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Miami, Xavier look to refocus after narrow 1st-round escapes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — If Miami’s Jim Larrañaga and Xavier’s Sean Miller didn’t have their players’ complete attention heading into the NCAA Tournament, they do now.Larrañaga’s Hurricanes and Miller’s Musketeers both needed huge second-half comebacks against lower-seeded opponents in the first round.Now, as the teams move through March Madness, the veteran coaches are hoping players realize the importance of cherishing every possession on both ends of the floor and avoiding lapses in concentration that can lead to an opponent’s run.“You just realize that we’re here and these teams are trying to win as bad as we are, and we’ve got to play our best every night,” Xavier forward Jerome Hunter said.Miami trailed 12th-seeded Drake by eight points with 5:40 remaining in the first round of the Midwest Region, but rallied and finished the game on a 19-1 run behind 21 points from Nijel Pack to win 53-46.Likewise, third-seeded Xavier survived a scare from tournament first-ti...

Taylor Swift travels through time during opening night of the ‘Eras Tour’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

(CNN) — Baby, let the games begin.Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” kicked off on Friday night in Glendale, Arizona during a three-hour show that ran through hits from every era of the Grammy-winner’s 17-year career.“Swifties,” as her fans are known, descended upon the city in full Swift-inspired costumes and the location itself changed its name to “Swift City,” according to the Glendale, Arizona website. Ticket sales for the tour even broke Ticketmaster, something the singer called attention to on Friday when she told her audience she felt it was safe to assume that it had taken “a considerable amount of effort” for them to be there.Full disclosure: This CNN writer is a Swiftie. I managed to secure tickets to Swift’s penultimate show in Los Angeles this August, but here are some of the highlights of her performance on Friday, based on social media posts from people in attendance.Donning a crystalized corset and matchi...

Cold weather returns Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

After a mild Saturday, colder weather returns to the forecast Sunday, as temperatures fall back into the 30s. Windy conditions are also expected, with gusts over 30mph likely during the afternoon. Together, the colder air and windy conditions will make temperatures feel like the 20s most of the day. If you’re headed to the St. Paddy’s Day parade in Southie, expect a wind chill between 24-28 with a mix of sun and clouds.

Red Sox notebook: Joely Rodriguez injured in split-squad action

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

While the win and loss the Red Sox completed in Saturday’s split-squad action against the Orioles (9-6 win) and Rays (2-1 loss) don’t count against their record, the events of said contests could have lasting ramifications.Joely Rodríguez left the mound in the eighth inning of Boston’s game against Baltimore with what the Red Sox have described as “right torso pain.”After throwing a pitch, the left-handed reliever clutched his side and immediately left the game. According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, he was “groaning in pain” and “holding onto his side” as he went into the clubhouse.Saturday was only Rodríguez’s third appearance of the spring. After making a career-high 55 appearances for the Mets in 2022, he had shoulder surgery during the offseason, leading the Red Sox to be careful about his preseason work.It’s unclear how serious the torso issue is.“Sore. We’ll know more tomorrow how he comes back and prob...

Ira Winderman: Udonis Haslem and his Heat road from Mr. 305 to suburban 954 dad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

Over the upcoming week, Mr. 305 deservedly will be honored for 20 seasons of service to team and community by the Miami Heat.Born and raised in the hardscrabble inner-city of Miami, few players, in any sport, are as identified with their hometown than Udonis Haslem.And yet, for these past two decades, Mr. 305 has actually been Mr. 954, living first in Davie upon his Heat arrival and now in the semi-rural setting of Southwest Ranches.By no means has that meant turning his back on his roots, just as often found in Miami-Dade with his philanthropic and entrepreneurial endeavors.Just a husband and father, like many husbands and fathers, seeking the better life for his family that he only could imagine growing up.To Haslem, Broward is the oasis, while Miami-Dade remains the pride.The tranquility of the suburbs, he said, allows the passion to flourish both in the locker room and in the community when he crosses the county line.“I always wanted land,” the Heat’s 42-year-o...

