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It’s ‘party central’ in the Bird Bath as Mr. Splash hoses down Orioles fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

Rain drizzled down, ever so lightly, on Orioles fans during a recent game at Camden Yards. But in Section 86, it poured — and Michael Hackworth wore swim trunks.“I came prepared,” Hackworth, 29, said watching the team take on the Los Angeles Angels earlier this month.He wasn’t talking about braving the natural elements, but about a new water feature in the ballpark.Section 86 — officially the Bird Bath Splash Zone — is where “Mr. Splash,” a new mascot of sorts, hoses down (mostly) enthusiastic fans. The waterworks start anytime the Orioles record extra-base hits: doubles, triples and home runs.Almost instantly, the phenomenon became a hit, selling out tickets for the first seven games it was offered.“I feel like a kid here,” said Hackworth, who is a Birdland member and teaches world history at a public middle school in Virginia.A disclaimer to those buying tickets for the special section didn’t escape him. The Orioles...

Shift to clean energy accelerating, but coal investments too high, report says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Energy security concerns — worsened by the war in Ukraine — and policy support from rich countries are likely to help investments in clean energy outpace spending on fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency said in a report issued Thursday. But investments in coal are on course to rise by about 10% in 2023, nearly six times what the IEA has estimated they should be for the world to end its reliance on fossil fuels and achieve emissions cut goals for countering climate change, it said. “We are in a significantly better place than we were a few years ago,” Tim Gould, IEA’s chief energy economist, said at the report’s launch Thursday. “There’s still a very long way to go, but there are finally some encouraging signs for us all to welcome.”Some $2.8 trillion is set to be invested in energy globally in 2023, of which more than $1.7 trillion is expected to go to clean technologies including modern electricity grids, energy storage, low-emissions ...

A public person in a private country: Tina Turner reveled in ‘normal’ life in her Swiss home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

KUESNACHT, Switzerland (AP) — In her adoptive country, Tina Turner was more than just a swivel-hipped rock, R&B and pop superstar. She unapologetically moved to Switzerland for its discretion and calm, carrying her very public persona into a very private country. She relished her life as a Swiss citizen — and the feeling was mutual. Mourners laid flowers and candles Thursday outside the gate of her lakeside villa in the upscale town of Kuesnacht, southeast of Zurich, where she lived for decades with her German music-producer husband Erwin Bach until her death on Wednesday at age 83.It was an understated tribute — reflective of the Swiss discretion that had drawn her to the rich Alpine country in the first place. Neighbors didn’t gawk, hound her for autographs or snap photos. Many Swiss felt a sense of pride that she could retreat here from the pressures of the media spotlight. It afforded her the semblance of a normal life after a turbulent one in her native United States, inclu...

CIBC reports $1.69B second-quarter profit, raises dividend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

TORONTO — CIBC raised its quarterly dividend as it reported a second-quarter profit of $1.69 billion.The bank says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of 87 cents per share, up from 85 cents.The increased payment to shareholders came as CIBC reported its net income amounted to $1.76 per diluted share for the quarter ended April 30, up from $1.52 billion or $1.62 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $5.70 billion, up from $5.38 billion in its second quarter last year, while its provision for credit losses amounted to $438 million, up from $303 million a year earlier.On an adjusted basis, CIBC says it earned $1.70 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.77 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $1.63 per share, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2023.Companies in this story:...

Hong Kong man sentenced to almost 6 years in prison in alleged plot to bomb court buildings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong man was sentenced Thursday to almost six years in prison for alleged involvement in a foiled plot by high school students to bomb court buildings following 2019 anti-government protests. Three other defendants younger than 21 were sentenced to rehabilitation, while the sentencing of two others was postponed. Prosecutors said Alexander Au, 21, and the five others planned to manufacture explosives and target court buildings. They said the plot was foiled due to a police investigation, and no bombs were made and no casualties occurred. Though the six are not among the most prominent activists in Hong Kong’s suppressed democracy movement, their case has drawn attention because they were all students when the prosecution began in 2021 and they were charged with conspiracy to carry out terrorist activities under the National Security Law.Earlier this month, Au and four defendants aged between 17 and 20 pleaded guilty to conspiring to cause explosions tha...

