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Boomers move game as co-host Australia reaches fever pitch for Matildas at the Women’s World Cup

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Patty Mills and his Boomers teammates knew who deserved prime time billing, so they rescheduled their game and will keep watching Australia’s historic run at the Women’s World Cup.It’s fair to say Matildas fervor has reached fever-pitch across Australia, which is co-hosting the tournament with New Zealand.The Boomers, Australia’s men’s basketball team, are preparing for their World Cup later this month and had a warmup game against Brazil planned for Wednesday night. As soon as they realized it would clash with the Matildas’ semifinal against England, they moved their game forward by more than two hours so they could watch the women’s soccer.“The Matildas have really captured the nation this World Cup,” Mills, the Boomers captain and Atlanta Hawks guard, said Monday. “The way the ladies play with so much heart and passion has been so inspiring to witness.“Just like the rest of the country, our Boomers team have been locked in for each game, watching it as a team.”...

Rockies look to break slide in game against the Diamondbacks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (59-59, third in the NL West) vs. Colorado Rockies (45-73, fifth in the NL West)Denver; Monday, 8:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (9-5, 3.20 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 120 strikeouts); Rockies: Chris Flexen (1-5, 7.92 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, 39 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Diamondbacks -250, Rockies +200; over/under is 12 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies look to end a five-game slide when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.Colorado has a 45-73 record overall and a 25-30 record at home. The Rockies are 30-15 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Arizona is 59-59 overall and 29-28 in road games. The Diamondbacks are 43-14 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.The teams play Monday for the eighth time this season. The Diamondbacks lead the season series 6-1.TOP PERFORMERS: Ryan McMahon leads Colorado with 19 home runs while slugging .462. Ezequiel Tovar is 10-for-38 with two home runs and five RBI over th...

Mets host the Pirates to begin 3-game series

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (53-65, fourth in the NL Central) vs. New York Mets (53-65, fourth in the NL East)New York; Monday, 7:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Quinn Priester (2-1, 8.75 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 20 strikeouts); Mets: Carlos Carrasco (3-6, 6.42 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 57 strikeouts)BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday to open a three-game series.New York has a 53-65 record overall and a 29-27 record at home. The Mets have gone 30-56 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.Pittsburgh is 53-65 overall and 24-33 in road games. The Pirates have gone 37-17 in games when they record at least eight hits.Monday’s game is the fourth time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jeff McNeil leads the Mets with a .259 batting average, and has 17 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 33 walks and 39 RBI. Francisco Lindor is 11-for-37 with a home run and five RBI over the past 10 games.Bryan Reynolds has 23 doubles, three triples, 17 home ru...

DC Black Film Fest brings interactive, choose-your-own adventure experience

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Festival (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); The seventh annual D.C. Black Film Festival is returning to the Miracle Theatre on Barracks Row in Southeast.Movies will screen in person on Friday, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 19, and then stream virtually through Aug. 30.Founder and Festival Director Kevin Sampson told WTOP he’s excited because he fe...

Dry & Comfy Start to the Week

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

It’s hard to believe that it’s the middle of August and summer is winding down, but we’ll have a great day today to soak up these fleeting summer days! We’ll have some clouds in the mix today but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a cloudy day. Along with the few clouds we’ll have mild temperatures, comfortable humidity, and a westerly breeze.That westerly breeze should be just strong enough to hold off the sea breeze. It won’t be an overly windy day, more of a “Goldilocks” wind. Not too strong, not too light, juuuust right. If the wind is too light, the sea breeze will set up on the coast line. That means we’ll push mild air right out to the beaches. Your beach forecast looks good with temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 80s and water temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. UV index is high, so don’t forget the sunscreen, and high tide in the middle part of the day with low tide holding off until almost 5pm t...

