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Flood concerns rise as Mississippi River crests in Iowa city

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The surging Mississippi River was cresting in Iowa on Saturday as melting snow from Minnesota and Wisconsin continues to push up river levels, the National Weather Service said.The weather service said the river was cresting between 23 and 24.3 feet (7 and 7.4 meters) in Dubuque, a city on the Mississippi about 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of Des Moines. The river was expected to crest at 21.9 feet (6.7 meters) in Bellevue, Iowa, on Saturday night.The river is not expected to see many record crests in the next week, but the weather service said Saturday’s levels would come close to 1993 and 2001 records between 23.9 and 25.4 feet (7.3 and 7.7 meters) as the river moves down its 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) length before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Dubuque has closed its floodgates for only the third time ever in response to flooding. Further south in the Quad Cities — five adjoining cities along the river in Iowa and Illinois — the river is expected to...

‘Only in Newfoundland’: Dildo, N.L., man captures phallic iceberg in Conception Bay

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

A Dildo, N.L., man’s photo of a phallic iceberg in Newfoundland’s Conception Bay is getting laughs across the globe.Ken Pretty says he could tell from the shore that the stately iceberg drifting off the coast of Harbour Grace, N.L., on Thursday had a distinctive anatomical quality.But he said that it wasn’t until he flew his drone out for a closer look that he realized just how lifelike the berg’s features really were.Pretty’s pictures of the iceberg – which has since been named the “dickie berg” – have now been shared more than 5,300 times and attracted news coverage in Australia.He acknowledged in an interview that the iceberg’s location in Conception Bay, along with his hometown’s name, make the situation even funnier, adding: “Only in Newfoundland.”Pretty says people have been asking him to make “dickie berg” t-shirts and to sell prints of his now-famous photo.

Mexico’s ruling party sweeps mine reform, other bills to law

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Senate has approved a wide-ranging reform of laws governing the mining industry, including a requirement that companies pay 5% of profits to local communities. The mining bill was among 18 pieces of legislation, some controversial, that were passed in a frenzied rush late Friday and early Saturday. The bills were approved with little or no debate, based on votes by only senators from Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party and its allies. The opposition occupied the Senate’s normal headquarters to protest a lack of debate, so the Morena senators and allies met in an alternative chamber. The new mining law reduces the maximum length of concessions from 50 to 30 years, and punishes speculation by allowing authorities to cancel concessions if no work is done on them within two years.The mining industry, much of it foreign and in a considerable amount Canadian, has drawn complaints because of ecological damage, speculation and the fact that communities aro...

Vikings use fifth-round pick on BYU quarterback Jaren Hall

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

The Vikings used their fifth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to take Brigham Young quarterback Jaren Hall, who led the Cougars to an 18-8 mark as a starter the past two seasons but is, by NFL standards, not a typical passer.At 6-feet, 207 pounds, he’s built more like an NFL running back than NFL quarterback, and he rushed for 700 yards in 22 games at BYU. But he also has been a tremendous passer.“I think I’m at my best when I’m doing both,” Hall said.Last season, Hall threw for 3,171 yards and 31 touchdowns against just six interceptions. In two seasons running the Cougars’ offense, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 6,174 yards, 52 touchdowns and 11 picks.His size clearly wasn’t an issue in college, but in the NFL, most everyone playing offensive or defensive line is bigger.“You’re never going to see over them; it’s impossible,” Hallsaid Saturday. “So, you’ve really got to be good at seeing through and anticipating space. That’s something I’ll continue to get better at at the nex...

Avalanche’s Josh Manson, Darren Helm out for Game 7; Jared Bednar miffed by Jordan Eberle avoiding suspension after hit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

Josh Manson has demonstrated his impressive capability to rejoin the Avalanche lineup seamlessly after an injury this season, so it didn’t bode well when he hinted Wednesday morning that his latest return hasn’t felt the same.“Just trying to still catch up a little bit,” Manson said the morning of Game 5 against the Kraken. “Trying to keep the body going.”The big defenseman left the bench that night in the third period, not feeling well enough physically to skate in high-stakes minutes, and hasn’t been back since. Manson and center Darren Helm are both officially out for Game 7 of the first-round series, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Saturday.Helm also returned from an injury during this series, but he played only in Game 2 before a hit from Will Borgen sidelined him again. Manson’s lower-body injury is a continuation of the one he has dealt with since early December 2022.Without Manson for Game 6 in Seattle, Bednar reunited Devon ...

