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The Pac-12 top seven: Breaking down the week’s key stories, from UCLA’s loss to Hurley’s return, Utah’s ‘Forever’ game and Cal’s ongoing woes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Recapping the news of the week across the Pac-12, on the court and off …1. That’s a wrapUCLA’s cursed postseason ended Thursday night in yet another thriller against its greatest March foil, Gonzaga.At full health, the Bruins were a national title contender. But the absences of guard Jaylen Clark and big man Adem Bona, their two most impactful defensive players, left a depleted rotation that couldn’t survive the Sweet 16.The loss leaves the Pac-12 without a team in the Elite Eight for the fourth time in the past five years and caps what was another disappointing season for the conference.Meanwhile, the West Coast Conference and Mountain West remain alive in the NCAAs with Gonzaga and San Diego State, respectively.The Hotline aims to call ’em like we see ’em, and the Pac-12’s on-court product is subpar (at least on the men’s side). But unlike so many afflictions in recent years, this is not the result of poor policy or execution at the ...

Miami aims to extend wild NCAA run, meets LSU in Elite 8

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Miami was only a few hours removed from pushing deeper in the women’s NCAA Tournament than ever before. Another big matchup loomed. Yet coach Katie Meier needed some time.“First thing I said is, like, give me an hour to be human,” the coach said. That’s why she followed the program’s first-ever trip to the Elite Eight by spending time with her mother and nieces in her hotel room afterward. It was an example of how the Hurricanes are savoring a wild March Madness ride even while determined to keep winning — next against LSU on Sunday to reach the Final Four.The ninth-seeded Hurricanes (22-12) can join Arkansas in 1998 as the lowest-ever seed to get there.“There’s a balance,” but I think just being where our feet are,” Hurricanes guard Hanna Cavinder said. “I mean, obviously we have a lot to celebrate, but we’re not done. And I think we all understand that.”The Greenville 2 Region final presents the first ticket t...

Miami’s mad March sees men, women programs in Elite 8

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nijel Pack understands why the question gets asked. He plays for a school that’s won five national championships in football.How did Miami become so good in basketball?“I’ve heard of all the great football players that have been here,” Pack said, “but the basketball program has been coming up the last few years and people respect both now.”The Hurricanes have doubled down on their basketball success with the men’s and women’s teams reaching the Elite Eight — and both knocking off No. 1 seeds along the way. They will play Sunday for the opportunity to go to their first Final Fours. Jim Larrañaga’s men (28-7) will face second-seeded Texas in the afternoon in Kansas City and Katie Meier’s women (22-12) will meet three-seed LSU in the evening in Greenville, South Carolina.“The two programs have a lot in common,” Meier said. “We’re very competitive, like a big brother-little sister or big sister-little brother, depending on who ...

Teen striker Ferguson raises Irish hopes with early success

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Teenage striker Evan Ferguson isn’t getting carried away after scoring his first goal for his national team. The rest of Ireland will gladly do that for him.The 18-year-old Ferguson is having a breakout season with Premier League club Brighton and now for Ireland, which hosts France on Monday in European Championship qualifying.His first-half strike in Ireland’s 3-2 win over Latvia in a friendly on Wednesday at Aviva Stadium made him Ireland’s youngest goalscorer since Robbie Keane netted as a teenager in 1998 against Malta.It was Ferguson’s first start and just his third appearance for Ireland, which has lacked a consistent scoring threat since Keane’s retirement. Keane remains the country’s all-time scorer by a wide margin.“It’s all just talk isn’t it, at the end of the day, people getting excited,” the 6-foot-2 (1.9-meter) Ferguson said.Ferguson scored twice last Sunday to help Brighton beat fourth-tier Grimsby 5-0 to advance to the FA Cup semi...

Officials: 2 dead, 5 missing in chocolate factory explosion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed two people and left five people missing, authorities said. One person was pulled from the rubble overnight.Rescue crews using dogs and imaging equipment continued to search through the rubble Saturday — hours after the blast that erupted just before 5 p.m. Friday at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in the borough of West Reading, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.West Reading officials said Saturday they could confirm only two fatalities. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency had earlier said there were five fatalities, citing county emergency management officials, but after an update from the county also indicated that two had died and five were missing.Chief of Police Wayne Holben said the rescue of one person from the rubble “provides hope that others still may be found.” Rescue workers were continuing a thorough search using specialized equipment and techniques. O...

