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Top speller in English to be crowned at Scripps National Spelling Bee finals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The Scripps National Spelling Bee is set to crown a champion, with 11 finalists gathering Thursday night in a convention center ballroom outside Washington to demonstrate their mastery of Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged dictionary.The bee has undergone many changes as a result of an eight-way tie in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped it out a year later. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the skill and dedication of the top spellers in the English language.The typical workload for a top-level speller: 3-4 hours of studying each weekday, and more on the weekends. And yet they still find time to excel in other disciplines — 14-year-old finalist Charlotte Walsh of Arlington, Virginia, just completed an Advanced Placement calculus course — as an eighth-grader.The bee began in 1925 and is open to students through the eighth grade. Spellers qualify by winning regional bees around the country. There were 229 kids onstage at the beginning of this ye...

Enforcing minor crimes returns ‘accountability’ to Baltimore, new top prosecutor says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s top prosecutor announced Thursday a new program that allows police to issue citations for minor crimes such as loitering, drug possession and public urination — a significant shift from the more progressive policies of his predecessor, who declined to prosecute such cases.The contrasting approaches exemplify an ongoing nationwide debate between supporters of criminal justice reform and those calling for a return to the country’s more traditional “law and order” approach.Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who took office in January, held a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce the change, repeating a campaign promise to address so-called “quality of life” offenses. Bates said the program is a response to repeated complaints from residents who are “sick and tired” of seeing drug dealers on their blocks, among other problems. He said it will deliver a “return to accountability” in Baltimore and improve public safety. However, it’s not clear whe...

German soccer mourns death of 15-year-old player who died after tournament brawl

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German soccer federation will hold a weekend of mourning for the 15-year-old player who died after a post-match brawl at an international youth tournament last weekend.“This incredibly sad and shocking act at a soccer tournament for juniors leaves us speechless,” federation president Bernd Neuendorf said Thursday. “It is the ultimate challenge to all of us to take a firm stand against violence — in soccer and in society as a whole.”The player from JFC Berlin died Wednesday from severe brain injuries sustained during a post-match brawl on Sunday. A 16-year-old player from a French team remained in detention in Frankfurt pending further inquiries.The victim was struck in the head or neck area and collapsed, police said. They asked for witnesses who may have video of the brawl to come forward. The federation said the German and French teams contesting the Under-17 European Championship final in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday will line up together behind a banner condemn...

New York prosecutors seek to garnish R. Kelly's earnings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Prosecutors seek to garner R. Kelly's career earnings. The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York filed motions on Thursday that asks a judge to order Sony and Universal Music Publishing Group to fork over any money they're holding from R. Kelly's music catalog. R. Kelly sentenced to additional year on top of previous conviction, 19 concurrent years in child porn, sex crime case   The EDNY seeks to use the garnished funds to pay outstanding penalties ($140,900) and restitution to two abuse victims after the court awarded them more than half a million dollars ($379,649.90). Kelly-R._Filed-Universal-Garnishment-PackageDownloadAccording to court filings, EDNY has collected about $28,000, garnishing R. Kelly's inmate trust account. The 56-year-old Grammy Award-winning R&B singer still owes $504,289.73, including interest, as of June 1, 2023. R. Kelly found guilty on six counts in federal child pornography trial Kelly is serving a total o...

Patrick Kane undergoes hip procedure, will miss significant time

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the greatest players in the history of the Blackhawks, who was traded to the Rangers this past season, is going to have a delay to the start of his 17th NHL season.Patrick Kane, who is currently a free agent, has undergone a hip resurfacing on Thursday, his agent Pat Brisson told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet Canada. It's expected that he'll miss 4-to-6 months due to the procedure, which could keep him out for the start of the 2023-2024 NHL season. Brisson told Friedman that Kane "wants to play for a long time," but this represents the most serious injury of the nine-time All-Star's career. This comes after the former NHL MVP played hockey somewhere other than Chicago in the league in the 2022-2023 campaign. Playing on the final year of his contract, the Blackhawks dealt Kane to the New York Rangers ahead of the trade deadline to give him a chance to play for a Stanley Cup. He would take the ice for 19 regular season games for New York, scoring five goals with seve...

