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US, UK navies say they responded to distress call as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard ‘harassed’ ship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Navy said Monday its sailors and the United Kingdom Royal Navy came to the aid of a ship in the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard “harassed” it. Three fast-attack Guard vessels with armed troops aboard approached the merchant ship at a close distance Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. It offered black-and-white images it said came from a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon overhead, which showed three small ships close to the commercial ship. The U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul and the Royal Navy’s frigate HMS Lancaster responded to the incident, with the Lancaster launching a helicopter. “The situation deescalated approximately an hour later when the merchant vessel confirmed the fast-attack craft departed the scene,” the Navy said. “The merchant ship continued transiting the Strait of Hormuz without further incident.”The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persia...

Stroman wins 4th straight start, Amaya hits 1st homer as Cubs beat Padres 7-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Marcus Stroman pitched six strong innings to win his fourth consecutive start and rookie Miguel Amaya went 3 for 3 with his first major league home run as the Chicago Cubs defeated the San Diego Padres 7-1 on Sunday.Yan Gomes and Trey Mancini hit back-to-back homers off Ryan Weathers (1-4), and Dansby Swanson added a two-run double later in the second inning.Amaya's two-run drive off reliever Drew Carlton made it 7-0 in the third.Stroman (6-4) allowed just an unearned run and four hits, striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 2.39.Julian Merryweather, Michael Fulmer and Brandon Hughes each tossed a scoreless inning to finish the five-hitter. Hendriks gets win on Burger slam, White Sox beat Tigers 6-2 for 3-game sweep Chicago had five extra-base hits in the first three innings. Gomes and Mancini gave the Cubs their fifth set of back-to-back homers this season.Weathers faced only 12 batters and gave up five runs on seven hits — four for extra bases. He walked one an...

Justin Fields supports Jaylon Johnson at Inaugural Grizzly Golf Classic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

FRIANT, Calif. - Justin Fields continues to show he is a leader on and off the field for the Chicago Bears. A few weeks after donating $10,000 to Special Olympics Illinois through his foundation, Fields flew out to Fresno for Jaylon Johnson's inaugural Grizzly Golf Classic."I've known Jaylon for two and a half years now. Really just supporting him. I think what he's doing out here is great for his foundation. I know how much he really cares about it," noted Fields. "Me being able to support him and his family in doing this is really the biggest reason I came out here.""To bring out QB1 and have him be in support of Kevvy's Vision, at times it can get emotional," explained Johnson. "I think at the end of the day it's about keeping his name alive - keeping my friend Kev'Vion's name going and relevant. People knowing who he is and how he wanted to impact the community in a positive way."Kev'Vion Schrubb was Johnson's best friend. He was shot and killed in August of 2021. Johnson starte...

Artist creates 365 paintings in a year while grieving brother's fentanyl-related overdose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Painting through pain and grief. That's what Preston Zeller said he did every day for a year after losing his brother to a fentanyl-related overdose in 2019. "He was a combat veteran in the military, in the army," Zeller said. "We really were pieces of each other, especially growing up." CDC: Overdose death rate involving fentanyl tripled in recent years Zeller said for 365 days he created a new piece of abstract art while processing his brother's death. "All the grief and the anger and the sadness and the, you know, joy at times, I could see that for myself in the paintings, and in the colors and in the vibe of the painting," Zeller said. He said it gave him greater clarity about how he was feeling between different days. He even made his brother a part of the final painting. "I knew in the very last painting I wanted to use his ashes," Zeller said. He recorded his journey and created a documentary called The Art of Grieving.It shows the moment Zeller put all his ...

Texas baseball advances to Regional Championship with victory over Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas sophomore pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr. brought his best stuff to lead Texas to a 4-1 win over Miami to advance to the Regional Championship. Johnson has been outstanding all season, but he pitched his first complete game against the Hurricanes while also striking out eight batters on a career-high 129 pitches. He faced trouble early on, as Miami loaded the bases in the first two innings, but the sophomore was able to get out of both jams. It was smooth sailing for him after that, as he retired 11 straight batters from the fourth inning through the seventh. Head Coach David Pierce decided to let Johnson finish the job in the 9th even after a Hurricane reached base. He held strong, forcing a double play thus giving him his first career complete game. "Throughout the fall, throughout this whole year you know I've been grinding, really trying to work to help the team in any way that I could," Johnson said after the game. "And just to be able to work my way int...

