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Former champion Egan Bernal returns to Tour de France after life-threatening crash

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Former Tour de France champion Egan Bernal is returning to cycling’s biggest race for the first time since his life-threatening crash at the start of last year.The 26-year-old Colombian climber was selected Monday in the eight-man Ineos Grenadiers squad that will compete at the three-week Tour, which starts Saturday in Bilbao, Spain.Bernal, who won the 2019 Tour, said he was very close to becoming paralyzed after an accident involving a bus in January 2022 in Colombia during training. Bernal said he had a “95% chance of ending quadriplegic” after the accident. “Making my return to the Tour has always been a major goal for me. I’m so excited to be able to experience every kilometer of this race again,” Bernal said in comments provided by his team.“I’m sure many people have followed everything that has happened to me since my accident in January last year, and the journey I’ve been through to overcome the greatest test of my life. Being a part of this ...

James Crown killed after crash at motorsports park near Aspen

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) -- A 70-year-old businessman was killed after a crash at Aspen Motorsports Park in Woody Creek on Sunday, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.James Crown of Chicago, Illinois, was identified as the man who died. In a single-vehicle crash at the park. He was a part-time Pitkin County resident. 3 injured after ziplining collision in Castle Rock, 2 in critical condition He reportedly failed to navigate a turn while driving, resulting in a collision with an impact barrier, according to the original press release from the Pitkin County Coroner's Office.The official cause of death was pending, however, Pitkin County said "Multiple blunt force trauma is evident." No further details were released.

New site added for tree debris drop-off in Douglas County

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KDVR) - A new site will be available Monday morning for Highlands Ranch residents needing to drop off tree debris following last week’s tornado and storms.Tree limbs and trampolines flew around, uprooted trees were on top of cars and blocking roads, and even roofing flew off of buildings and homes. Photos: Cleanup and repair after Highlands Ranch tornado Starting at 8 a.m. Monday, you can take tree debris – including previously excluded root balls – to an added drop-off site. Where to find drop-off sitesOne site is on the West side of town at Redstone Park, located at 3280 Redstone Park Circle. There are signs and cones that will guide you to the south side of the Halftime Help Stadium. You can drop off material here between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., according to the website.Another is on the East side at the Highland Heritage Regional Park, located at 9651 S. Quebec St. where signs and cones will direct you towards Hound Hill Dog Park. This site will be open fro...

Belgian shot putter Jolien Boumkwo competes in 100-meter hurdles after injuries to teammates

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

(CNN) — Sometimes it really is the taking part that counts.Just ask Belgian shot put thrower Jolien Boumkwo, who competed in the 100-meter hurdles at the European Athletics Team Championships on Saturday after her teammates had to withdraw through injury.After placing seventh in the shot put on Friday, Boumkwo turned her attention to the hurdles at the last minute and duly finished in a time of 32.81 seconds – 19 seconds behind the seventh-placed athlete.Footage of Boumkwo carefully stepping over each hurdle while the other athletes race away ahead of her has since gone viral on social media. She smiled and laughed throughout before being congratulated by other competitors at the finish line.Just having an athlete take part in the event earned Belgium two points and saved the team from disqualification, Boumkwo’s efforts weren’t enough to save her country from being relegated to the second division at the meet in Poland, finishing 14th out of 16 countries with 250 points.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker reveal sex of baby on the way

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

(CNN) — Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker drummed up the reveal of their baby’s sex in true “Kravis” fashion.In a video shared to the couple’s Instagram pages on Sunday, Barker is seen sitting at his drum set with Kardashian proudly showing off her baby bump while sitting on his lap at what appeared to be a backyard gender reveal party.Barker provided a drumroll seconds before the big reveal, and the couple embraced with a kiss when blue confetti shot out to reveal they’re expecting a baby boy. Friends and family gathered for the occasion are heard cheering with excitement.Earlier this month, the reality star and Poosh founder announced she was pregnant in a video on Instagram in which she’s seen in the audience at a Blink 182 concert holding a sign reading, “Travis I’m pregnant.”The following day, she shared more behind-the-scenes photos from the concert, and told her followers she was “overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for God’s blessing and plan.”Kardashian and Barker got en...

