magic ocean photos Before Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made his intentions clear. The architect of MLB’s most imposing juggernaut wore a light blue, button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up past his wrists. A 5 o’clock shadow dotted his sleepless face. In his left hand, a silver coffee tumbler amplified the aesthetic of a man determined to make his mark. Asked by a member of the media to share his thoughts on “people who say these two teams are here just because they spend the most money,” Friedman was predictably unapologetic. He mentioned the “unique challenges that each market has” and insisted the dynamic isn’t something he thinks about often. Instead, Friedman laid out the franchise’s master plan. “My ultimate, kind of big-picture goal is that when we are done, that we're able to look back and say that was the golden era of Dodger baseball, and that is an incredibly high bar to even say that,” he said. “That's where my focus is.” A week later, Friedman’s Dodgers were . At some point in the jubilant aftermath, it surely crossed his mind that no MLB team has won back-to-back World Series since 1999-2000. Less than a month after raising that golden trophy, Friedman signaled that his Dodgers are determined to end that streak. Late Tuesday night, the reigning champs with left-handed starter Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young award winner who spent the 2024 season pitching for the rival San Francisco Giants. According to reports from The Athletic and the L.A. Times, Snell’s contract features deferred money and a $52 million signing bonus. The Dodgers have yet to officially confirm the deal, but the goateed hurler posted to Instagram At his best, Snell . Since 2021, he has the third-highest strikeout rate in MLB, behind Braves hurler Spencer Strider and his new (and former) teammate Tyler Glasnow. Snell’s .195 batting average against is also the second-best mark in the league over that time (also behind Glasnow). Only Strider has conjured more swing-and-miss. That said, Snell’s walk rate — second-worst since 2021 — is an unavoidable pockmark and limits his ability to work deep into starts, but the overall track record is undeniable. There are few pitchers you’d rather have across six innings. For Snell, who turns 32 next week, this contract was a long time coming. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays out of a Seattle high school in 2011, Snell debuted in 2016 and immediately established himself as one of the game’s most dominant, albeit walk-prone, starting pitchers. In 2018, he captured his first Cy Young award, earning him a $50 million contract extension through 2023. After the 2020 season, Tampa Bay dealt him to the San Diego Padres, and in 2023, Snell won his second Cy Young Award as he entered free agency for the first time. It was a season that should have earned him a hefty contract on the open market. But that never materialized. All winter and into the spring, Snell waited for a number that met his fancy. Spring training arrived. His contemporaries flocked to the warm weather comfort of Arizona and Florida to prepare themselves for the marathon of the season. Snell, unsigned, with nowhere to go, stayed up north at his home in Seattle. Another month passed. The asking price from Snell and his agent, Scott Boras, surely shrunk. Boras, who represented three other major free agents whose negotiations lingered into the spring, received an avalanche of criticism. Then, on March 19, just one day before the Dodgers and Padres opened the regular season in South Korea, Snell signed a two-year pact with the San Francisco Giants. The contract paid the left-hander $31 million per season and included an opt-out after 2024. It gave Snell a hefty chunk of change and offered him the opportunity to retest the market a year later. But it was certainly not the lengthy, career-defining contract that Snell and Boras were gunning for. Then things got worse, with the delayed start to Snell’s 2024 impacting his health and effectiveness. The southpaw made just six starts before July, bouncing on and off the injured list while pitching to an astronomical 9.51 ERA. He seemed destined to decline his opt-out and return to San Francisco for the second year of his deal. Instead, he turned it on. From his return on July 9 until the end of the season, Snell scintillated. Across 13 starts, the left-hander pitched to a 1.33 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 74 1⁄3 innings. On July 27, he struck out 15 Colorado Rockies in six innings. In his next start, Snell threw a no-hitter, the first of his career, against the Cincinnati Reds. That remarkable turnaround motivated him to exercise his opt-out at season’s end and test the open market once again. This time, he wasn’t waiting around. Snell will sit down at his Thanksgiving table on Thursday with a whole lot more turkey to his name. For Snell, Los Angeles is an obvious fit. The money is right. The team is outstanding. The weather is beautiful. The coaching staff has a reputation for helping players excel. Who wouldn’t want to play for the Dodgers? Maybe Chavez Ravine is an obvious fit for everyone. And any team could have used Blake Snell. He’s capable of starting Game 1 or Game 2 of a postseason series for every single franchise in baseball. The Dodgers, who weathered an onslaught of pitching injuries during their triumphant World Series campaign, know the value of a quality starting pitcher all too well. In L.A., Snell joins a staff stocked with superstars. Glasnow, Snell’s old rotation-mate in Tampa, was an All-Star in 2024 and a near lock to start Game 1 in October until an elbow ailment in August sent him to the IL. He’s set to be healthy come spring training. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose $325 million deal last offseason represented the biggest contract ever for a pitcher, struggled with injuries as a rookie but came through in October, tossing to a 1.72 ERA across his final three playoff starts. Then there’s two-way dynamo Shohei Ohtani, who famously didn’t pitch in 2024 as he recovered from elbow surgery. The NL MVP, who has a career 3.01 ERA with 608 strikeouts in 481 2⁄3 innings, is expected to be a full go come Opening Day. The Dodgers' other starting pitching options include: Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who is technically a free agent but expressed his intention to re-sign with the Dodgers for another season. Tony Gonsolin, who missed all of 2024 recovering from elbow surgery but posted the second-lowest ERA in baseball from 2020 to 2022 behind only Jacob deGrom (minimum 200 innings pitched). Bobby Miller, a 25-year-old former first-round pick and top prospect who looked set to star for the Dodgers after dazzling in 2023. He struggled mightily in 2024 but remains a promising starting pitching option for the future. Dustin May, who also missed 2024 due to injuries but looked like a breakout candidate in 2023, pitching to a 2.63 ERA across his first nine starts. He’s expected to be healthy for Opening Day. Ben Casparius, Los Angeles’ starter for Game 4 of the World Series. The 25-year-old worked in shorter bursts during the club’s postseason run but remains an enticing multi-inning option. It is a comical embarrassment of riches, yes, but it’s also a mystery box of unknowns. Every pitcher on this list comes with enormous questions, either in health or effectiveness. Pitching is volatile, and the only way to combat that volatility, as the 2024 Dodgers showed, is by employing enough starters to overwhelm the inevitable attrition. Snell is just another piece of that plan. It’s an obvious, effective strategy for the Dodgers, one made possible by (1) being outstanding at development and (2) spending gobs of money in free agency, something more teams should be doing. In signing Snell, the Dodgers, a fully operational financial behemoth, are flexing their muscles. Snell, in joining the Dodgers, cashed in on a near-decade of dominance. Both rich just got richer.Municipal staff bans TikTok from township devices

At 50, Hilary Swank is an Oscar winner, a runway model, a philanthropist, producer and a mother – but it turns out her 20-month-old twins make her feel 20 years younger. "I feel like I'm 30 because I have 20-month-old babies," Hilary told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hage r on Today this week, as she spoke for the first time about how her children, Aya and Ohm , are old enough to truly find awe in the Christmas experience. "Everything is new again," she said. "You hear that, but until you experience it you're like 'What does that even mean?' But now I know." Watch Hilary speak to Hoda and Jenna below: Hilary went on to share that having children has made "every time of year more special," and that "every day with them is so divine". "It's such a blessing, and I feel so grateful and I'm so happy." Hilary and husband Philip Schneider welcomed their twins in April 2023 after getting married in August 2018. However, she waited until Valentine's Day in February 2024 before she finally revealed their unique names. An image posted on Instagram showed her twins sitting on a beach with their backs to the camera and their names, Aya and Ohm, inscribed in the sand behind them. Hilary Swank celebrates 50! A look back at her sweetest family moments in photos "I have a busy week of talk shows ahead where I'll be sharing about my new film and a fun partnership, but I figured what better day to share the names of my two little loves with you all first," she wrote. She added: "Thanks for being here!! Happy Valentine's Day. P.S. Who else has babies that think sand is edible?" The name Aya for their daughter was inspired by a courageous Syrian refugee girl she and her husband met in Lebanon, while Ohm draws from a universal concept. "[Aya] was just this courageous, brave young girl full of life going through a really difficult time. My husband and I were like, she's so beautiful, what a great name," Hilary shared on Today earlier 2024, adding: "Ohm is considered the first universal sound and unites all people." Hilary has kept the faces of her young babies private, but has been open with sharing their new experiences with her social followers. In August the Boys Don't Cry star took to Instagram to share an adorable photo of herself in the cockpit of an airplane, cradling one of her baby twins. "Surprise... Amelia has been found!" she humorously captioned the post, a playful nod to aviation legend Amelia Earhart. "After 24 hours of travel with 2 babies who refuse to sleep on planes, we decided to take our final flight home into our own hands," Hilary joked, before quickly clarifying: "Kidding!!"Short Interest in Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFCP) Drops By 21.9%

