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Former Olympic champion and college All-American win swim around Florida’s Alligator Reef Lighthouse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

ISLAMORADA, Fla. (AP) — A three-time Olympic gold medalist and a former college All-American won top honors Saturday at an annual 8-mile (13-kilometer) ocean swim around the Alligator Reef Lighthouse off the Florida Keys.Olympian Brooke Bennett, 43, of Clearwater, was the top female swimmer, finishing second overall behind Connor Signorin, a former All-American at the University of Florida who lives in Tampa. While both excelled at competing in pools, the swim around the 150-year-old lighthouse presented a different challenge.“You’re here amongst the sea life and this is your natural form of swimming — this isn’t pool swimming, this is as natural as it gets … beautiful,” said Signorin, 31, after finishing the race in 2 hours, 59 minutes, 44 seconds.About 400 people participated in the race that raised money and awareness of the need to preserve the historic lighthouse and five other aging beacons off the Florida Keys. The lighthouse was named for the U.S. Navy Schooner Alligator tha...

Maldives presidential election heading for 2nd round after no clear winner emerges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

MALE, Maldives (AP) — The Maldives presidential election Saturday was headed toward a second round between the top two candidates after none of the eight contestants secured more than 50% of the vote for an outright win, local media reported.Main opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz secured a surprise lead with more than 46% of votes, while the incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih secured 39% in an election that turned into a virtual referendum over which regional power — India or China — will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago state.The elections commission was scheduled to announce its official results Sunday morning. A second round, if confirmed, will take place later this month. Saturday’s vote was to choose the country’s fifth freely elected president since Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008. Eight candidates are vying for the post with Solih, perceived as pro-India, facing off against his main rival Muiz, who is seen as pro-Chi...

Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West Bank, claiming youths threw explosives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security forces on Saturday killed a 16-year-old Palestinian in a confrontation in the southern occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said, the latest violence to roil the territory during one of the most violent stretches of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in nearly two decades. The death of Milad al-Rai brings to 185 the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank so far this year by Israeli fire, including over 30 youths under the age of 18. This year’s death toll in the West Bank and east Jerusalem has already overtaken that of 2022, which had been considered the deadliest year since the United Nations began tracking in 2005.The Israeli military said that it unleashed tear gas and opened fire at a group of Palestinians outside the Al-Aroub refugee camp in the southern West Bank who had lobbed Molotov cocktails at troops across the way. It said it was aware that one of the Palestinians had been shot and said there were Israeli militar...

Man's body found near Promontory Point

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

CHICAGO — The body of a man was found on the shoreline near Promontory Point Saturday morning. Police said an unidentified body was found around 10:15 a.m. near the 5400 block of South Lake Shore Drive. Authorities begin to remove plane after crash in Elk Grove Village Police said the man was pronounced dead on the scene. Area one detectives are conducting a death investigation, pending autopsy results. There is currently no other information provided. WGN is actively following the incident and will update as more information s recovered.

'Nightmare on Clark Street' to return to Wrigleyville

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

CHICAGO — October is just around the corner and an annual Halloween-themed event, that is sure to frighten guests on multiple levels, is making a return to Wrigleyville.Nightmare on Clark Street, the annual Halloween extravaganza, makes a spooky return to the Bamboo Club starting on Sept. 21. The fright-filled event will feature a multi-level haunted house and rooftop bar that will offer guests several Halloween-themed cocktails. 64 Fall Festivals and events coming to Chicagoland this autumn Organizers say the immersive event allows guests the chance to navigate a labyrinth of terrifying rooms while making their way through the over-the-top haunted house experience.The event runs daily from Thursday, Sept. 21 until Tuesday, Oct. 31 at the Bamboo Club in the 3500 block of North Clark Street in the heart of Wrigleyville. ARC Music Festival celebrated Chicago and house music for third year Organizers say anyone under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult and anyone ...

St. Paul home values are going up (a bit). Residential property taxes could fall by hundreds of dollars. Here’s why.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

Imagine, for a moment, you own a $300,000 house and a $1 million factory in St. Paul. There’s a good chance, depending upon the neighborhood you live in, that your home value stayed relatively flat during the past year or so, or climbed just a few thousand dollars.Your factory’s value? It probably just jumped more than 20%, at least on paper, according to the Ramsey County Assessor’s Office.That means that even as the St. Paul, Ramsey County and St. Paul Public Schools property tax levies — the total sum of property taxes collected — are poised to increase in 2024, much of the tax burden will shift to industrial properties, sparing everyday homeowners much of the financial impact.In fact, owners of many St. Paul homes are likely to see their property taxes drop next year, in some cases considerably, though rising fees like water, trash and recycling will offset some of those savings.A median-value home in St. Paul — a property bearing an estimated...

