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Low-key Kiwis: New Zealand slow to embrace Women’s World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — International visitors are greeted at the arrivals hall in Auckland’s airport by a display promoting the Women’s World Cup with such detail it includes carpeting resembling a soccer pitch.After that, though, the hype trails off. There are banners downtown and an occasional big-screen advertisement, but other than that, one of the globe’s major female sporting events could easily be missed. The tournament kicks off Thursday but seats for many games are still available. One day before the co-host nation faced Norway, many sports fans and media seemed more interested in analyzing New Zealand’s decisive 35-12 win in men’s rugby over South Africa before a sellout home crowd.“We’re a rugby-crazy country, and rugby is seen as our No. 1 sport. You haven’t always seen visibility in terms of being able to watch football on TV, exhibitions, women’s football,” New Zealand midfielder Annalie Longo said. “We’ve only just now got our first professional team here in New...

Abad picks up his first win in six years. Rockies beat Astros 4-3 as bullpen shines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Fernando Abad barely remembers his last win or even who he was facing.It was that long ago.Abad picked his first victory in more than six years as the Colorado Rockies used a bullpen game featuring seven pitchers to beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Tuesday night.“That (win) was a while ago,” said Abad, whose last victory was while he was with Boston on June 13, 2017, against Philadelphia. Back then, the left-handed reliever gave the baseball from the victory to his mom. He plans on giving this one to her as well. That is, once he locates it. For now, he will simply bask in the glow of the moment.“I just had to be able to do everything they needed me to do,” said Abad, who began his big-league career with the Astros. This had all the hallmarks of a high-scoring Coors Field affair when it was 3-3 after the first inning. But the pitching took over and the only run allowed after the early fireworks came courtesy of Ezequiel Tovar, who lined a shot off the fence in right-cent...

Tobi Amusan, women’s record holder in 100 hurdles, charged with missing 3 drug tests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

World-record hurdler Tobi Amusan says she has been charged with an anti-doping rules violation for missing three drug tests in the span of 12 months. The Nigerian posted the news on her Instagram account Tuesday and said she would fight the charges. “I am a CLEAN athlete, and I am regularly (maybe more than usual) tested by the AIU,” she wrote, in referencing the Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees doping issues in international track and is the agency that charged her with the violation.At world championships in Oregon last year, Amusan stunned a still-arriving crowd by setting the world record with a time of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles. She came back about 90 minutes later to win the gold medal in 12.06, but that time did not go into the record books because there was too strong a tailwind.“When I watched the record, I was like ‘Whoa, who did that?’” Amusan said of her reaction upon seeing her time pop up on the scoreboard.Amusan went to col...

Seiya Suzuki has homer, 4 hits as Cubs pour it on late to rout Nationals 17-3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)(AP/Charles Rex Arbogast) Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)(AP/Charles Rex Arbogast) CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki homered and drove in three runs on a four-hit night, and the Chicago Cubs poured it on late to beat the Washington Nationals 17-3 Tuesday night.Patrick Wisdom hit his team-leading 17th homer in the seventh inning to put the Cubs ahead 4-3, and Chicago went ...

Prince George’s Co. votes to incentivize restaurants to add healthy meals 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

Bowl dish with brown rice, cucumber, tomato, green peas, red cabbage, chickpea, fresh lettuce salad and cashew nuts. Healthy balanced eating(Getty Images/iStockphoto/YelenaYemchuk) Bowl dish with brown rice, cucumber, tomato, green peas, red cabbage, chickpea, fresh lettuce salad and cashew nuts. Healthy balanced eating(Getty Images/iStockphoto/YelenaYemchuk) Burgers and fries and fried chicken are popular fast-food meals; in Prince George’s County, there’s an effort to encourage restaurants to offer healthier food choices.The county council passed the Healthy Restaurant Bill on Tuesday in a 9-0-1 vote. It would provide incentives to restaurants, such as zero-interest loans, for making their menus at l...

