Search
Home Blog Page 462

Buster Olney’s 2026 top 10 at every MLB position: First basemen

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Buster Olney’s 2026 top 10 at every MLB position: First basemen


  • Buster OlneyFeb 19, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

    Close

    • Senior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com
    • Analyst/reporter ESPN television
    • Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”

Multiple Authors

Spring training camps are underway, which means it is time to look at the state of baseball. As part of our 2026 MLB season preview, ESPN’s Buster Olney surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position as part of his annual positional ranking series.

Today, we rank the best of the best at first base.

The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2026 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career. We will roll out a position per day over the next two weeks. Here’s the rest of the schedule: starting pitchers (Monday), relief pitchers (Tuesday), catchers (Wednesday), second basemen (Friday), third basemen (Feb. 23), shortstops (Feb. 24), corner outfielders (Feb. 25), center fielders (Feb. 26), designated hitters (Feb. 27).

Typically, there is a distinct learning curve for even the best college hitters as they adapt to the challenge of facing professional pitchers, sometimes requiring significant adjustments, swing concessions and years of repetitions. That’s why the rookie season of A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz was so shocking.

After being drafted fourth overall in 2024 and starting the ’25 season in the minor leagues, Kurtz wrecked major league pitching for 36 homers and an OPS+ of 173 in his first 117 games. He effectively spotted the rest of the league a month — making his debut on April 23 — and only Matt Olson accumulated more fWAR than Kurtz among first basemen in 2025.

David Forst, the A’s head of baseball operations, was asked the other day about the alterations that Kurtz made after being drafted to propel him to such a fast start in the big leagues.

“He hasn’t had the time [in pro ball] to make adjustments yet,” Forst said. “He’s done the exact same thing in the major leagues as he did in college.”

This is not an exaggeration. In Kurtz’s last season at Wake Forest in 2024, he posted a slash line of .306/.531/.763. His first season in the big leagues: .290/.383/.619.

Kurtz turns 23 next month. Given the damage he did last year, and the promise for more of the same to come, where should he land among the accomplished list of first basemen that includes future Hall of Famers in Freddie Freeman and Bryce Harper, star hitters such as Rafael Devers and Josh Naylor, and sluggers such as Pete Alonso and Olson?

Evaluators love what they see in Kurtz.

Top 10 first basemen

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

Last October, Guerrero ascended from mere stardom to being in the conversation for the best and most dangerous hitter in the game with how he dominated postseason pitching. Vlad Jr. decided to focus less on mechanics and more on the pitcher and wow, did that approach work for him in the playoffs: He hit eight home runs in 18 games, going 29-for-73 (.397) with 14 walks and seven strikeouts. This season’s MVP race among Vladdy, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Kurtz, Bobby Witt Jr., Jose Ramirez and Julio Rodriguez could be a monster.

2. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Olson’s consistent production is vaulting him into Hall of Fame territory. He needs just 12 more homers for 300 in his career and has at least 29 in seven of his 10 seasons. New Atlanta manager Walt Weiss is more inclined to rest players than Brian Snitker was, and Olson might be his most challenging conversation — he has played every game over the past three seasons. There is so much to playing first base that no statistic fully captures the skills required, but Olson led all first basemen in defensive runs saved by far (17), and he was second in outs above average (nine).

3. Nick Kurtz, Athletics

Kurtz’s greatest adjustment might need to be made against left-handed pitchers because he is going to see a ton of them this year when opposing managers are trying to figure out a way to mitigate his power. Last season, his OPS versus right-handed pitchers was 468 points higher than versus lefties — 1.153 to .685. But given his immediate impact and steady improvement over last season, he figures to get better over time against lefties. His impressive history also suggests he’ll turn around last year’s walk/strikeout numbers of 63/151 — through his college years and first season of pro ball, he had 201 walks and 120 strikeouts. Kurtz has a special set of skills.

4. Pete Alonso, Baltimore Orioles

All of the conversation about Alonso’s defense and baserunning — overstated criticism — have overshadowed his remarkable consistency with the Mets. “You just pencil him in for 35 homers and 110 RBIs, and you know he’ll give you 155 to 160 games,” one evaluator said. None of that is an overstatement — Alonso has hit at least 34 home runs in every year of his career other than the COVID-shortened season of 2020, and he’s driven in 463 runs over the last four years, or about 116 per season. And he’s missed a total of 24 games in his first seven seasons. Time will tell whether the Mets’ decision to not pay him was the right one, but undoubtedly, there will be a lot of moments in 2026 when they will miss him.

5. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

If you polled opposing managers about who they would least like to see in the batter’s box with the game on the line, Freeman would probably be among the first hitters named, even at age 36. He continues to excel, with a .295/.367/.502 slash line last season, and at this point, there’s every reason to believe he’ll have a shot at being the next — and maybe last? — hitter to reach 3,000 hits. He’s got 569 to go, and given his understanding of opposing pitchers and his ability to hit to all fields, Freeman should continue to age well. He’s got two years left on his Dodgers contract, and with Shohei Ohtani entrenched as L.A.’s designated hitter indefinitely, questions might emerge next season about where Freeman will finish his career.

6. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies

David Dombrowski, the head of Philadelphia’s baseball operations, kicked off a lot of conversation about what kind of player Harper is with the way he answered a question about Harper’s production at the end of last season. Where does Harper actually stand? Well, his OPS+ last year was 129, meaning he was well above average, and in this era of dominant pitching, his on-base percentage of .357 ranked 26th among the 154 hitters who qualified for the batting title. Harper scored 72 runs in 132 games and accumulated 27 homers. He’ll play this season at age 33, with Dombrowski’s assessment providing the foundation for whatever narrative develops.

7. Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners

Naylor thrived after his trade to Seattle, posting an .831 OPS and going 19-for-19 in stolen bases over the last 54 games of the regular season — and carrying that over into the postseason, when he hit .417/.481/.792 in the AL Championship Series. Early in free agency, the Mariners retained him on a five-year, $92.5 million deal.

8. Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants

Members of San Francisco’s front office say they believe Devers will become a solid first baseman as he works with new infield instructor Ron Washington, and there has never been any doubt about whether he can hit. Even through his tumultuous 2025 season, Devers still finished with an OPS of 140, right in line with his career numbers, and he hit 35 homers. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts in his first full season in Oracle Park, where he had an uncharacteristic 59 strikeouts in 48 games and batted .234 — numbers that suggest he might have been trying to muscle up in a pitchers’ park.

9. Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs

With the confines of Wrigley Field more friendly to pitchers and right-handed hitters most days, Busch hit 21 of his 34 homers on the road. But he was still really good at home, with a .356 OBP and a .500 slugging percentage. With the Cubs’ best hitters mostly right-handed, the team will need the left-handed Busch to thrive and balance out the lineup, especially if Pete Crow-Armstrong has another season of streaks.

10. Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals

After a string of injuries, Pasquantino stayed on the field in 2025 and finished with 66 extra-base hits, 113 RBIs and a career-high 120 OPS+. He played 126 of his 160 games at first base last season but could have more time at DH in ’26, as the Royals rely more on Carter Jensen behind home plate and Salvador Perez plays more games at first.

Honorable mentions

Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays: Aranda would be in the top 10 if not for an injury that cost him August and almost all of September last year. He finished about 80 plate appearances short of qualifying for a batting title, but the only hitter with at least 400 plate appearances who had a higher average than Aranda’s .316 was Judge. Aranda had a wRC+ of 153, and among first basemen, only Kurtz was better.

Ben Rice, New York Yankees: Part of the reason Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talks about the improvement in his team’s roster over the last year is Rice’s development, which has the team believing he’s going to be an impact hitter in the seasons ahead. In his first full season, Rice generated a slugging percentage of .499, with an OBP of .337. His second-half slash line was .281/.352/.542, and lest you assume he’s just another left-hander hitter exploiting the Yankee Stadium dimensions, his home/road splits were pretty even (.250/.336/.518 at home, .259/.338/.481 on the road).

Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox: A tough hitter who has adapted well in his position shift to first base. His strikeouts spiked last year to a career-high 142, and his walk rate of 7.8 in ’25 was a career low.

Jorge Polanco, New York Mets: In the end, manager Carlos Mendoza could deploy Brett Baty — or Mark Vientos — at first, and Polanco could get a lot of run at DH. No matter where he plays, he should help the Mets’ offense, coming off a season in which he had an .821 OPS.

Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers: Torkelson made a lot of offseason changes that paid off in the first half of last season, when he hit 21 of his 31 homers and had an OPS of .826.

Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee Brewers: Vaughn had a .308/.375/.493 slash line in 64 games for Milwaukee, and his walk-strikeout ratio shifted dramatically — from seven walks and 43 strikeouts in his last 48 games with Chicago to 24 walks and 37 strikeouts with the Brewers.

Christian Walker, Houston Astros: His offensive struggles were real (a 99 wRC+), but he continued to play well defensively and he hit 27 homers.



Source link

Team USA captures record-breaking 11th gold medal at Winter Games

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Team USA captures record-breaking 11th gold medal at Winter Games


The U.S. Olympic team captured a record-breaking 11th gold medal at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Saturday, after Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran and Chris Lillis won the mixed team aerials title.

The 11th gold breaks the record set at the last Olympics on U.S. soil – in Salt Lake City in 2002, which has long stood as a turning point for a Winter sports program that had struggled over previous decades.

“Our focus and our strategy has always been about breadth,” said Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “We want to win in everything. We want to make every sport better. Some could argue there are countries that go a mile deep in certain sports and really dominate. Our goal has been to improve Winter sport across the board.”

Milan Cortina Olympics Freestyle Skiing

From left, gold medalists Christopher Lillis, Connor Curran and Kaila Kuhn, of the United States, celebrate after the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials final at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Gregory Bull / AP


The win lifted the U.S. to 30 medals overall for the Olympics. That’s second to Norway, which, a day earlier, won its 17th gold medal, setting a Winter Games record.

The biggest gold-medal hauls for the U.S. came in freeskiing and speedskating — two each (18%), with speedster Jordan Stolz capturing both on the ice.

Team USA could add more gold medals to its tally, including on Sunday when the U.S. men’s hockey team takes on Team Canada.

There are 38 more medal events on the program this year than there were in 2002.

“We stated we wanted to be a podium nation,” Fin Kirwan, the USOPC’s chief of Olympic sport, said of the U.S. goal of being top-three on the medals table. “We said it will likely take 30 medals and we got after it. The athletes delivered on their potential and, by turn, we hit the record on gold-medal performance, which shows that our very best were able to execute.”