Gophers running game won’t have tailback against Eastern Michigan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

The Gophers running game failed to churn out 60 yards in the season opener and will change Saturday against Eastern Michigan.Bryce Williams, who had six carries for 15 yards against Nebraska on Aug. 31, is out, according to the Big Ten availability report.Williams was the No. 2 rusher behind Sean Tyler, who had 10 carries for 41 yards against the Cornhuskers. With Williams sidelined, young tailbacks Darius Taylor and Zach Evans could share more of the load against the Eagles.Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck shared Monday why Taylor and Evans didn’t play more against the Cornhuskers. Taylor had four snaps ands one carry; Evans didn’t play.“We have full trust in (Evans) when he gets out there and gets his opportunity, same thing with Darius Taylor,” Fleck said at his weekly news conference. “We felt really good with Sean and what he was able to play, plus Bryce Williams with the experience, especially not knowing what they were going to do. We felt really good about those two backs, who ...

Max Kepler’s three-run triple helps lead Twins to 8-4 victory over Mets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

Max Kepler picked a pretty good time to drive in his first pinch-hit run this season. His second and third, too.The Twins right fielder, pinch hitting for Jordan Luplow in the seventh inning, delivered the knockout punch on Saturday afternoon in the Twins’ 8-4 win over the Mets at Target Field.Kepler just nearly missed a grand slam, shooting the ball near the top of the wall in right-center field. The right fielder instead settled for a triple, breaking open what had been a one-run game. He would come around to score on Kyle Farmer’s second RBI hit of the game, part of a four-run seventh inning for the Twins (75-67).Kepler and Farmer’s hits both came with a pair of outs  — as did Farmer’s earlier knock and Donovan Solano’s two-run hit in the second inning, which tied the game at the time. Seven of the Twins’ runs — all but Willi Castro’s solo home run in the eighth inning —  came with a pair of outs against them.The Twins trailed just briefly in the game, falling behind when Kenta M...

Prime Time: No. 22 CU Buffs hosting ESPN Gameday, Fox Sports Saturday pregame show next week for CSU, Rocky Mountain Showdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

BOULDER — The Coach Prime Bandwagon is going to need more space. And more lawn space around the CU Boulder campus, specifically.Both ESPN and Fox Sports plan to host their competing Saturday morning pregame shows — “College Gameday (ESPN)” and “Big Noon Kickoff (Fox)” — from Boulder next weekend in advance of the Rocky Mountain Showdown between No. 22 CU (2-0) and rival CSU (0-1).BOULDER WE’RE COMING BACK Catch the Big Noon Kickoff crew with special guest @RobGronkowski in Boulder and then tune in to watch Penn State vs Illinois on FOX for Big Noon Saturday pic.twitter.com/v4XHNMA06E— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) September 9, 2023https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsESPN hasn’t visited Boulder for “Gameday,” its collegiate morning staple, since 1996. Fox aired its pregame show from Farrand Field on Saturday morning as a lead-in to the Buffs’ 36-14 win over Nebraska.“I don’t blame them,” Buffs coach Deion Sand...

Admission Day: California admitted to United States 173 years ago 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:14 GMT

Happy 173rd birthday, California! On Sept. 9, 1850, California became the 31st state to be admitted to the Union after the Compromise of 1850 was signed by then-President Millard Fillmore. California became a state relatively quickly, as the Gold Rush that started in 1848 – just days after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed between the U.S. and Mexico, which ceded most of the Southwest and all of present-day California to the states – led to an influx of settlers, and a hasty constitutional convention was held the following year.  It was at this convention that the state seal that we all know today was created. The seal features 31 stars, symbolizing California’s admission as the 31st state, as well as the Greek goddess Athena, a grizzly bear feeding on grape vines and the state motto “Eureka.”  A seal for the state of California is shown on the Governor Edmund G. Pat Brown Building, which includes the headquarters for the California Public Utilities Comm...