Panda Palooza kicks off at National Zoo, marking start of giant goodbye to DC’s 3 giant pandas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Panda Palooza kicks off at National Zoo, marking start of giant goodbye to DC’s 3 giant pandas D.C.’s giant pandas are heading back to China, and the National Zoo is sending them off with a celebration: Panda Palooza.On Saturday, a reduced crowd showed up because of rainy weather, but the line still extended outside the enclosure for people hoping to catch a glimpse of the pandas. Visitors even have the opportunity to see Zoo staff feed the bears treats.Carolyn Smith traveled from Columbus, Ohio to see the bears: “I just came to say my goodbyes.”(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "61099f79-1466-455b-8d08-4ea93e6760f2"}).render("cec99bac89654eb1a3516c8b9d291d71"); });The celebration includes a nine-day series of events in honor of 25-year-old Mei Xiang, 26-year-old Tian Tian and 3-year-old Xiao Qi Ji.Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came to the zoo in 2000 as part of an agreement b...

Bo Nix, No. 10 Oregon slam brakes on Coach Prime's 'Cinderella story' with a 42-6 rout of Colorado

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Bo Nix, No. 10 Oregon slam brakes on Coach Prime's 'Cinderella story' with a 42-6 rout of Colorado EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Turns out Colorado wasn't quite ready for Oregon's version of prime time.Bo Nix threw three touchdown passes and the No. 10 Ducks emphatically slammed the brakes on Deion Sanders' “Cinderella story,” routing the 19th-ranked Buffaloes 42-6 on Saturday.The Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) were up 35-0 half after coach Dan Lanning sent them into the matchup of unbeatens with a fiery pregame speech that took direct aim at the star-studded, hype machine that has followed Coach Prime's team for the first three weeks of the season.“The Cinderella story’s over, men. They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference,” Lanning told his team in front of ESPN's cameras.Troy Franklin caught eight passes for 126 yards and two scores for Oregon.After the game, Lanning was more reserved.“I think that team’s heading in the right direction. I think that coach is doing a phenomenal job,” Lanning said. “I get a little passionate at times. I need to humble myself a li...

Denver weather: More sunshine and a warming trend on the way

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Denver weather: More sunshine and a warming trend on the way DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's weather will stay sunny and seasonal through the first weekend of fall. More sunshine will help to warm temperatures again for the workweek. Weather tonight: Mostly clear, coolDenver will stay under a mainly clear sky Saturday night. Temperatures will be cool but seasonal and fall to the mid-40s. Lows for Sept. 23, 2023 according to Pinpoint Weather. Photos: Glenwood Springs brush fire Weather tomorrow: Sunny and mildSunday will look very similar to Saturday. Sunshine will help high temperatures climb up to the upper 70s alongside wind gusts reaching 15-20 mph.Highs on Sept. 24, according to Pinpoint Weather.Looking ahead: Sunny and warmer start to the weekMore sunshine is in the forecast for the start of the workweek. This will lead to a slight warming trend. Oregon slams brakes on Coach Prime’s ‘Cinderella story’ with a 42-6 rout of Colorado The week ahead of Sept. 23 will be warm and sunny.Temperatures will climb to the low to mid-80s most of the we...

Another Soggy Sunday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Another Soggy Sunday With more rain expected from Ophelia, a dying tropical system over Virginia, Sunday’s forecast looks to be soggy. Although there may be a brief break in the action early Sunday morning, showers will persist on and off throughout the day with periods of mist in between. Winds will also pick up slightly from what we dealt with today, with gusts up to 30 mph along the coastline. Inland gusts will be less frequent throughout the day and may exceed 20mph. The storm finally exits Monday afternoon, with a prolonged dry stretch setting up into early October.

High school roundup: Andover girls field hockey back on track

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

High school roundup: Andover girls field hockey back on track ANDOVER – The Andover field hockey team’s week started with a lack of intensity that translated into frustrating, upset loss to Central Catholic – the program’s first since 2017.It wasn’t going to end the week by making the same mistake against the Shrewsbury program it just stole a win from in the Div. 1 state semifinals last year.With a 4-1 nonleague win that featured five different players starring in new roles, the No. 7 Golden Warriors (4-1) got back on track against the No. 14 Colonials (2-3) Saturday afternoon. Four different scorers found the back of the cage, pairing with a tenacious defensive effort to mostly neutralize Shrewsbury’s offensive weapons as part of a 9-1 shots-on-goal advantage.Players in changed positions shined, as Bella DiFiore (forward) amped up the pressure in an aggressive attack, while Mia Batchelder (midfield), Casey Michael (midfield), Rose Memmolo (center-back) and Lucy MacLean (defense) helped significantly limit Colonials opportunities.“I’m honestl...

