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New report: Shoplifting and assault on the rise in Fairfax Co., fatal crashes less frequent

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

There were hundreds more assault and shoplifting incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the first half of 2023 than during the same time period in 2022, according to a midyear Fairfax County Police Department report.Over 3,700 shoplifting incidents were reported between January and June, according to the county report, compared with 2,489 last year in the same period.Fairfax County police Maj. Frederick Chambers said “retail theft has been a big thing,” adding that police are working with stores to determine theft prevention strategies. Neighborhoods in D.C. and Maryland have reported similar problems.FFXNow first reported some of the report’s findings.A lot of shoplifting in Fairfax County, Chambers said, happens in big shopping centers, as well as in large retail stores such as Walmart. Some of that can be addressed by planning for what Chambers called “environmental design things,” such as where merchandise is located, whether it needs to be locke...

Bonner, Thomas lead Sun to a 90-60 rout of the Lynx in WNBA playoff opener

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored 17 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds as the Connecticut Sun opened the WNBA playoffs with a 90-60 rout of the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night.Game 2 of the best-of-three series will be in Connecticut on Sunday. Alyssa Thomas added 15 points and 10 assists for the Sun, who earned the No. 3 seed after going 27-13 in the regular season. Rebecca Allen also scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and Tiffany Hayes had 14 points and four 3-pointers. The Sun made 16 of their 30 shots from behind the arc and held Minnesota to 35% shooting overall. Connecticut scored 30 points off 19 Lynx turnovers. Connecticut led by 14 at halftime and took their first 20-point lead in the third quarter at 56-36 on a layup by Thomas. The Sun closed the game on a 17-3 run. Kayla McBride had 16 points for the Lynx, who made the playoffs despite losing their first six games this season. Napheesa Collier added 14 for Minnesota, which also lost three of fou...

Dodgers’ Walker Buehler says he wasn’t recovering well enough after rehab start to return

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler said Wednesday he shut down his comeback from Tommy John surgery this season because he wasn’t recovering well after a rehab start.The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance on Sept. 3 for Triple-A Oklahoma City. “I was throwing 96 (mph) or whatever. Physically I felt really good, it’s just the recovery part of it is tough,” Buehler said. “Trying to come back from a second Tommy John in 13 months to pitch in playoff games at some point had to go perfect and the nature of rehab is just that it doesn’t always go perfect.”It was his first outing since his Aug. 23, 2022, surgery.“The way I explain it is I feel like I kind of bet on a longshot horse and it ran second. I certainly don’t think it came in last,” Buehler said, using an analogy associated with the Kentucky native’s passion for horse racing. “I got really, really close. After the game we just didn’t like the pros and cons of where I wa...

Noda’s 1-out single in 9th ends no-hit bid, Astros win 6-2 and send Athletics to 100th loss

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Hunter Brown and the Houston Astros held Oakland hitless until Ryan Noda’s one-out single in the ninth inning of a 6-2 victory on Wednesday night that sent the Athletics to first consecutive 100-loss seasons since the 1960s.Brown pitched six innings, Rafael Montero, Héctor Neris and Bryan Abreu followed with perfect innings each as AL West-leading Houston retired 11 straight batters.Ryan Pressly retired Tony Kemp on a grounder leading off the ninth, then walked Zach Gelof. Nola grounded a changeup past Pressly and into center field for a single.Seth Brown’s single and Shea Langeliers’ sacrifice fly drove in runs before Pressly finished the two-hitter by throwing a called third strike past Brent Rooker.Oakland was held to two hits or fewer for the eighth time.Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer and Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker had solo shots for the Astros, who maintained a one-game lead over second place Texas, with Seattle is another half-game back...

