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Montana becomes latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for trans children; bill had sparked House protest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana becomes latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for trans children; bill had sparked House protest.Source

Uber driver speaks out after wanted man takes his life in SUV with US Marshals in pursuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

A rideshare driver is sharing his story after witnessing a horrific scene when he picked up a passenger who made a desperate decision in his car.A pickup quickly turned to panic for Uber driver Samuel when a suspect wanted in a double shooting that took place at a Hallandale Beach resort on Monday, hopped into his car on Wednesday with U.S. Marshals close behind.“‘Get out of the car, get of the car,’ and then I heard ‘boom,'” he recalled. “In the beginning, I didn’t realize it was a shot.”Those shots, Samuel said, came from someone he thought was harmless.“It was traumatic — you didn’t know what’s going on,” said Samuel. “You know, you didn’t do anything, and you didn’t think somebody in your car seat did anything.”Without knowing, Samuel picked up a wanted man from the Sheraton Suites in Plantation, Wednesday, who the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force — along with other agenc...

‘A Taylor Swift Fan’: Taylor Swift-loving cat with unique name now up for adoption

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

The MSPCA is putting a cat up for adoption that they say has a very specific taste in music. The one-year-old cat from Texas has been named “A Taylor Swift Fan” because he calms down when he listens to the star’s music. Now, staff at the MSPCA Angell Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem said they’re looking for the perfect Swift fan to give “A Taylor Swift Fan” a new home. “He came with the name ‘Screamer,’ which doesn’t go very well for adopters and we thought it didn’t really fit him,” said adoptions coordinator Celia Jepsky, adding that the cat was known to meow loudly when he was uncomfortable. Later, Jepsky said staff members had a stroke of inspiration. “One day they were cleaning the kennels and they were listening to Taylor Swift and his meowing stopped,”  Jepsky said. “And he was kind of more listening, so we were like ‘Wow, he’s a fan!’” The team decided the name “A Taylor Swift Fan” fit this cat all too well. “With the Eras tour coming up and ev...

South Korean president makes stops in Boston, Cambridge during US trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a speech and took questions at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge on Friday where he spoke about the challenges facing his country including the threat of nuclear weapons from neighboring North Korea.Yoon pointed to a new plan he unveiled with President Joe Biden on Wednesday for intensified nuclear deterrence to counter any North Korean threat.“If we were to accept nuclear weapons by North Korea then South Korea may have to possess nuclear weapons,” Yoon said during a question-and-answer period after his speech at the Kennedy School. “This is not something we want to see happen.”Yoon went on to say that if North Korea were to use nuclear weapons “the result is quite obvious.”“As long as North Korea recognizes nuclear weapons as a means of survival we have to make sure to deter the usage of such weapons so that the Republic of Korea, our neighboring countries and the entire global community can be pr...

Why a kitten named ‘Oriole’ is alive because of pitcher Cole Irvin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

Six people were involved in saving Oriole’s life. Cole Irvin was the first.Oriole, a 3-week-old kitten, is now in an incubator in a rescue and adoption program, but less than a week ago, he was roaming a gas station in Greensboro, North Carolina, looking for help.“I knew something was wrong with him,” said Irvin, a pitcher in the Orioles organization who is now with Triple-A Norfolk. “I knew this cat was hungry and not comfortable. I just felt horrible.”It was Sunday evening, and Irvin had just pitched for the Tides in Norfolk, Virginia. The team’s next destination was Charlotte, North Carolina, where Irvin’s offseason house is located. Irvin got permission to head south early so he could spend a day off at home, and he was about four hours into a five-hour drive when he stopped for gas and rescued the kitten.Irvin and five others served as the village that saved Oriole. Irvin called his wife, who told her mother, who wrote a Facebook post l...

