Search Results for: news

Kajitani overcomes chaos to win Augusta National Women's Am

Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan is the second winner of the Augusta National Women's Amateur. It wasn't anything like the first edition. Two years ago, it was all about eagles and birdies and back-nine charges. Saturday it was about who would overcome the fewest mistakes. Kajitani had a double bogey on the 17th hole. But it was good enough to get into a playoff when Rose Zhang fell apart with a triple bogey and Karen Fredgaard took double bogey late in the round. Kajitani won in a playoff with par when Emilia Migliaccio didn't clear the bunker with a pitch shot.

Marchand carries Bruins' big 2nd and past Penguins, 7-5

Brad Marchand had two of his three goals and set up another in Boston’s five-goal second period. Patrice Bergeron moved into a tie for fourth on the club’s all-time scoring list and the Boston Bruins rebounded from a lackluster effort with a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. David Pastrnak scored twice, David Krejci and Bergeron each had a goal for Boston. Bergeron is tied with 898 career points with Rick Middleton.  Playing two days after coach Bruce Cassidy called out some of his top veterans saying he was “disappointed” in their play, the Bruins' core group struck in big numbers in the second period. 

Suspect's wife says she 'can't understand' California attack

The estranged wife of the man who allegedly went on a shooting rampage in a Southern California office building earlier this week that left four people dead said Saturday that she couldn’t fathom why her husband targeted people who had treated her like family for more than a decade. Police say the suspect, Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, had targeted the mobile home brokerage company, Unified Homes, and had personal and business relationships with the victims. His wife, Aleyda Mendoza, had worked there for more than 10 years as a broker assistant. Mendoza says she and Gaxiola have been separated for more than two years. Gaxiola is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

LEADING OFF: Ohtani back on the mound, Sanchez slugging

Shohei Ohtani’s quest to regain his reputation as a stellar two-way player gets a big test when he takes the mound for the Los Angeles Angels against the White Sox. The right-handed Ohtani had 10 impressive starts on the mound as a rookie in 2018 before needing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He hasn’t been on the mound since except for two ineffective appearances last season. Also around the big leagues, Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez is off to a good start with two homers in two games, and MLB is facing fallout from its decision to pull July's All-Star Game from Atlanta's Truist Park to protest a new voting law.

Father Hep: Cronin's dad relishes UCLA's run to Final Four

The 79-year-old father of UCLA coach Mick Cronin has become an unlikely celebrity during the Bruins' run to the Final Four. Television cameras have been focused on Hep Cronin as much as his son during the games. The cameras first zoomed in on Hep Cronin during the First Four game against Michigan State and after the 86-80 overtime victory when father and son saw each other in person for the first time in over a year. Since that game, Hep’s celebrations have been must-see moments. The cameras will likely be pointed at Hep again Saturday when UCLA faces Gonzaga in the Final Four.

Vasilevskiy 12-0 against Detroit, Lightning beat Wings 2-1

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 stops to move to 12-0 lifetime against Detroit and lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 victory. Tampa Bay has won 17 consecutive home games against the Red Wings and improved to 20-1-1 in the last 22 meetings overall. The teams meet again on Sunday. Ross Colton and Brayden Point scored Tampa Bay’s goals. Adam Erne scored for Detroit. Thomas Greiss finished with 27 saves.

No. 1 Barty repeats as Miami champ when Andreescu retires

No. 1-ranked Ash Barty has won her second successive Miami Open championship when No. 8-seeded Bianca Andreescu got hurt and retired while trailing during the second set. Andreescu was crying and shaking her head as she conceded while behind 6-3, 4-0. She stumbled and went sprawling two games earlier when she turned her right foot awkwardly while hitting a forehand. During the ensuing changeover a trainer taped her foot, but she played only five more points before retiring. On Sunday, 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner will try to become the youngest men’s champion in tournament history when he plays Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

Arizona's Aari McDonald is small but no longer overlooked

Arizona's Aari McDonald was used to being overlooked as too small and playing in a program that a few years ago got little respect. Nobody's looking past the Wildcats or their 5-foot-6 dynamo any longer. McDonald has been the driving force in Arizona's quick rise from a six-win program to reach Sunday night's national championship game against Pac-12 rival Stanford. She does it all with blazing quickness, a shooter's touch and tenacious defense while carrying a sizable chip on her small shoulders to prove that she's one of the best players in the game. 

