Edina-based grocer Lunds & Byerlys will close all 14 of its Twin Cities pharmacy locations at the end of the business day Tuesday, after the company said it no longer could absorb "significant losses." A spokesman said Friday that 27 pharmacy managers and staff pharmacists will lose their jobs, but technicians have been offered open jobs within the company. "Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult for retail pharmacies given a number of economic challenges in the industry," said a statement from Lund Food Holdings Inc., which operates 24 stores in the Twin Cities area and St. Cloud. Prescriptions not picked up will be sent to the closest Walgreens, though patients can work with Lunds & Byerlys to route their records and future prescriptions to a preferred location. Independent pharmacies have struggled as the industry has consolidated around major players, including CVS and Walgreens. Cub operates its own pharmacy, but Target sold off its business to CVS in 2015. Lunds & Byerlys, a family-owned grocery chain, has had a pharmacy in its stores since 2004, when it launched the PrairieStone Pharmacy brand in the Twin Cities. ___ (c)2019 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flatiron-Union Square? According to Walk Score, this New York City neighborhood is extremely walkable, is a "biker's paradise" and has excellent transit. Data from rental site Zumper shows that the median rent for a one bedroom in Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flatiron-Union Square is currently hovering around $3,995. So, what might you expect to find if you're on a budget of $3,200 / month? Read on for a roundup of the latest rental offerings, via Zumper. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 440 W. 34th St., #11H Listed at $3,200/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 440 W. 34th St., #11H. In the unit, you can expect hardwood flooring, a dishwasher and ample closet space. Building amenities include on-site laundry and an elevator; if you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are allowed. Look out for a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. (Check out the complete listing here .) 255 W. 23rd St., #5AW Next, there's this studio coop located at 255 W. 23rd St., #5AW. It's also listed for $3,200/month. In the unit, anticipate ample closet space, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The building has on-site laundry, outdoor space and on-site management. Pet owners, good news as this spot allows cats and dogs. Be prepared for a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. (Check out the complete listing here .) West 13th Street Here's a studio apartment at West 13th Street that's going for $3,200/month. In the unit, you'll get hardwood flooring, a walk-in closet and stainless steel appliances. When it comes to building amenities, expect an elevator, secured entry and on-site management; luckily for pet owners, both dogs and cats are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. (See the full listing here .) West 14th Street Located at West 14th Street, here's a studio apartment that's listed for $3,195/month. In the unit, you can anticipate both central heating and air conditioning, hardwood flooring and a dishwasher. The building has on-site laundry, secured entry and on-site management; both cats and dogs are welcome. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (Check out the complete listing here .) 160 W. 16th St., #2B Here's a studio apartment at 160 W. 16th St., #2B that's going for $3,150/month. The building boasts on-site laundry, an elevator and on-site management. In the unit, the listing promises hardwood flooring and high ceilings. Good news for animal lovers: both dogs and cats are welcome here. Be prepared for a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. (See the full listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Elon Musk's SpaceX recently launched the first 60 satellites to test the concept of what will eventually be a constellation of thousands of satellites that are designed to bring high-speed internet to every corner of the Earth. When the constellation is complete, sometime in the mid-2020s, SpaceX thinks it can provide wi-fi services that are competitive with fiber optic cable in urban areas as well as to currently underserved rural parts of the planet. Each satellite is small, equipped with a single solar panel, a krypton-fueled ion drive, a collision avoidance system, and the wherewithal to receive and send high-speed Wi-Fi transmissions. With SpaceX's family of reusable rockets, Elon Musk can deploy Starlink relatively cheaply, for about $10 billion, according to one estimate. At the end of their useful lives, the satellites will use their ion thrusters to crash back into the Earth's atmosphere, burning up, and thus preventing them from becoming space debris. The system would be a game changer for telecommunications and would provide SpaceX with an astonishing amount of revenue. How much revenue? A recent article in Next Big Future suggests that SpaceX could take in $40 billion a year, about twice the amount of NASA's current annual budget. That number is comparable to what AT&T makes with Direct TV. What that extra shot of money will allow SpaceX to do is mind-boggling. Even considering that some part of that revenue will be used to maintain and upgrade the Starlink system, Musk will still have a lot to play with to fulfill his more ambitious dreams, such as starting a colony on Mars. Going to the moon would be the first step, to mine ice at the lunar poles and refine it into rocket fuel. Moreover, unlike NASA, SpaceX will by and large not be answerable to politicians who hand out the money but apply conditions to funding and micromanage what the space agency can and cannot do. Currently, NASA is having difficulty persuading the Democratic-controlled House that it would be a good idea to pay a little extra money to land people on the moon by 2024. Congress cannot withhold money from SpaceX to stop Musk from going to Mars or back to the moon, for that matter. Current business-friendly commercial space legislation means that the government cannot stop SpaceX through regulatory gridlock, either. If Congress continues to stonewall NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon, the United States `might find that the space agency will have been beaten back to the lunar surface not so much by the Chinese but by SpaceX. Those who think that the government has a role to play in space exploration may find this troublesome. Others, with a more libertarian bent, will likely consider the scenario of a private versus public space race a feature rather than a bug. Of course, a cash-rich SpaceX conducting its own space program will not escape the notice of Elon Musk's main business rival, Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos. Bezos has his own ambitious space dreams, involving free-flying space colonies built with lunar and asteroid materials. He also already has a cash cow to finance space ventures called Amazon.com. A private race to the moon, Mars and beyond is something not envisioned outside the pages of science fiction, until now. All in all, having NASA back to the moon with private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin as partners rather than competitors would be a much better scenario. Having a federal government presence on other worlds will provide not only a civilizing influence that includes protecting scientists' interests as well as commercial players, it could provide a shield against encroachment by possibly hostile countries, such as China. The Chinese would not like sharing the moon with western businesses, NASA being present as well would restrain China from doing much about its dislike of sharing. Of course, if the Chinese insist on being troublesome, hopefully, the Space Force will be available to make them think twice. Thus, government will not be an impediment to the commercial development of space, but a crucial part of ensuring it happens. Mark R. Whittington is the author of space exploration studies " Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as " The Moon, Mars and Beyond ."


John Updike once told us that "Gods do not answer letters ." But sometimes, football legends have no choice when it comes to responding to their greatest fans. Or least very vocal ones with super-cute kids. Favre, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who spent 16 seasons of his record-breaking NFL career with the Green Bay Packers, apparently finally met his No. 1 fan on the golf course this weekend. At least, that's what Hannah Lopez said. During the PGA Tour Champions' American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Course, in Madison, Wis., this weekend, Favre performed in a celebrity event for the loyal Badger State fans who only slightly turned on him when he jumped ship to Minnesota near the end of his career. And Lopez, complete with her 15-month-old daughter, Charleigh, in tow, was left with a memory of a lifetime in the process. Lopez - clad in a Favre No. 4 Packers jersey while yelling "Brett, I love you!" - was able grab Favre's attention after a tee shot during the AmFam Champ Celebrity Foursome. "Oh my God, serious, you just made my day. I love you," she yells. She was then able to lure the former quarterback over to her spot in the gallery. Favre posed for a photo with Lopez while holding Charleigh and signed an autograph before nearly walking off with the child. "My whole room, my whole room is dedicated to you," Lopez said. "Kids love me," Favre added. Apparently, Charleigh was named in honor of Mickey Mantle, whose middle name was Charles. Favre, meanwhile, retired from the NFL for good after the 2010 season. He played parts of 20 seasons for four teams: Atlanta (1991), Green Bay (1992-2007), the New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota (2009-10). An 11-time Pro Bowler, Favre and the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI by a 35-21 score over New England. MORE: NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Mets pitcher Jason Vargas had to be held back after telling a reporter he would knock him out NCSA: A list of college football camps you can still attend this summer Report: Celtics interested in signing French center Vincent Poirier Cameroon's Augustine Ejangue Spits on England's Toni Duggan in Women's World Cup


There will be at least two new cars on the grid for next week's second TCR Australia round, while a total of four new cars are currently headed down under. Melbourne Performance Centre has confirmed that it has acquired two more Audis to join its fleet, after running a single RS 3 for Rik Breukers and a Volkswagen Golf for Aaron Cameron at the opening round in Sydney. The new Audis will land before next week's Phillip Island round, MPC committed to having four cars on the grid. That will require finding three new drivers for the three Audis, however, with Dutchman Breukers having only signed on for Round 1 in Sydney. "The two new cars are for sale or lease, but we are committed to entering them, plus our exisiting Audi into the Phillip Island event," said MPC boss Troy Russell. "After Sydney, we received an incredible amount of positive feedback about TCR. Everyone realised that TCR Australia is real and it's happening, and potential customers of ours were pleasantly surprised about how well it ran. "And the whole show is only going to get better. For our business, and the feeling amongst the industry, TCR is the way forward. The interest has been massive. Hence why we have two new cars on the way." Whether two Australia-bound Hondas will be on the Phillip Island grid, meanwhile, is yet to be determined. Wall Racing has bought two new Civics from JAS Motorsport in Italy, although its currently unsure if they'll be ready in time for Round 2. "Doubling the fleet is a lot to undertake in a short period of time, but we are looking forward to the challenge," said team owner David Wall. "Thankfully, we are ready and equipped for the task. We typically run multiple cars in other classes, so we already have most of the infrastructure and personal required to do the job. "We are comfortable taking on the workload, and we have the right people in place. The major factor ahead of Phillip Island is getting the cars in time and being comfortable to let them go out on track. "If everything falls in line, like cars arriving and securing the drivers, then there's no reason why we won't have all four at the Island. If there are any hurdles, though, we'll put a pause on it and wait until The Bend."


