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Erik Spoelstra sees Heat’s own March Madness, ‘the opportunities are there’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

After all that has gone sideways, gone south, gone to the wire, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it is time for a revised outlook, similar to what he told his team in the wake of Sunday night’s tougher-than-expected road victory over the Detroit Pistons.Basically for the Miami Heat, he said, it comes down to nine lives, as in the nine games remaining on the team’s regular-season schedule, starting with Wednesday night’s matchup against the New York Knicks at Miami-Dade Arena.“I probably can sum it up, with all of this, is like nothing about this season is easy and I’m embracing that it’s not going to be easy,” Spoelstra said of the wild ride to this 39-34 record and current No. 7 seed in an Eastern Conference. Only the top six seeds advance directly to the playoffs. “And I told that to the team, you have to embrace this right now. This is just the path for this team. It doesn’t mean that it’s a negative thing. Just wrap your ...

Delayed by visa issues, Yu Chang will have less than week to compete for roster spot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

Yu Chang is one of several ballplayers competing for a spot on the Red Sox roster, but unlike the others, he’ll have less than a week to make his case.On Monday morning, Alex Cora told reporters that visa issues have delayed Chang’s arrival. He’s now expected to arrive Thursday, exactly one week before Opening Day.The versatile infielder played for Chinese Taipei, who were mathematically eliminated (due to Pool A’s five-team tie) in the first round of the World Baseball Classic. Though he hasn’t played in over a week and wasn’t at spring training prior to the tournament, he won’t be starting from scratch when he arrives. Sources tell the Herald that since Chang was playing at a high level in the World Baseball Classic, it shouldn’t be long before he sees some action.But including his estimated day of arrival, all that stands between the Red Sox and their first game of the regular season are six Grapefruit League games and a day off on ...

Shaquille O’Neal sparks concern after tweet from hospital bed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal sparked thousands of messages of concern after tweeting a photo from his hospital bed.Shaq tweeted the photo on Sunday: “I’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all.”The former Orlando Magic superstar is in the hospital for hip replacement surgery, according to Austin, TX, news station KXAN.Shaq played four years for the Magic he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.However, he still maintained a home on an estate in Isleworth that he bought in 1993 for $3.95 million.He finally sold the home in Oct. 2021 for $11 million, one of the highest prices ever paid for a home in Central Florida. ()

Skier dies after hitting tree on Wachusett Mountain, State Police investigating

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

A skier died after hitting a tree on a Wachusett Mountain advanced trail Monday morning, a “tragic loss” that State Police are now investigating.Wachusett Ski patrol responded to an incident involving a 67-year-old male skier at around 9:25 a.m. on Monday. The skier had reportedly struck a tree on an advanced trail, and the man was found unresponsive by another skier who was passing by.Wachusett ski patrollers brought the man to the bottom of the mountain and provided emergency care to him before handing his care over to first responders.“Unfortunately, we have since learned that the skier has passed away,” Wachusett Mountain Ski Area said in a statement. “The entire Wachusett family is grieving this tragic loss.“All of our thoughts are with the skier’s family and friends,” the ski area added.State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office and Crime Scene Services personnel responded to investi...

Quebec police say third man dies after pedestrians struck by truck last week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

AMQUI, Que. — A third person has died of injuries sustained when a pickup truck crashed into pedestrians last week in an eastern Quebec town, provincial police said Monday.Police identified the latest victim as 41-year-old Simon-Guillaume Bourget.One week ago, a man drove a truck down a main street in Amqui, Que., hitting several groups of pedestrians in what police have described as an intentional act.The hospital research centre tied to Université Laval said one person died Sunday night at Quebec City’s Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus.Two other men — Gérald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafrenière, 73 — were killed in the alleged attack in Amqui, about 350 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. The truck hit 11 people ranging in age from less than a year old to 77. Six people were transported to hospital; three patients were still hospitalized Monday, including one in critical condition, and the other two were stable.Bourget’s father, Sylvio Bourget, paid tribute to his late son...

Putin warns Russia could drop grain deal after 60 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed on Monday that Moscow has agreed to extend a deal allowing the exports of Ukrainian grain to global markets only for 60 days and could drop it altogether if its conditions aren’t met.Speaking at a parliamentary meeting in Moscow attended by lawmakers from African countries, Putin emphasized that Russia expects the facilitation of exports of its own agricultural products as part of a package agreement.“A fair and comprehensive implementation of the Black Sea grain deal can only be ensured if our position is taken into account, and depending on that we will deal with the issue of our further participation in it,” Putin said.The U.N. and Turkey brokered July’s agreement that allowing Ukraine — one of the world’s key breadbaskets — to ship food and fertilizer from three of its Black Sea ports. The 120-day agreement was renewed last November, and Russia agreed to extend it again when it expired Saturday, noting that it...

Canadian bank funding stable despite $57B market cap loss: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

TORONTO — Credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar says funding levels at Canadian banks are stable despite about $57 billion in lost market capitalization for the Big Six banks over the past two weeks.Analyst Carl De Souza says in a report out Monday that the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are idiosyncratic and not representative of the Canadian banking sector.He says that while the Big Six banks have lost about 9.2 per cent in market capitalization, they have diversified and stable funding and generally have lower exposure to the fixed-income securities that helped lead to Silicon Valley Bank’s downfall.Canadian banks do also have unrealized losses on long-term bond investments like Silicon Valley Bank did, but he says the losses aren’t as big and that the banks aren’t expected to be forced to sell them because of their more resilient deposit bases.De Souza says Canadian banks should be able to navigate the current market turbulence, but that DBRS...

Pay transparency is spreading. Here’s what you need to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. employers are increasingly posting salary ranges for job openings, even in states where it’s not required by law, according to analysts with several major job search websites.Following new legislation in New York City, California, Washington, Colorado, and elsewhere, employers across the country are becoming more transparent about pay in order to stay competitive with companies in states that require employers to post salary ranges, experts say. A tight labor market and significant increase in remote work have also contributed to the rise.The number of U.S. job postings that include salary information more than doubled between February 2020 and February 2023, from 18.4% to 43.7%, according to a new report from job search site Indeed.Salary visibility is lowest in the southern U.S., which accounted for 18 of the 20 least transparent metro areas, and highest in the western part of the country, which tends to have more regulation. Advocates say it’s a trend that be...

US: War crimes on all sides in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Monday that it has determined all sides in the brutal conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The move carries no immediate U.S. policy implications but lends weight to calls for such allegations to be prosecuted. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the determination less than a week after he returned from a visit to Ethiopia during which he met with Ethiopian government and Tigrayan officials as well as victims of the conflict, but said little about the U.S. view of prospects for accountability.His determination covers members of the Ethiopian and Eritrean national armies as well as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and forces aligned with the Amhara region. Blinken said those responsible for atrocities must be held accountable.He said after “careful review of the law and facts” he had determined that members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defe...

Some Trump supporters ambivalent on calls for protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.The ambivalence raises questions about whether Trump, though a leading Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race who retains a devoted following, still has the power to mobilize far-right supporters the way he did more than two years ago before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also suggests that the hundreds of arrests that followed the Capitol riot, not to mention the convictions and long prison sentences, may have dampened the desire for repeat mass unrest.Still, law enforcement in New York is continuing to closely monitor online chatter warning of protests and violence if Trump is arrested, with threats varying in specificity and credibility, four officials told The Associa...