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‘Margaritaville’ singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76.“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted to Buffett’s official website and social media pages said late Friday. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”The statement did not say where Buffett died or give a cause of death. Illness had forced him to reschedule concerts in May and Buffett acknowledged in social media posts that he had been hospitalized, but provided no specifics. Buffett is survived by his wife, Jane; daughters, Savannah and Sarah; and son, Cameron.“Margaritaville,” released on Feb. 14, 1977, quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a state of mind for tho...

Farm report: Even top prospect promotions couldn’t reverse Red Sox’s August skid

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

To paraphrase Taylor Swift, this baseball season’s August slipped away into a moment in time.Yet for the Red Sox, watching this month fade in the rearview mirror couldn’t come soon enough.Despite getting several key players back from the injured list – Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock, to name a few – and promoting a couple of their top prospects, Boston finished the month 13-15, including 1-5 in their last homestand. They maintained their winning record (69-65) through the end of the month, but their postseason hopes look decidedly dashed; by Aug. 31, they’d fallen to 6.5 games back of the last Wild Card. Leapfrogging the other American League contenders for a playoff berth would require a miracle.As such, it feels like the most meaningful moments in these dog days of summer were about the future, not the present; August saw the Major League arrivals of Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela, an impressive Triple-A pitching debut, and a notable, prolonged absence from...

Biden tells Idalia’s Florida victims ‘your nation has your back’ and DeSantis doesn’t show up

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

LIVE OAK, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday saw from the sky Hurricane Idalia’s impact across a swath of Florida before he set out on a walking tour of a city recovering from the storm. Notably absent was Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate who declined to join Biden after he suggested that the Democrat’s presence could hinder disaster response efforts.Biden, when asked about his rival’s absence, said he was not disappointed by the turn of events, but welcomed the presence of Rick Scott, one of the state two Republican U.S. senators. He pledged the federal government’s total support for Floridians.“I’m here today to deliver a clear message to the people of Florida and throughout the Southeast,” Biden said after the walking tour. He spoke outdoors near a church that had parts of its sheet metal roof peeled back by Idalia’s powerful winds and a home half crushed by a fallen tree.“As I’ve told your governor, if there’s an...

Entrance to Burning Man in Nevada closed due to flooding. Festivalgoers urged to shelter in place

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The entrance to the Burning Man counterculture festival in the Nevada desert was closed and attendees were urged to shelter in place Saturday as flooding from storms swept through the area.The entrance will be closed for the remainder of the event, which began on Aug. 27 and was scheduled to end on Monday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the Black Rock Desert where the festival is being held.About 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain is believed to have fallen on Friday at the festival site, located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Reno, the National Weather Service in Reno said. Another quarter of a foot of rain is expected late Saturday into Sunday.Organizers urged festivalgoers to conserve their food, water and fuel. ___ This story has been corrected to say that the amount of rain Friday at the festival was believed to be about 6 inches, not one-half inch, and that another quarter foot of rainfall, not another quarter of an ...

Reds’ Williamson to miss start as team’s COVID-19 outbreak worsens

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss his scheduled start on Sunday. He is the fourth Reds pitcher to test positive this week, further jeopardizing the team’s postseason chances.Starter Hunter Greene was placed on the COVID-19 injured list following his 4-1 win at San Francisco on Aug. 30. Right-handed relievers Fernando Cruz and Ben Lively were placed on the list between games of Friday’s doubleheader against the Cubs. Manager David Bell said a couple of support staff members have tested positive as well. “When I say they’re out, they’re out,” Bell said. “They’re feeling bad.”The Reds recalled right-handers Brett Kennedy and Lyon Richardson and added right-hander Carson Spiers as a substitute player. The return of right-hander Tejay Antone, who missed the 2022 season and most of this year following multiple Tommy John surgeries, will also add to the Reds’ bullpen depth. T...

