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Climate change adding 50 homers a year in MLB, study says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences, a new study found.Hotter, thinner air that allows balls to fly farther contributed a tiny bit to a surge in home runs since 2010, according to a statistical analysis by Dartmouth College scientists published in Friday’s Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. They analyzed 100,000 major league games and more than 200,000 balls put into play in the last few years along with weather conditions, stadiums and other factors.“Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball,” said study co-author Justin Mankin, a Dartmouth climate scientist.It’s basic physics.When air heats up, molecules move faster and away from each other, making the air less dense. Baseballs launched off a bat go farther through thinner air because there’s less resistance to slow the ball. Just a little bit farther can mean the difference between a homer and a flyout,...

Bill would extend downtown St. Paul TIF district to 2033 to cover RiverCentre, Xcel, parking ramp

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Property tax gains that would otherwise flow into the capital city’s general fund could be redirected from 21 square blocks of downtown St. Paul into $38 million of construction improvements to the downtown RiverCentre, Xcel Energy Center and the convention center parking ramp through the year 2033.On the eve of its scheduled expiration, state legislative bills in the House and Senate would extend a large downtown St. Paul “tax increment finance” district by another 10 years. The “Minnesota Events” TIF district, created under another name in 1978, was extended for 15 years in 2008 and otherwise set to run out this year.“If the RiverCentre is the most important economic driver downtown, it’s in our best interest to make sure we have a revenue stream that is investing back into that space,” said St. Paul Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher, in an interview Thursday. “Combined, over 1.7 million people attended events at the arena and RiverCe...

Canine influenza causes Animal Humane Society’s Twin Cities shelters to close

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

All three Twin Cities metro Animal Humane Society adoption centers closed Thursday for about six weeks after the organization discovered nearly 200 possible cases of canine influenza, a highly infectious disease in dogs.Testing to confirm the cases at the Golden Valley, Woodbury and Coon Rapids shelters is ongoing, with length of quarantine and all precautions taken having been recommended by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health based on signs of disease, according to a press release from AHS.Concern also was raised because dogs were transported to the shelters on March 23 from an Oklahoma shelter with a confirmed outbreak, according to a press release from the state Board of Animal Health.AHS said in the release they planned to contact all people who adopted animals after March 23 to alert them of the potential for exposure to the virus and provide free medication and “supportive care” to adopted dogs exhibiting symptoms.While shelter animals do not interact with owned ...

Joel Eriksson Ek is week-to-week with an injury. How much does that hurt the Wild?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Anyone who has followed Joel Eriksson Ek closely throughout his NHL career understands his incredible pain tolerance. It takes a lot for the 26-year-old Swede to leave a game.Which is why the scene on Thursday night was so concerning.With the Wild trying to mount comeback on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Eriksson Ek had to be helped down the tunnel shortly after crumbling to the ice. After blocking a shot from Penguins stars Evgeni Malkin a few seconds earlier, he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg.Less than 24 hours later, the Wild announced that Eriksson Ek is week-to-week, leaving his status for Game 1 of the NHL playoffs very much in doubt. Though coach Dean Evason left room for optimism — “I don’t know,” he said in reference to the timeline. “If you know Eriksson Ek, you never know, right?”  — it sounds as if the Wild are preparing for life without their best center.“We talked about it last night,” Evason said. &#...

How residents of a tiny Connecticut town fought to save an iconic sycamore tree that sits in the middle of the road

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Residents of Canton, Conn. determined to save an iconic sycamore tree that was slated to be removed from an intersection because it poses a safety risk have won their battle — for now.The issue of removing the tree was set to go to a public hearing Tuesday, with tree warden Tom Richardson to make the final decision. Richardson, a lifelong Canton resident who also loves the tree, said the hearing was called per a state statute that requires a public hearing if even one resident objects to its removal.But it was far more than one objection, as Richardson said he has received over 100 emails regarding the tree at Cherry Brook and West Mountain Roads.Meanwhile, First Selectman Robert Bessel has announced that in the interest of balancing safety and public interest in preserving the tree, the town will go another route and hire an engineer to look for solutions.“Since I was elected First Selectman, no issue has inspired as much email …” he has said, calling it a “healthy, elegant tree.”T...

