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Kent State beats rival Akron 77-73 in gritty MAC semifinal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Miryne Thomas scored 24 points and Sincere Carry added 21 as Kent State beat rival Akron 79-73 in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament Friday night to set up a matchup against top-seeded Toledo.The second-seeded Golden Flashes (27-6) are back in the title game for the second year in row. They haven’t won the championship since 2017. On Saturday, they’ll take on the Rockets (27-6), who have won 17 straight and are trying to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980.Toledo beat Ohio 82-75 in the first semifinal. Kent State topped Toledo 75-63 during the regular season.Enrique Freeman scored 24 with 18 rebounds and Xavier Castaneda scored 21 to lead the defending champion Zips (22-11), who gave up consecutive 3-pointers to Thomas and Jalen Sullinger as Kent State opened an 18-point lead midway through the second half.The Zips kept fighting and got within six in the final minute, but Castaneda missed a pair of 3-pointers — he...

China names Li Qiang, close confidant of Xi Jinping, as nation’s next premier nominally in charge of 2nd largest economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China names Li Qiang, close confidant of Xi Jinping, as nation’s next premier nominally in charge of 2nd largest economy.Source

Spurs overcome Jokic triple-double to top Nuggets, Porter ejected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists by Nikola Jokic to stun the Denver Nuggets 128-120 on Friday night.Doug McDermott added 20 points and Jeremy Sochan had 19 points for San Antonio, which shot 54% in a balanced effort with their entire roster available for one of only a few times in an injury-riddled season. Rockies to host 1st all-female broadcast Saturday It was Jokic’s 26th triple-double in what could be his third straight MVP season.Jamal Murray added 24 points for Denver, which lost its second straight following a four-game winning streak. The Nuggets maintained the Western Conference’s best record at 46-21, but fell 2 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the league’s best record.Denver hoped to rebound from an uncharacteristically sloppy outing in a 117-96 loss at home to Chicago on Wednesday, but instead had one of the season’s most deflating losses.San Antonio entered having lost t...

Jimmy Butler seizes a needed moment as Heat hold off Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell 119-115

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

The face of desperation was the face of the Miami Heat on Friday night when they went down 14 in the third quarter.It turned out to be a good look, or at least a needed look, one that will be further necessary in the heated middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race.Forced to take on some of the best of Donovan Mitchell, the Heat made a needed stand in a 119-115 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers to salvage a 3-3 homestand,“We’re fighting for our competitive lives right now,” coach Erik Spoelstrs said after the season’s latest nail-biter. “Is this the position we want to be in now? No. But this is what you want, you want games with incredible pressure and context.”While work remains to get out of an Eastern Conference play-in seed and into one of the six automatic playoff seeds in the East, this was a night when the Heat stared down adversity when it was casting its ugliest face.A loss would have trimmed the Heat’s lead at No. 7 in the ...

Nets gut out overtime victory over Timberwolves, 124-121

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

These are the types of games the Nets are going to have to get used to.The gritty, ugly, grind-it-out performances have become part of the fabric of the identity the Nets must assume if they’re going to salvage the second half of what was once a season with championship expectations.That’s what it took to get back on track and secure a 124-123 overtime victory over Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.“Coming into a hostile environment against a good western conference opponent — it’s a testament to our mental toughness,” starting guard Spencer Dinwiddie said in his walk-off postgame interview.It’s the fifth time the Nets have rallied back from down double-digits to create a single-possession game down the stretch since the trade deadline.And in the end, it was defense — not shot-making — that won a game down the stretch.The Nets denied Edwards an opportunity to shoot on the final possession of overtime. At th...

Hong Kong activists behind Tiananmen vigil jailed for months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Three former organizers of Hong Kong’s annual vigil in remembrance of victims of China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests were jailed Saturday for four and a half months for failing to provide authorities with information on the group in accordance with a national security law.Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong were arrested in 2021 during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement following massive protests more than three years ago. They were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and were found guilty last week. The now-defunct alliance was best known for organizing candlelight vigils in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the 1989 Chinese military’s crushing of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, but it was voted to disband in 2021 under the shadow of the Beijing-imposed national security law. Supporters say its closure has shown freedoms and autonomy that were promised when Hon...

