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Position change a good fit for Wild fifth-round pick Aaron Pionk

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

Aaron Pionk wasn’t completely surprised when his North American Hockey League coach told him the Wilderness wanted him to play defense. Still, he wasn’t thrilled to hear it.“I guess it was a little weird to hear from a coach that he doesn’t want you to play the position you’ve always played,” he said.Pionk, 20, had always been a forward, specifically a center, but had heard the suggestion before from his father, Scott — a longtime coach with stops in the USHL and Division III Wisconsin-Superior now running the nascent Stella Maris Academy hockey program in Duluth.“My dad kind of gave me hints my whole life,” Aaron said this week during the Wild’s three-day prospects camp. “He, maybe, saw something in there.”And there was the fact that after being drafted by Sioux Falls of the USHL, Pionk failed to make the team as a forward. So, when the Wilderness called, the Hermantown native and graduate of its perennial hockey power high school read the writing on the wall and went with it.Smart...

NATO unity will be tested at upcoming summit. Ukraine’s possible entry may be the biggest challenge.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

WASHINGTON — As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO’s much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.The world’s biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO’s next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-general’s term for an extra year.Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfill a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.“I don’t think it’s ready for membership in NATO,” President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. He said joining NATO requires ...

7/9/23: Flooding Threat Continues into Monday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

Latest Forecast Update from Meteorologist Rob Lindenmuth:Storm system is here, and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. This means we will continue with steady rain overnight with bursts of heavier rain likely. This could lead to localized flash flooding concerns, especially near the smaller creeks and streams. Flood Watch remains in effect until Tuesday afternoon.Area of low pressure to our south will actually intensify overnight tonight. It will then track towards the north very slowly, but as it does this it will throw additional moisture towards eastern New York and Western New England. This will once again renew the threat for flash flooding overnight and into Monday morning.We have already seen radar estimated rainfall totals from across the area ranging from 1 to almost 3 inches of rain as of 5pm. We will be adding to these number with many more expecting to see an additional 2-4" of rainfall with locally higher amounts, especially in the northern Berkshires and southern Ve...

DeJong, Contreras lead Cards past White Sox 4-3 in 10 innings

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Paul DeJong had an RBI double in the 10th inning and the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Sunday.DeJong lined a pitch from Keynon Middleton (2-1) down the left field line to score Nolan Gorman, who started the inning on second base.St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras drilled a two-run homer and reached base four times with two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. He’s 11 for 17 with two homers and five RBIs in his last five games.Contreras batted fourth and returned behind the plate after missing two games following a dental procedure on Friday. The catcher was charged with two passed balls and a throwing error.JoJo Romero (1-0), the fourth Cardinals reliever, pitched two innings for his first career win.The Cardinals tied it at 3 in the top of the ninth after they loaded the bases against Kendall Graveman with one out.Alec Burleson's chopper up the middle glanced off Graveman's glove, and the White Sox were able to get only an out at second, instead...

Former Broncos LB Shaq Barrett nabs Colorado Golf Club mansion for $4.7M

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

Former Bronco star Shaquil “Shaq” Barrett, a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams, and his wife Jordanna paid $4.7 million to purchase a new Parker mansion.Barrett, an outside linebacker who played football at Colorado State University, signed with the Broncos in 2014 and played for the team for five seasons before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams in 2019 and won Super Bowl rings with the Broncos in 2016 and the Buccaneers in 2021.Preston Newberry with Your Castle Real Estate listed the five-bedroom, seven-bath home under construction by Carbon, a Franktown-based real estate developer, and design and build contractor.Related ArticlesDenver Broncos | RB Javonte Williams expects to be cleared for training camp, wants to play in Week 1: “It’s up to the Broncos” Denver Broncos | Broncos way-too-early 53-man roster projection Denver Broncos | Why two returning offensive linemen ...

