate pot of gold to hang at the end. Make several to hang from doorways all over the house!

    Leprechaun Hat

    Whether you use these for a decorative touch on the dining table or as costumes for your very own St. Patrick’s Day parade, these leprechaun hats are easy to make with supplies you probably already have on hand. For the best results, make this a two-day project. Cut out the center of the paper plates and paint the rims green on day one, then assemble the rest of the hat and glitter buckle on day two!

    Photo: lightfieldstudios via 123RF

    Mosaic Paper Shamrocks

    Try these mosaic paper shamrocks for a simple craft that the whole family can make. For the littlest ones, cut the shamrock shape and paper pieces ahead of time and have them practice using the glue and placing squares (fine motor skills!). For older kids, let them cut their own shamrock shapes and pieces. This craft is an excellent way to use up scraps of green paper discarded from other projects. You can also buy discount scrapbook paper booklets and use pieces from there. The best part is seeing how everyone chose to arrange their mosaics—the same materials can create beautifully different results!

    Shamrock Thumbprint Art

    An easy craft that encourages kids to get a little messy (their favorite!), this thumbprint art is an excellent way for kids to let their unique personalities shine. Everyone can use the same shamrock template to make the blank white space, but then let each person choose their own color scheme and even shamrock placement! Hang them all together for a shamrock-color collage.

    Shamrock Crystals

    For all of the curious kids at home, this craft is also a fun science experiment. Using only borax and water, you can create crystals! Let the kids use green pipe cleaners to shape their shamrocks, then mix up a borax and water solution and let the pipe cleaners suspend in the solution undisturbed. Make sure you have a spot that’s out of the way for the crystals to form over a day or two. Hang up these crystal shapes in a window to watch them sparkle!

    Pasta Necklace

    Take advantage of this colorful holiday by introducing a new crafting supply to your kids—dyed pasta! For St. Patrick’s Day, dye your pasta green and gold or make rainbow colors. Then, have your kids create necklaces with the dyed pasta, encouraging them to create interesting patterns. Add a foam shamrock to the middle for an easy way to make sure everyone is wearing green on the big day.

    Whether you’re hosting a party for friends and family or just decorating your house for some added fun, everyone in the family will love making these lucky crafts!

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  • Capitol rioter who smoked marijuana in a senator’s office sentenced to prison

    A Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioter who smoked marijuana in a senator’s office was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Thursday. 

    New York state native Brandon Fellows, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden to 37 months in prison, plus five months for a contempt of court charge. 

    He was convicted by a jury last August for a felony misdemeanor offense of entering and remaining in a “restricted building,” disorderly and disruptive conduct on restricted grounds, and disorderly conduct in the Capitol building, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

    Fellows, a chimney repairman, entered the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot through a broken window. After briefly entering a congressional conference room, he got to Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) office where he smoked marijuana. He then joined other rioters walking through the Capitol Crypt before later leaving the “same way he came.”

    “There’s just a whole bunch of people lighting up in some Oregon room,” Fellows reportedly said at the time, according to DOJ. 

    Fellows called Judge McFadden a “modern-day Nazi.” 

    “In all my years as a judge, and before that as a litigator, I have never seen such contemptuous conduct,” McFadden said during Thursday’s sentencing, referring to many times he interrupted and insulted the judge, according to the Washington Post. 

    “There is no grand conspiracy here against you,” McFadden said. “It’s time for you to grow up”

    Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,300 people have been charged related to the riot at the Capitol. More than 400 people were charged with assaulting law enforcement, according to DOJ, whose investigation related to the breach is still ongoing.

    Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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  • How women’s success boosts economies

    Taylor Swift performing onstage (© Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images)
    Taylor Swift performs onstage at Levi’s Stadium July 28, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (© Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images)

    The final shows of The Eras Tour aren’t until December, yet Royce Chwin is already preparing for Taylor Swift’s arrival in Vancouver. The chief of executive of Destination Vancouver, a nonprofit promoting tourism, is planning for big crowds and eyeing Swift’s economic impact in similarly sized cities like Denver and Seattle.

