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Three-peat for Taunton softball

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

AMHERST — The Taunton softball team came to Sortino Field on Sunday ready to take its place as a softball dynasty in Massachusetts.Mission accomplished.The Tigers became the first team since Bud Henry’s Bishop Fenwick program in the 1990s to win three consecutive Div. 1 titles as Sam Lincoln held Central Catholic to one hit while Ava Venturelli’s three-run homer in the third inning led the way to a 6-1 win over the top-seeded Raiders.“To win again is really special,” said first-year Taunton coach Michele Raposa, who also has two titles as a player and two as an assistant. “To be able to coach this bunch of girls is really special.”The Tigers (24-1) gave Lincoln an early lead to work with as Brooke Aldrich tripled with one out in the second. When the Raiders tried to get her at third, the throw was errant and Aldrich scampered home for a 1-0 lead.One inning later, Taunton broke the game open in a hurry.After Central starter Julia Malowitz got the first out of the third, Kyleah Plumb ...

Yankees fall, 6-2, in first leg of Sunday’s Sox double-header at Fenway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

BOSTON – The Red Sox didn’t tag the Yankees for 15 runs again when their series resumed on Sunday afternoon, yet Boston hammered its division rivals – and the Green Monster – for the second consecutive game, a 6-2 win for the home team.The Sox started their scoring in the fifth after Clarke Schmidt allowed a walk and a double to Justin Turner, which could have been – but was not – caught against the wall by a leaping Jake Bauers in left. Alex Verdugo then scored on a Rafael Devers groundout before Adam Duvall singled Turner home.Michael King prevented further damage in the fifth, but he allowed four two-out hits, including RBI doubles to Connor Wong and Verdugo, in the sixth. Both doubles peppered the Monster.Nick Ramirez then balked in Masataka Yoshida after the outfielder tripled in the seventh.Schmidt’s day ended on a sour note, but he pitched well until the fifth. All in all, he logged 4.2 innings, five hits, two earned runs, three walks...

Microsoft reports cyberattacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

In early June, sporadic but serious service disruptions plagued Microsoft’s flagship office suite — including the Outlook email and OneDrive file-sharing apps — and cloud computing platform.A shadowy hacktivist group claimed responsibility, saying it flooded the sites with junk traffic in distributed denial-of-service attacks.Initially reticent to name the cause, Microsoft has now disclosed that DDoS attacks by the murky upstart were indeed to blame.But the software giant has offered few details — and did not immediately comment on how many customers were affected and whether the impact was global. A spokeswoman confirmed that the group that calls itself Anonymous Sudan was behind the attacks. It claimed responsibility on its Telegram social media channel at the time. Some security researchers believe the group to be Russian.Microsoft offered the  explanation in a blog post Friday evening following a request by The Associated Press two days earlier.Slim on details, the post sa...

Pittsburgh Pirates bus driver busted for DUI while driving to Milwaukee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

A bus driver transporting the Pittsburgh Pirates from Chicago to Milwaukee was arrested for driving under the influence during the trip.Ronald Funderburke, 61, was driving the bus Thursday night on Interstate 94 between the two midwest cities, authorities said.A police escort accompanied the team on the short drive. Illinois state troopers on the scene said Funderburke was driving erratically and apparently trying to leave the convoy, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.Officers initially called for an ambulance, as they believed the bus driver was having a medical emergency, according to Reuters. However, upon closer inspection they believed the man was impaired.Funderburke, a resident of Shelby, N.C., is not a Pirates employee. He was contracted to drive the team to Milwaukee following a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates lost all three games, and proceeded to drop their first two in Milwaukee as well.“The important thing is that all of our personnel...

Belmont girls dominant again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

After the Belmont boys started the day with a Div. 1 state title, Belmont’s girls made it clear early that they were eager to match. The No. 1 seed Marauders (9-0) cruised to a 59-0 victory over the No. 3 seed Brookline Warriors at Curry College. It’s Belmont fifth title in seven years.Senior Mia Taylor led the offense for Belmont with three tries, while Elise Conroy added two more in a dominant team performance.“There’s a benefit of knowing this [match] is not scary. It’s what we’ve been building towards and it’s not out of the realm of possibility to win the state championship. That is a benefit that we have that the players that came before us laid that foundation,” said Belmont coach Kate McCabe.Belmont took the lead in the opening minutes thanks to a drive finished by junior Rowan Dargon. Lucy Kabrhel made the conversion kick to go up 7-0. From there, Belmont continued to live in Brookline’s half of the field.Twenty minutes in, Sally Amer punched in a try for Belmont; 10 ...