Minnesota Aurora stays unbeaten with narrow win over Rochester

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

Minnesota Aurora didn’t blow out their fourth opponent of the season on Sunday.The amateur women’s soccer team had run up a 19-0 margin in its first three wins, but with five new starters, they topped Rochester FC 1-0 in a USL W League match at RCTC Stadium in Rochester, Minn.Aurora had beat Rochester 5-0 in the season opener in Eagan on May 24, but heavily rotated its side in the rematch.“We learned a lot (Sunday) from trying different players in new positions,” head coach Nicole Lukic. “It was a good reminder for us that we are going to get our opponent’s best game the second time we play them. (Sunday’s) game allowed us to work on our game management with a more competitive scoreline.”Center back Tianna Harris headed in an Addy Weichers free kick for the winning goal in the 40th minute. Harris, of Whitby, Ontario, has played every minute for Aurora this season and scored her second goal.Aurora (4-0-0) and improved their goal differential to plus-20 and will play Chicago Dutch Lio...

Minnesota, Twin Cities see a slice of the independent bookstore surge sweeping the nation since pandemic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

Across Minnesota and the nation, new and more diverse independent bookstores have been popping up. In fact, for every independent bookstore that has closed since 2020, more than three new ones have opened, according to the American Booksellers Association.It’s part of a continuing trend jump started by the pandemic, and each of these bookstores has a story of its own.When Josh Hames saw the storefront up for lease in West St. Paul, he knew it was perfect for a bookstore. It was late at night, and the lights on the side of the building illuminated the old brick structure. He could see the tall ceilings through the windows.Books on display at Other Skies Weird Fiction on May 11 in West St. Paul. (Kerem Yücel / MPR News)“It looked like the cover to ‘Needful Things’ by Stephen King a little bit,” he said.Hames, 30, opened Other Skies Weird Fiction in 2022, just in time for his favorite holiday: Halloween. The store sells high-quality editions of horror, sci-fi and imaginative fiction. H...

Authorities identify girl struck by motorist while on bike in Coon Rapids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

Authorities have identified a young girl who was struck by a motorist while riding her bicycle in Coon Rapids on Sunday afternoon.The crash occurred shortly after noon, and the girl is in serious condition at a local hospital, according to a news release issued by the Anoka County Sheriff’s office.The sheriff’s office, which had asked for the public’s help identifying the girl on Sunday evening, posted on Twitter at 7:42 p.m. that she had been found and her family had been notified.***The juvenile has been identified and family has been located. Thank you for your assistance***— Anoka County Sheriff's Office (@AnokaCoSheriff) June 5, 2023The crash is under investigation.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | MN Legislature awards $195M for 90 mph train from Duluth to Target Field

North St. Louis church sustains storm damage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Community members are cleaning up debris from storm damage to the Williams Temple Church of God near MLK and Union. The pastor of the church says, thankfully, no one was injured when strong winds ripped through an exterior wall."Some of the air conditioning (units) are sparking and things of that sort. So, they're cutting off power on the inside,” Bishop Lawrence Wooten said. “It hit, and we had no warning or tornado warning and things like that. It hit, but we're survivors, thank God."Wooten says there is more damage to the roof and siding on the rear side of the building, located in the Kingsway West neighborhood. Debris and pieces of the church were strewn across the intersection.

Kyle Busch holds off Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Cup Series win outside St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:42 GMT

MADISON, Ill. (AP) — Kyle Busch held off Denny Hamlin through a series of late restarts to win the chaotic, caution-filled NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis on Sunday.Bubba Wallace brought out the 11th and final yellow when his brake rotor let go with five laps remaining. There also were two red flags to go with a two-hour weather delay that caused the mid-afternoon race to finish in the twilight.With the floodlights coming on around the speedway, Busch got a big push from Denny Hamlin on the final restart — the fifth over the last 40-some laps — and pulled away for his third win of the season for Richard Childress Racing.“Our short-track stuff has been a struggle this year. We knew we really wanted to come out here and set a focus on running at a shorter track,” said Busch, whose other wins this year came at Talladega and Auto Club Speedway in California.“I felt like this was a good precursor to what we have coming for the rest of the...