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Tokyo company: ‘High probability’ spacecraft crashed on moon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)A Japanese company’s spacecraft apparently crashed while attempting to land on the moon Wednesday, losing contact moments before touchdown and sending flight controllers scrambling to figure out what happened.More than six hours after communication ceased, the Tokyo company ispace finally confirmed what everyone had suspected, saying there was “a high probability” that the lander had slammed into the moon.It was a disappointing setback for ispace, which after a 4 1/2-month mission had been on the verge of doing what only three countries have done: successfully land a spacecraft on the moon.Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace, held out hope even after contact was lost as the lander descended the final 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph.) Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo as minutes went by with only silence from the moon.A grim-faced team surrounded Hakamada as he announced, “We ha...

Celtics react to Ime Udoka reportedly taking Rockets job: ‘Happy for him’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

While the transgressions committed by Ime Udoka led to severe consequences with his ultimate dismissal from the Celtics, his former players have continued to hope for the best for their former coach.Jaylen Brown has expressed all season he hoped Udoka would land on his feet. Some thought Udoka would even be back with the Celtics after he served a season-long suspension for violations of team policy, reportedly for an improper intimate relationship with a female in the organization.On Monday, Udoka – who was officially dismissed by the Celtics in February when they promoted Joe Mazzulla from interim to full-time head coach – reportedly found a new job as the head coach of the Houston Rockets. In Boston, the news was received well from members of the Celtics. It prompted Mazzulla, who worked under Udoka for one season, to reach out to him. He thinks it’s meaningful that Udoka is back in the league.“I’m happy for him in the sense that I think it’s important,” Mazzulla said. “Second cha...

Level 3 sex offender accused of sexually assaulting MIT student at sorority

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

A Level 3 predator accused of sexually assaulting an MIT student in the Back Bay was busted along the city’s drug-plagued Methadone Mile.Nahom Getaneh, 33, was tracked down by police in the area of Atkinson and Southampton streets — the epicenter of the opioid-crazed zone — after a fuzzy photo was posted of a suspected night stalker.Getaneh faces arraignment in Boston Municipal Court on charges of assault with intent to rape and indecent assault and battery, police said. He is accused of attacking an MIT student Saturday night in the area of Beacon Street just before midnight.The alleged victim was entering her Delta Phi Epsilon sorority at 515 Beacon St. Further details, police said, will come out at the arraignment, but the charges and other reports indicate the attack could have been much worse.Getaneh also has two outstanding warrants against him for failure to register as a sex offender and possession of class B drugs.He is listed as being 6 feet tall and weig...

Paolo Banchero becomes 3rd Magic player to win Rookie of the Year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero’s reasoning for why he believed he should’ve been named the league’s 2022-23 Rookie of the Year was simple.“I just think,” Banchero said during his exit interview earlier in the month, “I’ve been the best rookie.”The league’s panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who voted for the award agreed, with Banchero receiving the top rookie award Tuesday night.Banchero, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, is the third player in Magic history to win Rookie of the Year, joining Shaquille O’Neal (1993) and Mike Miller (2001).“It’d mean everything,” Banchero responded when asked during his exit interview about possibly winning the award. “It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Worked really hard for. Just wanted to come out this year and be the best rookie but also help my team win and have a good effect on my teams in terms of wins and ov...

Scratch tickets drive surge in Lottery sales

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

Instant ticket sales soared well into the black in March, further buoying the Lottery’s financial performance three-quarters of the way through the fiscal year.The Lottery sold $366.4 million in instant tickets last month, about $57.5 million more than in March 2022, Interim Executive Director Mark William Bracken told the Lottery Commission on Tuesday. He called it a “very strong increase.”That burst helped fuel total sales of $519 million in March and represented the majority of Lottery growth over the same stretch a year earlier. All other games besides Mega Millions andLucky for Life saw decreased sales in March compared to March 2022.Instant tickets are the most popular Lottery product and typically make up 65 to 70%  of all sales. For much of fiscal year 2023, instant tickets have sold more slowly than last year, but March’s performance pushed the year-to-date instant ticket haul to $51.3 million, or 1.7%  more than the same stretch in FY22.Through the ...

