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Padres notes: Craig Stammen eager to rely on Ruben Niebla, A.J. Preller talks extension

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Padres notes: Craig Stammen eager to rely on Ruben Niebla, A.J. Preller talks extension


Among the uniformed personnel in attendance for new manager Craig Stammen’s introductory press conference, pitching coach Ruben Niebla arrived early and took a seat in the back row Petco Park auditorium.

Afterward, he joined pitchers Joe Musgrove, Jason Adam and Yuki Matsui for small talk along the wall. He smiled and shook hands with all the media members who approached him — one of four finalists for the job that went to Stammen — but politely declined to speak.

Monday was about Stammen, Niebla said.

Maybe so.

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But the Padres’ new 41-year-old manager doesn’t think he’s going far without the Padres’ pitching coach.

“Honestly, he’s the guy I’m going to rely on the most — his experience,” Stammen said. “I think he’s one of the best coaches in our entire sport, not just pitching coaches, but coaches overall. And we’re going to put a lot on his plate. I’m going to put a lot on his plate, but I’m excited to work with Ruben. It’s going to be an extension of our relationship that started with me as a player and now we get to work hand in hand as manager (and) pitching coach.

“I’m excited about it. It’s going be a lot of fun.”

That relationship began in 2016 in Cleveland, where Niebla worked as a minor league pitching coordinator. Stammen had just been non-tendered by the Nationals and was working his way back from arm injury, though he would not return to the majors until the following year after signing a minor league deal with the Padres.

By the time Niebla joined Stammen in San Diego in 2022, Stammen was in his age 38 season. He threw 40⅔ innings that year, tried to return on another minor league deal the following season and retired later later in the summer of 2023, triggering the start of a post-playing career that saw Stammen serve as a special assistant that roved between the majors and minors the last two seasons.

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“The last few years,” Stammen said, “I’ve seen his processes, kind of behind the scenes on how he’s able to get the best out of all of our players.”

Niebla has two years left on his contract and could see his role expand after joining Albert Pujols and former Padres catcher Nick Hundley as finalists. Niebla, Stammen said he and A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, have already had a couple of “15-hour days” putting their heads together about the coaching staff that will come together shortly and the direction of the organization.

Asked if there could be an extra job title added to Niebla’s resume — the “associate manager” was essentially invented for Skip Schumaker when he was made a part of Jayce Tingler’s staff (2020-2021) — Preller said “we’ll be talking about that over the course of the next couple days.”

“When we make like the staff announcements … we’ll make sure that we have a lot of different areas covered and Ruben’s going to cover a lot of those areas,” he said

Preller added: “He’s going to have a big-time voice in it. He’s going to continue to get more opportunity, not just to help the pitchers and the pitching staff. I think Craig mentioned it. He’s a good coach. It’s not just a good pitching coach. And he’s got a lot of good perspectives that we even saw in this process … that we want to make sure we get through to that big-league clubhouse. Craig’s going to use him a lot.”

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Extension talk

Stammen asked about Preller’s long-term status with the organization. All the candidates did, Preller said.

Toward that end, Padres chairman John Seidler was made available to discuss Preller’s future and Seidler’s vision for the team during the managerial interview process. While Preller appears to be headed to the general managers’ meetings without a resolution, he appears to be overly anxious about officially securing his future in San Diego beyond 2026.

“Like I’ve said before, I’m looking forward to being here for a long-time,” Preller said after Stammen’s press conference.

Asked if he expects a resolution this offseason, Preller said, “I don’t know. I’m under contract for next year. … Like I say it all the time, I love San Diego and the city and the organization. … We’re in a spot where we’ve got to go put a coaching staff together. We’ve got … free agency and trades are starting. We’re leaving here and few minutes to go to the GM meetings and kind of kick off the offseason. So I think that’s, that’s really the focus. And, you know, I’ll continue to have conversations with John about it.”

Notable

Adam said there’s a “chance” he’s ready for opening day. Adam, 34, sustained a season-ending ruptured quad tendon while attempting to field his position on Sept. 1. “I’m doing well,” Adam said. “Just getting strength back is the biggest thing. God willing, I should be pitching in spring training. I don’t know if I’ll be right on time. There’s a chance I’m ready for opening day. That’s what we’re striving for, but we’re not going to be stupid about it.”

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  • Adam been planning to stay at Stammen’s place in San Diego in 2026 until Stammen was hired as the manager and decided to relocate his family full-time to San Diego. “Yeah we were, but I’ll gladly give that up for him to be our manager,” Adam said. “I’m so excited. Great person. Great family. Just ask anybody about him, you’re going to get a glowing review. I think that says everything you need to know.”



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San Diego Unified leaders propose policy to limit technology in classrooms

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San Diego Unified leaders propose policy to limit technology in classrooms


SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego Unified School District leaders Tuesday announced an effort to better integrate technology in classrooms and reduce excessive media consumption, to be voted upon by the school board Tuesday evening.

If the Board of Education approves the proposed resolution at Tuesday evening’s meeting, the first changes would go into effect on Aug. 10, the first day of the 2026-27 school year.

The proposed changes include:

— Prohibiting video-streaming platform use such as YouTube on individual devices;

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— Prohibiting non-instructional gaming platform use on individual devices; and

— Removing computer carts from Transitional Kindergarten classrooms, while still allowing for access to devices for students with needed accommodations.

