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US Senate chaplain a faith fixture for 20 years

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

Congress is often unpredictable, but when the U.S. Senate convenes on Sept. 5 after the summer break, the session will begin with the reassuring baritone of the Rev. Barry Black.He has now served more than 20 years as the U.S. Senate chaplain, a witness to history who prays with the politically powerful, but who has also been known to admonish lawmakers when he gets a message from a higher power.Black’s two decades as chaplain mark the longest consecutive tenure for the position, which was formally established for the U.S. Senate in 1789. A native of Baltimore, he is also the first Black chaplain to serve in the upper chamber.Black came to Capitol Hill after an extensive military career, which included serving as the chief chaplain of the Navy.“The military is actually excellent preparation for ministry in the legislature,” he said, speaking at his office in the Capitol.While senators can have big egos, Black said he was used to being around people who are aware of...

WNBA teams ready for sprint to the postseason with coveted spots on the line

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

WNBA teams are ready for their sprint to the finish of the regular season with coveted playoff spots and positioning up for grabs.Las Vegas, New York and Connecticut have already clinched spots in the postseason. The Aces hold a three-game lead on the Liberty for the top seed with the teams set to meet one last time in the regular season on Aug. 28. Las Vegas is beginning a difficult four-game road trip over the next week that ends in New York.The Aces also have a White House visit on Friday to celebrate last season’s championship thrown in there as well.New York, which took over the top spot in the AP WNBA power poll for the first time this season, has a three-game lead on Connecticut for the second-seed. Those teams play on Thursday and once more on Sept. 1.Dallas is in fourth place with a two-game advantage on Atlanta. There are only four game separating the Dream from ninth-place Chicago with most teams having seven or eight games remaining.Los Angeles has been the hottest...

A rice shortage is sending prices soaring across the world. And things could get worse

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

Francis Ndege isn’t sure if his customers in Africa’s largest slum can afford to keep buying rice from him.Prices for rice grown in Kenya soared a while ago because of higher fertilizer prices and a yearslong drought in the Horn of Africa that has reduced production. Cheap rice imported from India had filled the gap, feeding many of the hundreds of thousands of residents in Nairobi’s Kibera slum who survive on less than $2 a day.But that is changing. The price of a 25-kilogram (55-pound) bag of rice has risen by about a fifth since June, going from the equivalent of about $14 to $18. Wholesalers are yet to receive new stocks since India, the world’s largest exporter of rice by far, said last month that it would ban some rice shipments. It’s an effort by the world’s most populous nation to control domestic prices ahead of a key election year — but it’s left a yawning gap of around 9.5 million metric tons (10.4 tons) of rice that people around the world need, roughly...

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister wins appeal against red card

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister won his appeal Tuesday against the red card he received in the win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.The Argentina international was sent off for serious foul play following a challenge on Ryan Christie in the 58th minute of Liverpool’s 3-1 victory at Anfield on Saturday.Mac Allister was facing a three-match ban but an independent regulatory commission removed the suspension.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Sagstrom and rookie Dryburgh among captain’s picks for European team in Solheim Cup

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

MADRID (AP) — European team captain Suzann Pettersen completed her Solheim Cup squad on Tuesday with Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom and Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh, the only two Europeans in the top 50 in the world who hadn’t automatically qualified.Pettersen also selected Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall and Denmark’s Emily Pedersen for the 12-player European squad that will go for a third straight win against the United States from Sept. 22-24 at Finca Cortesin in southern Spain.Dryburgh will be one of the three rookies in a European team that has never won three in a row against the U.S. in the biennial competition that is the equivalent of the Ryder Cup in men’s golf. For the first time, both events will be held in back-to-back weeks, with the Ryder Cup taking place in Rome.“It’s a lot of pressure on us, obviously,” said Pettersen, who helped Europe win the Solheim Cup in 2019. “We are capable of doing history, doing a three-peat that has never been ...

