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How Md. retailers are responding to organized retail theft that has ‘become so serious’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

In response to organized retail theft across the state, the Maryland Retailers Association is meeting with several jurisdictions to discuss solutions before the issue becomes so significant that stores consider closing.Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, said the group met with Montgomery County leaders last week, and is addressing the organized theft “that has become so serious now” with other localities.As a result of the thefts, Locklair said, some stores are closing and others are considering extra precautions. Some are locking up certain items, checking receipts at entrances and creating one entry and exit point.Certain stores are also considering extra security, she said.The issues aren’t exclusive to Maryland, either. A Giant store in Southeast D.C. has added cameras and armed security guards along with making the decision to stop carrying items such as Tide detergent, Colgate toothpaste and Advil.“(Retail theft) is not un...

Brewers meet the Marlins with 1-0 series lead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Miami Marlins (74-70, third in the NL East) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (80-63, first in the NL Central)Milwaukee; Tuesday, 7:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: JT Chargois (2-0, 3.63 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 29 strikeouts); Brewers: Freddy Peralta (11-8, 3.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 191 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Brewers -167, Marlins +142; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers lead 1-0 in a four-game series with the Miami Marlins.Milwaukee has an 80-63 record overall and a 41-28 record in home games. The Brewers are 57-12 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Miami has a 34-38 record on the road and a 74-70 record overall. The Marlins are 55-20 in games when they out-hit their opponents.Tuesday’s game is the second time these teams match up this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Yelich has 31 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 71 RBI for the Brewers. Willy Adames is 9-for-37 with three doubles, two triples, three home runs and 14 RBI over the ...

Philadelphia Phillies take on the Atlanta Braves Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Atlanta Braves (94-50, first in the NL East) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (79-65, second in the NL East)Philadelphia; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Max Fried (7-1, 2.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 67 strikeouts); Phillies: Zack Wheeler (11-6, 3.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 192 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -125, Phillies +105; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies host the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.Philadelphia is 43-29 at home and 79-65 overall. Phillies pitchers have a collective 4.05 ERA, which ranks fourth in the NL.Atlanta has gone 47-25 on the road and 94-50 overall. The Braves have the highest team on-base percentage in the NL at .344.Tuesday’s game is the ninth meeting between these teams this season. The Braves hold a 5-3 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Alec Bohm has 30 doubles and 16 home runs for the Phillies. Trea Turner is 17-for-42 with two doubles and seven home runs over the last 10 games.Ronald Acuna Jr. has ...

Michelle Branch kicks off Annapolis Songwriters Fest with Blondie, K. Michelle, LeAnn Rimes, Patty Griffin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Hear our full chat on my podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews Michelle Branch at the Annapolis Songwriters Fest (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); The Annapolis Songwriters Festival returns to the Maryland capital this Thursday through Sunday.The festival kicks off with Michelle Branch live at Maryland Hall in Annapolis on Thursday, followed by Blondie at Annapoli...

Putin on Trump: Criminal charges are politically motivated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the four separate criminal cases against former U.S. President Donald Trump are politically motivated.“Everything that is happening with Trump, this is persecution for political reasons of one’s political rival,” Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, state-owned news agency Ria Novosti reported.Putin said the cases against the former American president show “the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.”Trump, who faced scrutiny over his personal ties to Russia during his time in the White House, in April became the first U.S. president or former president to be indicted. Since then, he has been charged in four different criminal cases in the U.S., for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and election interference in the state of Georgia, but also over hush payments he allegedly made to a porn actress, and for hoarding cla...

North Korea’s Kim is in Russia to meet Putin, as both are locked in standoffs with the West

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin where they are expected to offer each other increased support in their escalating standoffs with the West.Kim is expected to seek Russian economic aid and military technology in exchange for munitions to be used in Russia’s war in Ukraine.After decades of complicated, hot-and-cold relations, Russia and North Korea have drawn closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The bond has been driven by Putin’s need for war supplies and Kim’s efforts to boost his partnerships with traditional allies Moscow and Beijing as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation.North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim boarded his personal train bound for Russia on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by members of the ruling party, government and military.His final destination is uncertain. Many had assumed Kim and Putin would meet in Vladisv...