MISSION HILLS (CBSLA)   A homeless man was beaten to death early Tuesday in Mission Hills. A man's body in the 11000 block of Stranwood was initially reported at about 2:45 a.m. as a hit-and-run. When paramedics arrives to help the man, they found he had been beaten. The man was found unconscious and unresponsive and suffering from a neck injury in an alleyway near the fire department, according to Los Angeles police Detective Mark O'Donnell. He was discovered by local transients, who notified the firefighters at the nearby station. Firefighters rendered aid and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The man appeared to be a transient in his 40s. He has not been identified. The three transients who first reported the man's body were initially detained, questioned and released, O'Donnell said. Investigators have no suspect information. Anyone with information about the crime can call Valley Bureau homicide at (818) 374-9550.


It's safe to say the Tennessee Titans have been pleased with running back Derrick Henry's most recent performances. But at least one analyst doesn't think too highly of the AFC South's group of rushers as a whole. CBS Sports' Sean Wagner-McGough placed the division dead-last when he ranked groups of running backs by division in a recent article. "The Colts, Texans, and Titans all own better backfields than the Jaguars," he wrote. "Marlon Mack has the best chance to emerge as a star in 2019 after racking up 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage in a 12-game season. Lamar Miller has been consistent for a while now with five straight 1,000-yard seasons (from scrimmage). Derrick Henry is coming off the best season of his career while Dion Lewis is a worthwhile sidekick." To place higher, Wagner-McGough believes the division needs a true standout back. And Henry could be just the guy to do it. "What the AFC South is lacking in is star power," he wrote. "That could change during the upcoming season if Mack and Henry continue their ascent, but neither of those ascents should be regarded as a sure thing." Henry is a good candidate to become the star of the AFC South, as the Titans look for continuity in what could be an extremely strong ground game. Henry also had a prolific season in 2018, recording 215 carries for 1,059 yards and 12 touchdowns. If he can carry that momentum into the coming season, special things are in store for both him and the Titans' offense. MORE: Kyle Kuzma is already trash-talking his former Lakers teammate NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Roundup: Toy Story 4 Worth the Wait; Slack is Back, Lil Nas X Here to Stay Nat Berhe still has love for the Giants Heading into training camp: Andy Jones vs. Travis Fulgham


Just in case you had any worries about some Seattle Seahawks rookie contract holdout, no need to fear anymore! On Friday, Utah linebacker Cody Barton agreed to terms with Seattle, which means all eleven Seahawks picks from the 2019 NFL Draft are now under contract. Cody Barton has signed his rookie deal with the #Seahawks . Seattle's entire 2019 draft class is under contract now. pic.twitter.com/hy82rBGooC   Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) June 7, 2019 Details on Barton's deal are unknown, although based on info from OverTheCap.com , it's the standard four-year rookie contract worth up to $3.4 million, with an $884,124 bonus. Barton was selected 88th overall in round three, and was Seattle's fourth draft choice behind L.J. Collier, Marquise Blair (his Utah teammate), and the much-hyped D.K. Metcalf. While the other three figure to have significant roles on this year's Seahawks team, Barton is a middle linebacker and that starting position belongs to Bobby Wagner. Essentially, he'll be competing for rotational snaps alongside Austin Calitro. Hopefully he is the linebacker depth that Seattle has desperately needed. So on that note, we can all rejoice! The Seahawks draft class is now fully signed, which is another hurdle to clear before training camp starts in July.


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is turning in her microphone and no one is happier than members of the press, who already wanted to silence her. Sanders did her job, just not the role the liberal press demanded. She served as President Donald Trump's press secretary, not the ally journalists wanted to help them oust Trump. Instead of celebrating a woman rising to such an important role , both news and entertainment media mocked her looks, her job performance and, even, her honesty. ANDREW MCCABE CELEBRATES SARAH SANDERS' EXIT FROM WHITE HOUSE: 'I HAVE TO SAY I WILL NOT MISS HER' The divide was stark. Conservatives sang her praises as she announced her exit. But liberals in the media slammed her. Reuters mocked Sanders by calling her "a fierce loyalist," but only revealed the outlet's own biases. New York magazine's Matt Stieb highlighted her "Career of Deflection." NBC/MSNBC News Analyst Howard Fineman tweeted that, "She lies with pride!" New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof said she "had an impossible job and handled it poorly." A common whine reflected the decline in White House press conferences   in effect, blaming media misbehavior on Sanders and not the press. CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza declared, "Sanders fundamentally changed the job of White House press secretary during her 23 months in the role. And not for the better." And The Washington Post headlined a media criticism column with a quote from left-wing actor Alec Baldwin calling Sanders, "a mouthpiece for fascism." The press war against Sanders won't end soon. Journalist Laura Bassett took the vindictive route. "I don't know who needs to hear this but you do not need to hire Sarah Sanders as a cable news commentator or politics editor," she wrote. Far-left advocacy group Public Citizen embraced a similar strategy. "Cable News networks, repeat after me: I will not hire Sarah Sanders." It repeated the second piece eight times, ala Bart SImpson. This form of total media war will hardly be new to Sanders. Daily Beast and GQ magazine Culture Writer Ira Madison III began her tenure blasting Sanders' looks on Twitter, calling her a "Butch queen first time in drags at the ball." He gave a lame apology but that was the tone for two years in a job where even an obscure restaurant refused to serve her. Journalists' hatred for Trump ricocheted onto Sanders throughout her time in the job. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin urged people to give Sanders a "life sentence" of harassment. Rubin bizarrely declared that Sanders "has no right to live a life of no fuss, no muss." Rubin even claimed the press secretary had been "inciting against the press." MSNBC host Nicole Wallace banned clips of Sanders on her show. Of course, Wallace also asked White House correspondent Kristen Welker, "how do you resist the temptation to run up and wring her neck?" Another lame apology followed. Comedienne Michelle Wolf went too far "joking" about Sanders during White House Correspondents' Dinner. Wolf made fun of how Sanders looked and called her a liar, which ended, at least for now, liberal comics entertaining at the event. But the biggest issue the press secretary encountered could best be described as The CNN Problem. CNN's Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta perfected his non-journalistic confrontations in the press room during Sanders' tenure. The network liked it so much that it hired mini-Acostas   April Ryan and Brian Karem . The press room goal became making a scene in front of the ever-present news cameras. Acosta confronted anyone who took the podium   but especially Sanders. He grew upset that Trump called some in the media "enemies of the people" and declared the working press "are not the enemy of the people," wanting Sanders to agree. All that led to having Acosta's credentials pulled and then restored. The fight was far from over. Only two months ago Ryan called for Sanders to be removed: "She should be fired, end of story." Now, Sanders gets to walk away and someone new is thrown into the media meatgrinder. No matter who is chosen, they will have a hard time doing a better job fending off the anti-Trump press than Sanders did. Either way, the press will hate her replacement almost immediately. Related slideshow: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is out   here are all the casualties of the Trump administration so far (Business Insider)