Charles Co. bus driver dispute could leave students stranded on first day of school

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

School bus drivers in Charles County, Maryland, are letting families know there might not be enough of them on the road in time for the first day of school amid an impasse over better pay and job security.“More than 23,000 Charles County school students and parents may not have bus transportation on August 28, the first day of school, because of the refusal of the school system to treat bus drivers and attendants in an equitable manner,” a news release from the Charles County School Bus Contractors Association said.The association is made up of transportation companies that employ contracted school bus drivers, who drive the majority of school bus routes in Charles County.Contracted drivers are asking for an 8-hour workday, better job security and pay equity compared to bus drivers employed directly by the school system.According to the bus drivers’ association, its contract negotiations with the county’s Board of Education have reached a standstill.‘Ou...

A Pennsylvania court says state police can’t hide how it monitors social media

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state police can’t hide from the public its policy on how it monitors social media.Advocates for civil liberties cheered the decision. The law enforcement agency had argued that fully disclosing its policy for using software to monitor online postings may compromise public safety.All four Democratic justices supported the majority decision, which said the lower Commonwealth Court went beyond its authority in trying to give the state police another attempt to justify keeping details of the policy a secret. Tuesday’s order appears to end a six-year legal battle.A state police spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the court decision. Andrew Christy, a lawyer with the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said the ruling “sort of puts law enforcement on the same playing field as all government agencies. If they have a legal justification to keep something secret, then they have to put forth sufficient evide...

Dallas plays Minnesota on 3-game win streak

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

Dallas Wings (18-14, 9-7 Western Conference) at Minnesota Lynx (15-17, 9-8 Western Conference)Minneapolis; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Wings -6.5; over/under is 169.5BOTTOM LINE: Dallas will attempt to build upon its three-game win streak with a victory over Minnesota.The Lynx’s record in Western Conference play is 9-8. Minnesota is 3-1 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.The Wings are 9-7 in conference matchups. Dallas is third in the WNBA scoring 87.0 points per game while shooting 43.8%.The two teams square off for the third time this season. The Wings defeated the Lynx 107-67 in their last meeting on July 12. Natasha Howard led the Wings with 28 points, and Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 11 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Kayla McBride is averaging 13.3 points for the Lynx. Collier is averaging 13.3 points over the last 10 games for Minnesota.Satou Sabally is averaging 17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals for the Wings. Arike Ogunbowale i...

Seattle visits Chicago after Loyd’s 31-point performance

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

Seattle Storm (10-22, 7-9 Western Conference) at Chicago Sky (12-20, 3-14 Eastern Conference)Chicago; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Sky -2.5; over/under is 159.5BOTTOM LINE: Seattle visits the Chicago Sky after Jewell Loyd scored 31 points in the Storm’s 88-74 victory over the Minnesota Lynx.The Sky are 5-11 in home games. Chicago allows 83.4 points and has been outscored by 3.6 points per game.The Storm are 6-8 on the road. Seattle ranks fifth in the WNBA with 34.7 rebounds per game led by Ezi Magbegor averaging 7.9.The teams meet for the third time this season. The Storm won 83-74 in the last matchup on July 29.TOP PERFORMERS: Courtney Williams is scoring 10.0 points per game and averaging 5.9 rebounds for the Sky. Kahleah Copper is averaging 20.3 points and 3.0 rebounds over the last 10 games for Chicago.Loyd is averaging 24.1 points and 3.3 assists for the Storm. Magbegor is averaging 14.7 points over the last 10 games for Seattle.LAST 10 GAMES: Sky: 3-7...

A rare baby giraffe was born without spots, a Tennessee zoo says

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:51 GMT

(CNN) — There’s a brand new spotless superstar on the scene at a Tennessee zoo.She doesn’t have a name yet, but she’s already made a big splash among her herd – she’s a giraffe without patches.The 6-foot wonder was born sans spots on July 31 at Bright’s Zoo, a privately owned facility in Limestone, and made her public debut this month. The calf is a reticulated giraffe, one of four giraffe species.The zoo said she might be the “only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet.” (The last spotless giraffe in captivity was likely a calf born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 1972, CBS News reported.)The word “reticulated” refers to the giraffe’s network of polygonal brown spots, broken up by veins of creamy off-white, according to the Denver Zoo. The spots function primarily as camouflage in the savannas of northern Kenya where they live and graze.And underneath each spot is a “sophisticated system of blood vessels,” according to the Giraffe...