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Wild’s biggest change in skid-busting victory was mental

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

What the Wild did on Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, their first win since way back on Nov. 7, was, frankly, what Dean Evason was preaching before he was fired at the tail end of a seven-game losing streak.The Wild played fast, kept the play in the Blues’ zone, won battles, moved their feet, let goaltender Filip Gustavssion see pucks, and threw shots on net. So, why did the Wild do it all, and then some, against the Blues and not for the previous three winless weeks?The biggest difference, of course, is that their fifth-year coach had just been fired and replaced by John Hynes, and while there were small structural changes made before Tuesday’s win at Xcel Energy Center, the players mostly attributed the difference to what amounted to a kick in the pants.“Anytime you go through a coaching change, or any sort of change, really, your emotions are super high. Your focus is super high, and I think that’s what you get,” veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian said after pract...

In the short term, these Timberwolves would be just fine without Anthony Edwards

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

Anthony Edwards left the floor with fewer than three minutes to play in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s game at Target Center and Minnesota trailing Oklahoma City — the team with the second-best record in the West — by four points.For many teams, that would have been a death sentence. Edwards has played at an All-NBA level this season and is a major reason the Timberwolves (13-4) currently carry the top record in the Western Conference.Minnesota went on to win the game.It was a prime example of how multi-faceted this team is. Even without Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert can still anchor a dominant defense. Karl-Anthony Towns is still a major scoring threat. Mike Conley is still perhaps the game’s best pure point guard.Then there are depth pieces like Troy Brown Jr., who can come off the bench to secure big rebounds, play tough defense and deliver a couple of critical buckets to help close the game out.“Adversity comes, you’ve got to elevate. That’s wh...

Men’s basketball: Gophers’ Ben Johnson using baseball analogy with players

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson has been leaning on a baseball analogy with his team this season: Hit singles instead of swinging for the fences.Johnson’s message for players is to make the smart, simple play, and he hasn’t missed many opportunities to bring it up over the first month of the season.“He’s said it quite often — pretty much every day,” freshman guard Cam Christie said Wednesday. “He’s trying to pound into our minds ‘hit singles,’ make the easy play, make the simple play and take what the defense gives you — stuff like that. It’s a good message. Each day we are working on it. We’re trying to take it to heart and implement it into our offense.”The Gophers (4-2) have one more tune-up before a pair of Big Ten Conference games with New Orleans (3-3) coming to Williams Arena for a 6 p.m. tipoff Thursday.The “hit singles” message hasn’t sunk in quickly enough. Minnesota is averaging 14.7 turnovers per game, which was tied for 303rd in the nation going into Wednesda...

NY bill would move some local elections to even-numbered years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--- If signed by Governor Hochul, a bill would move some local elections to even years.Voter turnout is much higher for presidential and congressional races held on even numbered years. Senator James Skoufis said getting some local races off odd years will have the same effect."Far more people would have a voice and will weigh in on who’s running their town, who’s running their county," said Skoufis. "That’s how it should be. We should want as many people weighing in as possible."Skoufis sponsors the bill and said this help prevent voter fatigue and will save money.The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Caucus also supports this legislation. Chair of the Caucus, Assemblymember Michaelle Solange, stated it "... will strengthen voter engagement and empower disadvantaged communities to select accountable representation on a local level.”However, some like Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, want Governor Hochul to veto the bill."I always feel odd year elec...

VETCON brings veteran entrepreneurs together

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The annual Veterans in Economic Transition Conference works to connect veteran business owners with work opportunities. Anthony Kuhn, VETCON Chair, said the mission is centered on providing transitional resources he, and many others, did not have. “We’ve all deployed," Kuhn said. "We’ve all gone places and then come home and tried to provide for your family, you’re trying put food on the table and you lost your job or you had some difficulties came up. That’s what drives a lot of these veterans into entrepreneurship so we’re trying to provide the resources for them that didn’t exist for us.” Now in its seventh year, the event brings over 500 veterans to the area, in addition to New York State agencies and other businesses ready to hire for upcoming projects. Daniel MacDonald continues to bring his business to VETCON every year to network with like-minded veterans and share his own success as a business owner. “I can pass on what I learned to my fellow vets,"...

