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OBF: Celtics need to quickly flip the script against the Heat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

In a playoff run defined by “The Town,” the Celtics must flip the script in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat if they want a Hollywood ending.They are two losses from joining “The Departed.”Game 3 is tonight in South Beach.“The Verdict” after choking away Games 1 and 2 at home to “The Heat”?“Knives Out” for Joe Mazzulla.The late-game “Spotlight” has been too bright for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and their teammates.There has been no “Celtic Pride” on display thus far against Miami. Nor does this team appear to be getting “Stronger.” They might as well have been taking a dip at Singing Beach in “Manchester By The Sea.”Miami’s Jimmy Butler has reprised his role as the “Boston Strangler” this spring.In Games 1 and 2, Butler averaged 31 points, 6.5 boards and 6.5 assists. He scored nine points during Miami’s 24-9 run that closed out Game 2, after scoring seven in the final 6:48 of Game 1.“How do you like them apples?”Yes, Grant Williams “poked the bear.” But the Celti...

One year of Adley Rutschman: Ranking the 10 best moments from the Orioles star catcher

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

Adley Rutschman’s impact isn’t hard for Brandon Hyde to quantify.“The record kind of speaks for itself,” Hyde said.From the start of the 2019 season — Hyde’s first as the manager of a rebuilding team — to Rutschman’s debut May 21, 2022, the Orioles won 34.7% of their games (147-277). Since the star catcher arrived in the big leagues, Baltimore has won 57.7% of its games (97-71), competing for a playoff spot last year and looking poised to do so again this season.“Our season definitely changed when he got here last year, and I think he was a huge part of that,” the fifth-year manager added.For as long as Rutschman is on the Orioles and the club is competitive, May 21 could become a holiday of sorts. It won’t only be an annual reminder of when the franchise star — a No. 1 overall pick and consensus No. 1 prospect — finally arrived, but the point at which the Orioles transformed from a rebuilding cellar-dwell...

Police: 3 dead, 2 wounded in early morning shooting at Kansas City bar

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two people were killed at the scene and a third victim died at a hospital following a shooting at a Kansas City, Missouri, bar early Sunday, police said.Two other victims were wounded and transported to a hospital, including one who was in critical condition and another who was in stable condition, Kansas City Police Department Officer Donna Drake said in an email.Multiple officers responded to the Klymax Lounge on Indiana Avenue at 1:25 a.m.One of the victims who was killed at the scene was inside the bar, while the second was outside the building, Drake said.The victims were all adults, police said, but their ages and identities were not immediately available.Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators were at the scene early Sunday, police said.The Associated Press

G7 ends with Ukraine in focus as Zelenskyy meets world leaders, Russia claims a battlefield victory

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers as the Group of Seven summit closed in Hiroshima on Sunday, building momentum for his country’s war effort even as Russia claimed a symbolic victory on the battlefield.The Ukrainian leader’s in-person appearance in his trademark olive drab underscored the centrality of the war for the G7 bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from other priorities, including security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering. “G7 reaffirmed our commitment to continue our strong backing for Ukraine from every possible dimension,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Zelenskyy held two major rounds of meetings Sunday, one with G7 leaders and a second with them and a host of invited guests including India and South Korea. He also held one-on-one talks with several of the leaders.Hanging ov...

Zelenskyy says ‘Bakhmut is only in our hearts’ after Russia claims control of Ukrainian city

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Bakhmut was “only in our hearts,” hours after Russia’s defense ministry reported that forces of the Wagner private army, with the support of Russian troops, had seized the city in eastern Ukraine. Speaking alongside U.S. President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelenskyy said the Russians had destroyed “everything.” “You have to understand that there is nothing,” he said.“For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,” he said. “There is nothing in this place.”The Russian ministry statement on the Telegram channel came about eight hours after a similar announcement by Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. Ukrainian authorities at that time said that fighting for Bakhmut was continuing. The eight-month battle for Bakhmut has been the longest and probably most bloody of the conflict in Ukraine.Zelenskyy’s comments came as Biden announced $375 million more in aid for Ukraine, which incl...

