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What should the National Zoo name its baby gorilla?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

The National Zoo wants input on what to call its baby western lowland gorilla; here’s how you can vote on a name this week.Through a gender reveal party hosted Monday, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced that the baby born on May 27 is a girl.The baby, born to parents Calaya (mother, 20 years old) and Baraka (father, 31 years old), seems “healthy and strong,” and Calaya’s parenting skills are “excellent,” zoo staff said in a news release.The deadline to vote on the three potential names is Friday at midnight. Here are the options for baby names:Lola (LOH-lah) | Yoruba for “greatness”Mkali (M-KAH-lee) | Swahili for “fierce”Zahra (ZAH-rah) | Swahili for “beautiful flower”The newborn also has a 5-year-old brother, Moke, at the zoo. Other gorillas in the zoo’s troop include 41-year-old Mandara and her 14-year-old daughter, Kibibi.Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, with the biggest threats ...

LeBron James named honorary starter for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

LE MANS, France (AP) — NBA superstar LeBron James has been named the official starter for the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans, which this year is welcoming American teams to the world’s most prestigious endurance race.The NBA’s all-time leading scorer said he’s honored to be included in the celebration of 100 years at Le Mans.“There’s nothing like seeing and experiencing sports at their highest level,” James said in a statement. “It’s an honor for me to be part of this historic moment in motorsport and help celebrate the centenary of one of the biggest sporting events in the world.“I look forward to kicking off this iconic race and watching its world-class drivers compete on Le Mans’ global stage.”The twice-round-the-clock race begins Saturday. The role of honorary starter has since 1949 typically been given to a celebrity. Previous honorary starters include Rafael Nadal, Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen. Track action at Le Mans resumes Wednesday and the 62-car field this...

Supreme Court opened the door to states’ voting restrictions. Now a new ruling could widen them.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Within hours of a U.S. Supreme Court decision dismantling a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, Texas lawmakers announced plans to implement a strict voter ID law that had been blocked by a federal court. Lawmakers in Alabama said they would press forward with a similar law that had been on hold.The ruling continues to reverberate across the country a decade later, as Republican-led states pass voting restrictions that, in several cases, would have been subject to federal review had the conservative-leaning court left the provision intact. At the same time, the justices have continued to take other cases challenging elements of the landmark 1965 law that was born from the sometimes violent struggle for the right of Black Americans to cast ballots.The justices are expected to rule in the coming weeks in a new case out of Alabama that could make it much more difficult for minority groups to sue over gerrymandered political maps that dilute their representation.“At t...

Large landfill fire in Fairfax Co. fills surrounding areas with smoke, no injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

A landfill fire in Lorton, Virginia, is to blame for plumes of smoke visible from parts of Route 1 and Interstate 95 Tuesday morning.According to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the fire broke out at around 11 p.m. Monday in the 9900 block of Richmond Highway.Firefighters quickly controlled and contained the fire.UPDATE 9900 blk Richmond Hwy: #FCFRD units remain on scene of a large outside fire. The fire is contained. No reported injuries. Smoke is visible in the area, including from Rte. 1 and I-95. pic.twitter.com/56Z8VUatX3— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 6, 2023Officials told partners at 7News that fire crews worked overnight to get “the large volume of fire under control.” Fire truck were reportedly seen leaving and returning back to the area to refill with water because there was no fire hydrant access inside the landfill.WTOP’s Traffic Center reports that the smoke from the fire is causing rubbernecking and adding to the dela...

Muchova beats Pavlyuchenkova and reaches first French Open semifinal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Karolina Muchova is in the French Open semifinals for the first time.The unseeded Czech defeated 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.Her previous best result in Paris was the third round last year.Pavlyuchenkova played for more than three hours in her previous match and appeared tired as she got off a sluggish start and gave away too many easy points.She tried to fight back using her powerful groundstrokes but her hopes of a comeback were dashed when she went down 4-1 in the second set after another big forehand bounced wide.Pavlyuchenkova missed most of the 2022 season with a knee injury. Ranked No. 333, she was the lowest-ranked woman to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals in the Open Era, and the lowest at any Grand Slam since 2017.Muchova has also been slowed by an injuries as an abdominal problem forced her to rest for six months after the 2021 U.S. Open. She damaged an ankle during her third-round match at R...

