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Second-ever case of local dengue virus reported in Southern California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

Long Beach health officials confirmed the city’s first case of locally-acquired dengue fever on Wednesday.The virus is a mosquito-borne disease that is typically connected to those who have traveled outside of the country.Long Beach’s case marks the state’s second locally-acquired case without travel. The first-ever case was confirmed in October 2023 after a Pasadena resident contracted it and was hospitalized.Both the Long Beach and Pasadena residents had no history of traveling to a region where dengue is common, officials said. Both patients have since recovered and no other suspected cases have been identified, health officials said.Dengue is a disease caused by a virus that spreads through mosquito bites, according to the L.A. County Department of Health.“When a mosquito bites someone with dengue virus in their blood, that mosquito can then spread the virus to others,” city officials said.Most people who are infected with the dengue virus have no symptoms, but about 1 in 4 infe...

Klay Thompson drains last-second jumper as Warriors sneak out win over Kings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — This one had all the makings of a “trap game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before tipoff Wednesday.His team was bleary eyed. Their opponents, the Sacramento Kings, were missing their star guard, De’Aaron Fox. It would be easy to overlook this one-off home game sandwiched between trips to New Orleans and Oklahoma City and five more games away from Chase Center.Despite all those factors, together with an off-night for Steph Curry, the Warriors prevailed, 102-101, to earn their first win in front of their home fans.It took until the the 6-minute mark of the second quarter for Curry to make his second shot from the field, but he finished with a team-high 21 points. Down 1 with less than a minute to play, Curry crossed over behind his back and converted an acrobatic go-ahead layup.But it took the heroics of Klay Thompson to seal the victory after Damontas Sabonis answered with a bank-shot jumper. Two tenths of a second were left on the clock when Thom...

Sexton and Jazz shoot past the winless Grizzlies, 133-109

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Collin Sexton scored 23 points and Lauri Markkanen had 19 points and 11 rebounds to power the Utah Jazz to a 133-109 win over the reeling Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 19 for winless Memphis (0-5), which trailed the entire game.The Jazz (2-3) scored on their final eight possessions of the first quarter and shot 15 of 20 from the field and 8 of 10 from 3-point range to stake a 42-19 lead.Utah extended the advantage to 35 points in the second quarter thanks to 69% shooting, including 67% from beyond the arc. Utah led 79-46 at halftime and had more 3s (14) than the Grizzlies had field goals of any kind (13).Markkanen extended his streak with at least four 3s (on 4 of 6 shooting) to four games. Clarkson also added four 3s as the Jazz made a season-best 22 of 43 from 3-point range.Utah’s motion offense and crisp passing was one step ahead of the lagging Memphis defense while the Jazz employed a matchup...

Disney to acquire the remainder of Hulu from Comcast for roughly $8.6 billion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

Walt Disney Co. said it will acquire a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for approximately $8.6 billion, a deal that will give Disney undisputed control of the streaming service. Disney has actually run Hulu since 2019, when Comcast ceded its authority to Disney and effectively became a silent partner.Disney offered no comment beyond saying the acquisition will “further Disney’s streaming objectives.”Hulu began in 2007 and quickly evolved into as a service backed by entertainment conglomerates who hoped to stave off the internet with an online platform for their own TV shows. Disney joined in 2009, planning to offer shows from ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. A decade later, Disney gained majority control of the business when it acquired 21st Century Fox.Disney has treated Hulu as one of its own services for years — for instance, when it launched its own streaming service, Disney+, in 2019 and immediately offered a streaming bundle that included Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.More recently, ...

Australian police arrest host of lunch that left 3 guests dead from suspected mushroom poisoning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian police on Thursday arrested the host of a luncheon gathering that left three guests dead from suspected mushroom poisoning and a fourth fighting for life.Victoria state police executed a search warrant at Erin Patterson’s home at Leongatha where her former husband’s parents, Gail and Don Patterson, both aged 70, Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband Ian Wilkinson, 68, gathered on July 29 for lunch.All four guests were hospitalized the next day and only Ian Wilkinson survived.Homicide detectives would interview Erin Patterson after the search of her home was completed, Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said.“Today’s arrest is just the next step in what has been a complex and thorough investigation by Homicide Squad detectives and one that is not yet over,” Thomas told reporters.Detectives had previously interviewed the 49-year-old about the fatal lunch but no charges have been laid.She has publicly denied an...

