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In first, Iran’s president addresses Palestinians in Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Iran’s president on Friday delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian rally in the Gaza Strip — a rare display of Iran’s importance to the Hamas militant group that rules the territory. Speaking virtually to hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group gathered at a soccer stadium in Gaza City, Iran’s conservative President Ebrahim Raisi urged Palestinians to press on with their struggle against Israel. His speech — the first of its kind to Palestinians — appeared to culminate years of quiet diplomacy aimed at mending a rift between Hamas and its long-time patron, Iran, over the devastating civil war in Syria. Raisi addressed the crowds of Palestinians on the occasion of “Jerusalem Day,” or al-Quds Day after the city’s Arabic name, which falls on the final Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. In his speech, Raisi struck a hard line against the Palestinian Authority’s recent bilateral...

Russia’s Pacific Fleet placed on high alert for snap drills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — The entire Russian Pacific Fleet was put on high alert Friday for snap drills that will involve practice missile launches, in a massive show of force amid tensions with the West over the fighting in Ukraine.Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the goal of the war games was to test the capability of Russia’s armed forces to mount a response to aggression.Along with the missile launches, the drills will also involve nuclear-capable strategic bombers and other warplanes besides the naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet, Shoigu said.The Defense Ministry declared that areas in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, the Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan and the Avacha Bay on the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula would be closed for sea and air traffic for the duration of practice torpedo and missile launches and artillery exercises.The ministry said that Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin briefed foreign military attaches about the drills, emphasi...

NBA fines team for what they did against the Bulls in April

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

NEW YORK — A team's actions in a late-season game against the Bulls have earned them a hefty fine from the NBA.The Mavericks were fined $750,000 for sitting about a few key players against the Bulls on April 7 when a Western Conference play-in spot was on the line. @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/1wtfltN35E— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) April 14, 2023The Dallas Mavericks were penalized $750,000 after they were found to have intentionally held out key players with a potential Western Conference play-in spot on the line on April 7.Because of that, the Bulls were able to win 115-112, eliminating the Mavericks from playoff contention and assuring themselves of a lottery draft selection.Naturally, the league frowned upon such a move since they discourage teams from openly losing to improve their place in the draft order, so an investigation was launched shortly after the game. Per a new release from the league, they found that Dallas "demonstrated through actions and public statement...

$1 million lotto winner in Chicago south suburb

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

OAK FOREST, Ill. — If you bought an Illinois Lotto ticket at a BP gas station in Oak Forest Thursday, you may be a millionaire.A winning ticket matched all six numbers in the Lotto Million 1 drawing for April 13. They were: 25 - 27 - 28 - 36 - 38 - 44. It was sold at the BP at 5548 W. 159th St. Oak Forest, IL 60452.Since it was a second-chance drawing, the main Lotto jackpot has grown in size once again and now stands at $13.5 million for Saturday's drawing. Mother charged after 1-year-old girl found dead in 2017 house fire in Markham This is the second Lotto millionaire this month after a Lotto Million 2 ticket match on April 1. That one was purchased online.Illinois’ “Lotto” game was revamped in 2021 with the addition of two drawings, providing three total chances to become a millionaire with every $2 ticket purchased. The actual jackpot can only be won in the first draw, however the two subsequent draws come with a $1 million payout for matching all six numbers.Lotto is only pl...

Drake Bell tweets after being reported missing in Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

NEW YORK (WPIX) — Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell spoke out on social media Thursday night, hours after he was first reported missing and later determined to be safe.Bell took to Twitter just after 6 p.m., saying “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?”That morning, Police in Florida had issued an alert for Bell, saying he was last seen on Wednesday just before 9 p.m., in the area of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach.“He is considered missing and endangered,” the department wrote on Facebook. Police later said Bell was determined to be “safe” and in contact with Florida officials as of Thursday afternoon. A representative for the Daytona Beach PD did not share any further details. Walt Disney World annual passes go back on sale this month In his tweet on Thursday, Bell did not elaborate on his whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding that morning's alert.Bell, whose legal name is Jared Drake Bell, is perhaps best known for sta...

