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Avalanche Journal: Does Colorado have the best core in NHL? Here’s who Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and company are up against

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

It’s that time of the NHL offseason when tumbleweeds can be spotted rolling across ice rinks. Training camps are still weeks away, but the biggest summer talking points have been beaten to death with a hammer since early July.That means it’s the perfect time to construct goofy rankings with arbitrary criteria, and this week, that means posing a question that’s relevant to the Avalanche.Does Colorado have the best “core” in the NHL?Defining the word is tricky. The loose idea: a collection, but unspecified number, of a team’s best players around whom said team is building its roster. What should the number be? If it’s as simple as your “big three,” the Avs might the gold medal locked up. But that fails to take into account a vital position.The parameters here, then: four players, consisting of a team’s best forward, best defenseman, best goalie and best remaining player regardless of position. That leaves every team with a sa...

Projecting Broncos’ opening 53-man roster: Tough calls in secondary, injury impact and what to do at TE?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

The preseason is in the books.Denver’s cutdown from 90 players to 53 will start as early as Sunday and proceed up to Tuesday’s 2 p.m. deadline.The Broncos have several questions to navigate, including some shorter-term injuries.Will Denver carry wide receiver Jerry Jeudy until he’s ready to return from a hamstring injury that could hold him out the the first couple weeks of the regular season? Do the Broncos feel good about a host of defensive backs – K’Waun Williams (ankle), P.J. Locke (foot/ankle) and Riley Moss (core) – being available for the opener vs. Las Vegas? Are a pair of veteran defensive linemen in Mike Purcell (knee) and D.J. Jones ready to roll right from the start?Head coach Sean Payton on Saturday night downplayed the number of injury related decisions to make.“We’ve gone through – (general manager George Paton) and I, a handful of scouts and coaches – a ton of different scenarios from a personnel standpoint and we’ll continue to,” Payton said.In outlining his roster...

As realignment rumors swirl, CSU players say they could see Rams jumping to Pac-12. Assuming there’s some Pac-12 left to jump to.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

FORT COLLINS — Mo Kamara doesn’t just know how to read a quarterback’s eyes. Unlike some conference commissioners these days, the star of CSU’s defensive line can actually read a map.“The Pac-12 just makes sense (for us),” the Rams’ senior pass-rusher said of his preferred realignment destination for CSU.“It makes sense. And I think we match up against them. They’re not that much better. They’re regional, but they’re not that much better.”The 6-foot-1, 250-pound Kamara hails from Newark, N.J., which is now technically Big Ten country. Although pretty much every state save for the ones in the Mountain time zone, Hawaii and Alaska could probably make that claim these days, given that the formerly Midwest-centric league has added (deep breath) USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, Nebraska, Rutgers and Maryland into its ranks over the last 13 years. (The Trojans, Bruins, Ducks and Huskies are joining the conference next summer.)It’s getting loopy on the realignment front. An...

Chasing first LPGA Tour victory, Megan Khang opens 3-shot lead in CPKC Women’s Open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Megan Khang birdied four of the last five holes for a 4-under 68 and a three-stroke lead Saturday in the CPKC Women’s Open.Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, Khang rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 10 and 12 with birdies on Nos. 14-16 and 18 — holing a 15-footer on the last.“At the end of the day I’m just going to try my best to keep that same mindset, stay patient,” Khang said. “These fairways are tight and the greens are firm and really just kind of trust myself out there.”The 25-year-old American had an 11-under 205 total at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, the challenging water-side layout with towering trees — and plenty of mosquitoes. While winless on the tour, she has 33 top-10 finishes, career earnings over $5 million and is ranked 27th in the world.“Honestly, it’s a lot of like learning over the past few years to stay patient, don’t get you ahead of myself,” Khang said.Three strokes ahead at the turn Saturday, Khang found herself two...

Mild Sunday with a couple showers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

We’re waking up to a bit more sun and less humidity this morning. There are a few light showers across southern New Hampshire. A frontal boundary is off to our east. Behind this, we have a north/northeast wind that’ll keep it cooler in the 70s today. Some upper-level energy and moisture will keep the chance for a few showers around as well.Pleasant tonight. Tomorrow will be slightly warmer but still cooler at the coast. There’s a chance for a spot shower, mainly inland in the afternoon.This week, storms return Tuesday and Wednesday. There’s a lot of activity in the Tropics. Franklin became a category 1 hurricane yesterday in the open Atlantic. We’re also watching Tropical Depression 10. A front and high pressure will keep what will be left of these storms out of our region. However, we can expect big waves and strong rips, especially on the southern edges of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.-Meteorologist Melanie Black

