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Downtown Chicago Xfinity Series street race suspended until Sunday because of lightning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The first NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the street course in downtown Chicago has been suspended until Sunday because of lightning.Cole Custer led each of the first 25 laps Saturday before the delay because of a lightning strike in the area. John Hunter Nemechek was second, followed by Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill.With more lightning in the forecast, NASCAR announced that the race would resume Sunday at 10 a.m. CDT. It also said The Chainsmokers concert had been canceled.Custer is trying for his second Xfinity Series victory this season and No. 12 for his career. He also won on the road course at Portland International Raceway on June 3.The Xfinity Series race in Chicago is scheduled for 55 laps and 121 miles.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Devers hits 20th home run and Red Sox beat Blue Jays 7-6 to spoil Canada Day celebrations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Rafael Devers hit his 20th home run, Justin Turner homered and scored three times and the Boston Red Sox spoiled Canada Day celebrations in Toronto by holding on to beat the Blue Jays 7-6 Saturday.Right fielder Alex Verdugo threw out Bo Bichette at home plate for the final out of the game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. George Springer scored on the play, but Bichette was tagged out by catcher Connor Wong. Toronto’s challenge was unsuccessful.“He’s one of the best, if not the best, defensive right fielders in the American League,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Verdugo. “That was a great throw.”Verdugo has a team-high six of Boston’s 14 outfield assists this season. Saturday’s throw by Verdugo gave Jansen his 17th save in 20 chances.“It’s a great team win,” Jansen said. “That’s how we’ve got to keep doing it, man.”Blue Jays manager John Schneider didn’t blame either Bichette or third base coach Luis Rivera for the gam...

Avalanche say goodbye to defenseman Erik Johnson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It's been more than a dozen seasons that defenseman Erik Johnson has called the Colorado Avalanche home, but now he has a new one.The 35-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres hours after he officially became an unrestricted free agent. Johnson, who was the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, played three seasons with his draft team before being traded midseason in 2011 to Colorado.The longest-tenured Avalanche player won a Stanley Cup in 2022 with the team, but unfortunately suffered several injuries, some keeping him off the ice for long stints, during his time with Colorado. Avalanche trade for Ross Colton from the Lightning The Avalanche will need to replace his size and grit on the blue line and his leadership in the locker room. Who else left the AvalancheThe Avalanche lost forward J.T. Compher to free agency as he signed a five-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings worth $25.5 million on Saturday. Forwa...

Car struck by Brightline train in Miami; no injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

There was train trouble in Miami when a car was left on the tracks.Video shared by Only in Dade showed the moment a Brightline train slammed into the vehicle, Saturday evening.According to City of Miami Police, the crash took place in the area of Northeast 36th Avenue and Second Avenue at 6:53 p.m.The dark colored sedan’s lights were left on, and a passenger door was open when it was struck by the train.Two people were seen standing by the mangled car after the crash.Police said no one was hurt.

Bruins bring back Milan Lucic among their bargain shopping in NHL free agency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Milan Lucic is back with the Boston Bruins, grinning ear to ear while wearing a hat of the team he won the Stanley Cup with more than a decade ago.Lucic returned to the Bruins just after the opening of NHL free agency Saturday, one of several players signed to bargain contracts. The 2011 Cup champion got a $1 million deal with $500,000 more possible in performance-based incentives as part of an emotional rendezvous.“It’s a place that’s close and dear to my heart,” said Lucic, now 35, who played his first eight NHL seasons with Boston. “It feels like I’m going home.”Also signed to contracts next season were winger James van Riemsdyk ($1 million) and 2020 Cup-winning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.05 million). Former Seattle forward Morgan Geekie signed for $4 million over two years and Patrick Brown for $1.6 million over two years.“We did a lot of the things that we set out to do in addressing the depth overall of our club,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “We have ...