Oakland Hungry for something new? If you love to eat and drink, this week offers a great chance to explore the world of Oakland food and beverage. From a cooking demonstration to a wine tour, here's what to do on the local food scene this week. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Cook-off! Traditional Wisdom Vs. Future of Food From the event description: Join us for an immersive pop-up and cook-off demo that features healthy food and drinks inspired by the past and the future. Perfect for foodies and anyone who wants to learn about cooking for health and sustainability with topics like herbalism, foraging, upcycling and regenerative agriculture. When: Wednesday, July 17, 6-9 p.m. Where: Kitchen on Fire Oakland, 6506 San Pablo Ave. Price: $20 (General Admission). More ticket options are available. Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Third Thursday Movie Night From the event description: What better film to show on the big screen, than this 1975 summer American classic: "Jaws!" On Amity Island, a fictional New England summer resort town, a giant man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers, prompting the strategic collaboration between a police chief, a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. We'll have food for sale from World Famous Hotboys and local beers on tap. When: Thursday, July 18, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Where: Forage Kitchen, 478 25th St Price: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Wine Tour From the Colorado Cannabis Tours deal description: Participants can learn more about local wine, as well as enjoy wine tasting and party bus transportation. When: Saturday, July 20, 12:15 p.m.- 4:20 p.m. Where: 2607 Mandela Parkway, Prescott Price: $87 (27 percent discount off regular price). More deals are available. Click here for more details, and to score this deal This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The Trump administration has long said that there's a right way to seek asylum in the United States: Come to an official port of entry at the border, then invoke the right under U.S. law to humanitarian protection. But now, thousands of people are being barred from the U.S. precisely because they followed those rules. Under an administration policy issued last week , most migrants who've passed through a third country   say, Mexico   will not even be allowed to request asylum at official border crossings. That includes thousands of asylum-seekers   from countries like Cuba, Venezuela and Cameroon   who were already waiting at Mexican border towns to gain entry to U.S. ports when the new rule took effect. Because the Trump administration has strictly limited the number of asylum-seekers allowed to enter most of the US/Mexico border's busiest ports each day, these migrants signed on to unofficial waitlists and spent months waiting to gain legal entry to the U.S. as asylum-seekers. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom based in New York. Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter to receive articles and investigations like this one as soon as they're published. One little-noticed consequence of the new policy is that those who decided against entering the US illegally are now paying a price for having followed the rules. Had they simply crossed into the U.S. illegally when they arrived, they would have had their asylum claims heard under the rules in place at that time. But by choosing to wait to set foot on US soil and trigger their asylum rights, they'll now be subjected to the new regulation once they do enter   a rule which renders most of them ineligible. The administration made them wait. Indeed, in recent weeks, it admitted fewer asylum-seekers than ever at the border's busiest crossing in San Ysidro, California: In nine out of the 14 days before the new rule was implemented, no asylum-seekers were allowed to enter the port of entry at all, according to Ryan Krause, a human rights observer with the advocacy organization Al Otro Lado. Then, with the new regulation, it put up a wall in front of any non-Mexican asylum-seeker who waited. The new regulation is already facing court challenges, with federal hearings this week in Washington, D.C., and the Northern District of California. Advocates say it will result in victims of persecution being deported to their home countries, in violation of international law. The Trump administration claims it comports with international law by allowing migrants to seek a lesser form of humanitarian protection called "withholding of removal," which is harder to qualify for, even if they're barred from asylum. Even the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Mark Morgan, has said the Trump administration expects a federal judge to stay the regulation while it undergoes legal review. But on the Mexican side of the border, it's already having real-world effects   ramping up the frustration that migrants stuck in border towns already had, advocates say, and potentially increasing the odds that migrants who've been patiently waiting will simply give up and cross the border illegally. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment about the inclusion of migrants waiting at ports of entry in the new regulation, or to questions about why port officials accepted fewer asylum-seekers than usual in the weeks leading up to the overnight rule change. "I understand their frustration," Enrique Valenzuela, of the State Population Council in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, told ProPublica. "People who have been waiting for two or three months say: 'Hey! We've been waiting here! We didn't cross at some other point. We're not getting the best end of the deal.'" The migrants who agreed to wait are those most likely to trust the system and care about doing things through established legal channels. "People are like, 'I'm here, I'm doing it legally, I have faith that it's going to get better, all I can do is wait,'" Krause said. "You travel from Africa through 10 countries, through the jungles of Panama, many people got robbed or their friends were killed along the way, people narrowly escaped death themselves   they've been through horrible travails and incredibly arduous journey, people aren't going to be easily shaken by this process here." But the new rule is just the latest development to wear away at that resolve. Limits on how many asylum-seekers may enter a port of entry each day   a practice known as metering   have been widespread at many border ports since at least 2018, especially at the high-traffic ones in El Paso, Texas, and San Ysidro. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees ports of entry, maintains that ports simply lack the resources to process all asylum-seekers who want to enter at once; each port has a limited number of holding cells, for example. Capacity varies substantially from port to port, and from day to day, and officers have to balance their duty to process asylum-seekers with other tasks, like screening vehicles for drugs. Many human rights advocates say that regardless, the government has an obligation to allow people to seek asylum. Groups led by Al Otro Lado have filed a lawsuit in Southern California challenging metering. It hasn't moved as quickly as higher-profile immigration policy lawsuits. The U.S. government doesn't select who is allowed to cross on a given day; officials simply give a number to their Mexican counterparts of how many people will be allowed to set foot on U.S. soil. Mexican authorities, civil society organizations and asylum-seekers themselves take care of the rest. In Juárez, for example, the list managed by the State Population Council currently has about 5,500 names. While the longest lists are in Juárez (across from El Paso) and Tijuana (across from San Diego and the San Ysidro port), hundreds-long waiting lists exist even in small border towns across from minor ports. In the shelters of Piedras Negras across from Eagle Pass, Texas, for example, some 400 migrants are currently waiting to be allowed to cross. Some of these migrants are Mexican. But many are from other countries and therefore subject to the new bar to asylum. In the six days after the new regulation took effect, Krause said that roughly 30 to 40 non-Mexican migrants were admitted to the port of entry at San Ysidro   from countries including Cameroon, Haiti, Eritrea and Venezuela, as well as the Northern Triangle nations of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador). All of them arrived in Tijuana by the first week of April, and signed up for the waitlist between April 2 and 6. Any of them could have crossed before July 16 if the port officials at San Ysidro had admitted them when they arrived   or even if they had maintained the pace of admissions from spring 2019, when an average of 40 people were admitted per day, through this summer. But instead, in mid-June, admissions dropped off drastically. Between July 1 and July 15, an average of six asylum-seekers were admitted per day, Krause said. And so, when numbers picked up again last week, the migrants admitted   at least the non-Mexicans   were subject to the new regulation. The waitlists are not recognized by the U.S. government, and no one who has signed them has any protection as asylum-seekers. The lists are simply an effort, often started by asylum-seekers themselves (but now managed in some places by other institutions, like the State Population Council in Juárez) to bring some order to the process. Meanwhile, ports now have an added demand on their limited resources   sending asylum-seekers back to Mexico after their initial processing to await court hearings, under the Trump administration program known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP. Twenty thousand asylum-seekers have been sent to wait in Mexico under MPP since it was first instituted in January   most of them in the last few months, as the program has aggressively expanded. Their asylum claims are moving forward in U.S. immigration courts, but the asylum-seekers themselves are only allowed into the U.S. to attend those hearings. They show up at a port of entry on the day of their hearing, are escorted into the U.S. and then returned after the hearing with instructions to come back on the next court date. A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed to ProPublica that asylum-seekers who had first entered the U.S. before July 16 wouldn't be subject to the new asylum rule, even if they were in Mexico when the regulation went into effect under MPP. The exact same space and personnel that would be used to process new asylum-seekers are now being used to ship people with existing asylum cases back and forth each day. "They've chosen to use CBP's limited capacity to process people for return," Kennji Kizuka, of Human Rights First, said. Many migrants choose not to wait; in Juarez, Valenzuela of the State Population Council said, an estimated 1,000 of the 5,500 people currently on the waitlist have probably already crossed illegally into the U.S. There are compelling reasons to try to cross at a port   for one thing, the administration still hopes to reinstate a regulation issued in October that would bar asylum for those who crossed illegally. That regulation was put on hold by the courts days after it was issued, and an appeal will be heard in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the fall. But the slowing trickle of admissions (especially in Tijuana) in the weeks before the new rule, followed by the overnight change that rendered so many asylum-seekers retroactively ineligible, have led to confusion, frustration and even despondency, according to Krause. Some "are in some way evaluating the possibility of crossing before it gets hard to do so," Valenzuela said. "I ask them every time to be patient, to keep calm, but it's hard to convince them when they've been waiting for two or three months." Organizers find themselves in the position of counseling patience to migrants who post angry video rants on social media, or who come to them trying to understand rumors of forthcoming changes to the law that will make it even harder to enter the U.S.   changes like the one issued last week. "People have lost faith in the system, trust in the process," Krause said of the migrants waiting in Tijuana. Lately, he added, he's hearing a lot more questions about what the laws are like in Canada.