AP News Summary at 6:07 p.m. ESTJowell & Randy will soon host their five-date stint at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot —where they’ve already handed an interesting rider list to the promoter. As tradition holds, a rider is a set of requests for the dressing room made by the artist that is typically fulfilled by the hosting venue. This can range from foods to beverages to decorations and beyond. For their upcoming shows, the pair requested 1,500 pounds of dog and cat food. Though this may sound bizarre, it’s actually for a good cause. The Puerto Rican duo — known for hits like “Bonita” with J Balvin, Nicky Jam, Yandel, & Ozuna, and “Safaera” with Bad Bunny and Ñengo Flow — teamed up with Giving Tuesday Puerto Rico to highlight the importance of donating to and supporting local social causes. “We as artists ask for whatever we want because we have our requirements,” member Joel “Jowell” Muñoz said in a press statement. “We asked for 1,500 pounds of dog and cat food, but it’s to donate to the Save a Sato organization through the Giving Tuesday movement. There are several artists who joined and it is a positive initiative on our part. Anyone who wants to join and donate can choose any other foundation, the important thing is to donate.” The Pet Friendly PR organization also confirmed that they will be collecting donations of pet foods at some of the Jowell & Randy concerts taking place Dec. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 20. “Creative actions like this help give visibility to the crucial work of our organizations,” Blamilsa Corujo, local leader of Giving Tuesday Puerto Rico, added. Other artists who joined the Giving Tuesday initiative included Rawayana, Gale, and Jon Z, asking for donations such as 300 whoppers and 200 hula hoops, for example. For more information, visit Giving Tuesday PR . A post shared by Pet Friendly PR TM (@petfriendly_pr) A post shared by GivingTuesday Puerto Rico (@givingtuesdaypr)Canada didn't live up to its values on immigration in recent years, Carney says

Victoria's major regional hospitals are still showing financial red flags, with some also failing to provide the healthcare they pledged to provide, ACM can reveal. or signup to continue reading An analysis of the health services' 2023-24 annual reports, as well as their statements of priority - the contracts they sign with the Victorian government - showed many recorded operating deficits running into the tens of millions of dollars. It showed others were bailed out by the government with even greater sums, while some recorded huge deficits even after equally large bailouts. But the analysis showed a handful of services were also falling well short of their activity targets: the amount of clinical care they have contractually agreed to provide over the year. ACM has published since February, 2024 of Victoria's regional hospital system and to meet their activity targets. As these services negotiate with the government over their 2025 budgets and activity levels, the documents show most are still struggling to keep both their healthcare and budget under control. Nearly every major regional hospital in Victoria recorded a substantial deficit in 2023-24. ACM used the net result from transactions, which tallies revenue from transactions against expenses. The Department of Treasury and Finance calls it "a summary measure of the ongoing sustainability of operations". Bendigo Health notched a $27 million deficit, Goulburn Valley Health $42 million, Northeast Health Wangaratta $12 million and Albury Wodonga Health $51 million. The only two large regional health services with a surplus were Grampians Health ($44 million) and South West Healthcare ($27 million). But they were both only in the black because they each had money for their hospital redevelopments - $113 million for Grampians Health and $65 million for South West Healthcare - sitting on their ledger. Several services also received huge amounts of "supplemental funding" to keep them afloat during the year. Bendigo Health received $46 million, Northeast Health Wangaratta $28 million, and Albury Wodonga Health $55 million. Grampians Health received more than $75 million in supplemental funding. This was nearly four times the bailout funding received by Barwon Health in Geelong, a health service 50 per cent larger than Grampians Health. The data also showed every major regional health service failing to keep the required amount of cash on hand to pay staff and run its healthcare operations. The government mandate is for each service to have 14 days' operating cash available. Goulburn Valley Health and Albury Wodonga Health had just seven days' cash. South West Healthcare had 10. Northeast Health Wangaratta had two days' available cash. Both Grampians Health and Bendigo Health refused to say how many days' cash they had, but confirmed it was less than 14. ACM asked several of the health services what they were doing to get their budgets under control. Bendigo Health said it was still negotiating with the government over its 2024-25 budget, but was "committed to operating sustainably, ensuring that it delivers its promised activity while maintaining a balanced budget". South West Healthcare CEO Craig Fraser said the service had negotiated a "break even operational budget for 2024-25" with the government. "While it will require continued close budget management, we are confident it can be achieved placing us in a better financial and operational position," Mr Fraser said. Grampians Health didn't discuss its budget, but said it would "continue to work with the Department of Health to achieve financial sustainability". Albury Wodonga Health did not respond. Over the past year, we have improved access to care, particularly in the regional locations. The state government said its for 2024-25 had allowed a "reset" of health service budgets. The government has increased the funding it provides for each healthcare activity, which it said would offer health services a "fair price", paving the way for "greater financial certainty and stability to the sector". It also created a new