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Rare James M. Cain story ‘Blackmail’ published for first time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — PLEASE SEND FRIDAY JUST AFTER MIDNIGHTThe characters are pure noir: Pat, a “dark, heavily handsome thick-shouldered” young man; Myra, a “cheesecakey” woman whose “thick blonde hair” fell “off her bare head to brilliant brassy effect.”And they talk the way crime fiction characters used to talk, as crafted by James M. Cain, in a short story rarely seen until now. “Hello there,” she said. “Hiya.”“You looking for someone?”“Sure am. For Johnsie.”“He just now left.“In the taxi?”“For the concert. He likes egghead music.”Cain’s “Blackmail” is featured in the new issue of Strand Magazine, a quarterly which has unearthed obscure works by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Shirley Jackson and many others. Written over the latter part of his life and left unpublished, “Blackmail” tells of a blind Korean War veteran known as Johnsie; Pat, the former comrade who now employs him; and Myra, a woman from the past with some hard-boiled ideas about money, and love.“H...

Deadline looming, Biden and McCarthy narrow in on budget deal to lift debt ceiling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days from a deadline, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are narrowing in on a two-year budget deal aiming to curb federal deficits in exchange for lifting the nation’s debt ceiling and staving off an economically devastating government default.The Democratic president and Republican speaker hope to strike a budget compromise this weekend. With Republicans driving for steep cuts, the two sides have been unable to agree to spending levels for 2024 and 2025. Any deal would need to be a political compromise, with support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass the divided Congress.But the budget flow isn’t the only hang-up. A person familiar with the talks said the two sides are “dug in” on whether or not to agree to Republican demands to impose stiffer work requirements on people who receive government food stamps, cash assistance and health care aid, some of the most vulnerable Americans. Yet both Biden and McCarthy expressed optimi...

As legislative session draws to a close, schools still need state funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With the legislative session ending soon, there is a lot of attention on school funding.Heading into the session, school districts had high hopes that lawmakers would increase the basic allotment, helping students and teachers in districts across the state, but now many who have pushed for more funding are upset.”The state is woefully underfunding our public schools,” said Ovidia Molina, Texas State Teachers Association President. ”We had hopes that with a $33 billion budget surplus, that something would be done to keep our educators in the profession.”Many districts have made moves to increase salaries as inflation and cost of living have increased around Central Texas.Earlier this month Austin ISD increased salaries by 7% after struggling to keep teachers in the district.Leander ISD is also looking to increase salaries, but the district will wait to see what happens in the legislature. Texas Senate committee advances teacher pay bill with addition of school vouc...

Lynx drop to 0-3 with loss in Phoenix

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

Minnesota’s third consecutive loss to open the 2023 campaign couldn’t be blamed on one specific quarter.In a battle between 0-2 teams, the Lynx simply appeared to be the inferior team. Minnesota was out-played for much of its ___ loss Thursday in Phoenix at the hands of the previously winless Mercury.And the problems facing the Lynx in the loss weren’t all that easily correctable. Minnesota isn’t good enough defensively, as evidenced by Phoenix’s 50-point first half. Diana Taurasi finished with 23 points and 10 assists, while Brittney Griner added 19 points and eight in her third game back with the Mercury after missing all of last season while she was detained in Russia.Phoenix (1-2) shot 49 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep.And Minnesota simply doesn’t have the offensive weapons to counteract that kind of punch. Aerial Powers — who played single-digit minutes in each of the Lynx’s first two contests — led the way ...

Class 5A girls soccer: ThunderRidge goalkeeper Becca Winton’s masterful second-half saves clinch Grizzlies’ fourth state title

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

COMMERCE CITY — Before her high school career even began, Becca Winton was counted out.At the age of 12, Winton was cut for not being tall enough. But when it mattered most, ThunderRidge’s junior goalkeeper produced a career-high nine saves, including six in the second half, as the 10th-seeded Grizzlies held on to beat No. 17 Rock Canyon, 1-0, in the Class 5A state championship Thursday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.The title is the fourth in program history and first since 2022. All-time, T-Ridge is undefeated in title games at 4-0 dating back to its first in 1999.“(Rock Canyon) are a lot bigger than me, I’m being honest,” Winton said. “But having that confidence of playing like I’m six-foot is what brings me to the next level.”Winton’s six saves in the final 45 minutes came as the 17th-seeded Jaguars (11-6-2) were looking to pull off another shocker after it beat three top-10 seeds en route to a final. But on Thursd...