Monrovia woman wakes up to dead bear in front yard 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

Imagine barely being awake and stumbling out of your house to find a dead bear in your yard. That's exactly what happened to Monrovia resident Amy Spada, who said that she disregarded the loud noise she heard outside her home around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night. “I thought maybe it was a firework, or a car accident...I didn’t think much of it,” Spada said. “A little while later, there was some police action in the condo complex, so I went out to see what was going on, and two rows over, police were saying that a bear got hit by a car on Foothill Boulevard, and it’s injured and it’s hiding behind one of the bushes close to my house.” Spada said that police told her that the bear was injured and aggravated, and that they were handling the situation. Thinking that all was said and done, she made her way back to her house and went to sleep. But she woke up to a pretty big surprise on Sunday morning. “This morning I woke up to take my dog out, and there was a dead bea...

The 2023 VW Arteon 2.0 Turbo SEL R-Line Sport Sedan

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

What is an Arteon? The Arteon is a midsize sedan built in Emden, Germany and is sold worldwide by Volkswagen. It’s the replacement for the discontinued Passat and it’s been pushed further and deeper into the premium sedan class. The Arteon is wider, with a longer wheelbase than Passat, giving it much more usable people and cargo space inside.The Arteon takes its name from the Latin word for art, Arteon, and alludes to the emphasis VW placed on its design. The 4 door sedan includes features such as chrome strips on its frameless side windows and a wraparound grille. VW added more standard equipment to the base SE R-Line trim, including adaptive LED headlights, a front grille integrated light bar and a power rear lift gate.The Arteon comes in 3 different trim levels, starting with the base SE R-Line for $43,010, to the sporty SEL R-Line for $46,700, on up to the top of the line SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion Edition, with a starting price of $50,175. With elegant exterior styl...

Yarbrough returns from facial fractures, pitches Royals past Guardians 4-1 to snap 6-game skid

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ryan Yarbrough completed a journey he never expected to take.Two months after suffering facial fractures when he was struck by a 106 mph line drive, Yarbrough returned to the mound Sunday and helped the struggling Kansas City Royals to a 4-1 win over Cleveland that felt extra special.“More than I could have dreamed of,” Yarbrough said.With his wife, daughter and other family members at Progressive Field, Yarbrough (2-4), who didn’t know what the future held when he was smashed by the liner from Oakland’s Ryan Noda on May 7, pitched six solid innings as the Royals ended a six-game skid.Yarbrough’s statistical line was less important than him returning from a frightening moment that could have ended his career.“I have an understanding of what happened and coming back from it and what could have been and how lucky and blessed I am,” said the 31-year-old left-hander. “It’s just been great and the amount of support from the guys, especially after the ga...

De La Cruz’s four hits lead Marlins to series-win over Phillies

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Bryan De La Cruz homered among his four hits as the Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 on Sunday.Jesús Sánchez and rookie Dane Myers also went deep for the Marlins, who reached the All-Star break with their best record in franchise history at 53-39.“It’s been fun to watch them grow,” Marlins first-year manager Skip Schumaker said. “There is a lot of belief in that clubhouse that we’re ready to win, and they’ve proved it.”Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo (8-5) struck out nine and allowed four hits over 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander gave up two runs and was lifted after he plunked Bryson Stott, who had two of the hits against Luzardo. He took steps toward Stott during his walk to first and they briefly exchanged words.“Obviously, I was not intentionally trying to throw at anyone,” Luzardo said in Spanish. “I believe someone in the dugout didn’t like that I was pitching inside but that is part of the game. As a pitcher, if you stay on only one side of the plate...

Biden says war with Russia must end before NATO can consider membership for Ukraine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:48:44 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview that Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks.Biden told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that while discussion of Ukraine’s imminent membership in NATO was premature, the US and its allies in NATO would continue to provide President Volodymyr Zelensky and his forces the security and weaponry they need to try to end the war with Russia.Biden spoke to Zakaria ahead of his weeklong trip to Europe, which includes a NATO summit in Lithuania where Russia’s war in Ukraine and Zelensky’s push for NATO membership will be among the key issues looming over the gathering.“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said. “For example, if you did that, then, you know – and I mean what I say – we’re determined to commit every inc...