Oklahoma hires Loyola Chicago's Moser as basketball coach

Oklahoma has hired Loyola Chicago’s Porter Moser as its basketball coach following Lon Kruger’s retirement. Moser led Loyola to two deep runs in the NCAA Tournament and takes over a program accustomed to success. Kruger led the Sooners for 10 years and reached seven of the past eight NCAA Tournaments. Oklahoma reached the Final Four in 2016 with Buddy Hield leading the way. In Kruger’s final season, the Sooners went 16-11 and finished with a loss to top-seeded Gonzaga in the second round. Moser lauded the “standards that the programs at Oklahoma have set” and the opportunity to coach in the Big 12.

Arizona, Stanford carry Pac-12 banner in women's title game

The last time that Tara VanDerveer and Stanford were playing for a national championship, the Pac-12 had just 10 schools and the Cardinal were the standard bearer for the conference. Now 11 years later, the Pac-12 is on top of the women’s basketball world with the Cardinal facing Arizona on Sunday night for the title. The conference is guaranteed its first champion since the Hall of Fame coach and the Cardinal won their last title in 1992.

Designer Mossimo Giannulli released from California prison

Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli has been released from a California prison and is under home confinement following his imprisonment for his role in a college admissions bribery scheme. Giannulli is married to former “Full House” star Lori Loughlin. They pleaded guilty last year to paying half a million dollars to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California. Loughlin was released from prison in December after spending two months behind bars. Giannulli’s attorneys and Bureau of Prisons officials did not immediately return requests for comment Saturday. Giannulli’s Mossimo clothing had long been a brand at Target until recently.

Amazon apologizes to congressman for bogus ‘peeing’ tweet

Amazon is sorry for tweeting about peeing. The company, which sent a tweet to a Wisconsin congressman more than a week ago denying that its employees work so hard they have to urinate in empty water bottles, admitted in a late Friday blog post that it was wrong and vowed to improve working conditions for delivery drivers. The company went on to write that urinating in bottles is an industry-wide problem. To try and prove its point, it shared links to news articles about drivers for other delivery companies who urinate in bottles. Amazon said it is looking to fix the problem, but doesn't know how yet. 

UK: Benefits outweigh risks for AstraZeneca despite 7 deaths

Britain’s medicines regulator is urging people to continue taking the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, despite revealing that seven people in the U.K. have died from rare blood clots after getting the jab. The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, says it isn’t clear if the shots are causing the clots, and that its “rigorous review into the U.K. reports of rare and specific types of blood clots is ongoing.” Though the agency said late Friday that seven people had died as a result of developing blood clots, it didn’t disclose any information about their ages or health conditions. In total, MHRA said had identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events out of 18.1 million AstraZeneca doses administered up to and including March 24.

Confederate symbols prove difficult to remove in many states

Amid a racial reckoning and a movement to remove Confederate monuments, it’s proven difficult to take down those symbols that remain across the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center says there are over 2,000 Confederate symbols in public spaces nationwide, including some at state Capitols. The organization says at least six Southern states have policies protecting those monuments. Historical preservation boards and Republican legislative majorities also have slowed the momentum, saying it’s important to preserve America’s past. Along with Confederate imagery, there are also efforts in some states to remove depictions of historical figures who mistreated Native Americans. 

Coming out of the cave: As life creeps back, some feel dread

While much of the country is gleefully making dinner reservations again and booking long canceled vacations, some are secretly dreading each milestone toward normalcy. Instead, they envision anxiety-inducing crowds and awkward catch-up conversations.  Even small tasks outside the home like a trip to the grocery store and returning to the office feel overwhelming. Psychologists call it re-entry fear, and they’re finding it more common as headlines herald the imminent return to post-pandemic life.  While some felt restricted by the confinement of home “caves,” others found safety, comfort and even enjoyment in the isolation.

