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Today in History: January 5, ‘Waiting for Godot’ premieres in Paris

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

Today in History Today is Friday, Jan. 5, the fifth day of 2024. There are 361 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 5, 1953, Samuel Beckett’s two-act tragicomedy “Waiting for Godot,” considered a classic of the Theater of the Absurd, premiered in Paris. On this date:In 1896, an Austrian newspaper, Wiener Presse, reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen (RENT’-gun) of a type of radiation that came to be known as X-rays. In 1914, auto industrialist Henry Ford announced he was going to pay workers $5 for an 8-hour day, as opposed to $2.34 for a 9-hour day. (Employees still worked six days a week; the 5-day work week was instituted in 1926.) In 1925, Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as America’s first female governor, succeeding her late husband, William, following a special election. In 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Work was completed four years later.)In 1943, educator and scientist George Washington C...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline after mixed Wall Street finish

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly declined Friday, after a mixed finish on Wall Street, although export-related Tokyo stocks got a boost from a strengthening dollar. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo but fell in Sydney, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The yen has weakened amid speculation that the Bank of Japan might go slowly on changing its lax policy stance as it assesses the impact of Monday’s major earthquake in central Japan.The U.S. dollar rose to 145.23 Japanese yen from 144.63 yen. The euro fell to $1.0930 from $1.0947. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.3% to 33,377.42. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.9% to 16,490.92, while the Shanghai Composite sank 1% to 2,926.32. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed nearly 0.1% to 7,489.10. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.4% to 2,578.08. A weak yen is a boon for Japanese exporters, like the automakers, because it boosts the value of their overseas earnings. Toyota Motor Corp. stock gained 2.5% while Honda Motor Co. added 2.2%. “Sentiments...

Los Angeles County has thousands of ‘unclaimed dead.’ These investigators retrace their lives

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Arusyak Martirosyan struggles to open the door of the one-bedroom apartment overflowing with the belongings from a life lived but not claimed in death.Wedged against the door is a giant box of Gain laundry detergent and plastic tubs piled high. Blouses and T-shirts, suspended by hangers over a living room curtain rod, block out almost all sunlight. Bins and boxes, brimming with more clothes, hide the carpet. Empty takeout containers and Tupperware, with bugs trapped inside, cover the stove.The 74-year-old woman died in October in the hospital, and weeks later no one had come forward for her remains. Wearing a Tyvek protective suit and trailed by the building’s property manager, Martirosyan hunts for a greeting card or letter sent to her that could have a family member’s address on the return label — anything that would lead to a relative who could give this woman a proper burial.Martirosyan acts as a living representative of those Los Angeles County calls “the unc...

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius to be released on parole after nearly 9 years in prison

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was due to be released from prison on parole Friday, more than a decade after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a Valentine’s Day killing that shattered the reputation of a sports superstar.Television crews, photographers and news reporters gathered outside the gates of the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the South African capital of Pretoria before 6 a.m., waiting to catch a glimpse of the world-famous double-amputee Olympic runner.Department of Corrections officials have said that Pistorius’ release time on Friday will not be announced in advance and he will not be “paraded,” indicating they will attempt to keep him away from the media glare that has trailed him since he shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door at his home in the predawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013.Pistorius, 37, will be transported from the prison to a corrections department office to be processed before he is offi...

No. 10 Arizona dominates shorthanded CU Buffs men’s basketball

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

Fast breakWhy the Buffs lost: Shorthanded CU committed 18 turnovers, was outrebounded for the first time this season, and shot just .364.Three starsUA’s Pelle Larsson: Went 8-for-12 with a game-high 18 points, adding seven rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 28 minutes.UA’s Montiejus Krivas: The 7-foot-2 post was unstoppable inside, going 7-for-8 with 15 points and a season-high-tying 9 rebounds.UA’s Kylan Boswell: With 14 points, he was just the fourth-leading scorer for the Wildcats. But he went 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, with three early in the first half as UA took control. Boswell also finished with four assists, three steals and no turnovers.Up next: CU continues a three-game road trip at Arizona State on Saturday (6 p.m. MT, ESPNU). The Sun Devils improved to 3-0 in the Pac-12 by defeating Utah on Thursday.TUCSON, Ariz. — The Colorado men’s basketball team has enjoyed a solid start to the 2023-24 season despite playing a majority of its games shorthanded.G...

