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Baseball great Vida Blue dies at 73

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

Vida Blue, the Oakland Athletics star pitcher who helped lead the team to three straight world championships in the early 1970s, died at age 73, the Athletics announced Sunday.The cause of death wasn’t disclosed.“There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the A’s said in a statement. “He was a three-time champion, an MVP, a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and an Oakland A’s Hall of Famer. Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time.”Blue played 17 seasons in the major leagues from 1969-86. He started his career in Oakland, where he was a key contributor to the franchise’s three straight World Series championships from 1972-74 and five straight West Division titles from 1971-1975.In 1971, the left-hander became the youngest MVP in major league history when he achieved the honor at the age of 21. In that season...

School bus driver strike dodged in Framingham, still looming in Westboro and Marlboro

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

A school bus driver strike was narrowly averted in the Framingham School District as negotiators agreed on a new contract Sunday evening, but no such consensus was reached in Marlboro and Westboro as of 8 p.m., leaving the scheduled strike Monday morning impending.“We were prepared for the worst but hoping for the best, and it turns out the best has come to fruition,” Framingham Superintendent Robert Tremblay said at a 6 p.m. city press event Sunday.The transportation company for the three school districts, NRT Bus, and representatives from the Teamsters Local 170 union representing the drivers remained in the trenches of contract negotiations Sunday in the wake of the union’s strike vote last week.The sides have been in negotiations since January 2023, according to an NRT statement.Framingham public officials were covering preparations to transport thousands of students to school Monday morning when they received the news that the negotiators reached a deal for a ...

Trump rejects last chance to testify at NY civil trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump rejected his last chance Sunday to testify at a civil trial where a longtime advice columnist has accused him of raping her in a luxury department store dressing room in 1996.Trump, a Republican candidate for president in 2024, was given until 5 p.m. Sunday by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to file a request to testify. Nothing was filed.It was not a surprise. Trump has not shown up once during the two-week Manhattan trial where writer E. Jean Carroll testified for several days, repeating claims she first made publicly in a 2019 memoir. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages totaling millions of dollars.The jury has also watched lengthy excerpts from an October videotaped deposition in which Trump vehemently denied raping Carroll or ever really knowing her.Without Trump’s testimony, lawyers were scheduled to make closing arguments Monday, with deliberations likely to begin on Tuesday.After plaintiffs rested their case Thu...

Marcus Smart’s winning shot comes too late as Celtics fall to 76ers in Game 4 overtime thriller

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — For a moment, it appeared the Celtics had stolen this one.The sellout crowd here at Wells Fargo Center held their collective breath. Marcus Smart had just made what looked like the game-winning 3-pointer in overtime for a stunning victory. But it wasn’t certain he got the shot off in time.“I couldn’t really tell,” Smart said. “It was close.”A few seconds passed. Uncertainty grew. But then the video board showed the replay, the ball clearly still on Smart’s fingertips as the final buzzer light turned on.76ers 116, Celtics 115. Final. The Philadelphia crowd erupted. The Celtics walked quietly off the floor, on their way to Boston for a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday, after coming tenths of a second short of taking a commanding 3-1 lead in this second-round series. James Harden, who returned to form with 42 points, hit the game-winning shot, a corner 3-pointer with 18 seconds on the clock that ultimately made this series 2-2.“Both teams (are) physically tired, mentally tired,...

Alberta officials say cooler weather and showers help in battle against wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

EDMONTON — Cooler temperatures and a bit of rain were delivering some relief for firefighters as they continued to battle wildfires that threaten communities in northern Alberta, but provincial officials warned the reprieve was only in some areas and lightning is sparking some new blazes.“People have called this season certainly unprecedented in recent memory because we have so many fires so spread out,” Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire told a media briefing Sunday afternoon.“It’s been an unusual year.”The province said Sunday there were 108 active fires and the number of evacuees grew to about 29,000, up from approximately 24,000 the day before.Tucker said 31 of the 108 fires are classified as out-of-control, and while weather conditions were improving somewhat in southern and central areas, including some showers as far north as Fox Creek, areas further north weren’t as lucky.A provincewide state of emergency was declared Saturday.“Th...