Here are some looks and links to the rest of the 11 U.S. gold-medal winners:

Alex Ferreira, freeskiing

American freeskier Alex Ferreira rounds out his Olympic collection with his first gold in Milan. He took silver in Pyeongchang in 2018, and bronze four years ago in Beijing. 

Breezy Johnson, alpine

Her long journey to a gold medal included a knee injury four years ago on the same mountain where she won.

Elizabeth Lemley, moguls

Nicknamed “Lizard,” she joins a lexicon of great U.S. moguls skiers, including 2010 champion Hannah Kearney and her teammate, Jaelin Kauf, who now has three silver medals.

Alysa Liu, figure skating

The 20-year-old stepped away after the Beijing Games, rediscovered her love for figure skating and happily claimed the gold medal — the first for U.S. women since 2002.

Elana Meyers Taylor, bobsled

At her sixth Olympics, she finally broke through, becoming the oldest Winter Olympian to win gold at age 41.

Mikaela Shiffrin, alpine

The most winning skier of all time cashes in at the Olympics with slalom gold after a tear-stained shutout four years ago.

Jordan Stolz, speedskating (2)

Joined Eric Heiden at Lake Placid in 1980 as only the second man to capture the 500 and 1,000. Goes for a third title Saturday night.

U.S. figure skating team

Liu, Amber Glenn and Ilia Malinin are among the members of a team that brings home a second straight gold; the last one took two years to capture after the Russian doping saga.

U.S. women’s hockey team

A tense thriller, highlighted by Hilary Knight’s equalizer with 2:04 left, then Megan Keller’s winner in overtime.

In:



Source link

ICE is quietly buying warehouses for detention centers

1newsmedia.com
-
0
ICE is quietly buying warehouses for detention centers


In a Texas town at the edge of the Rio Grande and a tall metal border wall, rumors swirled that federal immigration officials wanted to purchase three hulking warehouses to transform into a detention center.As local officials scrambled to find out what was happening, a deed was filed showing the Department of Homeland Security had already inked a $122.8 million deal for the 826,000-square-foot (76,738-square-meter) warehouses in Socorro, a bedroom community of 40,000 people outside El Paso.Video above: White House responds to plans for ICE facility in New Hampshire”Nobody from the federal government bothered to pick up the phone or even send us any type of correspondence letting us know what’s about to take place,” said Rudy Cruz Jr., the mayor of the predominantly Hispanic town of low-slung ranch homes and trailer parks, where orchards and irrigation ditches share the landscape with strip malls, truck stops, recycling plants and distribution warehouses.Socorro is among at least 20 communities with large warehouses across the U.S. that have become stealth targets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s $45-billion expansion of detention centers. As public support for the agency and President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown sags, communities are objecting to mass detentions and raising concerns that the facilities could strain water supplies and other services while reducing local tax revenue. In many cases, mayors, county commissioners, governors and members of Congress learned about ICE’s ambitions only after the agency bought or leased space for detainees, leading to shock and frustration even in areas that have backed Trump. “I just feel,” said Cruz, whose wife was born in Mexico, “that they do these things in silence so that they don’t get opposition.” ICE, which is part of DHS, has purchased at least seven warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas, signed deeds show. Other deals have been announced but not yet finalized, though buyers scuttled sales in eight locations. DHS objected to calling the sites warehouses, stressing in a statement that they would be “very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.” The process has been chaotic at times. ICE this past week acknowledged it made a “mistake” when it announced warehouse purchases in Chester, New York, and Roxbury, New Jersey. Roxbury then announced Friday that the sale there had closed. DHS has confirmed it is looking for more detention space but hasn’t disclosed individual sites ahead of acquisitions. Some cities learned that ICE was scouting warehouses through reporters. Others were tipped off by a spreadsheet circulating online among activists whose source is unclear.It wasn’t until Feb. 13 that the scope of the warehouse project was confirmed, when the governor’s office in New Hampshire, where there is backlash to a planned 500-bed processing center, released a document from ICE showing the agency plans to spend $38.3 billion to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds. Since Trump took office, the number of people detained by ICE has increased to 75,000 from 40,000, spread across more than 225 sites. ICE could use the warehouses to consolidate and to increase capacity. The document describes a project that includes eight large-scale detention centers, capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers. The document also refers to the acquisition of 10 existing “turnkey” facilities.The project is funded through the big tax and spending cuts bill passed by Congress last year that nearly doubled DHS’ budget. To build the detention centers, the Trump administration is using military contracts. Those contracts allow a lot of secrecy and for DHS to move quickly without following the usual processes and safeguards, said Charles Tiefer, a professor emeritus of law at the University of Baltimore Law School.In Socorro, the ICE-owned warehouses are so large that 4 1/2 Walmart Supercenters could fit inside, standing in contrast to the remnants of the austere Spanish colonial and mission architecture that defines the town.At a recent City Council meeting, public comments stretched for hours. “I think a lot of innocent people are getting caught up in their dragnet,” said Jorge Mendoza, an El Paso County retiree whose grandparents immigrated from Mexico. Video below: Maine resident describes ‘brutality’ of ICE detainment after he spent weeks in custodyMany speakers invoked concerns about three recent deaths at an ICE detention facility at the nearby Fort Bliss Army base.Even communities that backed Trump in 2024 have been caught off guard by ICE’s plans and have raised concerns.In rural Pennsylvania’s Berks County, commissioner Christian Leinbach called the district attorney, the sheriff, the jail warden and the county’s head of emergency services when he first heard ICE might buy a warehouse in Upper Bern Township, 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from his home. No one knew anything. A few days later, a local official in charge of land records informed him that ICE had bought the building — promoted by developers as a “state-of-the art logistics center” — for $87.4 million. “There was absolutely no warning,” Leinbach said during a meeting in which he raised concerns that turning the warehouse into a federal facility means a loss of more than $800,000 in local tax dollars. ICE has touted the income taxes its workers would pay, though the facilities themselves will be exempt from property taxes.In Social Circle, Georgia, which also strongly supported Trump in 2024, officials were stunned by ICE’s plans for a facility that could hold 7,500 to 10,000 people after first learning about it through a reporter. The city, which has a population of just 5,000 and worries about the infrastructure needs for such a detention center, only heard from DHS after the $128.6 million sale of a 1 million-square-foot (92,900-square-meter) warehouse was completed. Like Socorro and Berks County, Social Circle questioned whether the water and sewage system could keep up. ICE has said it did due diligence to ensure the sites don’t overwhelm city utilities. But Social Circle said the agency’s analysis relied on a yet-to-be built sewer treatment plant. “To be clear, the City has repeatedly communicated that it does not have the capacity or resources to accommodate this demand, and no proposal presented to date has demonstrated otherwise,” the city said in a statement. And in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise, officials sent a scathing letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after ICE without warning bought a massive warehouse in a residential area about a mile from a high school. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, raised the prospect of going to court to have the site declared a public nuisance. Back in Socorro, people waiting to speak against the ICE facility spilled out of the City Council chambers, some standing beside murals paying tribute to the World War II-era Braceros Program that allowed Mexican farmworkers to be guest workers in the U.S. The program stoked Socorro’s economy and population before President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration in the 1950s began mass deportations aimed at people who had crossed the border illegally.Eduardo Castillo, formerly an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, told city officials it is intimidating but “not impossible” to challenge the federal government. “If you don’t at least try,” he said, “you will end up with another inhumane detention facility built in your jurisdiction and under your watch.” Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also contributed.