Main Street traders are taking big risks. They might not pay off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

A 'Now Hiring' sign is displayed outside a resale clothing shop on Friday in Los Angeles, California. A 'Now Hiring' sign is displayed outside a resale clothing shop on Friday in Los Angeles, California. New York (CNN) — “Sell in May and go away” — shorthand for the idea that US stocks rise more between November and April than over the summer — is one of the most oft-repeated adages on Wall Street. But Main Street isn’t listening. New data from TD Ameritrade shows that retail investors shrugged off US debt ceiling uncertainty and recessionary fears last month as they increased their exposure to markets.What’s happening: May was a mixed month for US stocks. The debt ceiling debate and the possibility of a US ...

Denver almost hits June rainfall total in first 4 days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — It has been a rainy start to June so far. Within the first four days, Denver has almost hit its monthly rainfall total.Another afternoon of storm chances, that's been the big weather headline for the month of June so far. The Pinpoint Weather team has been tracking the rainy conditions, and it doesn't look like it will dry out anytime soon. Flash floods strand Denver-area drivers Pinpoint Meteorologist Travis Michels said that rain is in the forecast for at least the next seven days. So, with all that moisture, how much rain has Denver accumulated?June rain so farIn the first four days of June, Denver had rain every day for a total of 1.81 inches. The average amount of rainfall for the entire month is 1.94 inches, meaning Denver is less than .10 inches from the monthly average in just the first week.Month to date, Denver was 1.43 inches above-average. Year-to-date precipitationAccording to Travis Michels, since the start of the year on Jan. 1, Denver has had 10.13 ...

Hollywood Police arrest 3 suspects in Memorial Day beach shooting; teen victim reunites with Good Samaritan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — Police in South Florida arrested two suspects over the weekend and a third on Monday following a Memorial Day shooting along a busy beachside promenade that injured nine people.Detectives from the Hollywood Police Department took Ariel Cardahn Paul, 16, into custody on Sunday night and Lionel JeanCharles Jr., 18, on Monday afternoon, the agency said in a news release. On Saturday, Hollywood detectives and the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force arrested 15-year-old Jordan Burton.JeanCharles, Paul and Burton have been identified by police as the shooters, the agency said.They will each face charges of attempted first-degree murder, eight counts of attempted murder in the second degree and one count of carrying a concealed firearm.Two men who were involved in the altercation that led to the shooting — Morgan Deslouches and Keshawn Stewart, both 18 — were arrested last week on firearms charges, police said. Five handguns have been recovered, with one of them reported...

Arraez lifts average to .399, Marlins overcome 4-run deficit in 9-6 win over Royals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Luis Arraez had three hits to raise his major league-leading batting average to .399, and the Miami Marlins beat the Kansas City Royals 9-6 on Monday night.Arraez drove in two runs for the Marlins, who erased an early four-run deficit and won their fourth straight game. Bryan De La Cruz hit his eighth homer, while Jon Berti, Nick Fortes and Joey Wendle had two hits apiece.After going hitless in four at-bats Friday against Oakland, Arraez is 10 for 13 over the last three games.“It’s huge,” he said of his current average. “I have worked hard for this. But this is just starting. I am not complacent. I want to accomplish more.”No big league player has batted .400 for a season since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.Braxton Garrett (2-2) overcame a difficult start and completed five innings of four-run ball. The left-hander gave up six hits and struck out six.Arraez’s RBI single capped a four-run fourth and put Miami ahead 6-4. Berti hit a two-run triple and Jonathan Davis follo...

Analysis: For Heat, the team’s famed ‘culture’ all starts with Pat Riley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:49 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Maybe the best way to describe Heat Culture would be to consider two ways that Pat Riley has used to define what basically is the backbone of Miami’s franchise.Answer 1: “It’s a shared philosophy with the goal of being great.”Answer 2: “It’s our shared goals, shared vision, shared thoughts.”The first answer was from 2000. The second answer came in 2020. The thinking barely deviated.Times change. Rosters change. But Riley and the culture — a buzzword for the Heat, a punchline for some who disparage what the Heat have done — stay pretty much the same. Out of the last 52 NBA Finals, Riley has been part of 19 of them as either a player, coach or executive. That means, give or take, Riley finds his way to the finals about every three years.Erik Spoelstra is the coach and makes the decisions, but it’s Riley — the team president seeking his 10th championship — who is still at the helm of the Heat ship. The Heat are tied with the Denver Nuggets at a game apiece in these NBA Fin...