OLDENBURG, Germany   The new nurse arrived at the intensive-care unit of Delmenhorst hospital with a solid letter of reference, describing him as someone who worked "independently and conscientiously." In a crisis, it said, he reacted "with consideration" and was "technically correct." It gave no indication that officials at his former hospital in Oldenburg, Germany, had grown deeply suspicious about the number of deaths while the nurse, Niels Högel, was on duty. Or that they had barred him from contact with patients and effectively pushed him out. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter Before long, similar suspicions arose at Delmenhorst. Within four months, a patient, Brigitte A., died under his care. Others, Hans S., Christoph K. and Josef Z., followed. All were identified with only a last initial under German privacy laws. Today, Mr. Högel, 42, is considered the most prolific serial killer in the history of peacetime Germany, and perhaps in the world. Officials suspect that as many as 300 patients may have died by his hand over five years starting in 2000. Still, it took more than a decade for a full investigation by the authorities, who exhumed over 130 bodies in Germany, Poland and Turkey as they struggled to define the scope of his crimes. Mr. Högel has admitted to killing 43 people, has not ruled out killing 52 others and denied killing five. The number of killings and the amount of time it took for suspicions surrounding his actions to come to light have raised uncomfortable questions for Germany, including whether the same deference to hierarchy and predilection for procedure that once facilitated Nazi-era crimes allowed Mr. Högel to kill uninterrupted for so long. "If it is possible that in Germany more than 300 deaths over 15 years can be swept under the carpet, what else is possible?" said Christian Marbach, whose grandfather was a victim of Mr. Högel. "What does it take for people in Germany to stand up and pay attention?" Mr. Marbach now speaks at nursing schools about the moral questions raised by Mr. Högel's case. According to Frank Lauxtermann, the only former colleague who testified openly about working alongside Mr. Högel, "A culture of looking away and keeping your head down" ultimately shielded the suspect. Mr. Högel is serving a life sentence for murdering two patients and playing a role in the killing of four others. The current trial is his third since 2006. This time, he faces charges of killing 100 more patients   36 at the main clinic in Oldenburg, a tidy city that prides itself on its university and 17th-century palace, and 64 others after he transferred to Delmenhorst, a suburb of Bremen, about 20 miles away. The presiding judge, Sebastian Bührmann, has ordered eight of Mr. Högel's former colleagues to be investigated on perjury because of suspicion that they lied to the court or withheld evidence in the current trial to cover up lapses. Revelations of apparent negligence by the hospital authorities have already led to other criminal investigations. Two doctors and two head nurses from the Delmenhorst hospital were charged with manslaughter. Mr. Högel is expected to testify at their trial after the court reaches a verdict in his case, expected in June. Former colleagues from Mr. Högel's early days as a nurse said he had quickly made a name for himself as someone who could handle the pressure of life-or-death situations. In reality, prosecutors say, he created situations in which life and death rested in his own hands. He administered overdoses of drugs that caused cardiac arrest so that he could rush back and try to revive patients heroically. His colleagues called him "Resuscitation Rambo" and rewarded his skill with a necklace made of injection tubes, which he wore with pride. Of 411 deaths at the Delmenhorst hospital during the three years he worked there, 321 occurred during or just after his shifts, records show. The authorities do not know how many patients he may have killed. The cases of only those victims who could be exhumed and autopsied for traces of medications used to treat irregular heart rhythms but that can be fatal in high doses were brought before the court. Dr. Karl-Heinz Beine, a leading German neurologist and head doctor of psychiatry at St. Marien Hospital in Hamm, said the nurse appeared to be driven by narcissism and a need to fill a deep lack of self-worth. A physician in England, Harold Shipman , who was convicted in 2000 of killing 15 patients by lethal injection, was a similar case. A government inquiry concluded that he had killed at least 215 people. He took his own life in 2004. "Niels Högel is a member of this extreme minority," said Dr. Beine, who has researched serial killers in the medical profession since 1989. He said that what struck him about Mr. Högel's testimony was his lack of empathy, even when speaking to victims' families. For the first time starting last year, Mr. Högel, who sat through previous trials silent and sullen, testified to the court. Often, he recalled remarkable details surrounding the deaths. For others, he mechanically offered the same, almost cynical, answer: "I have no memory, but I can't rule out a manipulation." Five times, he denied killing a patient. No pleas are entered in the German court, but two days into his latest trial Mr. Högel told the court that he felt "shame" when reading over the medical records of the patients, ages 34 to 96. "Every single case, even just reading them," he said, "I am endlessly sorry." The apology only raised more questions about whether the words could be believed. "I personally am convinced that the defendant continues to live out his narcissism today," testified Arne Schmidt, who is now the police chief in Cuxhaven and led a special investigation from 2014 to 2017 into the killings for the Oldenburg police. Only when presented with enough evidence would Mr. Högel confess, Mr. Schmidt said, adding that the nurse had reveled in playing God. Mr. Högel grew up in Wilhelmshaven, in northern Germany, with both parents and an older sister. His father was a nurse, and he decided early in life to follow in his footsteps. At some point, his colleagues noticed that patients suddenly needed to be resuscitated when Mr. Högel was on duty. People die in the intensive-care wards, former nurses told the court, but not so many, so swiftly. "In the beginning, you just think it is fate," a former Delmenhorst colleague, identified only as Susanna K., testified. "But at some point you grow distrustful." She said Mr. Högel's colleagues in Oldenburg had talked about him, but did not go to their superiors or lodge a complaint out of fear of being reprimanded or because they didn't see it as their business in a country where citizens closely guard their privacy. When another nurse in Delmenhorst told her superior she was suspicious of Mr. Högel, no action was taken and she never followed up. Dr. Beine said he hoped the trial would raise awareness of the failure to call out suspicions and break through the hierarchical structures that govern hospitals and other large bureaucracies in Germany. He cited a Prussian slogan adopted throughout the country's bureaucracies, "Reporting Sets You Free"   eerily similar to the Nazi slogan "Work Sets You Free"   that means it is enough to report a suspected wrong without taking further action to ensure that it stops. "As a health care worker, you have to know that your responsibility is for your patients, not the hospital's image," he said. It was not until June 2005 that Renate T., a fellow nurse in Delmenhorst, took further action after discovering Mr. Högel standing over a lung cancer patient, Dieter Maass. His life support system had been switched off, and in the trash lay four empty vials of medication not prescribed for him. She quickly took a blood sample and sent it for tests. The next day, the patient was dead. When the test results showed a dangerously high dose of heart medication, the doctor and nurse in charge met to discuss the situation. But they let Mr. Högel finish his shift. In those hours, Renate Röper, 67, became his final victim. "The course of events that took place on June 24 are symbolic of the failure of those responsible for their completely erroneous assessment of actual facts and the tragic results that ensued for the patients," Mr. Schmidt said, announcing the results of his investigation in 2017. That investigation came about only after years of pressure by family members, and led to the current trial. Two former prosecutors from Oldenburg were investigated for failing to sufficiently investigate Mr. Högel in 2005, but neither faced charges. One is now a judge in Oldenburg. Judge Bührmann opened the current trial with a moment of silence to honor the victims. At times, the proceedings have seemed more like a truth commission than a criminal trial. "The purpose of this trial is to provide answers for the family members whose loved ones died, to help them to understand how and why," Judge Bührmann told a witness. But Mariya Tüter, 47, expects more. Three years ago, the police told her they suspected that her husband, Adnan, might have been murdered by Mr. Högel. Since then, she has struggled with depression and, at times, even to drive to the supermarket. "Until this happened, I saw doctors as people who did the right thing; they were there to be trusted," she said. "But in this case, they swept everything under the carpet. I finally want justice to be served."


CHICAGO   Community activists, relatives and friends of three missing women, two of them pregnant when they disappeared from Chicago's South Side, are trying to keep the cases in public view after their due dates passed recently. Kierra Coles, 27, a Postal Service employee missing since October, had a due date of April 23, her family said. Marlen Ochoa-Uriostegui, 19, was last seen leaving her high school two weeks ago and her due date was Sunday, relatives of the teen from Pilsen have said. Their families held a news conference Sunday to try to bring their cases back into the spotlight. Both women remain missing, despite rewards for information leading to their return. A third woman, Chaunti Bryla, who has an 11-year-old son, has now been missing about three weeks, according to police. "All three of them have been missing without a trace," community activist Andrew Holmes said Monday. "We know they're probably not connected, they just happen to be similar circumstances." Holmes on Sunday said the reward for information leading to Coles now tops $46,000, thanks in part to an $18,000 donation made over the weekend by the CEO of a local finance company. "It was just kind of hurting him to his heart. He has daughters," Holmes said Monday. "He knows Coles' father and he reached out expressing what he wanted to do." The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the investigations arm of the U.S. Postal Service, previously offered up to $25,000 for information, and $2,500 had been offered by the Chicago branch of the National Association for Letter Carriers. Coles had been a letter carrier for about three years when she went missing on her way to work Oct. 2, and she was then three months pregnant. Her mother, Karen Phillips, reported Coles missing Oct. 4 after she hadn't heard from her for two days and calls to her cellphone went straight to voicemail. Officers did a well-being check at her apartment and did not find Coles, Phillips said. "I talk to her every day," Phillips told the Tribune at the time. "I knew something was wrong. It's just not like her." Coles was described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She is black with brown eyes, black hair and a medium brown complexion, Chicago police said in a missing persons alert. She has a tattoo of a heart on her right hand and a tattoo that says "Lucky Libra" on her back. Holmes said investigators, once inundated with calls, haven't had new leads in some time about Coles. "We just need more information. We need the community to remain involved. The call volume has started to be low," Holmes said. "We've been searching, but now we need anyone who has been holding onto information - no matter how small of a clue they have - we need them to call in." Ochoa-Uriostegui, who was nine months pregnant at the time, disappeared the same day Coles was due. She was last seen leaving Latino Youth High School in Pilsen, according to a Chicago police missing persons alert. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 125 pounds and has a small nose ring. She was last seen wearing a gray sweater and sweatpants with a maroon top that had a Latino Youth High School logo on it. She was driving a black Honda Civic, license plate No. AW27865. She is married and has a 3-year-old son she was supposed to pick up from Teddy Bear Day Care at 51st Street and Pulaski Avenue on the day she disappeared. Holmes said anyone who sees the Civic should call 911 immediately. "People need to keep communicating about it - with police, or calling the hotline," he said. "No one has heard from her, not at all." Bryla, 43, was last seen near her home at 85th Street and Bennett Avenue. She seemed to have left in a hurry, family members told WGN, because she left milk and other items outside the refrigerator. Her bank account had been depleted, though she'd recently deposited her income tax return, family members said. The money was taken from her account through withdrawals at six or seven locations including stores, banks and ATMs on Chicago's South Side and south suburbs, WGN previously reported. Police described Bryla as a black woman with a light complexion, with brown hair and brown eyes. She is about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds. She has a tattoo of a heart on her ankle. "Every day you think about it, every day and night," Bryla's aunt, Eileen Sterling Ross, told WGN. "It's just tough." Anyone with information about any of the missing women cases was asked to call the Chicago Police Department at 312-747-8274 or a national hotline, which Holmes said is staffed around the clock, at 800-883-5587. "The slightest information could crack one of these cases," he said. Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com


Meteorologist Domenica Davis takes a look at how much snow Winter Storm Jonas could bring to the South.


