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Twins non-roster invite Willi Castro makes his case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. — When utilityman Willi Castro was weighing his free-agent options this offseason, he turned to second baseman Jorge Polanco for some intel on the Twins.“I was like, ‘How’s Minnesota? How’s the organization?’ ” Castro said. “He told me, ‘It’s the best choice you can make.’ I decided to come here.”Ironically, it’s an injury to Polanco — he will begin the season on the injured list with a knee issue —  that might help Castro, a non-roster invite, nab a spot on the Opening Day roster.Well, that and a solid spring showing.Castro, who went 0 for 2 in the Twins’ 11-0 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at JetBlue Park is hitting .273 with a 976 OPS. His nine hits, seven runs scored and nine RBIs are all at least tied for second among his teammates.“There’s really nothing that Willi hasn’t shown us. He’s hungry, too,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He plays hard. He works hard every day and every drill we’re doing. He gives it everything that you could ask a player to g...

State boys basketball: New Life Academy dominates glass to get back to Class A semifinals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

Photos were spread out around New Life Academy’s gym at the start of section play. They were shots from the Eagles’ narrow defeat in last year’s Class A state semifinals, and the painful aftermath.New Life Academy coach Robbie Whitney was responsible for placing the shots in spots where players would constantly see them, but it was the idea of senior forward Austin Woolf.“Some teams you can’t do that, they’re going to think about the negative part,” Whitney said. “But Austin was like, ‘I think our guys would be motivated by that.’”“I was just devastated, so I don’t want that to happen again, and we’re going to use that to fuel us moving forward,” Woolf said.So far, the strategy has been successful. With New Life Academy’s 62-46 victory over Sacred Heart in the state quarters Wednesday at Williams Arena, the Eagles are back to the exact stage they reached a year ago.“It’s like our main focus,” senior guard Max Briggs said.The Eagles will meet third-seeded Spring Grove at 2 p.m. Frida...

Gophers prepping for fans’ derision and Griffins’ collisions as Fargo regional approaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

FARGO, N.D. — Don’t you dare feel any sympathy for Trevor Large and his Canisius squad heading into their NCAA matchup with top-ranked Minnesota on Thursday at Scheels Arena.Sure, the Golden Griffins had to fly halfway around the country to face a loaded Gophers team that has been atop the national polls (and the all-important PairWise rankings) much of the season. Still, as Large prepared to coach in his first NCAA tournament game, he and his players sounded like men who relished the chance to play giant-killer.Asked how they planned to compete against a powerful Minnesota team, Griffins goalie Jacob Barczewski had a frank response.“We’re coming here not just to compete, we’re coming here to win,” said Barczewski, who has started 31 games this season, posting a .925 saves percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average.All Large has to do is look back at other teams from his conference, Atlantic Hockey, that have knocked off the NCAA’s top-seeded team (Air Force in 2018, AIC in 2019) o...

Class 1A boys basketball quarterfinals: Noah Sundquist scores 30 to lead Cherry past Border West

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

Playing without star point guard Isaac Asuma for long stretches because of foul trouble, Cherry moved into the Class A state boys basketball semifinals behind sophomore Noah Sundquist, who helped rally the fourth-seeded Tigers from an early deficit to a 68-55 win over fifth-seeded Border West on Wednesday at Williams Arena.Sundquist shot a remarkable 14 of 15 from the field and finished with a game-high 30 points as the Tigers (27-4) advanced to play top-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton at noon Friday at Target Center.“Everybody just kind of knew their role, and I feel like we all did it really well,” Sundquist said. “We all stayed composed and we didn’t let anything get to us.”Asuma, who has committed to play at Minnesota, finished with 11. He sat a total of 7:40 in the first half after picking up his third foul, but Sundquist scored 15 first-half points and Cherry led 34-26 at intermission.Clint Determan scored 19 points and Dylan Bainbridge added 12 for Border West (26-3).Spring Grov...

