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Caeleb Dressel comes up short again at US nationals, finishing 5th in the 100 butterfly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caeleb Dressel is down to his final shot to make the U.S. team for the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Dressel tied for fifth in the final of the 100-meter butterfly Thursday night, making him 0-for-3 at the U.S. national championships.His last opportunity to qualify for worlds comes Saturday, the final day of the meet, when he competes in the 50 freestyle. Dressel took a long break from swimming after last year’s worlds in Budapest, Hungary. This is his first major competition since then, and he’s not nearly at the level that carried him to five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.Dressel would not have even qualified for the “A” final in the 100 fly if not for Ryan Murphy scratching the event to focus on his signature backstroke races.Murphy had the second-fastest time in the morning preliminaries, but decided not to swim in the evening. That moved Dressel into the main final after he was only ninth-fastest in the prelims, his time of 51.95 lea...

Marlins foil Bello’s no-hit bid and beat Red Sox 2-0; Arraez goes hitless with average down to .392

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Jean Segura’s infield single broke up Brayan Bello’s no-hit bid with nobody out in the eighth inning, and the Miami Marlins followed with three more hits to break a scoreless tie and beat the Boston Red Sox 2-0 on Thursday night.Bello held the Marlins hitless through seven, retiring major league batting leader Luis Arraez all three times he faced him. Arraez, who also drew an intentional walk in the eighth, saw his batting average drop from .396 to .392.Bello (5-5) struck out five and walked one. He was charged with an earned run when Chris Martin relieved him and gave up an RBI single to Jon Berti that made it 1-0.A base hit by Jesus Sanchez loaded the bases, Nick Fortes hit into a 5-2-3 double play and, after Arraez was intentionally walked to load the bases, Jorge Soler struck out to end the inning.Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a solo homer in the ninth.The Red Sox only managed one hit of their own in the first six innings against Marlins lefty Jesus Lazardo before chasin...

Gas tax hike, police reform, relief for veterans: New laws in Md. take effect July 1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Hundreds of new laws will go into effect in Maryland on Saturday, including one that’s designed to give retired veterans a break.The Keep Our Heroes Home Act will boost the amount of tax-exempt income for retired veterans in Maryland from $15,000 to $20,000 — that applies to those 55 and older.For younger retired veterans, the amount that will be exempt from state taxes will rise from $5,000 to $12,500. The changes apply for the 2023 tax year.Members of the Maryland National Guard will also see a new benefit go into effect July 1. They’ll be eligible for reimbursements of up to $60 a month on their health and dental plans.Under police reform legislation, law enforcement agencies in Maryland will be required to make sure their on-duty officers are equipped with body-worn cameras. But for those smaller agencies that struggle with the expenses tied to file storage and camera cost, there’s a provision that requires the state to help negotiate affordable contracts.Protections for student...

Fate of record tech industry tie-up heads to judge as Microsoft defends $69B Activision deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The fate of what could be the priciest merger in tech industry history is now in the hands of a federal judge who must decide whether to stop Microsoft from closing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard.Federal antitrust enforcers have sued to block the $69 billion acquisition that they say will harm competition between Microsoft and gaming industry competitors such as Sony and Nintendo. And much of the decision could rest on a single Activision blockbuster franchise, the military commando game Call of Duty, and whether Microsoft could harm competition by controlling how it is distributed to gamers.“All of this is for a shooter video game,” said U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, expressing a hint of exasperation about the nature of the dispute near the end of a 5-day San Francisco court hearing Thursday. “We’re concerned about the competition for this one shooter video game.”Microsoft has largely had the upper hand i...

Man wanted on Jan. 6 charges arrested with weapons near President Barack Obama’s Washington DC home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man armed with explosive materials and weapons, and wanted for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was arrested Thursday in the Washington neighborhood where former President Barack Obama lives, law enforcement officials said. Taylor Taranto, 37, was spotted by law enforcement a few blocks from the former president’s home and fled, though he was chased by U.S. Secret Service agents. Taranto has an open warrant on charges related to the insurrection, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. They said Taranto also had made social media threats against a public figure. He was found with weapons and had materials to create an explosive device though one had not been built, one of the officials said. No one was injured. It was not clear whether the Obamas were at their home at the time of his arrest. ...

