Latest news with #MountVernon
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mount Vernon's offense explodes in 3A state championship win over Kennewick
Kennewick tried to pitch around Mount Vernon's Xavier Neyens in the Washington WIAA Class 3A state championship game at Parker Faller Field in Yakima on Saturday. Three times, the Lions intentionally walked Neyens, the No. 1 prospect in the state and a projected first-round pick in this summer's MLB Draft. But it turns out the rest of the Bulldogs can hit the ball pretty well, too. The game went back and forth early on and Kennewick led 5-2 at one point, but Mount Vernon exploded in the later innings, piling it on and walking away with a 14-6 win. 'We all love it when that happens,' Mount Vernon first baseman Bode Webb said of Kennewick's decision to keep intentionally walking Neyens. 'We always want (Neyens) to hit, but whatever happens, we love it. We never quit.' As a team, Mount Vernon racked up 13 hits in 28 at-bats and drew nine walks. Webb drove in six runs for the Bulldogs, part of an offensive explosion that stretched close to three hours. When the dust settled, it was almost hard to believe Mount Vernon had ever trailed. 'Dawgs don't quit,' Webb said. 'Never do.' Mount Vernon designated hitter Moises Lucatero hit three doubles. In total, five Mount Vernon players had multi-hit days. Kennewick, which came from behind a day prior to beat Gig Harbor in extra innings in the tournament semifinals, hit the ball pretty well, too. Kennewick nine-hole hitter Dierks Chavez went 2-for-2 and drove in three runs. First baseman Cameron Owen went 2-for-3 with two RBI. The Lions collected 10 hits, but couldn't keep pace with Mount Vernon's offensive explosion. The title is Mount Vernon's third total and first since 1992, when the program defeated Sehome in the 3A championship game. 'It's a super tight group,' Webb said. 'We all love each other so much. I'm happy our seniors went out this way. I can't even explain it, it's awesome.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LogoTags, Part of a Fourth-Generation Company, to Feature Custom Challenge Coins at Police Security Expo
Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.'s Promotional Products Division is The Nation's Leading Supplier of Custom Challenge Coins for Military, Police, EMS, Security Forces and More MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK / / May 22, 2025 / LogoTags ( a division of fourth-generation Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc., is excited to participate in the 39th Annual Police Security Expo held at the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey from June 24-25, 2025. Hosted by the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police, this industry-leading event will feature the latest products, services and technological advances for law enforcement and security professionals. Over 6,000 industry professionals are expected to attend from all over the world, including police chiefs, police department directors, federal agencies, tactical teams, transit police, and many more. LogoTags will display its extensive range of custom promotional products, such as: Custom challenge coins and military challenge coins Embroidered patches for uniforms Bottle openers, race medals and award medals, and metal tags Lapel pins, keychains, and silicone bracelets Badges, Commendation Bars, Insignias and More! Custom challenge coins and military challenge coins, which traditionally bear an organization's insignia or logo, have a rich history as symbols of membership and pride. Today, they remain an integral part of police and security department cultures across the nation. Their origins trace back to World War I, when they were used by military units to foster camaraderie and recognize service. Over time, these coins evolved into cherished tokens of achievement across all branches of the armed forces. Today, challenge coins remain an integral part of police and security department cultures nationwide and are used to commemorate milestones, build morale, and strengthen unit identity. LogoTags distinguishes itself with custom challenge coins made of the highest quality brass, with no setup charges, unlimited art changes, and free digital proofs. These unique benefits underscore our commitment to providing exceptional value and service to our customers. "We're delighted to exhibit at the Annual Police Security Expo. LogoTags has a proud history of supporting first responders, and we offer superior custom products that honor their courage and dedication," explains LogoTags Manager Dawn Milanese. Attendees are invited to visit LogoTags at Booth #2036 to review samples and discuss unique customization options with our team. Free design consultations will be available on-site. For more information about this event, visit More about Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. and LogoTags, a division of Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.: The current owners honor their great-grandfather and grandfather who started Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. (Ball Chain) in a small garage behind their home in the Bronx, New York. The company has been family owned and operated since 1938. Ball