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Magic still have plenty to play for with 5 games left in regular season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

At this point in the NBA regular season, most teams make clear their priorities for the season’s final stretch.Some teams turn their attention to giving players at the end of their rotation more playing time and also focus on moving down the standings with the hopes of improving their draft lottery odds.Others teams take the opposite approach: they push to move up the standings with the hopes of securing a spot in the play-in tournament/playoffs or better seeding for the playoffs.The Orlando Magic have made it clear they’re among the teams taking the second approach.“We know what we’re working toward,” guard Gary Harris told the Orlando Sentinel. “We’re building. We put ourselves in a position to continue to be in the race to make the play-in. Regardless if we make it or not, we know we want to be playing our best basketball this time of the year. Regardless of what happens this year, we know how good we can be. Our goal is the playoffs.R...

With early steals record, Orioles taking advantage of baseball’s bigger bases

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

If a base is open in front of Jorge Mateo, get ready. He’s running.The speedy shortstop has been leading the Orioles’ record-setting pace for stolen bases. Baltimore’s 10 steals heading into Sunday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox are the most by any team through its first two games of a season since at least 1901. Mateo is responsible for four of those swiped bags, one of only eight players with multiple steals in each of his team’s first two games and one of two in the 21st century.Major League Baseball introduced larger bases this season — going from 15 inches-by-15 inches to 18-by-18 — thus shrinking the distance between them. And anytime Mateo has set foot on one of those bigger bases, he’s taken off to try to reach the next.“I really love it,” Mateo said. “You gotta be smart. Be healthy this season, just be smart, get on base to take advantage of it.”Last season, Mateo led the American League wit...

Rebounding Pope Francis marks Palm Sunday in Vatican square

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Bundled in a long, white coat and battling a hoarse voice, Pope Francis presided over a Mass in St. Peter’s Square before tens of thousands of faithful on Palm Sunday, a day after he left a Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis. The sun broke through the clouds during the Mass, one of the longest services on the Church’s calendar, as Francis, red vestments placed over his coat, sat in a chair under a canopy erected in the square. He took his place there after standing and clutching a braided palm branch in a popemobile that drove at the tail end of a long, solemn procession of cardinals, other prelates and rank-and-file Catholics. Each participant carried palm fronds or olive tree branches.Francis, 86, received antibiotics administered intravenously during his three-day stay. He last previous appearance in St. Peter’s Square saw him conduct his his regular Wednesday public audience. He was taken to Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic tha...

Adam Minter: Farmers are fighting for our right to repair our iPhones

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

The average Tesla-driving, iPhone-using suburbanite isn’t spending a lot of time worrying about tractor software payloads. They should, though.Fixing a broken-down farm tractor used to take just a wrench set and some elbow grease. Now repairs might require a mobile-device interface, online diagnostic tools and secure software updates, too. And that stuff isn’t just sitting around in the barn. It’s mostly held at a shrinking number of manufacturer-authorized dealerships. As a result, simple breakdowns that in the past might have been repaired in hours can now take days or weeks. During busy times, such as spring planting, long delays can harm a farm’s crops and profitability.This spring, at least 11 states are trying to fix this problem. At least one — Colorado — will likely succeed. The solution, known as a right-to-repair law, guarantees that farmers and independent repair shops will have access to the same tools, software and manuals as “a...

Horoscopes April 2, 2023: Michael Fassbender, seize the moment

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Michael Fassbender, 46; Christopher Meloni, 62; Emmylou Harris, 76; Linda Hunt, 78.Christopher Meloni (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images) Happy Birthday: Take the time to get the facts before you act. Time is on your side, and your ability to come to an honest conclusion before you implement change or confront someone will be essential this year. Don’t waste time on people and things that don’t matter to you. Seize the moment and make the most of each day. A positive attitude will promote better results. Your numbers are 3, 12, 21, 28, 35, 44, 46.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Rethink your strategy and revisit experiences that can help you make better decisions. Focus on home, family and taking care of your obligations before someone complains. Research positions that interest you and you’ll find an exciting way to bring in more cash. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Make plans with someone who shares your concerns. Getting involved i...