    In July, a pair of concerts in Denver added an estimated $140 million to the U.S. state of Colorado’s gross domestic product. The tour’s stop in Seattle brought the city a single-day record of $7.4 million in hotel and restaurant revenues.

    “It’s such good news for fans and for our tourism and hospitality sector, particularly since early December is generally a slower month for major events,” Chwin told ShareAmerica of Swift’s plans to close her international tour with three shows in Vancouver.

    The city was added after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined other world leaders in pitching their countries or cities for a stop on the tour, reflecting the economic boom that creative women — and their legions of fans — can bring.  

    Beyoncé performing with dancers onstage (© Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
    Beyoncé performs onstage at the Rogers Centre in Toronto July 8, 2023. (© Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

    Swift’s Eras Tour, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour and Barbie, the 2023 film written and directed by Greta Gerwig, have grossed billions of dollars worldwide, while spurring revenue for venues, hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

    Margot Robbie posing for photos at 'Barbie' movie premiere (© Scott Garfittpsum/AP)
    Australian actress Margot Robbie, who played Barbie, arrives at the July premiere of the movie in London. (© Scott Garfittpsum/AP)

    In the United States, where women drive between 70% and 80% of consumer purchasing decisions, the Renaissance World Tour has added $4.5 billion to the economy, according to Forbes. The Eras Tour is projected to gross $5.7 billion.

    The economic impact is perhaps most noticeable in smaller cities. In Santa Clara, a California city of 127,000, hotels sold out for weeks around a Swift concert. “The moment the concert was announced … the phones rang off the hook at our hotels,” Christine Lawson of Discover Santa Clara told ABC News.

    Swift’s two shows in Cincinnati in June and July were an opportunity for some businesses and nonprofits to join the festivities and drum up support. Pig Works, a nonprofit that organizes running races, set up booths outside the stadium offering free hair braiding, glitter makeup and friendship bracelets, all popular among Swift concertgoers.

    Crowd of people at street festival (Courtesy of Jackie Reau)
    Businesses set up booths near Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati before Swift’s concerts in June and July 2023. (Courtesy of Jackie Reau)

    Iris Simpson Bush, chief executive of Pig Works, which takes its name for the outsized role of hogs in Cincinnati’s economic history, told ShareAmerica that not long after the pre-concert festivities, the nonprofit saw a bump in registrations for races.

    “We had one of our largest fields of participants last October and think it was probably the good karma of supporting the” festivities before the concerts in June and July, Bush said.



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  • Biden Greeted By MAGA Caravan During Texas Border Visit

    Biden criticized for visiting less active border crossing than Eagle Pass, where Donald Trump is headed Thursday.

    MAGA supporters lined up in their vehicles to greet puppet President Joe Biden as he arrived for his visit to the Texas border in Brownsville Thursday.

    Footage from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas’ southernmost region along the Mexico border, shows a pro-Donald Trump caravan honking their horns in anticipation of Biden’s motorcade passing by.

    “THIS is what’s waiting on Biden in Brownsville, Texas!” wrote one X user.

    “Team Trump” supporters also posed for a photo with numerous flags, including ones reading, “Finish the wall,” and “Let’s Go Brandon,” and a poster stating, “FJB.”

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    After landing in Brownsville along with DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden appeared confused and ignored questions from reporters.

    Biden’s visit to the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol sector – only his second visit to the border ever – coincides with former President Donald Trump’s trip to Eagle Pass to witness firsthand the devastation wrought by Biden’s failed border policies.

    Biden, however, was criticized for visiting a less active border crossing than Eagle Pass, which made headlines after the US Supreme Court ruled the Biden administration could cut down razor wire installed along the Rio Grande River at Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) request.

    “President Biden is in Brownsville, Texas today — in one of the least busy border sectors,” wrote Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “But he’s ignoring the actual crisis in Eagle Pass, Texas. Today, we subpoenaed information related to the disastrous state of our southern border in Eagle Pass.”

    Hispanic Brownsville residents interviewed by Fox News ahead of the visit criticized Biden for “wasting his time” visiting the region, with one business owner saying, “It just seems a little ‘Too little, too late.’”

    According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, the Biden administration did not reach out to the Border Patrol Union ahead of the visit, despite the admin claiming to have worked alongside the union on border reform.