Nickelback offers Heat’s Jimmy Butler, ‘to come sing along live’; Lowry out vs. Bulls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

Whether making a statement about his team’s loss or otherwise, the fact the Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler blared Nickelback in the locker room the wake of last week’s overtime defeat against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center caught the attention of the Canadian band.Friday, the band took to Twitter to inform Butler, “We’re going on tour this summer, hit us up if you want to come sing along live.”The message was prefaced with, “It’s not like Jimmy … to say sorry!”That comes from the band’s “How You Remind Me,” which includes the lyric, “It’s not like you to say sorry.”Butler, as he is wont to do, not only played his postgame playlist at maximum volume, but also sung along, as he also is wont to do.Butler has been working the past year on producing a country album featuring a variety of singers, with friendships in that genre with Luke Combs, Luke Bryan and Filmore, featured in the opening ...

Crime Briefs: Malden man cops to trying to hire hitman to kill his wife

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

A 56-year-old Malden man indicted by a federal grand jury in February of last year on one count of murder-for-hire has pleaded guilty.“You want to get rid of her?” an undercover federal agent asked Massimo Marenghi during a meeting on Jan. 20, 2021. Marenghi had approached the agent, who he believed to be a hitman, with a “situation” — his wife — that needs to be “taken care of,” according to an affidavit filed in the case.Marenghi pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Boston to the charge. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing, which can be up to 10 years in prison, for June 8.Marenghi first met up with somebody on Jan. 1, 2021, complaining that his wife was seeking a restraining order against him. The person told law enforcement, who then directed the person to connect Marenghi with an agent pretending to be a contract killer.In the Jan. 20 meeting, the pair hashed out the details, with the agent saying he can “make it look like an accident … it...

Mexico president holds massive rally ahead of 2024 elections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador held a massive rally in Mexico City’s main plaza attended by tens of thousands of people Saturday. Though it was called to commemorate Mexico’s 1938 expropriation of the oil industry, many of those attending the Saturday rally agreed that it was the de-facto opening salvo to the 2024 elections that will choose the president’s successor. It may be one of the last rallies that will be headed by López Obrador, who is known for his folksy style and charisma. The process to nominate a presidential candidate for his Morena party will began later this year. After that, the party’s candidate is likely to take center stage.But most agree that few of the presidential hopefuls can match the popularity of a president whose approval ratings are routinely above 60%. That is especially true for the Morena party, which was largely built around López Obrador.Alberto Martínez, 59, said he hoped Mexico City Mayor Claudia Shei...

California, drugmaker partner to produce affordable insulin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

DOWNEY, Calif. (AP) — The state of California and a generic drug manufacturer announced a 10-year partnership Saturday to produce affordable, state-branded insulin that they hope will rival longtime producers and push down prices for a medication used by millions of Americans. The product is not expected on store shelves until at least next year, and it was difficult to predict what effect it would have on a market already shaken by change. Earlier this week another major insulin maker promised steep price cuts as pressure builds on drugmakers and insurers to slash the cost of the drug.Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said he hoped California’s emergence as an insulin-maker would prompt prices to collapse. Research has shown that prices for the drug have more than tripled in the past couple of decades.“We are intent to make this about market disruption,” Newsom said at a ceremony announcing the pact at a pharmaceutical warehouse near Los Angeles. He called it “a game changer” for 8 mill...

Kalapriya hosts Holi celebration in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:14 GMT

CHICAGO — Dance, yoga and storytelling were part of a colorful celebration of Indian culture Saturday in the South Loop."It is actually celebrating the coming of spring," Mridu Sekhar, president of the Kalapriya Foundation, said. Lincoln Park Zoo reveals names of new baby lions The Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts hosted its first Holi celebration at Chicago Women's Park.It's a festival steeped in Hindu tradition."Basically women, men, everybody gets on the street, you just throw color, you just enjoy it," Sekhar said. Shedd Aquarium fears millions in lost revenue with NASCAR’s arrival The organization just moved into a new space at 21st and Wabash where they will continue to host classes, group discussions and cultural events."Kalapriya tries to build bridges to communities using its Indian roots, so we teach dance, we teach music, we do performances and we try to make it relevant to the issues facing Chicago," Sekhar said. "We do a lot of work on non-violence, tryin...