LIVE: Authorities pursue stolen vehicle in L.A. County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

Authorities are pursuing a stolen vehicle in Los Angeles County on Thursday night.The high-speed vehicle traveled on the 60 Freeway before transitioning to the 110 Freeway as CHP officers chase the suspect. The pursuit began out of Riverside County before heading toward the downtown L.A. area. The driver is reportedly livestreaming the pursuit while hitting speeds over 100 miles per hour.There are reports the driver plans to ditch his vehicle near the 2nd Street tunnel in downtown L.A. near Spring Street but that has not been confirmed. The vehicle narrowly missed nearby vehicles as it swerved dangerously between highway lanes, at times cutting other drivers off.Sky5 is overhead. This developing story will be updated.

Rarified air: Legendary Mitty girls basketball coach wins 800th game

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

SAN JOSE — Hard to imagine anyone having a better run these days than Archbishop Mitty’s Sue Phillips.The legendary coach was selected in late November for induction this spring into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. A few weeks later, her storied high school program won a nationally-televised thriller to rise to No. 1 in the country.Then came Thursday’s milestone.With her team’s 79-8 rout on the road of overmatched Presentation — the Panthers suited up six players — Phillips became the fourth high school girls basketball coach in California history to win 800 games, according to records kept by Cal-Hi Sports.She was handed a bouquet of flowers and held up an 800 sign during a postgame moment with her team.Archbishop Mitty’s Morgan Cheli (33) holds up “800” in front of Archbishop Mitty head coach Sue Phillips following their 79-8 win over Presentation, her 800th career victory, at Presentation High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 4, 202...

Prep roundup: Riordan boys put on a show in rout of San Francisco rival St. Ignatius

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

Boys basketballNo. 9 Archbishop Riordan 68, No. 7 St. Ignatius 51In a game featuring an array of dazzling dunks and flashy fastbreaks, Riordan set the tone for the game early on a comparatively mundane first three halfcourt possessions. Zion Sensley finished through contact with an and-1 layup, Jasir Rencher bullied inside for another pair of free throws, and then John Tofi earned two more free throws. The message was simple: make an undersized St. Ignatius front line, one missing injured 6-foot-8 senior Theo Lamb, attempt to defend the rim against Riordan’s tall wings. Riordan (5-3) found very little resistance in the Crusader’s second straight West Catholic Athletic League rout. Riordan had defeated St. Francis 88-40 on Tuesday. I wanted to get in there and make them feel me,” said Rencher, who scored 12. “I felt like they disrespected us on the rankings, so I wanted to show them why we should be on top.”St. Ignatius (9-2, 0-1) was able to stay in the game for a half because of ho...

Alameda police search for missing man

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

(KRON) -- The Alameda Police Department is searching for an at-risk, missing man. Noah Zuranich, 19, was last seen at 5 p.m. Thursday on the 2100 block of Chipman Street. He is known to go to areas with water and parks on Alameda's West End. Zuranich is 5-foot-11, 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a purple shirt and black shorts. Anyone who sees him is asked to call (510) 337-8340.

Daccord makes 32 saves, Kraken beat Senators 4-1 for 6th consecutive victory

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:23:11 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Tomas Tatar and Andre Burakovsky scored 3:43 apart late in the second period as the Seattle Kraken beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory.Yanni Gourde scored in the first period and Vince Dunn had an empty-net goal and an assist for the Kraken, who are riding a franchise-record 10-game point streak. Joey Daccord followed up his Winter Classic shutout with 32 saves, and Jordan Eberle added two assists.Parker Kelly scored his third goal of the season and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 24 shots for the Senators, who have lost three of four.Daccord kept Ottawa off the board until Kelly’s deflection with 7:40 left. He hadn’t allowed a goal since early in the first period of Seattle’s win against Philadelphia on Dec. 29, giving him the longest shutout streak in team history.The Kraken joined the NHL as an expansion team for the 2021-22 season.Gourde slammed in a rebound midway through the first for his sixth goal this season. Tatar w...