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Opinion: Families shouldn’t go into debt paying for prison calls

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

My daughter was just six months old when her father, and my husband at the time, went to prison. I lost my spouse, she lost her father, and we both lost the financial stability he helped provide, at a moment when we needed it most. As the cost of his incarceration mounted on me, I could not afford to keep us together and the closeness of our family began to slip away. My daughter deserves to know her father, but corporate greed is making it impossible.When he first went in, I was determined to stay in regular contact. I wanted him to build a genuine bond with our daughter in those critical early years. It required consistent and frequent communication, which costs money — a lot of money. A social worker, I was now the sole breadwinner for our family, but after rent, gas, groceries, and other regular household expenses there was little left to pay for calls.In the first five years, I spent over $16,000, or more than $250 per month, just on phone calls, which back then cost even...

Rockies World Series 2023 odds: What sportsbooks think of Colorado’s chances entering the season

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

Can the Rockies win the World Series for the first time in 31 seasons? If oddsmakers are to be believed, Colorado fans should be channeling Lloyd Christmas: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”The Rockies have +20,000 odds — meaning a $100 bet would win $20,000 — to win this season’s World Series, according to Caesars Sportsbook. It’s tied for the third-worst odds in the majors with the Reds, Royals and Pirates. Only the Athletics and Nationals — both at +30,000 — are worse.BetMGM gives Colorado less of a shot, putting them at +30,000 odds, ahead of just Oakland and Washington (+50,000).Meanwhile, the Rockies are tied with the A’s and Nationals for the worst odds at +50,000 on SI Sportsbook, Fanduel Sportsbook and Draftkings Sportsbook.In comparison, when Leicester City shocked the world of soccer in 2016 and won the English Premier League, the team had +5,000 odds to start the year.Related ArticlesColorado Rockies | ...

Five Rockies essential to reaching Dick Monfort’s .500 record

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

Owner Dick Monfort hopes the Rockies are good enough to improve from a 68-94 (.419) ballclub last season to a .500 one (81-81) this season. It’s a modest goal, but given that the oddsmakers peg the Rockies as a 66-win team, it would be a quantum leap.Here are five key players the Rockies need to rise to get to .500:Kris Bryant: Injuries to his back and foot limited the four-time All-Star to 42 games last season, his first with the Rockies after signing a seven-year, $182 million contract. He’s a .279 career hitter with a .879 OPS. He hit 39 homers in his 2016 MVP season with the Cubs. If he can stay healthy, hit close to .300 (aided by Coors Field) and launch 30-plus homers, Colorado will get a huge boost.German Marquez: Two years ago he was a first-time All-Star and seemed on the verge of becoming a bona fide ace. But he was bad in the second half of 2021 and last season scuffled to a 9-13 record with a 4.95 ERA with 30 home runs served up. Marquez pitched very well in ...

Judge, Correa, trip to Mexico and Dodgers among SF Giants’ 2023 schedule highlights

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

Opening Day is finally here, with the Giants looking to get back into the playoffs and recreate the magic of 2021.The Giants open the 2023 season in the Bronx against the New York Yankees, a clash between two of baseball’s most storied franchises — and former borough neighbors.Here’s a look at some of the Giants’ series this season that are worth circling on your calendar.March 30-April 2 at New York YankeesThe Giants spent Opening Day in New York for the first time since 1956 – their penultimate season before moving West. It was also an opportunity for fans to dream about what offseason free agent target Aaron Judge might have looked like in Orange and Black. They’ll also get a chance to see what former Giants lefty Carlos Rodón looks like without a beard, although they won’t have to face him: he’s starting the season on the IL or likely would have faced his old team in Game 2.SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 02: A San Francisco Gi...

Barabak: Trump’s ability to defy political physics may be coming to an end

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

From the moment he blustered his way onto the political stage, Donald Trump defied expectations.He won the White House despite lacking any government or military experience, a first in the nation’s history. As a candidate and then as president, Trump drew supporters ever closer with his brash, impulsive and decidedly unpresidential behavior — not in spite of it.When he was denied a second term, Trump failed to recede from politics, as his predecessors have. And now he’s again broken ground — breaking things being a singular capability — as he faces the very real prospect of being the first ex-president ever criminally indicted.For those reasons, it’s foolhardy to predict the impact of Trump’s legal tangle with Manhattan’s prosecutor, the first of many potential prosecutions facing Trump. He remains, for the moment, the favorite for the Republican presidential nomination and, if so anointed, stands at least a decent chance of reclaiming the White House in 2024.There is a strong case ...

