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Blue Jays finalize $15 million, 2-year contract with Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s $15 million, two-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays was finalized on Friday.Kiner-Falefa hit .242 with six homers and 37 RBIs in 115 games last season for the New York Yankees, playing 41 games in center, 37 in left, seven in right, 31 at third base and one each at second and shortstop. He also made four mound appearances.A Gold Glove winner at third with Texas in 2020, Kiner-Falefa has played every position except first base over his six-year big league career. The 28-year-old has a .261 average with 26 homers and 203 RBIs for Texas (2018-21) and the Yankees (2022-23).A day earlier, Toronto announced its $10.5 million, one-year contract with Gold Glove-winning center fielder Kevin Kiermaier.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLBSource

Stock market today: Stocks end 2023 up 20% for the year as resilient economy energizes investors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks slipped on the final trading day of the year, which nonetheless boasted surprisingly robust gains for Wall Street. The benchmark S&P 500 index inched lower Friday but ended 2023 with a 24.2% gain for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 13% this year. The Nasdaq soared 43% for the year, driven by gains in big technology companies, including Nvidia, Amazon and Microsoft. Treasury yields were mixed and crude oil prices were relatively stable.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Stocks slipped on the final day of trading for 2023 in what has been a surprisingly strong year of gains on Wall Street.Yet the so-called Magnificent 7 companies — Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Tesla — accounted for about two-thirds of the gains in the S&P 500 this year, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Nvidia leads the group with a gain of about 240%. The S&P 500 index fell 0.3% Friday an...

Mafah runs for 4 TDs, Clemson rallies to beat Kentucky 38-35 in a wild Gator Bowl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Phil Mafah ran for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder with 17 seconds to play, and Clemson beat Kentucky 38-35 in a wild Gator Bowl on Friday to finish the year on a five-game winning streak.Mafah scored three times in a back-and-forth final quarter that saw five turnovers, four touchdowns and five lead changes. Clemson (9-4) outscored Kentucky (7-6) 28-14 over the last 15 minutes.Cade Klubnik made the play of the game when he connected with Troy Stellato for 16 yards on third-and-18 to set up Mafah’s fourth-down run that moved the chains. Mafah scored three plays later to put the Tigers up for good.Kentucky had a final chance, but Devin Leary’s first-down pass was intercepted by Justin Mascoll.Mafah finished with 71 yards on 11 carries. Klubnik completed 30 of 41 passes for 264 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.Clemson trailed 21-10 after Kentucky’s Barion Brown returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards. Brown scored three touchdowns three d...

Colorado Republican sues to block earned income tax credit increase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado representative is accusing House Speaker Julie McCluskie of silencing him during an attempt to get a full reading of a tax credit bill, and now he wants the law blocked.Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-District 15, is suing McCluskie, D-District 13, and Gov. Jared Polis to block the bill, which increases the earned income tax credit. The law will allow low-income Colorado families to receive 50% of the federal tax credit for 2023, instead of the standard 25%. Explaining the 14th Amendment challenges that could disqualify Trump Bottoms claims the bill was "enacted contrary to the Constitution of the State of Colorado" after he was allegedly denied the ability to speak about the bill during the special session. Bottoms filed the lawsuit Thursday in Denver District Court. He is asking for the law to be considered null and void and not be enacted. The measure — HB 23B-1002 — doubled how much of the federal income tax credit low-income families can claim on their state ...

Police still searching for mom accused of killing 2 children, wounding third

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KXRM) — A woman suspected of murdering her two children in Colorado Springs is believed to have left the area Friday, the Colorado Springs Police Department said. Officers are searching for 35-year-old Kimberlee Singler in connection with the killing of her two children, and the wounding of a third. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Police said the 11-year-old girl who was injured is safe and being cared for in Colorado Springs. On Tuesday, Dec. 19 around 12:30 a.m., police received a call about a burglary at a condominium. Officers said when they arrived, they found a woman and the 11-year-old girl suffering from injuries. A 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy were also found dead inside the home. Police said the woman has been identified as Singler, the mother of all three children. Police said Singler and the 11-year-old were treated for their injuries on scene before being taken to the hospital. After investigating, o...