SOCORRO, Texas —

In a Texas town at the edge of the Rio Grande and a tall metal border wall, rumors swirled that federal immigration officials wanted to purchase three hulking warehouses to transform into a detention center.

As local officials scrambled to find out what was happening, a deed was filed showing the Department of Homeland Security had already inked a $122.8 million deal for the 826,000-square-foot (76,738-square-meter) warehouses in Socorro, a bedroom community of 40,000 people outside El Paso.

Video above: White House responds to plans for ICE facility in New Hampshire

“Nobody from the federal government bothered to pick up the phone or even send us any type of correspondence letting us know what’s about to take place,” said Rudy Cruz Jr., the mayor of the predominantly Hispanic town of low-slung ranch homes and trailer parks, where orchards and irrigation ditches share the landscape with strip malls, truck stops, recycling plants and distribution warehouses.

Socorro is among at least 20 communities with large warehouses across the U.S. that have become stealth targets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s $45-billion expansion of detention centers.

As public support for the agency and President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown sags, communities are objecting to mass detentions and raising concerns that the facilities could strain water supplies and other services while reducing local tax revenue. In many cases, mayors, county commissioners, governors and members of Congress learned about ICE’s ambitions only after the agency bought or leased space for detainees, leading to shock and frustration even in areas that have backed Trump.

“I just feel,” said Cruz, whose wife was born in Mexico, “that they do these things in silence so that they don’t get opposition.”

ICE, which is part of DHS, has purchased at least seven warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas, signed deeds show. Other deals have been announced but not yet finalized, though buyers scuttled sales in eight locations.

DHS objected to calling the sites warehouses, stressing in a statement that they would be “very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.”

The process has been chaotic at times. ICE this past week acknowledged it made a “mistake” when it announced warehouse purchases in Chester, New York, and Roxbury, New Jersey. Roxbury then announced Friday that the sale there had closed.

DHS has confirmed it is looking for more detention space but hasn’t disclosed individual sites ahead of acquisitions. Some cities learned that ICE was scouting warehouses through reporters. Others were tipped off by a spreadsheet circulating online among activists whose source is unclear.

It wasn’t until Feb. 13 that the scope of the warehouse project was confirmed, when the governor’s office in New Hampshire, where there is backlash to a planned 500-bed processing center, released a document from ICE showing the agency plans to spend $38.3 billion to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds.

Since Trump took office, the number of people detained by ICE has increased to 75,000 from 40,000, spread across more than 225 sites.

ICE could use the warehouses to consolidate and to increase capacity. The document describes a project that includes eight large-scale detention centers, capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers. The document also refers to the acquisition of 10 existing “turnkey” facilities.

The project is funded through the big tax and spending cuts bill passed by Congress last year that nearly doubled DHS’ budget. To build the detention centers, the Trump administration is using military contracts.

Those contracts allow a lot of secrecy and for DHS to move quickly without following the usual processes and safeguards, said Charles Tiefer, a professor emeritus of law at the University of Baltimore Law School.

In Socorro, the ICE-owned warehouses are so large that 4 1/2 Walmart Supercenters could fit inside, standing in contrast to the remnants of the austere Spanish colonial and mission architecture that defines the town.

