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U.S. climbers charge to Paris Olympics with teenager Watson, exercise science graduate Piper Kelly

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The United States sport climbing team is dominating the Pan American Games in Chile and giving a boost to a teenager from Texas and a 24-year-old exercise science graduate to bid for Olympic medals in Paris.The 17-year-old Samuel Watson and Piper Kelly won the men’s and women’s speed events in Santiago, and their U.S. teammates were among the favorites for the boulder and lead competitions, which combine two techniques of rock climbing.Texan Watson started climbing at age 5 at a local Lifetime Fitness health club. Last year, as he perfected his ritual of kicking the wall before the start, he brought home a gold medal in his first year on the circuit.In Santiago, Watson scaled the wall in just 5.37 seconds on Sunday to beat teammate Noah Bratschi and put his father Ray into tears as his son took the Pan American gold medal. “Now it is all about getting stronger and faster for Paris,” Watson told The Associated Press on Monday before his other teamma...

Colorado veteran reunited with the B-52 he flew over Vietnam 50 years ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (KDVR) — It all came together in a hurry.Fellow veterans and friends, arranging a caravan to Colorado Springs. Thompson Valley EMS freeing up a transport van. The Air Force Academy rallying its airmen. All to help check off the most important item on Kenneth Curry’s bucket list."How’s it feel?" friend Steven Mulvihill asked Curry.“Kinda weird,” Curry said. WWII photographer honored for 100 years of service to country, community Captain Curry, as he was known a half-century ago in Vietnam, just entered palliative care a week ago. Hard to say how many days, or how few, he has in front of him.“The last six months, he has declined very quickly,” Mulvihill said.But he had one last wish before he dies: seeing a B-52 bomber one last time. 157 B-52 missions over VietnamIt’s the aircraft he flew during 157 missions over Vietnam, including one that nearly killed him in April 1972. He was in the commander’s seat over North Vietnam when a surface-to-air missile explod...

Flames engulf nature preserve in Coconut Creek

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

A brush fire burned in a wooded area in Coconut Creek.Heavy smoke billowed in a nature preserve along Hillsborough Boulevard and Lyons Road on Monday night.There is a residential neighborhood across the street from the fire, however, officials said none are threatened.Police closed off the road and access to the community as firefighters doused the flames.They believe they have it under control at this hour.

2 accused of robbing postal worker in Miami Beach arrested in St. Lucie County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

Suspects inside a vehicle were wanted for a crime after a hot pursuit took place through the streets of Port St. Lucie. The men are accused of robbing a mail carrier on Miami Beach.The cross-county getaway would end with both of the suspects getting caught and cuffed.“They’re doing a felony stop right now,” said an officer. “Driver’s out of the vehicle.”Police chopper footage captured the takedown of the suspected Miami Beach crooks in St. Lucie County.“One in custody,” an officer.The two were arrested Sunday after their vehicle was identified as the one officers were looking for, which was connected to a strong-arm robbery of a postal worker in Miami Beach on Saturday.7News was told that the pair struck there.According to sources with knowledge of the investigation, they told 7News that the initial crime happened near Drexel and 16th Street, close to the Lincoln Road Mall. A postwoman was said to be the victim when she was robbed of ...

ECB set to take its foot off the brake in Athens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank is set to end a year-long sequence of interest rates hikes this Thursday and usher in a policy pause that is expected to stretch well into next year.The base case for all 85 economists in a recent Reuters survey is that the pause will ultimately come to represent the start of a plateau for interest rates, as a weakening economy removes the need for further hikes. The bank raised its key deposit rate to a record 4 percent in September with a 10th straight hike — by far the most aggressive tightening of monetary policy in its 25-year existence. With the Eurozone economy now expected to stagnate or even contract in the second half of this year, the majority of economists expect the ECB’s next move to be a cut — albeit not until the third quarter of next year. Against that backdrop, President Christine Lagarde is expected to play for time at her regular press conference after the meeting. That’s partly because uncertainty over the outlo...

