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Job done as South Africa thumps Romania 76-0 at Rugby World Cup. Huge showdown with Ireland next

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

BORDEAUX, France (AP) — All of South Africa’s plans came together at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday.The first objective was achieved in a thumping 76-0 win over underdog Romania, with hat tricks by scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and wing Makazole Mapimpi among the Springboks’ 12 tries without reply in Bordeaux.The Springboks had the first four of their tries and a bonus point inside 12 minutes, and Reinach sniped from close-in for his third try in the 24th minute to just miss his own record for the fastest hat trick at the Rugby World Cup. He set that four years ago with three in 20 minutes against Canada.South Africa went over five times in the first half and seven times in the second to dismantle the underdog Romanians in a Pool B match that was one-sided from the start.Away from the convincing result, the defending champion also made big gains with a series of experiments. At least one of them might have a significant impact for the business end of the tournament, starting wi...

CU Buffaloes drop to No. 19 in AP Top 25 poll

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes dropped one spot to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 Poll after an exciting 43-35 double-overtime win against the Colorado State University Rams.The Saturday game bled into early Sunday after the Buffs tied the game with 36 seconds left on the clock with a 98-yard drive by quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fourth quarter.Boulder was once again the center of the college football world as Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" and ESPN's "College GameDay" both set up shop on campus ahead of the Rocky Mountain Showdown. CU Buffs, CSU Rams fans take over Boulder for Rocky Mountain Showdown The sold-out game was star-studded, with celebrities including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Lil Wayne coming out to watch the Buffs and Rams duke it out.Once it was over, fans rushed the field to celebrate the win for the second week in a row.The team is headed to Eugene, Oregon, next week for their first regular-season game against the No. 10 University of O...

‘The Talk’ goes quiet again

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

NEW YORK — Drew Barrymore, who drew criticism for taping new episodes of her daytime talk show despite the ongoing writers and actors strikes, now says she’ll wait until the labor issues are resolved.Hours later CBS’ “The Talk” did the same.“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore posted on Instagram on Sunday. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”Barrymore’s initial decision to return to the air Monday — without her three union writers and with picketers outside her studio — was met with pushback on social media. Her show resumed taping in New York last week and was picketed by striking writers.“We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this pr...

Thousands march to kick off climate summit, demanding an end to warming-causing fossil fuels

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Yelling that the future and their lives depend on ending fossil fuels, thousands of protesters on Sunday kicked off a week where leaders will try once again to curb climate change primarily caused by coal, oil and natural gas.But protestors say it’s not going to be enough. And they aimed their wrath directly at U.S. President Joe Biden, urging him to stop approving new oil and gas projects, phase out current ones and declare a climate emergency with larger executive powers.“We hold the power of the people, the power you need to win this election,” 17-year-old Emma Buretta of Brooklyn and the youth protest group Fridays for Future said. “If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels.”The March to End Fossil Fuels featured such politicians as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actors Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon. But the real action on Broadway was where...

N.B. couple proceeds with wedding amid onslaught from post-tropical storm Lee

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

ST. STEPHEN, N.B. — Post-tropical storm Lee may have thrown a wrench into Sarah and Dave Roy’s wedding plans, but the newlyweds feel the upheaval it caused on their big day is nothing but a positive sign for their future life together.While rain came down in sheets and wind roared in gusts late afternoon Saturday in St. Stephen, N.B., the couple said “I do” in front of about 130 friends and family at the Garcelon Civic Centre.Attendees laughed, cried and sighed as the couple exchanged vows under an arch decked in blooms of green, white and brown. Those vows included a promise from the groom to keep a “never-ending supply of wonton soup stocked for the rest of our lives” and a pledge from the bride to let her husband “win a game of crib every once in a while.”After successfully adjusting their original wedding plans and tying the knot in the midst of a raging storm, the Roys said they now feel confident they can handle anything married life t...

Sunday Forecast: Flash Flood Warning until 1 p.m., clouds decrease

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

Sunday: Flood Advisory until 9a. AM rain tapers then decreasing clouds. N 5-10 mph late. High: 66NWS Chicago stated a Flash Flood Warning is in effect in Cook County until 1:30 p.m. A Flash Flood Warning has been declared for Gary and Hammond in Indiana and Orland Park. Chicago Area Radar | WGN TVSunday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy skies. Slight chance of showers. N 5-10 mph. Low: 54 Monday: A chance of showers early then partly sunny. NNE 5-10 mph. High: 69Extended outlook calls for partly sunny skies on Tuesday with a chance of showers in the afternoon. More sunshine for Wed/Thu/Fri. The last days of summer will feel like summer with highs for several days in a row near 80. Fall begins with the equinox on Saturday. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)

Singer Maren Morris leaving country music, blames the 'Trump years'

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

(The Hill) - Singer Maren Morris announced she is leaving country music due to the effects the "Trump years" have had on the music genre."After the Trump years, people’s biases were on full display," the "Bones" singer said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Friday. "It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic."The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter added that she resents music being used as a "toxic weapon in culture wars." Former NFL player missing, mother found dead in Illinois creek Referencing Jason Aldean's hit song "Try That in a Small Town," which made waves with conservatives, Morris said, "People are streaming these songs out of spite."She continued, "It’s not out of true joy or love of the music. It’s to own the libs. And that’s so not what music is intended for. Music is supposed to be the voice of the oppressed — the actual oppressed. And now it’s being used as ...

The complex chemistry behind America’s spirit – how bourbon gets its distinctive taste and color

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

(The Conversation) - Few beverages have as rich a heritage and as complicated a chemistry as bourbon whiskey, often called “America’s spirit.” Known for its deep amber hue and robust flavors, bourbon has captured the hearts of enthusiasts across the country.But for a whiskey to be called a bourbon, it has to adhere to very specific rules. For one, it needs to be made in the U.S. or a U.S. territory – although almost all is made in Kentucky. The other rules have more to do with the steps to make it – how much corn is in the grain mixture, the aging process and the alcohol proof.I’m a bourbon researcher and chemistry professor who teaches classes on fermentation, and I’m a bourbon connoisseur myself. The complex science behind this aromatic beverage reveals why there are so many distinct bourbons, despite the strict rules around its manufacture.The mash billAll whiskeys have what’s called a mash bill. The mash bill refers to the recipe of grains that...

Austin nonprofit performs 25 pediatric open-heart surgeries overseas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than two dozen children in Bolivia have a new lease on life following a medical mission trip performed by an Austin-based nonprofit.Since 2000, the nonprofit HeartGift has served more than 800 patients in over 35 countries, performing surgeries to help repair congenital heart defects. From late August through early September, a 30-person team flew to Bolivia for a 10-day medical mission, completing 25 open-heart surgeries on children ages three months to 13 years old. KXAN TOP STORY: Ken Paxton acquitted on all impeachment charges Jennifer Stevens, CEO of JHL Company, participated in the trip alongside her husband Don and 17-year-old daughter Elle. She said she was first introduced to the nonprofit through her work producing the Mack, Jack & McConaughey fundraiser benefitting children."Earlier this year, the idea of the medical mission trip to Bolivia was brought forward," Jennifer said. "I thought, 'what an interesting to see full circle what we've experi...

75-year sentence given to man in Williamson County murder trial

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:20:44 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A man was sentenced to 75 years in state prison in connection with a July 2021 murder in Williamson County.According to court documents, Branden Smith, 35, was convicted by a jury Aug. 17.Documents showed Smith pleaded not guilty to the murder charge prior to his trial.In addition to his sentence, documents also listed a $10,000 fine.Smith received a jail credit of 759 days toward his sentence, according to documents.