WGN's Bronagh Tumulty named MVP at Dancing With Chicago's Celebrities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

CHICAGO — WGN's Bronagh Tumulty was named the MVP Friday at the annual Dancing With Chicago Celebrities competition. It was held at Navy Pier.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe event raises money for breast cancer research and makes screenings accessible for women. The last two MVPs have now come from WGN, with Bronagh joining Sean Lewis. WGN’s Sean Lewis is ‘Dancing with Chicago Celebrities’ MVP, raises $37K for charity The award goes to the local celebrity who raises the most money for breast cancer research.

Cloudy, chilly conditions for Chicago's St. Patrick’s Day Parade weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

The start of spring is near but winterlike conditions in Chicagoland persist. The second weekend of March will be no different, meteorologist Tim Joyce explains. Saturday: Low 31 High 37Cloudy and chilly. Snow developing in the evening. 1-3" for most around Chicagoland. A bit more toward the WI/IL border, less in southern Chicagoland. E 10-15 mphFull forecast details at the WGN Weather CenterSunday: Low 31 High 39Snow tapering off into isolated snow showers. Chance of a few PM rain or rain/snow showers in the afternoon. Extended outlook calls for a return to chillier weather for the work week. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a high of 35 about ten degrees below normal. The chill in the mid-30s continues on Tuesday with a bit more sunshine. Mostly sunny on Wednesday and highs getting back towards the normal of mid-40s. Thursday looks like the mildest day of the week with highs near 50 and a chance of rain. St. Patrick's Day next Friday looks like a rain/snow mix is possible an...

Colder air to descend across area heading into mid-month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

SPRING AHEAD TONIGHTDaylight time begins at 2 AMILLINOIS SITES REPORTING 2” OR MORE SNOWFALL AS OF FRIDAY MORNINGSATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING THURSDAY NIGHT’S SNOWFALLThough somewhat difficult to delineate due to contamination from overlying cloudiness, the extent of Thursday night’s snowfall can be discernedGFS MODEL FORECAST SNOWFALL ENDING 7 AM CDT SUNDAYGenerally 2-3” of snow forecast across metro areaEUROPEAN MODEL FORECAST SNOWFALL ENDING 7 AM CDT SUNDAYSimilar 1-3” totals projected for Chicago areaSATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT SYSTEMMajor wintry impacts to stay well to our northFORECAST UPPER-LEVEL PATTERN AND SURFACE WINDSValid 1 PM MondayForecasts are in close agreement in developing a lobe of cold air over the Great Lakes region by Monday. The resulting “dip” in jet stream flow will create a new surge of polar air.FORECAST MEAN TEMP DEPARTURE FROM NORMALValid March 11-15Temps are forecast to average about 8 degrees below normal during the March 11-15 period. Normal highs during...

SXSW means big bucks for Airbnb hosts, but are they licensed?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) —With thousands of people coming to Austin for South by Southwest, many will choose to stay in Airbnb's around the city, but there are rules if someone is operating one.Joe Arenella has been renting his Airbnb out for eight years, each year he makes sure to get his license to operate in Austin."We are booked for SXSW, ACL, Formula 1," said Arenella.He expects to make a lot of money during these big weekends. With so many people coming to town, Arenella said he is usually booked. Austin City Council members approve crackdown on short-term rentals, like Airbnbs "For locals in Austin, South by Southwest represents a significant economic opportunity with hosts collectively earning more than $13 million over lasts years festival," said Haven Thorn, a spokesperson for Airbnb.To operate a short term rental, the City of Austin requires owners to get a new license yearly.In December, the city's code department said there are about 11,000 short-term rentals in Austin, but only...