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Expanded Women’s World Cup leads to earlier drama for highly-ranked teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Frequent Women’s World Cup title contenders like the United States, Germany and Brazil are used to win-or-go-home scenarios — but rarely this early in the tournament.The high-stakes must-win-or-draw matches for top teams began in group play this year, in part thanks to the ripple effects of a format change. With the Women’s World Cup now at 32 teams, no longer can any third-place finishers in the group stage advance to the round of 16.“In general, we can say that at this tournament, what we expected happened,” Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg said ahead of her team’s group-stage finale Thursday night against South Korea in Brisbane. “We had some close wins, faced some difficulties. We had games where we had to give everything.”After losing 2-1 to Colombia on Sunday, two-time World Cup champion Germany needed a win over South Korea to clinch a spot in the knockout rounds. A draw combined with a Colombia win or draw against Morocco in a match being pl...

Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán entering inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán has voluntarily entered inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse, the team announced Wednesday.Germán, who threw a perfect game at Oakland in late June, was placed on the restricted list two days before his 31st birthday. “It is critical that Domingo completely focuses on addressing his health and well-being,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We will respect his privacy as he begins this process.”New York general manager Brian Cashman said Germán will not pitch again this season.“Certainly it’s a very serious issue that affects way too many people, unfortunately, and hopefully the steps that are being taken today will really benefit him for the remaining part of his life because it’s a very serious problem that you need to address head on and these treatment places are significant steps hopefully to helping him get the tools to solve it,” Cashman said.Germán is 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 19 starts and one relief appearance this seaso...

Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes to return from injured list this weekend after missing two months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Nestor Cortes will return to the Yankees’ rotation Saturday in a four-game series against the Houston Astros after missing more than two months with a left rotator cuff strain.Cortes was scheduled to make a third minor league rehab start Wednesday. When he arrived to get his things and travel to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the left-hander was told he would start this weekend.“I was made aware of it today before I got in. I was supposed to come and pick up my stuff before I got to Scranton,” Cortes said before the Yankees concluded a three-game series with Tampa Bay. “That’s kind of what I know.”Cortes is starting in the spot where Domingo Germán would have possibly started. The Yankees announced Wednesday Germán has voluntarily entered inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse.Cortes will throw one more bullpen session Thursday and likely be limited to around 60 pitches in his first outing since May 30 in Seattle when his shoulder started bothering him.Cortes was ini...

Ian Happ homered twice to help Cubs rout Reds 16-6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Ian Happ homered twice and the Chicago Cubs easily overcame an early deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 16-6 on Wednesday night.Cristopher Morel, Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki also went deep to help push the Cubs within three games of the NL Central lead and two games back in the wild-card race.Morel and Gomes each extended their hitting streaks to 10 games, and Michael Fulmer (2-5) pitched 1 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in relief of Drew Smyly.Joey Votto hit two homers off Smyly, who allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Spencer Steer and TJ Friedl also homered for Cincinnati.Reds starter Brandon Williamson gave up five runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out a season-high seven batters. Buck Farmer (3-5) was the loser.Chicago had 36 runs Tuesday and Wednesday, its most in a two-game span since June 29-30, 1897.Swanson’s 16th homer of the year gave the Cubs a third run in the fourth. Morel’s fifth-inning double drove in another run, and Cody Bellinger’s...

Infant requires skull surgery to allow proper growth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A Loveland infant is facing surgery that will allow her skull to develop properly.Mable McLaughlin's parents said their 2-month-old has an affliction known as Craniosynostosis."It's basically just a premature fusing of the little plates, atop of her head," her mother, Mechole McLaughlin, said. Colorado farm animal sanctuary needs help to buy land, alleviate flooding "Basically just means her head is not growing side-to-side, that it's kind of growing out, front-and-back, now," she said. Mable's surgery is set for Nov. 9 at Children's Hospital Colorado and the family has set up a GoFundMe to help through the process. The family credits a pediatrician's early detection to give their baby a healthy chance. Doctors say the procedure has a great success rate.