'Hell of a scare': Matthew McConaughey opens up about Lufthansa flight on Kelly Ripa podcast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

Editor's note: The above video is from when the flight happened in March. AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila were on the Lufthansa flight from Austin to Germany that experienced severe turbulence and had to make an emergency landing in Washington D.C. last month. Lufthansa flight 469 dropped nearly 4,000 feet, and seven people went to the hospital, Camila said in an Instagram post. She said everything was flying everywhere, and the plane was chaos. ‘4,000-foot drop’: Matthew, Camila McConaughey on flight with severe turbulence This week, Matthew McConaughey opened up about the experience on an episode of Kelly Ripa's podcast "Let's Talk Off Camera." He called it a "hell of a scare.""You're suspended... disbelief. I mean, it's zero gravity. Your red wine in the glass and the plates that your food was on are all suspended floating still just in the air," McConaughey explained. "And to look at it for that long, which was about, one, two, three, four... and...

Flooding prompts of closure Osceola Landing, other river access points

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

The Osceola Landing and other National Park Service access points along the St. Croix River and Namekagon rivers are temporarily closed due to flood conditions, National Park Service officials said Friday.The St. Croix and Namekagon rivers “are currently very high, fast flowing and cold — with significant amounts of floating debris, creating hazardous river conditions for river users and park visitors,” said Craig Hansen, superintendent of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.Park service staff will continue to assess conditions and will open landings when they are safe to access, he said.“Our priority is keeping visitors safe,” Hansen said. “Everyone should use extreme caution during these high-water conditions and stay out of closed areas.”Anyone who spots hazardous conditions within the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is asked to call 1-800-PARK-TIP.For more information, go to: www.nps.gov/sacn.Related ArticlesOutdoors | Obituar...

The ‘3 Old Guys’ complete 5,000-plus-mile snowmobile trek

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

They made it.The “3 Old Guys” — Rob Hallstrom, 65, of Park Rapids, Minnesota; Rex Hibbert, 70, Soda Springs, Idaho; and Paul Dick, 72, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, completed their 5,000-plus-mile snowmobile trek from Grand Rapids to Fairbanks, Alaska, on Wednesday.“The guys are in — or will be in — Fairbanks soon,” Hallstrom’s wife, MaJeana, told the Herald on Wednesday evening in a message. “Tough day today — lots of plans changed.“They will be in a bar tonight so not a good night to talk with them.”The three men, all experienced long-distance snowmobile riders with lots of mechanical savvy, started the trip from Dick’s home in Grand Rapids on Monday, March 6, all riding Arctic Cat Norseman 8000 snowmobiles with 800cc engines. Since then, their “3 Old Guys Ride to Alaska” Facebook page has garnered attention from across North America.Hallstrom’s daughter, Kasie Plekkenpol, with help from his wife has maintained the Facebook page, largely relying on short text messages sent via satellit...

John Choi recognized for Ramsey County’s work with sexual assault response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

End Violence Against Women International has recognized Ramsey County Attorney John Choi for his work in how the county responds to sexual assaults.Choi was given the nonprofit’s professional impact award at its 20th annual conference, held over three days this week in Chicago. In presenting the award, CEO Joanne Archambault highlighted Choi’s influence in the community’s response to violence against women.In 2016, Ramsey County launched a public awareness campaign designed to change the way the community, law enforcement, prosecution and criminal justice partners respond to sexual violence.Two years later, the attorney’s office released the Ramsey County Sexual Assault Systems Review, which outlined recommendations to improve criminal justice system response to ensure victims feel supported and offenders are brought to justice. One immediate outcome was the hiring of two additional sexual violence services advocates and two sexual assault investigators for St. Paul poli...

How Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson turned himself into a star

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

Looking back on it now, it’s fitting that Filip Gustavsson found out he was traded as he was taking out the trash.They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, after all, and that’s exactly what the 24-year-old Swede has proven to be for the Wild.Though the Wild haven’t named their starting goaltender for Game 1 of the upcoming opening round of the NHL playoffs, it’s a good bet that Gustavsson will be in net. He has been a godsend this season with a 23-9-7 record, a 2.10 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage.Not bad considering Gustavsson entered this season with fewer than 25 starts under his belt. He perfectly summed up his unexpected rise to stardom a few weeks ago, saying, “It’s been a helluva year.”Indeed. All because of a trade between the Wild and the Ottawa Senators on July 12, 2022 that barely moved the needle at the time.The timing of everything came as a surprise to Gustavsson. He remembers playing ca...