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Wendell Smith covered sports, history and civil rights and traveled with Jackie Robinson. A new book remembers his work

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

Rick Kogan | Chicago TribuneWendell Smith was 58 when he died and he was famous then.It was 1972 and the words of praise in the wake of his death came from such big shots as Mayor Richard J. Daley, who said, “We have lost a very great citizen, who was interested in the city and most of all the city’s children.”Smith’s funeral was attended by such admirers as Bears owner George Halas, Gale Sayers, Johnny Morris, Billy Williams, other sports figures, politicians and many from the media world. Columnist Irv Kupcinet would write in the Sun-Times, “His death had a numbing effect. He was an able newsman, but more, a respected gentleman in his profession and a dear friend.”There were quick posthumous honors, a scholarship in his name, various awards. But fame faded and Smith’s name and accomplishments became buried in history dust.Coming to the rescue, so to speak, was “42,” the 2013 movie about Jackie Robinson, the ballplayer played by the late Chadwick Boseman. Actor André Holland portra...

NFL Draft 2023 Live Updates | Who will be the first pick?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

By The Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NFL draft begins tonight! The Carolina Panthers are on the clock with the No. 1 pick and likely will choose between quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. The events at Kansas City’s Union Station start at 1 p.m. Eastern and will include a red carpet and musical acts highlighted by Fall Out Boy. The draft will begin at 8 p.m. EST and can be viewed on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Follow for live updates from Associated Press reporters across the country (all times EST).What to know:— When, where and how to watch the NFL draft.— Mock Draft! See if your predictions are better than ours. ___4:50 p.m.C.J. Stroud has gone from being considered the likely No. 1 overall pick to potentially dropping out of the top 10 after reports the Ohio State quarterback scored poorly in the S2 Cognition test.“First, second, third, 20th, 105th, whatever it looks like, I’m just blessed to be able to have ...

Dave Hyde: How did the Heat pull the NBA’s biggest playoff upset in history?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

There’s only one question about the Miami Heat today, and it’s not how they match up against the New York Knicks, or who will be healthy, or even whether that old Heat-Knicks rivalry has any embers today (it doesn’t).That’s for tomorrow.Todays’ question: How did the Heat just pull off the biggest upset in NBA history?Only six times has an eighth-seeded team beaten a top seed to advance. So this was rare ground the Heat walked in. Throw in the idea Milwaukee was healthy for the last two games while the Heat were without their second-best offensive player in Tyler Herro and rotational player in Victor Oladipo and there’s no debate.So, again, how did they do it?1. Jimmy Butler. This was his series. Fifty-six points in Game 4? Forty-two in the closing Game 5? Playoff Jimmy now has nine postseason games of more than 40 points in his four Heat years — one more than Dwyane Wade had in his 15 Heat seasons. No one in the league does more in the playo...

Bruins notebook: Better communication needed against the Panthers in Game 6

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

BEDFORD – “Miscommunication.”Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery repeatedly emphasized that word during a press conference on Thursday afternoon prior to the team’s departure for Florida from Hanscom Air Force Base.The Bruins had a chance to eliminate the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their opening round Stanley Cup playoff series on Wednesday night at the TD Garden but were thwarted 4-3 in overtime. Adding insult to injury, the game winner was scored by despised villain Mathew Tkachuk at 6:05 of the extra frame.Montgomery said the setback in Game 5 was caused by miscommunications in the Bruins’ end that created turnovers at critical moments. The Bruins made a host of similar miscommunication errors in their 6-3 loss at home in Game 2.Montgomery said that problem has been clarified headed into Friday night’s Game 6 encounter with the Panthers at FLA Live Arena. The Bruins swept Games 3 and 4 in Florida to lead the series 3-2.“Communication on goals against needs to be higher, tha...

Montana trans lawmaker fights on during 1st day of exile

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

By AMY BETH HANSON, BRITTANY PETERSON and SAM METZ (Associated Press)HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr spent her first day in legislative exile Thursday relegated to a bench in a noisy hallway across from a snack bar outside the state House chambers where she is no longer allowed.Zephyr defiantly stayed put even after the Republican House speaker said she couldn’t be there and a House security officer threatened to move the bench where she had set up her laptop. She listened to debate and voted remotely from there, with a gold sticky note on the wall above her head with “Seat 31” written on it, her seat assignment in the house. The note was placed there by transgender and nonbinary Rep. SJ Howell. Republicans had wanted Zephyr to participate from behind the doors of the House Minority’s offices a day after they voted to ban her from the House floor for the rest of the session, which ends early next week.Her refusal to do so ...

Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday concerts feature ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ lineup of stars

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

Dozens of artists and thousands of fans will come together at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on April 29-30 to wish country music icon Willie Nelson a very happy birthday.The “On the Road Again” singer-songwriter, musician and political activist turns 90 on Saturday, April 29 and several of his famous friends and longtime collaborators will be performing alongside him during a special concert to mark the occasion.“He certainly seems to be having a moment this year,” said Bill Silva, promoter of Live Nation Hewitt Silva, during a recent phone interview. “If you just look at this year, he won two Grammy awards and has a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination. It really feels like the year of Willie and it just happens to coincide with this 90th.”RELATED: George Strait, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Stills added to Willie Nelson’s 90th at Hollywood Bowl“(This) is one of the best lineups we have ever put together for one show,” Silva’s booking partner Andrew Hewitt added.Willie Nelson (...

Abraham Verghese says ‘The Covenant of Water’ dips into his family’s past

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

When asked to describe the south Indian state of Kerala, the word that springs to mind for Dr. Abraham Verghese is this: “Water – 44 rivers, countless streams and lagoons and hundreds of miles of waterways.” More than a decade after the publication of his previous novel, “Cutting for Stone,” these waterways are where Dr. Verghese, author and professor of medicine at Stanford University, has set his latest book “The Covenant of Water,” out May 2 from Grove Atlantic.Water is the “defining element” of Kerala, Dr. Verghese says, which is why the central tragedy of “Covenant” is one of a family cursed by inexplicable drownings. The novel begins with the arranged marriage of the family’s matriarch, known as “Big Ammachy,” or “Big Mother,” who discovers something is very wrong with the family she’s just joined: They’ve been fighting a war with the waters of their homeland for generations.Related: Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and moreGeography is intentional...

Westbound I-8 lanes reopen in El Cajon after multi-vehicle collision

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. — All lanes of westbound Interstate 8 in El Cajon have reopened Thursday following a multi-vehicle collision that prompted a several hour closure, Caltrans said.The crash happened around 10:20 a.m. on westbound I-8 near East Main Street, according to the California Highway Patrol's Traffic Incident Information Page.A Sig Alert was issued around 10:40 a.m., prompting all westbound lanes to close.Around 1:20 p.m., Caltrans announced that all lanes had reopened. Rules of the Road: Are tinted windows legal in California? All vehicles are being detoured to the East Main Street off-ramp, Caltrans said.The circumstances that led to the collision were not immediately available and it is not yet known if there were any reported injuries related to the crash.SkyFOX footage captured of the crash showed one vehicle overturned in the middle of the traffic lanes.You can monitor the latest traffic conditions with the FOX 5 Traffic Map.Officials have not announced how long the fr...

Hot spell hikes risks of flooding, avalanches and fire across British Columbia

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

VANCOUVER — As British Columbia heads into one of its first warm spells of the year, forecasters are warning the heat could raise avalanche and flood risks, while the danger of wildfires has already nudged up to a “moderate” rating in some parts of the province.The River Forecast Centre website says temperatures are expected to be at least 10 degrees above normal for many areas of B.C. through the weekend before cooler weather and rain arrive next week.The centre says mid-elevation snowpacks could begin rapid melting, issuing high streamflow advisories for areas north of Prince George, across the Cariboo, parts of the Shuswap and south through the Okanagan to the U.S. border.Avalanche Canada predicts the sudden warming could also create dangerous conditions across every mountain range in Western Canada and it says the hazard will increase daily, raising the possibility of very large, deep avalanches. Advisories urge those in the backcountry to use extreme caution on moun...

S&P/TSX composite rises more than 150 points, U.S. markets post strong gains

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:14 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index rose more than 150 points with broad-based gains led by financials, health care and metals, while U.S. markets posted strong gains as tech stocks continued to impress during earnings season. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 155.92 points at 20,522.64.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 524.29 points at 33,826.16. The S&P 500 index was up 79.36 points at 4,135.35,while the Nasdaq composite was up 287.89 points at 12,142.24.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.46 cents UScompared with 73.39 cents US on Wednesday.The June crude contract was up 46 cents at US$74.76 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.36 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$3.00 at US$1,999.00 an ounce and the July copper contract was up two cents at US$3.88 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press