At a recent City Council meeting, public comments stretched for hours. “I think a lot of innocent people are getting caught up in their dragnet,” said Jorge Mendoza, an El Paso County retiree whose grandparents immigrated from Mexico.

Video below: Maine resident describes ‘brutality’ of ICE detainment after he spent weeks in custody

Many speakers invoked concerns about three recent deaths at an ICE detention facility at the nearby Fort Bliss Army base.

Even communities that backed Trump in 2024 have been caught off guard by ICE’s plans and have raised concerns.

In rural Pennsylvania’s Berks County, commissioner Christian Leinbach called the district attorney, the sheriff, the jail warden and the county’s head of emergency services when he first heard ICE might buy a warehouse in Upper Bern Township, 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from his home.

No one knew anything.

A few days later, a local official in charge of land records informed him that ICE had bought the building — promoted by developers as a “state-of-the art logistics center” — for $87.4 million.

“There was absolutely no warning,” Leinbach said during a meeting in which he raised concerns that turning the warehouse into a federal facility means a loss of more than $800,000 in local tax dollars.

Mayor Rudy Cruz Jr., right, listens to public comments at a City Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Socorro, Texas, regarding the purchase of three hulking warehouses in connection with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's expansion of immigrant detention centers.

Morgan Lee

Mayor Rudy Cruz Jr., right, listens to public comments at a City Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Socorro, Texas, regarding the purchase of three hulking warehouses in connection with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s expansion of immigrant detention centers.

ICE has touted the income taxes its workers would pay, though the facilities themselves will be exempt from property taxes.

In Social Circle, Georgia, which also strongly supported Trump in 2024, officials were stunned by ICE’s plans for a facility that could hold 7,500 to 10,000 people after first learning about it through a reporter.

The city, which has a population of just 5,000 and worries about the infrastructure needs for such a detention center, only heard from DHS after the $128.6 million sale of a 1 million-square-foot (92,900-square-meter) warehouse was completed. Like Socorro and Berks County, Social Circle questioned whether the water and sewage system could keep up.

ICE has said it did due diligence to ensure the sites don’t overwhelm city utilities. But Social Circle said the agency’s analysis relied on a yet-to-be built sewer treatment plant.

“To be clear, the City has repeatedly communicated that it does not have the capacity or resources to accommodate this demand, and no proposal presented to date has demonstrated otherwise,” the city said in a statement.

A warehouse purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Surprise, Ariz., is seen Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.

Ty ONeil

A warehouse purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Surprise, Ariz., is seen Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.

And in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise, officials sent a scathing letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after ICE without warning bought a massive warehouse in a residential area about a mile from a high school. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, raised the prospect of going to court to have the site declared a public nuisance.

Back in Socorro, people waiting to speak against the ICE facility spilled out of the City Council chambers, some standing beside murals paying tribute to the World War II-era Braceros Program that allowed Mexican farmworkers to be guest workers in the U.S. The program stoked Socorro’s economy and population before President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration in the 1950s began mass deportations aimed at people who had crossed the border illegally.

Eduardo Castillo, formerly an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, told city officials it is intimidating but “not impossible” to challenge the federal government.

“If you don’t at least try,” he said, “you will end up with another inhumane detention facility built in your jurisdiction and under your watch.”

Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also contributed.



Source link

The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20

1newsmedia.com
-
0
The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20


This week’s new heavy metal releases include thrashing prog, epic deathcore, horrible car crashes in sonic form, and more! To the metals…

Abstracted – Hiraeth

The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20

Genre: Progressive death/extreme metal
Origin: São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Label: M-Theory Audio

Buy now on Bandcamp

What a prog metal feast this is. You’ve getting tons of heavy grooves, rhythmic shifts, catchy moments, and genre dabbling. There’s even a guest spot from Chaney Crabb of Entheos. This was my introduction to the band, and what an intro it was.

Dissentience – Kaiju

The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20

Genre: Progressive thrash/death metal
Origin: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Label: Self-released

Buy now on Bandcamp

We’re going to keep it proggy, but shift the vibe a lot with this EP. Dissentience are as adventurous as Abstracted, but heavier and darker. These four songs are unrelenting and pummeling.

Exhumed – Red Asphalt

The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20

Genre: Deathgrind
Origin: San Jose, California
Label: Relapse

Buy now on Bandcamp

Do they still show Red Asphalt in driver’s ed? For those unaware, it was a film showed the aftermath of brutal car crashes to scare you into driving safely (or maybe inspire death metal kids for years to come). Perfect inspiration for a gore-obsessed metal band, right? Exhumed thought so. This is a nasty one.

Sylosis – The New Flesh

The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20

Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Reading, Berkshire, England
Label: Nuclear Blast

Buy now on Bandcamp

Album number seven from Josh Middleton and pals is another shredding masterclass. It also feels like their most melodic one yet. When a big sing-a-long chorus hits, woo boy does it soar.

Worm Shepherd – Dawn Of The Iconoclast

The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXHUMED, SYLOSIS & More Out This Week 2/20

Genre:Blackened deathcore
Origin: Brockton, Massachusetts
Label: Unique Leader Records

Buy now on Bandcamp

Wrapping this week in a really heavy and dark place. This EP contains five songs that lay waste to your eardrums with bombastic symphonic elements and just the most deathcore-ass deathcore there is. Tru Purdue is the only one from their last go around Hunter, but returning drummer Leo McClain, and the trio of new pals know how to hit.

