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Kaori Sakamoto wins gold in Espoo to secure her place at figure skating’s Grand Prix Finals

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

ESPOO, Finland (AP) — World champion Kaori Sakamoto secured her place at figure skating’s Grand Prix Finals with her second series win of the season on Saturday at Grand Prix Espoo.Sakamoto landed seven triple jumps in the free skate as she extended her lead from Friday’s short program to finish with a total of 205.21 points, exactly 15 points ahead of fellow Japanese skater Rion Sumiyoshi, who fell on a triple loop. Amber Glenn of the United States soared from 11th overnight to finish in the bronze medal position with the second-highest-scoring free skate of the day for a total of 185.39. “I’m still in shock that I’m up here right now,” Glenn said. “I’m excited to see where the rest of the season goes.”World champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the ice dance competition for their second Grand Prix win this season, securing a spot at the finals in Beijing next month.Skating to music by Pink Floyd, Chock and Bates extended their lead from Friday’s ...

No. 23 Mississippi women advance past Howard to reach the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Madison Scott had a season-high 21 points and 14 rebounds for her 23rd career double-double and No. 23 Mississippi beat Howard 67-54 on Saturday in the Battle 4 Atlantis.Ole Miss (3-1) will play the winner of Arizona-Memphis on Sunday in the semifinals. Howard will face the loser in the consolation bracket. Howard tied it at 54-all with 5:24 left after Iyanna Warren scored five straight points. But the Bison would not score again. Ole Miss scored the closing 13 points — with scoring from five different players.Marquesha Davis added 12 points for Ole Miss. Warren scored 12 points of her 18 points in the first half for Howard (1-4). The Bison finished 19 of 54 from the field with 18 turnovers. It was tied at 30-all at halftime. Ole Miss shot just 38% in the first half, including 0 of 10 from 3-point range. Scott led the Rebels in the second half with 13 points and eight rebounds. She finished 9 of 10 from the field, but the rest of her teammates were just 14 of ...

1 dead in Northeast DC shooting as police search for suspect

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

A man was shot and killed in Northeast D.C. Wednesday evening and police are on the lookout for a suspect.Police said 38-year-old Carlos Javier-Blanco Fernandez was found with gunshot wounds when police responded to reports of a shooting shortly after 5 p.m. near the 2200 block of New York Avenue.Fernandez was taken to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.Police have yet to release further details about the incident or potential suspects.Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to call them at 202-727-9099 as there will be a reward of up to $25,000.Below is a map where the shooting took place: Source

Ford and Stellantis workers join those at GM in approving contract settlement that ended UAW strikes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly ratified new contracts with Ford and Stellantis, that along with a similar deal with General Motors will raise pay across the industry, force automakers to absorb higher costs and help reshape the auto business as it shifts away from gasoline-fueled vehicles.Workers at Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles, voted 68.8% in favor of the deal. Their approval brought to a close a contentious labor dispute that included name-calling and a series of punishing strikes that imposed high costs on the companies and led to significant gains in pay and benefits for UAW workers.The deal at Stellantis passed by a roughly 10,000 vote margin, with ballot counts ending Saturday afternoon. Workers at Ford voted 69.3% in favor of the pact, which passed with nearly a 15,000-vote margin in balloting that ended early Saturday. Earlier this week, GM workers narrowly approved a similar contract. The agreements, which run through Ap...

Croatia on course for Euro 2024 spot with 2-0 win over Latvia after Wales drops points

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

Croatia is on the verge of qualifying for next year’s European Championship after beating Latvia 2-0 on Saturday as its closest rival Wales dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Armenia.Early goals from Lovro Majer and Andrej Kramarić gave Croatia a comfortable victory at last-place Latvia.Croatia will secure a qualifying spot on Tuesday with a win over Armenia in its last game or if Wales fails to beat Group D leader Turkey.Wales’ players started the day knowing that winning their last two games would ensure qualification but trailed after just five minutes. Lucas Zelarayan put Armenia ahead with a shot from the edge of the penalty area after Wales failed to clear a corner.Wales went into halftime level following Nair Tiknizyan’s own-goal but created little in the second half as Armenia looked the more likely team to win. Only two of Armenia’s 19 shots were on target, though, and the draw meant Armenia’s slim chances of qualifying were ended when Croatia w...

