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Md. General Assembly caps session passing top Democratic priorities, renewed partnership with governor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.An angry Republican walk-off in the House of Delegates and a photo finish in the Senate ended the 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly on Monday night.As both chambers adjourned sine die, the legislature’s teenage pages dumped boxes of confetti and trash bags full of balloons from the galleries above onto the rostrums and floors of the Senate and House, sending flashes of color raining down on the president and speaker below, in the traditional celebratory close.When all was said and done, legislative leaders in the Democratically controlled houses, along with the state’s new governor, declared victory, taking bows for an exceptional session and ignoring their stumbles and defeats.“It’s not only the most successful first session for any new governor… [but] we’d argue that it’s the most successfu...

WNBA Draft: Terps Miller, Meyers selected in 1st round; Mystics trade 4th overall pick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

The Minnesota Lynx made Diamond Miller the highest-selected Maryland Terrapin in the WNBA Draft since 2009, while the Dallas Wings took Abby Meyers with the 11th overall pick. Washington Mystics traded away their fourth overall pick in a star-studded event in New York Monday night.Miller was the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, tying Marissa Coleman for the highest-drafted Terp. The versatile 6-foot-3 All-Big Ten performer led Maryland to its first NCAA Tournament Elite 8 appearance since 2015.The moment Diamond Miller’s draft dreams came true pic.twitter.com/eGdpNQP0YP— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) April 10, 2023Meyers, coming off a season in which she set career highs in 3-point accuracy and assists, was thought to be a second-round selection coming into the draft. Still, the Wings picked the Maryland guard after selecting UConn guard Lou Lopez Sénéchal with the fifth overall pick.The Mystics selected injured Iowa State center Stephanie Soares with the fourt...

McDavid for MVP? Assessing the choices for top NHL awards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

Connor McDavid has put together the first 150-point season in the NHL since the mid-1990s, Erik Karlsson could be the first defenseman to hit 100 points and the Boston Bruins have made history.Put all that together and who will win the league’s major awards this year seems pretty obvious.McDavid could again be the unanimous choice for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, Karlsson is a favorite to win the Norris Trophy for a third time and the Bruins could sweep for top goaltender, defensive forward and coach honors.HARTWho will win: Connor McDavid, Edmonton.Other contenders: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), David Pastrnak (Boston), Jack Hughes (New Jersey).FanDuel Sportsbook odds: Off the board.McDavid won it unanimously in 2021, and the Oilers captain by surpassing 60 goals has only strengthened his position as the best hockey player in the world. The last player to record 150 points in a season was Mario Lemieux and, before that, Wayne Gretzky.The defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanch...

El legislador reincorporado de Tennessee, Justin Jones, dice que continuará pidiendo una reforma al control de armas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

(CNN) — Después de jurar su regreso a la Cámara de Representantes de Tennessee este lunes, un legislador que fue expulsado hace unos días por una manifestación a favor del control de armas en el pleno de la Cámara dice que seguirá pidiendo una reforma de armas.“Lo primero que haré al entrar en este edificio como representante es continuar con ese llamado a favor de una legislación sobre armas de fuego con sentido común”, dijo el demócrata Justin Jones mientras estaba de pie en los escalones del Capitolio después de su reincorporación este lunes.Jones y otro demócrata negro, Justin Pearson, fueron expulsados de la legislatura controlada por los republicanos la semana pasada, luego de una protesta en el pleno de la Cámara provocada por el tiroteo masivo el mes pasado en una escuela cristiana de Nashville que dejó seis muertos.Una tercera demócrata que se había unido a ellos en la protesta, la representante Gloria Johnson, no fue expulsada.El Consejo Metropolitano de Nashville vo...

Zeal Capital Partners hires first-ever COO in effort to scale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

Zeal Capital Partners — a D.C. venture firm that focuses on inclusive investing — has hired its first chief operating officer in an effort to expand its operations, portfolio and investment team. It’s a notable milestone for the Black-led firm, founded by Nasir Qadree just three years ago. He said he hopes his new COO, Jarron Smith, a former chief of staff to the COO of New York-based Fortune 100 financial services giant TIAA, can help take Zeal to its next stage of growth, in part to help its portfolio companies do the same. It plans to stretch its investments into the health equity sector, while also boosting its tech and product support for its current roster of startups.“We have to [plan], thoughtfully, constantly, about post-investment value generation, building the best support systems for entrepreneurs to reach their next stage of growth,” Qadree said in an interview, citing this time as an “inflection point” for Zeal Capital. “To fully execute the fund stra...