4 people accused of hanging Vinícius Júnior effigy released from custody

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Four people accused of hanging an effigy of Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior off a highway bridge were released from custody Thursday while still under investigation for perpetrating a hate crime.A Spanish judge prohibited the four people from attempting to communicate with Vinícius. They also have a temporary restraining order banning them from a 1-kilometer (0.62-mile) area around Madrid’s stadium and training facilities and from coming within the same distance of any soccer stadium between four hours before and four hours after a Spanish league game.The court statement said the four people are also being investigated for trying to damage the moral integrity of Vinícius. It added that the four opted not to answer the judge’s questions in their first court appearance, in line with their constitutional rights.The incident of the effigy occurred on Jan. 26 in the buildup to a derby match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.But it wasn’t until Tuesday when police m...

Pressure building on Team Penske to get Indianapolis 500 results

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Will Power and Scott McLaughlin joined Josef Newgarden behind a table draped in a checked flag Wednesday, the trio of IndyCar drivers the very definition of focus. Their eyes were trained on the project before them, fingers nearly twitching.Anticipating the start, all three dove into the work, moments before the emcee yelled, “Go!”That sums up the competitive atmosphere at Team Penske, though, that at a community event days before the Indianapolis 500, all three drivers angled for a head start — Let’s be honest, they cheated — against a bunch of elementary school kids. They were in a race to build an IndyCar out of some masking tape and cardboard, and those couple of extra seconds counted.Just like they do at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.It’s there, at the historic oval owned by Roger Penske, that his team has struggled with time lately. Power only qualified 12th for Sunday’s race to match the best starting position of any Team Penske driver sinc...

Man stuck waist-deep in Alaska mud flats drowns as tide comes in: 'Mother Nature has no mercy'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man who was walking on tidal mud flats with friends in an Alaska estuary got stuck up to his waist in the quicksand-like silt and drowned as the tide came in before frantic rescuers could extract him, authorities said.Zachary Porter, 20, of Lake Bluff, Illinois, was submerged Sunday evening as the tide came in, and his body was recovered Monday morning, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel told The Associated Press. A member of Porter's group called 911 when they couldn't get him out, but it was too late, authorities said.The accident was the latest tragedy at Turnagain Arm, a 48-mile-long (77-kilometer-long) estuary carved out long ago by glaciers that travels southeast from the Anchorage area and parallels a major highway. At low tide, the estuary is known for its dangerous mud flats made of silt created by glacier-pulverized rocks. At least three other people have gotten stuck and drowned there over the years. Many more have been rescued, ...

New warning signs on Lake Travis not a priority; LCRA focuses on social media to alert boaters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

LAKE TRAVIS, TEXAS (KXAN) — Lake Travis is considered by many to be a dangerous lake. Since 2010, the Travis Country Sheriff's Office has tracked 61 deaths on the lake. To prepare boaters and swimmers about the potential danger, the agency that manages the lake Lower Colorado River Authority is pivoting to social media."A traditional approach to trying to get information into people's hands, in today's world, is limiting," said John Hofmann, Executive Vice President of Water at the LCRA. KXAN Documentary ; "The Wake: Secrets of Lake Travis" "We wanted to make sure that we had very clear cut, very social media-friendly messages, that could go out with things that are simple for families to be able to do when they go and spend an afternoon with the lake."The campaign, called "Be LakeWise", focuses on tips for going to the lake. The campaign includes social media posts and distributing flyers and items like koozies to re-enforce safety messages about swimming safely and boating respo...

Mainly dry, warm weather to finish the week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Storms in West Texas will make a run at our area late this morning through midday, but I wouldn't hold your breath on meaningful rain.Mainly dry conditions under a mix of sun and clouds can be expected for most today. Afternoon highs will return to the mid-80s, slightly below normal for this time of year. BLOG: Summer forecast released: When do 100º days begin Hotter, mainly dry weather is in the forecast Friday through Sunday, but scattered late-day storms return on the Memorial Day holiday. Be sure to download the KXAN Weather App so you get lightning alerts as you are enjoying the outdoors.Flood Awareness WeekWhile this weekend's rain chance does not appear to bring a high flood threat at this time, Memorial Day floods in Central Texas in 2015 killed 14 people and destroyed thousands of homes. On Memorial Day 1981, an all-time record Shoal Creek flood in downtown Austin killed 13 people and destroyed countless businesses. That flood led the City to create the F...