Pet rescue app available for download 2 years after Marshall Fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Saturday marks two years since the Marshall Fire tore through Boulder County. Two people lost their lives, and it's estimated that a thousand animals were killed.A group created to help pet owners remain prepared for similar situations is celebrating a major milestone. After two years of hard work and development, the Pet Help and Rescue app is now available for many to download."It's cost us as much money as we'd normally spend in a year on our entire budget, and it's been exhausting. But at the same time, we are all driven by this vision of creating a tool that people can use that will make all the difference," David Crawford said.Crawford is the executive director of Animal Help Now, a group focused on helping wildlife. Two years ago, the Marshall Fire hit Crawford personally, overtaking his home and inspiring a new mission for the group too."When there is a disaster and you are not home, your neighbors who are home are your best chance of having your&nb...

Here's where Colorado's population is growing and shrinking: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A new economic forecast has revealed which counties are expected to see the biggest changes in population via migration in the coming years.According to the Colorado Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting, the State Demographers Office is anticipating a recovery in population growth from COVID-induced lows, spurred by both migration and the change in population from births and deaths. Job growth expected to slow, unemployment rise in Colorado until mid-2025 Colorado's population is expected to grow through 2026, according to the report, peaking with a 1.3% growth rate before trending down slowly for the next two decades.Population growth in Colorado will likely be driven mostly by net migration, or the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, rather than natural growth, which is classified as the change in population due to births and deaths.New residents are expected to account for 74% of Colorado's population growth from 2023-2030, whereas ...

South Florida organization serves up sweet treats as a way to learn valuable life skills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

A South Florida organization is serving up sweet learning experiences to a special group of young adults, one scoop at a time. Karen Hensel has today’s 7 Spotlight.At this ice cream party in Delray Beach, every scoop served is helping these young adults learn valuable life skills. Evan Land, Delicious Spoonfuls: “We’re going to be serving ice cream. Kosher ice cream!”Evan Land and his friends Adir and Sam are serving ice cream — and learning at the same time.They are working with a nonprofit called Delicious Spoonfuls, a group dedicated to teaching work skills to young adults with developmental disabilities. And they do it by running an ice cream business.Robert Gottesman, founder, Delicious Spoonfuls: “So we wanted to create functional ability in people with disabilities. So what we did is we decided to create a mobile ice cream cart business.”Robert Gottesman and his wife Helen had a very special reason for creating Delicious Spoonfuls two...

POLITICO London Playbook awards 2023: All the winners from a wild year in UK politics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

LONDON — It was meant to be the year two quiet technocrats, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, brought calm to the fevered Westminster swamp. Unfortunately SW1 didn’t get the memo.Politics remained pretty much as wild in 2023 as it has been since David Cameron — back in action as U.K. foreign secretary — last stalked the corridors of power. POLITICO hardly need remind you that with a general election looming in Britain and Donald Trump battling for the U.S. presidency, next year is unlikely to get any calmer. But before we embark on the joys of 2024, it’s time to honor those who excelled in 2023 with the London Playbook awards.Minister of the yearHonorable mention to Grant Shapps for managing to hold down five Cabinet jobs in the space of 12 months — imagine the sheer number of briefing notes he’s waded through. Scotland Secretary Alis...

Resilient economy energizes investors, as financial markets end 2023 up 24%

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The S&P 500 closed out 2023 with a gain of more than 24% and the Dow finished near a record high, as easing inflation, a resilient economy and the prospect of lower interest rates buoyed investors, particularly in the last two months of the year.Stocks closed Friday with modest losses.The S&P 500 slipped 13.52 points, or 0.3%, to 4,769.83. The benchmark index still posted a rare ninth consecutive week of gains and is just 0.6% shy of an all-time high set in January of 2022.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 20.56 points, or 0.1%, to 37,689.54 after setting a record Thursday.The Nasdaq slipped 83.78 points, or 0.6%, to 15,011.35, but that was barely a blemish on an annual gain of more than 43%, its best performance since 2020.For most of the year, gains in the broader market were driven largely by seven stocks — Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Tesla. Dubbed the Magnificent 7, they accounted for about two-thirds of t...