911 calls released after woman escapes from underneath drawbridge in Palm Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A woman in Palm Beach had a miraculous escape on the night of April 2 after falling from a drawbridge. Police have released frantic 911 calls for help after the 57-year-old woman was rescued.A fisherman nearby said he heard cries for help but was not sure where the calls were coming from. Once he realized a woman was under the bridge, he called 911.“I need the Coast Guard down here to the Okeechobee Bridge and Intercoastal,” said Jeffrey Roberts to the 911 dispatcher. “Some girl fell through the bridge when it was open with her bike and she stuck up under this ledge.”The woman was walking her bicycle across the Royal Park Bridge. The bridge opened before she and her bike fell between the spans, with the bike lodged terrifyingly under the bridge. The woman landed on one of the platforms and was not seriously injured, but she was stuck on the platform with the threat of the drawbridge possibly opening again.“We didn’t...

Why Biden’s return to Ireland, his ancestral homeland, may not be a storybook trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Joe Biden returns to his ancestral home of Ireland this week, in what’s slated to be a politically triumphant and personally sentimental tour through a country he credits for shaping his life.But, as with any homecoming, there are pitfalls everywhere. And the administration knows it.The four-day tour through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland comes as the island grapples with the prolonged consequences of Brexit, ratcheting up tensions that threaten the very peace treaty Biden plans to celebrate.Europe as a whole faces a host of rising political and security threats, alongside the constant demands of a grinding war in Ukraine with no clear end in sight and with newfound complications owing to leaks of strategic documents.And as Biden departs for his first overseas trip since February, the challenges at home are multiplying: Deepening divides over the rise in gun violence, a court ruling aimed at further restricting abortion access, and lingering...

Police continue search for suspect after 12-year-old boy shot in Mattapan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

Police are searching for the person responsible for a shooting in Mattapan Sunday night that left a 12-year-old boy injured.Officers responding to a report of shots fired in the area of Cummins Highway just after 8 p.m. found the boy suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Boston police.The victim, identified as Luis Amparo, was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for his injuries and is expected to be okay.After this incident, the boy’s family said they are scarred by the shooting and want the person or people responsible to come forward.“I am very angry that all the violence is happening,” said Alta Gracia-Lorenzo, Amparo’s stepmother.Gracia-Lorenzo said her and her family were getting ready for bed Sunday night when the shots were fired.She said one bullet hit her stepson in the leg and another bullet almost hit her 16-year-old stepdaughter.Gracia-Lorenzo yelled for everyone to drop to the ground while her stepson cried for h...

As Louisville police investigate what led up to bank shooting that left 5 dead, several victims remain hospitalized

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

(CNN) — As Louisville investigators piece together what led up to a mass shooting inside a downtown bank that left five people dead, several victims remain hospitalized, including a police officer in critical condition after a shootout with the 25-year-old gunman.The gunman, identified by police as employee Connor Sturgeon, was livestreaming online as he carried out the shooting at Old National Bank, officials said. He opened fire inside a conference room during a morning staff meeting, Rebecca Buchheit-Sims, a manager at the bank, told CNN.Buchheit-Sims, who was attending the meeting virtually, watched in horror as the shooting played out on her computer screen, saying the incident “happened very quickly.”“I witnessed people being murdered. I don’t know how else to say that,” she said.One of the hospitalized victims, 57-year-old Deana Eckert, died later Monday, police announced, though it is unclear if she was among the three peopl...

UMass Dartmouth honors two deceased students at somber candlelit vigil

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:58 GMT

UMass Dartmouth held a somber candlelit vigil Monday night to honor two deceased students,  Frank Petillo Jr. and Alexandra Landry.Hundreds gather to remember Petillo, who was hit and killed by a vehicle on campus Thursday evening, and Landry, an art student who unexpectedly passed away earlier in the week. Speaking at the ceremony, Petillo’s sister said he was one of the kindest people. “Hearing the news of his passing crushed my heart alongside many others,” she said. “This is the worst thing that could have happened to me and my family. He didn’t deserve this, not a single bit.”Students are now calling for improved safety for pedestrians. The school says they have added more speed bumps and patrols.