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On SF Giants’ return to New York, meet the people working to rediscover their Polo Grounds past

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

NEW YORK — It’s mid-morning in Harlem, on the northeastern edge of Manhattan. A raspy voice, with an accent only picked up through a childhood in northern New Jersey, fills the calm spring air.“This school,” Peter Laskowich says, gesturing toward PS46, some 50 yards northeast, “is probably dead center field, so you figure Willie Mays was probably out there when he made that catch.”On the site of the old Polo Grounds, where Mays and so many other greats roamed until the Giants moved west in 1957, now sit four public housing towers.There are clues of its illustrious past — “The Catch,” “The Shot Heard ‘Round The World,” dozens of World Series games, and a presidential first pitch (from FDR) — but besides the recently repainted black-and-orange signs bearing the complex’s name, the Polo Grounds Towers, they require some searching.The original catch. Willie Mays, 1954 World Series, Polo Grounds. (AP Photo) Laskowich,...

My & My Car: ’58 Austin-Healey Sprite in Danville took years to restore

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

The British Motor Corp. was formed back in 1952 by merging Austin, Morris, MG, Wolseley and some makers of farm tractors as well as commercial vehicles. It was the largest British car company, producing 39% of the country’s vehicles.Related ArticlesLocal News | Me & My Car: Bay Area owner loves his ’34 Ford pickup truck Local News | Me & My Car: New home may be sought for ’69 Mercedes in Contra Costa Local News | Me & My Car: Danville owner doesn’t baby his ’87 BMW 325i at all The Austin-Healey Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Co. Donald Healey was a famous English car designer and race car driver and was quite successful with his 100-4 and 100-6 roadsters, which were nice cars but a little pricey. So Austin executive Leonard Lord and Healey came up with the idea of building an inexpensive and small sports car that would appeal to European and U.S. buyers. The result was the Austin-Hea...

Black Bean Quinoa Bake / Belkys

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

Ingredients:2 cups cooked quinoa (cook according to package directions)1 Tbs. grapeseed or avocado oil1 small red onion, diced3 cloves garlic, minced1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, diced1/2 red pepper, seeds removed, diced1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, seeds removed, diced1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)Juice of one lime1 Tbs. ground cumin1 Tsp. chili powder1/3 cup chopped cilantroSalt and pepper to taste1 15 oz. canned black beans, rinsed and drained1/2 cup salsa2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (divided)Topping suggestions:  sliced green onions, avocado, sour cream, cilantroMethod of Preparation:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.Make the quinoa according to package directions and set aside.In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and peppers. Sauté until softened – about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and corn and cook for another 3-4 minutes.   Add the lime juice, cum...

Report: Swiss prosecutors open probe into UBS takeover of Credit Suisse

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

Swiss prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible illegal activity in connection with government support for UBS’s rushed takeover of Credit Suisse, the Financial Times reported Sunday.The two banks agreed to merge in March as part of a 3 billion Swiss franc emergency deal targeted at avoiding a national financial crisis that could have had a knock-on effect globally.“The Federal Prosecutor’s office wants to proactively fulfill its mission and responsibility to contribute to a clean Swiss financial center and has set up monitoring in order to take immediate action in any situation that falls within its field of activity,” the authority told the Financial Times.Last month, Zurich-based UBS was forced by Swiss authorities to take over its longtime domestic rival Credit Suisse in a deal that creates a new bank.The deal has been unpopular locally and on Sunday, Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger reported that the new entity could slash jobs by up to 30 percent.“If we ...

Meet the judge presiding over Trump’s criminal arraignment

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

(CNN) — When Donald Trump enters a New York courtroom on Tuesday, he’ll face a seasoned judge who is no stranger to the former president’s orbit.Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan has sentenced Trump’s close confident Allen Weisselberg to prison, presided over the Trump Organization tax fraud trial and overseen former adviser Steve Bannon’s criminal fraud case.But Trump’s historic arraignment on Tuesday will perhaps be Merchan’s most high-profile case to date, even after a long career atop the state-level trial court.Merchan has been described by observers as a “tough” judge, yet one who is fair, no matter who is before him.Here’s what you need to know.“A man of his word’Trump’s arraignment is likely to be a spectacle with a show of law enforcement and with the former president already fanning the flames on social media with his views on Merchan and his indictment.But in the courthouse, ...