“Technology has expanded educational opportunities for students in ways we could not have imagined a generation ago,” Board President Richard Barrera said. “But our responsibility is to ensure technology serves students – – not the other way around. This resolution takes thoughtful, research-based steps to reduce passive screen time and create more opportunities for students to engage with their teachers, collaborate with their peers, and develop the communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills that will serve them throughout their lives.”

Other facets of the proposal, which would be phased in over the course of the next year, include:

— Developing age-appropriate device usage guidance;

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— Limiting screen time outside established time frames;

— Expanding family resources and parent controls;

— Strengthening digital citizenship instruction;

— Reviewing instructional software annually; and

— Continuing evaluations of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

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District leaders said that while technology remains an important learning tool, excessive screen time and passive digital media consumption can “negatively impact attention, academic performance, sleep, social-emotional development, and overall student well-being.”

The impetus of the resolution is not to remove technology from classrooms, its proponents say, but to instead support diverse learning needs while “creating more opportunities for meaningful human interaction, student engagement, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.”

“One of the strengths of this resolution is that it recognizes these decisions should not be made in isolation,” Board Trustee Shana Hazan said. “Families, educators and community partners have helped elevate this conversation, and their voices will continue to guide this work. Technology remains an important educational tool, but it should never replace the relationships, creativity, collaboration, and human connection that are at the heart of a great education.

“This resolution creates a framework for bringing diverse perspectives together to determine what is best for students at every stage of their development,” Hazan added.

District leaders say if the resolution passes, staff will work with advisory groups such as the Community Advisory Committee, District Advisory Council and District English Learner Advisory Committee to further refine ideas.

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Who’s playing in the World Cup today? TV schedule for June 23

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Who’s playing in the World Cup today? TV schedule for June 23


Here’s who is playing in the 2026 men’s World Cup on Tuesday, June 23.

MORE: 2026 men’s World Cup standings, scores, brackets

World Cup TV Schedule June 23

Group Stage

Group K: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, 1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT, Houston Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)

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Group L: England vs. Ghana, 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. PT, Boston Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)

Group L: Panama vs. Croatia, 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT, Toronto Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)

Group K: Colombia vs. Congo DR, 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT, Estadio Guadalajara (FS1, Telemundo, Peacock)

Note: Matches on Telemundo and Peacock are in Spanish. 



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Los Angeles schools superintendent resigns after FBI search and months on paid leave

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Los Angeles schools superintendent resigns after FBI search and months on paid leave


By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The superintendent of Los Angeles public schools has resigned four months after he was put on paid leave during a federal investigation, saying he wants students to learn “without distraction.”

Alberto Carvalho ‘s resignation letter dated Sunday made no direct mention of the FBI’s Feb. 25 search of his home and the LA Unified School District’s headquarters. Two days after the FBI served the search warrants, the district’s Board of Education voted unanimously to place Carvalho on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Authorities have not provided details of the nature of the investigation involving the district, which serves more than 500,000 students. The investigation appears to relate to a contract the school district had with an education technology company whose leader was later indicted for fraud. The company, AllHere, had a contract with the district to create an AI chatbot.

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Before becoming the Los Angeles superintendent in 2022, Carvalho had spent his entire education career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he drew national praise for improving graduation rates and academic achievement among Black and Hispanic students. While advocating for Miami’s immigrant students, he spoke openly about his own struggles as a young recent arrival from Portugal working in restaurants and construction while homeless at times.

Under Carvalho, the Los Angeles district had been making strides. Students’ academic growth has outpaced the state average in recent years and students have bounced back from pandemic learning loss. Voters overwhelmingly passed a $9 billion construction and modernization bond, the school system’s largest ever.

Carvalho has denied wrongdoing

Authorities have not accused Carvalho of any crimes. He denied any wrongdoing earlier this year and had asked to be reinstated as head of the nation’s second-largest district. On Sunday he resigned via a letter addressed to “students, families, teachers, staff, and community.”

“Placing students first has always guided my work,” Carvalho wrote. “Because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction, I am resigning as Superintendent of LAUSD effective today, June 21, 2026.”

In its statement released early Monday, the Board acknowledged it received the letter of resignation.

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“The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership. Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve,” it said. in the statement.

It said that Andrés Chait, who has been acting superintendent, will remain in that position until a permanent decision is made.

The FBI investigation has been linked to the maker of a school chatbot

In February, the FBI also searched a third location near Miami. The Miami Herald reported the Florida property belonged to Debra Kerr, who previously worked with AllHere.

In 2024, Carvalho heavily touted a deal with AllHere for an AI chatbot named “Ed” designed to help students. But about three months after unveiling the technology and paying the company $3 million, the district dropped its dealings with AllHere, which collapsed into bankruptcy. Months later, founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was charged with securities and wire fraud, along with identity theft.

At the time, Carvalho denied personal involvement in the selection of AllHere, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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“Mr. Carvalho respects the rule of law and the investigative process and has always acted in the best interests of students and within the bounds of the law,” Holland & Knight, the law firm representing him, previously said in a statement. “While the government’s investigation remains ongoing, no evidence has been presented by prosecutors supporting any allegation that Mr. Carvalho violated federal law.”

Following the search of school headquarters, LA Unified said it was cooperating with investigators and had no further information.

Carvalho became superintendent of LA schools in 2022 on a four-year contract with an annual salary of $440,000. He began a new four-year contract in February, just weeks before the raid, for the same salary, according to school board meeting documents.



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