A woman was hit and killed by a driver who failed to stop at the scene, police say, and now they need the public's help to find the hit-and-run driver. The woman was hit Wednesday just after 7:15 p.m. on the south end of Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, according to the city's communications manager, Allison Nock. The suspect vehicle was traveling north on Main Street and made a left turn onto Kanuga Road, Nock said. The vehicle struck the woman in the crosswalk and drove off, according to Nock. The suspect vehicle is described as a silver Subaru with a hand sticker on the front windshield. The woman, who has not been identified, was treated at the scene and taken to Mission Hospital, where she died from her injuries, Nock said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Matt Capps, with the Hendersonville Police Department, at 828-697-3071. READ MORE: Woman hit, killed while in crosswalk by hit-and-run driver, police say CHECK OUT WYFF: Get the latest Greenville news and weather. For live, local, late-breaking Greenville, SC, news coverage, WYFF is the place to be.


It's not exactly your run-of-the-mill Corvette. At just about every general car meetup across the United States, you're bound to get at least one or two Corvettes. While many don't cause too big of a stir, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport replica really stands out from the crowd. It has the classic Sting Ray body everyone rightfully loves, plus some design twists geared towards competitive track racing. This amazing ride is brought to you by GR Auto Gallery , providing something memorable to drive and even to just gaze upon. In a truly patriotic display, which is only appropriate for America's sports car, this replica '63 'Vette Grand Sport wears a white and blue paint job with red accents. The interior is all black and has a very clean, professional presentation. Simple white-faced analog gauges are easy to reference at a glance. High bolsters on the seats keep the driver and passenger comfortable while also preventing them from sliding around as the car powers through turns on a track. Five-point harnesses for both seats are included, completing the motorsports-inspired design. Read More 1932 Plymouth Model PB Sedan Delivery Will Let You Bust Some Chops With A 1984 AM General M-925 Modified You Can Conquer All Stand Out Form The Crowd With This Restomod Chevrolet Aerosedan Nestled under the hood is an LS1 350 V8, which produced a stout 400 horsepower when installed. It works with a ZF6 6-speed manual transmission, allowing the driver to row through the gears and feel fully engaged. Power steering, four-wheel power disc brakes, heat, and air conditioning make this a fun and completely livable hobby car that also has the added value of being patterned after a motorsports legend. A mere 5 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Grand Sports were ever produced, making the cars hot collector items. This replica has been patterned after the original with exceptional quality and details. Built in 2007 by professionals, this ride has only had one owner. It will definitely draw stares and plenty of admirers everywhere you look, making for a fun and unique investment.


A new study finds having more sex and more money doesn't exactly lead to more happiness. Rob Smith (@robsmithonline) has the surprising findings.


Less than a month before two deadly shootings took the lives of 29 people in one weekend, another mass shooting was stopped. A Lubbock, Texas man, identified as William Patrick Williams, 19, was arrested by special agents of the FBI and ATF, the US Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Texas announced Friday. Williams was allegedly contemplating a mass shooting and bought ammunition. He rented a hotel room where he was plotting to kill people before his grandmother persuaded him to visit a hospital after learning of his plan, the release said. According to the release, Williams told his grandmother on July 13 he had recently purchased an AK-47 rifle, was planning to "shoot up" a hotel and "then commit suicide by cop." The grandmother was able get him into treatment prior to his arrest. Authorities applauded the courageous actions of Williams' grandmother, saying her interference likely saved the lives of many. "This was a tragedy averted," said US Attorney Nealy Cox. "I want to praise the defendant's grandmother, who saved lives by interrupting this plot, as well as the Lubbock police officers and federal agents who investigated his unlawful acquisition of a deadly weapon." Williams was arrested after a hospitalization and gave investigators permission to search his hotel room, the release said. Investigators uncovered an AK-47 rifle, 17 magazines loaded with ammunition and multiple knives in Williams' hotel room, according to the release. Williams told officers he had laid out his weapons on a bed so that law enforcement could take custody of them. Other items recovered from the room included a black trench coat, black tactical pants, a black T-shirt that read "Let 'Em Come," the press release said. On July 21, the ATF received a firearms transaction form filled out on July 11 where Williams lied about his residence. He has been charged with making false statements to a firearms dealer because of his claim that he lived at an address where he had been evicted. The offense carries up to five years in federal prison. "The FBI worked closely with our partners at the ATF and Lubbock Police Department to prevent the defendant from potentially committing a violent act," said Matthew DeSarno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas field office. "This case is a perfect example of law enforcement agencies coming together to find a solution that protected the public from harm."


Carsen Edwards provided a jolt of energy every time he took the floor over the course of his three seasons at Purdue. Now, he'll look to do the same in Boston. The Celtics garnered the third pick in the second round -- 33rd overall -- via a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. The C's used the selection on Edwards , a volume-scoring guard who has the potential to quickly become a fan favorite in Boston. For a mid-level prospect like Edwards, it's near-impossible to guess where you might end up heading into draft night. The 21-year-old seems pleased with how things shook out. "I feel good. I mean, I enjoyed my workout there. I enjoy the city, so I think it will be a good spot. We're just gonna see what happens," Edwards said, as captured by Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. When asked how it feels to have years of hard work pay off, Edwards provided an answer that surely will be well-received by green teamers. "I feel like it's more of just the beginning, in a way," Edwards. "I'm glad to be here. It's just the beginning, man. I'm still starting over here."


PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Hundreds took to the streets in Center City to protest the Trump administration's immigration policy. ...listen to the audio... The protests have been growing in size and frequency in advance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids planned for Sunday. Friday was the third demonstration in eight days for organizer Katia Perez. Reporter: "You guys have been having a lot of actions lately." "Well, we've been under attack by the Trump administration a lot lately," Perez said. "We are being loud; we are fighting back because our communities are in danger. Today is actually part of a larger day of action, Lights for Liberty, so there's actions like this going on cities all over the country." Philadelphia is not one of the ten cities targeted in the ICE raids expected Sunday but turnout was swollen by Netroots Nation, a convention for progressive activists being held here. That's what Phil Dague says brought out him out. "We all have to stand together. As you can see, I know this is radio but I am a white male but I do believe that on this earth, we all are equal and we have to stand together and help those who need it, when they need it.


