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One of 2 giant ducks in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor deflates

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — One of the two giant inflatable ducks floating in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor deflated on Saturday, just a day after they were unveiled to revelers. Crowds of residents and tourists flocked in the scorching heat to the promenade near the government headquarters in Admiralty to snap photos of the ducks by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. But many who arrived in the afternoon only found one duck intact, with the other reduced to a puddle of yellow plastic. Organizers said their staff found one of the ducks was overstretched due to the hot weather and rising air pressure. “It was decided that the air needed to be immediately released by loosening the seams to avoid any potential risk,” they wrote in a post on social media. They said the duck would be transferred back to the shipyard for repair. The two 18-meter (59-feet) -tall yellow ducks resemble the bath toys. In 2013, one of Hofman’s ducks was displayed in the city and sparked a frenzy. But that duck was...

Sainted & Tainted: A lot of Saints on that rainy day in May

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

SaintedThere were a lot of Saints at the St. Paul Saints baseball game on Friday, May 5.After a few innings, the skies opened up and it started to rain heavily. I hurriedly paid for my beer, got my rain poncho on and scrambled for cover. The game was eventually called for rain. Just as I got home, my cell phone rang and it was Gina with the Saints. She said that two Saintly boys approximately 12 years old had found my soaking wet coin purse with my driver’s license, debit card, and cash and turned it in. Because I’m a season ticket holder, Gina immediately recognized my name, found my phone number, and called.Saintly Gina waited for me at the gate while I drove to CHS Field to retrieve my purse. Unfortunately, I don’t know the identity of the Saintly boys but, hopefully, they (or their parents) will see this Sainted column and my big THANK YOU to them and Gina! I love the Saints and my Saintly community.Anne Hunt, St. Paul SaintedLast month I was out shopping at the Turns...

Here are the 10 bills Gov. Jared Polis vetoed this year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed 10 bills this year, more than year of his governorship. They covered a wide range of policy topics, from gambling to driver’s licenses.Some were contentious. Others were relative minnows that passed the legislature with little acknowledgement. None will become law.Here are those 10 bills and why Polis rejected them.WolvesBrought by a group of Western Slope legislators, SB23-256 would’ve delayed the reintroduction of gray wolves until the state receives a specific federal authorization. That process is already underway, and critics worried that the bill, if signed into law, would further delay it.Polis agreed and said the bill risked undermining the will of the voters, who approved wolf reintroduction in 2020.ClemencyThe sponsors of HB23-1214 hoped to standardize the process for inmates who apply for executive clemency. The bill would’ve put specific processes into statute and required more transparency to those awaiting updates on their case...

Lifeguard shortage keeps Denver-area swimming pools closed as summer season begins

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

The summer season is about to sizzle and the lifeguard pool in the metro area is in need of a big splash: Lifeguards are in demand.In Wheat Ridge, a current lack of lifeguards means two indoor pools will remain closed as the city courts applicants by offering bonuses and becoming creative in getting the word out  — “Dive in, become a Lifeguard!”Wheat Ridge police on May 30 took to the pool and Twitter in an effort to help the city attract lifeguards. Officers, in uniform, not swimwear, described the lack of lifeguards as “desperate.”Things are getting desperate at the Wheat Ridge Rec Center… they need ACTUAL lifeguards, stat! The shortage means pool closures (really) and cops with floaties (kidding). Apply here: https://t.co/f7llu7mpqc pic.twitter.com/0UsAMLWNcH— Wheat Ridge Police (@WheatRidgePD) May 30, 2023“We’re having problems recruiting, as is most everyone in our region,” said Amanda Harrison, a Wheat Ridge spokesperson.An...

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed more legislation this year than ever before. Legislators fear a new normal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed 10 bills this year, the most of his five-year tenure and most by a Colorado governor since Bill Owens rejected 44 bills in 2006.The bills cover a range of policy issues: Polis’ red veto stamp blotted out bills concerning tipping, housing, the introduction of gray wolves, gambling and concert tickets. He rejected a study of the drug war and a bill to standardize how inmates apply for clemency.Though some vetoes seemed to favor business interests and others rejected progressive policies, there was no clear ideological thread connecting the rejected legislation, legislators and lobbyists said. Four of the 10 had Republican co-sponsors. Polis also signed 473 bills into law this year, according to his office, meaning he green-lit nearly 98% of the legislation sent to his desk since the legislature convened in early January (one other bill became law without his signature). He told the Denver Post on Friday that he had individual policy issues with the bills ...

