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Lionel Messi in starting lineup for Inter Miami in MLS season finale at Charlotte

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Lionel Messi is in the starting lineup for Inter Miami in its MLS season finale against FC Charlotte.Messi will be the captain in the meaningless game on Saturday night for Miami, which failed to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Charlotte has plenty at stake on the last day of the regular season.Charlotte wasted a pair of one-goal leads and tied Miami 2-2 on Wednesday, missing out on a chance to move from 12th to 8th place in the Eastern Conference. The top nine teams in each conference make the playoffs. Charlotte is one of five teams chasing the last two playoff spots in the conference.Messi did not play in Wednesday’s game — Miami’s last home game of the MLS season — after scoring both goals for Argentina in its 2-0 World Cup qualifying win at Peru on Tuesday night. He was in the Inter Miami bench area with his teammates for the match after returning from Peru earlier in the day.Messi told reporters in Peru that he wants to play once more for Inter...

Astros’ Abreu suspended 2 games by MLB, which says he intentionally threw at García

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu was suspended for two games and fined Saturday by Major League Baseball, which said he intentionally threw at Adolis García of the Texas Rangers during Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.MLB said all six umpires decided Abreu’s pitch was intentional. MLB said it “took into account the dangerous nature of the pitch and its potential impact on player safety.”Abreu would start the suspension with Game 6 on Sunday unless he appeals. His pitch started a benches-clearing incident that led to a 12-minute delay before play resumed.The suspension was announced by MLB senior vice president Michael Hill. An appeal would be heard by John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. García and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. were fined along with Texas pitcher Matt Bush. McCullers and Bush are being prohibited for sitting on their team benches for the rest of the series.Houston manager Dusty Baker was fined for his a...

Brilliant gameplan gets England within two minutes of the Rugby World Cup final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A gameplan perfectly suited to disrupting South Africa in rainy conditions was two minutes away from lifting England into the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.The English just couldn’t hold up their last scrums, however, and a last-gasp penalty kick by South Africa’s Handre Pollard doomed them to a 16-15 defeat at Stade de France.England never looked like scoring a try but four penalties and a drop goal by captain Owen Farrell had them leading from the third minute until the 78th.“We came here with a plan to win the game. We fell short, only a little bit but we fell short,” England coach Steve Borthwick said. “My players were incredibly well led by Owen. They showed what it means to play for England, they played their hearts out.”The World Cup holders ran down England with a converted try and late penalty on the back of four consecutive overpowering scrums.“They found the way to gain the advantage around the scrum and that gave them the field position,” Borthwick...

Man United gets emotional victory to pay tribute to Bobby Charlton. Man City and Liverpool also win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

LONDON (AP) — As red smoke spread over the away end at Bramall Lane, the chants of “There’s only one Bobby Charlton” rang out from the Manchester United supporters toward the end of its game against Sheffield United. On the day when United mourned the passing of the club’s greatest ever player, a thundering strike by Diogo Dalot made sure that the team and its fans could celebrate his life with a win. Dalot’s long-range curler in the 77th minute secured a 2-1 win at Sheffield United in an emotionally charged evening game that was played only hours after the death of the England great was announced. It began with United captain Bruno Fernandes laying down a wreath at the center circle before the kickoff, and ended with the chorus of chants in Charlton’s honor that were sparked by Dalot’s late goal. “We had to show our respect for him and I think we did that today,” United manager Erik ten Hag said. “We wanted to celebrate but also to remember...

Terion Stewart scores 3 touchdowns to highlight Bowling Green’s 41-14 victory over Akron

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Terion Stewart ran for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns, leading Bowling Green to a 41-14 victory over Akron on Saturday.A short TD run by Stewart gave the Falcons a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. He added two more scores as Bowling Green broke open the game with a 21-point third quarter. Connor Bazelak’s 36-yard scoring pass gave the Falcons a 34-7 lead in the third quarter and backup QB Camden Orth made it 41-7 when he hit Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim for an 8-yard score in the fourth quarter.Akron got touchdown runs of 13 yards from Lorenzo Lingard in the first quarter and 4 yards from Drake Anderson late in the fourth.Stewart led a ground game that churned out 214 yards for the Falcons (4-4, 2-2 Mid-American Conference). Bazelak was 6-for-11 passing for 69 yards and Orth was 2-for-3 for 14 yards. Each QB had one touchdown pass.Jeff Undercuffler Jr. completed 22 of 39 passes for 234 yards for the Zips (1-7, 0-4). He was intercepted twice.___ Get ale...