Chain is now the world's largest manufacturer of ball chains, seen on military dog tags, ceiling fans, handbags, and light pulls, among many other goods. The company manufactures more than 4 million feet of product per week at its Mount Vernon, New York, factory. Ball Chain is the exclusive supplier of chain to the U.S. Armed Forces for the iconic dog tag ID necklace work by U.S. servicemen and servicewomen (all ball chains are made in the USA). LogoTags, Ball Chain's custom promotional products division, provides custom dog tags, challenge coins, bottle openers, lapel pins, pure silver challenge coins, and metal tags, to name just a few items. LogoTags fabricates custom promotional products at its Mount Vernon, New York, manufacturing facility and works with long-term production partners overseas to bring customers the finest items from across the globe. We put our heart into everything we do. Contact Information Bill Taubner Presidentbill@ SOURCE: LogoTags View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Lions, horses and things of value: Other gifts given to US presidents as Trump faces heat over $400m jet
Five years before becoming the first U.S. president, George Washington received a 'Royal Gift.' It was a name he had given to a donkey that had arrived at Mount Vernon in November 1774, as a present from King Charles III of Spain to signify the 'friendship between the two nations,' according to the nonprofit that oversees Washington's estate. For hundreds of years, foreign leaders have showered presidents with presents. More recently, the tradition has drastically shifted from its roots, fostering international relations. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump sparked outrage after he confirmed his plans to accept a 'free' $400 million Boeing 747-8 from Qatar 's royal family, noting that only a 'stupid person' would turn down such a gift. If accepted, it would be by far the most expensive gift ever given to a U.S. president. According to Axios' analysis of State Department data, between George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001 and 2023, presidents reported receiving a total of $3.8 million in gifts from foreign countries. Trump's Qatari jet would also add to a long list of extravagant and bizarre gifts given to those occupying the Oval Office. Here are some of the most memorable: Resolute Desk The desk where Trump has signed so many of his executive orders was, in fact, a gift. Crafted from the once-abandoned British arctic exploration ship the HMS Resolute and gifted to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880, the Resolute Desk has been used by almost every U.S. leader in the West Wing. It is one of six desks used in the Oval Office since the room was established in 1909. Trump temporarily used the C&O Desk earlier this year while the Resolute Desk was being refurbished. Lions, elephants and pandas At least two presidents were gifted baby elephants: Ronald Reagan and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Reagan received Jayathu, an 18-month-old Asian elephant, from Sri Lankan President Jayewardene in 1984. Eisenhower received Dzimbo, a 440lb African elephant, from the French territories in west-central Africa in 1959. In 1972, Richard Nixon received two giant pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. After First Lady Pat Nixon expressed her fondness for the animals during a state visit, Enlai replied, 'I'll give you some,' or so the story goes. In March 1904, a lion from Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II arrived for Theodore Roosevelt and was subsequently turned over to the National Zoological Park. John F. Kennedy was gifted a horse for First Lady Jacqueline and their daughter, Caroline, from the Pakistani President Ayub Khan in 1962. Obama's ornaments and jewels Saudi Arabia's government gave Barack and Michelle Obama a box of Cuban cigars and a matching set of Dutch bicycles in 2009. The late Saudi King Salman also bestowed on the couple a pair of gold-plated, diamond—and sapphire-encrusted horse sculptures mounted on a rotating base. The estimated value of the haul, which included a chronometer, a set of golf clubs, and a golf bag, was $523,000. The First Lady also received Saudi gifts in 2015, including two jewellery sets with a combined value of $1.1 million. The luxury gifts were all handed over to the US National Archives in accordance with US law. Bush's bikes George W. Bush received several bicycles from foreign leaders all in the same year. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gifted Bush a bike in May 2008 after the president revealed years earlier that he could not jog because of his aching knees. A month later, Bush unveiled a top-of-the-range carbon hardtail mountain bike from Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa. Then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel opted to give Bush a black Mercedes mountain bike, according to Politico. Five years earlier, Bush received perhaps the most bizarre gift on the list: 300lb of raw lamb. According to CNN, the meat was a gesture of goodwill from Argentinian President Mestor Kirchner. However, the Secret Service likely destroyed it due to White House rules regarding perishable gifts.