This zany quiz could help you nail down a career. There are certain moments in your life when you feel confident in your career trajectory . There are other moments when you slam down your third Red Bull, stare at your own bloodshot eyes in the mirror and yell, "What job should I have?!" hoping for an answer. Don't worry; it's normal. Finding a dream job   heck, even finding one you just don't hate   is no easy task. It often requires a lot of time and soul-searching, and sometimes that means asking yourself some pretty ridiculous, even embarrassing, questions. If you think you're ready, take this unorthodox career personality test to find and land your dream job . The Passion Factor Question: What would I do for free? First of all, you should never work for free. Just don t. But if you are wondering how to find your dream job, you can start by asking yourself what you would be willing to do for free and work from there. Maybe you are really into calligraphy and would love making squiggly name designs all day. This could be a sign that you should open an Etsy store or perhaps pursue graphic design. The Repeatability Factor Question: What job won't kill my soul when I have to talk about it with my relatives? Grandma just doesn't get it, does she? When you say you're a Lean Six Sigma master black belt, she pictures you flipping into work each day in a ninja outfit   but everyone knows that you save that outfit strictly for the weekends. Chances are, whenever you make a trip home, you're going to have to explain what you do to a bunch of relatives about a million times. This can be difficult if you really don't like your job and find it exasperating to get into. Find something that you can take pride in and feel eager to explain to those who are interested. The Marketability Factor Question: Do I have an idea   and will people even care? If you think your dream job could lie in starting a business or inventing something, this question is a must. This is especially true if you have an offbeat idea. It s great that you want to be an ice cream taster or professional hamster cuddler, but first, make sure people will buy what you re selling. The Pay Cut Factor Question: Am I willing to tank my salary? Though it s great when you can make a lateral move into a new career or industry, sometimes, pursuing a dream requires taking a couple steps back. Make a list of any jobs you re interested in and do research via sites like Glassdoor to figure out the industry average for them. If you find that you ll, say, cut your salary in half for one of them, you need to consider if you re willing to do that or if you should just cross it off your list. The Perk Factor Question: Do I want a catered breakfast or to keep my teeth from falling out? The answer might be obvious here, but the truth is employee benefits vary greatly from job to job, company to company. This means you might have a job that offers a waffle bar to employees complete with seven types of syrup but no dental plan, or vice versa. It s important to figure out what you value most. If you don t really care about benefits, you obviously have more opportunities. If you have something specific in mind, like zipping around on a company-provided scooter, it might narrow down your search. The Appearances Factor Question: Do I care what other people think? When asking yourself the  What job is right for me?  question, realize that the answer doesn t have to be something over-the-top that will impress people. Sure, it would be cool to say that you re a tightrope walker, but if you re happy being a plumber or exterminator, you shouldn t care what people think. Besides, a lot of  working-class  jobs pay surprising well . The Comfort Factor Question: Do I want to wear pants? Whether it is pants, high heels, a tie or a uniform, figure out what you are and are not OK wearing to work. If you want to take a cue from Winnie the Pooh and rock just a T-shirt, you might consider remote work. Not only will you be super comfortable, but you ll avoid a sexual harassment suit. The Childhood Factor Question: What job would make young me proud of old me? Kids  dream jobs tend to be fun, ambitious things like baseball players, ballerinas and astronauts. And, though few children actually grow up to become those things, those initial aspirations can be used to inform job searches in adulthood. For instance, maybe you wanted to be a pilot when you were little because you liked the idea of flying around on a plane to different places. As an adult, you might consider jobs that will pay you to travel . The Family Factor Question: Would I screw over my family to get my dream job? The most successful entrepreneurs take big risks to get big rewards. Walt Disney sold his house in Palm Springs and spent all his money   much to the chagrin of his wife   to get Disneyland off the ground. Though his endeavor has obviously paid off tenfold, it was a pretty unilateral, jerk move. If you are considering a new job, look at the big picture. Will it hurt your family in any way? Will your kids not be able to do activities because you re trying something new? Is that worth it? Will it be a short- or long-term hardship? Having a family discussion might also help. The Rage Factor Question: What job won t make me want to punch someone in the mouth? Some jobs sound fun and exciting until you consider the big picture. Sure, the guys on  Deadliest Catch  make bank from their crab hauls, but they also chain smoke and drink themselves into oblivion because they have to work 36-hour shifts and be shoved into a prison-like room with a bunch of other dudes. Consider if you can handle all the requirements of a job, including any stress. You don t want to end up rage-quitting on your first day. The Legality Factor Question: What job won t land me in jail? As much as you might love making convincing antiquity forgeries for your old pal Jimmy  Shark Teeth  Simms, you shouldn t make a career out of it. That s really more of a side hustle. Seriously though, any job ideas you have that aren t on the up-and-up really shouldn t be considered. The Peak Experience Factor Question: Do I want a job that is better than sex? You might think that the answer here should be a resounding yes   as in,  Yes, of course, I d rather be data processing than be intimate with my significant other,  said no one ever   but the answer should definitely be a no. Whether you compare it to sex, a killer chocolate sundae or a Swedish massage, your dream job probably shouldn t be your peak human experience or the sole place you find fulfillment. Derek Thompson of The Atlantic said it best when he wrote,   … a culture that funnels its dreams of self-actualization into salaried jobs is setting itself up for collective anxiety, mass disappointment and inevitable burnout.  In short, loving your job is great   that s the goal   but you should also want to leave it at the end of the day to invest in your personal life, whatever that looks like. The IQ Factor Question: Am I even smart enough to get my dream job? This might seem like a brutal question, but it s also necessary. The truth is, not everyone is cut out to be a rocket scientist. Everyone has limitations. That s not to say that you should immediately write off every hard-to-pursue career, but you should understand all of the job requirements. If you have your sights set on a job that might not be attainable because you re not an Ivy Leaguer, consider adjacent careers. For instance, if you always wanted to be a veterinarian but math and science gave you too much trouble, think about working at a shelter, a boarding facility, a farm, etc. You can still spend your days helping animals, but without all that pesky calculus. The Death Factor Question: If I had to die on the job, where would I like my body to be found? When you die, there are a few places you probably wouldn t want your body to be found: a gentleman s club, a  My Little Pony  convention, etc. So, ask yourself, if you knew you were going to kick the bucket while at work, where would you like that to be? Of course, there s nothing wrong with an office building, but,  Man collapsed in lion s cage at zoo; eaten by creatures he cared for,  is a headline that s going to grab attention. The Education Factor Question: Am I willing to go back to school? It is never too late for a career change, but if the job you have in mind requires training, certifications or additional schooling, that s something you really want to mull over. Your experience as the only gray hair in a room full of hungover youngins could be trying. It might be worth exploring online classes if possible. The Uncertainty Factor Question: Am I OK with a lack of job security or will I have a nervous breakdown? If you re mulling over job ideas, job security is definitely something to consider. Some people need to know where their next paycheck is coming from, while others are fine with a little uncertainty. Things like freelance work, running your own business or working in a dying industry   think switchboard operators, watch repairers, old-timey carnival barkers   all carry a risk.


NASA says it can't afford to build a space telescope considered the fastest way to identify asteroids that might impact the Earth with terrible consequences. A 2015 law gave the space agency five years to identify 90% of near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters in diameter, which could devastate cities, regions and even civilization itself if they were to impact the planet. NASA isn't going to meet that deadline, and scientists believe they have so far only identified about a third of the asteroids considered a threat. Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led by principal investigator Amy Mainzer, developed a proposal for a space telescope called NEOCam that would use infrared sensors to find and measure near-Earth objects. The National Academy of Sciences issued a report this spring concluding that NEOCam was the fastest way to meet the asteroid-hunting mandate. But NASA will not approve the project to begin development. "The Planetary Defense Program at NASA does not currently have sufficient funding to approve development of a full space-based NEO survey mission as was proposed by the NEOCam project," a NASA spokesperson told Quartz this week. The agency said it was prioritizing funding for ground-based telescopes looking for asteroids, though the NAS report concluded that they would not fulfill its mandate. The agency is also funding the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission (DART) , which will pilot the technologies needed to do something about any threatening near-Earth objects. Still, the agency said the infrared telescope proposed for NEOCam "could be ready for any future flight mission development effort." Scientists say that NEOCam is caught in a game of " cosmic chicken " between Congress and NASA. NASA managers are reluctant to prioritize planetary defense over scientific missions, while Congress has yet to appropriate specific funding for an asteroid survey. The NAS report recommended that "missions meeting high-priority planetary defense objectives should not be required to compete against missions meeting high-priority science objectives." "Although highly unlikely, being taken by surprise by a catastrophic asteroid impact that could have been detected would be an epic failure in the history of science," MIT planetary scientist Richard Binzel told Quartz. "We now have a capability to know what's out there, meaning we have no excuse for an ongoing lack of knowledge." Binzel says that the onus is now on Congress to increase NASA funding for planetary defense by $40 million annually, which would allow the agency to develop the spacecraft and eventually launch it in the years ahead. NASA, however, did not ask for that plus-up in the White House's budget proposal to Congress this year. Instead, the agency has asked for $1.6 billion in new funding to support a human return to the moon that could cost as much as $30 billion over the next five years. In contrast, the total cost of the NEOCam mission is estimated to be $500 to $600 million. But NASA funding is a fairly low priority in Washington, as Congress has yet to agree on even a broad outline for 2020 funding. Lawmakers haven't been enthusiastic about funding the lunar return, but asteroid hunting might be an easier sell. A national poll of Americans taken in May found 68% supported missions to find asteroids that might impact Earth, while just 23% thought a return to the moon would be a good idea.


