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Obi Toppin, former Knicks lottery pick, traded to Pacers for underwhelming package

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

The Obi Toppin experiment is officially over. And the verdict is disappointment.After three seasons that were simultaneously exciting and underwhelming, Toppin, the eighth overall pick in 2020, will be traded to the Pacers for two second-round picks, the Daily News confirmed.Toppin’s $6.8 million salary will be absorbed into Indiana’s cap space, giving the Knicks a trade exception and financial flexibility as they still try to sign Donte DiVincenzo in free agency.Toppin, 25, was the first draft selection of team president Leon Rose, and celebrated as an NBA-ready power forward after winning the NCAA’s Player of The Year.But two hurdles became impossible to overcome: 1) he played behind Julius Randle, who emerged as an All-Star in Toppin’s rookie season, and 2) Toppin’s lax defense and rebounding was a hindrance to an increased role, especially in Tom Thibodeau’s system.As The News reported, Toppin became increasingly frustrated by his lack of play...

Contraception in snack machines: Morning-after pill vending machines gain popularity on college campuses post-Roe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6.Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that’s become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion last year. It’s stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.With some states enacting abortion bans and others enshrining protections and expanding access to birth control, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available.There are now 39 universities in 17 states with emergency contraceptive vending machines, and at least 20 more considering them, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraception. Some, such as the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are in states where abortion is largely banned.Over-the-counter purchase of Plan B and generic forms is legal in all 50 states.The 20...

Ticker: Nokia renews patent license agreement with Apple, covering 5G

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

Network infrastructure and 5G-technology provider Nokia has signed a new long-term patent license agreement with Apple to replace the current deal between the two companies that is set to expire at the end of the year.The deal, which enables Apple to use the Finnish company’s technology in its products, covers Nokia’s inventions in 5G and other technologies. The terms of the agreement remain confidential. Nokia expects to recognize revenue related to the agreement starting January 2024, and the company said the deal is consistent with its long-term outlook disclosed in the first quarter.Spanish Prime Minister visits Kyiv on the day country starts EU presidency to underline bloc’s support for UkrainePrime Minister Pedro Sanchez started Spain’s six-month presidency of the European Union with a lightning visit to Kyiv on Saturday to underline the bloc’s support of Ukraine in the face of the invasion by Russia.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the visit Thurs...

5G wireless signals could disrupt flights starting this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week could face a new source of disruptions starting today, when wireless providers are expected to power up new 5G systems near major airports.Aviation groups have warned for years that 5G signals could interfere with aircraft equipment, especially devices using radio waves to measure distance above the ground and which are critical when planes land in low visibility.Predictions that interference would cause massive flight groundings failed to come true last year, when telecom companies began rolling out the new service. They then agreed to limit the power of the signals around busy airports, giving airlines an extra year to upgrade their planes.The leader of the nation’s largest pilots’ union said crews will be able to handle the impact of 5G, but he criticized the way the wireless licenses were granted, saying it had added unnecessary risk to aviation.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigie...

North Carolina amusement park closes ride after discovering crack in support beam

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina amusement park closed one of its roller coasters Friday after a crack was found on a support beam. According to news reports, Carowinds shut down Fury 325. The park’s website advertises the ride as the “tallest, fastest, longest giga coaster in North America” that crosses into both North Carolina and South Carolina.Video of the ride showed the beam bending, the top of it visibly detached, as cars with passengers whirled by.“Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process,” Carowinds officials said in a statement. “As part of our comprehensive safety protocols, all rides, including Fury 325, undergo daily inspections to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity.”Fury 325 first opened to the public in 2015 and cost approximately $30 million to build, according to news reports. Carowinds did not say how long repairing the ride would take. The res...

Thousands in Serbian capital protest pro-government TV station after 2 mass shootings in May

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people in Serbia’s capital rallied Saturday outside a pro-government TV station that protesters say promotes a culture of violence and should be stripped of its broadcasting license after two mass shootings stunned the Balkan nation.The protest started outside the Serbian parliament building before thousands marched toward the Pink TV building located in a residential area of Belgrade that also hosts foreign embassies and residences. The protesters booed loudly in front of the station’s offices, chanted slogans against populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and his government, and threw toilet paper rolls at the building.“This is a factory of evil that has been spewing poison for years,” said opposition politician Radomir Lazovic. Serbia’s populist authorities have rejected any responsibility for the May attacks. The president’s opponents, however, say hate speech and intolerance fueled by pro-government media and officials have helped foster vio...

West Hollywood minimum hourly wage tops $19, highest of any US city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The swanky, celebrity-studded city of West Hollywood officially has the highest minimum wage of any U.S. city after pay zoomed to $19.08 an hour Saturday.Workers in West Hollywood welcomed the increase amid rising rent, gas and food prices, although employers grumbled about growing labor costs that they say could drive them out of business. Lucian Tudor, chief executive of upscale restaurant La Boheme, told the Los Angeles Times he has cut staff from 120 to 80 to trim costs. The city’s minimum wage climbed $1 in January to $17.50 an hour for businesses with at least 50 employees. “These pay increases are about superficiality and about opportunistic politicians who are just trying to make a name for themselves,” Tudor, who would prefer a minimum wage that accounts for tips like what New York City has, told the news outlet.West Hollywood, tucked between the cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, has about 35,000 people. The minimum wage also went ...

Australia is the first country to let patients with depression or PTSD be prescribed psychedelics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia is now the first country to allow psychiatrists to prescribe certain psychedelic substances to patients with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.Beginning Saturday, Australian physicians can prescribe doses of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, for PTSD. Psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, can be given to people who have hard-to-treat depression. The country put the two drugs on the list of approved medicines by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Scientists in Australia were surprised by the move, which was announced in February but took effect July 1. One scientist said it puts Australia “at the forefront of research in this field.”Chris Langmead, deputy director of the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said there have been very few advancements on treatment of persistent mental health issues in the last 50 years. The growing cultural acceptance has led two U.S. states to a...

Bears QB Justin Fields named Grand Marshal for Sunday's NASCAR Street Race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

CHICAGO — No stranger to the limelight on Sundays, Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been named the Grand Marshal for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event.Temporarily trading the pigskin for a checkered flag, Fields will lead the kickoff to NASCAR's Grant Park 220 as the Inaugural Chicago Street Race weekend continues. How NASCAR drivers prepared before the Chicago Street Race Grand marshals are responsible for ordering drivers to their cars before the start of the race.The announcement is the latest in the star-studded affair that will host Chicago-based hip-hop artist Twista as an Honorary Event Official for the pre-race ceremonies ahead of Sunday's race. Racing on the 2.2-mile street course for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event begins at 4:30 p.m. How important are the Chicago Street Races to NASCAR? Chicago natives Larenz, Lahmard, and Larron Tate served as Grand Marshals for Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race, The Loop 121.

Former Arizona governor pressured by Trump to overturn 2020 results: reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:25 GMT

(The Hill) — Former President Trump called then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to pressure him to overturn the 2020 election results in that state, according to reports from The Washington Post.Trump encouraged Ducey, a tepid ally, to find votes to overcome his narrow loss in the state in multiple calls after the 2020 election and asked Vice President Mike Pence call him and ask the same, according to the outlet.Ducey told a donor about the calls earlier this year, saying that he was under “pressure” from Trump to overturn the election. He also said he was surprised special counsel Jack Smith did not request information on the calls for his federal investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. Ducey did not record the call, the donor told The Post. He left office in January being term limited.State investigations into Trump’s claims of mass voter fraud in Arizona did not discover any fraud. Trump lost Arizona by less than 10,000 votes in 2020, a margin of about 0.3 ...