Artist reunited with art found by roadside in South Glens Falls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

SOUTH GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On Tuesday night, a mysterious box of art and supplies showed up on the road alongside the Moreau Community Center, and the teens and organizers there set off on a quest to find out who it belonged to. Two days later, the answer came calling. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, local resident Linda Ward came to the community center to pick up the pizza box of artwork that had been found on Main Street by middle and high school students attending the center's teen program. Ward is an art student at a Quaker church on nearby Saratoga Avenue. The likeness of Marilyn Monroe and other works inside the box hadn't traveled far before being found on the pavement."It was raining, and (instructor Karen McGinn)'s husband helped me out as I was getting ready to leave," Ward recalled. "I had two containers of paints, and then I realized I couldn't find my paintings. I thought I must have left ...

Police search for Creve Coeur shopping center shooter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

CREVE COEUR, Mo. -- There is a heavy police presence at a shopping center in the 12500 block of Olive Boulevard. Police are looking for a suspect after a shooting outside a restaurant. The victim, who was shot, ran across the street and was found by the Dierbergs. They were taken to the hospital and are stable.Police say the suspect drove away in a vehicle. Police looking currently looking for them.Video from Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter shows police tape blocking a portion of the parking lot near the Jets Pizza location. Evidence markers are on a table and the sidewalk outside the restaurant. An ambulance is parked nearby. Officers can be seen conducting an investigation. Top Story: Fenton clerk recounts terrifying gunpoint robbery and assault This is a developing story. More details will be posted here as they come into the FOX 2 Newsroom. Refresh this page for the latest update.

Masters Live Updates | Play resumes after short delay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Live updates from the second round Friday of the Masters (all times local):3:30 p.m.After a short delay because of threatening weather, the second round of the Masters has resumed.The fans were told to evacuate the course, but most had not even made it off the grounds of Augusta National before officials gave the all-clear. The delay was just 21 minutes. As soon as the horn sounded, Tiger Woods tapped in a short putt at the par-5 eighth for his first birdie of the day. He’s at 2 over and flirting with the cut line as he approaches the turn.3:25 p.m.With dark clouds looming all around Augusta National, play has been suspended at the Masters.It wasn’t raining when the horn sounded, but the threat of lightning and stormy weather brought play to a halt at 3:07 and fans were evacuated from the courseBrooks Koepka is among those who’ve completed the second round. He shot a 5=under 67 to push his score to 12-under 132 at the midway point of the t...

Israeli authorities say attack kills 1, wounds 6 in Tel Aviv

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

By ISABEL DEBRE (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities said late Friday that at least one person was killed and six were wounded in a suspected attack in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub. The exact nature of the attack was not immediately clear, but the Foreign Ministry referred to it as a “terror attack,” a term Israeli officials use for assaults by Palestinians. A car rammed into a group of people near a popular seaside park before flipping over, police said. Israel’s rescue service said a 30-year-old man was killed, while four other people were receiving medical treatment for mild to moderate injuries. Police said they shot the driver of the car. The driver’s condition was uncertain, but social media videos shows a body on the ground beside an overturned car while multiple gunshots ring out.The attack came against the backdrop of heightened tensions after Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian militant targets in both Lebanon and Ga...

LAPD pursues attempted murder suspect in South Los Angeles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

The Los Angeles Police Department is in pursuit of an attempted murder suspect in South Los Angeles Friday afternoon. Sky5 is overhead.The driver appears to be in a silver or Champagne-colored four-door pickup truck that has already suffered some damage, including to its tires.After about 20 minutes, the driver entered Inglewood and drove at a slower pace through a residential area.Even after leaving the residential area, the truck continued at speeds of about 20 mph, though the vehicle had a noticeable lean toward its right side.Once the truck left Inglewood, the driver began intentionally ramming other vehicles that were in its way. When that didn't work, three people ran from the pickup.One occupant, who might be the driver but potentially a passenger, then hopped into another vehicle, possibly by carjacking another driver, and took off again, with police still in pursuit.Check back for updates to this developing story.