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Play-in tournament starts Tuesday, giving 8 teams new life

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Getting to the play-in tournament probably wasn’t the goal of any team when training camps opened back in September.It does, however, beat the alternative.There are 12 teams with playoff spots right now, 10 teams whose seasons are over — and eight teams with a second chance. The play-in tournament starts Tuesday, with Atlanta going to Miami and Minnesota visiting the Los Angeles Lakers, with the winners going to the postseason.Oklahoma City goes to New Orleans and Chicago visits Toronto on Wednesday for elimination games; loser goes home, winner moves on to face the loser of Tuesday’s games in another win-or-go-home contest.“You have to embrace this new experience,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “To the old heads in our locker room, each of us have experienced long NBA careers and not have had this opportunity. I think it’s been great for the league. How harrowing this has been, the last six, eight weeks for 16 teams in the West and the East. It’s ju...

Police: 4 killed in shooting at downtown Louisville building

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A shooting Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville killed at least four people and wounded at least eight others, police said. The suspected lone shooter was also dead.Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey told reporters officers who arrived on the scene “encountered active gunshots still being fired inside the location at that time.”Officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who appeared to be a former employee of the bank, but it wasn’t clear how he died.“We do not know exactly the circumstances of his death at this time,” Humphrey said.Humphrey said at least eight people were being treated for wounds, including two police officers. One officer and another of the wounded were in critical condition.Police later said on a twitter that officers we’re on the scene of the shooting within minutes. Calls first came in for the shooting at the Old National Bank about 8:30 a.m.In a tweet, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he was heading t...

April Primetime Calendar

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

Stop for candy bar yields winning $1M ticket for Brewster man

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

A man from Brewster who decided to buy a lottery ticket along with a snack got a lot more than he bargained for.Arthur Fowle told the Massachusetts State Lottery he had been buying a candy bar at a South Dennis shop when he decided to buy a scratch ticket while he was at it.He said the “100X The Money” ticket he bought was the first lotto game he had purchased this year, making him 1-1 in the richest way possible. Fowle won $1 million from the $10 ticket and opted to collect the prize in the form of a one-time payment of $650,000 (before taxes).He told lottery officials he plans to put some of the prize toward home improvement work.The store Fowle purchased the ticket from, Dennis Food and Package on Route 134 in South Dennis, will receive $10,000 bonus for selling the winner.According to the Massachusetts State Lottery website, the odds of winning the 100X The Money’s $1 million prize are 1 in 1,680,000.

Hilary Swank gives birth to twins, shares 1st photo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

By NARDOS HAILE (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Hilary Swank has given birth to twins — a boy and a girl.The 48-year-old “Million Dollar Baby” actor posted a photo of her and her twins looking at the sunset on Instagram Sunday evening with the caption: “It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it.”She added on Instagram that she’s “posting from pure heaven.” She and entrepreneur Philip Schneider have been married since 2018.Over the course of her pregnancy, Swank had been filming her new ABC show “Alaska Daily.” She shared in an interview in October that when her pants didn’t fit during filming, she cut them open and put a jacket on to hide her bump.“You don’t tell for 12 weeks for a certain reason. But then, like, you’re growing and you’re using the bathroom a lot and you’re eating a lot. I’m sure there’s been conversations, and when I get back to the se...

California storms hit beekeepers, but honey outlook’s sweet

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

By AMY TAXIN (Associated Press)During California’s prolonged, wet winter, beekeeper Gene Brandi said he had to spend twice as much money on a sugary syrup to feed his honeybees and keep them alive.That’s because the bees sent to pollinate blooming almond orchards took longer than usual to emerge from their hives due to chilly temperatures, wind and rain. Since the bees weren’t out gathering nectar and pollen for nourishment, the 71-year-old beekeeper provided sustenance for them.“We probably fed twice as much than we’ve fed in a normal year,” said Brandi, of the Central Valley community of Los Banos. “It’s expensive to feed, but it’s more expensive if the hive dies.”The challenge is one of many faced by America’s beekeepers following the unusually wet winter that ravaged California’s farm country, which feeds much of the nation. Most commercial beekeepers send their bees to California early in the year to help p...

NBA postseason play-in primer: How it works and what comes next for Heat

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

This is, of course, all new for a team that rarely plays from the bottom of the playoff pack.But here stand the Miami Heat in the NBA play-in tournament for the first time, a playoff preamble to the best-of-seven opening round that begins Saturday.For the Heat, after finishing in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, it comes down to this: two tries to win one game and advance. Lose both, and the season is over by the time the clock strikes midnight Friday.“I think this is going to be fun,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think you have to embrace this new experience. To the old heads in our locker room, we’ve experienced a long career and not have had this opportunity.”So on to the play-in it is.“I think this is a really good game to compete and go after it,” Spoelstra said. “We’re looking forward to it. Our guys love competition and this has high stakes to it, and that’s ultimately where you find out about yourself,...

What does the leak of alleged classified US document contain and who posted them?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

One of the largest leaks of alleged classified U.S. military documents in a decade has sparked an official investigation by the Department of Defense and could complicate American support for Ukraine shortly before a major offensive by Kyiv.Multiple tranches of documents have appeared on social media sites over recent weeks, some of them reportedly intended only for those with the highest levels of U.S. security clearance. The information covers a wide range of topics, from U.S. assessments of the war in Ukraine to intelligence gathered on diplomatic allies.Here’s what we know about the leaks so far:Q. What is in the documents?A. According to the New York Times and other outlets, the initial document leaks focused on U.S. assessments of the war in Ukraine originally written in February and March, including estimated casualties on both sides and what equipment and ammunition would be required by Kyiv in the future. However, they reported that at least one document appears to have bee...

Bomb targeting Pakistani police in SW kills 4, wounds 18

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle in volatile southwestern Pakistan on Monday killed at least four people and wounded 18 others, mostly civilian pedestrians, a government spokesperson said.The attack happened in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, said Babar Yousafzai, a spokesman for the provincial government. He said the dead included two police and two civilians.In a statement, the outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA, which was designated a terrorist group by the United States in 2019, said its fighters targeted the vehicle of a police officer who was behind the arrest of members of the group. Although such attacks are common, the Pakistani Taliban have also stepped up assaults on troops and police across Pakistan since November, when they ended a monthslong cease-fire with the government.Pakistan has also been battling an insurgency in Baluchistan for more than a decade, with separatists in...

Scotiabank picks new head of international banking from outside ranks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:19 GMT

TORONTO — The top ranks of Scotiabank will have another new face as the bank said Monday that Francisco Aristeguieta will lead the bank’s international division. The appointment of Aristeguieta, to take effect May 1, comes less than three months after Scott Thomson stepped into the role of chief executive after being chosen from outside the bank’s executive team. Since taking the helm, Thomson has repeatedly talked about the need to improve the bank’s performance as it undergoes a strategic review, and at Scotiabank’s shareholder meeting last week he noted its international operations are a key differentiator for the bank.Thomson said in a statement that Aristeguieta is a “seasoned transformational leader” who will help drive the bank’s turnaround.“As we look to refresh our strategy this year, Francisco will be a strong complement to our leadership team and will play a central role in helping us deliver long-term profitable and sustain...