> The average time between sentencing and execution has increased by two-thirds in the past 20 years — from 11.4 years in 2000 to 18.9 years in 2020, according to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

The longest was 38 years, as of his execution in 2018.

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/12/1097184110/death-row-inmates-execution-time

For what it’s worth, it’s a fleet of 11 planes, many of which are going for parts because they’re not operational. And I believe Ukraine already flies the mig-29, so I would assume they have the pilots for whatever of these can fly.

For what it’s worth, saints game are usually pretty packed, for minor league games. Not exactly sell outs, but they averaged something like 6,000+ per game, in a 7,000 or so seat stadium. The Saints also have the advantage of being in just across the river from their MLB affiliate. So Twins fans can go see their top prospects easily.

When the Saints were an independent team in an independent league, their attendance was falling, but still not bad, at under 5,000 a game. But that was at an ancient stadium. They moved right around the time they become an affiliate. Hard to really say if the attendance increase is due to the gorgeous new ballpark, the affiliate stuff, or both. Probably both.

Yup, that was usually my go to for bracket pools. It was usually a cheap entry kinda thing, maybe $5. So I had fun with it. Never won, but usually did pretty well overall.

The St Paul Saints were an independent minor league team for most of their existence, until COVID came along. Honestly, the baseball was usually pretty lousy overall, but the games were always a ton of fun. Now they’re the AAA affiliate for the Twins, and the atmosphere has stayed pretty similar, with better baseball being played as well, for the most part. Granted, the were just sold to a new ownership group, so who knows what we see in the future.

Edit - Just to add, the pay for the independent teams was comically bad, even compared to minor league salaries, IIRC. I tried out once when I was younger and in much better shape. I did not make the team, they still had some standards, even back then.

Cool! Thanks for sharing!

I could see that. I never heard anything about them actually getting "sick", just little things like the CDC site.

The CDC site says it has been transmitted to household pets. >Pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19.

Sounds like it's a realistic concern. Not that there's a ton of information on there.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/covid-19/pets.html

I feel like I remember seeing a few sporadic articles about household pets testing positive for COVID during 2020, though it may have been later. I know the first time I had to quarantine, the telehealth nurse on the phone told me to avoid my pets, if possible, to prevent spreading it to them. Seemed sort of weird at the time, even though I was aware that it’s possible for a virus to jump species easily enough.