Comeau, Notre Dame (Hingham) win Div. 2 state girls soccer title

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

LYNN — It almost seemed right that Notre Dame (Hingham) star Sydney Comeau found herself in the right place at the right time on Saturday.The Holy Cross-bound senior ripped home a shot with 9:04 left in regulation to give the Cougars a 1-0 win over No. 6 Mansfield in the Div. 2 girls soccer final at Manning Field.“I feel like this is the final piece of my four years here,” Comeau said, sporting a state championship medal around her neck. “Nothing feels better than this moment.”Comeau’s goal was the culmination of a brilliant tournament for the Cougars (16-6-3) as they pitched their fourth shutout in five tournament games. Saturday might have been their most dominant effort as they held a powerful Mansfield attack to one shot in 80 minutes.“Our defense, especially our back four, was really strong,” Notre Dame coach Kelly Turner said. “Mansfield is tough to play against and they had a tough defense too.”Comeau’s goal was the culmination of a second half that saw the Cougars slowly beg...

Reading captures first Div. 2 state field hockey title in overtime

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

WORCESTER – Reading field hockey head coach Taylor Reynolds watched her high school coach, Ann Simons, win her first state title with Longmeadow after 42 years last season.At WPI on Saturday, it was Reynolds and her Rockets’ turn to make history.Ava Goodwin delivered the game-winning goal at the left post in overtime, securing top-seeded Reading its first Div. 2 state championship with a 2-1 win over No. 2 Norwood at WPI. It was the second goal the Rockets (22-1) scored in a 15-minute span, overcoming an offensive struggle that saw both teams heavily limited most of the way despite a handful of Grade-A opportunities.“This is just a special group, a lot of the seniors have been on my team since freshman year and it was a work in the making,” Reynolds said. “Knowing all that we could accomplish and to get here, I mean, I can’t even describe how it feels. … I wanted this when I was a player. And to be here and watch them earn it. They earned it until the last possible second. It was a ...

Meet of Champions: Westford’s Paul Bergeron defends his Div. 1 boys title

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

DEVENS — One “crazy surge” was all Westford Academy’s Paul Bergeron needed to defend his Div. 1 Meet of Champions title in cold, overcast conditions Saturday.Bergeron, who was coming off a win in the Div. 1A race last Saturday at Gardner, followed B.C. High’s Chris Larnard and teammate Jack Graffeo until he surged hard and ran all-out for a half mile on the rolling 3.1-mile layout.From there Bergeron made it look easy as he cruised home in 15 minutes, 6.43 seconds for the fastest time of the day. Larnard had a terrific day, surging for second place in 15:25.21 and Graffeo finished strong for third in 15:31.47.Even getting to the championship part of the season wasn’t academic for Bergeron. He went a month without running shortly after the Ocean State Invitational, where he placed second, because of a back issue. Bergeron, though, cross-trained when he was sidelined and loss very little of his cardiovascular fitness.The speed bump only made the Stanford-...

Three-peat, undefeated season for Ipswich volleyball team

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

WORCESTER — Facing a staunch challenger in No. 2 Bellingham (20-4), No. 1 Ipswich (23-0) proved its mettle and capped off an undefeated season. The Tigers defeated Bellingham, 3-2, at Worcester State University to capture their third straight Div. 4 girls volleyball title.“I was a freshman when I watched the team win a state championship for the first time. My dream was to win a state championship and just winning two, I never imagined that would happen to me,” said junior Allison Pillis on her team’s title victoryBellingham opened the first set with a 22-19 lead, forcing Ipswich to call timeout. Ipswich then went on a 4-1 run to tie the set at 23-23. The teams traded points and tied the set again at 25. A spike through the middle from Pillis and mis-hit out of bounds from Bellingham allowed Ipswich to complete the rally and take the first set, 27-25.Bellingham stormed back in the second set. Again, they took a lead in the set at 17-13. After a timeout, Ipswich responded with a 4-1 ...

Driver that killed Massachusetts girl, 5, not at fault: Essex DA

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:05:01 GMT

An investigation into a tractor trailer striking and killing a 5-year-old girl traversing an Andover crosswalk in May has found the driver not at fault, according to the Essex County District Attorney.The driver will not face any criminal charges stemming from the May 9 incident, when the tractor trailer collided into and killed Sidney Mae Olson at the intersection of Route 28 and Elm Street, DA Paul Tucker said Friday.Sidney and a family member had been going through an Elm Street crosswalk on their way to art class, while the walk sign showed it was still safe to cross.“The investigative findings do not provide sufficient evidence to seek criminal charges against the driver of the tractor trailer,” a release from the DA’s office states. “The driver was stopped at the intersection. As he began to advance forward on the light turning green, he was unable to see Ms. Olson traveling on her scooter in the crosswalk below. The driver was not impaired by any substances and immediately ca...