Huddleston: Antitrust laws could hit your favorite ‘dupes’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

If you spend any time on social media platforms, you have probably encountered videos or other content promoting alternative “dupes” of popular or expensive products. Consumers have long looked for cheaper versions of popular products, and various retailers have taken information on these consumer trends and provided cheaper alternatives under in-house brands.As many consumers worry about inflation and the possibility of a recession, it is unsurprising that “dupes” are a social media trend. However, some proposed changes to antitrust laws could make it harder for Amazon or other popular retailers to offer their own store brands — including some of the consumers’ favorite dupes.In recent years, the word “dupe” has proliferated on social media, especially through niche influencers who share various hacks for shoppers on a budget. Their recommended products are similar to the original in looks or quality but come at a significantly lower cost and are more affordable to the typical cons...

True crime meets history in ‘Broadway Butterfly’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

The unsolved murder of the beautiful Dot King captivated New York. But the hype around the case proved insufficient motivation to catch the killer. So what happened?In “Broadway Butterfly,” a jazzy true crime historical thriller, author Sara DiVello unearths piles of evidence and presents them through witnesses, detectives and journalists in an attempt to find out what happened to the fast-living, generous and ambitious young woman whose life was suddenly and mysteriously snuffed out.The chapters go around between reporter Julia Harpman, inspector John D. Coughlin, and Dot’s maid and confidant Ella Bradford. Each takes on their own lexicon for a personal feel of character — Julia is obsessed with reporting and the hustle of being a pioneer newspaperwoman, and sees herself as a righteous champion of women. Coughlin is a hardened policeman whose preconceived ideas of others are solidified, and he’s constantly surprised at “girls these days” living and traveling alone, and at Broadway ...

Friends plan to confront high school tormenter in ‘Speech Team’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

Tim Murphy’s novel “Speech Team” begins with a short scene featuring four friends who reunite after years apart to “avenge the mortifications of youth.”It is February 2013 and all have briefly swapped the cold and damp of the Northeast for an undertaking in Sarasota, Florida. As they drive to a mystery address in a rental car, they each try to keep their nerves under control. But when they approach their destination, a ranch home on a residential street, one passenger panics at the sight of an old man on the front steps and tells the driver not to stop. Fear wins, ruining any chance of the reckoning they had planned.An aborted mission would normally make for an anticlimactic opener. However, Murphy ensures there is enough character outline and plot potential to keep readers turning the pages. A potent sense of mystery lingers: Who are these people, what did they set out to accomplish and what triggered the alarm that derailed their plan?Murphy’s n...

Editorial: Mass & Cass runoff a water hazard – cue fed funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

If there’s a silver lining to concerns that untreated stormwater runoff from the drug addiction detritus from Mass and Cass is polluting Boston Harbor, it’s this: perhaps now the city can get federal muscle and money to finally fix the crisis at Methadone Mile.After all, now the environment is affected.These days, climate change and environmental issues are the magic words to open up the floodgates of funding.As the Herald reported, the city is applying for a grant from the CDC to monitor the Fort Point Channel for communicable diseases.Catch basins in the Mass and Cass encampment drain into the Fort Point Channel where fishing and kayaking remain popular right across from the Children’s Museum.“We have recently learned that catch basins in the area known as Mass & Cass dump right out into Boston Harbor via the Fort Point Channel without any filtration,” a group of lawmakers said in a letter sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That letter, obtained...

A stylish summer is in the bag

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

One of the best things about summer is switching to accessories that just don’t fly the rest of the year. Case in point: the ultra-casual but ever-so-chic allure of straw bags. I love their freshness and hint at country romance and innocence. They complement everything from denim shorts and most maxi dresses to mini sundresses and linen jumpsuits to navy nauticals.And then there’s their incredible utility: With their flexible material and variable sizes — these things can get huge — they range from demure little cases that stay buttoned-up for evening to big baskets that are so roomy I could fit just about everything I need for the day in them. So here, according to what I’m using them for, are my current favorites for the rest of the summer:For the office: The Chloe Sense Woven Palm Basket Tote ($850 on nordstrom.com) is both a big statement and a big tote. It’s inspired by Spanish market bags, but sports big wide leather straps that keep it very much within the working world. It’s...