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For Heat, the familiar challenge of navigating a rocky road awaits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Udonis Haslem has been through almost everything in his 20 seasons with the Miami Heat. On that list: Game 1 losses in the NBA Finals.He’s seen lots of those — six of them, actually, in seven tries during his Heat career. Being down 1-0 in the finals against the Denver Nuggets is not optimal, but Haslem knows it doesn’t doom Miami’s chances, either. All three of his championship rings came in series where the Heat lost a finals opener.And that will be the message for three days, all the way until tip-off of Game 2 on Sunday night.“It can be done,” Haslem said.He’s right. And by now, the Heat have just come to expect that nothing they want will come easily.Virtually the entire season has been topsy-turvy for the Heat, and evidently, the jagged path is the one they’re going to take all the way to the end. A 104-93 loss in Game 1 on Thursday night came when Miami shot poorly, struggled big-time from 3-point range until a late flurry and shot only two free thro...

Justin Steele diagnosed with forearm strain, but the Chicago Cubs don’t anticipate an extended absence for the left-hander

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

Justin Steele appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario.The Chicago Cubs received good news from Steele’s MRI with the lefty’s diagnosis of a forearm strain. It’s still unclear whether he will miss any starts, but the team does not anticipate an extended absence.Steele is scheduled to play catch Saturday to test his forearm.”I’m expecting it to go just as normal as any other day of catch,” Steele said. “Everything’s headed in the right direction.”The Cubs will see how Steele’s forearm responds before determining if he needs to go on the 15-day injured list. He would likely miss two starts, though the Cubs potentially could limit Steele to one missed start by rearranging the rotation with an off day June 12 at the conclusion of their 10-game West Coast trip. It’s an encouraging outcome for the 27-year-old who exited his start Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays after three perfect innings because of forearm tightn...

More than 230 killed and 900 hurt after 2 trains derail in India. Hundreds are still trapped.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA and KRUTIKA PATHI (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people after two passenger trains derailed Friday night in India, killing more than 230 people and leaving hundreds of others trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars, in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state’s top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was ...

Minister ‘shocked’ at reports of Paul Bernardo being moved to medium-security prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

The federal public safety minister says reports of teen killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo being transferred to a medium-security prison are “shocking and incomprehensible.”Citing prison union officials and the lawyer for the victims’ families, multiple media outlets say Bernardo was quietly transferred earlier this week to the medium-security La Macaza Institution, about 190 kilometres northwest of Montreal.He was initially incarcerated at the Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario and later spent about a decade at the Millhaven Institution, a maximum security prison just outside Kingston.Bernardo has been serving a life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ont.Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says he expects the Correctional Service of Canada to take a victim-centred and trauma-informed approach in such cases, and that he plans to address the decision process for t...

With baby on the way, Bassitt delivers gem to lift Blue Jays over former team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

Last season, during a one-year layover with the New York Mets on his way to free agency, Chris Bassitt threw 181.2 innings of 3.42-ERA ball. He was dependable as all get-out, pitching into the sixth inning in 25 of his 30 outings and throwing a quality start two-thirds of the time he took the mound.Safe to say Bassitt has some pretty good memories of New York. But he has a couple of notably bad ones, too, in which his trademark mettle and dependability betrayed him.First, there was his final outing of the regular season, when Bassitt got only eight outs in a critical loss to the Atlanta Braves — a team that ultimately edged New York for the NL East title in a tiebreaker, forcing the Mets to play a three-game wild card series with the San Diego Padres.Then, there was Bassitt’s very next start — the decisive third game of that series with the Padres. Struggling at times to hear his PitchCom transmitter amidst cascading Citi Field crowd noise, Bassitt coughed up three earned runs over ...

US, allies clash with Russia, China over North Korea’s failed military spy satellite launch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and its allies clashed with Russia and China on Friday over North Korea’s failed launch of a military spy satellite this week in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, which Moscow and Beijing refused to condemn.The confrontation was the latest over the North’s escalating nuclear, ballistic missile and military programs, which U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood warned are threatening international peace and security. The failed launch “not only disrupted maritime and air traffic in the region, but it also caused alarm for its neighbors in Japan and the Republic of Korea,” he said.Pyongyang is threatening another launch soon.The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to rein in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and cut off funding. In the last sanctions resolution adopte...