EXPLAINER: What Biden's new $100B plan for broadband means

The problems with U.S. broadband networks have been obvious for years. Service costs more than in many other rich nations, it still doesn't reach tens of millions of Americans and the companies that provide it don't face much competition. Now…

Gaetz sex probe suddenly threatens a speedy Washington rise

Compared with most congressional newbies, it didn’t take Rep. Matt Gaetz long. Rides aboard Air Force One. Hundreds of television appearances. A darling in conservative circles. Yet barely four years after arriving in Washington as a little-known Republican state legislator from Florida’s panhandle, the 38-year-old unblushing defender of Donald Trump is facing a possible abrupt end to his once promising career. Gaetz is said to be under federal investigation on accusations of sex trafficking. And so far the overwhelming reaction of his GOP colleagues has been a deafening silence. That reflects the resentments he’s sparked during his breakneck rise as one of the party’s celebrities. 

Historic Houston movie theater closes due to pandemic

A historic Houston theater that director Richard Linklater called his “film school” and that for decades was the place to catch hard-to-find independent and foreign films has closed for good. Like many U.S. movie theaters and other businesses, the River Oaks Theatre was a victim of the coronavirus pandemic. After nearly 82 years in business, it turned off its projectors last month, depriving the nation’s fourth-largest city of an institution where everyone from rappers to suburban kids and cinephiles formed friendships, fell in love and found community. Some theater supporters hope it can be preserved as a space where movies can be shown or live events can be held. The “Boyhood” director says it's an important part of Houston's cultural history.

Aiming big, Biden is looking to restore faith in government

President Joe Biden’s vision of his presidency is quickly taking shape. And it's molded in the fashion of Democratic predecessors who dramatically expanded the reach of government to confront generational crises. Biden is preaching patience and at the same time moving with urgency. In a recent meeting with historians and in conversations with advisers, Biden looked to the examples set by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. Although Biden has only narrow congressional majorities, he's aimed big. He believes there's a pressing need to get the country’s house in order and prove that the future belongs to democracies and not autocracies. 

The final insult: Some dying of COVID while awaiting vaccine

Air Force veteran Diane Drewes spent months hoping to receive a COVID-19 immunization. But her daughter says the call offering an appointment came only when Drewes was dying of the illness. Drewes is among an unknown number of people who wanted a vaccine but died before they could get it. More than 245,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States since vaccines first became available in mid-December. With surveys showing a large percentage of the U.S. population leery of vaccines, it’s impossible to say exactly how many of the dead would have even wanted an immunization. But thousands have died while waiting to receive the inoculation. 

Deadly breach could delay decisions about Capitol fencing

The deadly breach of the Capitol’s perimeter on Friday could delay the gradual reopening of the building’s grounds to the public just as lawmakers were eyeing a return to more normal security measures after the Jan. 6 riot. Only a few weeks ago, Capitol Police removed an outer fence that had cut off a wide swath of the area to cars and pedestrians. But after Friday’s attack, lawmakers say they need to procced with caution. A Capitol Police officer was killed when a man rammed his car into a barrier outside the Senate side of the building. The driver was shot and killed after he got out of his car and lunged at police with a knife.

Authors of UK racism report hit back at 'misrepresentation'

LONDON (AP) — The commission behind a report that concluded that Britain doesn't have a systemic problem with racism has defended itself against critics, some of whom have argued that it downplayed the country's historic role in slavery. In a…

Myanmar death toll mounts amid protests, military crackdown

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Security forces in central Myanmar opened fire on anti-coup protesters on Saturday, killing at least two people according to local media. A human rights group said mounting violence since the Feb. 1 military takeover has killed…

LEADING OFF: All-Star Game needs new home, Harvey's new try

Matt Harvey gets another fresh beginning in Boston on Saturday when he’s scheduled to take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles. The 2013 NL All-Star was one of the game’s best pitchers for the New York Mets early in his career but that success was derailed by injuries and ineffectiveness. The 32-year-old right-hander bounced between the Reds, Angels and Royals after leaving the Mets but has mostly struggled. Elsewhere in baseball, the All-Star Game needs a new home after the event was pulled by MLB from Atlanta. The move is a response to Georgia enacting a new law last month that critics say restricts voting rights.