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Jimmy Butler and the Heat showing how badly the Mavericks screwed up with run to NBA Finals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

Adam Silver’s biggest tweak to the NBA since taking over for David Stern — the play-in tournament — produced this year both a finalist and semifinalist.The Heat and Lakers got through Silver’s extra game(s) and demonstrated there’s hope for the play-in teams beyond extra revenue for postseason gates. On a broader scale, the league is wide open because the Warriors and LeBron James lost their fizzle. We’re guaranteed five different champions over five years for the first time since (get this!) 1977 to 1981.Which brings us to the Dallas Mavericks and their decision to sit this one out. It’s impossible to overstate just how badly they botched it.Armed with one of the league’s top players in Luka Doncic, they made a hard and rapid pivot from going all-in on the season to tanking it away. They traded for a win-now piece and the picture of instability, Kyrie Irving. Then they lost and lost more before deciding that keeping a lottery pick out...

Smelling smoke in Massachusetts? Nova Scotia wildfire smoke overspreads the region

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

Have you been smelling smoke outside but don’t see a fire?Nova Scotia wildfire smoke made its way to Massachusetts on Tuesday, as those with a sensitive nose were able to smell the smoke as it pushed through the region. The smoke plume from Canada also impacted visibility in spots across southern New England.An “Air Quality Alert” was issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection with the wildfire smoke overspreading the Bay State.“Fine particle levels will elevate at times into the Moderate and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range as wildfire smoke influences our region,” the advisory stated. “An Air Quality Alert for elevated fine particle levels has been posted for areas of Mass through midnight tonight.”Related ArticlesWeather | Massachusetts, get ready for 90-degree heat as June arrives after cool Memorial Day Weather | Massachusetts weather forecast: ‘A lot of uncertainty’ for...

Florida-bound seaweed blob contains flesh-eating bacteria, study shows

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

Most people were already aware of the 5,000-mile long sargassum bloom making its way toward Florida — and possibly Alabama — beaches, but thanks to a new study, there’s more to be concerned about than just the stench which accompanies the bloom.Florida Atlantic University has released a study which found that sargassum bloom contains both the Vibrio bacteria and plastic marine debris, creating what the study’s authors called a “perfect pathogen storm” with significant health risks to both humans and marine life.The Vibrio bacteria, frequently referred to as the “flesh-eating” bacteria, can cause life-threatening illnesses from seafood consumption, as well as disease and death from open wound infections, according to the report.Not only can the Vibrio bacteria live within the sargassum, however, it also appears to be able to attach itself to plastic marine debris.“Plastic is a new element that’s been introduced into marine environments and has only been around for about 50 years,” sa...

These experts are seeing spikes in drug shortages. ‘I view this as a national health emergency’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

Shortages of essential drugs are threatening to become a crisis in the United States, health care providers say.While cancer drugs have been most publicized recently, experts in pharmacy say they often find themselves scrambling to find common generic medications such as antibiotics and fear having to resort to rationing.They say only a national effort to bring generic drug manufacturing back from overseas, among other steps, will help relieve the problem, which mostly affects injectable drugs, including chemotherapy and cardiac medications.“It is not just cancer, said Dr. Peter Yu, physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute in Hartford, Connecticut. “It’s pediatrics, it’s infectious diseases, it’s rheumatology.”Yu said the American Society of Clinical Oncology looked into the problem when he was president in 2014-15. “In part what we learned is it wasn’t just oncology; it really is a health economics issue about how drugs are paid for and manufactured and distri...

Fire at Austrian hospital kills 3 patients, cigarette suspected as cause

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Three patients died in a fire that broke out overnight at a hospital in a town just outside Vienna, Austrian authorities said Tuesday. Police said they suspect a cigarette set off the blaze.The fire broke out in a fourth-floor room at the hospital in Moedling, and rescuers were unable to save three men who were in that room, Matthias Hofer, a spokesman for Lower Austria province’s health agency, told the Austria Press Agency. A woman was slightly injured.Authorities were alerted shortly before 1 a.m. to the fire, which filled the internal medicine ward with smoke. Around 90 patients were evacuated, with some being moved to other parts of the hospital and others transferred to a clinic in nearby Baden.The fire was extinguished by 3 a.m.Evidence points to a cigarette having been the cause, police spokesman Stefan Loidl told APA later Tuesday. Investigators believe that the fire started in the bed of a 75-year-old man who was a heavy smoker. The room’s window ...

