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Sen. Griffith resigning to take over Md. Hospital Association

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Sen. Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince George’s), the chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, will resign at the end of the month to become president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association.Griffith told Maryland Matters Friday that she accepted the job in the morning and will begin her new position on Dec. 18.“This has been a tremendously difficult decision,” she said.Griffith, who is in her fifth year in the Senate and previously served for 16 years in the House of Delegates, has worked as a health care policy expert and advocate for her entire professional career. In an interview, she said she initially resisted the opportunity to apply for the hospital association position, but finally came around to the idea that she could advance many of her top priorities in the new job.“Someone poin...

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wins Formula One world championship for 3rd straight season

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

LOSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Max Verstappen secured the Formula One title for the third straight year on Saturday in a season of near-total domination for the Red Bull driver.Verstappen finished second in the sprint race in Qatar and his teammate Sergio Perez, the only driver who could catch him in the standings, crashed out after being struck by Esteban Ocon’s Alpine.Rookie Oscar Piastri won the sprint for McLaren and his teammate Lando Norris was third.The title race was all but over long before Verstappen made sure of it Saturday. His run of 10 straight wins, an all-time F1 record, from May to September left him far ahead in the standings.“Unbelievable. Guys, I don’t know what to say,” Verstappen told his team. “It’s been a pleasure so far this year.”Verstappen parked up in the pit lane and stood atop his car with three fingers raised on his right hand before going to celebrate with his team.Verstappen started third Saturday but was slow off the line and was in fifth after the first lap ...

Dodgers leave infielder Rosario and reliever Yarbrough off NLDS roster against D-backs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers left infielder Amed Rosario and reliever Ryan Yarbrough off their roster for the NL Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of Game 1 on Saturday.The Dodgers will carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players for the best-of-five series.Four rookie pitchers made the roster, including Bobby Miller, who will start Game 2 on Monday. He’s joined by Michael Grove, Ryan Pepiot and Emmet Sheehan. Rosario was acquired by the Dodgers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline from Cleveland after the team unloaded struggling pitcher Noah Syndergaard to get him. He was brought in to bolster the team’s hitting against left-handed pitchers.Instead of the right-handed Rosario, the Dodgers chose veteran infielder Kolten Wong, who joined the team on Sept. 1. The left-hander batted .300 in 34 plate appearances.Yarbrough made his first start for the Dodgers last month, allowing two runs in four innings. He was acquired from Kansas City at the trade...

Kyle Busch internalizes his driving style as he faces elimination from NASCAR playoffs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Another crash has Kyle Busch last in the playoff standings and in danger of elimination Sunday on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch doesn’t need a win to guarantee he advances into the round of eight, but it’s his only guaranteed path. Four drivers will be cut after the race on the hybrid road course/oval, and, short of a victory, Busch will need significant help from other playoff drivers to advance. He will start fifth Sunday but he’s below the cutline in 12th in the standings. He trails Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain. Reddick, at ninth in the standings, won the pole in Saturday qualifying and trails Brad Keselowski by just two points for the eighth and final spot. William Byron and Ryan Blaney have both already advanced based on wins in the first two races of the round of 12. After crashing in the opening race of this round at Texas, Busch said he had to “fix” his driving style to better adapt to NASCAR’s sec...

1 killed in overnight crash on I-70 in Aurora

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- One person died in a crash overnight on Interstate 70 and North Chambers Road in Aurora, according to police.The Aurora Police Department said officers found a pickup truck had left the roadway and crashed down the side of an embankment.One occupant in the vehicle was pronounced dead on the scene.The road was closed in the area and opened up around 5:30 a.m. Saturday.The death was the 57th traffic-related fatality so far in 2023.