Dream win seventh straight behind Howard’s strong effort in victory over Lynx

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Rhyne Howard had 21 points and seven assists, Nia Coffey added 13 points and 10 rebounds and the Atlanta Dream beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-73 on Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to seven games.Atlanta (12-8) led by 22 points in the first half before Minnesota rallied behind Napheesa Collier, who scored a career-high 35 points, to get within 70-68. Howard made Atlanta’s first field goal in over seven minutes to extend the advantage to 72-68 with 2:44 left. That started a 10-0 run that also included Howard’s three-point play that made it 78-68 with 1:37 left.Minnesota (9-12) couldn’t recover.Howard also set a WNBA record with her 18th consecutive game of making two or more 3-pointers. MERCURY 72, SUN 66PHOENIX (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 17 points, hitting five 3-pointers, Diana Taurasi added 15 and the Mercury beat the Sun to snap a six-game losing streak in the series.Phoenix (5-15) beat a team with a winning record for the first time this sea...

Dairon Blanco has 4 hits and 3 RBIs to help Royals outscore Tigers 11-10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dairon Blanco tripled, doubled twice, singled and drove in three runs and the Kansas City Royals overcame Spencer Torkelson’s two-homer night to outscore the Detroit Tigers 11-10 on Tuesday.“You have to get ready every day,” Blanco, who ranked the day as his best ever in baseball, said through an interpreter. “A day like today you just get ready and take advantage of it.”Blanco tripled and scored to help the Royals tie it at 2 in the third, and had a run-scoring bunt hit to cap a five-run fourth. He doubled and scored in both the sixth and eighth innings for his first career four-hit game.“Every one of the hits was important,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That’s what stood out to me. It was nice for him because I know he’s been pressing a little bit. To see him do that was rewarding.”Blanco admitted he was trying for a home run to complete the cycle in his final at-bat, falling a few feet short of his first career homer, instead settling for an RBI dou...

Mercury snap 6-game losing streak in series with the Sun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 17 points, hitting five 3-pointers, Diana Taurasi added 15 and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Connecticut Sun 72-66 on Tuesday night to snap a six-game losing streak in the series.Phoenix (5-15) beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season. It was the Mercury’s first home win against the Sun since the 2018 season.Cunningham made her fourth 3-pointer to extend the lead to 53-43 with 2:45 left in the third quarter. Her fifth gave Phoenix a 58-48 lead heading into the fourth.Brittney Griner finished with 12 points.DeWanna Bonner had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Connecticut (15-6). Alyssa Thomas had 11 points and seven assists.Thomas became Connecticut’s all-time leader in assists, passing Jasmine Thomas (994).___AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Thornton mayor granted permanent protection order

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

BRIGHTON, Colo. (KDVR) -- An Adams County judge has granted the mayor of Thornton a permanent protection order against a political activist, who had been trolling the mayor online and in person.Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann obtained a temporary protection order against Dariush Namazi on June 22, which Magistrate Michael Garlan made permanent Tuesday evening after a five-hour hearing. The judge said Namazi had shown a "reckless disregard for Mrs. Kulmann's personal space." Thornton mayor seeks protection order against political satirist Namazi has spent the past month following the mayor around at city events as MAGA-loving Trump supporter "Danny Kulmann." He posted videos where he would ask Kulmann questions like, "How are we making Thornton great today? Jan how do you feel about all these trans people around children?"What video shows Namazi did Thornton Police body cam video obtained by the Problem Solvers showed that Namazi would stand close to the mayor whenever he could, even cr...

2 plants on CU Boulder campus blooming for first time in 40 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:47 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — University of Colorado’s campus in Boulder is experiencing a rare bloom of a plant that only shows its flowers once every half-century. Agave plants are common in the southwest but are not native to the Boulder area. Several of them were planted outside the campus’ 30th Street greenhouse in 1997. Almost three decades later, two have finally bloomed. “They’re very slow to mature. They’re about 30 to 40 years to fully mature,” John Clark, director of greenhouses for ecology and evolutionary biology at CU Boulder, said. According to Clark, the two plants began to change on May 12. He believes the unusually wet spring encouraged them to bloom. Headed to the lake? Check for toxic algae blooms “Of course, they have to be fully mature but we think the rain when they were fully mature helped spur them to flower,” he said. They sprout a large stalk resembling asparagus, which can grow 6 to 8 inches per day. When it reaches a height of about 15 feet, it for...