Gophers football adds Indiana prep receiver Corey Smith to 2024 class

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

The Gophers football program added Indiana prep receiver Corey Smith to its 2024 recruiting class on Wednesday.Brown, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, had offers from Illinois, West Virginia and a dozen Group of Five conference schools. The Brownsburg High School product also received interest from Penn State, Notre Dame, Kansas and Purdue. Minnesota was his first scholarship offer from a Power Five program.“I am very honored to say that I will be committing to the University of Minnesota to play for Coach (P.J.) Fleck and Coach (Matt) Simon,” Smith tweeted.Brown, who visited the Twin Cities in mid-March, is the sixth pledge in the U’s class for next year. He is also a member of the Brownsburg track and field team, competing in sprints and long jump.Related ArticlesSports | Gophers putting bigger emphasis on pass rush in spring practices Sports | Gophers’ Terell Smith rallied to catch the NFL’s attention Sports | Viking...

New LGBTQ supportive housing coming to Albany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local organization supporting members of the LGBTQ community celebrated a milestone on Wednesday. In Our Own Voices, which is based in Albany, has been in business for 25 years.Their goal is to provide resources to LGBTQ people of color in the Capital Region. The organization is partnering with the Albany Housing Authority to open five temporary apartments on Green Street. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "So we're hoping a person can come in between three and six months, and while they're there, we can actually transition them to permanent housing through Albany Housing or through apartments or space through private industry as well," In Our Own Voices CEO Tandra LaGrone said.They will also offer mental health support, job training, and other services. The project is being funded through a federal grant. Organizers hope to have the apartments open in 2024.

Teddy Bear Hospital teaches kids about health, medical procedures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany Medical College students brought the Teddy Bear Hospital to the South End Children's Café. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! They talked to children in a comfortable environment using teddy bears to help children learn about nutrition, health, and medical procedures. It can also help them if they've experienced trauma and are having a difficult time talking about it. The Albany Medical College has partnered with the South End Children's Café for many years with medical students to help these children.

Troy holds free water giveaway amid lead testing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A free water giveaway event took place in Troy on Wednesday to help raise awareness of the issues with lead pipes. In January, elevated levels of lead were found in homes built before 1980.Officials want to stress that the water supply itself is perfectly safe. Only some of the pipes raised concern. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Wednesday, Collar City residents picked up free water jugs at the Troy Central Little League. Officials running the event also want to educate people living in older houses about how they can get the lead out of their systems.Currently, only 20 percent of people living in Troy have had their homes tested. They're encouraging people to call and report your pipes if you need help.To avoid exposure to lead in drinking water, flush your water line by letting the water run until its cold. Do not use hot water out of faucets to cook or make hot beverages like coffee and tea. Us...

Man seen on video minutes before Kansas City home catches fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City family is out of their home after someone set fire to the house. A man was caught on video trying to take the Ring doorbell camera off of the home minutes before.At 3:14 a.m. Tuesday, video shows a man, who the victim said is her ex-boyfriend, attempting to take the camera off of the home. He was unsuccessful. Overland Park family lived with father’s dead body for 6 years, police say Just over 30 minutes later, he was back again, the video shows, this time using some sort of cloth to cover the camera.Three minutes later, the victim's son ran into his mom's room telling her their car was on fire."Domestic violence is about power and control, and when that power and control is taken away or it's minimized, then what we see is those efforts are escalated to try and get them back," said MaryAnn Metheny with Hope House. The nonprofit offers a domestic violence shelter and other services. The victim, who FOX4 is not naming at this time, shared videos and...

Nurses say legislation could help fix Missouri's healthcare shortage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:38 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- All but one of the state's counties are in a health professional shortage, and that's why nurse practitioners are asking lawmakers to change state law to help combat this deficit. Under current state law, advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) are required to in be in a collaborative practice agreement, which means nurse practitioners have a physician nearby to do their job. Nurses came to Jefferson City on Wednesday to tell lawmakers that if this restriction is lifted, patients will have better access to care. "When a physician dies, moves or goes on vacation, those practitioners, they don't have a backup collaborative physician, those clinics are dead," JoAnn Franklin a nurse practitioner from Reynolds County said. "They have to close down." Special prosecutor requested for child abuse case involving former Department of Corrections employee During a House workforce committee on Wednesday, Kirk Mathews with MO HealthNet, the state's Medicaid program, s...