Also dropping this week…

  • Aeon Gods – Reborn To Light (Scarlet Records) – Symphonic/power metal
  • Amongruins – Advent Of Chaos (Theogonia Records) – Melodic death metal
  • Atlas – Sunder (Odyssey Music Network) – Melodic death metal
  • Bayonet Dismemberment – Skull Crushed by a Tank (Iron Fortress Records) – Brutal death metal
  • Bizarrekult – Alt Som Finnes (Underground Activists) – Post-black metal
  • Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean – Let Us Not Speak Of Them But Look And Pass On (Redscroll Records) – Sludge/doom
  • Clawfinger – Before We All Die (Perception) – Rap/nu metal
  • Coscradh – Carving The Causeway To The Otherworld (20 Buck Spin) – Death/black metal
  • Crowen – Through The Dying Mist (Inverse Records) – Melodic death/folk metal
  • Daidalos – Dante (Rockshots Records) – Symphonic black metal
  • Darklore – The Great Elven War (Self-released) – Symphonic/blackened death metal
  • Death Of Youth – Nothing Is The Same Anymore (Sell The Heart Records/Engineer Records) – Melodic hardcore
  • Dimscûa – Dust Eater (Big Scary Monsters) – Post-metal/sludge
  • Domhain – In Perfect Stillness (These Hands Melt) – Post-black metal/shoegaze
  • Dusk – Bunker (Self-released) – Industrial/black metal
  • Dwellnought – Monolith of Ephemerality (Caligari Records) – Black metal/doom
  • Ender – Ender II: In Silent Throne (Praetorian Records) – Progressive doom
  • Evig Natt – Vaketimen (Wormholedeath) – Gothic/death metal
  • Eye Of Melian – Forest Of Forgetting (Napalm Records) – Folk metal
  • Foreword – Exposition (Seek And Strike) – Metalcore
  • Hellstedt – As Right As Rain (Self-released) – Groove metal/thrash
  • Horseman – No Surrender in Dark Days (Recordjet) – Groove metal/metalcore
  • Incandescence – Hors Temps (Profound Lore) – Black metal
  • Lead Injector – Witching Attack (High Roller) – Black metal/thrash
  • The Magus – Daemonosophia (The Circle Music) – Heavy/black metal
  • Mirrorcell – Long Nights In Lovescape (InVogue Records) – Modern metal
  • Michael Monroe – Outerstellar (Silver Lining) – Rock/glam
  • Nazghor – A World Ablaze (Solistitium Records) – Black metal
  • Necronomicon Ex Mortis – Zombie Blood Nightmare (Self-released) – Death metal
  • New Found Glory – Listen Up! (Pure Noise Records) – Pop punk
  • Nightshade – In Essence Divided (My Kingdom Music) – Melodic death meta;
  • Northern Krig – Worship Files For Anthropophagolagnia Predators (Self-released) – Black metal
  • Nytt Land – Aba Khan (Prophecy) – Folk
  • Phasma – Purgatory (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Technical blackened/death metal
  • The Recreant – The Code is V…Outlive the Code (Self-released) – Crossover/thrash
  • Retrograth – Antispaces (C&N Records) – Darkwave
  • Rotten Blasphemy – Worshippers Of Chaös (Witches Brew) – Black metal/thrash
  • Serpent Gates – The Veil Of Darkness (Venomoon Records) – Heavy metal
  • Shadowspawn – Cadaver Dogs (Via Nocturna) – Death metal/thrash
  • Stam1na – Apnea (Sakara) – Progressie thrash
  • Suplecs – Hymns Under A Blood Red Sky (Ripple) – Stoner metal
  • Temple Balls – Temple Balls (Frontiers) – Melodic rock
  • Transatlantic Radio – Midnight Transmission (Frontiers) – AOR
  • Trespasser – יְהִי אוֹר (Fucking Kill Records) – Black metal
  • The Veer Union – Reinvention (Arising Empire) – Alternative metal
  • Unmother – State Dependent Memory (Fiadh Productions) – Post-black metal
  • W.E.B. – Darkness Alive (Metal Blade Records) – Symphonic black metal
  • Wreck-Defy – Dissecting The Leech (Massacre Records) – Thrash
  • Zepter – Zepter (High Roller) – Heavy metal
Want More Metal? Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter

Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.



Source link

Teens Have Doused Themselves in Axe Body Spray for Decades. Even Axe Is Over It.

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Teens Have Doused Themselves in Axe Body Spray for Decades. Even Axe Is Over It.




The brand is rolling out a new bottle with a more controlled sprayer to help consumers stop overdoing it.



Source link

Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia fight odds, predictions, time: Boxing picks, props from proven expert

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia fight odds, predictions, time: Boxing picks, props from proven expert



Mario Barrios will defend his WBC welterweight title on Saturday in a 12-round boxing main event against Ryan Garcia. Barrios has fought to a draw in each of his last two fights. He earned a split decision draw with Abel Ramos on Nov. 15, 2024, before earning a draw with Manny Pacquiao last July. Garcia, meanwhile, lost a unanimous decision to Rolando Romero for the vacant WBA (regular) welterweight title last May.

