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‘More and more people will need help’: Md. has many problem gamblers but few are seeking help

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

From casinos to the recent advent of mobile sports betting, gambling has been growing in Maryland. As opportunities for betting grow, a new study finds that few are reaching out for help when it comes to dealing with gambling problems.The amount of money gambled in Maryland has reached more than $4.5 billion a year.The state has a Problem Gambling Fund that provides money for a network of treatment services, including a 24-hour hotline. But not many are calling.A legislative study made public this month by the Maryland General Assembly indicates that there may be hundreds of thousands of Marylanders with a gambling problem, while just a few thousand have sought help from the state center that provides resources to those who need them.“We really need to do a better job to reach out to Marylanders who may have this medical condition of problem gambling, and make sure that they’re linked to resources and are able to get treatment that they need,” said state Sen. Clare...

Tony winner Myles Frost comes home for ‘RENT’ concert at Kennedy Center

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

Hear our full chat on my podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'RENT in Concert' at Kennedy Center (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Myles Frost first joined WTOP in May 2022 to discuss his Tony nomination for “MJ: The Musical,” then came on again after winning Broadway’s top acting prize in June 2022. Since then, he caused a stir presenting at t...

Former Stanford goalkeeper in US players’ hearts at the Women’s World World Cup

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Sophia Smith pretended to zip her lips closed as she celebrated her second goal against Vietnam during the United States’ opening match at the Women’s World Cup. It was a tribute to former Stanford teammate Katie Meyer, who died by suicide last year. Smith and teammate Naomi Girma decided on the tribute for Meyer, the goalkeeper star of Stanford’s 2019 NCAA championship. She stopped two penalty shots in the title game. An ebullient California girl known for her animated celebrations, Meyer made the gesture after her first penalty save as a way to silence anyone who doubted Stanford.Girma was one of Meyer’s best friends. She penned a tribute to Meyer published by The Players’ Tribune at the start of the World Cup.“Na (Naomi) and I talked about it before the game, and we were like ‘What can we do for Katie?’” Smith said. “And it was pretty iconic: what she did in the College Cup. We just wanted to honor her in every way. So that was...

Trejo leads Rockies against the Nationals after 4-hit outing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

Colorado Rockies (40-60, fifth in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (41-59, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Austin Gomber (8-8, 6.18 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 68 strikeouts); Nationals: Trevor Williams (5-5, 4.38 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 74 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Nationals -145, Rockies +122; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies play the Washington Nationals after Alan Trejo had four hits against the Nationals on Monday.Washington is 41-59 overall and 18-33 at home. The Nationals have a 28-11 record in games when they scored at least five runs.Colorado has a 40-60 record overall and a 17-34 record on the road. Rockies hitters are batting a collective .252, which ranks eighth in the NL.Tuesday’s game is the sixth time these teams square off this season. The Rockies are up 3-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Jeimer Candelario leads the Nationals with 16 home runs while slugging .486. Keibert Ruiz is 15-f...

Canada aiming for a Tokyo-style run to title at Women’s World Cup

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Canada knows it can overcome an opening-game draw at the Women’s World Cup because it won gold at the Tokyo Olympics when it bounced back from a first game draw against Japan. Now Canada must rebound again following a scoreless draw against Nigeria in its opening World Cup game. The Canadians face Ireland, which is on debut in the tournament, on Wednesday in the Western Australia capital of Perth in an important Group B match. Canada coach Bev Priestman likened her team’s appearance to the Tokyo team.“This is tournament football and if I go back to the Olympic games that we won, we started it with a draw, so you’ve got to move on very quickly,” she said. Captain Christine Sinclair, at 40 among the oldest players at the World Cup, uncharacteristically missed a penalty in the 50th minute against the Nigerians. Sinclair is the top international scorer of all time, men or women, with 190 career goals.“Of course the team and I are devastated we di...

