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Hundreds of California jobs at stake if NASA Mars mission axed

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

(KRON) -- Hundreds of tech and science jobs will be lost in California if NASA moves forward with a plan to cut funding from the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, according to state lawmakers. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-30), sent a letter on Wednesday to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to reverse a decision to slash the mission's funding. The funding cut would "result in the loss of hundreds of California jobs, prevent the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from making its 2030 launch window, and lead to the cancelation of billions of dollars in contracts supporting American businesses," the lawmakers wrote. JPL is a federally funded NASA research and development center managed by Caltech in Southern California. Lawmakers said they were "mystified" by NASA’s "rash decision."If the mission goes forward in 2030, it will mark the first time in human history that a spacecraft is launched from the surface of another planet. The spacecraft wo...

Cooper Kupp misses practice and Puka Nacua is limited in Rams’ initial preparation for Cardinals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Cooper Kupp missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, and rookie receiver Puka Nacua was limited by a shoulder injury when the Los Angeles Rams began their preparations to face Arizona.Kupp sprained his ankle during the Rams’ 17-16 victory over Seattle last Sunday after making just one reception. The Super Bowl 56 MVP already missed the first four games of this season with a serious hamstring injury.“He’s feeling good,” coach Sean McVay said. “We’re going to hold him out today. See what (Thursday) looks like.”Kupp returned impressively from his hamstring injury with two big games last month, including seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown in a 26-9 win over Arizona. His impact has been much more muted since then, with only nine receptions for 109 yards and no scores over the Rams’ past four games.Nacua hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter of the win over the Seahawks, but he was able to participate in some of Wed...

No. 4 Stanford survives tough battle with scrappy Belmont, moves to 5-0 with 74-55 win

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Cameron Brink scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help lead No. 4 Stanford to a 74-55 victory over Belmont on Wednesday in the opening round of the Ball Dawgs Classic.The Bruins turned in a formidable performance before national powerhouse Stanford (5-0) pulled away for the win.After falling behind 33-32 early in the third quarter, a 3-pointer by Hannah Jump ignited a 9-0 run – the other six points coming from Brink – as the Cardinal took a 41-33 lead to seize control.And when the Bruins (2-3) cut their deficit to six, 59-53 with 4:34 left in the game, the Cardinal closed things out on a 15-2 run for the win.Kiki Iriafen scored 14 points and nine rebounds for Stanford.”(Cam) had a great second half … I thought Kiki had a really good game. I thought our fourth quarter was great,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “We started making some shots and we’ve got to run offense better. We worked hard defensively.”Tuti Jones and Tessa Mille...

Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo out with bruised hip against Cavs still without guard Donovan Mitchell

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Miami All-Star center Bam Adebayo will miss Wednesday night’s game against Cleveland with a hip bruise, while the Cavaliers are again without star guard Donovan Mitchell because of a lingering hamstring issue.Adebayo took part in the team’s morning shootaround, but began feeling discomfort afterward. He consulted with the Heat medical staff before the decision was made for him to rest.He missed a game earlier this season with the injury.A team spokesman said Adebayo aggravated the hip bruise when he fell on it during a recent game. The 6-foot-9 Adebayo has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games and is averaging 22.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists.Miami coach Erik Spoelstra will count on backups Thomas Byant and Orlando Robinson to help offset the loss of Adebayo, who is equally dominant on the defensive end.Meanwhile, the Cavs continue to be short-handed.Mitchell is out for the fourth straight game with a hamstring injury. He last playe...

Australia rallies to beat Czech Republic and reach Davis Cup semifinals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — A game away from elimination, Australia found a way to rally and make its way back to the Davis Cup semifinals.Australia came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the last-four for the second straight year on Wednesday.Alex de Minaur recovered from a set and a break down to keep the Aussies alive, then Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden won the decisive doubles match to set up a last-four encounter with Finland on Friday.Tomas Machac defeated Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5 in the first singles to put the Czechs ahead, but De Minaur beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6 (2) 7-5, and then Purcell and Ebden — the 2022 Wimbledon champions — sealed the comeback by defeating Adam Pavlasek and Lehecka 6-4, 7-5 in the doubles.“I prided myself on a never-say-die attitude and he’s certainly in the same category”, Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt said of De Minaur. “For him to go out there and put the boys on his back again, we’re so proud of him. He had to dig really de...