Warriors need Jordan Poole to flush ‘frustrating night’ and prepare for pivotal Game 7

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson knows what it’s like to struggle on some of basketball’s biggest stages.So in the wake of Jordan Poole’s rough showing Friday night, Thompson offered some perspective and support for the fourth-year guard.“We’ve all been there. I’ve had terrible slumps during playoffs, the Olympics, at the highest level,” Thompson said after the Warriors’ stunning 118-99 loss. “Jordan is only 23 years old. We lose as a team; we win as a team. It wasn’t on just JP tonight. He could come out and get 30 effortlessly on Sunday.”The Warriors can live with Poole being a liability on defense when he’s being effective on offense. But the numerous blow-bys on the defensive end are tougher to swallow when Poole scored only seven points on 11 shots.Poole went 2 of 11 from the field, had one assist, two steals and one turnover before ultimately finishing the night a minus-14 in 26 minutes of action.“...

Why are the SF Giants playing in Mexico City?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

When Major League Baseball officials reached out to the 30 clubs about playing in the first-ever regular season games in Mexico City, the Giants rushed to the front of the line.“There were a lot of teams who expressed interest, more so than we anticipated,” said MLB executive Chris Marniak, “but the Giants held their hand up from the beginning.”They didn’t stop there. The Giants built a compelling argument to be one of the chosen teams.“The Mexican fanbase is really important to our future,” Giants president Larry Baer said. “We want to show this isn’t just a one-time relationship. We want Giants fans in our region to know there’s a real connection.”“We could have been doing a better job connecting with the Latin American and Hispanic community, here and abroad,” said Giants vice president Matt Valdez. “This is our opportunity to do so.”To that end, the Giants sent Hunter Pence to Mexico City last month to engage with youth programs and help launch their bid ...

Lee Elia’s epic rant, after a poor start, was 40 years ago today. What’s kept Mark Kotsay from blowing his top?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

OAKLAND – It was 40 years ago Saturday when former Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia went on a profanity-filled rant in a postgame meeting with reporters, an epic tirade in which he ripped into the team’s fans for their lack of support — and their possible lack of employment — and protected his players from what he felt was unfair criticism after a 5-14 start.After a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Elia pleaded with the media to ease off the Cubs players and direct their brickbats toward him, saying in one of more printable passages, “don’t rip them (expletive) guys ’cause they’re giving everything they can give. And right now, they’re trying to do more than God gave ’em, and that’s why we make the simple mistakes. That’s exactly why.”A’s manager Mark Kotsay has seen his team get off to a worse start than Elia’s Cubs did four decades ago, making some of those same simple mistakes, as Oakland had a 5-22 record before Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at the Coliseu...

High schools: Legendary Menlo School tennis coach retiring after next school year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Menlo School’s Bill Shine has achieved just about everything in high school tennis.Friday, the longtime coach of the boys and girls teams announced that next school year will be his last.Shine has led Menlo’s teams to a combined 27 Central Coast Section and 24 Northern California championships over nearly three decades.He could add to those totals next month as the boys team is 18-1 overall and champions of the West Bay Athletic League entering the CCS playoffs.In addition to filling up the school’s trophy case, Shine also teamed with Monta Vista coach Gene Fortino to start a national high school tou...

Commentary: Montgomery County declared a Climate Emergency. But we aren’t acting like it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:50 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Boucher is a retired scientist; he directed the Climate Research and Analysis team of the Union of Concerned Scientists for a decade. Metchis is retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is now a member of the Climate Action Plan Coalition of Montgomery County.Sergeant Joe Friday of Dragnet fame advisedly said, “just the facts, ma’am”. So, here are the facts. The U.S. has warmed 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970 and the annual rate of warming is accelerating. The frequency of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. has increased from once every 4 months in the 1980s to once every 3 weeks (after accounting for inflation). The U.S. is experiencing some of the most severe sea-level rise on the planet. The incidence of Lyme disease, which thrives in warmer weather, has doubled since 1991. And Montgomery County is not immune ...