Boston Herald weekly EMass divisional football rankings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Here is the first in-season Boston Herald divisional EMass football rankings.EMASS DIVISION 11. Xaverian (1-0)2. St. John’s Prep (1-0)3. Lincoln-Sudbury (1-0)4. Methuen (0-1)5. Everett (0-1)6. Andover (1-0)7. Central Catholic (0-1)8. Franklin (1-0)EMASS DIVISION 21. Catholic Memorial (1-0)2. King Philip (1-0)3. Barnstable (1-0)4. North Andover (0-0)5. Marshfield (0-1)6. Peabody (1-0)7. Bishop Feehan (0-1)8. Chelmsford (0-1)EMASS DIVISION 31. Mansfield (0-1)2. Billerica (1-0)3. North Attleboro (1-0)4. Milford (1-0)5. Milton (1-0)6. Plymouth South (1-0)7. Woburn (1-0)8. Reading (0-1)EMASS DIVISION 41. Duxbury (0-1)2. Tewksbury (1-0)3. Middleboro (1-0)4. Marblehead (0-1)5. Holliston (0-1)6. Melrose (1-0)7. Wakefield (1-0)8. Scituate (0-1)EMASS DIVISION 51. Hanover (1-0)2. Shawsheen (1-0)3. Bishop Fenwick (1-0)4. Foxboro (1-0)5. Dedham (1-0)6. Danvers (0-1)7. Newburyport (1-0)8. Pembroke (0-1)EMASS DIVISION 61. St. Mary’s (1-0)2. Salem (1-0)3. Abington (1-0)4. Winthrop (1-0)...

Rescuers retrieve hundreds of bodies in eastern Libya as 10,000 reported missing in deadly floods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Rescue teams struggled amid devastation in eastern Libya, retrieving hundreds of bodies from the rubble in a coastal city that has been inundated by devastating floods, a humanitarian agency said Tuesday. Authorities estimated that as many as 2,000 people are believed dead in the city of Derna alone.Mediterranean storm Daniel caused havoc and flash flooding in many towns in eastern Libya but the worst destruction was in Derna, where heavy rainfall and floods broke dams and washed away entire neighborhoods, authorities said.Tamer Ramadan, Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said 10,000 people were missing after the unprecedented flooding. Speaking to reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva via videoconference from Tunisia, he said the death toll was “huge” and expected to reach into the thousands in the coming days. Speaking about the fallout from Friday’s devastating earthquake in Morocco, on the other side of North Afric...

Construction worker suffers life-altering injuries in hit-and-run on Hwy. 401

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

A construction worker has serious life-altering injuries after being struck by a vehicle on a GTA highway in the early morning hours.Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say the worker was hit in a construction zone in the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 approaching Victoria Park Avenue around 3:30 a.m.Paramedics confirmed a man was rushed to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.The vehicle did not remain at the scene.Police say they are looking for a black Corvette that will likely have front-end damage.The eastbound 401 collectors lanes are closed from Highway 404 to Victoria Park.

Taiwan says China is bolstering coastline military bases facing the self-ruled island

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is continuously bolstering its military bases along the coastline facing Taiwan, the self-ruled island’s Defense Ministry said in a report Tuesday, as Beijing steps up military activities around the territory it claims as its own. Taiwan said it will continue to monitor the Chinese activities around the island and bolster its defenses in response. Earlier on Tuesday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it had spotted 22 Chinese warplanes and 20 warships near the island over the previous 24 hours — part of military harassment by Beijing, which hasn’t ruled out force to reunite the island with the mainland. “This year, the Chinese Communist Party has aggressively expanded its armaments and continued to build various types of fighter jets and drones,” Maj. Gen. Huang Wen-Chi, the assistant deputy chief with the General Staff for Intelligence of Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, said during a news conference releasing the biennial report.“The information we h...