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Fencing votes to let Russians compete ahead of Olympics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Fencing Federation has voted to allow athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to resume competing in international events after an exclusion lasting more than a year, four national federations said on Friday.The decision appears to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete for qualifying spots for next year’s Paris Olympics.It puts Ukrainian athletes in the position of either competing against Russians — likely including members of the Russian military — or boycotting key events entirely. The FIE has not published the decision on its website following a federation congress held on Friday, and it did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, four national federations issued statements that Russia and Belarus would be allowed to return after they were suspended because of the invasion of Ukraine.British Fencing said Russian and Belarusian fencers would be cleared to return from mid-April and they would compete as ...

10-year-old student arrested for having gun at Maine school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police arrested a 10-year-old student in Maine after the student arrived on school grounds with a firearm on Friday.No one was injured, the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office said. The office said it responded to the Monroe Elemenrary School in Monroe on Friday just before 9 a.m. after fielding a report that the student had a firearm.The sheriff’s office said police worked with school staff to detain the student and seize the firearm. The student was then arrested and transported to Waldo County Sheriff’s Office.The office said there was no ongoing threat to the school or the community.The sheriff’s office and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating the incident, police said.No further information on the incident was immediately released. Monroe is a small community of about 900 people located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Portland.Source

Sean McVay says he’s back for the long haul with LA Rams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean McVay is grateful for the days he spent pondering his professional future after the roughest season of his life. That time allowed him to articulate everything he loves about coaching, and they left him more determined than ever to stay in the fight.McVay said he made “a decision for years to come” when he elected to stick with the Los Angeles Rams after the first losing season of his precocious NFL career. The youngest head coach ever to win the Super Bowl strongly considered walking away from his draining profession, but several days of reflection and conversations led McVay to a refreshed mindset and a genuine excitement for the future.“For me, the most important thing was reestablishing a purpose,” McVay said Friday in his first extensive public comments about his decision to return for a seventh season and beyond with Los Angeles.“This is a blessing to be able to do this,” McVay added. “I love coaching. I love working with players and coaches, and I thin...

Michigan man faces gun charge after FBI says he made threats

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

SEBEWAING, Mich. (AP) — A mentally ill Michigan man accused of making death threats on social media against Democratic politicians and those in the LGBTQ community was charged with illegally possessing guns.Randall Berka II, 30, is accused of posting various written threats on a YouTube channel, the FBI said in a criminal complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Flint. According to the complaint, Berka — who lives with his parents in Sebewaing — said “biden deserves to die,” a reference to President Joe Biden, and that he was “more than willing tot kill whitmer,” a reference to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Berka also wrote, “I’ll kill anyone who tries to take my guns,” according to the FBI.He appeared in court Friday to hear the charge and was returned to jail to await a March 15 detention hearing. The federal defender office, which is representing Berka, declined to comment.Berka was involuntarily committed for mental health care in 2012 and declared incapacitated, wh...

Gillis scores 20 as Purdue beats Rutgers in Big Ten tourney

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Mason Gillis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, and No. 5 Purdue held off Rutgers for a rugged 70-65 victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.With Zach Edey drawing his usual attention inside, the top-seeded Boilermakers (27-5) got a big lift from Gillis and reserve guard David Jenkins Jr. Gillis grabbed nine rebounds and Porter had a season-high 12 points.The 7-foot-4 Edey finished with 16 points and 11 boards. The Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 21.9 points and 12.8 rebounds during the regular season. Next up for Purdue is the winner of the second quarterfinal between Ohio State and Michigan State. The Boilermakers are looking for the school’s second Big Ten Tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tourney. Derek Simpson scored 18 points for Rutgers (19-14), which advanced with a 62-50 win against Michigan on Thursday. Cam Spencer had 13 points, and Clifford Omoruyi finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.The Scarlet Knigh...