A Father's 1957 Chevy Drag Car Inspired A Couple of Car Crazy Brothers If there is anything that we've learned in the past 100 years or so, it's that cars play a large role in creating a priceless bond between a father and son, a couple of brothers or a group of friends. It could be something as simple as a clapped out Mustang or something as wild as a Bonneville car, but the shared interest among family members is what keeps this car lifestyle going for generations. One of the most solid representations of this philosophy is Ray Portman and his 1957 Chevrolet Del Ray drag car. Sure, it's one of many in a resurgence of drag car survivors, but it offered an excellent benefit to the Portman family, and it certainly has a story worth telling. Ray is a long time resident of Louisville, Kentucky and he has owned the car for more than 40 years. It was originally based out of the Columbus, Ohio area and raced at National Trail Raceway in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The car ran in the Super Stock ranks, and it came up for sale when it became outdated and noncompetitive. Ray's best friend, Bobby Jones worked at National Trail and took notice of the car, which was Sierra Gold at the time. Bobby jumped at the chance to buy the car that he had admired for years, and of course, made a few changes to make it his own. When Bobby moved back to Louisville, he and Ray became partners on the car. They ran at tracks like Ohio Valley, Beech Bend Raceway Park, US60 and other tracks in the area. During those years, it wasn't a high-buck operation, but it was a lot of fun for the two friends, who grew even closer because of the drag racing fever. Unfortunately, Bobby passed away unexpectedly, and Ray became sole owner of the car. He continued to successfully bracket race the car, but hung up his helmet at the end of the 1984 drag racing season. As local tracks began to suffer and eventually close, Ray's interests began to transition into street rods and customs. At this time, Ray and Gayle's sons, Mark (better known as Meatball) and Steve (better known as Weasel) were already crazy about cars, but this old Chevrolet is partially responsible for their addiction to hot rods. Meatball and Weasel spent their teenage years seeing this car on the drag strip, and then watched it get pushed into the back of the garage. They saw it on a regular basis, and shared stories about it with their friends. Luckily, it stayed inside during those dormant years, but the trio of car guys always had ideas for it, while countless other projects seemed to take priority. During the height of the pro street era, it was nearly placed on the chopping block for a narrowed rear end and fat tires, but it survived through the temptation, despite getting some of its original lettering sanded off in the process. Fast forward to 2014, Ray and the boys had always talked about resurrecting the old car, but it was a push from local car guy and friend, Jeremy Thompson that sent them over the edge. Jeremy pitched in to get the car going again, and it turned into a big group effort with car guys from the area turning wrenches. The end result is a car that beats the ground with authority and still sports a crazy steep rear end gear, just in case some action comes its way. Of course, Meatball and Weasel played a part in the car's resurrection, which was part preservation and part restoration. The car is still working with most of the same components it had in the 1970's and 1980's, but it was back-dated just a little to have the right old school look. The two-inch ball joint spacers, Moroso trick springs and Moroso 90/10 shocks that Ray and Bobby installed are still in place. Ray updated the braking system to a dual reservoir master cylinder and disc brakes up front, but stayed with vintage style wheels and bias ply race tires. The stock rear end housing is in place, but it's packing a set of 6.17:1 gears, as it was set up for eighth-mile racing. The original leaf springs were re-arched and Ray added a set of homemade slapper bars back in the day. Many components in the engine are the same as the original setup. Shively Speed Machine was responsible for the engine build back in the day, and they had a great representation on the car, with large lettering on the doors and front fenders. The engine is a 327ci small block that was bored 0.030-inch, and assembled with a forged steel crankshaft, pink connecting rods, and Arias dome pistons. In combination with the 461 "double hump" cylinder heads, the engine has an 11.0:1 compression ratio, and Bobby Jones' port work from more than 40 years ago still works well in the modern age. The stout small block runs a Cam Dynamics mechanical camshaft, with 0.595-inch lift and 305 degrees of duration. Up top are a few updates, with an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold, a 650-cfm Holley carburetor, and an MSD distributor. Wayne Bilbrey built a Powerglide transmission to handle some serious abuse, and Ray plans to pour the coals to it. Aesthetically, the car hasn't changed a lot in the last 40 years. Ray and Bobby did the bodywork and paint job in the 1970's, and the Claret Brown lacquer paint, with tan fogged panels is still intact after all this time. Most of the hand-lettering and decals survived and add to the car's character. Inside, the car has a few updates, including a Hurst Quarter Stick shifter, five-point harnesses and a six-point roll bar, but you'll find a lot of vintage equipment in plain sight as well. When the car reached completion, the Portman boys were itching to take it to the drag strip to let dear old dad take it down the eighth mile for the first time since 1984. The car ran a 7.35 at 95 miles per hour, and it was turning some serious rpm's at the big end. Since then, Ray has been driving the car to local events, like the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville. He also makes the trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the Holley national Hot Rod Reunion and the Danchuk Tri-Five Nationals. Ray is fortunate to have experienced many years of car-related fun with his sons, but heartbreak struck in March 2017, as he lost Steve (Weasel) to cancer. The emptiness left behind after such a tragic loss is hard for any father, brother or child to imagine, but the Portmans continue their family tradition in honor of Weasel. Only two years later, Meatball was victim to an aggressive cancer that ended his life in April 2019. Meatball was well known in the car community he was a friend to many drag racers, hot rodders and truck enthusiasts across the country, and when he passed away, the outpouring of love was astonishing. Meatball had the ability to turn a passing conversation into a friendship, and then nurture that friendship into a relationship that felt like family. He was a brother to many and his passing left a void in his giant network of friends. Despite the loss of his two sons, Ray Portman plans to continue the family tradition of drag racing, car shows and hanging out with the multitude of friends that his family has acquired over the years. While this 1957 Chevrolet drag car may not be the only reason that the Portman family bond is so strong, it has certainly offered a lot of good times and will continue to serve as a rolling memorial for Weasel and Meatball for years to come.


HOUSTON   The Houston Astros continued to pile up home runs on Monday night, even without their top slugger. Jake Marisnick and Tyler White homered and Brad Peacock had another solid start to lead the Astros over the Chicago White Sox 3-0. With George Springer, who leads the American League with 17 homers, out with a stiff back the Astros got pop from the bottom of the lineup to give them at least one homer in 17 straight games. They have 40 home runs in that span, and the two long balls Monday night helped them to their 11th win in 12 games. "Jake has really taken off recently with getting good pitches to hit," manager AJ Hinch said. "We always feel good about whoever we have up there ... we certainly feel good about the middle of our order no matter who it is and the same thing for the bottom of the order." BOX SCORE: ASTROS 3, WHITE SOX 0 Peacock (5-2) allowed two hits and fanned nine in five innings for his third straight win. He has allowed just two runs combined in his last three starts after giving up 11 combined in his previous three outings. "He threw everything tonight where he wanted to, which is exciting for him and certainly productive for him," Hinch said. "Other than the last inning when he threw literally a third of his pitches to get through the fifth, he was in complete control. They made him really work at the end, which got him out of the game." Ryan Pressly pitched a scoreless eighth to extend his MLB-record streak of appearances without allowing a run to 40, and Roberto Osuna gave up a hit in the ninth, preserving the shutout and earning his 12th save. The Astros bounced back for their eighth win in a row against the White Sox after a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday snapped a 10-game winning streak. Houston has the best record in the majors at 32-16 after going 14-4 this month. The White Sox used five pitchers on a bullpen day which began with Ryan Burr (1-1), who had made 22 relief appearances in two seasons with the team, but whose last start came at Arizona State on Feb. 23, 2014. He allowed one hit and one run   which was unearned, in two innings. Despite the loss White Sox manager Rick Renteria was pleased that his pitchers performed well enough that it didn't leave the bullpen overtaxed for the rest of the four-game series. "A starter gives you six innings and (gives up) three runs, it's a quality start," he said. "So today our bullpen gave us nine innings of three-run ball; it's a quality start for the bullpen." Burr walked Alex Bregman with one out in the first before a single by Michael Brantley. Right fielder Charlie Tilson made an error on Brantley's hit to allow Bregman to reach third. The Astros took a 1-0 lead when Bregman scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Correa. Jace Fry took over for Burr to start the third and Marisnick sent his first pitch sailing over the seats in left field for his fifth homer to make it 2-0. Jose Ruiz was pitching with one out in the fourth when White's first home run of the season pushed the lead to 3-0. TRAINER'S ROOM Astros: INF Aledmys Diaz is expected to return on Tuesday after missing the last two games with a sore left hamstring. ... 2B Jose Altuve, who has been out since May 10 with a strained left hamstring, took batting practice on the field on Monday and could be headed for a rehabilitation assignment soon. ... Springer, who left Sunday's game with stiffness in his lower back, had an MRI on Monday which was negative, and Hinch said he should return in a day or two. White Sox: OF Eloy Jimenez was reinstated from the 10-day injured list before Monday's game, taking the roster spot of OF Nicky Delmonico, who was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday. Jimenez has been on the injured list since April 28 after sustaining a high ankle sprain two days earlier. HOME SWEET HOME Houston's win on Monday gives the team a 17-4 record at home, which is the best home winning percentage in the majors. OSUNA'S SAVES Osuna has converted all of his save opportunities this season and has converted 24 straight since he was traded to the Astros last summer, which is tied with Brad Lidge (2005) for the longest streak in franchise history. UP NEXT White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (0-2, 4.41 ERA) will start for Chicago on Tuesday. Covey did not factor in the decision after allowing two hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings against Toronto in his last start. Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (7-1, 2.38) is scheduled to start for Houston on Tuesday. Verlander yielded two hits and one run in seven innings against Detroit for his third straight win the last time out. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Related slideshow: The 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened minicamp today, meaning we got our first chance to see this year's rookie class on the field and in action. The Bucs spent the majority of their draft picks on defensive players, including cornerback Sean Bunting. Bunting was Tampa Bay's second round pick out of Central Michigan and it's clear the team has big plans for the young rookie. And, for what it's worth, Bunting is more than excited to be in Tampa Bay. Check out this video he posted today after his first minicamp with the team. . @MrSeanyB1 is feeling blessed to be a Buc. pic.twitter.com/m8Yklabq6Z - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 10, 2019 Tampa Bay will need Bunting's help for sure. The team ranked 26th in pass defense last year, surrendering 259.4 yards per game. They also ranked tied for 26th in interceptions with just nine. MORE: The full story from the guy who got Danica Patrick a drink at the Bucks-Celtics game NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players 3 Raiders players who could have breakout seasons in 2019 Richard Sherman: 'The secondary wasn't the issue last year' Rumor: LeBron made a visit to Kawhi Leonard during Raptors-Sixers series


Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced his most sweeping plan yet to tackle the increasing cost of a higher education, introducing a bill Monday that would make public colleges and trade schools tuition free and cancel outstanding student loan debt for everyone, a proposal that goes beyond one introduced earlier this year by one of his chief presidential campaign rivals, Sen. Elizabeth Warren . At a Capitol Hill news conference, Sanders unveiled the plan to eliminate all of the $1.6 trillion of student loan debt in the U.S. held by 45 million Americans. The plan would include all private and graduate school loan debt and would apply to all persons regardless of income. The cost, he said, would be paid for by taxing Wall Street speculation. "If the American people bailed out Wall Street, now it is Wall Street to come to the aid of the middle class of this country," Sanders said, referencing efforts by the federal government banks and lenders deemed "too big to fail" during the Great Recession of the late 2000s. "The millennial generation was told that the only way they would get the good jobs available is if they received a college education," he continued. "Unfortunately, that turned out to be bad advice." (MORE: Sanders accuses Trump of 'racist child prisons'; similar program existed under Obama) Student-loan forgiveness and tuition-free colleges have been a main component of Sanders' rise as a presidential hopeful, garnering sharp criticism from both the left and the right for his ambitious, and expensive, proposals. Critics argue that the revenue generated by Sanders' proposed Wall Street taxes would not fully cover the costs of the plan, or that the money would be better spent directly assisting those in poverty, rather than persons whose education and degrees have already left them with increased upward mobility. (MORE: Bernie Sanders, channeling FDR, argues case for Democratic Socialism, pitches 'economic Bill of Rights') This student loan forgiveness component of the plan is coupled with a larger initiative to make all public universities, community colleges, and trade schools tuition-free, which would also be paid for by the new set of taxes on Wall Street, including a 0.5% tax on stock trades and a 0.1 percent tax on bonds. At the news conference, Sanders was flanked by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who are introducing the House version of the bill, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., an additional supporter of the legislation. Sanders argued pursuing a higher education should not economically punish young Americans. "The result is that many millions of young people today are forced to work at low wage jobs," Sanders said. "Bottom line is we should not be punishing people for getting a higher education, it is time to hit the reset button under the proposal that we introduced today, all student debt would be cancelled in six months by taking this action." Ocasio-Cortez, who at age 29 last year became the youngest woman ever to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, claimed that her election victory was "easier" than paying off the student loans she continues to carry. "That should tell you everything about the state of our economy and the state of quality of life for working people, because in order for me to get a chance to have health care, in order for me to get a chance to pay off my student loans, I had to do something that was nearly impossible," Ocasio-Cortez said. "And I don't think that that is the bar for which a person should be able to access education, health care, and a bevy of other things that should be considered human rights." Monday's proposal is not be the first time Sanders and Jayapal have teamed up to propose legislation to tackle tuition, although their previous proposals pale in comparison to this most recent bill. In 2017, they introduced the "College For All Act" which would make public colleges tuition-free for families making up to $125,000 and expand loans for lower-income students looking to attend private universities. With just two days before the first Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday, Sanders' proposal may be another way to further distinguish himself from his fellow presidential contenders, even as some of them, longtime friend Warren included, have proposed their own plans to tackle this issue. Warren's plan would cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for people with a household income under $100,000. Those who make more, up to $250,000 would also get some debt cancellation. But the Massachusetts senator's plan stops short of relieving debts for those who make more than $250,000. The Vermont senator spoke to the rationale Monday for not setting income limits for either proposal, comparing the plan to others that are provided to all Americans, such as Social Security, and arguing that wealthier people would pay their share in other ways. "I happen to … believe in universality, and that if Donald Trump wants to send his grandchildren to a public school, he has the right to do that," Sanders said, adding, "Now, our response to making sure that this does not benefit the wealthy is in other areas, we are going to demand that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes."


There is a lot of noise surrounding Trent Williams and the Washington Redskins right now, though both parties are probably the only two that truly know what is going on with the holdout. Over the weekend, a report broke that said the h oldout could last a while . But Redskins PR made a point to provide some push back concerning certain items on the rumor mill. Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post provided the brief note: "Official team statement from senior vice president of PR Tony Wyllie on report that Trent Williams and Redskins relationship is fractured. '100 percent false.'" Somewhere in all of this we know two things. One, Williams wants a new deal, which isn't surprising based on his play and the continued leap in salaries around the NFL. Two, we know Williams had a medical scare over the summer and there is an impasse between his camp and the front office over it. Beyond that, most noise simply suggests the holdout could last a while, which in this day and age, isn't too surprising. The Redskins want it well known that communication for both parties is fine. This doesn't hint at if and when Williams will return, but it might be a good sign the team is willing to put something like this out. MORE: Freddie Kitchens stopped practice to punish the Browns for a training camp fight Tom Brady disobeys Bill Belichick at practice, and suffers the consequences Chiefs training camp, 7/28/19: Recap, reactions VIDEO: Trevor Bauer Throws Ball Over Centerfield Fence in Fit of Rage Packers impressed with Rashan Gary's effort early at training camp


Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Berkeley. M4.3 earthquake hits Berkeley, East Bay A magnitude 4.3 earthquake shook Berkeley and the East Bay on Tuesday afternoon, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Service. Read the full story on Berkeleyside . 'Manhole' would become 'maintenance hole' if Berkeley changes municipal code The Berkeley City Council is set to vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would eliminate masculine and feminine pronouns from the city's municipal code, changing gender-specific language to gender-neutral language. Read the full story on Berkeleyside . Pasquale Scuderi says goodbye to Berkeley Unified BUSD's number-two administrator is Alameda Unified's new superintendent. Read the full story on Berkeleyside . This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson quietly met with the top Democrat and Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday for an interview that focused primarily on his time in the Trump administration, a congressional aide with direct knowledge of the discussion confirmed to CNN. Tillerson traveled to Capitol Hill where he sat down with the committee's Democratic chairman Rep. Eliot Engel and ranking Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the aide said, declining to provide additional details about the meeting itself other than the fact that it centered around the former top diplomat's time at the State Department. What is clear, however, is that Tillerson's trip to Capitol Hill came as a surprise to many in Washington, including to some members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Several members of the House panel did not know about the interview until after it was first reported by The Daily Beast , according to a Republican lawmaker and an aide to a Democrat on the committee. Tillerson was unceremoniously fired i n March 2018 and replaced by Trump's current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In a December 2018 interview with CBS News, Tillerson called President Trump "undisciplined." "When the President would say, 'Here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it.' And I'd have to say to him, 'Well Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way. It violates the law. It violates treaty,'" he said at the time. Tuesday's meeting comes as House Democrats seek to use their power as the majority party to conduct various oversight investigations into Trump's financial dealings and foreign policy decisions. Specifically, Democratic lawmakers have expressed interest in learning more about Trump's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- and signaled they would like to know more about specific interactions between the two leaders that occurred during Tillerson's tenure at the State Department. In January, CNN confirmed that after a 2017 meeting with Putin in Hamburg, Germany, Trump took the interpreter's notes and told him not to share anything about the discussion with anyone else, according to a former State Department official who was in Hamburg when the meeting took place. Senior White House and State officials who work on Russian issues asked for notes on the meeting and did not get them, the source said. Another former State Department official said that Tillerson did not provide a readout of the meeting to US ambassadors in the region at the time. The source said that "Tillerson played stuff pretty close to his chest" with all meetings and this one was no different. Engel, a New York Democrat, previously told CNN that his panel would work with the House Intelligence Committee to get the interpreter's notes and lawmakers have discussed the possibility of issuing a subpena for those records.


The Vikings' draft class is almost wrapped up. On Tuesday, the Vikings announced the signing of first-round center Garrett Bradbury . Bradbury, a North Carolina State product, was taken with the No. 18 overall pick last month. In his final year on campus, Bradbury won the Dave Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the best center in college football. The converted tight end is believed to be NFL-ready thanks to his core strength and blocking IQ. With Bradbury signed, the Vikings have just one straggler left in Air Force long snapper Austin Cutting . Cutting, a seventh-round pick, reported to rookie minicamp after signing an injury protection agreement instead of his rookie contract. Cutting says he's not signing "out of respect to letting the Air Force eventually give a final decision of if he can play in 2019." Here's the full rundown of Minnesota's frosh class: 1-18: Garrett Bradbury , C (North Carolina State): Signed 2-50: Irv Smith Jr ., TE (Alabama): Signed 3-102: Alexander Mattison , RB (Boise State): Signed 4-114: Dru Samia , G (Oklahoma): Signed 5-162: Cameron Smith , LB (USC): Signed 6-190: Armon Watts , DT (Arkansas): Signed 6-191: Marcus Epps , DB (Wyoming): Signed 6-193: Oli Udoh, T (Elon): Signed 7-217: Kris Boyd , CB (Texas): Signed 7-239: Dillon Mitchell , WR (Oregon): Signed 7-247: Olabisi Johnson , WR (Colorado State): Signed 7-250: Austin Cutting , LS (Air Force)


There's been a recent uptick in thefts of catalytic converters in Berkeley, and police are asking car owners to be vigilant of any suspicious activity taking place at night. At least 14 vehicles in the Berkeley area have had their catalytic converters taken since July 20. Toyota Prius vehicles are being particularly targeted due to their light weight, which "makes it easier to lift with a vehicle floor jack," Berkeley police said in a statement. ALSO READ: Why don't people in Northern Calif. buy earthquake insurance? The majority of the thefts are happening in the early morning hours, according to police. Thieves are using portable reciprocating saws to remove the catalytic converters, which can happen in less than five minutes even if you had the forethought to have the converter welded to your car. Replacing the converter can cost hundreds to a couple thousand dollars to get fixed, depending on the damage. Thieves, in turn, generally sell the converters   which contain a number of precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium   for anywhere from $20-$200 , according to Edmunds. The catalytic converters in Prius vehicles contain more of these metals , KCRA reported, therefore making them more profitable, and a better target, for thieves. Police are offering a number of suggestions to deter thieves from stealing your converter: If parking in your home garage is an option, do so. Add a motion-sensing light to your driveway, if that's where you park Leave your car in a well-lit area when parking on the street. Call police about suspicious behavior, such as a person working on the underside of a car late at night, accompanied by the sound of a power saw. Dianne de Guzman is a Digital Senior Editor at SFGATE. Email: dianne.deguzman@sfgate.com