The pay-per-view main card (DAZN) is set for an 8 p.m. ET start time from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Garcia is a -250 favorite (wager $250 to win $100), while Barrios is priced at +195 (wager $100 to win $195) in the latest boxing odds for Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia. The over/under for total rounds finished is 10.5 (Over -135, Under +100). Before making any Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios picks, make sure you see the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine combat expert Josh Nagel.  

Bet Barrios vs. Garcia with the latest DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your first $5+ bet wins:

Nagel, who is the combat sports editor for SportsLine, is an experienced and successful boxing analyst who has covered the sport for multiple outlets for more than 20 years. Among his notable picks are calling Terence Crawford (+140) against Canelo Alvarez in their September mega fight, while also picking Crawford specifically by decision (+220). His other notable 2025 winners include calling Dimitry Bivol (+110) to pull the slight upset of Artur Beterbiev in their February rematch. 

In April, he correctly called Jarron Ennis to beat Eimantas Stanionis by KO (+155), while also correctly predicting the Under 10.5 rounds (+165). He also predicted Paul by decision (-110) against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June. He kept his hot streak going by recommending Katie Taylor (+170) against Amanda Serrano in their trilogy showdown in July.

Anyone who has followed Nagel’s combat sports picks on boxing betting sites has already seen massive returns.

Now, with the Barrios vs. Garcia fight card approaching, Nagel has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident prop picks for the fight. You can only see his top prop picks and analysis at SportsLine. 

Bet Barrios vs. Garcia with the latest FanDuel promo code and get $100 in bonus bets at FanDuel if your $5+ bet wins:

Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia prop bets  

Nagel has analyzed the Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia bout and one of his top prop picks is Barrios to win by decision at +320. Barrios, 30, has held world championships in two classes, including welterweight and super lightweight. He began his career in November 2013, and rattled off 26 wins in a row to start his career before losing back-to-back bouts to Gervonta Davis in 2021 and Keith Thurman in 2022. He is 3-0-2 since, including winning the vacant WBC Continental Americas welterweight title, and the vacant WBC interim welterweight crown. 

Garcia, 27, has fought at the welterweight, light welterweight, lightweight and super featherweight levels. He held the WBC interim lightweight title in 2021. He has been a knockout machine, winning 20 fights by knockout. He is 24-2-1 overall, after winning each of his first 23 fights. He was a 15-time national amateur champion and registered a 215-15 record as an amateur. He turned pro in 2016. See the rest of Nagel’s bets here. 

Trade the fight with the Kalshi bonus code CBSSPORTS and get a $10 cash bonus after making $10 in trades:

How to make Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia prop picks

Nagel has locked in two other best bets, including a strong money-line play. He’s only sharing his picks and analysis at SportsLine.

Who wins Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia on Saturday, and which pick should you target for a huge payday? Visit SportsLine now to see Josh Nagel’s best bets for the Saturday, Feb. 21, welterweight title bout, all from the combat sports specialist who has covered the sport for more than 20 years, and find out.





Source link

Suicide bombing kills 2 Pakistani soldiers, including lieutenant colonel in restive northwest

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Suicide bombing kills 2 Pakistani soldiers, including lieutenant colonel in restive northwest


Pakistan’s military says a suicide bomber has rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security convoy in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel

ISLAMABAD — A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security convoy in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Saturday, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, the Pakistani military said.

It said the attack took place in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where security forces have battled militants for years.

The military said Pakistan would not “exercise any restraint” and that operations against those responsible for the violence would continue “irrespective of their location,” language that appeared to signal rising tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.

No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban who have been blamed for previous such attacks. There was no immediate statement from the Afghan government.

The latest attack came two days after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned a senior Afghan diplomat and lodged a strong protest over a recent deadly attack on a security post that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers and a girl in the Bajaur district near the Afghan border.

Local police have said the man who carried out the attack in Bajaur was an Afghan national.

In separate statements, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing and praised Lt. Col. Shehzad Gul and Sepoy Karamat Shah for sacrificing their lives.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it blamed on Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and outlawed Baloch groups. The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses the TTP of operating from inside Afghanistan, a charge both the group and Kabul deny.

Relations between the neighboring countries have remained tense since October, when deadly border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. The violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan. A Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely held, but subsequent talks in Istanbul failed to produce a formal agreement, and relations remain strained.



Source link

Year of the Horse celebrated by Albuquerque community

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Year of the Horse celebrated by Albuquerque community




ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Chinese Culture Center kicked off the Year of the Horse with their 26th annual Chinese New Year Extravaganza earlier Saturday. The event featured a variety of traditional demonstrations and performances, including martial arts and several traditional dances. Students from Lin’s Martial Arts Academy and the Albuquerque Chinese Folk Dance Ensemble participated […]



Source link

Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star, Dies at 53

1newsmedia.com
-
0
Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star, Dies at 53


Eric Dane has died nearly one year after publicly announcing his ALS diagnosis. The actor was 53.

Dane died Thursday (February 19), his family confirmed in a statement. “With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” the statement reads.

“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time,” the message continues.

In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

According to the ALS Foundation, ALS is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that impacts one’s motor neurons in both the spinal cord and brain. The disease causes muscular wasting, which results in involuntary loss of speech, movement, and breathing control. There is currently no cure.

READ MORE: James Van Der Beek, Dawson’s Creek Star, Dies at 48

Dane is best remembered for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, AKA McSteamy, on the long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. He starred as Sloan between 2006 and 2012, making his debut as a recurring character in Season 2 before joining the cast as a regular in Season 3. His character was written off in Season 9.

