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Toronto shows it can be a ‘great market’ for WNBA during pre-season test run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

When WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert stood at the podium about an hour before history was made Saturday afternoon, she tried to put the possibility of league expansion into proper context.It was an impressive presentation.Heading into its 27th season, the WNBA has been taking a business-like, nearly scientific approach to its first expansion since 2008. The timing is TBD – at one point 2024 was a target but it there is no firm timeline. The league started with a data analysis of 100 different cities, gauging them for demographic, ‘psychographic’ and other elements — TV ratings for women’s sports, women’s NCAA basketball and the WNBA among them — that may or may not make them a good fit for a new franchise in the world’s best women’s basketball league.The list was then cut to 20 as the league drilled down into potential ownership groups, arena access, practice facilities and access to capital for investment and the like. Finally, over the past off-season the leagu...

Swedish singer Loreen wins Eurovision Song Contest for 2nd time at event feting Ukraine

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with her power ballad “Tattoo,” at a colorful, eclectic music competition clouded for a second year running by the war in Ukraine.The diva from Stockholm beat acts from 25 other countries to take the continent’s pop crown at the final of the competition in Liverpool. Finnish singer Käärijä was second in a close-fought battle of the Nordic neighbors. Loreen previously won Eurovision in 2012 and is only the second performer to take the prize twice, after Ireland’s Johnny Logan in the 1980s. It’s Sweden’s seventh Eurovision victory, matching Ireland’s record.Loreen said winning a second time was “overwhelming.”Britain hosted Eurovision ton behalf of Ukraine, which won last year but couldn’t take up its right to hold the contest because of the war. Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine as the contest was underway, and Ukrainian media reported a strike in Ternopil, home town of Ukrain...

Beware of scammers posing as Habitat for Humanity employees at your door

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Habitat for Humanity wants to warn homeowners about a scam: bad actors potentially posing as Habitat employees and accessing homes. It may be difficult to spot a real Habitat for Humanity employee when they aren't building a home, so don't be fooled. Scammers are currently hitting homes in the New Orleans area. Can folded dollar bills on the ground be deadly? What to know "They could try to get personal information or they may be casing the property to gain entry," said Marguerite Oestreicher, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in the New Orleans area. Oestreicher said the organization received a report of a man's mother getting a home visitor claiming he was there for home repairs."These people are showing up — they made fake logo shirts, fake paperwork. So people think it is Habitat but it is not Habitat," said the executive director.Just to be clear: Habitat for Humanity never goes door to door. If they show up at your house, it's because you alread...

Forest Lake’s Matt Wallner starting to get back on track for Saints

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

At 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, Saints outfielder Matt Wallner is a big man who possesses a big arm and big-time power, a combination that has him on the cusp of greatness.But 36 games into the season, a player viewed to be on the fast track to the majors is stuck in neutral. Along with relatively pedestrian numbers, his body language suggests that the 25-year-old native of Forest Lake is a frustrated athlete looking to bust loose.The low-key Wallner had no problem with that assessment following the Saints’ 3-1 loss to the Indianapolis Indians on Saturday at CHS Field.“Maybe just trying to force it a little too much in certain instances,” Wallner said. “Just kind of at the in-between point.”In other words, not bad, but not up to his standards. It’s enough to make some players want to hit something — and not just a baseball. But Wallner said that’s not his style. Instead, he just keeps his head down and works, while occasionally calling on a friendly ear.“Teammates, old coaches, the coac...

Trevor Larnach returns as Max Kepler lands on injured list once more

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

Trevor Larnach was in the lineup last Friday in Cleveland, preparing for a game against the Guardians when he was given some surprising news: He was headed back to Triple-A.“It is what it is,” he said. “Can’t really complain, can’t really do too much about it. Just roll with the punches.”Well, there was something he could do — Larnach headed to the Triple-A Saints and hit nearly everything in sight, going 7 for 14 in four games, with a pair of home runs. Saturday, just over a week after his demotion, he was back with the Twins after they placed Max Kepler on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.Kepler left Thursday’s game early with what the Twins had described as a cramp. He pinch hit in Friday night’s game, and while manager Rocco Baldelli said his magnetic resonance imaging “seems OK,” the Twins did not expect him to be back in the lineup imminently, forcing them to make the move.“He’s still pretty tight and we don’t think he’s going to be able to play for a handful of d...