Brooklyn church removes priest after Sabrina Carpenter music video shoot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

NEW YORK (PIX11) – A popstar's set for her latest music video got a Catholic priest in hot water. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn removed a monsignor from his post after parts of Sabrina Carpenter's "Feather" music video were filmed inside a Catholic church in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The former Disney star's music video dropped on Halloween. It has over 11 million views on YouTube. In the video, she's seen getting revenge on men who objectify her. She pulls up to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a pastel hearse, dancing around pastel coffins at the altar while wearing black tulle.The day after the video was released, the diocese released a statement saying proper procedures around filming permissions were not followed. The church later hosted a mass with a different pastor. The church's former priest, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, asked the community for forgiven...

Tow truck driver killed in I-255 crash near Dupo, Illinois

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

DUPO, Ill. - A tow truck driver assisting one person in need was fatally struck Wednesday morning near Dupo, Illinois, according to Illinois State Police. The crash happened just after 10 a.m. Wednesday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 255, near milepost 6 in Monroe County. Prior to the collision, the tow truck driver was helping someone whose vehicle was broken down on the right shoulder of the road. Investigators say the tow truck driver was in the process of removing the vehicle and loading it onto the truck. Parents sue Big Cedar Lodge after child dies in Branson boat accident While assisting with the matter, a different driver struck the tow truck driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision. Authorities say the driver who reportedly struck the tow truck driver stayed at the scene amid the investigation. Investigators have not yet determined if charges will be filed or disclosed the identity of anyone involved in the crash. Crews briefly rerouted traffi...

Missouri teen sentenced for murder of SIUE student

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A Woodson Terrace, Missouri, teenager appeared in Madison County Circuit Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for the 2021 murder of a Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville student.The murder happened Jan. 14, 2021, just after 9:30 p.m. on Interstate 270 and Route 157.Moneer Damra was riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle when people in another car opened fire. Damra was wounded in the shooting and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He died on Jan. 28. Damra, who was a member of the SIUE ROTC program and had the goal of being an Army nurse, was 27.Investigators arrested two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting: Jacob Godoy, then 16, and Jimmy Ortiz, then 19. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office charged both with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.Police said there was no clear motive for the killing and described the shooting as a random act of violence. There was no connection between the people in eith...

FOX 2 Cardinals podcast: Three new pitchers... More to come?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - "Pitching. Pitching. Pitching." St. Louis Cardinals lead executive John Mozeliak went into the offseason with the goal of adding three new starting pitchers. He's accomplished just that, even before the Winter Meetings. Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, three former All-Stars in their mid-30s, have joined the St. Louis Cardinals. Gray gets a three-year, $75 million contract after finishing as the AL Cy Young runner-up last season. Lynn, rejoining St. Louis for his second stint, and Gibson, a former Mizzou star, earned similar one-year deals with club options for a potential second year. Could these moves be the start of more to come? The Cardinals have lots of follow-up decisions to make this offseason. There is the possibility they could explore the trade market for more rotation or bullpen arms, and perhaps a move could help reduce logjams in the middle infield and outfield. The expectation to win, even after a rare losing season in 2023, remains as large as ever...

Proposed ban on religious instruction in Colorado’s state-funded preschools may spark legal fight

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:49:00 GMT

When teacher Corrie Haynes asked the preschoolers gathered on the green rug in front of her what sin is, a little boy answered confidently: “All the bad things we do.”“Very good,” she said.Next, the 13 children, most wearing maroon or blue polo shirts and dark skirts or pants, learned that everybody sins — even teachers, moms and dads, and the church pastor — and that although God hates sin, he doesn’t hate people who sin.“He still loves us very much even when we sin,” Haynes said.A minute later, Haynes led the 4-year-olds in a song about manners: “Always say thank you, always say please. When we’re ungrateful, God is not pleased.”Such religious content has long been woven through the lessons at Landmark Preschool, which is nestled inside Landmark Baptist Church in the western Colorado city of Grand Junction. What’s different this year is that state taxpayers are covering the bill — more than $100,000 — for 20 preschoolers to attend classes there.Colorado explicitly invi...