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Recent winners Chris Buescher and William Byron open NASCAR playoffs as unwitting favorites

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chris Buescher and William Byron have this in common: Neither wants to declare himself the favorite heading into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.Both have a strong case, though.Buescher won three of the last five regular-season races, including the finale Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. Byron, meanwhile, has a series-leading five victories and is tied for the points lead with Martin Truex Jr. as the postseason begins at Darlington Raceway next Sunday.Buescher and Byron have diverse resumes and definitive momentum.“I think we’re a contender,” Buescher said after leading RFK Racing to its first 1-2 finish in more than nine years. “We still have work to do. I don’t think we’re under the illusion that it has to go through us and us only right now. We’ve got tracks we still need to be better at. We’ve got work to do as a group and as a team to get in the hunt.“I surely feel confident about our ability to drive through the playoffs and feel like...

South Florida couple trek to Maine to raise money for stranger battling ALS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

A local couple took steps from South Florida up to Maine with the purpose of helping a complete stranger with a devastating disease. It took Brandon Mercado, Charlotte Collins, and their dog 63 days, 11 states and almost 2,000 miles to trek from Fort Lauderdale to Bar Harbour, Maine. “We got flooded out where we live in Fort Lauderdale and we had this opportunity where we needed to move out for three months, so instead of doing a bake sale or having a yard sale, selling all of our stuff, he was like ‘What if we did this?’ and I was like ‘I’m down,'” said Collins. All they needed was a recipient, which they found in David Appel, a Boca Raton Resident battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. “He had the diagnosis for four years now,” said Heather Appel, David’s wife. “So diagnosed at 34 and is now 38 and we’ve officially been home since May, but our goal is to keep him home.”In t...

Spanish football reels from sexism crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

Luis Rubiales may be suspended as head of Spain’s football federation, but the controversy surrounding his non-consensual kiss of forward Jenni Hermoso is unlikely to die down anytime soon.The football chief’s suspension by global football governing body FIFA’s disciplinary committee on Saturday did little to quell the anger surrounding Rubiales’ actions and the Spanish football federation’s apparent tolerance of sexism within the organization.At sporting events across Spain this weekend, athletes expressed their solidarity with Hermoso and called for greater action to be taken to address the problem. At a match against FC Almeria, the members of the FC Cádiz team held up a banner that read “We are all Jenni” as the crowd chanted “Rubiales, resign!”The star footballer herself appeared for the first time since the controversial kiss at a match on Saturday in Alcalá de Henares, looking on as the players of the FC Milan and Atlético...

Verdugo becomes 1st player in Red Sox history to hit a leadoff homer in the 1st in 3 straight games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo became the first player in Boston Red Sox history to hit a leadoff homer in the first inning in three straight games, connecting on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park.Verdugo drove the second pitch from Julio Urías into the Dodgers’ bullpen, tying the game at 1.Verdugo is the third major leaguer to accomplish the feat. Brady Anderson had a four-game streak with Baltimore in 1996, and Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr. had a three-game run in 2018.After he rounded first, Verdugo turned around and faced his team in the home dugout, backpedaling before turning and continuing his trot around the bases.On Friday, Verdugo hit Lance Lynn’s first pitch out to right, following his leadoff homer on the road against Houston in Boston’s previous game on Wednesday.

With improved velocity, DL Hall ready to contribute out of Orioles’ bullpen: ‘Just happy to be here’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

The number of the radar gun has been a major focus of DL Hall’s season.The Orioles’ top pitching prospect didn’t have a normal offseason, unable to lift weights or run because of a back injury that also stunted his spring training. When he returned to the mound and built up as a starter in Triple-A Norfolk, the 2017 first-round pick was throwing about 2 to 4 mph slower than normal.He’s back in Baltimore now, recalled Saturday for the injured Félix Bautista, and the high 90s numbers on the radar gun Saturday night in the Orioles’ 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies were no fluke.“Nah, I think that’s about where I’m at right now,” Hall said Sunday morning in his first time talking with media since rejoining the team. “That was something I’ve kind of been trying to get back all year, trying to get healthy and stronger again and finally getting to where I want to be.”Hall’s up-and-down season — and ca...

