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Final Four newbie Virginia Tech meets LSU, decorated Mulkey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — This Final Four is a first for Virginia Tech and coach Kenny Brooks, and he’s set to match wits with a counterpart who beat him by 42 points the last time the two met in March Madness. LSU coach Kim Mulkey won three national championships in four trips to the Final Four with Baylor, but she doesn’t have the bevy of veterans carrying a No. 1 seed into a national semifinal Friday night.That would be Brooks’ bunch.“The No. 1 seed means we belong here,” he said.The seventh-year Hokies coach might not have been thinking that two years ago after a 90-48 loss to Mulkey and the Bears in the second round.But Georgia Amoore is a confident junior now, not the freshman who said she was shaking when Baylor’s DiDi Richards gave her a fist bump to try to boost the young Australian’s spirits after the rout.And Elizabeth Kitley is a dominant senior, Virginia Tech’s all-time leader in points and double-doubles who’s preparing for a high-profile ...

Lo que sabemos de las armas utilizadas en el tiroteo de la escuela en Nashville

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

(CNN) — La persona identificada como Audrey Hale, responsable de matar a tres niños y tres adultos en la escuela primaria Covenant School de Nashville, utilizó en la masacre más reciente de Estados Unidos tres de las siete armas de fuego que había adquirido legalmente.Hale, de 28 años y quien estaba bajo tratamiento por un trastorno emocional, tenía en su poder un fusil AR-15 de estilo militar, una carabina Kel-Tec SUB2000 de calibre 9 milímetros y una pistola Smith and Wesson M&P Shield EZ 2.0 de 9 milímetros, según el jefe de la Policía Metropolitana de Nashville, John Drake.El AR-15 y la carabina de calibre 9 mm parecen tener cargadores de 30 balas, según los expertos que revisaron las fotos y el video difundidos por la policía.A medida que surgen más detalles sobre el tiroteo en la escuela de Nashville, un experto afirma que la rapidez mental de los profesores salvó vidas“Indica que [la persona] estaba preparada para causar muchos más daños de los que realmente p...

How major US stock indexes fared Thursday 3/30/2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

Stocks closed higher again as more fear evaporates from Wall Street.The S&P 500 added 0.6% Thursday, its fifth gain in the last six days. The benchmark index is headed for a gain in March after struggling in earlier weeks on worries about whether the banking system was cracking under the weight of higher interest rates.Forceful actions by regulators worldwide have helped restore confidence. Also boosting stocks have been big bets that the Federal Reserve may cut rates in coming months. But such expectations are also raising concerns of their own for some professionals on Wall Street. On Thursday:The S&P 500 rose 23.02 points, or 0.6%, to 4,050.83.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 141.43 points, or 0.4%, to 32,859.03.The Nasdaq composite rose 87.24 points, or 0.7% to 12,013.47.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.22 points, or 0.2%, to 1,768.38.For the week:The S&P 500 is up 79.84 points, or 2%.The Dow is up 621.50 points, or 1.9%.The Nasdaq is up 189.51...

Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels hush-money case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

Former President Trump was indicted on criminal charges in New York on Thursday for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign, according to a source familiar with the proceedings.The history-making indictment marks the first time a president has been charged in a criminal matter and comes as several law enforcement entities are investigating Trump’s conduct in numerous probes.The charges laid out in the indictment remain unclear.The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.Trump’s company labeled Cohen’s reimbursement of the payment as a legal expense and did not disclose them in campaign expense reports.Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 and served time for his role in the matter on charges related to campaign finance violations and tax ...