Chicago Cubs rally for a 6-3 win against the Colorado Rockies, maintaining a 1-game lead for the No. 3 wild-card spot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Chicago Cubs rally for a 6-3 win against the Colorado Rockies, maintaining a 1-game lead for the No. 3 wild-card spot Javier Assad’s value to the Chicago Cubs cannot be defined by a singular role.The Cubs put Assad back in the bullpen Saturday with Marcus Stroman’s return to the rotation against the Colorado Rockies for his first start since July 31. But Assad’s performance in relief — four shutout innings with two hits, no walks and six strikeouts — gave the Cubs a chance to pull out a 6-3 comeback win at Wrigley Field.Yan Gomes’ two-out RBI double tied the game in the sixth, and the Cubs (81-74) went ahead the next inning on Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice fly. Assad throwing up zeros allowed the offense to chip away.The Cubs maintained their one-game lead over the Miami Marlins for the No. 3 wild-card spot with seven games remaining.“The versatility it gives you being able to get Stro started, it didn’t go the way he wanted it to, some balls falling in there,” manager David Ross said. “And then be able to bring in Javy behind him, he&#...

Southern East Coast hit by flooding as Ophelia weakens to tropical depression and moves north

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Southern East Coast hit by flooding as Ophelia weakens to tropical depression and moves north ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Residents in parts of coastal North Carolina and Virginia experienced flooding Saturday after Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall near a North Carolina barrier island, bringing rain, damaging winds and dangerous surges.The storm came ashore near Emerald Isle with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph (113 kph), but winds weakened as it traveled north with the center of the storm crossing into Virginia by evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Ophelia is expected to sweep northeast Sunday along the mid-Atlantic coast to New Jersey.At 7:44 p.m. EDT, the center said that Ophelia had slowed to become a tropical depression, which is a weak form of a tropical storm, and all storm surge and tropical storm warnings had been discontinued. Still, videos from social media showed riverfront communities in North Carolina such as New Bern, Belhaven and Washington experiencing significant flooding. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.Winds were de...

Man charged with first-degree murder in shooting death of B.C. RCMP officer

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

Man charged with first-degree murder in shooting death of B.C. RCMP officer A 25-year-old Coquitlam, B.C., man has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of RCMP officer Rick O’Brien.Police allege Nicholas Bellemare fatally shot the Ridge Meadows RCMP constable on Friday in Coquitlam during a drug investigation originating in Maple Ridge, B.C.The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and the Coquitlam and Ridge Meadows RCMP detachments issued a joint statement saying Mounties were executing a warrant when an altercation began between Bellemare and police at around 10 a.m.Police said O’Brien and another officer were shot during the altercation and a third officer also sustained unspecified injuries. O’Brien died at the scene, while the two other wounded officers were treated at hospital and have since been released.“This is a profound loss and I understand it will have a lasting effect on Const. O’Brien’s family, friends, colleagues and the community,” said Mandeep Mooker, officer in charge of the integrate...

UNGA Briefing: There’s one more day to go after a break – but first, here’s what you missed

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

UNGA Briefing: There’s one more day to go after a break  –  but first, here’s what you missed UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It’s almost the end of the U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting that brings world leaders together at U.N. headquarters in New York. Here are the highlights of what happened Saturday at the United Nations and what to keep an eye on Tuesday, the last day (Monday’s off for Yom Kippur). WHAT HAPPENED AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON SATURDAY— Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made no mention of his country’s war in Ukraine from the dais, but was naturally asked about it in a subsequent press conference. He had harsh words for the United States and the West in both places.— Armenia and Azerbaijan both spoke at the General Debate. Both critiqued the international community’s response to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, albeit for different reasons. Neither, interestingly, made use of the right of reply after speeches concluded Saturday night (only Iran and the United Arab Emirates did).— As Venezuela’s foreign minister spoke at ...

'I can’t believe it': Chicago gas station owner gets $230K bonus after selling jackpot lottery ticket

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:02:58 GMT

'I can’t believe it': Chicago gas station owner gets $230K bonus after selling jackpot lottery ticket CHICAGO — An Illinois Lottery player woke up a multimillionaire on Friday morning after hitting a jackpot and they aren't the only person celebrating the big win.The lucky player hit it big after matching all six numbers drawn in the Lotto on Thursday night, winning a $23,750,000 jackpot, according to the Illinois lottery.The big winner picked up the life-changing ticket at a BP gas station in the 400 block of East 95th Street in Chicago. ‘I was laughing and crying’: Illinois man retires after winning $2M on scratch-off ticket Tanveer Haroon, the co-owner of the gas station says the jackpot ticket is the biggest winner they have ever sold at the family-owned station.“I can’t believe it, the winning jackpot ticket was actually sold here!” Haroon said. “We’ve owned this family business for more than 10 years and this is by far the biggest winning ticket we’ve ever sold. I’m so happy."Since he sold the winning ticket, Haroon will receive a bonus equal to 1% of the prize amount. Haroo...