Sky News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
The rise and fall of Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Sean "Diddy" Combs leans out of the window of a sleek black SUV, holding aloft a large, wood-mounted key as the vehicle makes its way past the flashing screens of Times Square. "New York, we f****** did it," he shouts. "Let's go!" It's September 2023 and the hip-hop impresario has just been handed the key to the city by Mayor Eric Adams. This is a full-circle moment for the rapper and producer "from the Harlem streets", just a few miles but also a world away from the life he has become accustomed to. This symbolic key is the latest marker of Combs ' rise from ambitious young rap aficionado to one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the previous 30 years. Fast-forward a year, and the key is gone. In September 2024, the rapper is locked in jail facing serious criminal charges - strenuously denied - of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking following allegations of abuse. Combs rose to fame in the 1990s, through a music career that expanded into business enterprises that in 2022 took his net worth to a reported $1bn. Before the likes of Jay-Z, Pharrell and Kanye West were building their business empires, it was Diddy who ingrained hip-hop culture into fashion and lifestyle, and firmly into the mainstream. But behind the glamour, prosecutors allege there was a man capable of sexual abuse and violence, and a serious abuse of power. 2:53 The early years Combs, now 55, was born and raised in Harlem, New York, in 1969, to mother Janice and father Melvin. Melvin Combs, who had served in the US air force but was also involved in drug dealing, was shot dead when his son was just a toddler. The rapper did not find out the truth about his father's killing until he was older. In interviews, he has said it spurred him on to stay "off the streets" and "try and be somebody". Combs also has a sister, Keisha, and the family moved 12 miles north to the suburb of Mount Vernon in Westchester County after his father's death. He was raised Catholic and served as an altar boy, but "always had that hustle" from an early age, saying in interviews that he worked as a paperboy and a busboy, clearing tables, in his younger years. The nickname "Puffy" - which led to Puff Daddy, the first of several artist names he chose for himself - apparently came from his tendency for tantrums. "Whenever I got mad as a kid, I used to always huff and puff," he reportedly told Jet magazine in 1998. After leaving school, Combs enrolled to study business and hone his entrepreneurial skills at Howard University in Washington DC. But when a route into the music industry came through an internship at New York's Uptown Records in 1990, taken on by the label's founder Andre Harrell, he left higher education behind after his second year. It was at Uptown he worked with artists including Mary J Blige and Jodeci and started to create a name for himself. However, tragedy struck when Combs helped to promote a celebrity charity basketball event featuring rapper Heavy D at New York's City College in 1991 - a surging crowd led to a stampede that resulted in the deaths of nine people and injuries of 29 others. While no criminal charges were filed, a state judge found the college, along with Combs and Heavy D, equally liable for the tragedy. Bad Boy and Notorious BIG In 1992, Combs signed a then unknown Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious BIG or Biggie Smalls, to Uptown. The following year, Combs was fired from the label over differences with Harrell - but quickly decided to start over, and took his rap protege with him. Bad Boy Records was founded in 1993 and Juicy, the first Notorious BIG single, was released in 1994. The tale of a fantasy of a better life becoming reality - "It was all a dream", as the famous intro goes - it is consistently voted among the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time. Combs was reportedly instrumental in the decision to make it lead single. "I wanted to release music that let people know he was more than just a gangster rapper," he said in one interview. The debut album, Ready To Die, came shortly afterwards and the Notorious BIG quickly became a huge name. A simmering rivalry between the East Coast's Bad Boy and the West Coast's Death Row Records heightened, and Combs' flashy persona and apparent hunger for fame himself did not go unnoticed by his competitors. Bad Boy went on to sign artists including Faith Evans (Wallace's wife) and Mase, and in January 1997, Combs - as Puff Daddy - released his own debut single, Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, featuring Mase. Just two months later, in the early hours of 9 March 1997, Wallace was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, at the age of 24. The murder, which remains unsolved, came six months after the fatal shooting of West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Wallace's second album, the prophetically titled Life After Death, was released just a few weeks later. Combs channelled his grief into music, sampling The Police's Every Breath You Take in I'll Be Missing You, featuring Evans and 112, which became one of the biggest-selling singles of the year in both the UK and the US. His debut album, No Way Out, was a hit after its release a few months later. In his personal life, Combs became a father to his first son Justin, with designer Misa Hylton, in 1993, and was in an on-off relationship with model and actress Kim Porter for several years. They had a son, Christian, in 1998, and he also adopted her older son, Quincy. By the late 1990s, he was a huge star in his own right thanks to hits including Come With Me, sampling Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, and collaborations and production work for artists including Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes and LL Cool J. He also launched his own fashion line, Sean John, as well as his annual White Parties - once the hottest ticket in town, with celebrities including Carey, Paris Hilton, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher pictured attending over the years. Combs said he wanted to associate hip-hop with aspirational wealth and high society. "I wanted to strip away everyone's image and put us all in the same colour, and on the same level," he told Oprah Winfrey in one interview. His highest profile relationship began in 1999, when the rapper started dating Jennifer Lopez. He was among the producers who worked on her debut album, On The 6, released that year. But there were also legal troubles, too. In April 1999, he was accused of assaulting rival record executive Steve Stoute, but the charge was lowered to harassment. Later that year, he was accused of criminal possession of a weapon after a shooting at a New York nightclub he had been at with Lopez. Witnesses told police they saw Combs with a firearm at the club and that rapper Shyne, real name Moses Barrow, fired into the crowd. Combs was later acquitted of weapons and bribery charges, while Shyne was found guilty of the club shooting and went on to serve more than eight years in prison. Lopez was not charged with any offence. In 2001, Combs and Lopez broke up - and Combs also changed his stage name from Puff Daddy to P Diddy that year. By this time, he was starring in films, including Monster's Ball, for which Halle Berry won her Oscar in 2002. He also became a producer and talent scout on the US reality show Making The Band, putting together musical acts Da Band and Danity Kane. Under the P Diddy name, he reached new heights of success. In 2004, he went from performing in the Super Bowl halftime show - the year that became overshadowed by Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" incident - to heading the Vote or Die! campaign for the US presidential election. Relationship with Cassie - and Brand Diddy In 2005, there was another name change - a simple shortening to Diddy. It was also this year that Combs met R'n'B singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, when she was 19 and he was 37, and signed her to his label. The following year, he became a father of daughters, having twins with Porter as well as another baby girl, with businesswoman Sarah Chapman, earlier that year. His relationship with Cassie reportedly started in 2007 and the couple were together on and off until their break-up was confirmed in 2018. During this period, Combs was continuing to build his empire, signing a deal to become the face of Ciroc vodka in 2007. It was this partnership, which ended in 2023, that at one point led to the bulk of his net worth. The following year, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, he co-founded the television network Revolt; another partnership that drew to an end in 2023. Despite leaving Howard before he graduated, Combs received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2014. "You cannot achieve success without failure," he told students in the audience. "Some of my biggest successes come from some of my biggest failures." Just a year later, he was facing legal troubles, arrested on charges of assault with a weapon for an incident involving a kettlebell at the University of California, where his son Justin was on the football team. The charges were later dropped. In 2017, Diddy became Brother Love. "I'm just not who I am before, I'm something different," he said. "So my new name is Love aka Brother Love." In 2022, he announced on social media the birth of a daughter, named Love, whose mother is cybersecurity professional and model Dana Tran. While Combs continued to produce and collaborate with other artists, after the release of his fourth album, Press Play, in 2006, there was a 17-year gap before his return to the album charts. The Love Album: Off The Grid was released in September 2023, just days after a performance at the MTV Music Video Awards - at which he received the global icon award. Two months later, Cassie filed a lawsuit against Combs. In court documents, she alleged she was trafficked, raped, drugged and beaten by the rapper on many occasions over the course of 10 years. The lawsuit was settled the following day. Terms of the agreement were not made public but there was no admission of wrongdoing from Combs, and he issued a statement saying he "vehemently" denied the "offensive and outrageous" allegations. In May 2024, footage showing Combs attacking Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 was published by CNN. By this point, federal agents were investigating Combs, and the following month, he was asked to hand back his key to New York City. Then came his high-profile arrest at a hotel in Manhattan. Now, he faces criminal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, which he has pleaded not guilty to and strenuously denied, as well as further lawsuits which mounted in the wake of his arrest. Jury selection for his trial is now under way - with opening statements set to begin next week.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Spirit of Norfolk returns to Hampton Roads after 2022 fire
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – After a near three-year hiatus, the Spirit of Norfolk returns to the seas as the boat was christened Wednesday morning. The boat had been out of commission since June 2022, after a fire broke out on the cruise ship while a whole bunch of school children were onboard. No one was injured but the boat burned for three days. Carnival cruises brought the ship Mount Vernon to Hampton Roads, which acted as the primary cruise ship until the Spirit of Norfolk's return. 10 On Your Side's Regina Mobley said that Norfolk's mayor, Kenny Alexander, was a part of the festivities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