Heavy rains trigger flood advisories across Miami-Dade; parts of US 1 shut down in Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

Soggy streets across South Florida have sparked flood advisories in some areas of Miami-Dade County and led to lane closures along U.S. 1 in Miami.The rainfall has begun to peter out by Thursday afternoon but not before it dumped inches of rain, like 6.6 inches in Sunrise Harbor, 5 inches in Key Biscayne, 4.1 inches in Coral Gables and 3.5 inches in Coconut Grove.In Miami, 3.38 inches of rain were reported, a new record.7Skyforce hovered above heavy flooding along U.S. 1 near Southwest 32nd Street in Miami. Standing water covered two northbound lanes, as drivers continued heading north on the left lane.Further south, U.S. 1 is closed southbound near Bird Road. The floodwaters caused multiple vehicles in this area to stall out.Some downpours continue to batter areas in the southern part of the county, like Cutler Bay and Homestead. Another batch of rain is pushing into Key Biscayne.The heavy precipitation has triggered multiple flood advisories. One extends south to the Florida Turnp...

Lawyer: Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he’s been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.It becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, told The Associated Press he had been told that a grand jury that had been meeting for months voted to indict Trump. The specific charges were not immediately made public.Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has attacked the investigation, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.The grand jury indictment of Trump, 76, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to galvan...

Nearly 100 cats found in deplorable conditions inside Cutler Bay home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

Dozens of cats were rescued after being found in distress and living under deplorable conditions in Cutler Bay. According to Miami-Dade County officials, a warrant was served at a home located at 20536 SW 93rd Ave., Thursday morning. The warrant was issued in connection to an animal cruelty investigation. Upon entering the home, officials located the 93 cats and removed them from the property. Miami-Dade Animal Services will examine each cat to assess its health and provide medical care as needed. Once legal custody has been awarded to Animal Services and they are medically cleared, they will be put up for adoption. No arrests have been made. The case is still under investigation.

Miami’s motivational Larrañaga leads another Final Four run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Begin with the end in mind.A devotee of Franklin Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Jim Larrañaga chose Habit 2 to describe Miami’s first trip to the Final Four.“You’ve got to have a vision of where you’re going,” Larrañaga said. “It’s like putting in your GPS, your destination, and I think we put in Houston as our destination. That was going to be our road map.”Larrañaga has been down this road before.With Larrañaga at the helm, George Mason had one of the greatest mid-major runs in NCAA Tournament history, pulling off one upset after another — and a nation of underdog fans with them — all the way to the 2006 Final Four.“He was a teacher, he was a mentor, a wizard,” said Tony Skinn, a guard on the 2006 George Mason team who was named head coach of his alma mater on Thursday. “When you have a chance to play for a guy like that, you get the results we ended up getting. It’s not surprising he’s in this position. It’s a new group, but sa...

NATO chief: ‘My aim’ is for Sweden to join alliance by July

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

Sweden could still become a NATO member by summer, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told POLITICO on Thursday as Finland moved ahead on its own to join the military alliance. The two Nordic countries initially applied to join NATO together last year, but their fates diverged Thursday after Turkey ratified Finland’s bid while leaving Sweden behind — the product of a lingering dispute over the country’s support for Kurdish groups and limitations on arms exports.Stoltenberg insisted in an interview that Sweden could still get its own green light after Turkey’s May elections. Turkey’s relationship with Sweden has grown especially contentious ahead of the elections, following a Quran-burning protest in Stockholm earlier this year.“My aim remains that after the Turkish elections, but before the Vilnius summit, we can also have the ratification of Sweden,” the secretary-general said from NATO headquarters in Brussels, referencing the alliance’s annual gathering on July 11.He did not say, h...

Finland cleared to join NATO following Turkish vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

The Turkish parliament on Thursday unanimously ratified Finland’s accession to NATO, effectively allowing Helsinki to join the military alliance but leaving Sweden out in the cold.Finland could now become a formal member of NATO within days. “All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland’s membership,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö tweeted. “I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support. Finland will be a strong and capable Ally, committed to the security of the Alliance,” he said. His country, the president added, “is now ready to join NATO.” The Turkish vote, occurring minutes before midnight in Ankara, comes after months of delays. Finland and Sweden initially applied for membership last May, prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And while the two countries were formally invited to join the alliance last summer, both Turkey and Hungary have been stalling on ratifying their memberships.  Ankara has raised concerns about the coun...