Boston College has score to settle with UConn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

The Boston College Eagles have an opportunity to close an open wound when they host the UConn Huskies in a regional rivalry clash on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium.BC is riding high after winning its third straight with last Saturday’s 38-23 victory over Georgia Tech in an ACC match in Atlanta. The Eagles improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC while the Huskies are 1-6 after a 24-21 loss at South Florida.The situations were reversed last season when the bowl-bound Huskies humiliated the Eagles 13-3. BC would lose nine games in 2022, but the Eagles’ season bottomed out in all three phases at UConn.“We talked about it and last year there was a feeling nobody was proud of playing there and playing the way we did,” said BC middle linebacker Vinny DePalma.“I think it is a great opportunity for us with the chance to redeem ourselves and we are going in the right direction now. On paper it is a little bit of a trap game for us. But this is about as important of a game as this team h...

Schram: How terrorists & media misfired on Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

When the globe-shaking, protest-inciting, summit-shattering history of this past week is finally written large, history’s ultimate chroniclers may conclude it all started with “The Misfire Heard ‘Round the World.”But they’ll only be half right. Because the history of this literally incredible week – a week of lies and snafus – was really ignited by not just one but two misfires.FIRST MISFIRE: U.S. military and intel experts have concluded that a Palestinian terrorist rocket misfired after being aimed at Israel from inside Gaza, apparently launched by a group called the Islamic Jihad.The misfired terrorist rocket quickly plummeted and exploded in the parking lot of Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital, killing masses of Palestinian civilians. And the tragedy was instantly (see also: predictably) exploited by Hamas, the terrorists who rule Gaza. Hamas had just committed mass atrocities in Israel, knowing that would goad Israel into a massive retaliation that would kill many of Gaza’s Palestin...

Editorial: Herald endorses Erin Murphy in at-large race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

It’s been a busy, dysfunctional year for the Boston City Council, one marked by budget bickering, fractious meetings and continued potshots against police.The council is split between those who use their position to serve the people of Boston, and those who leverage the public podium to advance an agenda.As the Nov. 7 election for At-Large seats looms, the Herald will be endorsing candidates who align with public service and policies that keep the city safe and growing.First up, Councilor Erin Murphy.Murphy, 53, has been a steady voice of support for the Boston Police Department and the vital work they do, Murphy was one of five on the council who voted in favor of grant funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, first in September and again at the beginning of this month.As Boston has been besieged by gun violence, especially this summer, it would seem that boosting the BPD’s intelligence arm with improved tech aimed at fighting crime, gangs and terrorism woul...

Ravens rookie RB Keaton Mitchell ‘week to week’ after suffering hamstring injury vs. Lions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

Ravens rookie running back Keaton Mitchell could be out for at least one game, coach John Harbaugh said Monday.The speedy undrafted back out of East Carolina suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s blowout win over the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium and did not return. The injury is not considered severe, however, Harbaugh said.“It will be week to week,” he said of Mitchell’s status, adding that he has an “outside” chance to play Sunday against the Cardinals in Arizona but that it’s possible he could return Nov. 5 against the Seattle Seahawks.Mitchell played 12 snaps Sunday, the majority of which came on special teams.But he also got the first offensive touch of his career, catching a short pass over the middle from quarterback Lamar Jackson that he turned into a nifty 9-yard gain in the second quarter. He logged two snaps on offense after playing exclusively on special teams in his NFL debut against the Tennessee...

Author dives into legacy of film critics Siskel & Ebert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:09 GMT

Matt Singer has written the Ultimate Geek History of one of the movies’ – and television’s – most dysfunctional couples with “Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever” (Penguin).For those who remember Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on their highly rated and influential weekly show that was all about film reviews, “Opposable Thumbs” hits at the heart of the duo’s trademark Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down verdict on each film.“Their influence is still felt today,” said Singer, 42, a film critic and film writer for decades.  “I watched the show growing up and it absolutely was the thing that really got me first interested in movies.”But did these two Chicago film critics – Siskel reviewed for the Chicago Tribune and Ebert, the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1975, was at the Chicago Sun-Times — really “change movies forever”?“You know, they had this very contentious relationship. They fought all the time. They were legitimate rivals and competitors that ...