Pro-Biden groups spend $20M+ to promote record ahead of ’24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three progressive groups are spending more than $20 million in a new national ad campaign to promote President Joe Biden’s record as he begins his 2024 reelection race.The ads from the groups Future Forward USA Action, Climate Power and Way to Win Action Fund, first shared with The Associated Press, aim to sell voters on Biden’s efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, create clean energy jobs, and support the middle class as inflation takes a bite out of their take-home pay. The groups aim to remind Americans of what Biden has done in office, as many Democrats believe their party has not done enough to educate voters about what they have accomplished after 28 months in power.“The Biden-Harris Administration has a good story to tell, and we’re making people aware of the real difference these policies will make in their everyday lives,” Chauncey McLean, the president of Future Forward USA Action, said in a statement. “This national advertising an...

Campbell breaks hitting streak record, Longhorns wrap up series win over Kansas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas outfielder Dylan Campbell put his name in the program history book, but more importantly, helped the Longhorns secure a series win over Kansas on Sunday in Lawrence.Campbell finished 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 26 games, breaking the record set by Michael Torres in 2008, and the Longhorns head off a late Jayhawks rally to win the game 7-6 and the series 2-1.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersEric Kennedy blasted a 2-run home run in the seventh inning to give Texas a 7-3 lead, but the Jayhawks made the Longhorns sweat with a run in the bottom half of the frame then two more in the ninth. Ace Whitehead came in to pitch with two outs in the ninth, and he caught Mike Koszewski looking at the third strike to end the Kansas rally and the ballgame. Whitehead was credited with his first save of the season.The top of the Texas lineup was outstandi...

BPD: 8 dead, 10 injured when SUV strikes crowd near migrant shelter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) - Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez says the death toll has rise to eight people killed Sunday morning when they were run over by a motorist outside a migrant shelter.The incident happened at 8:30 a.m. near Minnesota Road and North Bernal Road in front of the Ozanam Center, which is a shelter for migrants and homeless. One of the victims said they were sitting on the curb near a bus stop when a gray colored Range Rover slammed into the group. Luis Herrera said he and his friends were waiting to go to the airport when they were hit by the vehicle."We were going to the airport and it happened unexpectedly because a woman in a car passed by and advised us to separate and moments later the killer was coming in the car gesturing and insulting us," Herrera said.Jesus is another survivor of the crash. He said he had been at the Ozanam Center for three days after traveling from Venezuela. His family had bought him a plane ticket...

Nuggets assistant David Adelman set to interview for Toronto job, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

As the Nuggets attempt to get past Phoenix and into the Western Conference Finals, coaching search season is heating up among non-playoff teams.According to a report from The Athletic, Denver assistant coach David Adelman is set to interview for Toronto’s head coaching vacancy at some point this week. Adelman, who has been on Michael Malone’s staff for the past six seasons, is an Oregon native and the son of longtime NBA head coach Rick Adelman.Asked about the report before Sunday’s Game 4 in Phoenix, Malone only said, “We’re getting ready to play the Phoenix Suns in Game 4.”David Adelman, 41, spent two years as an assistant in Orlando before coming to Denver.In January, he got a strong endorsement from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, after Adelman served as Denver’s acting head coach while Malone was in health and safety protocols.“I really think that DA’s a guy who’s gonna be next head coach because he has that, I’m gonna say ‘head’ for a head ...

L.A. fire crews working to rescue horse 'stuck in narrow wedge'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:00 GMT

Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department are working to rescue a trapped horse in Sylmar, authorities announced Sunday.  A 911 call about the incident, located at 14525 Olive View Drive, came in at around 4:34 p.m. It is unclear if the horse is injured, but the animal is stuck in a narrow wedge, "inverted in the gap," LAFD said. Firefighters are working to dig out the area in an effort to get the horse on its side. Officials added that crews with LAFD air operations are preparing a backup plan.  “This is a dynamic situation with a number of options being assessed to determine the best approach. The LA Animal Services Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team (SMART) has been notified for assistance,” LAFD said.  Officials also said the rescue will be "an extended duration event," taking several hours for the rescue. The horse’s rider was not injured in the incident.  This is a developing story. Stay with KTLA for the latest details.