‘There’s nothing left’: Mississippi tornadoes kill 23

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, MICHAEL GOLDBERG and ROGELIO SOLISROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — A powerful tornado cut a devastating path of at least 170 miles (274 kilometers) through parts of the Deep South on Friday night, killing at least 23 people in Mississippi and obliterating dozens of buildings as it stayed on the ground for more than an hour. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said in a Twitter post that search and rescue teams from local and state agencies were deployed to help victims impacted by the tornadoes. The agency confirmed early Saturday that 23 people had died, four were missing and dozens were injured. A few minutes later, the agency warned the casualty toll could go higher, tweeting: “Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to change.”Throughout Saturday morning, people walked around dazed and in shock as they broke through debris and fallen trees with chain saws, searching for survivors. Power lines were pinned under decades-old oaks, thei...

Mother hawk tethered to nest by fishing line in Ocean Beach rescued

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A mother hawk was rescued Monday after becoming tethered to her nest by fishing line, said the San Diego Humane Society.A Good Samaritan named Jimmy Tabb spotted the female osprey on a light pole at Robb Field in Ocean Beach and reached out to the organization for assistance in freeing the bird. Dog matching description of canine abandoned at shelter found, dies The hawk, who’s left leg and claws were wrapped in fishing line, made several unsuccessful attempts to free herself, but she could not fly away from the nest, officials said. According to the Humane Society, this prevented the hawk from being able to feed her three nestlings. Luckily, a partner osprey parent was also spotted nearby and officials say the bird continued to bring food to their offspring.Meanwhile, Humane Society Law Enforcement Officer Lindsey Haskell responded right away and she began working to figure out how to get the bird down, the organization said.The San Diego Fire Rescue Department...

Bicyclist hit; suspected DUI driver arrested in North County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif -- A bicyclist suffered major injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Carlsbad on Friday, authorities said.According to the Carlsbad Police Department, officers responded to the 6100 block of Aviara Parkway around 1:50 p.m. and found an injured 77-year-old man in the roadway with a bicycle. Video shows violent road rage incident in downtown San Diego The Carlsbad Fire Department arrived on scene and provided medical care to the bicyclist and then transported him to a local trauma hospital. The man's identity has not been released at this time.A short time later, police located the person they suspect was driving the vehicle involved in the incident. Lawrence Perez, 34, was arrested in the 1300 block of Laurel Tree Lane after authorities say he displayed objective symptoms of alcohol intoxication.The police department said initial evidence and witness statements indicated that Perez was allegedly at fault after running into the bicyclist from behind, in turn, ej...

Russia ‘largely stalled’ in Bakhmut, shifting focus, UK says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The top commander of Ukraine’s military said Saturday that his forces were pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.“The Bakhmut direction is the most difficult. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defense forces, the situation is being stabilized,” Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in a post on Telegram giving a synopsis of a telephone call with Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defense staff.The seven-month fight for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest battle of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and fighters of the mercenary Wagner Group. Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the eastern Donbas region, though Western officials say the capture of the city would have limited impact on the course of th...

Mexican kid’s comic Xavier López, ‘Chabelo,’ dies at 88

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Xavier López, a Mexican children’s comic better known by his stage name “Chabelo,” has died at 88, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote Saturday. López’s best-known work, the Sunday variety show “En Familia con Chabelo”, ran for an astonishing 48 years from 1967 to 2015. The Mexican president wrote in his Twitter account that his own eldest son, José Ramón, “woke up early to see him (on television) more than 40 years ago.” López, who was no relation to the president, usually performed dressed in kid’s clothing well into his 80s. He helped found a genre of adult comics dressed as kids that became a staple for decades on Mexican television.His longevity — he performed in a child’s raspy squeak throughout his career — led to joking speculation he would outlive everyone else in show business. López’s agent, Jessica Nevilley, said he died Saturday morning, and that funeral plans would be announced later.A U.S. citizen — he was born in Chicago t...