    The official Border Patrol Union X account on Thursday warned Biden, “Keep our name out of your mouth today.”

    This is a developing story… Check back for more updates!



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  • Ooni, Other Yoruba Monarchs Resolve To Use Traditional Powers To Fight Insecurity

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has urged Yoruba monarchs to use traditional power to protect themselves and their territories from attack and invasion of bandits.

    Ooni made the call on Thursday after a Yoruba Security Summit held in Ile-Ife, Osun State, which had the attendance of monarchs, representatives of southwest governors and other stakeholders in the southwest, including Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo A.K.A Sunday Igboho.

    Monarchs at the summit include the Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Matemilola, Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade, Owa-Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole, Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi, Oludo of Ido-Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo among others.

    In a communique signed at the end of the summit by the Ooni of Ife and other monarchs, the traditional rulers made 13 resolutions to tackle insecurity in Yoruba land.

    The document read “The Yoruba, especially the traditional rulers should make recourse to their natural resources including natural powers to combat banditry and kidnapping; that Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values.

    “The entire Obas in Yorubaland should work in unison to ward off the evils of banditry and kidnappings as each of the states could only succeed in chasing the marauders to another state.

    “Any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.“

    The monarchs also called for a strong judicial process that would mete out appropriate punishments to sponsors of insecurity and their agents.

    “Each time an attack took place, the offenders were quickly left off the hook by the powers that be and that the judicial process should be strengthened to mete out appropriate punishments to culprits or bring them to justice.”

    They added that, “The governors of South West Nigeria should organize Regional Security Summit at the earliest practicable time, including all stakeholders to chart the way forward and give teeth to all the concerns raised at this (current) summit.
    “The security summit called on Yoruba Traditional rulers to return to the pristine Yoruba traditional, spiritual and cultural values. At all times, the traditional rulers should recognize that, in spite of whatever nature of religion they practice, they must recognize that the stool they preside over is traditional.”

    Ooni, Other Yoruba Monarchs Resolve To Use Traditional Powers To Fight Insecurity is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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  • Kaapo Kahkonen, San Jose Sharks lose to Anaheim Ducks

    SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks scored a season-high three power-play goals Thursday but it still wasn’t enough to end their dismal homestand on a positive note.

    Anthony Duclair pulled the Sharks to within one goal at the 9:30 mark of the third period, but San Jose could not find another equalizing goal in a 6-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks before an announced crowd of 10,537 at SAP Center.

    Sharks forwards Mike Hoffman and William Eklund also scored with the man advantage, as their goals 5:14 apart in the second period tief the game 3-3. But the Ducks responded with power play goals from Frank Vatrano and Adam Henrique in a 66-second span to take the lead for good and hand San Jose its sixth loss in seven games.

    After Duclair’s third-period goal, Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom scored an empty net goal with 24 seconds left in regulation time.

    Henrique’s goal at the 18:41 mark of the second period came off a redirection as he tipped a shot from Ducks defenseman Jackson Lacombe past Kaapo Kahkonen, who allowed five goals on 17 shots in the first two periods.

    Duclair had his first three-point game as a Shark, Mikael Granlund had three assists and Fabian Zetterlund added two assists for San Jose, which lost for the seventh time in eight games and went 0-5-0 on its first post-All-Star Game homestand.

    Kahkonen has now assumed No. 1 goalie duties for the Sharks after Mackenzie Blackwood was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday with a lower-body injury he suffered in Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

    Kahkonen and Magnus Chrona, who was recalled from the Barracuda of the AHL after Blackwood was placed on IR, will each start one game this weekend as the Sharks face the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars on Saturday and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

    Hoffman’s goal, his ninth of the season, snapped a 28-game goal drought.

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  • Drawing Syria’s trauma

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  • White House Celebrates Afro-Latino Heritage

    Story by Jada Ingleton

    Video by Azaria Jackson

    In honor of Black History Month, the White House hosted an Afro-Latino Heritage event that highlighted the spirit and contributions of the Afro-Latinidad community while also paying homage to some of its foremost change-making leaders. 

    The Feb. 22 event was marked by music, celebration, and what attendees said was immense pride and honor. Joined by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the White House welcomed Afro-Latinos and allies from near and far.

