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Heat assure themselves of home postseason appearance with 129-101 rout of 76ers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

There will be postseason basketball on the Miami Heat’s homecourt, no matter what name the facility goes by these days.That part was assured with Thursday night’s 129-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center, the Heat’s most lopsided victory of the season.“I just know we’re gaining some confidence,” coach Erik Spoelsrta said. “And we’re getting healthy at the right time,”Assured now of no worse than a seventh-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Heat, at the least, if they cannot make a further gain, will host a play-in game Tuesday night at the Kaseya Center, against either the Atlanta Hawks or the Toronto Raptors.There also remains a highly remote chance of the Heat moving to No. 6 in the East and facing the No. 3 76ers in the first round, which would give them the week off and spare them from the play-in round.With far more to play for, with Philadelphia locked into No. 3 entering the night, the Hea...

Winderman’s view: But will the 76ers still crush Heat hope?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Observations and other notes of interest from Thursday night’s 129-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers:– Yes, the victory keeps the Heat alive for No. 6 in the East.– And direct entry into the best-of-seven first round of the playoffs.– And the victory probably doesn’t matter.– Because regardless of any other results going forward from the Heat or the Nets, if the 76ers lose Sunday in Brooklyn, then the Nets are Philadelphia’s first-round opponent.– And the Heat are in the play-in, where one or two losses and the season is over.– In other words, expect to see Dewayne Dedmon starting at point guard for Philadelphia in Brooklyn at Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon, if that is what is needed for the 76ers to avoid the Heat.– Yes, stranger has happened.– And, yes, a Nets win before Sunday (on Friday at home over Orlando) or a Heat loss in their final two (at Washington, home against the Magic), would make SundayR...

China sanctions groups, Taiwan official in US as retaliation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China announced sanctions Friday against two Asia-based organizations and Taiwan’s representative in the U.S. in response to the closely watched meeting this week between the U.S. House Speaker and Taiwan’s president. The Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats were being sanctioned for their involvement in promoting Taiwan independence “under the guise of academic and research exchanges,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California this week in a rare high-level, bipartisan meeting on U.S. soil. The meeting came as U.S.-China relations have sunk to historic lows and as tensions between Taiwan and China have risen. China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an attempt to raise Taipei’s global status, and thus an infringement on Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the...

Israel stages rare strikes in Lebanon, also hits Gaza Strip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel struck targets in southern Lebanon early Friday and resumed air strikes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said, marking a further escalation in the region following violence this week at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The military said it targeted installations of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen reported explosions in the southern port city of Tyre.The strikes in southern Lebanon came after militants from Lebanon fired nearly three dozen rockets at Israel on Thursday. Meanwhile, Gaza militants resumed rocket fire toward southern Israel early Friday following Israeli attacks there.The fighting comes during a delicate time — when Jews are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking the Ramadan holy month. Similar tensions spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in 2021.The current round of violence began Wednesday after Israeli police twice rai...

In India, mangrove trees make way for booming city of Kochi

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

KOCHI, India (AP) — Burrowed between mangroves and a bustling skyline, 70-year-old Rajan, who only uses one name, reminisces about his old home.For nearly sixty years, Rajan has lived comfortably among the trees in Mangalavanam forest in India’s southern Kerala state. In the last two decades, the surrounding city of Kochi has boomed as the state’s financial capital and swallowed up once-protected green areas, including Rajan’s former home. He was forced to sell his land to a local private realtor when the area was bought up for construction about 15 years ago. He moved into a makeshift dwelling on the edge of a protected bird sanctuary.“Now there are buildings all around and no wind,” said Rajan, adding that the towering concrete has made the city and forest stifling hot.Government buildings, private offices and homes have sprung up at pace, cutting deep into the forest known as the “green lung of Kochi.” The trees are now squeezed on all sides by buildings, construction and s...