Editorial: Focus more on California and less on Florida, governor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Perhaps no one in California history is as skilled as Gov. Gavin Newsom at capturing the political spotlight.If only he was as good at governing in Sacramento. It’s something for voters to remember as the governor boosts his national profile for a possible run at the presidency in the years ahead.The governor made national news again Thursday when he called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would embed gun restrictions popular in California and other states nationwide. In a tweet and a campaign-style video, Newsom proposed a 28th Amendment that would raise the minimum age to purchase any gun to 21, install universal background checks on all gun transfers, impose a “reasonable” waiting period for gun buyers to pick up their weapon, and ban the civilian purchase of assault weapons.It was all a part of his ongoing campaign to point out the differences between his progressive approach to governing California and red states’ conservative style of gove...

Bay Area News Group softball player of the year: St. Francis’ Kate Munnerlyn

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW – With one swing, Kate Munnerlyn put three runs on the board in a playoff game against Willow Glen.The homer gave the St. Francis junior all the runs she needed on the way to a 3-0 victory in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals.Munnerlyn pitched a three-hitter that day to beat one of the section’s best teams and send St. Francis into the final.“Getting those three runs on the board made me relax and just focus on the game,” Munnerlyn said.Performances like that were common for Munnerlyn, who hit .350 with six home runs this spring, and made her our choice for Bay Area News Group player of the year.Munnerlyn might have been relaxed in the pitching circle, but facing her was an unnerving experience, even for the best hitters in NorCal.The left-hander sat down one batter after another this spring, ending her postseason with two unearned runs allowed in 29 innings, all while she had little margin for error as the St. Francis offense stalled down the stretch....

Mahan: Why S.J. council should approve “Housing Now’ approach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

California, with just over 12% of America’s population, is home to almost half of the nation’s unsheltered homeless – and the number is growing.It’s grim news. But San Jose is one of a few bright spots where the population of unsheltered homeless has started to shrink because we are finally breaking with the failed policies of the past.The most recent Point-in-Time (PIT) count shows San Jose shrank the number of people who call our streets home by 10.7%. Without San Jose, Santa Clara County’s unsheltered homelessness rate would have grown by 9.4% percent.While we must do better, this small improvement is largely because San Jose is building low-cost, quick-build and frequently modular units to house the homeless in safe and decent rooms, with the dignity of a door that locks and a private bathroom and without the up to five-year delay of building traditional homes.The status quo approach in Santa Clara County and beyond is spending up to $1 million a door on housing subsidized with ...

Korneeva beats Perez Alarcon to win French Open girls’ title

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Third-seeded Alina Korneeva beat No. 6 Lucciana Perez Alarcon 7-6 (4), 6-3 to win the French Open girls’ title on Saturday and follow up her success at the Australian Open earlier this year.The 15-year-old Russian player dropped only one set at the Grand Slam tournament as she became the first girl to win two major titles in a season since 2013, when Ana Konjuh and Belinda Bencic both won two majors.Korneeva is also the first girl to win the first two majors of the season since Magdalena Maleeva in 1990.Korneeva had three aces and broke Perez Alarcon’s serve six times. The 18-year-old Perez Alarcon double-faulted nine times and converted four of her nine break-point chances.Perez Alarcon was the first girl from Peru to reach a junior final. Peru’s Jaime Yzaga won the French Open boys’ title in 1985 and Luis Horna lost the final at Roland Garros in 1997.Later Saturday, Dino Prizmic of Croatia faced Juan Carlos Prado Angelo of Bolivia in the boys’ ...

49ers to complete Leeds takeover with NBA players Nance, McConnell as minority investors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

LEEDS, England (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers ownership group has reached an agreement to take over English soccer club Leeds with NBA players Larry Nance Jr. and T.J. McConnell joining as minority investors.The NFL team’s investment arm — 49ers Enterprises — originally bought a 15 percent stake from Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani in 2018 and increased it to 44 percent in late 2021.Leeds didn’t specify the sale price for the remaining 56 percent but British media reported it to be 170 million pounds ($214 million).“Both parties continue to work through the details, and further updates will be provided soon,” Leeds said in a statement Friday. “All of our focus remains on a quick return to the Premier League.”Leeds will play in the second-tier Championship next season after being relegated from the Premier League.Nance and McConnell revealed on social media that they’ve joined the ownership group. No financial details were provided.Nance, a forward for the New Orle...