    This year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) chose the theme of “African Americans and the Arts” to spotlight the presence of Black roots in society, much of which is attributed to Afro-Latinos. 

    Aligned with the theme, the event featured musical performances by Afro-Cuban musician Cimafunk and “Encanto” voice actor Mauro Castillo.  A fireside chat was held with Cuban American actress Gina Torres, author and co-host of “The View” Sunny Hostin. 

    Attending the event was actress Paige Hurd, who emphasized the importance of such gatherings.

    “This [event] is important just to see that we have a voice. This is a huge platform to be speaking on…and it’s important to have us speak out,” she said. “I feel like it’s important to have us on screen, in the arts, in music because we’re here.

    “Our children and the people who come behind us need to see that we are their representation.”

    Contributors to Latin music including Cimafunk, whose real name is Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez, led attendees to dance to the sounds of blaring trumpets and bass drums representing the rhythms of their culture.

    “The new generation is coming, and they are coming hungry,” he said. “I’m happy to be able to share with people that we are working together [and] supporting each other.

    “We’re more connected with our roots, our identity. We’re more connected with the fact that we are moving forward.”

    The Grammy-nominated artist said his mixed background is “everything” to his sound and said that learning to embrace it changed his relationship with music. 

    “That was a door opened,” he said. “Everything changed because everything had meaning. I was more confident, more strong like I could do many other things.

    “Once we get connected with the information in our genes…we’re able to really understand what all we have [to offer] in ourselves.” 

    Attendees initiated dialogue about the path Afro-Latinos have forged and the ongoing need for more representation and advocacy in the industry. 

    Hostin says she is working on multiple projects with Disney to spotlight underrepresented groups and share moments of empowerment and resilience while navigating a business that lacked adequate representation of its community. 

    Similarly, Torres shared experiences of navigating the industry, having come up during a time when multiethnic figures were often made to “choose” between their heritages.

    “They just weren’t interested in working that hard to tell the story. There has been such a desert of education regarding the intersection between culture and race. Thankfully, I think we’ve come out on the other side,” said Torres. “Events like this help spotlight that it’s not complicated, it’s just us. It’s history. We’ve been here all this time.”

     According to Torres – the first Afro-Latina to create, produce, and star in her show with spinoff “Jessica Pearson” – part of the solution is simply allowing Afro-Latinos to show up as their authentic selves and represent themselves in the arts.  

    “Art is subjective–you bring to it who you are and what you are. If I couldn’t be authentic in my life, it didn’t make sense that I was going to be authentic in my work,” Torres said. “To be celebrated as part of Black history in this country means that I don’t have to choose. I get to love and respect and admire all of me, all of you, everyone’s accomplishments, with a Spanish accent.”

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  • On this day … the first U.S. Congress met

    The first U.S. Congress, comprising the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, held its initial meeting on March 4, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City.

    But because of bad weather and travel problems on that date 235 years ago, that gathering did not achieve a quorum for a full month, after which the group quickly undertook the important business of confirming George Washington as the first president of the United States.

    That first Congress, which ran until March 4, 1791, “was arguably the most important of all the [U.S.] Congresses that have met,” says the National Constitution Center, a Philadelphia-based educational nonprofit. Notably, the first Congress approved the submission of the Bill of Rights to the states for ratification, passed a Judiciary Act that set up court systems, defined Cabinet departments, and saw the Compromise of 1790 between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton that moved the capital to Washington, forging a framework that is still in place today.

    Illustration of George Washington delivering his inaugural address (Library of Congress)
    In this rendering, George Washington is shown delivering his 1789 inaugural address in the old city hall in New York. (Library of Congress)

    By the term’s end, federal legislators were no longer meeting in New York, but at Congress Hall in Philadelphia. And the March opening date was replaced in 1793 with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution’s “First Monday in December” start date.

    On November 17, 1800, Congress finally moved from Philadelphia to Washington, convening in the newly completed north wing of the unfinished Capitol building. More than a century later — in 1933 — lawmakers modernized the congressional schedule by ratifying the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, establishing January 3 as the start of the term.



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