‘The Flash’ a bit slow out of the gate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

DC and Warner Bros.’ long-in-the-works superhero movie “The Flash” opened to $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday.Though a fair amount of money by normal standards, a sizable jump from DC’s last release, the “Shazam!” sequel, and enough for a first place start, it’s also muted by superhero standards where $100 million debut weekends are almost commonplace.It was a crowded weekend at the multiplex overall. In addition to “The Flash” there was the new Pixar family film “Elemental” and the horror-comedy “The Blackening.” The only big win was Wes Anderson’s starry “Asteroid City” which earned $720,000 from just six theaters and the distinction of having the highest per-theater average ($132,211) since the start of the pandemic.“The Flash” faced more complications than marketplace conditions. It has been in the head...

Belmont boys repeat as rugby champs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

MILTON – Overcoming a sluggish start, top-seeded Belmont scored enough points to take home its second straight Div. 1 boys rugby title Sunday morning.The Marauders were able to fend off a couple attempts early in the second half for No. 2 St. John’s Prep to escape with a 24-14 victory at Curry College to win the state title for the third time since 2019.“It feels good,” said Belmont coach Greg Bruce. “We started with 21 kids back in the spring of 2007 when we were a club team for many, many years. When the MIAA went varsity and to get school support like that. We have had the parent’s support for a while, but once we got the school support that really helped a lot.In off-and-on rain showers, the Marauders toughed through a persistent St. John’s Prep defense and were able to find the scoreboard after 20 minutes as junior Max Cornelius’ try followed by a conversion kick for junior Stephen Hong made it 7-0.“It was so physical,” Hong said about the defensive front for the Eagles. “They ...

Special air quality statement issued for Toronto, nearby regions due to forest fire smoke

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

After a recent break from forest fire smoke in the Greater Toronto Area, a special air quality statement issued by Environment Canada on Sunday is cautioning of increased pollution.In a statement issued by meteorologists Sunday afternoon, they said smoke plumes due to ongoing forest fires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario “have resulted in deteriorated air quality” in Toronto, Peel and Halton regions, Hamilton and parts of Niagara region.“High levels of air pollution have developed due to smoke from forest fires,” the statement said.“Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerable from hour to hour.”RELATED: Wildfire pollution can cause headaches, skin irritationWhile the statement noted conditions were expected to improve late Sunday and early Monday, officials warned people with lung or heart disease, seniors, children, outdoor workers and people who are pregnant are at higher risk o...

Mexican authorities destroy 14 homemade armored cars used by drug cartels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in northern Mexico said Sunday they have destroyed 14 homemade armored cars of the kind used by drug cartels to fight land battles. The vehicles are usually adapted from commercial trucks, with steel plate armor welded on. Known in Mexico as “monstruos,” or “Monsters,” some of the vehicles junked were truly monstrous. Many had thick steel ramming prows welded to the front. Others had firing ports and gun turrets. At least one was painted in green camouflage to resemble a Mexican army vehicle. Video distributed by the federal attorney general’s office showed a crane with a claw ripping one of the vehicles apart in Tamaulipas state.The state, which borders Texas, is home to at least two warring drug cartels, the Northeast and Gulf cartels. Prosecutors did not say which gang the vehicles belonged to or when they were seized.While such vehicles appear intimidating, they have proved vulnerable in practice. Because the steel armor adds so much weight, they t...

Russia had means, motive and opportunity to destroy Ukraine dam, drone photos and information show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:44 GMT

BERISLAV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to bring down a Ukrainian dam that collapsed earlier this month while under Russian control, according to exclusive drone photos and information obtained by The Associated Press.Images taken from above the Kakhovka Dam and shared with the AP appear to show an explosive-laden car atop the structure, and two officials said Russian troops were stationed in a crucial area inside the dam where the Ukrainians say the explosion that destroyed it was centered. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The dam’s destruction led to deadly flooding, endangered crops in the world’s breadbasket, threatened drinking water supplies for thousands and unleashed an environmental catastrophe. Ukrainian commanders say it also scuppered some of their plans to take Russian positions in a counteroffensive that is now in its early stages.Each side has accused the other of destroying the dam, but th...