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These cities are the allergy capitals of America, study says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A new report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranks the 100 largest cities when it comes to the worst seasonal allergies in the U.S.The study looks at how challenging it is for residents to manage seasonal pollen allergies. Researchers analyzed the cities' weed, grass and tree pollen scores, use of over-the-counter allergy medications and availability of immunologists and allergy specialists to determine their placement. NOAA issues El Niño watch: Here’s where and when we will feel the impact Wichita, Kansas topped the list of cities based on its high pollen count and lack of board-certified allergists. Florida had the most cities in the top 20, with seven. Sixth-place Sarasota ranked highest in the state. Climate change is making seasonal allergies worse and warmer states like Florida have been feeling the effects for decades, AAFA researchers said. Rising global temperatures means more time for pollen producers to grow, which leads to highe...

Kings probe 'racial bias' claims after rapper E-40 ejected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings are investigating allegations from a Bay Area hip-hop star that “racial bias” led to him being kicked out of his seat during a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors.The rapper E-40 said in a statement that he was heckled throughout the game Saturday night and addressed one heckler "in an assertive but polite manner” before security guards came and ordered him to leave the arena."Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent," he said in a statement. "Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault.”The Kings said they are investigating the circumstances behind the ejection."The Sacramento Kings take these claims seriously and are investigating the facts and circumstances regarding the situation, as we do anytime an accusation like this is made,” the team said in a stat...

Reggie Jackson offers gloomy outlook for A’s remaining in Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

OAKLAND – The A’s days in Oakland are numbered, as far as Reggie Jackson is concerned.Jackson, who at one point wanted to purchase the A’s from Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann, believes the team will have no choice but to vacate the East Bay in the coming years because of low revenue issues created by their decaying 55-year-old stadium.“No, they’re not going to have a team here. You can’t play with three, four, five six thousand people in the stands,” Jackson said Sunday before the A’s held a celebration for the 1973 World Series championship team. “You have no revenues here. What’s the signage look like? You’ve got to have revenue.“You’ve got to have players on your team making $20-$30 million a year if you’re going to compete and contend. You can’t do that here.”Jackson also offered a gloomy outlook on the organization and local government’s ability to come together and develop a waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. Since Novem...

Google devising radical search changes to beat back AI rivals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s employees were shocked when they learned in March that South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung was considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its devices.For years, Bing had been a search engine also-ran. But it became a lot more interesting to industry insiders when it recently added new artificial intelligence technology.Google’s reaction to the Samsung threat was “panic,” according to internal messages reviewed by The New York Times. An estimated $3 billion in annual revenue was at stake with the Samsung contract. An additional $20 billion is tied to a similar Apple contract that will be up for renewal this year.AI competitors such as the new Bing are quickly becoming the most serious threat to Google’s search business in 25 years, and in response, Google is racing to build an all-new search engine powered by the technology. It is also upgrading the existing one with AI features, according to internal docume...

4 people were killed and 15 others were shot during a Sweet 16 birthday party in Alabama

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

A Sweet 16 party turned into a scene of carnage when four people were killed and at least 15 teenagers were shot and wounded, officials said.The deadly rampage happened in downtown Dadeville around 10:34 p.m. Saturday, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Sunday.“There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there’s been a multitude of injuries,” Sgt. Jeremy J. Burkett said.One of the victims killed was Philstavious Dowdell — a stellar high school football player and the brother of the birthday girl, said Ben Hayes, the football team’s chaplain, and Keenan Cooper, who was the DJ at the party when the gunfire broke out.Cooper told CNN he didn’t hear a fight or disturbance prior to the shooting.“It’s really sad to see all the kids that were shot and the ones that are deceased,” he said. “And seeing all those bodies at the front door, all those kids are probably going to be traumatized.”At least 15 teenagers were treated for gunshot wounds — including several who are i...

