1+ hour, 1+ min ago (791+ words) Shohei Ohtani will once again represent Team Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic. Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear. On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career. In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to that year's title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. The baseballs turned into fast cash for two Blue Jays fans and one Dodgers fan who secured their possession through good fortune and quick thinking. "I'm happy to play again representing Japan," Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday. The question now is whether Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March,…...

1+ hour, 1+ min ago (791+ words) Shohei Ohtani will once again represent Team Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic. Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear. On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career. In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to that year's title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. The baseballs turned into fast cash for two Blue Jays fans and one Dodgers fan who secured their possession through good fortune and quick thinking. "I'm happy to play again representing Japan," Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday. The question now is whether Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March,…...

1+ hour, 47+ min ago (43+ words) Is the Thomas Crooks" case a closed case 06:21 Democratic lawmakers alleged sedition: "Is there a lawful predicate to open up an inquiry and investigation?" 08:28 Clapper, Brennan and others: Is the ... Straight to the Point Exclusive: FBI Director Kash Patel...

1+ hour, 47+ min ago (322+ words) The Hermosa Beach Police Department is investigating the assault of a man in his 50s by what surveillance camera video showed was a group of teenagers on e-bikes. Officers responded to reports of an attack after 8 p.m. Friday, and the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. He has since been discharged and, on Monday, met with detectives to discuss the assault, police said. Hermosa Beach police did not disclose the location of the attack or the condition of the victim, noting that the investigation is ongoing and encouraging anyone with information or videos to contact the department directly. Several explosions reported on the Hermosa Beach Pier were confirmed to be fireworks set off by a group of juveniles riding e-bikes. Fox11 News, which obtained a surveillance video recording of the attack, reported that the incident took place by the 11th Court alleyway…...

3+ hour, 13+ min ago (691+ words) To keep things safe and calm as the holiday season goes into full swing, we reached out to Dr. Veronica Villanueva, DVM, Medical Director at VEG Anaheim Hills, who certainly sees the full spectrum of holiday-related emergencies each year. Her guidance is straightforward and easy to implement, ensuring your pet can have the happiest holiday by your side. Dr. Villanueva sees a surprising number of plant-related emergencies each December. "Poinsettias and lilies are beautiful, but they can cause irritation and even kidney failure, especially in cats," she explains. Holly and mistletoe bring their own problems. According to Dr. Villanueva, pets who nibble on these festive plants may end up vomiting or dealing with diarrhea. And even your Christmas tree is not completely without potential danger for your pet. If it tips it could injure a curious pet. If the water…...

3+ hour, 17+ min ago (306+ words) A 22-year-old influencer and Latin musician was killed in an ambush-style shooting in Northridge in the early hours of Saturday morning, authorities said. Maria de la Rosa was fatally shot when multiple rounds were fired at several people sitting in a car parked on Bryant Street near Tampa Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Witnesses described seeing two men approach the vehicle at around 1:25 a.m. Saturday, police said. De la Rosa was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. No further information was available on the suspects or whether the others inside the car were wounded. De la Rosa released her first song, "No me llames" ("Don't Call Me") in August under the name DELAROSA. The most recent post on her Instagram account, which has more than 40,000 followers, shows her with an electric guitar in…...

3+ hour, 22+ min ago (284+ words) For officials in Singapore, one Australian man's actions at the "Wicked: For Good" premiere earlier this month wrought enough chaos to keep him out of the country " for good. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority has deported and barred 26-year-old Johnson Wen from reentering the country after he crashed the yellow carpet and accosted star Ariana Grande, according to several reports. A representative for the authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. There's no rest for the whirling visuals, but Jon M. Chu's follow-up to "Wicked" works when it stops to admire the powerhouse duo of Cynthia Erivo and the hilarious Ariana Grande. Wen, who has a history of crashing other celebrity events including concerts down under by Katy Perry and the Weeknd, was charged with being a public nuisance days after the incident. Shortly after that,…...

3+ hour, 29+ min ago (1020+ words) Waymo must stop charging its autonomous fleet of cars overnight at two Santa Monica charging stations, the City Council decided last week as a way to resolve a months-long dispute between local residents and the driverless taxi company. On a unanimous vote, the Santa Monica City Council voted Tuesday to issue a directive to Waymo, the owner of the property and its lessees, to stop overnight operations at the charging stations. "If the owners and lessees and operators do not comply within an expedited time frame, [the city would then be instructed] to initiate litigation to abate nuisance conditions," Interim City Atty. Heidi von Tongeln said during Tuesday's council meeting. According to a letter from the city to Waymo, obtained by The Times, Santa Monica demanded that the two lots stop operating at night starting Wednesday, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. "The City…...

5+ hour, 11+ min ago (588+ words) Bitcoin edged above $88,000 on Monday but lagged the broader rebound in US equities, with the cryptocurrency still nursing losses from last week's selloff. The modest move higher underscores the market's cautious mood, as bullish conviction remains muted. The original cryptocurrency began to recover over the weekend after slumping to a seven-month low of $80,554 on Friday. Bitcoin, which had tumbled more than 20% in the past four weeks, was up less than 1% to about $88,400 on Monday. Other smaller, more volatile tokens increased more, with XRP jumping about 7% and Solana about 3% higher. While Bitcoin is higher for a second day, traders see little cause for celebration. The wider crypto market is in a pronounced slump despite surging institutional adoption and a series of policy wins pushed for by US President Donald Trump, who has embraced the industry. Technology stocks drove an advance in…...

5+ hour, 16+ min ago (747+ words) DALLAS'Viola Ford Fletcher, who as one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma spent her later years seeking justice for the deadly attack by a white mob on the thriving Black community where she lived as a child, has died. She was 111. Her grandson Ike Howard said Monday that she died surrounded by family at a Tulsa hospital. Sustained by a strong faith, she raised three children, worked as a welder in a shipyard during World War II and spent decades caring for families as a housekeeper. Tulsa was mourning her loss, said Mayor Monroe Nichols, the first Black leader of Oklahoma's second-largest city. "Mother Fletcher endured more than anyone should, yet she spent her life lighting a path forward with purpose," she said. "I could never forget the charred remains of our once-thriving community, the…...