entity, Hospitals Victoria, to keep the health services on a tighter financial leash. "We're working with health services to ensure every dollar is spent on delivering the frontline care Victorians need," a spokesperson said. A comparison of each health service's annual report with its statement of priority revealed several services delivering much less clinical care than promised. The statement of priority lists the contracted activity target, while the annual report records the actual number of activity units delivered. Each unit is worth about $5000 in funding to the health service. A big operation like a knee or hip replacement might cost five units, while a simple colonoscopy would cost just 0.4 units. The documents showed Grampians Health fell 5400 units (about $27 million or 2700 surgeries) short of its 2023-24 target. Goulburn Valley Health fell 6838 units short (about $34 million or 3400 surgeries), while South West Healthcare fell 4512 units short ($22.5 million or 2250 surgeries). The activity shortfalls are particularly concerning when 61,000 Victorians remain on the state's planned surgery wait lists and emergency department wait times are than metropolitan Melbourne. ACM understands South West Healthcare's outpatient activity shortfall was less severe than the figures reported in its statement of priority. Mr Fraser said the service treated 1200 more inpatients in 2023-24 than the year prior, as well as 7000 extra outpatients. A Grampians Health spokesperson said the organisation had "improved access to care, particularly in the regional locations, and enhanced care options though increased cross-campus collaboration". "Like many health services, Grampians Health is experiencing high demand and increasing numbers of complex cases," the spokesperson said. Correspondent covering key issues across regional Victoria, based in Melbourne. Correspondent covering key issues across regional Victoria, based in Melbourne. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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TORONTO, Dec. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”) announced today that it has decided to terminate (“the Fund”) at the close of business on or about March 14, 2025 (the “Termination Date”). It is anticipated that the ETF units of Purpose Marijuana Opportunities Fund will be voluntarily delisted from the Cboe Canada Exchange at the close of business on or about March 12, 2025 (the “Delisting Date”). The decision to close the Fund was driven primarily by the Fund’s relatively low assets under management, which has made it difficult to efficiently manage the Fund in accordance with its intended investment objective. As a result, in the view of Purpose, the termination is in the best interest of unitholders. Unitholders that hold Class A Units, Class F Units or ETF Units (collectively, “Units”) will have the option to redeem their Units at net asset value on or prior to the Termination Date. There will be no fees or redemption charges applicable to such redemptions. Holders of ETF Units of the Fund may continue to trade their ETF Units on the Cboe Canada Exchange until the Delisting Date. All units not redeemed prior to the Fund’s closure will be automatically redeemed at that time at net asset value, in accordance with the terms of the master declaration of trust of the Fund. Units still outstanding at 4:00 p.m. EST on the Termination Date will be automatically redeemed, with the proceeds either deposited into the unitholder’s account or a cheque mailed directly to the unitholder or to their dealer, nominee or intermediary, as applicable. If required, a final distribution for the Fund will occur on or about the Termination Date. There may be tax implications for unitholders with respect to any disposition of Units. We strongly urge unitholders to contact their financial advisor to discuss the financial and tax implications associated with a redemption of Units and the termination of the Fund. Purpose Investments Inc. is an asset management company with more than $20 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation, and offers a range of managed and quantitative investment products. Purpose Investments is led by well-known entrepreneur Som Seif and is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent technology-driven financial services company. For further information please contact: Keera Hart 905-580-1257

The passive delivered by high-yielding (ASX: XJO) stocks can make a tremendous difference to your accumulated returns over time. Especially if you opt to reinvest those dividends. To get an idea of just how important dividends are to the overall returns from the benchmark index, just take a look at the (ASX: XJT). This index includes all cash dividends paid out by ASX 200 dividend stocks and reinvested on the date. Over the past five years, the ASX 200 has returned a healthy 26.0%. The Total Return Index, on the other hand, has returned 52.1%. Now, after a bumper year in FY 2023, dividend payments from Aussie stocks have come down in FY 2024. Lower payouts from the mining and energy sectors, mirroring the retrace in commodity prices, drove a big part of that retrace. The question facing passive income investors now is, what can we expect in 2025? Darren Thompson is the head of asset management at Equity Trustees Asset Management. Discussing the 2025 Australian equity market outlook, Thompson cautions that many top ASX 200 dividend stocks are likely to deliver lower payouts in FY 2025. He expects overall market earnings to be flat to down compared to FY 2024. And overall dividends to be "slightly down" year on year. On