Tillamook recalling mislabeled ice creams that may contain wheat, soy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

TILLAMOOK, Ore. (NEXSTAR) — Tillamook is recalling some of its Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream cartons — because they might accidentally contain Tillamook Waffle Cone Swirl ice cream, potentially exposing those with allergies to wheat or soy.It may be confusing for some consumers but the recalled ice cream contains both Chocolate Peanut Butter and Waffle Cone Swirl packaging. While the side packaging of the carton features Chocolate Peanut Butter labeling, the affected cartons have Waffle Cone Swirl lids. Celebrate National Donut Day with deals at these local shops Tillamook says about 1,440 cartons are affected by the recall — all were sold in Safeway stores in Washington state and parts of Idaho. The 1.5-quart cartons feature lot number TL-41-80 and BB041324 ("BB" refers to Best By date of 4/13/2024). Both indicators are printed on the bottom of the cartons.While the recall is relatively small in scale, wheat and soy allergic reactions can be serious, so consumers s...

What will the weather be like for the Taylor Swift concert?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Taylor Swift has three sold out shows at Solider Field in Chicago this weekend. From arrival, to opening act, to the headliner herself, it is expected to be an all day affair for many Swifties. So what can they expect for the forecast?Friday will likely be the warmest day along the lakefront.  Whether concert goers arrive early to buy merchandise or just in time for the show, there will be mostly sunny skies.  A northeast breeze off the lake throughout the day will make it feel comfortable, without a lot of humidity.Gates are set to open at 4:30 p.m. and temps will begin to cool around then as well with 77 degrees expected. Cooler still for the opening act OWEN and girl in red who are set to start at 6:30 p.m. under partly cloudy skies and 73 degrees. Taylor is expected to take the stage around 8 p.m. and it's good news as it should be dry and 70 degrees at that time. The concerts have been running about three hours so expect clear and dry conditions and 65 degre...

House impeachment managers name attorneys for Paxton trial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The House panel overseeing the looming Senate impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin will be the attorneys who will act as prosecutors in the case.What do we know about the attorneys?Dick DeGuerin is a famed criminal defense attorney with high-profile cases on his resume — including defending former Texas congressman Tom DeLay, Waco cult leader David Koresh and convicted murderer Robert Durst. An Austin native, DeGuerin earned his law degree at the University of Texas-Austin and worked as an associate under legendary criminal defense attorney Percy Foreman. He also is an adjunct professor at UT's law school.Rusty Hardin leads the Houston-based law firm Rusty Hardin & Associates and has won a slew of verdicts in favor of clients ranging from athletes like Deshaun Watson and Scottie Pippen to former members of Congress.Paxton impeachment trialThe Texas Senate will ultimately act as the ju...

Hot and sticky weekend ahead for Twin Cities

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

Where are the fireworks?The hot and sticky weather is making it feel more like the Fourth of July than the first of June.“The normal high is 74,” said Michelle Margraf, meteorologist with the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service, on Thursday. “So we are running 15 degrees above normal.”We will need to get used to this weather pattern, which is settling over the Twin Cities like a heavy blanket.The early June weather forecast by the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service on Thursday, June 1, 2023, looks more like early July. (Courtesy of the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service.)“A stagnant weather pattern means little day-to-day change in the weather through the weekend,” the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service reported in a tweet on Thursday. “The first weekend of meteorological summer will certainly feel like summer, with daily highs near 90 and scattered afternoon and evening thunders...

UMN students to get bigger refunds from pandemic semester as class-action lawsuit settles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:00 GMT

The University of Minnesota has settled a class-action lawsuit over student fee refunds it issued early in the coronavirus pandemic.The case had been scheduled for trial next week in Hennepin County. Instead, attorneys for each side will draft a formal settlement agreement and present it to the judge for approval sometime in the next 45 days, according to a letter to the court from one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys.Eventually, some 60,000 students who paid mandatory student fees at one of the U’s five campuses during the spring 2020 semester could get additional money back, but the dollar amounts haven’t been disclosed.The U in 2020 issued $35.4 million in pro-rated refunds for housing, dining and parking contracts and various student fees after shutting down the campus in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.Students got back only half of their pro-rated fees for student government and student services, however, and no refunds for fees connected to building improvem...