Diamondbacks come into matchup against the Cardinals on losing streak

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

St. Louis Cardinals (45-56, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (54-47, second in the NL West)Phoenix; Tuesday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Steven Matz (0-0); Diamondbacks: TBDFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Diamondbacks -120, Cardinals +100; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks look to stop a five-game skid when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals.Arizona has gone 26-25 in home games and 54-47 overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .327 on-base percentage, the sixth-ranked percentage in the NL.St. Louis has a 23-30 record in road games and a 45-56 record overall. The Cardinals have a 25-16 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.The matchup Tuesday is the fifth time these teams match up this season. The season series is tied 2-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Walker leads the Diamondbacks with 21 home runs while slugging .518. Ketel Marte is 14-for-41 with four doubles, two triples, two home runs and 11 RBI over ...

Pirates play the Padres leading series 1-0

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (44-56, fifth in the NL Central) vs. San Diego Padres (48-53, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Tuesday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Rich Hill (7-9, 4.92 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 94 strikeouts); Padres: Blake Snell (6-8, 2.75 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 143 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -278, Pirates +228; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates meet the San Diego Padres with a 1-0 series lead.San Diego is 25-24 in home games and 48-53 overall. Padres pitchers have a collective 3.84 ERA, which ranks seventh in MLB play.Pittsburgh is 21-30 on the road and 44-56 overall. The Pirates have a 33-4 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.The teams match up Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The Pirates are up 4-0 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Soto has 24 doubles and 19 home runs for the Padres. Ha-Seong Kim is 14-for-38 with two doubles, four home runs and five RBI over the past 10 games.Jack Suwinski i...

Brewers play the Reds with 1-0 series lead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

Cincinnati Reds (55-47, second in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (56-45, first in the NL Central)Milwaukee; Tuesday, 8:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Andrew Abbott (5-2, 2.10 ERA, .92 WHIP, 57 strikeouts); Brewers: Corbin Burnes (9-5, 3.49 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 125 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Brewers -151, Reds +129; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers face the Cincinnati Reds, leading the series 1-0.Milwaukee has gone 28-23 in home games and 56-45 overall. The Brewers have a 20-8 record in games decided by one run.Cincinnati is 55-47 overall and 27-21 in road games. The Reds have hit 114 total home runs to rank eighth in the NL.The teams square off Tuesday for the 12th time this season. The Brewers are ahead 9-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Yelich has 23 doubles, two triples and 14 home runs while hitting .286 for the Brewers. William Contreras is 13-for-40 with four doubles and a home run over the past 10 games.Jake Fraley ha...

Firefighters contain boat fire in Aventura; cause under investigation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

Officials are investigating the cause of a blaze after firefighters battled a fierce boat fire that erupted on Monday night. The flames sparked on a vessel located off 5000 Island Estates Drive, near Williams Island. No individuals were on board the vessel at the time of the incident.Despite encountering difficulty in accessing the engine room, crews eventually gained control and successfully extinguished the blaze. As of now, the cause of the boat fire remains unknown. Investigators are actively examining the scene to determine the factors that sparked the blaze.

AI could replace you all with ‘peerbots,’ UK House of Lords warned

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:44:28 GMT

LONDON — A peer in the U.K.’s House of Lords warned his colleagues that they could all be replaced with “peerbots” if they aren’t cautious about artificial intelligence.Richard John Denison, known as Lord Londesborough, told the upper chamber in a debate on AI Monday that he tried to write his speech using a chatbot.He is, he said, concerned that such technology will “soon be able to write my speeches in my personal style, having scraped [parliamentary record] Hansard” and then deliver an address “in my voice through natural language understanding, having analyzed and processed my speeches on parliamentlive.tv, and with no hesitation, repetition or deviation.”The crossbench peer asked fellow lawmakers: “Is it an exciting or alarming prospect that your Lordships might one day be replaced by “Peerbots” with deeper knowledge, higher productivity and lower running costs?” The comments were first reported by the Guardian.To those keen to dismiss ...