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Stanford men’s basketball preview: Cardinal likes its chances

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

STANFORD — Spencer Jones returned for a fifth year at Stanford because he believes the Cardinal can be an NCAA Tournament team come spring.The team is more experienced going into the 2023-24 season with several key newcomers such as highly touted freshman guard Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former Sacramento Kings star Peja Stojakovic.“That’s the reason I came back. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t have full confidence that we have the talent and we have everything we need to get that done,” Jones said. “For me coming back, it was almost purely a basketball decision. I’ve done my schoolwork and all that. I’ve still got a little bit of work to do, but it was all basketball.”Stanford has more go-to shooting options entering coach Jerod Haase’s eighth season.Stanford went 14-19 overall last season and 7-13 in Pac-12 play.On his desk, Haase is keeping a special photo from his team’s preseason trip to France and Greece — one from the family home of 7-foot-1 junior forward Maxi...

Cal Bears basketball preview: Mark Madsen has “lofty goals”

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

BERKELEY — New coach Mark Madsen recognizes all that went wrong for California men’s basketball last season, and he also insists that from those struggles has been tremendous growth.He’s counting on that as Cal tries to bounce back with a new-look roster and new leader.Even if the loyal fan base in Berkeley might not have seen the development watching the Golden Bears last season. Madsen also realizes he has quite a task at hand to turn over a proud program that is reeling from the embarrassment of so much losing.Madsen is guiding the Bears following a 3-29 season — worst in school history — that led to the firing of coach Mark Fox and cleared the way for the former Stanford star.“It was a tough year last year for Cal, but it’s not like there wasn’t a lot of work going on behind the scenes. We’re probably benefiting right now from a lot of the work, just even in terms of infrastructure,” Madsen said. “I’ve never been more optimistic, and I love our team. I love all the changes...

Ohtani? Yamamoto? Chapman? Assessing the best free agent fits for the San Francisco Giants

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

In Farhan Zaidi’s eyes, it seems, there is one statistic that sums up the San Francisco Giants’ shortcomings in 2023 better than any other. You don’t need to know what WAR, wOBA or VORP stand for to understand it. But it’s something the club’s top baseball boss has cited multiple times.“One thing that I don’t really think there are two sides of the coin in explaining,” Zaidi said most recently, to a scrum of reporters after introducing new manager Bob Melvin earlier this month, “is we were last in the league in stolen bases. That just can’t happen. To be that much of an outlier shows it was a real deficiency.”It’s not just that they swiped 15 fewer bags than the next-closest team, fewer than two individual players, that after Thairo Estrada (23) they didn’t have a single player with more than four, a number equaled or eclipsed by 251 players league-wide — it’s what it said about team.The league introduced new ru...

Hope emerges for Oakland A’s fans: Nevada teachers hoping to get Las Vegas ballpark funding on the ballot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

A judge’s decision on Monday in Nevada could give A’s fans new hope of the team remaining in Oakland.On one side is a Nevada teachers’ union challenging the state’s plan to provide $120 million in public money to build a $1.5 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas strip. The group is seeking a November 2024 referendum on state Senate Bill 1, the ballpark spending deal signed in June by Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.“Nevada voters should decide whether their tax dollars are used to subsidize a billionaire’s stadium,” said Alexander Marks, a spokesperson for the Nevada State Education Association. “We’re confident Nevada citizens are going to choose schools over stadiums next November.”The teachers union is opposed by a coalition of lobbyists and construction union leaders assembled by A’s ownership. They accuse the teachers’ union of submitting an “inaccurate, misleading and argumentative” petition that improperly targets ...

Blinken wraps up Mideast tour; little support for pause in Gaza fighting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a grueling Middle East diplomatic tour on Monday in Turkey after only limited success in efforts to forge a regional consensus on how best to ease civilian suffering in Gaza as Israel intensifies its war against Hamas.In the Turkish capital, Ankara, Blinken met with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan following a frantic weekend of travel that took him from Israel to Jordan, the occupied West Bank, Cyprus and Iraq, to build support for the Biden administration’s proposal for “humanitarian pauses” to Israel’s relentless military campaign in Gaza.“All of this is a work in progress,” Blinken said before leaving Turkey. “We don’t obviously agree on everything, but there are common views on some of the imperatives of the moment that we’re working on together.”Blinken’s shuttle diplomacy came as Israeli troops surrounded Gaza City and cut off the northern part...

Traffic on SF Bay Bridge will be impacted by APEC summit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- In cooperation with the California Highway Patrol, Caltrans is implementing enhanced safety measures on highways and bridges around San Francisco during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2023 Summit starting on Tuesday, Nov. 14.The U.S. Secret Service recently designated the APEC Summit as a National Special SecurityEvent, requiring heightened security measures in San Francisco.CalTrans officials wrote, "We understand that these closures may cause temporary inconvenience, but they are essential to help ensure the safety and security of this significant event and to promote immediacy and availability for emergency response."Caltrans will be implementing the following closures to help ensure safety and security:Closure of eastbound I-80 at 4th Street off-ramp and westbound I-80 at 5th Street off-ramp: From Wednesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 17, between 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.Closure of #1 (far-left) lane on eastbound I-80 (San Francisco / Oakland Bay B...

Brookfield: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — TORONTO (AP) — Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (BAM) on Monday reported third-quarter net income of $494 million.On a per-share basis, the Toronto-based company said it had net income of 30 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 35 cents per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 31 cents per share.The investment manager posted revenue of $893 million in the period.Brookfield shares have climbed 10% since the beginning of the year._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BAM at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BAMSource

White Mountains: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. (WTM) on Monday reported profit of $23.6 million in its third quarter.The Hanover, New Hampshire-based company said it had net income of $9.19 per share. Earnings, adjusted for investment costs, were $27.12 per share.The insurer posted revenue of $519.6 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $577.9 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WTM at https://www.zacks.com/ap/WTMSource

Mesa Labs: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Mesa Laboratories Inc. (MLAB) on Monday reported a loss of $1.2 million in its fiscal second quarter.On a per-share basis, the Lakewood, Colorado-based company said it had a loss of 23 cents. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs and stock option expense, were $1.91 per share.The quality control instruments and disposable products maker posted revenue of $53.2 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MLAB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MLABSource

Live updates | Israeli troops divide north and south Gaza, as reported death toll exceeds 10,000

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:30:46 GMT

Palestinians look for survivors of an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)(AP/Fatima Shbair) Palestinians look for survivors of an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)(AP/Fatima Shbair) Israeli troops divided the northern and southern parts of Gaza, as communications across the besieged territory were temporarily cut Monday for a third time since the war started. The troops are expected to enter Gaza City on Monday or Tuesday, Israeli media reported.The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 10,000, including more than 4,100 children and 2,640 w...