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Why government contractors could be some of the hardest hit during a shutdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

If lawmakers fail to strike a deal on the budget and a shutdown happens, many government contractors and their employees stand to be among the hardest hit.David Berteau — president of the Professional Services Council, a trade association for government contractors — said while federal workers may not feel the impact of a shutdown until they get their first paycheck, for contractors and their workers, it can be felt immediately.Berteau said many contractors are required to keep working unless something gets in the way of them doing their work, and they are told to stop.“If a stop work order is issued, then you no longer can pay that person unless you’re willing to pay them out of other funds that will run out because you’re not getting reimbursed by the government,” Berteau said.Berteau said seeing a stop work order is common, because many contractors depend on things such as access to federal properties and interactions with feds to do their work.“You may have something...

Astros boost wild card lead with contentious 8-3 win over Mariners behind Dubon’s 3-run homer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Mauricio Dubón hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the fourth inning, and the Houston Astros boosted their lead over the Seattle Mariners for the last AL wild card with a contentious 8-3 win on Wednesday night.Benches cleared in the sixth with Houston ahead 4-3 after Hector Neris struck out Julio Rodríguez for the inning’s final out. Neris pounded his chest, shouted and walked toward Rodriguez as the Seattle star was returning to the dugout. Umpires restored order after a few tense minutes of shouting.Rodríguez went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts and was 0 for 9 in the series. Mariners batters struck out 16 times and Seattle, held scoreless over the last five innings, went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position.Defending champion Houston moved 1 1/2 games in front of Seattle for the third and final wild card and headed to a three-game series at Arizona in control of its fate. The Mariners, who hold the tiebreaker, host AL West leader Texas in a four-game seri...

García, Dunning push Rangers to the brink of a playoff berth in a 5-0 win over the Angels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The only postseason experience of Dane Dunning’s career happened three years ago when he started the decisive game of the wild-card round for the White Sox, but got pulled after only four batters.With his Texas Rangers close to securing their own playoff return, Dunning was a bit more nervous than usual when he took the mound Wednesday night.And then Dunning demonstrated why he might be one of the Rangers’ best options in October.Dunning yielded three hits over seven dominant innings, Adolis García had a homer and an RBI double, and Texas moved to the brink of its first playoff berth since 2016 with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.Evan Carter hit a two-run homer and Marcus Semien added a solo shot in the ninth inning for the Rangers, who have won seven of eight. They’ve also set the stage to wrap up both a postseason spot and their first AL West title in seven years when they finish the regular season with four co...

Convicted felon suspected of killing Baltimore tech CEO has been arrested, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

Baltimore police continue to search for an “extremely dangerous” man suspected of murdering 26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere, who was found dead in an apartment building on September 25. Baltimore police continue to search for an “extremely dangerous” man suspected of murdering 26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere, who was found dead in an apartment building on September 25. (CNN) — A convicted felon suspected of killing tech executive Pava LaPere in Baltimore this week has been arrested, Baltimore police said early Thursday.Jason Dean Billingsley was wanted on first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the death of LaPere, the 26-year-old CEO of Baltimore-based startup EcoMap Technologies, according to ...

Cole pitches 2-hitter to near ERA title, Judge homers twice and Yankees beat Blue Jays 6-0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched a two-hitter to near his second AL ERA title, Aaron Judge homered twice and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-0 on Wednesday night to ensure they won’t finish with a losing record.Cole (15-4) faced two batters over minimum, allowing a single and double to Brandon Belt. “That’s just a clinic in pitching,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I think it embodied his season right there. Just fun to watch him go do that and absolutely put an exclamation point on the Cy Young Award with that performance.”Pitching his second straight game against Toronto, Cole said he treated the pair of starts “like a little playoff situation” to give himself extra energy.“Knowing that this is back-to-back outings against a club that’s fighting for a playoff position and obviously a formidable offense with a lot of All-Stars, I wasn’t going to come in here and not be on it,” he said.Cole struck out five and walked none, throwing 72 of 105 pitches for strik...