Nine-year-old among 3 shot in Albany, with 1 killed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Albany police are investigating a gun homicide that took place at Village Barber and Beauty on Second Avenue at around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. Although one person died, two more were shot, including a child. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! When police arrived, they found three victims. One, a 47-year-old man, was shot in the torso and shoulder. He was treated at the scene and sent to Albany Medical Center Hospital, but died from his wounds. Police are withholding his name for now.The two other victims—a 19-year-old man shot in the foot and a 9-year-old boy whose torso was grazed—were also treated at Albany Med for their injuries, which police said are not life-threatening. Police department public information officer Steve Smith said that a preliminary investigation suggest that an unknown shooter fired several rounds into the building from outside. Pennsylvania fugitive nabbed in Catskill One vict...

Family rescued from I-64 floods grateful for swift help from St. Louis fire crews

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A busy stretch of Interstate 64 flooded in St. Louis during rush hour Friday afternoon due to a water main break. Fire crews rescued one family after their minivan ended up stuck in water. Laura Kramer says she’s grateful for the help from the St. Louis Fire Department. She was on her way to the Saint Louis Zoo, traveling with her father and her son Liam. Suddenly, a 30-inch water main broke by the Tamm Avenue overpass. Water gushed down on the highway around 4:15 p.m. Some drivers were able to cross the highway almost immediately before it shut down in both directions for several hours. Trending: St. Louis BBQ joint named ‘best road trip food stop’ in Missouri “The cars were crossing. So my father says if the small cars are crossing, you can cross, just go fast,” said Kramer.As other cars crossed, she said the waves of water were getting pushed towards her car. The engine then stopped. SkyFOX, powered by Bommarito Automotive Group, captured the moment on camera when ...

Cardinals rally in the ninth inning again, top Red Sox 4-3 for series win

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Kenley Jansen blew a ninth-inning lead for the second straight day when shortstop Kiké Hernández’s throwing error on a potential game-ending double play allowed Nolan Gorman to score the go-ahead run in a three-run ninth inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.The Red Sox wasted a stellar start by Chris Sale, who pitched eight innings of one-run ball in his longest outing since 2019.Nolan Arenado had a solo homer for St. Louis a day after collecting four hits with a two-run homer. The Cardinals won Friday’s game with a three-run ninth that was capped by Gorman’s pinch-hit, two-run homer off Jansen.Rob Refsnyder had a two-run double and three hits, and Rafael Devers added an RBI single for the Red Sox.“We got a ground ball in the situation when we needed it,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We didn't turn the double play. It's one of those when (Jansen) was wild early-on, they got traffic and put pressure on us.”Janse...

Kiszla: Nuggets can’t lose to Lakers, unless they let the refs or ghosts beat them

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

In this tussle between a Joker and the King, the Nuggets can’t lose, unless they get distracted by crying foul or spooked by ghosts of past failure.Concentrate on pushing LeBron James and his 38-year-old legs to the limit rather than playing the victim after every unfriendly whistle from the refs, and you can mark it down: The Nuggets will advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.Nothing against the Lakers. We love L.A. too. Those 17 championship banners in the rafters are more stunning than all the beautiful people who sit with their famous feet on the arena floor in the City of Angels, where a storied franchise hasn’t lost since March.But who’s afraid of LeBron and the Lakers? The best player and best team in this playoff series can be found in Denver.“Our goal was not to get to the Western Conference finals,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Our goal is to win a championship.”OK, let’s get the usual basketball grievances from a fly-over city out ...

Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela has record-breaking 6 stolen bases for his Double-A team

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:37 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Red Sox Double-A prospect Ceddanne Rafaela broke a Portland Sea Dogs franchise record by stealing six bases — among the team’s franchise-record nine steals — in a 6-2 loss to the Somerset Patriots on Saturday.The previous Portland record of four stolen bases in a game was set by Jeremy Hazelbacker on July 22, 2012 against New Hampshire. The Sea Dogs’ previous team record was six steals in the same game.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Source