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Million dollar scotch on the auction block

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

LONDON — A bottle of what Sotheby’s is calling “the most sought-after Scotch whisky” is set to go up for auction next month, with an estimated price of up to $1.4 million, the auction house said Thursday.It said the 96-year-old bottle of single malt from distiller Macallan — The Macallan Adami 1926 — will come under the hammer in London on Nov. 18, with a price estimate above 750,000 pounds. Advance bidding will begin Nov. 1.A version of The Macallan 1926 was sold by Sotheby’s in 2019 for 1.5 million pounds, a record for any bottle of wine or spirit. The appearance of three different bottle variations of the whisky at auctions in 2018 and 2019 led to the record being broken three times.“The Macallan 1926 is the one whisky that every auctioneer wants to sell and every collector wants to own,” said Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s global head of spirits. “I am extremely excited to bring a bottle to a Sotheby’s auction for the first time sinc...

Boston College needs to grind it out at Georgia Tech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

Boston College has the third best rushing quarterback in the country and Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley feels that’s too much of a good thing.BC dual threat signal caller Thomas Castellanos has 512 rushing yards, good for third in FBS by a quarterback, on 98 attempts with seven touchdowns.Castellanos averages 5.1 yards per carry and 83.3 per game. The sophomore transfer from Central Florida is also one of three quarterbacks in FBS to pass for over 1,000 yards and rush for over 500.Castellanos enjoyed a career day running the football in BC’s 27-24 win over Army on a bad weather day at West Point on Oct. 7. Castellanos rushed for 142 net yards on 31 carries with four touchdowns.Hafley is counting on his stable of suddenly healthy tailbacks to take greater control of the rushing duties when the Eagles (3-3, 1-2) confront the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1) on Saturday (noon) at Bobby Dodd Stadium.“I think we did a good job of that last week and I think our backs had over 120 ...

Billy Joel and Sting coming to Petco Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- For one night only, iconic artists Billy Joel and Sting will perform to a San Diego crowd at Petco Park. The duo concert is set for Saturday, April 13, 2024. Fans can expect to sing along to some of the most beloved songs composed by this quintessential pair of singer-songwriters. San Diego International Film Festival to kick off 22nd year A look at Billy JoelJoel is the sixth best-selling recording artist and the fourth-best-selling solo artist with over 160 million records sold worldwide. In fact, his 1985 compilation album "Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2" is one of the best-selling albums in the country.Some of Joel's most known songs include "Uptown Girl," "Just The Way You Are," "The Longest Time" and "Vienna," amongst many others. Joel has garnered many awards throughout his career. This includes six GRAMM Awards, the RIAA’s Diamond Award, and the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award. He was also was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by his idol Ray C...

Judge blocks California school district policy to notify parents if their child changes pronouns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Parts of a controversial Southern California school district policy that require school staff to tell parents if their child asks to change their gender identification will remain halted after a judge granted a preliminary injunction Thursday to block them until a final decision is made in the case.The ruling by San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Sachs came after another judge temporarily halted the policy in September. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who filed a lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District in August, said the policy is harmful to transgender and gender-nonconforming students.“This case is about a policy that is discriminatory,” Delbert Tran, a deputy attorney general representing the state, said at the hearing.The Chino Valley school board approved the policy over the summer to require school staff — including principals, counselors and teachers — to notify parents in writing within three days of...

New York judge fired for pointing gun at a Black man in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York judge who pointed a loaded handgun at a Black man during a 2015 court hearing was removed from office Thursday by the state’s highest court.Justice Robert J. Putorti was a Whitehall Town and Village Court judge. He repeatedly emphasized the race and stature of the litigant when recounting the episode, sometimes boastfully, according to an independent review by the New York State Court of Appeals. Putorti had said he aimed the gun at the man because he approached the stand too quickly, crossing a stop line for litigants.In one instance, Putorti described the defendant to another judge as being 6 feet 9 inches tall (206 cm) and “built like a football player.” In reality, the man was only 6 feet (183 cm) and 165 pounds (75 kg), the decision noted. The high court affirmed the state Commission on Judicial Conduct’s removal of Putorti, and noted the former judge’s description of the defendant “exploited a classic and common racist ...

