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Booze, beads and art among unclaimed gifts lavished upon billionaire Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has so many fans and friends that he receives a $30 gift at the rate of one every three days, but because of his job he accepts none of them, and rarely even sees them.The second-term Democratic governor and multi-billionaire has been lavished with hundreds of gifts from around the world, ranging from a $950 bottle of Japanese whiskey to 35 cents: a quarter and dime, to be exact.The state’s 25-year-old Gift Ban Act prohibits public employees such as Pritzker from accepting presents, with broad exceptions. Therefore, the high-priced hooch delivered compliments of the Japanese embassy and three bottles of tequila valued at $450 have remained untapped.“I don’t get to do that,” Pritzker said at a stop in Springfield. “I will say I like tequila, so that’s why people will have given that to me, but there are a few other spirits that I like as well.”Pricey bottles of alcohol are not the only gifts that Pritzker eschews. Most are stored i...

Avalanche rallies to beat Sharks in shootout, negate Mackenzie Blackwood masterpiece

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

SAN JOSE — For more than 58 minutes Saturday night, the Avalanche had no answers for San Jose goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.The Avalanche peppered the goalie, who was making his first start for the Sharks, from every angle. Eventually, Cale Makar found a hole. And then Mikko Rantanen had the lone tally in the shootout to help the Avs escape SAP Center with a 2-1 victory.“We just kept banging at the door,” Makar said. “It’s honestly kind of fun. You know you’re dictating the play, and it makes it even more satisfying when you do score. It’s a big win.”Blackwood turned aside Colorado’s first 48 shots on goal, but Makar’s wrist shot from the top of the circles with 1:26 left in regulation was the breakthrough.Colorado dominated for vast stretches, finishing with a 51-21 advantage in shots on goal and 111-57 in total attempts. But the San Jose players in front of Blackwood also blocked 31 shots and generally frustrated the Avs...

Authorities searching for suspect after man struck, killed in Compton 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

A man was struck by a car in Compton early Saturday night, and police are now searching for the driver who failed to stop and identify themselves. According to CHP, units responded to the area of Rosecrans Avenue and Avalon Boulevard just before 7:30 p.m. after reports of a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian. Upon arriving, officers discovered the male victim and pronounced him deceased at the scene, authorities said. A man was struck by a car in Compton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (KTLA)Footage from Sky5 captured three CHP units surrounding a body underneath a white sheet as officers begin to scour the area for clues.No suspect or vehicle description was immediately available. This is a developing story. Stay with KTLA for updates.

Sharks get a goaltending performance for the ages, but lose in familiar fashion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

SAN JOSE – Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood had a San Jose Sharks debut for the ages on Saturday.But for anyone who has watched the Sharks over the last two-plus seasons, the end result, despite Blackwood’s brilliance, was all too familiar.Blackwood finished had a remarkable 51 saves before allowing a shootout goal to Mikko Rantanen in a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche in front of an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.With the Sharks on their heels late in the third period, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored with 1:26 left in regulation time to spoil Blackwood’s shutout bid. After a scoreless five-minute overtime in which the Sharks had a full two-minute power play, Rantanen scored in the second round of the shootout.Conversely, Alexander Barabanov, William Eklund, and Mike Hoffman all failed in their shootout attempts to beat Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who finished with 20 saves.The Sharks have now lost 30 games in overtime or a shootout since the start of...

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi-to-Dallin Holker Hail Mary seals CSU Rams’ first-ever win over Boise State

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

FORT COLLINS — The Boise Streak is over.And the CSU Rams just might have saved their season in the process.One of the wildest finishes in Rams football history ended with arguably its wildest play, as Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s Hail Mary as time expired was batted into the waiting arms of CSU tight end Dallin Holker, sealing a 31-30 victory — the program’s first-ever over the Broncos.Jaylen Clark and Rodney Robinson appeared to leap over Tory Horton to combine to bat the ball down in the end zone, but it was cradled by Holker for the game-winner. A replay review confirmed the score, and after an extra-point sealed the comeback, bedlam ensued.By the time the Rams (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West) made it interesting, Canvas Stadium was largely empty. Two onside kicks and two lightning-quick scores helped CSU erase a 30-10 deficit with 6:12 left in regulation.And a CSU football season that hit a speed bump at Utah State last weekend is back on the winning track again ...

