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What Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Dubas said about their Leafs future

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

The summer of (possibly large, or possibly none at all) change is upon us in Toronto after another disappointing playoff exit. At least this year’s dismissal came in the second round, but a five-game elimination to the paws of the second-wild-card Panthers left the same feeling of disbelief.As we’ve outlined over the weekend in a long list of 42 thoughts from Luke Fox on what all this means and what could be next, and then a closer look at the seven most important contract situations on the team, this is a massively important summer for the Leafs. Whether meaningful changes come to the core or not, the team has several pending UFAs, and then all of the Core Four will have expiring deals within the next two years. The team would have been facing critical roster decisions even without the latest failure factored in.On Monday the Maple Leafs players and the GM who assembled them spoke to the media for the final time before they set off on their summer and, who knows, perhap...

S&P/TSX composite adds 120 points on strength in energy, metals, U.S. markets also up

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in the base metal and energy sectors helped lead Canada’s main stock index higher Monday ahead of Tuesday’s inflation data release, while U.S. markets also ticked upwards. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 120.35 points at 20,539.97.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 47.98 points at 33,348.60.The S&P 500 index was up 12.20 points at 4,136.28, while the Nasdaq composite was up 80.47 points at 12,365.21.Monday on the markets was “a quiet day, but on the whole tilted a little bit more optimistic,” said Mona Mahajan, senior investment strategist with Edward Jones.“I think there’s a bit of wait-and-see ahead of tomorrow’s meeting around the debt ceiling talks,” she said.President Joe Biden is set to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders Tuesday. McCarthy said Monday there’s been “no progress” on the standoff over the debt limit. But Mahajan noted that the U.S. government has raised the ...

Autopsy showed 13-year-old B.C. teen was strangled, pathologist tells murder trial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

VANCOUVER — A forensic pathologist testifying in the trial of a man accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., says she died by strangulation.Dr. Jason Morin, who conducted the autopsy, says the four-hour procedure showed there had been a lack of blood supply to the girl’s brain.He says he also identified a number of other injuries to her body, including bruising, scraping and tearing on the back of her head, as well as to her arms and legs.The body of the girl, who cannot be identified under the terms of a publication ban, was found in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017, just hours after her mother had reported her missing.Ibrahim Ali last month pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the B.C. Supreme Court trial.Crown attorney Isobel Keeley said in an opening statement that the court would hear evidence showing the murder was random, but DNA results would prove Ali sexually assaulted her.She said the evidence would show the girl was passing through...

Minnesota Democrats set emergency meeting in response to melee at Minneapolis political convention

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Democratic leaders will convene an emergency meeting Thursday evening to respond to the chaos that broke out during a convention to endorse a candidate for a Minneapolis City Council race.Video circulating on social media shows the disturbance Saturday after supporters of incumbent Aisha Chughtai took the stage to seek the delegates’ backing for the Ward 10 council seat. That sparked an uproar among backers of her challenger, Nasri Warsame. Some jumped on stage, shouting, banging on tables and waving signs. At least two people were injured, and the convention broke up with no endorsement.Ken Martin, chair of the state Democratic Party organization, tweeted that he would use the upcoming meeting to propose a bylaw change “to ban individuals engaged in violent assaults” from the party and “take immediate action to remove the folks involved in Ward 10.”Martin also said in a separate statement late Saturday that it was “clear that the conflict was inst...

Bear in a tree holds Michigan city in suspense for hours on Mother’s Day

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A city in northern Michigan has a new Mother’s Day memory: A 350-pound bear was in a tree for hours, watched by dozens of people, before it fell asleep and dropped onto mattresses below.“It’s like the best block party ever,” Annette Andersen said. The drama in Traverse City began when wildlife experts responded to a morning call about a bear in a leafy tree. They fired at least four tranquilizer darts into his butt. The bear snoozed on a thick limb before finally dropping to the ground by early afternoon Sunday.Ashlea Walter hauled mattresses from her house to soften the fall, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.Spectators sitting on lawns or in chairs held their phones up to take pictures and video. “They’re a tough animal,” said Steve Griffith, a state wildlife biologist. “Obviously they are in trees all the time, and they do have accidents in the wild. … They can take a pretty good fall.”The bear was transferred on a tarp to a cyl...

