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Stefan Bondy: Knicks have to face uncomfortable realities with Julius Randle after disappointing playoff run

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

MIAMI — It’s hard to believe but we’re back here with Julius Randle. Even after his redemptive season. Even after his All-Star appearance and All-NBA selection, we’re back to a year ago: a time of pressing questions about whether Randle was equipped for this city, and whether the Knicks are better off shipping the power forward elsewhere because there’s no reconciling the franchise’s bright lights and loudly critical fanbase with such a sensitive personality. Randle’s playoffs, to put it mildly, were a disaster. He shot 37%. He accumulated about as many turnovers as assists. Against Miami, he met an All-World defender in Bam Adebayo, couldn’t move him in the post, and crumbled. You can’t go from averaging 25 points in the regular season to 16 in the playoffs without disappointment attached to the evaluation. Yet Randle, who has never been eager to accept his shortcomings, was very forgiving. “Same thing ...

One killed as tornado hits south Texas near the Gulf coast

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

LAGUNA HEIGHTS, Texas (AP) — At least one person was killed when a tornado struck an unincorporated community on the Gulf coast near the southern tip of Texas, damaging dozens of homes and knocking down power lines early Saturday, authorities said.Roberto Flores, 42, died when the EF1 tornado struck the community of Laguna Heights, located on the mainland across from South Padre Island, said Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza.An EF1 tornado has wind speeds of 86-110 mph (138-177 kph), according to the National Weather Service.“Apparently it went straight through that community,” Garza said, “Individuals don’t want to leave their houses because they’re afraid that somebody will go in there and start stealing stuff.”Garza said his the sheriff’s department is helping provide security for the area. At least 10 people were also hospitalized — two in critical condition — and multiple people suffered cuts and bruises, said Tom Hushen, the emergency management coordinator for Cameron C...

Islamic Jihad leader says cease-fire reached with Israel

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza says a cease-fire has been reached with Israel to end five days of heavy fighting.Mohamad al-Hindi told the Al Kahera Wal Nas channel that the Egyptian-brokered deal would go into effect at 10 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).“Now, this agreement has been reached thanks to continuous Egyptian effort. We appreciate this effort,” he said.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and Palestinian militants unleashed salvos of fire for a fifth day on Saturday, with the Islamic Jihad militant group launching dozens more rockets and the Israeli military pounding targets inside the Gaza Strip and vowing to step up its campaign. But late Saturday, a state-run Egyptian TV channel said a cease-fire would take effect.The Al-Qahera satellite channel said Egypt had brokered a cease-fire and it would go into effect at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT). Egypt often serves as a bro...

Zelenskyy meets Pope Francis at Vatican and seeks backing for his Ukraine peace plan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had private talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, later saying he sought support for his peace plan from the pontiff, who in the past has offered to try to help end the full-scale war launched by Russia a year ago.Zelenskyy held his hand over his heart and said it was a “great honor” to meet with the pope. Francis, using a cane for his knee problem, came to greet the Ukrainian president before ushering him into a papal studio near the Vatican’s audience hall. In a tweet after the 40-minute audience, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Francis for “his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians.” He said he spoke with the pontiff “about the tens of thousands of deported (Ukrainian) children. We must make every effort to return them home.” Last month, Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, asked the pope to help get children returned from Russia to Ukraine. But the Vatican’s state...

Kenya cult death toll hits 200, with more than 600 reported missing

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The death toll linked to a doomsday cult in Kenya hit 201 Saturday after police exhumed 22 more bodies, most of them bearing signs of starvation, according to the coast regional commissioner. The bodies are believed to be those of followers of a pastor based in coastal Kenya, Paul Mackenzie. He’s alleged to have ordered congregants to starve to death in order to meet Jesus.More than 600 people are still missing. Mackenzie, who was arrested last month, remains in custody. Police plan to charge him with terrorism-related offenses.Hundreds of bodies have been dug up from dozens of mass graves spread across his 800-acre property, located in the coastal county of Kilifi.Mackenzie insists that he closed his church in 2019 and moved to his property in a forested area to farm.Autopsies conducted on more than 100 bodies last week showed the victims died of starvation, strangulation, suffocation and injuries sustained from blunt objects.Local media outlets have bee...