Cole tosses 2-hitter with 10 Ks as Yanks blank Twins 2-0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts for his fourth career shutout and the second complete game in the majors this season, leading the New York Yankees to a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.DJ LeMahieu homered and hit an RBI single for the Yankees, who earned a split of the four-game series.Cole (4-0) lowered his ERA to 0.95 in four starts, finishing off the Twins on 109 pitches in only 2 hours, 7 minutes. He got the final nine outs on just 25 pitches and retired former Astros teammate Carlos Correa on a fly ball to end it.It was Cole’s seventh career complete game and his first shutout since July 10, 2021, at Houston. The only other complete game in the big leagues this year also came against Minnesota, when reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara threw a three-hitter for Miami in a 1-0 win on April 4.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Gallen outpitches Alcantara as Diamondbacks beat Marlins 5-0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Zac Gallen pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins 5-0 on Sunday.Corbin Carroll homered for Arizona, and Pavin Smith and Christian Walker also had two hits apiece.Gallen (2-1) retired his first 13 batters before Bryan De La Cruz singled with one out in the fifth. Avisaíl García then was hit by a pitch before Gallen retired Jean Segura on a flyout and struck out Jacob Stallings.Gallen struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings and walked none. Kevin Ginkel then got four outs before Kyle Nelson finished a four-hitter.Miami had won four straight games.Alcantara (1-2) permitted five runs, four earned, and seven hits in six innings. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner struck out nine and walked none.Alcantara has dropped his last two starts after throwing a three-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Minnesota on April 4.Arizona broke it open with four runs in the sixth. The outburst started when Josh Rojas reache...

EPL race tightens after latest Arsenal collapse; Man U 3rd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Another week, another Arsenal collapse.Mikel Arteta has a job on his hands to make sure his team’s title challenge does not go the same way. It was a case of history repeating itself as the Premier League leaders let another two-goal lead slip and dropped valuable points for the second week in a row. A 2-2 draw with West Ham on Sunday followed the same score line against Liverpool seven days earlier. It’s a costly habit to pick up, especially at a time when the wins are rolling in for second-place Manchester City.While it all appears to be so easy for defending champion City, which recorded a 10th straight victory in all competitions by beating Leicester 3-1 on Saturday, Arsenal’s form is wobbling. As if back-to-back draws weren’t bad enough for Arteta, it is the nature of his team’s mini-meltdowns against Liverpool and West Ham that will be of most concern. On both occasions Arsenal was cruising. But at the London Stadium, ju...

Reviewed call aids Nats’ rally in 7-6 win over Guardians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington tied the game on a reviewed call in the eighth inning, Joey Meneses followed with a go-ahead RBI single two batters later, and the Nationals defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-6 on Sunday to avert a three-game sweep.Jeimer Candelario and Luis García homered for Washington, which snapped a four-game skid and won at home for only the second time in nine tries this season.Steven Kwan drove in two runs for the Guardians, who fell to 7-3 on the road.In the eighth, plate umpire Ryan Blakney initially ruled Stone Garrett was thrown out at home while tagging on Lane Thomas’ one-out fly to center, but replay officials ruled catcher Mike Zunino was blocking the plate and allowed the run to count and tie it at 6.Trevor Stephan relieved Nick Sandlin (1-1) after the replay ruling and walked Dominic Smith. Meneses then poked a single to right to drive in CJ Abrams.Mason Thompson (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Kyle Finnegan handled the ninth for his third ...

Stars-Wild in NHL playoffs with top rookies from 2 years ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:49 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson is quick to point out that while he finished second behind Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov for the Calder Trophy, it wasn’t even a close vote to determine the NHL’s top rookie two years ago.Kaprizov, who got 99 of the 100 first-place votes back then, and Robertson are now the leading scorers on their respective teams. They face each other in the first round of the NHL playoffs, with the Central Division rival Stars and Wild opening their best-of-7 series Monday night.“He’s an amazing player,” Kaprizov said of Robertson, the 23-year-old who this season became Dallas’ first 100-point scorer (46 goals, 63 assists). “He gets opportunities from nothing.”Robertson said much the same about Kaprizov, whose 40 goals and 35 assists came in 67 games. He was back for Minnesota’s final two regular-season games after missing a month with a lower-body injury, and said he was starting to feel like himself again after that and a couple...