UK pledges attack drones, more missiles as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy meets prime minister on European tour

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed the British government at the end of a whirlwind European tour Monday to join a “fighter jet coalition” that would help strengthen his country’s aerial capabilities, but instead secured a commitment for attack drones and hundreds more missiles.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greeted Zelenskyy with a handshake and hug after the president’s helicopter landed at Chequers, the British leader’s official country retreat. It was Zelenskyy’s second trip to the U.K. since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but the fifth European country he visited in three days..He is seeking more military aid as Ukraine prepares a long-anticipated spring offensive to retake Russian-occupied territory. The Ukrainian leader also visited Italy, the Vatican, Germany and France.Russia reacted to the U.K.’s new pledge “extremely negatively,” but also doubts the missiles and drones would drastically change the course of the war,...

Writers strike felt in missing NBC stars, absence of Fox schedule for TV sales pitches

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The impact of the Hollywood writers strike was felt as major television networks began their annual week of sales presentations to advertisers on Monday, with news personalities like Willie Geist and Stephanie Ruhle left to hawk comedies and dramas for NBC Universal.Fox declined to announce a fall television schedule on Monday, citing uncertainties created by the strike.Some 11,500 members of the Writers Guild for America, saying the rise of streaming has hurt their earning power, walked off the job two weeks after talks on a new contract broke down, and haven’t returned to the negotiating table since.Network late-night shows immediately shut down. Picketing writers targeting some of the few shows shooting episodes forced the shutdown, at least temporarily, of programs including Showtime’s “Billions,” “Severance” on Apple TV+ and the new Marvel show, “Daredevil: Born Again” on Disney+.The network sales presentations, known as upfronts because TV executive...

Pelé’s mausoleum in Brazil opens to public

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

SANTOS, Brazil (AP) — The mausoleum built for the golden casket of Pelé was opened for visitors on Monday.On the second floor of a vertical cemetery in Santos, outside Sao Paulo, the mausoleum welcomes fans with two golden statues of Pelé; the floor is artificial grass; the walls are images of fans in a stadium; and there’s an endless soundtrack of cheers, as if Pelé was still playing. The ceiling above the casket of the three-time World Cup champion is blue.Pelé was laid to rest here on Jan. 3, five days after he died at age 82 of colon cancer.“This was made with a lot of love by people who knew him, who lived with him. It has the essence of what he was,” an emotional Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, one of Pelé’s sons, said after a small ceremony with family and friends.The mausoleum was planned by the owner of the cemetery, Pepe Alstut, who died in 2018.Alstut hoped the mausoleum would be on the ninth floor, overseeing the Santos club’s Vila Belmiro Stadium, where Pelé sta...

Brookfield Zoo announces summer concerts series featuring Macy Gray, Vertical Horizon and more

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Brookfield Zoo will host summer concert series, Concerts for Conservation, over two weekends in July, with Macy Gray and Vertical Horizon slated to appear.Held July 14-15 and 21-22 at Brookfield Zoo's East Mall, the concert series provides "four incredible evenings of live music while relaxing in our beautiful park surrounded by wildlife and nature."Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and include:Friday, July 14 – Soul Asylum with special guests The Verve PipeSaturday, July 15 – Macy GrayFriday, July 21 – Vertical HorizonSaturday, July 22 – Plain White T’sSEE ALSO| Smash Mouth headlining 2023 Pierogi FestAlong with the sounds of music, sights for visitors include a meet-and-greet with some of Brookfield Zoo’s animal ambassadors from 6:30 to 7 p.m. The zoo's Big Cat walkway will also be accessible, offering guests an up-close look at African lions, Amur tigers, and snow leopards until 7 p.m.Macy GrayVertical HorizonPlain White T’s Soul AsylumThe Verve Pipe 50 Cent coming to ...

New $500M federal grant aims to expand tech hubs outside of Silicon Valley

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – The commerce department has launched a new grant program meant to infuse up to half a billion dollars into the nation’s technology hubs.The program aims to help grow the tech industry outside of Silicon Valley.“We are going to make investments all over the country,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. “You shouldn't have to move from your hometown to San Francisco or New York City to get a great job in technology.”To apply for the government grants, regions, states or cities need to partner with colleges and companies in the tech industries.Michael Wallace with the National League of Cities says there are many related industries that could qualify.“Rochester, Minnesota is home of the Mayo Clinic. Medical technology is certainly one of the eligible categories,” Wallace explained.Secretary Raimondo says the types of eligible projects also vary from testing labs and upgrading facilities to worker training programs.Congresswoman Susan Wild introduced the bill t...