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2 arrested, 9 victims recovered or ID'd in Contra Costa County DA, FBI human trafficking probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

(BCN) -- Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton announced Wednesday officers arrested two men for human trafficking and recovered or identified nine victims in Contra Costa County, including one juvenile. The arrests by the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force were made as part of Operation Cross Country, a nationwide effort last month to put a dent in human trafficking. Three separate operations took place in Contra Costa County from July 19 to Sunday, leading to the arrest of a 24-year-old man from Oakland and a 33-year-old man from Sacramento. "This crime is a real problem here in California," Becton said during a news conference at her Martinez office. Alleged Lake Tahoe foot fondler identified, arrested in NorCal "Our state consistently leads all other states in reports of human trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, accounting for 13 percent of all such reports in the last year," Becton said. "Over the past four years, j...

Gary Sánchez hits 2 of Padres’ 4 home runs in 11-1 win over Rockies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Gary Sánchez homered twice and drove in four runs, Juan Soto went deep for the third time in two days and the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 11-1 on Wednesday.Sánchez had two of his three hits in San Diego’s seven-run ninth inning.Ha-Seong Kim homered leading off the game and Fernando Tatís Jr. hit a towering three-run homer to help the new-look Padres win for the fifth time in six games. San Diego traded for five players before the Tuesday deadline to help with a playoff push in the final two months of the season.Xander Bogaerts had three hits for the Padres, whose scheduled starter Joe Musgrove was scratched due to stiffness in his right shoulder. Nick Martinez served as the opener and tossed three scoreless innings.Jurickson Profar led off the bottom of the first with a double for the Rockies and Martinez retired nine straight before leaving.San Diego had three of its new players in uniform Wednesday — Ji Man Choi, Garrett Cooper and Scott Barlow, who re...

Overseeing the DC region’s power grid in the age of climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

Extreme weather, like the kind the D.C. region experienced over the weekend, highlights the stresses on the local power grid.While no one likes waiting for the power to come back on, in Maryland, officials who have dealt with the impacts of weather emergencies and power outages say there has been progress in the performance of utilities, specifically concerning Pepco, which provides power to customers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.Maryland State Del. C.T. Wilson, who chairs a House panel that has oversight of utilities and the Public Service Commission, told WTOP in an interview that “I do believe we’re definitely in a much better position as far as reliability issues” than in 2010, when a series of storms and so-called “blue sky” outages plagued the region.Earl Stoddard, the Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, recalls being involved on the county work group under then-County Executive Ike Leggett that examined Pepco’s performance and called for ha...

Andy Murray wins his first match at the DC Open in straight sets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andy Murray is moving on at the DC Open after beating American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets Wednesday.Cheered loudly and vociferously by the crowd at stadium court, the three-time Grand Slam champion and former top-ranked men’s player rallied to win the first-set tiebreak and broke Nakashima early in the second on the way to a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory.Murray showed at age 36 he’s still got it, slicing shots perfectly over the net and returning some strong volleys that Nakashima couldn’t handle.The British star did struggle early to handle Nakashima’s serve, leading to a tiebreak that he trailed 4-2. Fans yelled, “I love you Andy!” and chanted, “Let’s go, Andy, let’s go!” and Murray came back to win it and take control of the match. Next up for Murray in the hard-court tune-up for the U.S. Open could be top-seeded Taylor Fritz, who was set to face fellow American Zachary Svajda later Wednesday, after Coco Gauff plays Hailey Baptiste. While M...

Dentsply: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dentsply International Inc. (XRAY) on Wednesday reported second-quarter profit of $86 million.On a per-share basis, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company said it had profit of 40 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 51 cents per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 43 cents per share.The dental products manufacturer posted revenue of $1.03 billion in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $992.2 million.Dentsply expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.92 to $2.02 per share, with revenue in the range of $3.98 billion to $4.02 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on XRAY at https://www.zacks.com/ap/XRAYSource

Energy Recovery: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (AP) — SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (AP) — Energy Recovery Inc. (ERII) on Wednesday reported a loss of $1.7 million in its second quarter.The San Leandro, California-based company said it had a loss of 3 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense, were less than 1 cent on a per-share basis.The maker of energy recovery devices posted revenue of $20.7 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ERII at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ERIISource

Carriage Services: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Carriage Services Inc. (CSV) on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $8.3 million.On a per-share basis, the Houston-based company said it had net income of 53 cents.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 52 cents per share.The provider of funeral and cemetary services and products posted revenue of $97.7 million in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $93.9 million.Carriage Services expects full-year earnings in the range of $2.25 to $2.40 per share, with revenue in the range of $375 million to $385 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CSV at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CSVSource

Evolent Health: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Evolent Health Inc. (EVH) on Wednesday reported a loss of $34.3 million in its second quarter.On a per-share basis, the Arlington, Virginia-based company said it had a loss of 37 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and stock option expense, were 14 cents per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 9 cents per share.The health care software and consulting services provider posted revenue of $469.1 million in the period, also topping Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $462.5 million.Evolent Health expects full-year revenue in the range of $1.94 billion to $1.97 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on EVH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/EVHSource

Ezcorp: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

ROLLINGWOOD, Texas (AP) — ROLLINGWOOD, Texas (AP) — Ezcorp Inc. (EZPW) on Wednesday reported profit of $18.2 million in its fiscal third quarter.On a per-share basis, the Rollingwood, Texas-based company said it had net income of 24 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 20 cents per share.The consumer financial services company posted revenue of $255.8 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on EZPW at https://www.zacks.com/ap/EZPWSource

Columbus Crew add former MLS Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:59 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Crew have acquired former MLS Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi from Fenerbahçe S.K. of the Turkish league for an undisclosed transfer fee.The 25-year-old Uruguayan forward will join the Crew as a designated player. His contract runs through the 2026 season, with a club option for 2027.The move comes two days after the Crew transferred top scorer Lucas Zalarayan to the Saudi Pro League.Rossi was a major contributor to LAFC’s 2019 squad that had the league’s top regular-season record. He became the youngest player in MLS history to win the league’s Golden Boot in 2020, when he scored 14 goals in 19 matches for LAFC during a shortened campaign. He had been in Europe since 2021.“Diego is a winner and an exciting, skillful player, and we are excited to welcome him to the Crew,” Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said. “He has a natural ability to score and create goals, and he has further demonstrated his exceptional quality over the past...