Rafael Devers out of Sunday lineup after hit-by-pitch, will get wrist X-rays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

Fifteen minutes after releasing Sunday’s lineup, the Red Sox removed Rafael Devers from the slate.The superstar third baseman was hit by a pitch leading off the eighth inning on Saturday. He was in a lot of pain as he spoke to Alex Cora and a trainer, but eventually took his base and stayed in the game for the last inning.“He’ll get X-rays later on today,” Cora said. “He’s sore, so just stay away from him.”The manager explained that they’re waiting for the swelling to go down before taking a look. For now, he sees the lineup scratch as a precaution, not a cause for alarm.“We believe it’s a day-by-day thing, so it makes sense to keep him out of the lineup and go from there,” he added.Pablo Reyes will play second base, and Luis Urías will move to third for the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers.It’s encouraging to see Reyes available for the lineup. He started at shortstop on Saturday, but didn’t ...

38 affordable housing units open in East County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A new affordable housing complex opened in rural East County Friday, the County of San Diego Communications Office announced. Alpine Family Apartments -- the first county-funded affordable project in Alpine -- celebrated the grand opening of 38 affordable housing units for low-income families."The top two issues in my district are homelessness and housing, and today we are solving the problem of housing for 38 families and that's an important step in the right direction," said Supervisor Joel Anderson of District 2. Boil water advisory lifted for Imperial Beach, Coronado residents According the Housing and Community Development Services, the families that will live in these affordable apartments may now have an opportunity for better health, better economic outcomes, and better educational outcomes."What's most exciting about today is we're changing people's lives for the better and we are doing it in the unincorporated where we need it most," Supervisor Anderson cont...

Members of US Congress make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest Syria

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Three members of the U.S. Congress made a brief visit Sunday to opposition-held northwest Syria in what was the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years.U.S. Reps. Ben Cline of Virginia, French Hill of Arkansas and Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, all Republicans, entered Syria from Turkey via the Bab al-Salama crossing in northern Aleppo province, according to two people familiar with the trip. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the trip and spoke on condition of anonymity after the U.S. delegation had left Syria.Crossing into opposition-held Syria on what would be a roughly one-hour trip, the lawmakers were presented with flowers from students from Wisdom House. The facility is a school for orphans that is a project of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based Syrian opposition organization that facilitated the lawmakers’ trip. Hill has been among the most vocal supporters in Congress of the Syrian opposition and his Ark...

Two men charged after raid on problematic cannabis dispensary in Mississauga

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

Two men are facing drug-related charges after police raided a problematic cannabis dispensary in Mississauga. Peel police say the shop located at 2563 Hurontario Street just south of Dundas Street has been operating without a license and illegally for quite some time and just before noon on August 25, members of the Specialized Enforcement Bureau (SEB) and Strategic Tactical Enforcement Policing (STEP) officers executed a search warrant. Police say they seized a number of items including drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a BB handgun.Dennis Arenburg, 42, from Mississauga has been charged with possession for the purpose of distributing and possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling. Hong Anh Vu, 28, from Toronto, is also facing charges of possession for the purpose of distributing and possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling as well as possession of property obtained by crime. Both have been released on bail pending a future court date. “This premise has shown a b...

Bob Barker remembered as ‘strong voice for animals’ in Canada, says wildlife advocate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:14:19 GMT

TORONTO — Television host Bob Barker charmed viewers on “The Price is Right,” but it’s his “strong voice for animals” that one Canadian wildlife advocate says will be irreplaceable.Julie Woodyer, campaigns director at Zoocheck Canada, knew Barker for years as they collaborated on both successful and failed efforts to free animals from captivity at Canada’s zoos.She says Barker brought a unique generosity that was unmatched by other celebrities, often opening up his chequebook to support the cause and willingly making appearances at events to raise awareness.Barker died on Saturday from natural causes at the age of 99.Woodyer says she first connected with the TV host and his partner Nancy Burnet as Zoocheck attempted to free Lucy the elephant from the Edmonton Valley Zoo.While the campaign was unsuccessful, Barker reteamed with the organization to move three elephants from the Toronto Zoo to a sanctuary in California and also gave $50,000 to help b...