Braxton Garrett works 6 strong innings as the Marlins beat the Brewers 2-0

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Braxton Garrett pitched six innings of four-hit ball and the Miami Marlins beat the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 on Wednesday night.After dropping the first two games of the four-game series, Miami (75-71) moved within one-half game of Cincinnati and Arizona for the final NL wild-card spot.Garrett (9-6) struck out seven and walked two. The Marlins turned two double plays behind the 26-year-old left-hander, who didn’t allow a runner past second base.Three relievers completed a seven-hitter for Miami, with Tanner Scott working the ninth for his eighth save. Tyrone Taylor reached on a throwing error by third baseman Jake Burger leading off the ninth. Scott then retired Victor Caratini, Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer.Colin Rea (5-6) followed opener Trevor Megill and allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings for the Brewers, who were shut out for the 11th time this season.In the fifth, Jesús Sánchez singled and was awarded second base when first baseman Carlos Santana st...

San Diego’s Juan Soto joins elite company with 2-plus seasons of 30-plus HRs and 100-plus walks

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres went deep against the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the seventh player in major league history with two-plus seasons of 30 or more home runs and 100-plus walks before turning 25.Soto joins such elite players as Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle on the list.The 24-year-old left fielder blasted a two-out shot to right field in the first inning Wednesday night for his 30th homer of the season.Soto’s 156 career homers and 627 walks are the most in MLB history before his age 25 season.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLBSource

Reynolds hits 21st homer, Pirates beat Nationals 7-6 to spoil Rutledge’s debut

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)(AP/Gene J. Puskar) Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)(AP/Gene J. Puskar) PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds watched Washington Nationals rookie pitcher Jackson Rutledge try to gather himself after taking a throw off the back of his head from a ...

After child's suicide, mom reminds others that help is available

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — At the Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, chimes blow in a nearby pine tree, marking the final resting spot of Dominic Vigil.The 13-year-old had been on summer break for just two days when he died by suicide in early June.“Coming here, it’s devastating knowing that he’s lying in the ground and no longer with me,” said his mother, Crystal Crewse. “Dominic was such a bright, bright student and had such a bright future, and now it’s gone because he was getting bullied." Mental health resources available in Colorado Crewse said she knew Dominic was being bullied in school and believes it likely played a role in his death.“Parents, please teach your kids to stop bullying,” Crewse said. “These kids are 13 and younger, and they’re taking their lives because they can’t handle it no more.”Youth suicide more than doubles in ColoradoSince 2010, state records show youth suicides have been increasing dramatically, more than doubling from 40 in 2010 to ...

Lucas: Could SD Gov. Kristi Noem be #2 on Trump ticket?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

How many politicians running for president can ride a horse? Few.How many can ride a Harley or an Indian motorcycle? Fewer.How many do both? None.Except for Kristi Noem. She does both, which is not something to sneeze at.She is a rancher and businesswoman frequently seen on horseback and riding a motorcycle, most notably on a 50-mile Legends Ride for Charity at South Dakota’s annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at the height of the COVID shutdown in 2021.South Dakota, like Florida, remained open during the COVID pandemic.Not that the 51-year-old conservative Republican governor of South Dakota is running for president or vice president.But she is available for the second spot if Donald Trump comes knocking. And he just might.She is articulate, energetic, and attractive, and she says all the things that Trump and his conservative base like to hear.Her stock with Trump rose dramatically last Friday when Noem endorsed him for president at a sold-out GOP fundraiser in Rapid City, S.D.No, sh...

Rubio: U.S. suffers when working-class men can’t thrive

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:44:29 GMT

A nation without strong and capable men is a nation in serious trouble.Unfortunately, there’s reason to worry about boys and men today.My office compiled research on how men are performing in their vital role as providers. We published our findings for Labor Day in a report titled “The State of the Working (And Non-Working) Man.” The verdict? American men are doing poorly, from the classroom to the workforce and beyond.For one, men’s ability to provide a middle-class lifestyle for their families has fallen. In 1985, it took just 40 weeks of median male wages to cover food, housing, healthcare, transportation and education expenses for a family of four. In 2022, it took 62 weeks of median male wages to do the same. Simply put, this means countless working-class men are struggling to support their families and achieve the American Dream.As deindustrialization devastated communities and destroyed high-quality jobs, millions of men left the workforce. The Biden administration touts a re...