Father says son’s fall from 6th Street Bridge was not a social media ‘stunt’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

Paul Luna beams with pride as he remembers his vibrant 17-year-old son Anthony. "He was just a joker," Luna said. "For people who met him, who had the opportunity to meet him, that was the No. 1 thing."Anthony died last Saturday night after he fell from the 6th Street Viaduct around 2 a.m.What was supposed to be a fun evening out with friends turned tragic when the high school senior and a group of his friends came to hang out on the multimillion-dollar overpass. Luna says his son was climbing a fence along the bridge, when he slipped and fell. He was transported to the hospital, but was pronounced dead.The Los Angeles Police Department says the accident happened as Anthony climbed one of the bridge's signature arches, with the intent of posting the video on social media.His loved ones argue that it wasn't a social media stunt, rather just a kid being a kid. He didn't use social media often and he didn't care about the attention or interaction that came with it, they claim...

Orange County man found guilty of $1.2 million check fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

An Orange County man was found guilty of conducting a $1.2 million check fraud scheme that he promoted on social media.Meshach Samuels, 26, from Placentia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.From May 2021 to March 2022, “Samuels urged his Instagram followers to join his Telegram chat groups, where – for a fee of up to thousands of dollars – he would provide instructions on how to recruit accomplices and commit check fraud to steal money from banks," officials said.Samuels and his accomplices would create fraudulent checks drawn from victim accounts. They used stolen personal information that was obtained from a “corrupt” bank teller and other sources, officials said.They would deposit the fraudulent checks into third-party accounts and withdraw the money in amounts under $10,000 to avoid any bank alerts. The bank teller accomplice was also pai...

Oakland A’s complete winless trip with 3-2 loss in Seattle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

JP Sears continued his run of encouraging starts, but a big finish again eluded the Oakland A’s on Thursday night in a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.The loss capped a winless trip for the A’s, who went 0-7 and return to the Coliseum to face the defending World Series champion Houston Astros starting Friday night.The A’s, who have lost eight in a row overall, started the trip by being swept in Houston. The team’s 10-42 record matches the 1932 Boston Red Sox for the worst 52-game start since 1901, and its .192 win percentage projects to a 31-131 mark that would easily be the worst for a major league team since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134.The reeling A’s have dropped 16 of 18 overall and been swept in seven series this season. The A’s failed to score more than two runs in any the seven games on the trip, and three of the losses were 3-2 decisions.Oakland were off to a promising start when Ryan Noda doubled with one out in the first...

A's rookie on pace for historic season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

(KRON) -- Oakland A's rookie center fielder Esteury Ruiz has been a bright spot in a dark season for the team's fan base. Ruiz has shown off elite speed and solid contact skills manning the leadoff spot in 2023. He had 26 stolen bases after Wednesday night's game, putting him on pace for an accomplishment that has not been achieved in 35 years. Billy Hamilton (different from the current speedster with the same name) set the rookie record for stolen bases in 1889 when he swiped 111 bags for the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association. The team folded the next season, and Hamilton was shipped to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he played the next six seasons of his Hall of Fame career. A’s, Nevada legislative leadership reach tentative agreement for new ballpark In 1985, St. Louis Cardinals rookie Vince Coleman came within one stolen base of tying Hamilton's record. Since that season, Kenny Lofton has the most steals for a rookie with 66 in 1992. Enter Ruiz. The speedy cen...

KRON4's 2023 AAPI Heritage Month Special

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:21 GMT

(KRON) -- KRON4's Will Tran and Stephanie Lin provide a closer look at the Bay Area's rich Asian and Pacific Islander culture with this year's AAPI special.Learn about a Bruce Lee exhibit at the Chinese Historical Society of America, Oakland's Dokkaebier brewery and more. Watch the whole show using the video player above.