Author: admin

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and MARK VANCLEAVE MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday met with families and victims of a deadly shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, and heard a heartfelt plea for action from at least one of those families. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, visited the Annunciation Catholic Church one week after an attacker opened fire during the first Mass of the school year for students of the nearby Annunciation Catholic School. According to Vance’s office, the vice president and second lady Usha Vance met privately with family members of victims, the pastor…

PITTSBURGH — If the Dodgers stay in town long enough, they might be able to revive interest in Pirates baseball. Word of mouth might take awhile, though, with only around 14,000 and 16,000 finding their way inside PNC Park the past two nights (many of them increasingly disgruntled Dodger fans). But they went home with tales of a Pirates victory each night. Wednesday, it was a 3-0 shutout victory over the Dodgers. The Dodgers are now 4-11 in their past 15 games against teams with losing records like the NL Central last-place Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who took two…

In Stanton, an effort to crack down on illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July by using unmanned drones appears to have paid off: The city issued nearly $1 million in illegal fireworks fines, including one $300,000 citation, officials confirmed. Stanton drones reportedly captured $929,000 worth of illegal firework violations, involving 18 citations between July 2 and July 5, according to Stanton City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn. The city rolled out a Fourth of July drone program this year to catch and fine those engaging in illegal firework activity following the passage of a spring ordinance. At one property, 300 illegal…

By MARY CLARE JALONICK WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators say they are prepared to change the chamber’s rules to get around the Democratic blockade of President Donald Trump’s nominees and are discussing a proposal to make it easier to confirm multiple nominees at once. The Democrats’ obstruction is “historic and unprecedented,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said after meeting with his conference on Wednesday. “It is not something we can sustain.” Republicans have been talking about options for changing the rules since early August, when the Senate left for a monthlong recess after a breakdown in bipartisan negotiations over the…

On the occasions when he joined his teammates on the practice field at Loyola Marymount University this summer, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford usually was in the ear of new receiver Davante Adams. Nursing an aggravated disc in his back, Stafford was missing valuable practice time with the three-time All-Pro Adams, signed as a free agent five months earlier. So when Adams came off the field after a series of reps, the pair would dissect. Stafford would make a suggestion, or say he would alter his approach because he liked how Adams ran a play. Or, if the second-team offense was…

Orange County is offering up for auction 114 timeshares at four coastal resorts to recover unpaid taxes. The auction, which was split with a first one held in late June, is the first by Orange County since 2021 and comes amid a vacation rental market that has remained flat since coming out of the pandemic in 2022. A lukewarm auction June 25 only brought two dozen bidders on two timeshares and nine pieces of vacant land, ranging from tough terrain in Silverado Canyon to cliffside property in Laguna Beach. A timeshare is a property that’s essentially split among multiple owners,…

By MATT BROWN and KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — The House rejected a resolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., and remove her from a committee that oversees immigration and national security as she faces federal charges stemming from a visit to an immigration detention facility. The House voted 215-207 to table the measure, a sign that some were uncomfortable moving forward with censure while McIver’s case is still pending in the courts. A trial in her case has been scheduled for November. Democratic lawmakers unanimously voted to table the resolution, which was sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La. Five…

LAKEWOOD — C’mon, son, give your sister a turn. No, no, let her try. She’s got it. All those years as a fringe participant in America’s most popular pastime. Present on the sidelines and in the stands. And at the tailgates, tossing the football around with her dad and brothers. But blocked usually from joining the violent fun on the field, of getting in on the ultimate team game. At least until 2023, when flag football for girls was sanctioned in California high schools. When 10,832 girls participated in the first year, and 19,921 the year after that. This year,…

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil giant ConocoPhillips is planning to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, amounting to thousands of jobs, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs. A spokesperson for ConocoPhillips confirmed the layoffs on Wednesday, noting that 20% to 25% of the company’s employees and contractors would be impacted worldwide. ConocoPhillips currently has a global headcount of about 13,000 — meaning that the cuts would impact between 2,600 and 3,250 workers. “We are always looking at how we can be more efficient with the resources we have,” a ConocoPhillips’ spokesperson said…

A South Los Angeles tow truck driver was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge alleging he illegally towed a vehicle used by law enforcement officers to conduct an immigration-related arrest last month. Bobby Nunez, 33, is charged with theft of government property and is expected to make his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. If convicted, Nunez would face up to 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. According to an affidavit, Nunez interfered with federal officers in downtown Los Angeles as they were arresting Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, 23, an undocumented immigrant…