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Roger Penske pumps brakes on NASCAR champ Ryan Blaney’s Indy 500 ambitions. Larson to attempt double

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — One NASCAR championship down and Ryan Blaney already has his eyes on another prize. The Indianapolis 500. Roger Penske said Thursday that NASCAR’s reigning Cup champion had inquired about someday running “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” but “The Captain” pumped the brakes. “It’s interesting to me that Blaney said to me that he’d looked to go to Indy,” Penske said Thursday ahead of Blaney and Team Penske’s coronation as Cup champions. “I said we’re going to have to slow down a little bit. We’re going to have everybody coming to Indy.” Kyle Larson will try to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 this May and become the first driver since Kurt Busch in 2014 to attempt to complete both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Five drivers have attempted it nine times, and only Tony Stewart has completed all 1,100 miles. Blaney’s interest in doing the double was revealed Thursday by Penske, who said Lar...

Indiana Hoosiers finalizing deal to hire Curt Cignetti as new football coach, sources say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

The Indiana Hoosiers are finalizing a deal to hire Curt Cignetti as their new football coach, two people with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because contract details and approval were still to be completed.The 62-year-old Cignetti has spent the past five seasons at James Madison, where he presided over the Dukes’ transition from FCS to FBS. He’s gone 52-9, won three conference titles and led No. 24 James Madison to a Sun Belt East Division title this season.Cignetti replaces Tom Allen, who was fired Sunday after seven full seasons in charge of the Hoosiers.___AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report.___Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballSource

Playoff spot on the line when Oregon and Washington meet in Pac-12 Championship

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

No. 5 Oregon (11-1) vs. No. 3 Washington (12-0) in the Pac-12 Championship in Las Vegas, 8 p.m. EST Friday (ABC)Line: Oregon by 9½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Washington 62-48-5WHAT’S AT STAKE?An almost certain spot in the College Football Playoff. There also a chance the Huskies could lose and both teams get into the four-team postseason field given the two teams would have split their head-to-head meetings and beaten everyone else. Either way, the Pac-12 is almost assured of placing a team in the playoffs for the first time since Washington in the 2016 season.KEY MATCHUPWashington WR Rome Odunze vs. Oregon’s secondary. Odunze is one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the nation’s top receiver. He broke 100 yards eight times this season, including against the Ducks when Odunze caught eight passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon’s defense otherwise has been lights out. The Ducks are tops in the Pac-12 in passing...

Indiana is hiring James Madison’s Curt Cignetti to be its next head coach, AP sources say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana is hiring James Madison’s Curt Cignetti to be its next head coach, AP sources say.Source

Stamp honoring UCLA’s John Wooden to be released in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A limited-edition stamp honoring the late UCLA basketball coach John Wooden will go on sale early next year.The U.S. Postal Service announced the stamp on Thursday. He is the second college basketball coach to be honored with a stamp, joining the game’s inventor, James Naismith, who had a stamp in 1961.Nearly 18 million Forever stamps will be issued featuring an original portrait of the coach who guided UCLA to 10 national championships during his 27-year tenure in Westwood, which ended in 1975.Wooden died in 2010 at age 99.The stamp depicts Wooden at courtside in the early 1970s, focused on a game and wearing a pinstripe suit, patterned tie and black-framed glasses. The name John is in blue and Wooden is in gold in a nod to the school’s colors. The image is based on a photo by university photographer Norm Schindler.In the stamp’s background, one player attempts a jump shot as another tries block it. Their jersey numbers of 4 and 10 signify UCLA’s four undefeated ...

CSP providing funds for car, catalytic converter theft victims

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Colorado State Patrol is beginning to facilitate a program for victims of auto or catalytic converter theft funds to offset victims' secondary costs associated with those thefts.CSP will specifically be able to help motor vehicle and catalytic converter theft victims with secondary costs associated with a stolen vehicle — but none of the primary costs associated with vehicle repair or replacement qualify. Mayor Mike Johnston’s car stolen in Denver, recovered in Aurora The goal is to lessen the financial blow of an auto theft or catalytic converter repair by paying for secondary costs, like alternative transportation, towing and storage fees of a recovered vehicle, cleaning and sanitizing of a stolen car and vehicle and catalytic converter hardening to prevent further victimization. "These secondary costs, such as the price of getting around without your vehicle, can feel like a re-victimization," state patrol said in a release. "Life doesn’t stop when your car...

Two people hospitalized after multi-vehicle, rollover crash in Eastham

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

At least two people were injured after a crash left several vehicles totaled in Eastham, according to officials.The Eastham Fire Department said crews were first called to Route 6 for the crash on Thursday morning around 7:40 a.m., after initially receiving reports of a roll-over accident near Hemenway Road.First responders arrived to find multiple vehicles were involved, with several people injured.At least four vehicles were part of the crash, including a U-Haul truck that took significant damage to its front and a pickup truck that appeared to be torn in two.According to Eastham Fire Chief Daniel Keane, two people were taken to Cape Cod Hospital as a result.One person was hospitalized with serious injuries, while the other had injuries that were not considered life-threatening.All four lanes of Route 6 were closed during the morning as firefighters and police responded. The highway was later reopened at 9:30 a.m.

Suicides in US hit historic high in 2022, driven by increase among older adults

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

By Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles TimesIf you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 988. The first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.Rising rates of suicide among older adults drove the number of such deaths to a historic high in the United States last year, even as suicide declined among youth, according to a report released Wednesday by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.More than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022 across the country, the highest tally recorded for the nation, according to federal figures. It’s the latest evidence of a troubling trend in the U.S., where suicide has been on the rise for much of the 21st century.The U.S. suicide rate fell somewhat between 2018 and 2020, but then resumed its upward trend, al...

Some states act to protect residents from extreme heat — with a new focus on young people

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

Tim Henderson | Stateline.org (TNS)After two years of record-breaking heat that brought a surge of deaths and health emergencies, several states have enacted or are considering measures designed to protect residents — with a new focus on younger people whose vulnerability is rising with the temperatures.Nationally, heat-related deaths rose from about 1,000 in 2018 to 1,722 in 2022 and 1,784 so far in 2023, according to a Stateline analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Those totals are likely an underestimate because heat waves make death more likely from other causes as well.The Stateline analysis considered heat-related deaths in CDC epidemiological research, known as Wonder data, where heat is listed as a direct or contributing cause. But deaths caused by heat more indirectly are much higher. A New York City analysis last year, for example, found an average 360 heat-exacerbated deaths in the city annually compared with 10 caused directly by heat.Clim...

ICE arrests Brazilian fugitive convicted of child rape in Massachusetts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:21:27 GMT

ICE deportation officers in Massachusetts have arrested a Brazilian fugitive who had been convicted of child rape, according to federal immigration officials.Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston officers arrested Edimir Gustavo Eckelberg, 62, who had been wanted following a child rape conviction in Brazil.Deportation officers from ERO Boston’s Foreign Fugitive Apprehension Unit apprehended Eckelberg in Tewksbury on Tuesday.Eckelberg had been wanted by Brazilian law enforcement authorities after he fled the country instead of serving a 12-year prison sentence for the child rape conviction earlier this year.“There is no more repulsive and disturbing crime than the sexual assault of a child,” ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. “We are proud to have apprehended this convicted rapist and will seek to remove him from the United States so that he cannot prey on the members of our community.“Convicted foreign fugitives a...