Samsung cutting memory chip production as profit slides

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said Friday it’s cutting the production of its computer memory chips in an apparent effort to reduce inventory as it forecasted another quarter of sluggish profit.The South Korean technology giant in a regulatory filing said it has been reducing the production of certain memory products by unspecified “meaningful levels” to optimize its manufacturing operations, adding it has sufficient supplies of those chips to meet demand fluctuations.The company predicted an operating profit of 600 billion won ($455 million) for the three months through March, which would be a 96% decline from the same period a year earlier. It said it sales during the quarter likely fell 19% to 63 trillion won ($47.7 billion). Samsung, which will release its finalized first quarter earnings later this month, said the demand for its memory chips declined as a weak global economy depressed consumer spending on technology products and forced business clients to adjust ...

Chicago doctor develops app to help assess possible child abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Is it accidental or abuse? When it comes to bruises on kids, a Chicago area doctor hopes an app will help clinicians make the right call.Kids play hard and can get a little banged up. In fact, it’s common.Dr Mary Clyde Pierce is an emergency medicine physician at Lurie Children’s.“(With) Incidental trauma or accidental trauma, usually you just bruise a bony area,” she said. “You’re falling, you’re having fun, you get up and you’re fine.”But sometimes, it’s not so clear —even for doctors. “The most common injury to be misdiagnosed as accident when it’s really abuse is bruising,” Pierce said. ”When those injuries were overlooked, those children were at much greater risk for a future fatality.”Looking at more than 21,000  children across the country, 4-years-old and younger, Pierce compiled years of evidence on bruising then loaded the data on her injury assessment app called L-Cast (Lurie Children's Child Injury Plausibility Assessment Support Tool). Augie’s Ques...

Police: 4 dead in plane crash off Florida's Gulf Coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — The bodies of two men and two women have been recovered following a small plane crash just off Florida's Gulf Coast, police said Thursday.The plane had just taken off from Venice Airport when it crashed into the Gulf of Mexico west of the city’s fishing pier just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Venice police said in a news conference. Several people on the pier saw the plane crash and called 911, Venice police Capt. Andy Leisenring said. In addition video footage from the airport and the pier will be reviewed and turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is conducting an investigation, he said.Leisenring said police “were unable to deploy a dive team until we had daylight.” The plane — a Piper PA-32R — was spotted just before noon under about 23 feet of water, he said. Crews also found the bodies of the two female passengers.Authorities identified the victims as William Jeffrey Lumpkin, 64, who was piloting the plane, Patricia Lumpkin, 68, Ricky J...

Colorado man killed, put in crawl space after catalytic converter fight: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — After the body of a 36-year-old man was found in a “clandestine grave” in the crawl space of an Aurora, Colorado condo Wednesday, police have released an affidavit explaining the man was reportedly killed by his "best friend" after he assumed he was a police informant. On Tuesday, Casie Bock, 29, was arrested after a Crime Stoppers tip was submitted about a man who had been murdered 6-8 months ago and buried in her crawl space. Haskel Leroy Crawford, 38, was arrested Thursday on one charge of first-degree murder. King Soopers security guard fired after he was punched by shoplifter FOX31 obtained the arrest affidavit from the Aurora Police Department outlining the circumstances surrounding the homicide investigation. Police identified the victim as Karl Beaman Jr. Victim's relative had concerns about his whereaboutsOn April 1, an officer with APD received a call from a woman in Phoenix who identified herself as a relative of Beaman. They told the officer they...

Heaviest rain since August, and rain continues Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin tallied its heaviest one-day rainfall event since Aug. 22, with 1.97" of rain on Thursday. A daily rainfall record of 1.85" fell at the Austin-Bergstrom airport. Occasional rain and thunderstorms continue overnight and through the day Friday.Live radarLive traffic conditionsCentral Texas rainfall totalsDry, thirsty soil is soaking up much of the lighter rainfall totals in the Hill Country, so the Highland Lakes are not expected to benefit much from this rain event.Additional rainfall totals will remain under 1 inch in the Hill Country, but could reach an additional 1 inch in Austin and 1-3 inches in southeastern communities. Remember, if you ever come across a water-covered roadway, "Turn Around, Don't Drown!"Additional rainfall totals through Saturday morningThis storm system clears east of the area for Easter weekend leading to warmer temperatures and dry weather for your outdoor plans.FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast,...