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A new film sheds light on the history of Black players in the NBA, but doesn’t tell the whole story: Guest Commentary

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

Most Americans are familiar with how Major League Baseball was integrated, the 76th anniversary of which was recently observed. Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947, and before then Black players had to play in the Negro Leagues.But what about pro basketball? Who was the first African American in the NBA, and when did he join?A recently released film, “Sweetwater,” sheds light on this previously little-known chapter in professional sports history. It’s an important story and a good film, recognizing former New York Knick Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton as the trailblazer he was for African American players in the NBA. But like many Hollywood tales, it doesn’t tell the whole story.On May 24, 1950, Clifton signed a contract with the Knicks. While the film and elsewhere have identified him as the first Black player to sign an NBA contract, many sources say that distinction actually belongs to Harold Hunter, who signed with the Washington Capitols a month earlier but was cut in trainin...

Watch: Minimart robber doesn’t realize cop just rolled up

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

An attempted armed robbery at a Tulare County minimart was interrupted when a patrolling deputy became suspicious, the sheriff’s office said.The frantic scene Tuesday night, caught on surveillance video, started at 9:49 p.m. at Valley Fuel Plainview Market.The sheriff’s report said a deputy was driving along the edge of the farming community of Plainview when he saw a car pulling into the market’s lot and realized it matched the description of a recently carjacked vehicle.Just as the deputy entered the lot and turned on his SUV’s flashing lights, a person in a hooded sweatshirt jumped from the back seat of the car and ran toward the store, the video shows.His companions apparently saw the deputy: They scrambled back into the car and began pulling out. The video inside the store shows the hooded person make a sudden about-face and sprint outside.The deputy reportedly chased the car for several minutes, “but stopped because of the driver’s extreme actions...

Oakland teachers strike day 6: District pushes back on ‘common good’ measures

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

The Oakland teachers strike continued Thursday, after a more contentious turn the day before, as allegations of misleading figures, canceled board meetings and a doubling-down against the “common good” left the explosive labor battle perhaps more muddled and messy entering its second week than it was in its first.The Oakland Education Association announced its plans to strike for its sixth day Thursday, with picket lines forming at schools across the Oakland Unified School District at 7:30 a.m. A “big picket” was scheduled at 12:30 p.m. at Glenview Elementary School on 4215 La Cresta Avenue.Our bargaining team remains at the table with OUSD tonight. Today the school board cancelled their meeting & failed, again, to show the leadership our students need. We still showed up – showed up strong. Our resolve is strong, and we will keep fighting for what our kids need. pic.twitter.com/OMvp3uGADS— Oakland Education Association (@OaklandEA) May 11, 20...

NAACP urges Oakland teachers to end strike for children's sake

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

Oakland Unified students are on their fifth day at home or at school with limited instruction because their teachers are on strike. The Oakland branch of the NAACP has urged the teachers union to end the strike, saying it is hurting children. "We know that our children's education should never be compromised, and education is critical to ending intergenerational poverty," said Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland NAACP in a statement Monday. "As the academic school year nears the end, it is our position that all students, including the most vulnerable, should be learning and thriving in school." $7K worth of equipment stolen from Oakland student program Half of the children in the district are Hispanic, 20 percent are Black, 10 percent are Asian and 10 percent are white. Nearly three-quarters of the district's children come from low-income families, according to state data. Oakland's scores on standardized tests lag behind the state average. Just over 35 percent of t...

Who will win Game 6 in Warriors vs. Lakers playoffs? Let's ask 'Steph Furry.'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

(KRON) -- After a 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night in L.A., the Golden State Warriors saved their playoff run in Game 5 Wednesday night with a 121-106 win. Can they do it again on Friday? Let's ask Steph Furry.Viral video of a corgi by the social media handle "AirCorgi"—or "Steph Furry" to fans— shows the dog correctly predicting all of the Lakers-Warriors playoff games so far. It even shows the Warriors winning the next two games, making it to and winning the Western Conference Semifinals.The video shows the corgi bouncing a basketball off its nose and making it into one of two baskets labeled "Lakers" or "Warriors." Up to Game 5, the predictions have all been correct, showing:Game 1: LakersGame 2: WarriorsGame 3: LakersGame 4: LakersGame 5: WarriorsGame 6: WarriorsGame 7: WarriorsAnother video posted to the channel shows the dog doing "impressions" of famous basketball players including a no-look shot meant to impersonate Steph Curry and the dog stomping on a st...