VIDEO: San Diego's 'shark shores' in full-swing as leopard sharks arrive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Summertime in San Diego means its time for locals to break out the beach gear to hang out at one of the region's sandy shores. That includes some of our aquatic friends, who have just arrived for the season.Every year, thousands of leopard sharks swarm to the coast near La Jolla, hanging out for a couple months just beyond the breaking waves at the southern end of the Shores Beach. It's the largest annual aggregation of leopard sharks in the world, with kayakers, swimmers and divers all flocking to the region to swim among the generally harmless creatures.The leopard sharks off the San Diego coast during the season are almost entirely female. Many of them travel to the shallow waters while pregnant to help their pups grow in the calm, warm waters -- an ideal natural incubator. There's also an abundance of food in the sandy reefs, including clams, crabs, shrimp, squid, fish and fish eggs -- attracting the spotted creatures to the San Diego area. Rare ‘corpse plant’ to...

65-year-old man in critical condition after hit by truck while on bus bench

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A 65-year-old pedestrian is in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicle while sitting on a bus bench on Friday, according to the Chula Vista Police Department.Around 9 p.m., officers with the department were alerted of the collision in the 300 block of E Street. When police arrived on scene, they discovered a large pickup truck collided with a bus bench, where the male pedestrian was seated.Paramedics and officers attempted lifesaving measures on the pedestrian before he was transported to a nearby hospital. The 65-year-old remains hospitalized and is in critical condition, according to CVPD. Traffic posts stolen from Pacific Beach street The occupants of the truck contacted 911 as soon as the collision occurred, CVPD said. They remained on scene and cooperated with law enforcement's investigation.The series of events that led up to the crash and what caused the collision remains under investigation by the CVPD Traffic Bureau. Police have not disc...

2nd bus carrying asylum seekers from Texas arrives in Los Angeles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A bus carrying migrants from a Texas border city arrived in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday for the second time in less than three weeks.The office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was not formally notified but became aware on Friday of the bus dispatched from Brownsville, Texas, to L.A. Union Station, Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said in a statement. “The City of Los Angeles believes in treating everyone with respect and dignity and will do so,” he said.The bus arrived around 12:40 p.m., and the 41 asylum-seekers on board were welcomed by a collective of faith and immigrant rights groups. Eleven children were on the bus, according to a statement by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.The asylum seekers came from Cuba, Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela. They received water, food, clothing and initial legal immigration assistance at St. Anthony’s Croatian Parish Center and church. Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spok...

Venezuelan women are increasingly taking up the grueling work of fishing in the Caribbean

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

CHUAO, Venezuela (AP) — Long before sunrise, dozens of people gather around more than 50 boats along this portion of Venezuela’s vast Caribbean coast, their tanned bodies showing scars and maimed hands from years of fishing. Most of them are men, but women are increasingly among them.The women may be joining a family tradition of fishing, or in some cases launching new careers after losing jobs during Venezuela’s economic crisis, enlisting in the physically demanding work that may pay $8 after five consecutive 12-hour shifts.That’s only a fraction of the estimated $390 that a Venezuelan family would need per month to buy a basic basket of goods in the South American country, but it is more than the nationwide $5 monthly minimum wage.Once relegated to cooking or cleaning at hostels, bed-and-breakfasts and diners, women in the coastal communities of Choroni and neighboring Chuao have been gaining the respect of men with whom they now work to catch thousands of pounds of fish a day. Ma...

Healing mass marks anniversary of Highland Park parade shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:25 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — It’s been nearly a year since the Highland Park parade shooting. To mark the somber anniversary, the Highland Park community is holding several events and services to remember those who were killed, injured, and impacted in the coming days. Saturday night, Christ Our Hope parishioners gathered at Immaculate Conception Church for a mass focused on “healing and remembrance.”  Highland Park ‘Dad Bods’ bond over basketball In many ways, the residents of Highland Park were still feeling the impact of July 4, 2022.On that day, seven people were killed and dozens of others were wounded when a gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire on the city’s Fourth of July parade crowd, firing more than 80 rounds in an attack that horrified the nation. Parish pastor Father Hernan Cuevos celebrated the "mass for healing and remembrance" by sharing some spiritual reflections on the year since the parade tragedy. He led a group of people from the parade route to seek sh...