NCAA investigating allegations of sign-stealing by Michigan. Harbaugh denies knowledge, involvement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh denied any knowledge or involvement in plotting to steal opponents’ play-calling signals by sending representatives to their games and said he would fully cooperate with an NCAA investigation into the allegations against his program.“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment,” Harbaugh said Thursday in a statement. “I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.”The Big Ten also announced it had been informed of the investigation. But the conference provided no further details, only to say that it had notified Michigan’s upcoming opponents.The Wolverines (7-0), who started their season with Harbaugh serving a university-imposed three-game suspension for a still unresolved NCAA infractions case, play at Michigan State on Saturd...

Mid-November execution date set for Alabama inmate convicted of robbing, killing man in 1993

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s governor has scheduled a November execution date for an inmate convicted of shooting and killing a man during a 1993 robbery.Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday set Nov. 16 as the date for Casey A. McWhorter to die by injection. The 48-year-old inmate was convicted of capital murder for his role in the robbery and shooting death of Edward Lee Williams in Marshall County. Prosecutors said McWhorter, who was 18 at the time, plotted with two younger teens including William’s 15-year-old son to steal money and other items from Williams’ home and also kill him. Prosecutors said McWhorter and a 16-year-old co-defendant went to Williams’ home with rifles and fashioned homemade silencers from a pillow and milk jug stuffed with napkins. An appellate court wrote that evidence in the case showed Williams grabbed the rifle held by the 16-year-old and they began to struggle over it before the man was shot a total of 11 times by both teens, The jury that...

Former officer who shot Breonna Taylor points gun at suspect during arrest in new job

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

CARROLLTON, Ky. (AP) — A former Louisville police officer fired for his role in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor collided with a suspect’s truck and pointed his gun at the man during an arrest in a rural Kentucky town where he now works as a sheriff’s deputy.Carroll County Deputy Myles Cosgrove rammed the suspect’s truck before pointing a gun at the man on Monday, witnesses told a Louisville newspaper. Those accounts contradicted the local sheriff, who said the collision was accidental and his actions were justified because he was approached by at least five angry people after the crash.Cosgrove was one of two officers whose bullets struck Taylor, a Black emergency medical technician, during a botched 2020 raid. An FBI analysis determined Cosgrove likely fired the fatal shot and he lost his job as a Louisville officer for violating use of force policies in her death. Cosgrove was responding Monday to a report of a flatbed trailer stolen from another county and brough...

Electric truck maker Rivian says construction on first phase of Georgia factory will proceed in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Rivian Automotive will move ahead with construction on a factory in Georgia early next year, the company confirmed Thursday.The California-based electric truck company made the announcement as it opens a retail location in an intown Atlanta development, the eighth in a network of what the company calls “spaces” that it’s rolling out in select locations nationwide. The company plans additional locations in Colorado, Texas and California in coming months.Customers can’t buy a truck or SUV at Rivian’s Atlanta location — the company only sells online to evade Georgia’s rules requiring auto manufacturers to have dealers. But the company hopes people who have already reserved one of Rivian’s vehicles or who are thinking about buying one will stop by to learn about electric vehicles, climb inside, take a test drive, and even buy a Rivian-branded jacket or backpack.“We sell a physical product, so people want to experience it physically,” said Den...

Southern California university mourns loss of four seniors killed in Pacific Coast Highway crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:39 GMT

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California university wrestling with the deaths of four seniors who were struck by a car sought to comfort students and faculty Thursday in a prayer service that recalled the young women as “bright lights with promise and aspirations.”Provost Jay Brewster gave that description of the Pepperdine University’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts students and read each one of their names aloud: Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams. The four were among at least six pedestrians authorities said were hit by a speeding BMW as they walked along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, only a few miles from the private Christian university.Brewster said the university was in despair from the deaths.Sobbing could be heard from the crowd gathered at the school’s gymnasium as speakers urged members of the campus community to turn to God and each other for solace at a time of heartbreak.“Keep loving each other through this tragedy,” sai...