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Churchill Downs to suspend all racing operations to further evaluate safety measures amid increase in horse deaths

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

(CNN) — The owner of Churchill Downs, the racetrack that hosts the Kentucky Derby, is set to temporarily suspend all racing operations at its legendary namesake track to review protocols in the wake of a series of horse deaths, the company announced Friday.According to Churchill Downs Incorporated, all racing operations at the Louisville racetrack will be suspended from June 7 through the remainder of the Spring Meet, which was scheduled to run to July 3.The company said that an expert review concluded that the racetrack’s surface is consistent with that of past years and that there is no clear factor linking the deaths yet.“Churchill Downs Racetrack has seen an unusual number of horse injuries over the previous month resulting in 12 equine fatalities,” the company said in a news release. “Following a thorough internal review and concurrent investigations conducted by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (‘KHRC’) and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (‘HISA’), no ...

More than 200 killed and 900 hurt after 2 trains derail in India; hundreds still trapped in coaches

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing more than 200 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said.The accident that happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata created a chaotic scene of twisted wreckage and desperate rescuers as teams tried to free passengers and recover bodies. The cause was under investigation.About 900 people were injured in the accident, Odisha state’s top bureaucrat, P.K. Jena, said in a tweet. Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said.The Press Trust reported that a third train carrying freight was also involved, but there was no immediate ...

Justin Steele diagnosed with forearm strain, but the Chicago Cubs don’t anticipate an extended absense for the left-hander

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

Justin Steele appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario.The Chicago Cubs received good news from Steele’s MRI with the lefty’s diagnosis of a forearm strain. It’s still unclear whether he will miss any starts, but the team does not anticipate an extended absence.Steele is scheduled to play catch Saturday to test his forearm.”I’m expecting it to go just as normal as any other day of catch,” Steele said. “Everything’s headed in the right direction.”The Cubs will see how Steele’s forearm responds before determining if he needs to go on the injured list. He would likely miss two starts, though the Cubs potentially could limit Steele to one missed start by rearranging the rotation with an off day June 12 at the conclusion of their 10-game West Coast trip. It’s an encouraging outcome for the 27-year-old who exited his start Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays after three perfect innings because of forearm tightness. St...

Red Sox notebook: Chris Sale back on injured list with left shoulder inflammation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

Just when it looked like Chris Sale had finally put his injury woes behind him, the Red Sox lefty finds himself facing yet another setback.The Red Sox confirmed Friday that Sale is headed back to the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation and that righty Corey Kluber has been activated from the paternity leave list to fill his spot.Sale, who missed most of the last three seasons due to a series of injuries, bounced back from a couple of rough early starts to put together a fantastic month of May and was finally starting to look like his old dominant self.But now his future is again shrouded in uncertainty.“I felt like I was over the hump, I really did. I felt like I was back to being myself,” Sale said. “And for something like this to happen is obviously deflating.”Sale left Thursday’s start after 59 pitches, coming out in the fourth inning after his velocity noticeably dipped over the course of the game. He did not speak to the media postg...

MBTA releases documents detailing worker safety failures

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

A track worker was hospitalized after being struck by a 2000–pound counterweight on the Blue Line in April, one of the more egregious safety failures outlined in new documents released by the MBTA.The redacted documents, shared with the Herald on Friday, provide a closer look at the six workplace incidents that prompted such concern from federal officials that they ordered the MBTA to completely revamp its policies and procedures around employee right-of-way access. The T’s plan is due on Monday.Five of these violations involved employees who were nearly struck by trains. These so-called “near-misses,” along with the injury on the Blue Line, all occurred within the span of a month, from March 13 to April 14.While MBTA officials had previously provided details on the near-miss events, and the breakdown in safety communication that prompted them, little had been shared about the incident that left an employee seriously injured until this week.According to the documents, Transit Police...

Carlsbad boy returns home months after trampoline accident

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- An 8-year-old boy is back home in Carlsbad after spending over four months at the hospital.Leeland Korman sustained a serious traumatic brain injury in a trampoline accident in January.The homecoming celebration filled the street of his Carlsbad neighborhood Friday when the third grader came home. Dozens of his friends and classmates from Magnolia Elementary School walked over to welcome him back.Casey Sershon, Korman's stepfather, says the family survived on the strength of their community. No graduation: 8th graders turned away from ceremony; parents furious “This is something most people don’t go through and we had no idea how to navigate," Sershon said. "Even just little things from having meals delivered to words of encouragement.”In January, Korman bumped heads with his sister while jumping on the trampoline at his brother's birthday party. A few days later, he had a seizure and was airlifted to Rady Children’s Hospital. Since then, it's been months surge...

Local leaders lambast California housing policy for homeless

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- "Housing First works for some -- it's not the panacea that everyone expects it to be," said San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who joined local leaders at a news conference Friday, saying the state government's housing policy has backfired.In 2016 under Gov. Gavin Newsom, California adopted Housing First, which aims to get anyone experiencing homelessness into government-subsidized housing as quickly as possible, while also removing barriers to access the housing such as requirements for sobriety and no criminal background.“If you had a loved one or family member that needed drug treatment or needed mental health treatment, would you send them to a facility that did not require programs or treatment? That's exactly what the government's doing and that's exactly what Housing First allows," said Desmond. Mayor says Coronado’s approach to homelessness works, but would it across the bay? Desmond was joined by El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, Vista Mayor John Franklin and ...

Man critically injured in stabbing at Kennedy Station

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

A man has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed at the TTC’s Kennedy Station in Scarborough.Toronto police were notified of a stabbing at the subway station on Friday night.Officers located a man with injuries deemed life-threatening. The victim was rushed to the hospital via an emergency run, police noted.A suspect or suspects fled from the station. The investigation is ongoing.STABBING:Kennedy Subway– reports that someone has been stabbed– police o/s– officers located a man with injuries– @TorontoMedics o/s – taking the patient to hospital with life-threatening injuries via emergency run– suspect(s) fled– ongoing investigation#GO1258360^al— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) June 3, 2023

Even Nebraska’s nonpartisan Legislature is divided from acrimonious 2023 session

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature has long prided itself on being a paragon of collegiality and function, as the only single-chamber, nonpartisan Legislature in the country.But after a vicious 2023 session in which the body of 49 lawmakers remained irreconcilably split, Nebraska’s statehouse is beginning to reflect broad, national discord.The acrimony was on full display as a handful of progressive lawmakers carried out an epic filibuster of nearly every bill that came up for debate — even ones they supported — to protest a bill targeting transgender minors. The filibuster drew national media attention, revealing lawmakers’ deep divide over political ideology — which was expressed through yelling, name-calling, crying and the refusal of some to even speak to other lawmakers.“I never saw anything even close to what we witnessed this year,” said Patrick O’Donnell, who served for 45 years as clerk of the Nebraska Legislature until his retirement in Decembe...

Money laundering trial ends for former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:20:57 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — The trial of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli and 14 others for alleged money laundering related to their purchase of a publishing company concluded on Friday, starting the clock on the 30 days the judge has to issue a verdict.Martinelli, a 71-year-old supermarket magnate who hopes to seek re-election next year, had back surgery the week before the trial started and was not present.The case, known locally as “New Business,” dates back to 2017 and concerns the 2010 purchase of a publishing company that owns national newspapers.Prosecutors maintain that through a complex series of foreign money transfers totaling $43 million, companies that had won lucrative government contracts during Martinelli’s presidency, funneled money to a front company that was then used to purchase the publisher. The front company collecting the money was called “New Business.”In closing statements, prosecutor Emeldo Márquez requested the maximum sentence for Martinelli, which...