Recalling the 2003 blackout: 20 years since North America’s largest power outage

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

It was a Thursday in August like so many others – stiflingly hot, incredibly busy, and completely ordinary.But it all changed at exactly 4:09 p.m. on August 14, 2003, when time literally stopped for 50 million people across Ontario and parts of the U.S.It began with a tree hitting a transmission line in Ohio. It ended with a large part of the Eastern Seaboard in darkness.In Toronto, the effects of the blackout were immediate and stunning. Traffic lights blinked out at the height of rush hour, as brakes screeched cars to a sudden and unexpected stop. Good Samaritans jumped into the middle of it all, trying to direct traffic.The subway came to a grinding halt in the tunnels, leaving thousands sweating and stranded.And everyone was literally in the dark about what happened.How long would it last? And why did the hydro go out? It would be many months before experts could reassemble the failures both human and machine-related that led to the largest power failure in North American histor...

Russia targets Ukrainian city of Odesa again but Kyiv says it shot down all the missiles and drones

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched three waves of nighttime air attacks against the southern Ukraine port city of Odesa, officials said Monday, though the Ukrainian air force said it intercepted all 15 incoming Shahed drones and eight Kalibr missiles.Falling debris from the interceptions damaged the dormitory of an educational facility in the city, a residential building and a supermarket, Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said.Two employees of the supermarket were hospitalized, Kiper said. The Kremlin’s forces have pummeled Odesa in recent times, aiming at facilities that transport Ukraine’s crucial grain exports and also wrecking cherished Ukrainian historical sites.The stepped-up barrage followed Moscow’s decision to break off a landmark agreement that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and help reduce the threat of hunger.Following that withdrawal, Russia carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and ...

Heavy rains trigger floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 22 dead

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Heavy monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 22 people dead and many others trapped, officials said Monday. A cloudburst in mountainous Himachal Pradesh state’s Solan district on Sunday night killed nine people in the area, and nine more bodies were pulled out from under mud and debris after two landslides in Shimla, the state’s capital, authorities told the Press Trust of India news agency. Four others were killed in heavy rains and a landslide in the state’s Hamirpur district, they added. The state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said rescuers in Shimla were working to clear the debris and help those still trapped. Cloudbursts are a common occurrence in Himalayan regions, but experts say they are alarmed by the increase in extreme weather-related events in the area. Cloudbursts occur when more than 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) of rainfall occurs within 10 square kilometers (3.8 s...

German foreign minister stuck in Abu Dhabi after another government plane problem

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister was stuck in Abu Dhabi on Monday after a technical problem on her government plane — the latest in a succession of such incidents — forced it to return to the airport rather than continue to Australia.Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was due to arrive in Canberra on Monday night at the start of a visit to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. But her German air force Airbus A340 had to return to Abu Dhabi after a refueling stop because of “a mechanical problem with the landing flaps,” ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.The pilot noticed the problem minutes after the plane took off from Abu Dhabi, and the plane landed again safely two hours later after dumping some 80 tons of fuel, German news agency dpa reported.The German air force posted on X that it was “working at high pressure” to make it possible for the delegation to continue its journey.It was the latest in a string of problems with Germany&#...

Thinking of buying a new pair of jeans? Breaking down the cost over time might help you decide

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:59:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For Jake Welch, getting dressed is one big math problem.The 36-year-old brand director for an advertising firm calculates the cost-per-wear of his wardrobe by highlighting 200 items in a spreadsheet — excluding underwear and socks — and meticulously listing the price he paid for each of them as well as how many times he’s worn it. He updates the spreadsheet every night on his computer to determine whether his purchases were worth it — or not.Lots of people thought Welch was weird when he started doing this 12 years ago, opting to ditch the cheapest items on the sales rack in favor of maximizing the value of his purchases over the span of their lifecycles. But with inflation still a nagging problem, more shoppers are coming around to his way of thinking.“I was actually onto something versus being a little looney,” said Welch of Erda, Utah, who presented his findings last month at a company meeting. Retailers are taking note of this mindset and shifting the...