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Barcelona ends Atletico’s winning run, moves closer to title

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona ended Atletico Madrid’s unbeaten run — and its own slump — with a hard-fought 1-0 win in the Spanish league on Sunday, moving closer to its first league title in four years.The victory halted a six-game winning streak and 13-game unbeaten run for Atletico, which lost ground to Real Madrid in the fight for second place. Barcelona, meanwhile, restored a comfortable 11-point lead over Madrid with eight rounds remaining.Madrid, focused on the Champions League and the Copa del Rey final, beat Celta Vigo 2-0 at home on Saturday.Ferran Torres scored a 44th-minute winner at Camp Nou with a well-placed low shot from just inside the area, giving Barcelona its first victory after a three-match winless run that had prompted fears of a meltdown entering the final stretch.Barcelona hadn’t scored in three straight games after being humiliated at home by Madrid 4-0 in the Copa del Rey semifinals and held to scoreless draws against modest league opponents in Girona and ...

Nets open and ‘prepared’ to go after superstar this summer: ‘That could happen’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

Nets general manager Sean Marks says star forward Mikal Bridges can be Brooklyn’s No. 1 scoring option moving forward — but that’s not going to stop him searching for another one this offseason.Speaking to reporters in his end-of-the-season exit interview, Marks was complimentary of the job Bridges did holding down the fort as the Nets’ primary option on offense after he arrived in Brooklyn as part of the Kevin Durant deal.The GM, however, also left the door open for striking an offseason deal that brings more of a household-name kind of star scorer into the fold for next season, especially if it vaults Brooklyn back into championship contention.“It would be way too soon to call that. I think we need to let the dust settle a little bit but we’ve always been prepared,” Marks said on Sunday. “In this day and age, we’ve all seen players demand trades, players behind the scenes ask for this, teams change — whether it’s ow...

Torn patellar tendon for Victor Oladipo, Heat guard out with knee injury for playoffs and months beyond

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

A worst-case scenario turned into Victor Oladipo’s scenario Sunday, with an MRI confirming that the veteran Miami Heat reserve guard suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during the closing stages of Saturday night’s NBA playoff victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Kaseya Center.Oladipo will be out for the balance of the playoffs and beyond, the second Heat guard sidelined during the series, after starting shooting guard Tyler Herro broke his right hand during Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series the Heat lead 2-1 going into Monday’s 7:30 p.m. Game 4 at the Kaseya Center.The Kaseya Center went silent Saturday with the Heat ahead by 25 late in the fourth quarter, with teammates in shocked disbelief when Oladipo went down on a drive to the basket with 3:56 left in Saturday night’s 121-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.His career derailed numerous times since he ruptured a quadriceps tendon in his right knee while with th...

Re-signing Cam Johnson a priority for Nets this offseason: ‘We hope he’s back’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

Retaining restricted free agent Cam Johnson is a priority for the Nets — and Johnson suggests he’s more than open to the idea of staying in Brooklyn.There are a number of reasons why Johnson’s fit on a Nets team likely re-tooling this summer makes sense. Chief among them: He is a valuable player at his position, one the Nets are grateful to have pried from the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant megadeal at the Feb. 9 NBA Trade Deadline.Johnson averaged 16.6 points on 37.5% three-point shooting in his 25 regular-season games with the Nets. In four playoff games, he assumed a larger scoring responsibility and managed to increase his efficiency. When the 76ers trapped Mikal Bridges, Johnson became another focal point of Brooklyn’s offense. He averaged 18.5 points through the four-game series against the Sixers and shot at a 43% clip from downtown.“Cam knows how we feel,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said during his end-of-the-season exit interview w...

