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Roger Payne, who found out that whales could sing, dies at 88

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE (Associated Press)Roger Payne, the scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing, has died. He was 88.Payne made the discovery in 1967 during a research trip to Bermuda in which a Navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented while listening for Russian submarines. Payne identified the haunting tones as songs whales sing to one another.He saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. Payne would produce the album “Songs of the Humpback Whale” in 1970. A surprise hit, the record galvanized a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting and save the whales from extinction.Payne was cognizant from the start that whale song represented a chance to get the public interested in protecting an animal previously considered little more than a resource, curiosi...

No timetable for Liam Hendriks’ return, as Chicago White Sox taking ‘wait and see’ approach with reliever

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

Liam Hendriks first felt something not quite right in his right elbow around May 4, the day the Chicago White Sox reliever left to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte.“It’s been sore for the last few weeks, ever since before my rehab assignment it was barking, but my mantra is to pitch things until I can’t,” Hendriks said Tuesday before the Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 at Dodger Stadium. “It kept getting a little worse and worse and worse until the last couple of outings I wasn’t able to pitch through that pain.“The more I throw, generally the better I feel. And this time, it wasn’t going away. It was lingering.”The Sox placed Hendriks on the 15-day injured list Saturday with right elbow inflammation, the team announced Sunday morning.“Structurally, it’s fine,” Hendriks said. “It’s all good. Or goodish for me. But it’s just a little inflammation that’s sitting on...

Drew Smith’s sticky stuff suspension leaves more questions than answers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

The Mets are officially a man down for the next 10 games.Drew Smith was suspended by MLB for violating the foreign substance rules Wednesday afternoon, shortly before the team hosted the Yankees in the second game of the Subway Series. Smith was ejected before the top of the seventh Tuesday night at Citi Field after failing to pass a check by crew chief Bill Miller. He becomes the second pitcher from the club’s Major League roster to receive a suspension for sticky stuff, and the fourth from the organization this season. Max Scherzer was suspended in April, and Triple-A right-handers Dylan Bundy and Eric Orze were also punished this season.Smith insisted it was only sweat and rosin, which is what Scherzer has maintained he used as well. But four pitchers from one club will either lead people to believe that the Mets are cheating or lead people to believe that the league is out to get the Mets.Manager Buck Showalter sees both sides of the argument but didn’t deny that som...

Red Sox notebook: Hitters have been stuck in the clutch too often of late

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

Despite some messy innings from Kutter Crawford and Justin Garza at the beginning and end of Tuesday night’s 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies, it’s not the Red Sox pitching staff which should be fidgeting on the hot seat amidst the team’s recent struggles.Since May 17, the starting rotation owns the fifth-best ERA (3.60) in the Majors, with two earned runs or fewer in 18 of their last 25 games, and the bullpen owns the ninth-best ERA (3.65) since May 16.This stretch of agonizingly close games is almost entirely due to a subdued lineup (and poor defense). Eleven of their last 17 games were decided by one or two runs. Five of their last eight games were decided by one, including each of their previous three, all of which were extra-inning contests.Over their first 13 games of the month, the Red Sox left 103 men on base. They’re averaging 7.83 stranded runners per game, up from 6.88 in May, and 6.6 in April. Conversely, their average runs scored per game has plu...

Sailor on life support after Coronado carjacking

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

CORONADO, Calif. -- It's now confirmed that a man who was critically injured during a car-jacking incident in Coronado over the weekend is, in fact, a sailor for the U.S. Navy.In a statement released to FOX 5 on Wednesday, Public Affairs Officer Teri Heisler says officials at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) were informed by the City of Coronado Police Department that a sailor was a victim in the Sunday incident. Alaska Airlines now offering nonstop flights from San Diego to these cities The servicemember, whose identity has not been released due to privacy laws, suffered life-threatening injuries during the car-jacking, officials confirmed. According to the public affairs officer, the sailor is currently on life support at UCSD Health.The incident occurred in the early morning hours when calls came in to authorities reporting a man on the hood of a moving vehicle. According to the police department, two teenagers allegedly stole the vehicle from the man and he jumped on ...