Born on November 9, 1972 in San Francisco, Dane made his TV debut in a 1991 episode of Saved by the Bell after moving to Los Angeles in the early ‘90s.

During his career on television he appeared in dozens of shows including The Wonder Years, Married… With Children, Charmed, Brilliant Minds, and Euphoria. He made his debut in the HBO teen drama, on which he plays Nate Jacobs’ (Jacob Elordi) dad Cal Jacobs, in 2019. His character will reportedly appear in the upcoming third season, scheduled to premiere on April 12, posthumously.

During his on-screen career, Dane also appeared in films such as X-Men: The Last Stand, Marley & Me, Burlesque, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and Borderline. His final film, Family Secrets, is currently in post-production.

Taste of Country logo

The Most Intense Medical TV Shows Ever Made

Everyone is going to be okay. Maybe. 





Source link

St. John’s extends win streak to 13, longest in 41 years

1newsmedia.com
-
0
St. John’s extends win streak to 13, longest in 41 years


Feb 21, 2026, 05:19 PM ET

NEW YORK — After a 4-3 start this season, St. John’s is enjoying its most dominant roll in decades.

Bryce Hopkins had 15 points and 10 rebounds as the 17th-ranked Red Storm breezed past Creighton 81-52 on Saturday for their 13th straight victory — marking the program’s longest winning streak in 41 years.

Dylan Darling scored 17 points off the bench and Zuby Ejiofor added 15 for the first-place Johnnies (22-5, 15-1 Big East), who led wire to wire and held Creighton to 32% shooting in their 18th win in 20 games.

“This was the best defense we played all season,” coach Rick Pitino said. “The guys were totally locked in because of their respect for Creighton and their ability to score.”

It was the largest blowout by St. John’s in a Big East game since a 91-57 win over Butler at Carnesecca Arena on campus in February 2022 — and the school’s biggest margin of victory against a conference opponent at Madison Square Garden since a 90-57 thrashing of No. 6 UConn on Feb. 1, 1992.

St. John’s hadn’t won 13 in a row since a 19-game run in 1984-85 on the way to a No. 1 national ranking, a top seed in the NCAA tournament and a Final Four berth under Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca.

“Our staff is doing a phenomenal job of getting the guys [ready],” Pitino said. “It’s one thing to be a great scout and break it down, but it’s getting the players to listen to every little detail, and they’re listening to every little detail. I’m proud of them for that.”

Ejiofor and Hopkins have been at the forefront for the Johnnies all season, but the emergence of Darling and Dillon Mitchell is a huge reason for the turnaround.

With starting guard Ian Jackson sidelined by a sprained right ankle, Darling played 28½ minutes and provided four rebounds, three assists and three steals in a bounce-back performance. The gritty point guard went scoreless in 13 minutes Wednesday and fouled out of a 76-70 victory at Marquette.

“I told him in the handshake line: I think that Darling’s changed their team in a lot of ways the last six weeks,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “There’s a confidence about him and there’s a tenacity and toughness defensively. And obviously they have that across their roster, but in preparing for this game and watching film, in a lot of close games he’s making huge plays on both ends of the floor.”

Mitchell, who didn’t even attempt a field goal against Marquette but helps immensely in all areas, had 10 rebounds, seven assists and zero turnovers Saturday before a red-clad crowd of 19,328 on Johnnies Day at Madison Square Garden.

“He’s a summa cum laude basketball player,” Pitino said. “If you have to get a rebound in the game, he’s the guy that’s going to get it. … He’s just a great basketball player.”

The 6-foot-8 senior forward also finished with six points and a steal.

“We have a lot of offensive threats and it’s my job to try to get them good shots,” Mitchell said.

St. John’s entered with the third-longest winning streak in Division I and the best among high-major programs. The team hasn’t lost since a 77-71 defeat against Providence on Jan. 3 at MSG.

Creighton committed 18 turnovers and was outrebounded 44-30. Unable to build off a big upset Wednesday at No. 5 UConn, the Bluejays (14-14, 8-9) were limited to a season-low 0.7 points per possession in their most lopsided loss this season.

St. John’s scored the first eight points, went ahead by 12 just 4:18 into the game and took a 42-27 advantage into halftime. Creighton went 8:45 without a field goal in the second half as the Red Storm used a 25-4 spurt to open a 69-38 lead with 8:31 left.

“St. John’s, they’re terrific. Their defensive versatility makes it very challenging for us with the particular roster that we have,” McDermott said.

Seeking their second consecutive Big East championship, the Red Storm began the day with a half-game lead in the conference standings over UConn, scheduled to play later at third-place Villanova.

St. John’s visits Connecticut on Wednesday night for their second showdown this season. A victory would give the Johnnies a 14-game winning streak in Big East play, which would match their 14-0 start in 1984-85 for the program record.

Pitino said Jackson could have played Saturday, but was held out because he hadn’t practiced. He’s expected to be available against UConn.



Source link

1...461462463...1,044Page 462 of 1,044

About us

1 News Media is your trusted source for local news, stories, and events that matter most to our community. Based in the heart of the region, we are committed to delivering timely, accurate, and meaningful coverage—from breaking news and local government updates to community features, sports, and culture.

The latest

© 2026-2027 All Rights Reserved. 1 News Media