Parker

Update: Astros win over Mariners ties longest MLB playoff game Today, the Houston Astros are perennial World Series contenders, having won three of the last five American League pennants. And after Thursday's Game 2 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park, the team is just one win from its sixth consecutive ALCS appearance . Things sure didn't look this bright in Houston when star second baseman Jose Altuve got to town. The first three seasons of Altuve's MLB career coincided with a historically dismal stretch for the Astros. They won a franchise-low 56 games his rookie year in 2011, a record that dropped to 55 wins in 2012 and 51 wins in 2013. To illustrate just how woeful these teams were, Houston's .315 winning percentage in 2013 remains the fifth-lowest for an MLB club since 1965. Infamously nicknamed the "Lastros" for their ongoing futility, the team had established a trend of trading away some of its top performing or most recognizable … [Read more...] about Jose Altuve has special place in hearts of Houston Astros fans

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a Chinese national who was convicted of trying to steal trade secrets from multiple U.S. aviation and aerospace companies, including the theft of proprietary airplane engine fan technology. Judge Timothy Black in Cincinnati rejected arguments by Yanjun Xu's attorneys that a long sentence was too harsh and the just under five years that Xu has served since his arrest was sufficient punishment. Prosecutors had asked for a 25-year sentence. “This case sends a clear message: we will hold accountable anyone attempting to steal American trade secrets,” Kenneth Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said in a statement. A message was left with Xu's attorneys seeking comment. The government alleged that beginning in December 2013, Xu recruited experts who worked at aviation companies, including GE Aviation in Cincinnati. Federal prosecutors described Xu as a deputy division … [Read more...] about 20 years for Chinese national in US aviation spying case

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is preparing to execute a man convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife, even though a jury recommended he receive life imprisonment instead of a death sentence. Kenneth Eugene Smith, 57, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison on Thursday evening. Prosecutors said Smith was one of two men who were each paid $1,000 to kill Elizabeth Sennett on behalf of her husband, who was deeply in debt and wanted to collect on insurance. Elizabeth Sennett was found dead on March 18, 1988, in the couple’s home on Coon Dog Cemetery Road in Alabama's Colbert County. The coroner testified that the 45-year-old woman had been stabbed eight times in the chest and once on each side of the neck. Her husband, Charles Sennett Sr, who was the pastor of the Westside Church of Christ, killed himself one week after his wife's death when the murder investigation started to focus on him as a suspect, according to court documents. … [Read more...] about Alabama execution set in murder-for-hire of preacher’s wife

WASHINGTON - The turkeys weren't taking questions. Moments after President Joe Biden pardoned Chocolate and Chip, two hefty gobblers from a couple states south, they let out loud, ecstasy-filled gobbles that resounded throughout the Rose Garden ceremony - but declined to make further comment. Theirs were not the only animal cries punctuating Monday's ceremony, as a (presumably) salivating Commander, Biden's German shepherd, watched from the White House's second-floor balcony and occasionally let loose a commanding woof. Sorry, Commander, you're a good boy, but these turkeys are free. The birds, presented per tradition by the National Turkey Federation, hail from Monroe, N.C., where they were raised by NTF Chairman Ronnie Parker. Later in the afternoon, Biden and first lady Jill Biden were scheduled to travel to the U.S. Marine Corps base in Cherry Point, N.C. - which resides on the Eastern Seaboard, a 250-mile drive from Chocolate and Chip's hometown - to dine with service … [Read more...] about Biden pardons two turkeys, over possible objections from the first dog

The regional round of the UIL Texas high school football playoffs has arrived, with several teams from the Houston area turning in strong performances over the last two weeks. As we enter the third round of the postseason, three local squads —Katy, Lake Creek and North Shore—are still undefeated. New Caney and Shadow Creek both had their perfect seasons ended last week at the hands of Tomball and Summer Creek, respectively, a pair of four-loss teams that are getting hot at the right moment. The deeper you get into the playoffs, the tougher it is to decide which games to dedicate your attention to. That said, here are five must-see matchups involving Houston-area teams this week. Fort Bend Marshall (11-1) vs. Lake Creek (12-0) This could be the most intriguing showdown in the entire state, regardless of classification. It features a perennial power in Fort Bend Marshall and a program on the rise in undefeated Lake Creek, both of which finished in the top five of the … [Read more...] about Texas high school football playoffs: Must-see games involving Houston-area teams

This was the year of wine writer memoirs. Who knew we live such interesting lives? My favorite wine books to recommend for holiday gifts this year include memoirs from two writers who are as different as can be while still focused on a mutual love of wine, a valedictory collection of columns from a celebrated writer's long career, and a new edition of what may be the indispensable guide to wine for our time. - - - "The Life and Wines of Hugh Johnson" By Hugh Johnson (Académie du Vin Library, 252 pages, $45) The venerable British writer has helped ignite many a reader's love of wine (including mine) with books such as "Vintage: The Story of Wine" and "The World Atlas of Wine," now in its eighth edition (and co-authored by Jancis Robinson). "The Life and Wines of Hugh Johnson" is an updated revision of his 2005 work, "Wine: A Life Uncorked." (Nice to have a mulligan in life.) It's a memoir arranged more like a traditional wine primer or atlas. Rather than loading us with … [Read more...] about The best wine books of 2022 get up close and personal