Video, tips sought in probe of shooting outside suburban Philadelphia stadium that wounded 8

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

Authorities are asking the public to share any footage or information as they investigate a shooting that left eight teenagers wounded at a weekend gathering outside a stadium near Philadelphia.Police in the suburb of Chester said the gunfire erupted shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot outside Subaru Park, the sports venue beside the Delaware River where the Philadelphia Union play. In a statement, police appealed to businesses and residents to check their cameras for any footage that may assist the investigation. Authorities did not immediately say whether they had any suspects in connection with the shooting or were close to making any arrests. Six people between the ages of 17 and 18 were shot, authorities said. The Delaware County city’s police commissioner, Steven Gretsky, told reporters on Monday that all had been released from the hospital except for a 17-year-old boy, who remained in critical condition Tuesday. District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Tuesday t...

Dearth of skilled workers, funding dents tech adoption by manufacturers: Survey

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

MONTREAL — A shortage of skilled workers and funding is hurting manufacturers’ ability to take up new technology, according to a new survey.In a poll by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, 40 per cent of respondents have yet to start or are just beginning a digital transformation.One third of those surveyed pointed to a dearth of skilled workers as a key hurdle to adopting fresh tech.Dennis Darby, who heads the trade organization, says small businesses need help through tax credits that lower investment risks and offset the cost of employee training.“We need more targeted government support for these companies to help accelerate technology adoption in our manufacturing sector or risk our economic competitiveness and standard of living,” Darby said in a release.The industry group is calling for a 10 per cent federal investment tax credit matched by all provinces — it’s already available in Atlantic Canada and the Gaspé Peninsula — as well as more vocational training...

Cyclist critically injured after being struck by vehicle in Toronto’s east end

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

A cyclist has been rushed to hospital after he was struck by a vehicle in the city’s east end.Toronto police were called to the area of Finch Avenue East and Pharmacy Avenue just after 2 p.m. on Tuesday.Police say the man’s injuries are life-threatening.The driver remained at the scene.

Minnesota governor signs bill to legalize marijuana, effective this summer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — Surrounded by dozens of cheering people in green clothes, Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana for people over the age of 21, making Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize the substance for adults.“This has been a long journey with a lot of folks involved,” Walz said.Among them was one of the first governors in the U.S. to openly support marijuana legalization.“For me personally, it’s very wonderful to see a dream of yours over 20 years ago finally happen today, and I’m still alive to see it,” said Jesse Ventura, Minnesota’s governor from 1999-2003.Under the new law, cannabis will be legal by Aug. 1 to possess, use and grow marijuana at home. Possession of cannabis flower will be limited to 2 pounds (0.9 kilos) at home and 2 ounces (56 grams) in public. Other possession caps include 800 milligrams of THC in gummies and other edibles and 8 grams of cannabis concentrate.Retail sales at dispensaries w...

Police identify Hamilton couple fatally shot by landlord

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:52 GMT

Hamilton Police identified the young couple fatally shot by their landlord in a dispute over the weekend.Investigators were called to the apartment building in Stoney Creek around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, and found two deceased victims. A 27-year-old female and a 28-year-old male were both tenants at the residence.Sgt. Steve Bereziuk described the couple as “truly innocent victims.” The 57-year-old suspect is a landlord who lived in a unit above the tenants.In a news release, Hamilton Police confirmed the landlord was killed in an exchange of gunfire with an officer after barricading himself inside the unit.The suspect’s identity has not been revealed.With the family’s permission, police identified the couple as 27-year-old Carissa MacDonald of Stoney Creek, formally of Huntsville, Ont., and 28-year-old Aaron Stone of Hamilton.A police spokesperson said the families of both victims are requesting privacy at this time. Investigators have interviewed seve...