San Diego councilmember seeks Fletcher's District Four seat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe will be running for the District Four seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, the politician said Tuesday.The announcement comes amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Nathan Fletcher, who is expected to resign from his District Four seat on May 15."I will continue to fight for my community to have a voice wherever it is needed," Montgomery Steppe wrote on Twitter. "And right now, that need is at the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. I ask that you stand with me to move the county forward."District Four is home to nearly 700,000 San Diegans living in areas such as Clairemont, La Mesa, Balboa Park, Hillcrest and Spring Valley. According to the county, it's the most ethnically diverse district. DUI suspected in I-15 crash that killed 2, including 4-year-old Another person who declared her candidacy for the District Four seat is Janessa Goldbeck, the CEO of Vet Voice Foundation and a...

Man accused of stabbing Cash App founder gets new court date

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The arraignment of the tech consultant charged with the killing of Cash App founder Bob Lee was delayed until next week after his defense attorney told a San Francisco judge Tuesday that prosecutors have not shared all their evidence with her. Nima Momeni, 38, was charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement of using a knife in the April 4 stabbing death of Lee. Momeni, who is being held without bail, was scheduled to return to court on May 2. Prosecutors say Momeni drove Lee to a secluded spot and stabbed him over a dispute related to the suspect’s sister.Paula Canny, Momeni’s defense attorney, said he will enter a plea of not guilty and deny the special allegation. She said she will ask the judge that Momeni be allowed to remain free during his trial. “My argument is going to be that Nima is not dangerous to society and Nima is not a flight risk. Under the law, if those two criteria are met, he should be released from custody,” Canny said. San Franc...

Feds working toward ‘clear, consistent’ definition of prohibited assault-style guns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government is eyeing a “clear, consistent” definition of assault-style firearms to be prohibited through legislation, as recently suggested by the Nova Scotia mass shooting commission, says Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.The Liberals will abandon their approach of spelling out each make and variety of banned firearm in lengthy lists appended to the federal gun-control bill, Mendicino said after appearing at the House of Commons public safety committee Tuesday.Mendicino told MPs the government is committed to “getting this right.”His appearance came more than two months after the Liberals withdrew an amendment to the federal bill that would have spelled out in law the various models covered by a ban on assault-style guns.The Liberals had touted the definition as an evergreen measure that would cement in legislation a May 2020 regulatory ban of some 1,500 firearm models and variants, as well as several others flagged since then.MPs ...

German President Steinmeier’s B.C. visit a ‘rare’ opportunity to engage directly

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

VANCOUVER — The visit of Germany’s president to Metro Vancouver creates a “rare” opportunity for Canadian businesses to speak directly with a key trade partner’s leadership, says a top B.C. executive who hosted the foreign dignitary.Greater Vancouver Board of Trade CEO Bridgitte Anderson hosted a roundtable discussion headlined by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on the third day of his four-day trip to Canada.The discussion included about 20 delegates from both Germany and Canada.The conversation mainly focused on the topics of Indigenous reconciliation, the net-zero economy and reorganizing supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region.The media was not allowed to attribute quotes to delegates who spoke at the event, but the discussion touched on topics such as balancing the risks and opportunities of doing businesses with China, as well as whether India — which receives a large portion of its military supplies from Russia — is a suitable alternative i...

Quakes rattle New Zealand but no reports of major damage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:23 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A series of moderately strong earthquakes rattled New Zealand’s North Island on Wednesday morning but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.A preliminary magnitude 5.4 quake hit the rural Hawke’s Bay region near the town of Dannevirke about 10:15 a.m. and was followed soon after by a preliminary magnitude 5.2 quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Several milder aftershocks followed. The quakes posed no threat of a tsunami, New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency said.Near the epicenter, residents reported feeling a severe shaking as items crashed from shelves. Some schools evacuated. The first quake was felt as a mild but long rumbling in the capital, Wellington, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) away. The nation’s earthquake monitoring agency, Geonet, received reports from more than 22,000 people who reported feeling the first quake.New Zealand, which is home to 5 million people, is sometimes...