Cooler and breezy Sunday, a few unsettled days this week

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

7Weather – What a day we had yesterday! Scattered showers through the morning, then highs reached the 60s as we broke out into some sun. That dynamic system that brought severe weather across the country is offshore. Behind it we have a gusty northwest wind.The northwest wind is bringing in colder air. Those high temperatures you see below were felt around midnight. As the wind cranked up overnight, temperatures fell into the upper 30s/40s. That wind direction also brings in drier air, so we’ll eventually see a lot of sunshine. It’ll be offset by the cool breeze. Highs will stay in the 40s. Overnight, the wind will relax and it’ll be mainly clear. That’ll help temperatures fall near/below freezing. By sunrise, we’ll see some filtered sun. Tomorrow morning will be the last of the cooler air for a few days. Temperatures then rebound to the 50s. The wind will be out of the southwest, so that wind coming off the chilly ocean water will keep it cooler ...

Column: April is shaping up to be an all-timer for Chicago sports fans. Here’s the schedule of must-see events.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

The spring of our discontent has arrived, and April figures to be an interesting month for followers of Chicago’s not-so Fab Five.Four of our professional teams — the Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox — are all in action, while the Bears are on the clock. Throw in a mayoral election and some inclement weather and you have the three staples of the Chicago food group — sports, politics and weather — intermingling. When all is said and done, it could be an April for the ages, a month of potential goodbyes and welcome backs, from Jonathan Toews and Nikola Vučević to Jason Heyward.April also marks the opening steps of the six-month slog for our two summer teams and very well could be the end of the line for our winter teams, the two occupiers of the United Center. Even for Chicago sports fans used to multitasking games, it’s everything everywhere all at once.The re-rebuild of the Hawks, not to be confused with the Stan Bowman-led rebuild ...

Ex-Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson is running for president

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he’s running for president in 2024, offering himself as an alternative for Republicans ready to turn the party away from Donald Trump. “I’m running because I believe that I am the right time for America, the right candidate for our country and its future,” he said.Hutchinson told ABC’s “This Week” in an interview aired Sunday that he would make a formal announcement in April in Arkansas. “I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America and not simply appeal to our worst instincts,” he said.Hutchinson, 72, left office in January after eight years as governor. He has ramped up his criticism of the former president in recent months, calling another Trump presidential nomination the “worst scenario” for Republicans and saying it likely benefit President Joe Biden’s chances in 2024.“I have made a decision and my decision is I’m going to run for president of the United State...

More Ecuadorians move to U.S., spared many others’ hurdles

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

SPRING VALLEY, New York (AP) — Kléver Ortega and Cristina Lema had a good life until COVID-19 crippled Ecuador’s economy.Ortega was a house-painting contractor and there was work until demand dried up in the pandemic. The entrepreneurial couple launched a pair of food stands. “Then the pandemic hit those, too,” Lema said. With unemployment, instability and crime rising, they decided to leave for the U.S., following many friends, family and acquaintances.“We used to hear it in the street: ‘They left. Look who else abandoned their business and took off,’” Lema said. “That’s when we, too, told ourselves, ‘We aren’t earning enough to survive or pay debts.’”Ecuador — long known for remarkably low rates of crime, despite sitting in South America’s cocaine heartland — is earthquake-prone and has been struggling economically, fighting higher violence and losing its people in record numbers. Like Ortega and Lema, many are headed to the U.S.; the number of Ecuadorians detained near the border...

Iraqi federal and Kurdish officials reach oil export deal

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:35:24 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Authorities in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region said Sunday they have reached a deal with the central government in Baghdad that will allow oil exports from the northern Kurdish region by way of Turkey to resume.Officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish government, have long been at odds over oil revenues, a dispute that has been exacerbated by the lack of a federal law detailing the sharing of funds from oil and gas exports.The agreement comes after an arbitration process by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) last sided with Iraq over a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government.Exports via a pipeline that goes through Iraq’s Fish Khabur border crossing to Turkey’s Ceyhan port will resume this week, according to Lawk Ghafuri, spokesperson for the Kurdish regional government.Iraq filed for arbitration against Turkey in 2014 after the Kurdish region began exporting the resource without the cons...