Faux pas on purpose: Celebs show off intentional wardrobe malfunction fashion trend — and you can too

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Accidents happen, but accidents involving clothing are on a whole other level.They can be really embarrassing, but they don’t have to be anymore. Deco’s checking out a fashion trend where mishap means style.Some wardrobe malfunctions are a total accident.John Michael Higgins (as John): “She has no underwear on. We have a commando situation. There is a commando situation on stage!”I mean, things happen, but these days, fashion faux pas are being done with intention.Celebrities are showing more than just skin on the red carpet, which is the whole point of the intentional wardrobe malfunction trend.Genavieve Villar, Private Label Styles: “The idea behind this trend is underwear poking out through your outfit, but done on purpose.”From Sydney Sweeney to Olivia Rodrigo, and even Charlize Theron, these looks are spicing things up.And, thanks to Private Label Styles…Genavieve Villar: “Private Label Styles is a lifestyle boutique in Miami, and we sp...

Lifeguard shortage impacts Worcester city beaches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

A lifeguard shortage will mean summer will look different at some public beaches and pools in Worcester this year, as one swimming spot remains closed and other sites operate with reduced staffing, city officials announced. The Indian Lake Beach will not open, officials said. Elsewhere, officials said other beaches, pools and spray parks will open “with limited staffing and resources.”Bell Pond Beach and Coes Pond Beach will have no lifeguards, officials said. Crompton Park Pool will have limited capacity and lifeguard attendants.“There’s always been lifeguards out I will say that,” said beachgoer Tara King of the experience at Bell Pond Beach. “If the parents are watching the kids and the buoys are up, I don’t think it’s a big deal,” she continued, though. The city of Worcester announced its aquatic facilities schedule on Wednesday, with the first of the facilities set to open on Friday. In a statement, Worcester Assistant Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Rob Ant...

Rapper Travis Scott will not face criminal charges in deadly crowd surge at Texas festival

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas grand jury declined to indict rap superstar Travis Scott in a criminal investigation of a deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld festival, where some spectators were packed so tightly they could not move their arms or even breathe, his attorney and prosecutors said Thursday.Lawyer Kent Schaffer confirmed that the Harris County grand jury had met and decided not to indict his client on any criminal charges stemming from the concert.“He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt,” Schaffer said, adding that the decision is “a great relief.”Circumstances of the deaths limited what charges prosecutors were able to present before the grand jury, eliminating potential counts such as murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, said Alycia Harvey, an assistant district attorney with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.That left prosecutors to focus on possible counts of endangering a child in conne...

Marlins sweep Red Sox as silent Boston lineup ruins Brayan Bello’s no-hit bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

On a quick, quiet Thursday evening at Fenway Park, Brayan Bello carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning.Then, as has happened far too many times in winnable games this year, the Red Sox fell to their opponents.In front of a sellout crowd of 36,559, the visitors from Miami completed a series sweep with a 2-0 victory, and only needed two hours and 21 minutes to do so.Inning after inning, goose eggs went up on Fenway Park’s iconic Green Monster scoreboard as the pitchers dueled.First pitch was at 6:13 p.m., and by 7:20, they’d already played five frames.By the seventh-inning stretch, Bello was the first Red Sox pitcher to pitch at least seven innings without allowing a hit since Jon Lester’s no-hitter on May 19, 2008.An impressive achievement, especially for someone so young,Bello’s bid ended in the eighth inning with back-to-back infield singles to Jean Segura and Joey Wendle. Until that point, he’d been nearly perfect; Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached base o...

Big 6-run inning propels the Chicago White Sox to a 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels and a series split

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

The Chicago White Sox found themselves down three runs after two innings.Leading off the third, Zach Remillard had one thing on mind: “Get on base.”“We’ve got a lot of guys on this team that drive the baseball a long way and if we have guys on base we’ve got a chance to score and that’s the goal,” Remillard said.The second baseman singled, which began an inning of small ball that had big results. The Sox scored six runs in the third to rally for a 9-7 victory in front of 27,630 on Thursday at Angel Stadium.“If anyone questions if these guys want it, they play hard and to the end,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “That’s your answer right there.”The Sox earned a split in the four-game series, as pitcher Lance Lynn rebounded from a sluggish start and the offense kept the line moving in the third.“I hope we can keep pushing and keep the good energy going,” said shortstop Tim Anderson, who had two hits and sc...