30 Home Runs and 30 Stolen Bases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

Through 2023(x-active)American LeagueHRSB2023 x-Julio Rodriguez, Sea31372021 x-Cedric Mullins, Bal30302018 x-Mookie Betts, Bos32302018 x-Jose Ramirez, Cle39342012 x-Mike Trout, LAA30492011 Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos32392011 Ian Kinsler, Tex32302009 Ian Kinsler, Tex31302008 Grady Sizemore, Cle33382005 Alfonso Soriano, Tex36302003 Alfonso Soriano, NY38352002 Alfonso Soriano, NY39412001 Jose Cruz Jr., Tor34321998 Alex Rodriguez, Sea42461998 Shawn Green, Tor35351988 Jose Canseco, Oak42401987 Joe Carter, Cle32311978 Bobby Bonds, Chi-Tex31431977 Bobby Bonds, Cal37411975 Bobby Bonds, NY32301970 Tommy Harper, Mil31381922 Ken Williams, StL3937___National League2023 x-Ronald Acuna Jr., Atl41702023 x-Francisco Lindor, NYM30302019 x-Ronald Acuna Jr., Atl41372019 x-Christian Yelich, Mil44302012 Ryan Braun, Mil41302011 Matt Kemp, LAD39402011 Ryan Braun, Mil33332008 Hanley Ramirez, Fla33352007 Brandon Phillips, Cin30322007 Jimmy Rollins, Phi30412007 David Wright, NYM30342006 Alfonso Soriano, Was46412004...

Why Slovakia’s election doesn’t really matter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

He’s back — and he’s out for revenge.What may sound like the voice-over for a B-movie trailer is in fact a real-life political drama playing out in Slovakia’s election campaign, where former Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was forced to resign in 2018 amid a popular revolt, has returned to center stage with a vengeance.Fico, the leader of a left-wing populist party known as Smer (or, more officially, Direction–Social Democracy) is narrowly leading the polls with about 20 percent ahead of Sunday’s election, slightly ahead of the liberal Progressive Slovakia. The snap election comes after the collapse of a center-right alliance that took over from Smer in 2020.A former communist who rebranded himself a Social Democrat after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Fico, 59, has set alarm bells ringing in Western capitals in recent months by vowing to halt military support for Ukraine and block the country’s path into NATO. He’s even parroted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talking points, bla...

Local youth football parents say assistant coach stole thousands from team

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Parents of children in the San Diego Youth Football and Cheer (SDYFC) league are looking for answers after they say one of their coaches took money for an out-of-state game and pocketed it.“It’s sad. I wanted my son to get an opportunity to not only play football, but have good male mentors in his life and I’m really sad that’s not what he got,” said league parent, Jessica Johnson.FOX 5 spoke with Johnson and another mom from the team, Sofia Aguais, who say that thousands of dollars paid by more than a dozen families for expenses associated with the game are unaccounted for.“Fifteen families, which is almost half of the team," said Aguais. "I believe all together he collected about almost $12,000, still owed is like $9,500." Former swim instructor sentenced to eight years in molestation case The parents tell FOX 5 that the money was collected by the San Diego Bolts 11U assistant coach back in July for an out-of-state game and team trip to Hawaii, claiming he would bo...

Scripps Health cutting ties with insurance covering thousands of SD seniors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Scripps Health is cutting coverage for thousands of seniors in San Diego County at the end of this year when it stops its participation in the Medicare Advantage program. On Monday, Lisa Bock and her wife Lori received what they call a shocking letter from their Medicare Advantage Plan, SCAN. It read in part, "as you may have heard, Scripps Clinic and Scripps Coastal primary care doctors will not be contracting with Medicare Advantage HMO plans by January 1, 2024 … Because your SCAN plan is an HMO, this means you may not be able to see your current primary care doctor after December 31, 2023." Updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available in San Diego: Where to find them “When Lori read that, she just went through the roof because she loves her primary care doctor," Bock recalled. “I’m freaking out … she started hyperventilating. I had to calm her down."Lori and Lisa are just two out of the more than 30,000 elderly San Diegans under one of several health plans like SCA...

SDG&E customers to see dip in next energy bill. Here's how much will be reduced

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Gas & Electric customers are expected to see a reduction in their energy bills next month with the distribution of another installment of state climate credits.On Wednesday, SDG&E announced that the final credit for this year will be applied to electricity statements in October, with each household expected to receive about $60.70 to put towards their bill.The climate credits are a biannual benefit given to millions of ratepayers as a part of California's Greenhouse Cap-and-Trade program, which creates an economic incentive for investor-owned utility companies to invest in clean energy as a means of emission mitigation. Auditor ‘concerned’ with CA regulators’ monitoring of energy rate hikes Companies are allotted a certain number of "emission allowances," representing one ton of greenhouse gases they are allowed to emit, that is based on a statewide cap set by state energy officials. According to the California Public Utilities Commission, investor-o...