European privacy officials widen ban on Meta’s behavioral advertising to most of Europe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — European officials widened a ban on Meta’s “behavioral advertising” practices to most of Europe on Wednesday, setting up a broader conflict between the continent’s privacy-conscious institutions and an American technology giant.Behavioral advertising, used by Meta’s Facebook and Instagram among many other tech companies, involves observing individual behavior such as browsing habits, mouse clicks and app usage, then using that data to build profiles for targeting ads.The decision by the European Data Protection Board represents a sharp escalation of a tussle that began in Norway, where privacy officials imposed a daily fine of 1 million kroner (roughly $90,000) on Meta for obtaining that data without adequate consent. Those fines have been piling up since August 14.Meta said it has cooperated with regulators and pointed to its announced plans to give Europeans the opportunity to consent to data collection and, later this month, to offer an ad-free subscription s...

T-wolves hand Nuggets 1st loss in wire-to-wire 110-89 rout, hit 26 of 27 free throws

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 24 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who delivered the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets their first loss in five games this season with a 110-89 victory Wednesday in the first rematch of their first-round playoff series from last spring.“I didn’t think our approach was where it needed to be,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “That team came out like they wanted to get some revenge.” Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and eight rebounds with tireless defense on Nikola Jokic and Mike Conley had 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting for the Timberwolves (2-2), who went 26 for 27 from the foul line and led from start to finish. “The maturity comes when you stack performances like this on top of each other, so that remains to be seen,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “But this was a great focused effort.” Jokic had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Murray scored 14 points for the Nuggets (4-1), who shot just 6 for 33 from 3-point range to fall ...

Diamondbacks’ magical season ends with a thud against Rangers in World Series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks were supposed to be contenders next year, when their young players would be more seasoned and their top prospects ready for the big leagues.The Diamondbacks accelerated the timeline, shaking up the baseball world with an extended postseason stay.Arizona’s bid for a second World Series title was stopped by a 5-0 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 5 on Wednesday night, but the NL pennant is certainly something the Diamondbacks can build upon.Two years removed from losing 110 games, the Diamondbacks shook off a midseason swoon to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. They proceeded to take down Milwaukee, the Dodgers and Philadelphia on their way to their first World Series appearance since they won the 2001 championship.The Rangers exposed Arizona’s weaknesses in the Fall Classic.Arizona managed to overcome its lack of depth in its rotation through the first three rounds of the playoffs, but it cost them in the World Serie...

Mitchell scores 30 points as the Cavaliers snap a 3-game skid, beating the Knicks 95-89

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a three-game skid with a 95-89 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.Caris LeVert scored 19 and Eric Mobley added 14 for Cleveland, which was again missing starters Darius Garland (strained hamstring), center Jarrett Allen (ankle bone bruise) and backup guard Ty Jerome (sprained ankle) with injuries. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points. Immanuel Quickley scored 18, Donte DiVincenzo had 16 and Mitchell Robinson finished with 16 rebounds.New York was without RJ Barrett, who sat with a sore left knee. Julius Randle’s offense was also missing, as he finished with six points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field and 0-for-6 sniping from long distance.“Their defense was tough. It was a defensive game,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We needed more easy baskets and we didn’t get those. You gotta find a way to win. That is the bottom line.”The Knicks led 50-49 at halftime before the Cava...

Green scores 23, VanVleet 22 as the Rockets earn 1st win of the season, beating the Hornets 128-119

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:46 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 23 and Fred VanVleet added 22 points and 11 assists as the Houston Rockets earned their first win of the season, 128-119 over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.The Rockets, who dropped their first three games, led by 18 points in the first half before letting the Hornets get back in it. But Houston used a big run in the third quarter to stretch its lead and withstood a late push by the Hornets for the victory.VanVleet, an eight-year veteran who joined the Rockets this season, said young teams have to learn how to win. “Especially with the history and the circumstances that have been here the last couple of years, you have to learn how valuable possessions are and how fast things can snowball both ways,” he said. “So just continue to make the right plays and chip away and then once it gets crunch time, you’ve got to be able to get organized and keep your mind right and make the crucial plays.”Houston was up by five points late in the fou...