Prince William Co. supervisors consider lifting tax-break moratorium for nonprofits

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner, InsideNoVa.com, and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is considering expanding the use of property tax exemptions for certain nonprofits, a move that would reverse a moratorium put in place on new tax-exempt designations.On Tuesday, the board issued a directive to county staff to “research and make recommendations for lifting the moratorium on tax exemptions by designation.” The moratorium has been in place since 2011.The broad language used in Democratic Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Franklin’s directive followed an earlier proposal from Republican Gainesville Supervisor Bob Weir to consider granting new tax-exempt status specifically to the Willing Warriors charitable organization in Haymarket.Between Tuesday’s meeting and the April 25 meeting that preceded it, Republicans and Democrats on the board went back and forth on Weir’s pro...

NBA Playoffs: Warriors, Knicks win Game 5 to stay alive in their series

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

The champs are still alive. The Knicks aren’t done yet, either.Golden State and New York staved off elimination from the NBA playoffs on Wednesday night, both coming up with home wins in Game 5s. The defending champion Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-106, while the Knicks topped the Miami Heat 112-103.Teams are now 7-8 in this year’s playoffs when facing elimination. That stat will change Thursday night when Boston (at Philadelphia) and Phoenix (at home against Denver) will try to extend their seasons with wins in Game 6 of those matchups.The top two finishers in the MVP race — Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Denver’s Nikola Jokic — could get to the conference finals. That hasn’t happened since 2018, when MVP James Harden led Houston to the Western Conference finals and runner-up LeBron James guided Cleveland to the Eastern Conference finals.WHAT’S NEXT?Thursday’s schedule has those two Game 6 matchups — Boston at Philadelphia (76ers lead ...

US authorities takes down 13 Hezbollah-affiliated web domains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. authorities seized over a dozen website domains used by sanctioned associates, businesses, and charities of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.Washington has listed the Iran-backed group as a terrorist organization, and has slapped sanctions on its members, associates, and affiliated businesses and charities over the years.The 13 seized website domains include multiple domains for the group’s al-Manar television, as well as URLs for top officials, deputy secretary general Naim Kassem, senior officials Ibrahim al-Sayed and Ali Damush, as well as affiliated charities the Martyrs’ Foundation and the Emdad Committee for Islamic Charity.The websites are no longer accessible, and only an image from American authorities announcing that they have taken the domain name appears. Al-Manar’s main web address, a Lebanese domain, is still operating.“This seizure demonstrates the FBI’s persistence in using all of our...

EU parliament calls on Belarus to stop mistreating imprisoned political hopeful

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The European Parliament demanded Thursday that authorities in Belarus stop the mistreatment of a former presidential hopeful imprisoned for standing up to the country’s authoritarian leader and immediately release him and other political prisoners.Viktar Babaryka was handed a 14-year prison sentence in 2021 on charges that he rejected as political punishment for launching a bid to challenge Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in a 2020 presidential election.The European Parliament said that Babaryka was hospitalized in April with traces of beatings that required surgery. Babaryka’s supporters said that the authorities haven’t released any information about his condition and barred his lawyer from visiting him.The European Parliament urged Belarusian authorities to release Babaryka and other political prisoners. It strongly condemned the “inhumane treatment of political prisoners and their family members” in Belarus.Belarus was shaken b...

Unanimous Supreme Court gives transgender woman from Guatemala new chance to fight deportation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of a transgender Guatemalan woman who is fighting deportation on the grounds that she would face persecution if returned to her native country.The court’s unanimous decision in favor of Estrella Santos-Zacaria gives her another chance to argue that immigration officials were wrong to reject her bid to remain in the United States.Lawyers for Santos-Zacaria, now in her mid-30s, said she first fled to the United States after being raped as a young teenager and threatened with death because of her gender identity in a country that has targeted the LGBTQ community. But a U.S. immigration judge found that she did not make a strong enough case that she would face persecution if sent back to Guatemala.The issue at the Supreme Court was more technical, whether federal immigration law was flexible enough to allow her another day in court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled against her on that point, but other appel...