Oklahoma State women top West Virginia on Milton’s winner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Terryn Milton made a go-ahead shot with 0.1 seconds left and Oklahoma State beat West Virginia 62-61 on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.Milton took an inbounds pass with 13.3 second left. Her teammates cleared the right side of the lane and she cut back her defender with a behind-the-back dribble to get a clean shot that hung on the rim before dropping.Milton thought she had the lead with 38.2 seconds remaining on another basket in the lane but an offensive foul was called. West Virginia guard Kyah Watson had a jumper from the free-throw line roll off and Oklahoma gained possession after a tie-up on the rebound.Milton’s winner gave Oklahoma State its first lead since it was 10-9 with 3:15 left in the first quarter. Oklahoma State closed the game on a 15-3 run as West Virginia only made three field goals in the fourth quarter — with just one in the final six minutes.Naomie Alnatas had 16 points and six assists and Taylen...

Husband gets 30 years in prison for wife's murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

GOLDEN, Colo. (KDVR) -- A 47-year-old Littleton man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for the murder of his wife in 2020, the First Judicial District Attorney's Office announced Friday.Scott Lee Smith II pled guilty to second-degree murder on Feb. 9. He was originally charged with first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in late September of 2021, according to the DA's office. Who murdered 3 people in 1999 and where are their bodies? A nearly yearlong investigation determined Smith killed 46-year-old Kanokwan “Nok” Smith, the release said. He was arrested and charged on Sept. 24, 2021. Smith told police he shot and killed his wife in self-defenseThe Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to Smith's 911 call on Nov. 1, 2020, of him telling dispatch that he just shot his wife in self-defense as she was trying to stab him with a butcher knife, according to the DA's office. Smith was taken into custody the next day but released five days later due to...

Rockies to host 1st all-female broadcast Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Broadcast history will be made Saturday in the Arizona desert.AT&T SportsNet and ROOT Sports will air its first-ever all-female broadcast as the Colorado Rockies play the Seattle Mariners in Cactus League baseball (first pitch at 1:10 p.m.). The broadcast team will include women from across the AT&T SportsNet and ROOT Sports families. Jenny Cavnar will serve as the play-by-play announcer with Angie Mentink in the booth. Jen Mueller and Julia Morales will have coverage on the field. The all-female broadcast will extend behind the camera with women from the AT&T SportsNet production team including game producer Alison Vigil and game director Erica Ferrero. Mikaela Shiffrin ties record for most World Cup wins by any man, woman “I’m just so excited. We’ve been talking about this moment for a couple of years,” Cavnar, who is entering her 11th season covering the Rockies, said. “All of us have been doing these jobs for years and to have the opportunity to do...

Louisiana man, woman arrested in connection with 30-year-old cold case involving infant’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

JEFFERSON PARISH, Louisiana (WDSU) — A Jefferson Parish woman and a River Ridge man have been arrested and accused of first-degree murder in connection with a 30-year-old cold case involving the death of an infant.Inga Carriere was arrested in Jefferson Parish on February 28. She was booked as a fugitive out of Picayune, Mississippi.Andrew Carriere was arrested on March 9 in Galliano.Both were booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.The Louisiana State Police are working with detectives in Mississippi on the investigation.According to Picayune police, at the time of the crime, the baby was found behind Mr. Gatti’s Pizza at 704 Memorial Boulevard.A farmer removed trash bags to feed his animals from the dumpster when he found the baby in one of the trash bags.The baby was wrapped in a towel with other trash items, according to police.When an autopsy was done on the baby, police say it was determined that that she died three weeks premature and lived a few minu...

Why Ursula von der Leyen matters to Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:59 GMT

It was former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who captured a conundrum that has long bedeviled U.S.-Europe relations: “Who do I call if I want to call Europe?”Today, it looks like America has settled on an answer: Ursula von der Leyen. The 64-year-old president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm — who meets President Joe Biden Friday at the White House — has become the closest thing to a president the 27-country bloc has got.Biden has struck up a strong relationship with von der Leyen over the past year of conflict in Ukraine, especially. A former German defense minister and mother of seven, she was parachuted into the job of Commission president in 2019 by Germany’s leader at the time, Angela Merkel.In late 2021 when Washington was warning of the looming threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the big European capitals of Paris and Berlin were too distracted to pay much attention.Then von der Leyen stepped in. In November 2021, she met Biden in the White House a...