Saturday Night Five: Washington’s escape, Lanning’s mistake, USC crumbles and the CFP path narrows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

Instant reaction to Pac-12 developments on the field …1. For the agesIt says something that the fourth-largest comeback in conference history — Stanford’s 29-point, triple-overtime rally to slay Colorado — wasn’t the most compelling game of the weekend.And this is what it says: Oregon-Washington was an all-timer.The first meeting of the bitter rivals when both were ranked in the top-10 carried Pac-12 championship, College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy stakes — plus a visit by ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ and dozens of NFL scouts. And it more than met the occasion.“That was an amazing football game,” Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer said after UW’s 36-33 victory.The two heavyweights were at the top of their games. They traded big plays and the lead, combined for 956 yards, converted 15-of-27 third-down attempts, committed just 10 penalties and had a single turnover.It was spectacular, especially for the Huskies, who are on...

Avalanche beat Sharks 2-1 in shootout to spoil 51-save performance by Mackenzie Blackwood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar scored a late game-tying goal, and the Colorado Avalanche beat San Jose 2-1 in a shootout on the road on Saturday night to spoil a 51-save performance by Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.The Avalanche scored with just over a minute left in regulation on their 49th shot on net, when Makar wristed one past Blackwood with an empty net to tie the game at 1-1. After a scoreless overtime, Mikko Rantanen scored the lone goal in the shootout to secure the win for Colorado.Colorado has won seven straight games against the Sharks, and is 15-2-0 in their last 17 games against San Jose dating to the 2019-20 season. Colorado has also won 13 straight regular season road games dating to last season.Prior to Makar’s goal, Colorado had been stymied by the Sharks’ netminder despite outplaying San Jose.The Avalanche outshot the Sharks 51-21, but until the third period could not find a way past Blackwood, who made his debut for the Sharks after being traded from ...

Canucks maintain their early season dominance over the Oilers with 4-3 win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nils Hoglander had a goal and an assist as the Vancouver Canucks continued their early season dominance over the Edmonton Oilers, emerging with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night.Andrei Kuzmenko, Jack Studnicka and Sam Lafferty also scored for the Canucks, who beat the same Oilers 8-1 in their season opener on Wednesday. Vancouver was winless in its first seven games last season.Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and two assists, and Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid also had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who outshot the visitors 41-16.Edmonton came out looking for retribution for Wednesday’s loss and found it just 42 seconds into the opening period after a flurry of shots on Canucks goaltender Casey DeSmith paid off with Draisaitl poking it in from under his pads in the crease for his second goal of the young season.The Canucks tied it midway through the first on the power play as a long shot by Quinn Hughes was tipped past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner by K...

Galaxy, Real Salt Lake play to 2-2 draw, clinching top-four seed for LAFC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Diego Luna scored in the second half to help Real Salt Lake rally from two goals down to a 2-2 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night.Defending-champion Los Angeles FC clinched a top-four seed in the Western Conference with the tie by Real Salt Lake (13-12-8).The Galaxy (8-13-12), with 21-year-old Novak Mocovic making his first career appearance in goal, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute when Dejan Joveljic took passes from Daniel Aguirre and Douglas Costa and scored his sixth goal of the season.Jovelic returned the favor, picking up an assist on Costa’s netter in the 34th minute to put the Galaxy up 2-0. It was Costa’s third goal this season.Real Salt Lake pulled within a goal by halftime when Anderson Julio used a pass from Nelson Palacio in the first minute of stoppage time to notch his fifth netter of the season.Luna netted his fourth goal of the season to tie it, scoring unassisted in the 76th minute.Zac MacMath totaled five save...

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Oregon-Washington embrace 4-down football; Resetting the Heisman Trophy race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:19 GMT

Imagine football without the kick.No. 8 Oregon and No. 7 Washington gave a glimpse into that world Saturday in what might go down as the game of the year.The final play was a missed field goal by the Ducks — cruel irony in some ways — that allowed the Huskies to stay unbeaten, but both Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Washington’s Kalen DeBoer embraced four-down football.And we all should — even when it doesn’t work out.In two years as a head coach with Oregon, Lanning has made quite clear he believes punting and place-kicking are only a very last resort. A failed fourth-down late in last year’s game against the Huskies helped doomed the Ducks, too.“We’re an aggressive team,” Lanning told ESPN at halftime Saturday after passing on a chip-shot field goal on the last play of the second quarter and instead failing on fourth-and-goal from the 3. “We’re going to go play to win the game. We’ve got an opportunity to get a touchdown. We know that’s a big swing for us,” he said...