Chiefs look to continue dominance over Raiders when they meet Sunday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

KANSAS CITY (7-3) at LAS VEGAS (5-6)Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBSOPENING LINE: Chiefs by 9 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.AGAINST THE SPREAD: Chiefs 6-4; Raiders 6-5.SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 72-54-2.LAST MEETING: Chiefs won 31-13 on Jan. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas.LAST WEEK: Chiefs lost to Eagles 21-17; Raiders lost at Dolphins 20-13.CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (14T), PASS (6), SCORING (14).CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (18), PASS (4), SCORING (3).RAIDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (31), PASS (23), SCORING (26T).RAIDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (27), PASS (11), SCORING (13).TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Chiefs minus-5; Raiders minus-7.CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: CB Trent McDuffie. The second-year pro is making a strong case for an All-Pro nod this season. He had two sacks and forced a fumble against the Eagles last week, and he played a big part in shutting down wide receiver A.J. Brown. McDuffie has forced a league-leading five fumbles this season.RAIDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Jos...

Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson is taking ‘a hard look’ at himself to improve ball security

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Garrett Wilson quickly established a reputation in the NFL for making dazzling catches and being a primary playmaker for the New York Jets.The second-year wide receiver doesn’t want a few fumbles and drops the last few weeks to tarnish what he has accomplished. Wilson also doesn’t it want to become a trend.“Yeah, man, I’ve never been one to put it on the ground often,” last season’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year said Wednesday. “With the things happening these last few weeks, it makes me take a hard look in the mirror.”Wilson had his worst game of the season last Sunday at Buffalo, where he caught just two passes for 9 yards, lost a fumble and had a drop in the Jets’ 32-6 loss. He also dropped a pass two weeks ago at Las Vegas, and lost another fumble in the previous game against the Los Angeles Chargers.In all, Wilson has four drops after having five his entire rookie season. His two fumbles match how many he had last year, ...

Strong boxing year in Las Vegas concludes with Benavidez-Andrade for interim title

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Even as the Golden Knights, Raiders, Aces and even Formula One have captured most of the attention in the local sporting scene this year, Las Vegas has quietly re-asserted itself as the boxing capital of the world.A year of major fights culminates Saturday night when two undefeated boxers — David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade — meet for the interim WBC super middleweight championship.“Vegas is the mecca,” Andrade said. “It’s the marquee spot in the sport of boxing.”The year’s first major fight in Las Vegas took place in April when Gervonta Davis stopped Ryan Garcia in the seventh round in a bout between undefeated lightweight challengers. The division’s unified champion, Devin Haney, won a unanimous decision over Vasiliy Lomachenko a month later.Terence Crawford became the unified welterweight title holder with a ninth-round technical knockout in July of Errol Spence Jr. And in September, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defended his unified super middlewei...

Colts players express surprise at Shaquille Leonard’s empty locker

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Zaire Franklin and Shaquille Leonard had little in common when they entered the NFL in 2018.Leonard came with big expectations as a second-round draft pick out of South Carolina State. Franklin was viewed as a project after being a seventh-round selection out of Syracuse.With the Indianapolis Colts, though, the two linebackers excelled together. They learned how to take care of their bodies and study video, rooted for one another and developed a tight bond on and off the field.So when Franklin walked into Indy’s locker room Wednesday and saw the empty stall next to his, the stark reality hit: Leonard was no longer his teammate.“You know my locker was next to his for a lot of years,” Franklin said, shaking his head in disbelief a day after the Colts cut the three-time All-Pro and 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. “It just feels different without him here.”Franklin actually had a notion Monday night because Leonard said he was going to be benched a...

Queen’s Ban Righ Centre ramps up programming for upcoming 50th anniversary

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:24:39 GMT

The Ban Righ Centre, a resource for women-identified students on Queen’s campus, has gotten an early start to celebrating its 50th anniversary coming up in 2024 with a new campaign.Located at 32 Bader Lane, The Ban Righ Centre supports women-identified students, with a focus on mature women students at Queen’s. They provide resources like financial assistance, academic advising, as well as both practical and personal support.“The center is unique in that we have, since its inception, been committed to providing a real sort of wraparound approach to student support. We’re a child-friendly space, so people can bring their kids in with them, we work with lots of moms, we work with mature students from all faculties, as I’ve mentioned,” describes Susan Belyea, Director of the Centre. “You really have to visit to get a sense of what makes us special,” she continues. “But, really, I think in an increasingly busy and sometimes impersonal world, such as our camp...