Sinn Fein becomes largest party in Northern Ireland local elections

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein made sweeping gains in Northern Ireland’s local elections, repeating its success from last year’s assembly elections, when it became the largest party for the first time. With counting completed late Saturday, Sinn Fein, which seeks unification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, took 144 of 462 local government seats. Its main rival, the Democratic Unionist Party, captured 122 seats, while the centrist Alliance Party had 67. Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein’s vice president, said the results were “momentous.” She added that her party’s success was a message from voters that Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, which has been paralyzed for over a year, must get back to business. The semi-autonomous Belfast government has been suspended since the DUP, which wants to keep Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom, walked out more than a year ago to protest a post-Brexit customs border between Northern...

Alabama police: 4 people wounded in exchange of gunfire outside Birmingham bar

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Four people were shot and wounded outside an Alabama bar early Sunday in what police described as an exchange of gunfire.Birmingham Police Lt. Ron Harless said three men and a woman were shot outside Tin Roof in the city’s Lakeview District, AL.com reported.The shooting was reported around 12:45 a.m. to an off-duty Birmingham police officer who was working inside Tin Roof.Police and Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded and found a man who had been shot and a woman who was grazed by a bullet in the parking lot.An SUV reportedly fled the scene and was pulled over nearby. Two seriously wounded men, including one with life-threatening injuries, were in the vehicle.All four gunshot victims were transported to UAB Hospital.The shooting was under investigation, police said.The Associated Press

Other voices: Electric vehicles alone can’t solve climate change

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

Arresting climate change requires, among other things, the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. But managing the transition from gas-powered cars won’t be easy. President Joe Biden’s administration has proposed new rules to sharply limit tailpipe emissions, with the aim of compelling automakers to devote at least two-thirds of new sales to EVs within the next decade. For this policy to work, the government will have to get a lot of other things right.The logic behind the plan is straightforward: To eliminate carbon emissions by 2050, the US needs to slash pollution from cars and trucks. Getting more electric vehicles on the road will help. But without supporting policies, EVs are unlikely to cut carbon emissions as much as advocates envision. Policymakers owe the public an honest accounting of costs and benefits.Worldwide, EVs account for 13% of new car sales, up from 0.2% a decade ago. Their market share in the U.S. has nearly doubled over the last year, to 5.8%, t...

Ask Amy: What happened to make Gen Xers so rude like this?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

Dear Amy: You and I are about the same age, and I’m wondering if some of our peers did something wrong raising their kids?When I walk in my suburban neighborhood (I’ve done this every day for years), I say hello to everyone, whether they are sitting on their porch, or out walking the same or opposite way as me.Most everyone the same age as me (or older) returns the greeting.Everyone from approximately age 50 and below will either glare at me or act like I’m not there.Amy, what is up with that? Why is it acceptable to be so rude?These are not children, so “not talking to strangers” is not the problem!What is your take on this?Perplexed in SuburbiaDear Perplexed: During my travels, I’ve noted general regional differences regarding how outwardly “friendly” strangers are to one another.I was raised in an area that is overall on the far less-friendly side of the spectrum (whereas I tend to be more outgoing). It has never occurred to me that this behavior might be generational, however.I’...

Ucrania desmiente la última afirmación de Wagner de que las fuerzas rusas han capturado Bakhmut

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:41:08 GMT

(CNN) — El presidente de Ucrania, Volodymyr Zelensky, negó que Bakhmut haya caído en manos de Rusia, después de que el jefe del grupo mercenario Wagner afirmara que sus fuerzas habían tomado el control total de la ciudad del este ucraniano tras meses de combates brutales.“La operación para capturar Bakhmut duró 224 días”, dijo Yevgeny Prigozhin en un video publicado en Telegram el sábado, buscando declarar una victoria final en la ciudad.CNN no pudo verificar de forma independiente la afirmación de Prigozhin, que ha sido rebatida por la parte ucraniana.“El presidente ha negado que Bakhmut haya sido tomada”, declaró posteriormente a CNN Sergiy Nykyforov, portavoz de Zelensky.Zelensky se reunió el domingo con el presidente de EE.UU., Joe Biden, al margen de la cumbre del Grupo de los Siete (G7) en Japón, donde los periodistas le preguntaron si Rusia había tomado la ciudad.“Creo que no”, respondió, pero reconoció que quedaba poco.“No qued...