Linus Ullmark will start Game 4, David Krejci out again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

SUNRISE, Fla.–Though he teased that Jeremy Swayman could get the start for Sunday’s Game 4 on Saturday, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said that Linus Ullmark would start his fourth straight game as the B’s try to take a 3-1 series stranglehold on the Florida Panthers.Also, Montgomery said that David Krejci will miss his second straight game and most likely will miss Wednesday’s Game 5 at the Garden. It is believed Krejci has some sort of arm injury.The B’s will go with the same lineup that they did in Friday’s 4-2 win in Game 3.On the decision to stick with Ullmark, Montgomery said, “I think Linus has played well and (goalie coach Bob Essensa) had his goalie union and they decided that’s what was best for the Boston Bruins. Like I’ve said, I have a lot of confidence in Goalie Bob. His feel for his goaltenders is outstanding and I never second-guess.”As for Krejci, even though there’s a two-day break between Games 4 and 5, Montgomer...

Lizzo brings drag queens on stage, protesting Tennessee law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In a concert Friday night in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lizzo filled the stage with drag queens in a glittery protest against the state’s legislation designed to restrict drag performances in public. While performing at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Grammy-winning “Juice” singer brought out a number of drag performers, including Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara and Vanessa Vanji. On Saturday, Lizzo posted videos on Instagram from the show, including comments to the crowd that referenced the pending law. In February, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation against “adult cabaret” in public or in front of minors. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in late March, saying it was too vaguely written. Civil rights groups have criticized the law as a violation of free speech. The Tennessee law is part of a wider Republican effort to restrict drag shows and other LGBTQ+ public gatherings. “In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was t...

$50M claim filed over fatal eviction shooting in Tucson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The family of an Arizona property manager who was fatally shot during an attempted eviction in Tucson last year has filed a $50 million claim against Pima County and others.An attorney representing Angela Fox’s family alleges in the claim that county Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay had cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and alcohol in her system at the time of the fatal shooting and also was under investigation by the county for felony fraud, the Arizona Republic reported Sunday.Fox, 28, was a property manager for a management company that included Lind Commons Apartments in Tucson. She went with Martinez-Garibay to evict tenant Gavin Lee Stansell on Aug. 25 last year.An eviction complaint filed 10 days earlier by a landlord in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court indicated Stansell had previously threatened and intimidated neighbors with a gun in July.Tucson police said the 24-year-old Stansell fatally shot Fox, Martinez-Garibay and a neighbor at the ap...

Bird strike sparks plane engine fire shortly after takeoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A bird strike sparked an engine fire on a plane shortly after it took off Sunday from an Ohio airport, and the aircraft returned safely with no injuries reported, authorities said.American Airlines flight 1958 had departed from John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus around 7:45 a.m. and was headed to Phoenix. The fire was detected a short time later and the Boeing 737 returned to the airport, where firefighters quickly doused the flames.It wasn’t clear how many passengers and crew members were aboard the aircraft. The airline said the plane was taken out of service for maintenance and it was working to get the passengers on other flights.Airport officials said the facility remained operating as usual and the fire only caused some minor flight delays.The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.The Associated Press

39 bodies dug up in cult investigation of pastor in Kenya

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Thirty-nine bodies have been found so far on land owned by a pastor in coastal Kenya who was arrested for telling his followers to fast to death.Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi said that more shallow graves have yet to be dug up on the land belonging to pastor Paul Makenzi, who was arrested on April 14 over links to cultism.The total death toll is 43, because a further four people died after they and others were discovered starving at the Good News International Church last week.Police have asked a court to allow them to hold Makenzi longer as investigations into the deaths of his followers continue.A tipoff from members of the public led police to raid the pastor’s property in Malindi, where they found 15 emaciated people, including the four who later died. The followers said they were starving on the pastor’s instructions in order to meet Jesus.Police had been told there were dozens of shallow graves spread across Makenzi’s farm and digging ...

Chicago police ask for help to identify young boy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:08 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are asking for help identifying a young boy found in Austin.The boy, who is between 2 and 3 years old, was found in the 100 block of North Lotus Avenue, Chicago police said.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesAnyone with information on the identity of the boy's guardians is asked to call Area 4 Special Victims Unit at 312-746-8255.Additional information hasn't been released.