Marin waterfalls draw visitors following historic rains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

David Lieberstein of Novato looks over the Buck Gulch Falls in Novato on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Connor Castro of Novato carries his girlfriend Gabriela Baptista across the swiftly flowing Arroyo San Jose along the Buck Gulch Falls trail in Novato on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Life coach Kim Bellisimo of Mill Valley, with her dog Posey wait for a client at Cascade Falls in Mill Valley on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Life coach Kim Bellisimo of Mill Valley, with her dog Posey wait for a client at Cascade Falls in Mill Valley on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Cascade Falls in Mill Valley on Thursday, March 23, 2023. After a lot of rain this winter waterfalls around Marin County are flowing at a good clip. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Sisters Robin Engelman, left, of Mill Valley and Erin Flyer of Humboldt County hike...

Opinion: U.S. faces a problem from the past: rampant child labor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

Suddenly lawmakers in several states are rushing to relax child labor laws to make it easier for teenagers to work longer hours, later hours and more dangerous jobs.In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law that scraps the requirement that 14- and 15-year-olds first obtain work papers before getting a job. Ohio’s state Senate voted overwhelmingly to let 14- and-15-year-olds work until 9 p.m. on school days. In Minnesota, Republican lawmakers are pushing to let 16- and-17-year-olds work on construction sites, and in Iowa, to let 16- and 17-year-olds serve alcoholic beverages in bars.It’s hard to imagine a worse time to roll back restrictions on child labor, even as some lawmakers say these measures are needed because many businesses face difficulties finding enough workers. A recent New York Times report found children (some as young as 12) illegally working in factories, some supplying companies such as General Motors, Ford, Walmart, Target and Whole Foods.In February, t...

CHP sergeant, 6 officers and a nurse charged in 2020 death of man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

A California Highway Patrol sergeant, six officers and a nurse were charged Wednesday, March 29, in the killing of a driver who shouted he couldn’t breathe as officers kneeled on top of him while the nurse drew his blood in the parking lot of the Altadena CHP station in 2020.The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Sgt. Michael Little and Officers Dionisio Fiorella, Dustin Osmanson, Darren Parsons, Diego Romero, Justin Silva and Marciel Terry with involuntary manslaughter and assault by an officer in the death of 38-year-old Edward Bronstein.Arbi Baghalian, a nurse, was charged with involuntary manslaughter.“For the system to work, people must be able to trust law enforcement. Police accountability is critical to building that trust, and it is necessary for public safety,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “I promise Mr. Bronstein’s family and our community that I will continue to advocate for stronger accountability in use-of-force cases and an i...

California woman hospitalized after being target of apparent TikTok ‘bucket challenge’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

Lana Clay-Monaghan used to enjoy checking TikTok and other social media platforms.But after she became the target of an online prank that left her hospitalized, the 35-year-old Tustin resident isn’t so sure what her online presence will be moving forward.On Sunday afternoon, Clay-Monaghan set out looking forward to a Target run, but the shopping trip took a sudden turn when her vision went black while she surveyed an aisle for soap.In an apparent nod to the online “bucket challenge” where people film themselves shocking unwitting strangers, someone had put a bucket over Clay-Monaghan’s head. It caused dangerous disorientation for Clay-Monaghan, who said she has epilepsy that can be triggered by shocking stimuli.“The last thing that I remember was saying ‘Help me, I have epilepsy.’ They were laughing at me and filming me,” Clay-Monaghan said. “Then I hit the ground and I woke up after that at UCI Medical Center.”At the hospital, Clay-Monaghan said doctors informed her she was an assa...

Police shooting of Black man referred to UK prosecutors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:35 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s police watchdog asked prosecutors Thursday to decide whether to charge a police officer over the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man in London last year.Chris Kaba died after an officer fired a single gunshot through the windshield of the car the 24-year-old was driving in a residential area of south London on Sept. 5.Officials said at an inquest last year that the Audi was believed to be linked to a firearms incident that took place the previous day. The vehicle’s registration number had been entered into a database for automatic camera recognition, although Kaba’s name was not included in an officer briefing.Kaba’s family has accused London’s Metropolitan Police of racism and called for the officer to be charged. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said Thursday it has completed a homicide investigation into Kaba’s death and passed on a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service. The watchdog’s direc...