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Magic have another opportunity to test lineups in season finale at Heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

The Orlando Magic have one more opportunity to test rarely used lineups before the 2023 season ends.The Magic (34-47) will wrap up their season at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Miami (43-38) in a matchup in which neither team is likely to play its top performers many minutes.The Heat are locked in at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the top spot to qualify for the postseason play-in tournament.Miami will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at the newly-named Kaseya Center to determine who’ll be the No. 7 seed for the East’s playoff bracket and play the Boston Celtics in the first round. The loser will host the conference’s concluding play-in game on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.The Nos. 7-10 seeds in each conference compete in the play-in tournament for the Nos. 7 and 8 spots in the playoffs.After being eliminated from contending for a spot in the play-in tournament with their Tuesday loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Magic shifted their focus to tryin...

Alberta premier gives new version of why she spoke with accused before criminal trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has delivered a new version of why she engaged in a controversial phone call with a Calgary street pastor in which they discussed his upcoming criminal case related to COVID-19 public health measures.Smith told her weekly phone-in radio show Saturday that she took the call from Art Pawlowski because she thought it was going to be in the context of his role as the leader of another political party.She said when the discussion veered into Pawlowski’s court case, she simply reminded the former head of the Alberta Independence Party that she had tried to gain amnesty for COVID accused but was told by justice officials the cases must play out independently, and that she accepted that advice.She also said she disagrees strongly with Pawlowski’s “extreme views.”“When we talked, I thought we were talking in the context of him being a political party leader because (Pawlowski) was at the time the head of the Independence Party,” Smith told her Corus ...

Ukraine brings back 31 children from Russia amid war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of a Ukrainian rescue organization said Saturday that the organization has brought back 31 children from Russia, where they had been taken during the war.Mykola Kuleba said at a news conference in Kyiv that the children were expected to arrive in the capital later in the day. Kuleba is the executive director of the Save Ukraine organization and is the presidential commissioner for children’s rights.Deportations of Ukrainian children have been a concern since Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court increased pressure on Russia when it issued arrest warrants on March 17 for President Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine.The International Committee of the Red Cross said this week it had been in contact with Lvova-Belova, the first confirmation of high-level international intervention to reunite families with children w...

Texas gov. seeks to pardon Army sergeant convicted of murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that he is seeking to pardon a U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of murder in the 2020 fatal shooting of an armed protester during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice.Abbott tweeted that because the state constitution limits him to a pardon only on a recommendation by the state Board of Pardons and Paroles he is asking the board to recommend a pardon and to expedite his request in order to pardon Sgt. Daniel Perry.“I look forward to approving the board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk,” Abbott wrote.Perry was convicted Friday by a Travis County jury of fatally shooting 28-year-old Garrett Foster during a protest in Austin. He faces up to life in prison when sentenced.“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Abbott said.A phone call to District Attorney José...

A little brighter and warmer for Easter Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The rain has stopped, but the clouds have persisted. Limited breaks of sun are trying to work through the Hill Country and into the Austin Metro, but it's a race against sunset as to whether they reach I-35 in time. Mostly we end the afternoon on a cloudy note.Central Texas rainfall totalsTonight, any breaks in the clouds will fill back in as low cloudiness takes us into Sunday morning. Overnight lows drop into the middle and upper 50s.A cloudy start to Easter Sunday may feature a few sprinkles. The ground may still be damp from recent rain for any morning Easter egg hunts, but more drying is expected through the day tomorrow as sun tries to break through the clouds into the afternoon. How much sun we get will, obviously, impact temperatures. Right now we think low 70s are a good bet as long as the clouds break by 2 or 3pm. Any later and we'll be stuck in the 60s tomorrow.Easter Sunday forecastA shortwave diving in from the northwest will give us the chance of rain ...