Medway family stuck in Gaza recall harrowing attempt to cross border into Egypt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

A Medway family that is still stuck in Gaza say they’re worried about what may come after failing to cross the border into Egypt as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion.Trucks with much-needed aid were allowed through the border crossing at Rafah on Saturday but no people were permitted to cross, including Abood Okal and his wife, who became trapped in Gaza with their 1-year-old child when war broke out while they were visiting relatives. “We mourn every civilian and innocent life on all sides, no matter what belief or religion or faith they have,” he told CNN.Okal said he received three messages to head to the Rafah crossing but no further communication after arriving there with his wife and son.“We’ve moved to what’s supposed to be a safe zone in the southern Gaza Strip, we’re about 10 minutes away from the border and yesterday there was an airstrike about 100 meters away from the house. There’s constant shelling, constant ...

Reading police investing series of vehicle thefts, break-ins overnight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

The Reading Police Department is turning to the public for help as it investigates three incidents involving stolen motor vehicles and series of vehicle break-ins overnight, officials said.Officers responding to a report of an idling vehicle on Main Street around 5 a.m. determined the vehicle was running with its lights on and no driver or occupants in the area, according to Reading Police Chief David Clark. Soon after, police learned the vehicle had been reported stolen in Melrose and they were able to contact the owner and return the vehicle.Then, around 8:20 a.m., police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Spring Street. It was located a short while later in Somerville and returned to its owner.Another vehicle was reported stolen on Prospect Street. That vehicle hasn’t been found.There were also nine calls from residents who reported their vehicle had been entered overnight on Locust Street, Middlesex Avenue, Condor Road, Copeland Road, and in almost all cases the ...

Less rain, more wind on Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

After yet another soggy Saturday, windy conditions take over for Sunday as the storm that brought us the rain moves offshore. Winds could gust anywhere from 40-55 mph on Sunday, with a Wind Advisory in effect for the Cape & Islands until 8am. Wind gusts will subside into the afternoon, going down to a stiff breeze by late afternoon. Conditions will also remain chilly, with highs in the 50s both Sunday and Monday, and a chance for a first frost on Tuesday for some.

Franklin teen found safe, her former whereabouts remain under investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

A 15-year-old Franklin girl who was missing for more than a week was found alive and safe Saturday afternoon.Jazlyn “Jazzy” Rodrigues, 15, disappeared around 7 p.m. from her home on 200 Woodview Way in Franklin on Oct. 10. Both the local police and her mother issued pleas for help finding the girl her mother, Jessica Negron, described in a statement as “a beautiful, loving, and very smart girl.”“She is being reunited with her family. No further information is available at this time,” Sgt. Connor Crosman of the Franklin Police Department wrote in a statement.The police said in two statements while she was missing that “the investigation suggests that Jazlyn left her home on her own free will and there is no evidence of any criminal activity or foul play.”In the brief statement released upon locating her, they said “The investigation into Jazlyn’s whereabouts remains ongoing.”

Harvard body parts trafficking scandal lawsuits could merge into one big one

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:58 GMT

The mess of lawsuits filed in the wake of the Harvard Medical School body-parts trafficking scandal could become less complicated if a motion to consolidate the cases filed in a state court succeeds.The motion seeks to combine eight lawsuits filed in Suffolk Superior Court targeting Harvard for culpability, arguing that the “cases arising out of the desecration and mishandling of remains entrusted to Harvard’s Anatomical Gift Program … all involve common questions of law and fact.“Consolidation will avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of judicial resources, will streamline and simplify the proceedings, will prevent undue delay of the case, will provide parties with greater efficiency and will assist in securing the ‘just, speedy and expensive’ determination of the issues in this case,” the motion continues.It also designates two attorneys, Jeffrey Catalano and Kathryn Barnett, as co-lead counsel in the proposed merger of the lawsuits, with other attorneys who had filed lawsuits ...