Huge Jan. 6 Funder Is Pouring Money Into the Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

The fate of the 2020 presidential election may have come down to one vote. At the Wisconsin Supreme Court, President Donald Trump’s bid to throw out around a quarter million ballots from Democratic strongholds was dismissed — by a 4-3 margin. The decision secured the upper-Midwestern state’s electoral votes for Joe Biden, ensuring his White House win.The decision put the already conservative-leaning Wisconsin court in the sights of MAGA Republicans.This year, with an election for a seat on the court looming on Tuesday, far-right political funders — including those who continued pouring money into attempts to overthrow the 2020 race after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol — are putting millions into trying to throw the race to the right-wing candidate.In the days after the attack, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, two of the country’s largest conservative political donors, gave more than $5 million to groups seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The s...

F1 Australian Grand Prix Results

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

SundayAt Melbourne Grand Prix CircuitMelbourne, Australia.Lap length: 5.00 kilometers(Start position in parentheses)1. (1) Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing, 58 laps, 2:32.38.371, 25 points.2. (3) Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 58, +0.179 seconds, 18.3. (4) Fernando Alonso, Spain, Aston Martin, 58, +0.769, 15.4. (6) Lance Stroll, Canada, Aston Martin, 58, +3.082, 12.5. (20) Sergio Perez, Mexico, Red Bull Racing, 58, +3.320, 11.6. (13) Lando Norris, British Indian Ocean Territory, McLaren, 58, +3.701, 8.7. (10) Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Haas, 58, +4.939, 6.8. (16) Oscar Piastri, Australia, McLaren, 58, +5.382, 4.9. (17) Guanyu Zhou, China, Alfa Romeo Racing, 58, +5.713, 2.10. (12) Yuki Tsunoda, Japan, Alphatauri, 58, +6.052, 1.11. (19) Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing, 58, +6.513.12. (5) Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, Ferrari, 58, +6.594.13. (9) Pierre Gasly, France, Alpine, did not finish, 56.14. (11) Esteban Ocon, France, Alpine, did not finish, 56.15. (15)...

Steamy Sunday Sunshine

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

Following a round of some late-day showers in spots across Miami-Dade and Broward, today is expected to be drier with up to a 10-20% chance for rain. There is some patchy fog this morning but that will clear out as the daylight hours of the morning progresses. Expect lots of sunshine this Sunday with highs a touch warmer into the mid to upper 80s, which is well above average. Winds won’t be as strong today and will be out of a variable wind direction.Low temperatures tonight will be slightly warmer, too, bottoming out into the mid 70s at most locations under a mostly clear sky and paired with humid conditions.That humidity will remain on the moderate to high end of the scale to begin the week as it remains rather hot on Monday. Highs once again will reach the mid to upper 80s under a generally sunny skies. The sea breeze is expected to produce some afternoon showers but that is expected to be west of the metro, therefore making for a likely dry day.For the remainder of the wee...

John Kerry won’t say if he uses private email account for Climate business [+See emails]

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

Newly obtained emails on John Kerry’s climate fiefdom raise questions about his stubborn secrecy and possible use of a private email account for official government business.Protect the Public’s Trust, an ethics watchdog group, tells the Herald that new Climate Office emails released through a records request show staffers scrambling to downplay titles and a memo cc’d to a Gmail account that appears to be for Kerry.Kerry’s climate communications office did not respond to Herald questions about the Gmail account and related topics. Protect the Public’s Trust, however, did share all the emails gained through a Freedom of Information Act request.Those documents raise serious questions about how Kerry runs his office and how the Climate crew remains chilly toward transparency. The emails are heavily redacted but do reveal some of the inner workings of the first-of-its-kind agency.One key email shows that on Jan. 31, 2022, a “Manchin discussion/engagem...

NFL notes: There’s a lot riding on Bill O’Brien fixing Patriots QB Mac Jones

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:21:17 GMT

While Bill Belichick once again avoided endorsing Mac Jones as his starting quarterback Monday at the league meetings, it’s still a good bet Jones will be under center when the Patriots start the 2023 season.Unless the Patriots make a true effort to go after Lamar Jackson, which remains highly unlikely, Jones is the man.Speaking with a few analysts and head coaches at the NFL annual meeting about Jones’ prospects this season, many are expecting the third-year quarterback to blossom.The chief reason?Bill O’Brien.Beyond not wanting to spend the money and the draft capital it would take to land Jackson, the Patriots are passing on the Ravens star quarterback because they appear comfortable enough with the in-house situation. Much of that has to do with new offensive coordinator O’Brien. He’s the X Factor.The expectation is that O’Brien will turn Jones back into a quarterback who can keep the Patriots relevant. And that’s not just the view from Patriots owner Robert Kraft, w...