‘I was granted an opportunity and that’s what I’m representing’: Pedro Martínez hosts backpack drive in Roxbury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

Red Sox legend Pedro Martínez is helping out with back to school shopping this year.“Baseball gave me a great opportunity,”  Martínez said. “Because of education, I have been able to make the transition from baseball to everything else and I was granted an opportunity and that’s what I’m representing here.”The Hall of Fame pitcher held a backpack drive at The Base in Roxbury to benefit underserved children and families around Boston. More than 200 kids left with supplies to begin the new school year.Martínez grew up in the Dominican Republic where he didn’t have many opportunities to receive support in his community. Now, he wants to encourage students who need it most. “I remember being a kid and really struggling to get everything together to go to school, and sometimes I found myself borrowing stuff from other kids,” he said. “I don’t want any kid to go through that.”His foundation collaborated with Boston Community Pediatrics and Gordons. They collected donated backpa...

Sharing the bounty of Toronto’s urban orchard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

If you’re lucky enough to have a fruit tree on your property in Toronto, it doesn’t have to be a raccoon buffet! You can connect with a harvesting program.It’s estimated that Toronto’s urban orchard produces 1.5 million pounds of fruit every year and some tree owners can’t keep up.Volunteers with Not Far From The Tree (NFFTT) pick fruit and share the bounty with social agencies. It’s split three ways – 1/3 to the tree registrant, 1/3 is split amongst the volunteers and 1/3 donated to one of the group’s social service agency partners.Program Manager Rachel Lissner tells CityNews it’s a combination of putting food on the table and reducing fruit waste.“Some people have shared with us that it does supplement their grocery bill. Some people also just like having access to fruits that are native to this part of the world but we have seen an increase in people saying that it does help a little with their wallets.”NFFTT says...

Canada romps over Lebanon to go 2-0 at FIBA World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

Canada climbed to a 2-0 record at the FIBA World Cup with a dominant 128-73 victory over Lebanon on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia.Nine Canadian players finished with double digits in scoring and the team set a senior men’s national team record for points – it scored 126 against Jordan at the World Cup four years ago – while also setting a tournament record with 44 assists in a single game. FIBA began keeping assist records in 1984. RJ Barrett led the way with 17 points. Trae Bell-Hayes added 15 points shooting five three-pointers on six attempts and also had a team-high eight assists.After recording 27 points in his World Cup debut, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in 17 minutes.Melvin Ejim (13), Kelly Olynyk (12), Zach Edey (12), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (12), Kyle Anderson (10) and Dillon Brooks (10) were the others who scored in double figures. Canada opened the tournament Friday with a 95-65 win over France.Lebanon, which lo...

40th annual Chicago Triathlon underway, swimming removed due to dangerous Lake conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- The 40th annual Chicago Triathlon is expected to take flight Sunday morning with over 8,000 athletes expected to participate.The swimming portion of the event was cancelled due to unstable lake conditions and potentially dangerous waves, according to NWS Chicago. Over 1,000 athletes from ages 7 to 86 will bike, run and bike again to replace the swimming portion. The Great American Dog Show happening this weekend at McCormick Place WGN's very own reporter, Mike Lowe will be participating in the triathlon for his third year and the second time the swimming portion got cancelled. "You work for a summer to try to get yourself in shape to swim but you have to respect the organizer's decision," Lowe said. Low is participating in the Triathlon to raise money for the non-profit “It Takes a Village Chicago,” that builds weight rooms for youth in underserved communities and underfunded schools. You can donate here. Lowe is expected to take off around 8:06 a.m.WGN is actively fo...

How Nameless, Texas, found its name

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- Off FM 1431 in Leander lies Nameless Road. About 1.5 miles down on the left resides the Nameless School, a one-room schoolhouse that, alongside the road and a corresponding cemetery, are some of the last remnants of a northwest Travis County community.Residents first began settling in the stretch of land around 1860, said Genny Kercheville, vice president of the nonprofit Friends of Nameless School. Around 1880, Kercheville said residents decided they wanted to construct a post office so carriers on horseback wouldn't have to travel as far to deliver mail.Residents sent in a request to dub the area Fairview due to its beautiful Hill Country views. However, the U.S. postal system wrote back and denied the request, saying the name was taken.Residents sent in several more name requests, all of which were already in use. "So finally they just said, 'well then, let it be nameless and be damned," Kercheville said, laughing. "So that's how it became Nameless."Off N...