How the Bell layoffs affect their journalism platform

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

BCE Inc. announced Wednesday that it is cutting 1,300 positions, around three per cent of its workforce, and closing or selling nine radio stations as the company plans to “significantly adapt” how it delivers the news.Here’s a look at who and what’s affected by the cuts to their journalism platform.Fewer JournalistsThe layoffs include a six per cent cut at Bell Media. Many of those who received notices of their termination shared the news on social media throughout the day, including some of Bell’s prominent journalists.As part of Bell’s shift to a more streamlined newsroom across its brands, the company said CTV National News executive producer Rosa Hwang is no longer with the company, effective immediately.The company updated the online profile of several journalists to say they were no longer with the company. Those include CTV National News Ottawa bureau chief Joyce Napier, senior political correspondent Glen McGregor, chief...

Australia to seek to stop Russia building embassy near Parliament House

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government expects to introduce legislation on Thursday to prevent Russia from building a new embassy near Parliament House on security grounds.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation to be presented to Parliament would extinguish Russia’s lease on the proposed site based on the advice of security agencies.“The government has received very clear security advice as to the risk presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House,” Albanese told reporters. “We are acting quickly to ensure the lease site does not become a formal diplomatic presence.” Albanese said Australia’s government condemns Russia’s “illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.” Albanese said opposition and other lawmakers that are not aligned with the government were briefed on the legislation on Wednesday night and had agreed to pass it through the House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday.“To be clear, today’s decision is...

Chasing Horse charged with more sex crimes in new Canadian case

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nathan Chasing Horse has been charged in Alberta, Canada, with new sex crimes in the latest criminal case to be brought against the former “Dances With Wolves” actor, who remains jailed in Las Vegas as he awaits trial in a sweeping sexual abuse case that stunned Indian Country and has helped law enforcement in two countries corroborate long-standing allegations against him.At a virtual news conference Wednesday, Sgt. Nancy Farmer of the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service acknowledged that the Alberta case is largely symbolic. Chasing Horse — who faces not only decades in a Nevada prison if convicted in the Las Vegas case but criminal prosecution in five jurisdictions — might not ever return to Canada to answer to these charges.“At the end of the day,” Farmer said, “it is important for us to have these warrants in the system so our victims know they’ve been heard. It’s extremely important that we continue to support them that way.”Chasing Horse has declined multip...

North Carolina governor signs sports, horse racing betting law; wagering could begin in early 2024

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Regulated sports betting and horse racing is expected to begin across North Carolina in the first half of next year, enabled by legislation Gov. Roy Cooper signed Wednesday that greatly expands gambling opportunities in the ninth-largest state.The Democratic governor held the bill-signing ceremony at Spectrum Center, home to the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. It could house one of several anticipated sportsbooks allowed at or near professional sports venues as part of the law that received final approval in the Republican-controlled General Assembly last week.The new law says betting could begin as early as Jan. 8 or as late as mid-June 2024. Supporters say the expansion will bring new revenue and jobs, and attract stronger in-state pro sports franchises.“This is an historic moment for the state of North Carolina and this will benefit our economy for generations to come,” Cooper said.The law directs the North Carolina Lottery Commission to issue as many ...

Energy secretary Granholm says she failed to reveal stock holdings; GOP calls for investigation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:24:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican on the Senate Energy panel is calling for an investigation of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, after she told the committee she mistakenly provided false information about her family’s stock holdings in testimony earlier this year.Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso on Wednesday asked the Energy Department’s inspector general to look into what Barrasso called “multiple instances of questionable ethical conduct since the start of her tenure” in 2021. Barrasso’s request came after Granholm sent a letter to the committee revealing she owned financial stocks as recently as May, contradicting testimony she gave to the panel in April.Granholm also said her husband, Daniel Mulhern, owned previously undisclosed stock in Ford Motor Co., a key player in the Biden administration’s efforts to improve fuel efficiency for cars and trucks and boost sales of electric vehicles.Granholm said at an April 20 budget hearing that she did ...