Syria extends opening of 2 border crossings with Turkey for quake aid

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Syrian government has agreed to extend by another three months the use of two border crossings with Turkey into the rebel-held northwest that were opened for aid delivery after a deadly earthquake in February, Syrian and U.N. officials said Saturday.Syrian President Bashar Assad had agreed to open the border crossings at Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai for three months to allow aid to flow into Idlib province a week after the Feb. 6, earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria.The earthquake has killed more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria, according to the United Nations. The quake also displaced hundreds of thousands of people.Following a request by the U.N. and ensuing discussions, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad conveyed to U.N. Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths the decision by Syria’s government to allow the U.N. to continue using the two border crossing points for an additional three months, said Eri Kaneko, s...

Survivor, storyteller and filmmaker on mental health awareness

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

Survivor, storyteller and film maker Kevin Hines joins WGN Weekend Morning News to talk about experience with bipolar depression and his passion to help others with their mental health challenges.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Biden gives commencement speech at Howard University: 'Hope can defeat fear'

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

(The Hill) – In his commencement address at Howard University on Saturday, President Biden said hope is “shadowed” by fear, violence and hate, but asserted that it can still win if people speak up to oppose those forces.Biden, the seventh sitting president to give the commencement address at the historically Black university, told the graduating class that he hoped hatred was losing the battle after former President Obama was elected and reelected as the country’s first Black president. But he said hatred “never goes away” and only “hides under the rocks.” “A vivid demonstration when it comes to race in America, hope doesn’t travel alone. It’s shadowed by fear, by violence and by hate,” he said.  Biden unveils new airline passenger protections for flight delays, cancellations Biden said he had hoped when he graduated from school that hate could be permanently defeated, but he has learned that stopping it requires people to not remain silent during the “battle for the soul of ...

Hobby Lobby doesn't use barcodes: Here's their explanation

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - There is hardly any item you can purchase that doesn’t have a barcode. In fact, getting to the checkout only to learn your item doesn’t have a barcode can prove to be a challenge. Unless you’re shopping at a certain national retailer — then a barcode may actually be a problem. Frequent visitors to Hobby Lobby may have noticed that their cashiers don’t scan tags but rather manually enter the item’s price and, if applicable, sale prices. Why? Starbucks rolls out $1 charge for certain orders, causing confusion Some have speculated that Hobby Lobby, well-known for being owned by Evangelical Christians, fears barcodes are the “mark of the beast,” which is mentioned in the final book of the Bible. There, in the Book of Revelation, a beast is described. That apocalyptic beast would put its mark on all people, and that things could not be bought or sold “unless they had the mark.”The idea that the barcode is a “mark of the best” stretches back to the 1970s, according...

How to make summer camp more affordable

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:29:36 GMT

(NerdWallet) - To create a fun but affordable summer for her daughters, ages 11 and 13, Flossie McCowald plans out camps well in advance. The Pennsylvania resident snags early bird discounts, takes advantage of a church-based sleepaway camp that offers scholarships and leverages sibling discounts.“Every little bit helps,” says McCowald, who is the founder of SuperMomHacks.com, where she writes about parenting.That’s especially true when camp is more expensive than ever. “We’re in an inflationary environment, and camp is no exception,” says Tom Rosenberg, president and CEO of the American Camp Association, which represents camps and industry professionals. He adds that camps are facing price increases across every major cost category, including staffing, insurance and transportation.The ACA says that according to responses it collected from members nationwide in 2022, on average day camp costs $88 a day and overnight camp costs $173 a day, while some camps are free, and most offer ne...