Heat warning issued for Toronto as humidex values set to reach into the 40s

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

Toronto is under a heat warning for the next several days as temperatures and humidex values are expected to be among the highest this summer. Environment and Climate Change Canada says temperatures over the next three to five days will be “atypical of early September.”“We are expecting temperatures to hit near 30 or above tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday and even Wednesday …the temperatures really hot during the afternoon,” says CityNews 680 weather specialist Denise Andreacchi. “Humidex pushing 40 in some communities in southern Ontario and we also have very high UV index.”This will be one of the hottest stretches of weather we have had in the GTA in a while. There were no days in which the temperature reached more than 30 C in August, compared to five days of 30-plus temperatures in July. Hamilton is also under a similar heat warning and there are also widespread heat warnings across northern and central Ontario. Environment Canada adds the hot ...

Raymond Moriyama, renowned Canadian architect behind iconic buildings, dies at 93

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

TORONTO — Raymond Moriyama, a renowned architect behind the design of some of Canada’s most iconic buildings, has died. He was 93.A spokesperson for the architecture firm he founded said Moriyama died on Friday, but offered few other details.He had a hand in the creation of numerous iconic landmarks both in Canada and abroad, including the National War Museum, Ottawa’s City Hall, the Bata Shoe Museum, the Toronto Reference Library, the Ontario Science Centre and the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.Moriyama was a highly accomplished architect who won numerous professional honours in the field over his career, was named to the Order of Canada and received honorary degrees from 10 Canadian universities.Moriyama Teshima Architects, the company initially founded by Moriyama in 1958, said “the world has lost a visionary architect.”  The firm said its thoughts were with Moriyama’s family and loved ones and asked for privacy to grieve the profound loss. This report b...

Artscape receives temporary reprieve from receivership

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

Artscape has received a temporary reprieve from receivership. Mayor Olivia Chow says thanks to TD Bank and the city, the non-profit’s move into bankruptcy has been delayed for at least 30 days. Chow says she’s convened a working group that includes city staff, philanthropic, business and community leaders to come up with a sustainable solution. “Artscape is a vital source of affordable living and working space for Toronto’s arts and culture community. Our city needs more, not less, affordable spaces for artists,” the mayor said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. For more than three decades Artscape has provided residences and creative spaces for artists, along with event venues. Earlier in the week the non-profit said it had taken on additional debt in the last few years in order to expand its offerings to support the creative and the artist community. However, it said that the level of debt payments was “not sustainable” and it commenced a fina...

AEW’s Tony Khan recalls WGN wrestling show ahead of return to United Center 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

CHICAGO — All Elite Wrestling founder and CEO Tony Khan says his love for professional wrestling dates back to a long-defunct WGN Sports show.The CEO and general manager founded AEW in 2019, which offers an alternative to mainstream wrestling. Just last weekend, the company produced its most significant show since its infancy, 'All In,' which saw more than 81,000 fans pack Wembley Stadium in London.Now, the company looks to build on the success of 'All In' with two big shows at the United Center: 'AEW: Collision' on Saturday night and pay-per-view 'All Out,' on Sunday night."Chicago is a great home for AEW," Khan said. "It's part of the launch of AEW. It's a home to me personally, and we're always going to bring AEW to Chicago." WGN at 75: Paying tribute to the legendary Jack Brickhouse A long-time wrestling fan, the University of Illinois alum recalled watching the sport on WGN. Produced by World Championship Wrestling, 'WCW Pro Chicago' featured the voice of Chicagoland, WGN spo...

J.J. McCarthy leads No. 2 Michigan over East Carolina 30-3 without Jim Harbaugh on the sideline

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy walked alongside his teammates in a single-file formation as each player raised an arm over their head, letting suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh know his players were thinking about him.“That was definitely a tribute to coach Harbaugh,” McCarthy said after throwing three touchdown passes to Roman Wilson to help the second-ranked Wolverines rout East Carolina 30-3 on Saturday. "That was pretty cool to do that."Michigan (1-0) was without Harbaugh, who began serving a school-imposed, three-game suspension for breaking NCAA rules.McCarthy showed up at Michigan Stadium wearing a blue shirt backward, writing “FREE” in black on white athletic tape and placing it on his chest above Harbaugh's name. He put the shirt back on after the game.“I just want my coach back,” McCarthy said. “It’s as simple as that.”McCarthy probably made his coach proud, completing 26 of 30 passes for 280 yards and throwing a a touchdown pass to Wilson in each of the first t...