Longhorns softball clobber Iowa State in sweep to get back on winning track

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

AMES, Iowa (KXAN) — The No. 10 Texas Longhorns softball team polished off a dominant sweep of Iowa State on Saturday, taking out the Cyclones 9-1 at the Cyclones Sports Complex.The Longhorns won the series opener Thursday 8-0 in five innings and clinched the series win with an 8-1 win Friday before finishing the sweep.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersTexas didn't waste any time building a lead, scoring seven runs in the first two innings. Freshman catcher Reese Atwood launched a 3-run home run in the first inning to get things going. She drove a 2-1 pitch from Iowa State's Jaiden Ralston over the left-field wall for her team-leading eighth homer of the season.The Longhorns tacked on four runs with some help from Iowa State's defense. Two of the four runs were unearned after the second error of the inning put a pair of runners on for freshman Viviana Martinez. She slappe...

Park Square and PRIME’s ‘Revolutionists’ worth the wait

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

It’s been a tough past five years for Park Square Theatre. The company that’s been a downtown St. Paul mainstay since 1972 has struggled to find its footing since the retirement of longtime artistic director Richard Cook in 2018, the ink in its books becoming a deeper red.As all theaters went dark during COVID, the company held out hope for presenting Lauren Gunderson’s “The Revolutionists.” Twice scheduled for 2020, it’s at last found its way to Park Square’s Proscenium Stage.Undated courtesy photo, circa March 2023, of Jasmine Porter, left, as Charlotte Corday and Tia Marie Tanzer as Marianne Angelle in Park Square Theatre’s production, “The Revolutionists.” (Tomas Leal / Park Square Theatre)Yet it feels like the lone survivor in a theatrical tragedy, as it’s surrounded by cancellations on the calendar: two shows before it and three afterward. The current staging will close Park Square’s 2022-23 season while the company regroups and seeks financial stability.As w...

Twins’ Max Kepler lands on injured list with patellar tendinitis; Matt Wallner recalled

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

After spending most of the week assessing him, the Twins finally decided to place right fielder Max Kepler on the injured list before Saturday’s game, recalling outfielder Matt Wallner, a Forest Lake native, in his place.Kepler was removed from Monday’s game with right knee soreness after hitting the first-base bag hard. At the time, the Twins thought he might be back in a day or so.But Kepler, whom the Twins say is dealing with patellar tendinitis, has continued to feel soreness and after having him run and test out his knee Saturday before the game, the Twins finally made the decision to place him on the 10-day injured list.Manager Rocco Baldelli said Kepler’s workout went “OK” and he didn’t have a setback but he still was still feeling some pain when decelerating.“Instead of continually playing it day to day and having an inactive active player on the roster but not available to really do much, he’s going to have another week to get this thing right and rid himself of the i...

Police investigate fatal Battle Creek shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

St. Paul police are investigating the Saturday morning shooting death of a woman in the Battle Creek neighborhood who they believe was the victim in a domestic violence incident.Police Sgt. Mike Ernster gave the following details about the shooting in a news release:About 11:15 a.m. Saturday, a 911 caller reported a shooting in the 2200 block of Hillsdale Avenue. Arriving officers found a woman who had been shot. The victim was declared dead at the scene by St. Paul Fire Department medics.Based on the early investigation, detectives believe the woman was killed in a domestic violence incident.Police ask anyone with information about this death to call 651-266-5650.The cause of death and the victim’s name will be released by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.Police ask that anyone who is a victim of domestic violence, or has a loved one who is a victim, reach out for help. All St. Paul and Ramsey County services in relation to domestic abuse are free. In addition, there are...

Ambulance damaged in afternoon St. Louis crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - An ambulance was heavily damaged and towed away after a crash Saturday afternoon in St. Louis. Police responded to the crash near Choteau Avenue and South 14th Street, just south of Interstate 64 around 3 p.m. Top Story: Police search for Creve Coeur shopping center shooter The front end of the ambulance suffered significant damage, and debris was scattered all around the intersection following the crash. Police have not yet disclosed information about any potential injuries. This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.