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Bridge: Aug. 26, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Speaking of “focus,” maintaining your concentration is 50 percent of doing well. A vast knowledge of technique won’t help someone who is thinking about where he will go for dinner.In today’s deal, West led the king of clubs against South’s four spades, and East overtook with the ace and returned a club. When West won and led a third club, declarer ruffed with dummy’s ten of trumps. East overruffed with the jack and exited with a diamond.SETTING TRICKSouth then drew trumps, led a heart to his ace and returned a heart for a finesse with dummy’s jack. East produced the queen, winning the setting trick.Whatever South had his mind on, it wasn’t winning 10 tricks. On the third club, South should discard a heart from dummy instead of ruffing. He wins West’s diamond shift, draws trumps, takes dummy’s second high diamond and discards another heart fr...

Spanish football federation threatens legal action against star player in kiss controversy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

The uproar over a post-victory embrace is escalating, with Spain’s football federation threatening to take legal action over star player Jenni Hermoso’s latest statements over the incident.Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation, is defying calls to resign over accusations that his celebratory kiss with Hermoso, a member of Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s team, happened without her consent. Hermoso and 80 other Spanish football players said late Friday that they would not play for the national team as long as “the current leaders continue.”  In a statement published in response to the players’ announcement, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said it would pursue “all legal actions … in defense” of Rubiales. The statement, dated Friday, includes photos which the RFEF claims support his version of events. Rubiales “clearly and simply explained how the events” occurred, according to the statement.The fresh round of claims and counterclaims app...

NFL notes: 4 potential Patriots trades before cutdown day, including a blockbuster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

Like every other NFL team, the Patriots must trim their roster to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m.More than 1,000 players will be released in the coming days, and a few more should be traded. The Patriots have swung cutdown-day trades in the past, acquiring ex-Chiefs offensive tackle Yasir Durant two years ago for a seventh-round pick. Considering their O-line struggles this preseason, another deal could soon be in the works.On that note, here are four trades to boost the Patriots’ current roster, including a blockbuster that would shake the league at large.Hello, old friendPatriots acquire: Falcons RB/WR Cordarrelle PattersonPatriots trade: RB Kevin Harris, 2024 seventh-round pickRemember him?Patterson left New England after winning a Super Bowl in his only season with the Patriots in 2018. Back then, the Pats became the first team to deploy Patterson at running back for entire games, beating Buffalo and Green Bay with him serving as an emergency starter. Nowadays, the Patriot...

Live Blog: 2023 Clear the Shelters event today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A dozen Central Texas animal shelters are participating in an annual event to adopt out as many furry felines and precious pups as possible Saturday — include waived or discounted fees.KXAN and these groups are part of the Clear the Shelters effort, NBCUniversal's nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign.See the local shelters participating and follow along with updates from the day below:Austin Animal Center7201 Levander LoopAustin, TXAustin Pets Alive!1156 W Cesar Chavez StAustin, TXBastrop County Animal Shelter589 Cool Water DriveBastrop, TXFriends of Gonzales Animal Shelter110 W L Walden DrGonzales, TXGeorgetown Animal Shelter110 W L Walden DrGeorgetown, TXLampasas Animal Shelter301 College StLampasas, TXPAWS Shelter Of Central Texas2965 FM 165Dripping Springs, TXPAWS Shelter Of Central Texas500 FM 150 EastKyle, TXSan Marcos Regional Animal Shelter750 River RoadSan Marcos, TXTexas Humane Heroes10930 E. Crystal Falls ParkwayLeander, TXWaggin' Tailz Rescue And...

VIDEO: Car crashes through Texas donut shop, narrowly misses customer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — A car crashed through a Texas donut shop Friday morning. Surveillance video shows a car plowing through the front window of AM Donuts on South Willis Street in Abilene, Texas.The owner said a driver hit the gas when she meant to hit the brakes, causing the collision. There were two children in her car, as well as multiple customers inside the donut shop. The video shows one customer jumping out of the way just as the car enters the building. Thankfully, no one was injured.According to the owner, two customers who come in every morning and usually sit right in the area of impact decided to sit somewhere else the morning of the crash. Insurance is taking care of the damages, and no further information has been released.

3M fined $6.5M for trying to hide payments to Chinese officials

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

Maplewood-based 3M Co. will pay more than $6.5 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that it tried to hide payments to send Chinese government officials on overseas vacations and shopping sprees.The SEC claimed that 3M’s China subsidiary spent $1 million to send officials from state-owned health care facilities and their spouses to U.S. and Australian cities. The company paid for about 24 trips — which were ostensibly to attend educational events — between 2014 and 2017, according to the order.Employees of the Chinese unit sent “alternate itineraries” using private WeChat accounts or hand-delivered them to the officials, the SEC said Friday. They also asked the travelers “to keep the agenda hidden, and falsified internal compliance documents that affirmatively denied and/or omitted mention of the Tourism Activities that were planned as part of the overseas trip,” according to the complaint.3M-China employees tracked whether the travel junkets benefited the...

Panic at high school football game prompts evacuation amid rumors of shots fired

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- In a recent turn of events, fear spread through the crowd at a football game between Pattonville and Ritenour High Schools. Rumors of shots being fired led to the incident, which caused the stadium to be cleared out, leaving people scared and worried about their safety. Students ran from the stands when they thought there was a threat, and the scene was caught on video. It looks like cops told some students to leave, which set off a chain reaction of fear that spread through the crowded stadium and made others run for safety.  Deputy shot in Lincoln County; suspect found dead The school district's superintendent, Barry Nelson, talked about what happened. He said that after working with the cops carefully, it had been decided that no real gunshots had been fired at the event. This was a relief, since the first accounts of shots being fired had made a lot of people worried. Nelson said that it shows how important it is to review and improve safety procedures. The g...

Storms bring relief, cooler Sunday ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect until 7 p.m. today south of St. Louis, where dewpoints remain elevated. Heat indices are likely to reach 100–105 for the seventh consecutive day. However, there's a chance that shower and storm activity could limit the warming, potentially leading to an early cancellation of the warning.We currently have storms moving southeastward in the area. There's also a cluster of storms in north-central MO that is expected to weaken as it progresses into our northern counties. Additionally, the potential exists for storm development this afternoon, particularly across central and southeast Missouri. Today's highs will be cooler, especially in the northern half of the region. The far northern counties can anticipate temperatures in the mid-80s, while STL will be around 90. To the south, temperatures in the low 90s combined with higher humidity will result in dewpoints reaching triple digits for one last day. Isolated to scattered storm chance...

St. Louis Man found shot near South Broadway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- A man has been found dead in an alley, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities report that the victim's body was located on Osage Street, just off South Broadway, shortly after 9:45 p.m. Homicide detectives from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police are now leading the investigation. 

Users beware: Trail apps have been leading to problems in public lands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:40 GMT

Veteran mountaineer Dale Atkins was climbing the challenging Kelso Ridge last week on Torreys Peak, a popular Front Range fourteener, when he encountered a woman in her 20s who had discovered the complexity of the climb required route-finding skills beyond her experience level.“She said she’d gotten to one of the harder spots and just couldn’t figure out where to go, so she turned around,” said Atkins, a member of the Alpine Rescue Team, a volunteer search-and-rescue group that conducts missions in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Gilpin counties. “I asked her if she was using an app, and she said, ‘Yes, I was using AllTrails,’” he continued. “She said all the reviews were really positive about the climb, so she figured with three fourteeners under her belt that she could do it. Her ambitions just exceeded her experience.”Atkins wasn’t surprised. The popular hiking app, with its digital trail maps and user-generated reviews, is the go-to source fo...