the macro picture, he notes: In Australia, although we have some wonderful global businesses, economically we are more leveraged to domestic drivers and a weakening China story than the stronger US economic thematic. If you've been investing in ASX 200 dividend stocks, you've most likely bought at least some of the big Aussie banks and mining companies. Indeed, if you're building a diversified passive income portfolio, I'd say they're an essential component. Meaning their FY 2025 performance will be key to the overall market returns. "The outlook for both earnings and dividends for the domestic market is heavily weighted to the performance of banks and resources," Thompson said. As for the big banks like ( ), ( ), ( ), and ( ), he noted: Bank earnings are anticipated to be broadly flat due to a combination of modest credit growth, ongoing competition restricting net interest margins, ongoing cost pressures and already cyclically low bad debt provisions. Thompson said he expects to see lower dividend payouts coming from ASX 200 dividend stocks in the resources sector in the year ahead, "reflecting the pullback in earnings and cashflows for ( ), ( ) and ( ) due to low iron ore prices". He added: These companies remain highly profitable, cash generative business. It is simply that iron ore prices have continued to retrace from previous cyclical highs, largely due to lower demand from China. With income growth still anticipated among some companies in select sectors, passive income investors will want to make sure to do their research when buying new stocks in 2025. According to Thompson: Many sectors of the Australian market are expected to deliver earnings and dividend growth going forward. However, they are not of sufficient scale to compensate for the impact of the materials and energy sectors. As for the combined outlook for payouts he expects from ASX 200 dividend stocks in FY 2025, he said, "The impact of these factors is such that the Australian equity markets 12-month forward dividend yield is about 3.4%, which is well below the 10-year average."

Senator Mitt Romney , a Utah Republican and a vocal critic of Donald Trump , praised the president-elect's second nomination for U.S. attorney general on Friday. Romney, the sole Republican senator to vote twice to impeach Trump during his first presidency, congratulated Pam Bondi in a Friday post on X, formerly Twitter , calling her a "highly capable leader" for the Department of Justice (DOJ). "She served with excellence as Florida's Attorney General," the senator said. The announcement of Bondi, who served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, as the next U.S. attorney general came hours after former Representative Matt Gaetz , a Florida Republican, announced he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the post on Thursday. Both picks are from Florida where Trump now calls home after leaving New York. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally, having served as one of his defense attorneys during his first impeachment trial. The Senate later acquitted Trump of charges accusing him of soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election by withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country into investigating Trump's political opponent, President Joe Biden . The president-elect announced Gaetz to lead the DOJ last week, and since then has drawn scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans . Up until last Wednesday, Gaetz represented Florida's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House, but upon his attorney general nomination, he resigned from his position. Gaetz's nomination raised eyebrows as he was the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations that he "engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use" and was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. He has denied any wrongdoing. On Thursday, Gaetz wrote on X that he had met with senators and "while the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition." Gaetz required Senate confirmation to be put in the post. Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he appreciated "the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz." Bondi's relationship with Romney dates back to at least 2012 when she endorsed his presidential campaign. She also spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC) in support of him when he was the GOP's presidential nominee. Trump endorsed Romney's 2012 presidential run, but Romney lost to incumbent President Barack Obama . Newsweek contacted Romney's press team for comment via email on Friday evening. Newsweek has reached out to Bondi for comment through the America First Policy Institute. Romney has broken with the Republican Party several times, most notably during Trump's impeachments. In October, he told students at the University of Utah, "I've made it very clear that I don't want Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States," according to The Salt Lake Tribune . Romney did not endorse the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris . Later at the same event, Romney warned of disinformation, both from external parties and from Trump. "He just makes it up, and he is able to spew enough disinformation that the Chinese must be smiling," Romney said in reference to various Trump claims on the campaign trail including the unsubstantiated claim that Haitian migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio .

SUPP Youth chief sings praises of party leaders at Dudong Youth branch’s 10th anniversary do

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