Gearing up for the 250th Boston Tea Party anniversary

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

More than two months away from the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, organizers say they have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into marking the grand occasion, a total they anticipate to continue growing.At least 10,000 people from all over the country and abroad are expected to flock to the city on Dec. 16 for the full-scale, live reenactment of colonists protesting taxation without representation by throwing British tea into Boston Harbor, a pivotal event leading to the American Revolution.“This is the kind of event when all is said and done, if you tabulate it out, all the work that has been done all year long to promote this, it’s going to be well over $1 million to do just this one event,” said Jonathan Lane, executive director of Revolution 250, a consortium of more than 70 Bay State organizations working together on the commemoration.Lane stopped by the Old Burying Ground in Cambridge on Friday to honor John Hicks, a Tea Party participant and a milit...

Biden decries the ‘unconscionable’ Hamas attack and warns Israel’s enemies not to exploit the crisis

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday decried the “unconscionable” assault by Hamas militants and his administration pledged to ensure Israel has “what it needs to defend itself” after the surprise attack that drew worldwide condemnation and anger from Israel’s allies.Biden said from the White House that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States “stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist assaults. Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop. There’s never a justification for terrorist attacks and my administration’s support for Israeli’s security is rock solid and unwavering.’’The president also warned Israeli’s enemies that “this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage. The world is watching.” Biden said he would keep in close touch with Netanyahu, and had called Jordan’s King Abdullah II and members of Congress to dis...

Gunfire, rockets and carnage: Israelis are stunned and shaken by unprecedented Hamas attack

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis in the country’s south near the volatile frontier with Gaza have grown so used to rounds of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants that they hardly bat an eye when the air raid sirens wail. But this time, Hamas has shaken their steely nerves. Residents of southern Israel described Saturday’s unprecedented ground assault — with fighters entering their communities in pick-up trucks, on boats and by hang-gliders — as a nightmare come true.For Israelis working and living within range of Gaza, the sight of Hamas militants roaming outside their homes Saturday – and reports that Hamas had taken dozens of civilians and soldiers captive – marked a terrifying turn of events unlike anything residents had experienced before. “This was always the nightmare. We told ourselves that one day, the terrorists will come inside here,” said Jehan Berman, a 42-year-old in the small community of Avshalom, just a few kilometers (miles) from Gaza. He added that it took ei...

Gov. Jared Polis declares 'Patrick Stewart Day' in Colorado. Why?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared Oct. 7, 2023, to be "Patrick Stewart Day" in the Centennial State, in honor of acclaimed British actor Sir Patrick Stewart.Polis announced the news Saturday morning on X (formerly Twitter), complete with images of Stewart and the official proclamation. Why are movie theater snacks so expensive? "[Stewart] is well known for his roles both on stage and screen that shaped the lives of many Coloradans throughout the 20th and 21st centuries," Polis said in the proclamation. The governor went on to commend Stewart for his activism against domestic violence and for women's rights, as well as his support of the LGBTQ community.The proclamation also praised Stewart for his "impressive" body of work, and called out his appearances in the "Star Trek" franchise, the "X-Men" films and his Shakespearean roles.Patrick Stewart attends the “Picard” season 3 premiere on February 09, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Ima...

No. 12 Oklahoma scores on final possession to snag 34-30 Red River Rivalry win over No. 3 Texas

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:49:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel led a lightning-fast 75-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass with 0:15 left to lift the Sooners to a 34-30 win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.Gabriel drove the Sooners down the field in just over a minute to make the go-ahead score, a 3-yard pass to Nic Anderson for his first catch of the game. Texas had a last gasp with 0:02 left from the Sooners 44-yard line, but Ewers' pass fell incomplete at the goal line.Gabriel finished the game 23 for 38 passing with 285 yards and a touchdown along with a career-high 113 rushing yards on 14 carries. Ewers finished the game 31 for 37 passing with 346 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the first half.This story will be updated with more details and quotes later Saturday.Game logFINAL: Oklahoma 34, Texas 30. The hail mary falls incomplete and the Sooners' final drive is the one that decides the game. The Golden Hat heads back to Norma...