Warm, comfortable and dry weekend ahead in the wake of Wednesday/Thursday downpours which leave the area still dealing with a moisture deficit; Friday’s 91-degree high was the 4th in a row—the most consecutive 90s so early here in 46 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

No t-storms in the Chicago area today—dew point drop and stabilizing east winds off Lake Michigan have forced storm development well west of the area. Dry, warm weekend ahead with sharp late Monday cold front passage. Possible “pneumonia front” to usher strong, temp-dropping full fetch (i.e., full length of Lake Michigan) “NNE” winds into Chicago which drop Tuesday and Wednesday temps below normal before warming’s back next Thursday and Friday.The air mass has dried since yesterday but managed a 4th consecutive 90-degree Chicago high temp and a 6th consecutive above normal temp. Lake breezes produced significant cooling on area beaches while highs as hot as 96 occurred at Oswego and 95 was reported at Warrenville and Plainfield. Shoreline temps at 73 on the Lake Forest, Lake Michigan shoreline. It’s the 7th day lake breezes have cooled the shoreline—even though water temps have crept up to 62 at Ohio Street Beach. The average southern Lake Michigan water temp is up 5.5 degrees in th...

Dakota County closes Schulze Lake after possible contamination, outbreak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

Schulze Lake in Eagan’s Lebanon Hills Regional Park has been temporarily closed due to potential contamination.Dakota County announced the closing Friday, citing a “potential waterborne viral outbreak.” The county’s parks department didn’t identify the virus at issue or provide any details about illnesses associated with the lake.The county said the Minnesota Department of Health advised the closing as a precautionary measure.Affected are Schulze Beach and other water activities there such as canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing. Equipment rental has been suspended until at least June 8.For updates, go to Dakota County’s Schulze Beach webpage at tinyurl.com/bdezuwfh.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Paul man gets 12-year prison term in woman’s 2019 overdose death at Roseville motel Crime & Public Safety | New director named for Dakota County nonprofit Neighbors Inc. Crime & Public Safety | Suspect in Fe...

One run turns out to be plenty for Twins against Guardians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

Offense was at a premium on Friday night at Target Field.Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI double and the Twins defeated the Cleveland Guardians 1-0, their second straight win by a one-run margin over their division rivals.Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers opened the bottom of the seventh inning with a double into the left-field corner. Willi Castro struck out swinging for the first out. Kyle Farmer then walked, before Michael A. Taylor grounded into a fielder’s choice, with the Guardians getting the lead runner at third.Polanco’s double rang off the right-field wall, with Taylor stopping at third. Royce Lewis grounded out to pitcher Nick Sandlin to end the inning.The Guardians had a quick response, with leadoff hitter Steven Kwan reaching on a double to center field off Twins reliever Brock Stewart. One out later, Twins closer Jhoan Duran entered the game to the delight of the announced crowd of 26,818.Duran got a key ...

North Adams storm damage aftermath

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:10 GMT

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (NEWS10) - Severe weather popping up throughout parts of the Capital Region. North Adams hit by both flooding and dime sized hail. NEWS10 has the latest on the damage caused by the storm. Settlements in principle reached in Schoharie limo crash and Mavis Discount Tire “The catch basin is just what’s gotta be coming down here in horrendous amounts. Very fast and the catch basins just couldn’t keep up,” said the North Adams Dispatcher, James Burdick.Burdick says the rain kept the city emergency services busy. “We had about 40 calls in an hour and a half for public service calls.”Burdick says several roadways had to be shut down due to flooding and debris. While some trees came down, they did little damage to any homes.“We had a section of Church Street closed and a section of Mansion Street closed, and a section of River Street,” said Burdick.David Sacco, who lives on Bradford Street, heard the storm coming. Gunshot victim collapses in Troy neighborhood “All of ...