Far-right triumph in German district election spooks politicians

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Sunday for the first time won a district council election, sparking concerns over a broader rise of the populist party in upcoming elections.AfD candidate Robert Sesselmann won a runoff election in Sonneberg, in the eastern German state of Thuringia, against incumbent district administrator Jürgen Köpper from the center-right Christian Democrat Party (CDU) — despite other parties like the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats endorsing the CDU candidate.“I’m dismayed by the result in Sonneberg,” said Green lawmaker Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who is also one of the vice chairs of the Bundestag. “Thank you to all who continue to fight for this county to remain democratic, open-minded and friendly.” She added, however, that she thinks Sonneberg — which is one of Germany’s smallest districts, with only around 48,000 eligible voters — could not be compared to the rest of Thuringia, much...

Belgium pitches EU agency to screen algorithms

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

BRUSSELS — Belgium thinks the European Union needs an agency with technical expertise in algorithms — and it will push for one during its stint at the Council presidency next year. EU legislators are currently in the final negotiations on the bloc’s rules on artificial intelligence. Other EU rulebooks, like the one on content moderation, will also necessitate scrutinizing algorithms, especially those used by very large online platforms. Belgium now shows a concern that the bloc won’t have sufficient — or else, too fragmented — technical comprehension to underpin the governance of AI and enforcement of other rules. “We have to understand how an algorithm works before we’re able to identify whether certain things are acceptable or not,” Mathieu Michel, the country’s junior minister for digitalization (and brother of European Council President Charles Michel), told POLITICO in an interview. “Having a structure that allows [us] to come up with a...

Supreme Court says Louisiana congressional map must be redrawn to add another majority-Black district

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

(CNN) — The Supreme Court said Monday that Louisiana’s congressional map must be redrawn to add a second majority-Black district.The justices reversed plans to hear the case themselves and lifted a hold they placed on a lower court’s order for a reworked redistricting regime. There were no noted dissents.The move from the high court comes after a ruling the justices issued earlier this month about Alabama’s congressional maps that upheld how courts have historically approached the redistricting provisions in the Voting Rights Act, the landmark civil rights law that Black voters are using to challenge the Louisiana congressional plan.Louisiana state officials were sued last year for a congressional map – passed by the Republican legislature over Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto – that made only one of its six districts majority Black, despite the 2020 census showing that the state’s population is 33% Black.“Today’s decision follows on the heels of the c...

London Series: Chicago Cubs settle for a split after Marcus Stroman’s blister and Trey Mancini’s misplays in 7-5 loss

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman was hyped leading up to Sunday’s start on an international stage.Stroman had gotten a taste of it before, pitching in big games in the World Baseball Classic. He embraced the opportunity to bring the “Stro Show” to the London Series, in which the Cubs had an opportunity to secure a two-game sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals.“I think everybody here enjoyed it,” Stroman said. ”You know you’re not going to prepare as well as you normally do just because of the schedule, but put that out of mind and you just go out there, have fun and compete.”Stroman’s memorable experience was cut short by a blister on his index finger that forced him to depart in the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 7-5 loss.Stroman shook his right hand after multiple pitches in the fourth, including his final pitch that resulted in a go-ahead RBI single by Paul Goldschmidt. Head athletic trainer Nick Frangella and manag...

Russia tries to project a sense of order after mercenary revolt but uncertainty still swirls

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:51:03 GMT

By The Associated PressRussian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since a mercenary uprising demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine in a video released Monday aimed at projecting a sense of order after the country’s most serious political crisis in decades.But uncertainty still swirled about his fate, that of rebellion leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private army, the impact on the war in Ukraine, and even the political future of President Vladimir Putin.A feud between Wagner Group leader Prigozhin and Russia’s military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into a mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and roll seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow, before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.The Kremlin said it had made a deal that Prigozhin will move to Belarus and receive an amnesty, along with his soldiers. There was no confirm...