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Can the Pac-12 survive? Conference of champions faces murky future after Colorado bolts for Big 12

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

The conference of champions appears to be in crisis.Colorado’s announcement Thursday that it will return to the Big 12 comes a little more than a year after Southern California and UCLA said they were ditching the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten. The departure of all three next year leaves the league that has won more NCAA championships than any other facing an uncertain future.Still without a media rights contract to replace ones that expires next summer, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff keeps promising that all will be well. It is becoming harder to sell that no news on a deal is good news.“We are focused on concluding our media rights deal and securing our continued success and growth,” the Pac-12 said in a statement after CU’s announcement. “Immediately following the conclusion of our media rights deal, we will embrace expansion opportunities and bring new fans, markets, excitement and value to the Pac-12.”Pac-12 presidents and chancellors, athletic directors and Klia...

Former Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz suspended for positive doping test

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

MONACO (AP) — Former Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz has been suspended after testing positive for doping, track and field authorities said Friday.The Athletics Integrity Unit said Braz was notified of an allegation he tested positive for ostarine. No more details were published.Braz won a surprising gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics with a jump of 6.03 meters that still stands as the Olympic record.The 29-year-old Braz took bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He competed in two Diamond League meets in Europe this month ahead of next month’s world championships in Budapest, Hungary.Braz has been provisionally suspended while the AIU prosecutes his case. He faces a ban of up to four years.Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator that can help muscle growth. It was the substance that cost the British men’s 4×100-meter relay team a silver medal at the Tokyo Games after Chijindu Ujah tested positive.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports...

Fort Belvoir renames Lee Road in ceremony honoring historic executive order

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner, InsideNoVa.com, and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.In honor of the 75th anniversary of a presidential executive order prohibiting segregation in the military, Fort Belvoir held a ceremony this week to announce the renaming of Lee Road to EO 9981 Road.Executive Order 9981, signed by President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1948, declared it essential that U.S. armed forces maintain the highest standards of democracy, with equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve.Lee Road’s name change came from a decision made by the congressional naming commission created in 2021 to study and make recommendations on renaming military assets with names linked to the Confederate Army in the Civil War.Former Judge Rohulamin Quander, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffery C. McKay, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, Command Sgt. Maj. Garth D. Newell an...

'So much joy and happiness': Locals create disability-friendly clothing and artwork

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- On Saturday, a group of local artists will come together to create an accessible art and fashion exhibition in downtown Denver.McNichols Civic Center Building is hosting creators, each with a disability, who tailor their work for people with and without disabilities. Some of the featured work includes art you can touch, clothing-friendly options for people with prosthetics and garments for sensitive skin. July 28-30: Things to do in Denver this weekend "I'm just really excited to see Denver show up for this disabled community. I think there's so much joy and happiness," Shanna Shelby, the exhibition curator, said.Three pieces by John Bramblitt.Pieces created by Chole Duplessis.Pieces by Melanie Walker.“Vibrant Accessibility” is a group show featuring three blind artists with tactile art -- art you can touch. Each of their pieces can be admired by seeing and non-seeing people. Chloé Duplessis is a legally blind fiber artist based in Denver.Melanie Walker is a Unive...

Mother of 19-year-old daughter fatally shot in Fort Lauderdale pleads for the public’s help in finding killer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

A parent shared her pain after losing her teenage daughter to gun violence. Her daughter was riding in a popular rental vehicle when she came under fire.On Friday, Brittany Bucknor pleaded to the public to come forth with any information that would lead to an arrest after her 19-year-old daughter, Destiny Bucknor, was shot and killed.“Needing the community’s help to speak up for my daughter, she deserves it,” Bucknor said. “That was my only girl. My first born. I would never put this pain on another parent, to lose a child.”The shooting happening on July 4 as Destiny drove down the 2900 block of Northwest Eighth Street.“Just after 7 p.m., Destiny was riding in a bright green Slingshot motorcycle with another family member,” Broward Sheriff’s Office Detective Steve Novak said. Detectives believe there were several witnesses in the area when the shots were fired. “Based on the investigation so far, we know that there were probably ...

Miami-Dade firefighters rescue dog trapped in canal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue came to the rescue of a distressed dog struggling in a canal, Thursday afternoon. Engine 7 crews arrived at the scene, a canal near NW 12 Court and Little River Drive, around 2:45 p.m. Upon arrival, they found the dog in distress, trapped in the canal at the rear of a home. Firefighters wasted no time and immediately took action to save the stranded dog.The firefighters placed a roof ladder inside the canal, providing a safe route for the dog to climb out. The stranded pooch was skillfully secured and brought back to shore, reuniting it with its grateful owners.

Greek minister resigns after vacationing while wildfires rage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

ATHENS — Greece’s minister for citizen protection resigned on Friday after he was spotted on a holiday as wildfires spread across the country.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accepted the resignation of the minister responsible for public security services, including police, who have assisted the fire service with multiple wildfires in tourist destinations, near towns and military bases in the past two weeks.Eyewitnesses, according to local media outlets, spotted the now ex-minister, Notis Mitarachi, on Patmos island. “He showed up yesterday morning on a faraway island to start his holiday, boarded a boat for a few hours and then returned in the early afternoon as if nothing was wrong, with bathers in the area wondering if they are seeing properly,” said Greek newspaper Kathimerini on Friday.Mitarachi resigned citing “personal reasons,” according to a statement by the prime minister’s office. He will be replaced by Yannis Oikonomou, the alternate sports minister....

Belgian right-wing MEP cleared in harassment probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

A European Parliament probe into harassment allegations against Belgian EU lawmaker Assita Kanko has been dropped, she said Friday. “Today I was informed that a complaint filed against me … has been dismissed,” the 43-year-old MEP said in an emailed statement. “The competent committee has decided, on the basis of all the arguments, facts and results of the investigation, that the accusations against me of improper demanding behavior have proved to be unfounded. The president of the European Parliament follows the opinion of this committee and consequently dismisses the complaint,” Kanko added. Kanko is one of the six vice chairs of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, and her policy specializations include the EU’s migration policy. POLITICO reported in May — based on documents and testimonies from several parliamentary officials — that there was a culture of fear within Kanko’s office as she issued orders that we...

Cleanup continues after NWS confirms EF1 tornado touched down in southern NH Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Cheshire County, New Hampshire on Thursday, causing damage in the area around Dublin. The NWS sent a storm survey team to the region on Friday after storms swept through Thursday afternoon. In an update, officials said the team saw damage consistent with an EF1 tornado bringing maximum winds between 90 and 95 miles per hour.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Former NH state representative pleads not guilty to federal sexual exploitation of children charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:39:00 GMT

Former New Hampshire state representative Stacie Laughton appeared in federal court Friday to face multiple federal charges of sexual exploitation of children. Laughton, who was arrested in the case earlier this year, pleaded not guilty and was being held on bond as of Friday afternoon after a grand jury indicted her on three counts of sexual exploitation of children.Prosecutors said Laughton received nude photos of children taken during diaper changes and bathroom breaks at the Creative Minds Daycare in Tyngsboro. Prosecutors said a now-former worker at the daycare, Lindsay Groves, took the photos.Groves and Laughton were once in a relationship, according to prosecutors who said the two allegedly exchanged thousands of disturbing text messages about children. Groves is also facing charges.