Nelson Velázquez’s performance earns him an extended shot in the majors as the Chicago Cubs: ‘It means the world to me’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

Nelson Velázquez knows roster decisions are out of his control.So he let his play force the Chicago Cubs to give him an extended opportunity in the majors. The Cubs kept Velázquez on their active roster when center fielder Cody Bellinger returned from paternity leave before Friday’s series opener in Miami.Instead, the Cubs designated catcher Luis Torrens for assignment. Torrens, who is out of options, had started only five times, all as designated hitter. He went 5-for-20 with one walk and eight strikeouts. Torrens, 26, has a good chance of getting claimed off waivers.“We’ve got a really long season ahead of us and just three outfielders was going to be a little tough to carry as we start to play this thing out,” manager David Ross said. “It’s nothing (Torrens) did. Nelly’s come up and played really, really well and earned this spot.”Velázquez started his fourth consecutive game Friday, this time as the DH against Marlin...

Pat Leonard: Joe Schoen’s offseason emphasis may help Wink Martindale unleash Giants defense

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

The most exciting part of Deonte Banks’ first-round selection isn’t just that the Giants got a talented player at a premium position of need.It’s the possibilities that Banks’ presence at outside corner and Joe Schoen’s free agent signings may open up for Wink Martindale’s Giants defense on Brian Daboll’s team.The Baltimore Ravens ranked in the top three of the NFL’s scoring defenses for three straight seasons from 2018-2020 with Martindale as their coordinator.Martindale has never seen a pressure scheme he didn’t like, but his ideal game plan is predicated on having capable man corners to trust in isolation when he sends the house.“They send a lot of pressure and put man behind it,” Banks said Friday at his introductory press conference in East Rutherford, recalling Ravens games he watched growing up in Baltimore.Those years, Martindale trusted the likes of Brandon Carr, Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters...

2023 NFL Draft | Levis finally picked in second round

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

By The Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s Day 2 of the NFL draft! Will Levis has finally come off the board after being picked in the second round by the Tennessee Titans. The standout Kentucky quarterback was the biggest name on the board when the second round kicked off at 7 p.m. EST from Kansas City’s Union Station.Bryce Young went first overall to the Carolina Panthers followed by C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans for a 1-2 quarterback combo at the top of the draft Thursday. The second round can be viewed on NFL Network and ESPN. Follow for live updates from Associated Press reporters across the country (all times EST).LEVIS TAKEN IN SECOND ROUND BY TITANSThe Tennessee Titans have selected Will Levis in the second round of the NFL draft.Here are some things to know about the former Kentucky quarterback.Levis projected as a first-round pick but wasn’t selected on opening night.He sat uncomfortably among the prospects at the draft in Kansas City a...

Army grounds non-critical aviators after fatal crashes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

By BECKY BOHRER (Associated Press)JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Army on Friday said that it has grounded non-critical aviation flight units for training after deadly helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky killed 12 in the past month. The suspension of air operations was effective immediately, with units grounded until they complete the training, said Lt. Col. Terence Kelley, an Army spokesperson. For active-duty units, the training is to take place between May 1 and 5. Army National Guard and Reserve units will have until May 31 to complete the training.On Thursday, two Army helicopters collided near Healy, Alaska, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The helicopters were from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, near Fairbanks, and were returning from training at the time of the crash, the Army said.A U.S. Army team from Alabama has been making its way to the Alaska Interior to the investigate the collision between two AH-64 Apache...

Gators’ Anthony Richardson goes from QB-rich UF to Peyton, Johnny U’s Colts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:58 GMT

Anthony Richardson respects tradition, embraces expectations and aspires to history.At Florida, he followed a long line of quarterback greats but left too soon to join their ranks. The No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft, Richardson now heads to the Indianapolis Colts, whose tradition of signal callers is as storied as that of any franchise, up there with Green Bay, San Francisco and Dallas.The most intriguing and athletic prospect in the draft is not intimidated. During the NFL Scouting Combine in his new city, Richardson told reporters, “I want to be a legend,” a phrase he also had stitched on the inside of his suit jacket Thursday night in Kansas City.The Colts’ brass and fans hope Richardson is up to the challenge and can follow in the footsteps of legends Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning, not to mention former No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, who suddenly retired in 2019 after seven seasons. If Richardson can perform even like a young Bert Jones, the 1976 NFL most valu...