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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was not injured after being involved in a two-car crash in downtown Charlotte on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details of the accident.

A police report was not immediately made available.

Ball appeared to be driving through an intersection when his camoflauge-colored, custom-made Hummer collided with another vehicle shortly before 5 p.m., accordingvideo obtained by WSOC-TVin Charlotte. The station later posted video of Ball, wearing anaqua-colored Hornets hoodie, getting out his truck and into another car before being driven away. Police were on the scene at the time.

There was no information available on the person in the other car involved in the collision, although video showed that driver calmly get out of his car and begin walking toward Ball's truck. Video showed the left front tire of Ball's truck was missing.

The Hornets held practice earlier in the day.

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Charlotte, which has won 10 of its last 11 games, is scheduled to host the Houston Rockets on Thursday night as teams return from the All-Star break.

Ball is just the latest to professional sports athlete to be involved in a car accident in Charlotte.

Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonfractured his backfollowing a 2014 crash in which he flipped his black pickup truck near Bank of America Stadium — less than a mile from where Ball's accident occurred.

And in 2024, Panthers current backup quarterback Andy Daltoninjured his thumbwhen he was involved in a two-car accident in Charlotte.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kenny Atkinson was able to do something on Wednesday for the first time since theCleveland Cavalierstraded forJames Hardenon Feb. 4.

Cavaliers Nuggets Basketball

The Cavaliers held their first practice in a couple of weeks after returning from the All-Star break and began gearing up for the second half of the season.

"We only have one practice. I think your first reaction is, 'Man, we've got to do all these things,' but just try to keep dialing back and keep it as simple as possible and then kind of add as we go," the Cavaliers coach said. "It's like, how can we reduce it to the things that matter? I think we accomplished that."

Harden had only film sessions and walk-throughs during his first three games with Cleveland, but the 17-year veteran proved to be a quick study. He is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists along with two double-doubles with the Cavaliers.

Jaylon Tyson said he didn't realize how much of a defensive presence Harden could be until he was his teammate.

"The offensive part, nothing's really surprised me, but defensively, he's actually pretty good. He got a couple blocks. He's definitely not what you call a cone," Tyson said.

All-star guardDonovan Mitchellhas three straight games with at least 30 points, but knows there is still an adjustment period going on with Harden.

"We haven't even gotten to playing a two-man game together and what that looks like. So I think as we build, you'll start seeing that as well. But I think the biggest thing now is we found something that works," Mitchell said.

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Most of Wednesday's prepractice film session and practice was devoted to defense. The Cavaliers are tied for the third-worst 3-point defense in the league, allowing 37.2% from beyond the arc, and are in the middle of the league in most categories.

Atkinson said they went back to some of the stuff installed during training camp to get newcomers Harden, Dennis Schroeder, and Keon Ellis up to speed, and to provide a refresher course for the veterans.

Atkinson added that it is likely Evan Mobley and Dean Wade could return to the lineup on Thursday. Mobley, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has missed the last seven games due toa left calf strain, while Wade was sidelined for three games due to a sprained left ankle.

The Cavaliers have won all three games with Harden in the lineup. Cleveland is also on a five-game winning streak going into Thursday night's game against Brooklyn. It is 17-5 since Dec. 29 and has a league-best .772 winning percentage during that span.

Cleveland (34-21) is fourth in the Eastern Conference, but is only 1 1/2 games behind Boston for second. The game against the Nets begins a stretch of five in seven days, including a trip toOklahoma Cityon Sunday and a home game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

"We all have to make sure we're locked in and ready to go," said Mitchell, who is fifth in the league in scoring at 29.0 points per game. "This is no easy stretch. You can look up and be in bad shape right off the bat."

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Dan Hurley and the Huskies suffered a rare, bad loss at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday night.

No. 5 UConn fell apart down the stretch and allowed Creighton, which has struggled all season in a down year in Omaha, to pick up a very solid 91-84 upset win. That was by far the biggest victory of the season for the Bluejays, who sit at just 14-13 and need some help in order to even make the NCAA tournament.

The loss for UConn was just the team's third all season, but it both put their hopes at claiming a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in serious risk and opened the door for Rick Pitino and St. John's to take the Big East title. The Red Storm survived a scare of their own later on Wednesday night and beat Marquette 76-70 in Milwaukee to take the lead in the conference standings.

Creighton had no issue keeping up with UConn all night. The Bluejays entered the locker room tied with the Huskies, and then mounted a huge 14-5 run in the second half while shutting down UConn's offense almost completely. They forced a stretch in which the Huskies missed 10 of 11 shots, too, and briefly pushed their lead to 12 points before cruising to the seven-point win.

Blake Harper likely sealed the deal after he drilled a huge corner 3-pointer just seconds after a Silas Demary layup on the other end. Harper's bucket pushed Creighton's lead to 10 points with just 90 seconds left.

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Josh Dix led Creighton with 21 points and eight rebounds, and Nik Graves added 18 points. Harper finished with 12 points off the bench.

The win seemingly came out of nowhere for the Bluejays. They entered Wednesday night's game having lost six of their last eight. The only wins during that stretch came by a combined two points. They were just 1-8 against Quad I teams up until this point, too.

An NCAA tournament bid is likely out of the question for Creighton, however, unless it manages to knock off No. 17 St. John's on Saturday in New York and goes on a run in the Big East tournament. Wednesday's win, however, was a big step to getting that done.

Braylon Mullins led UConn with 25 points and six rebounds, and Demary added 17 points and nine assists. Star Alex Karaban was held to just two points after he shot 1-of-6 from the field, marking his worst output of the season.

UConn, after starting the season winning 22 of its first 23 games, has now lost twice in its last four after falling at St. John's last week. And if they aren't perfect, or close to it, the rest of the way, securing a top seed in the NCAA tournament could be out of reach.

The rematch between the two teams leading the Big East next week is suddenly that much more important heading into the conference tournament.

SYDNEY, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Australian police said on Thursday they had launched an investigation after a threatening letter was sent to the country's largest mosque, the third such incident ‌in the lead-up to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The letter sent to Lakemba ‌Mosque in Sydney's west on Wednesday contained a drawing of a pig and a threat to kill the "Muslim race", local media ​reported.

Police said they had taken the letter for forensic testing, and would continue to patrol religious sites including the mosque, as well as community events.

The latest letter comes weeks after a similar message was mailed to the mosque, depicting Muslim people inside a mosque on fire.

Police have also arrested and charged a 70-year-old ‌man in connection with a third ⁠threatening letter sent to Lakemba Mosque's staff in January.

The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) it had written to the ⁠government to request more funding for additional security guards and CCTV cameras.

Some 5,000 people are expected to attend the mosque each night during Ramadan. More than 60% of residents in the suburb of Lakemba identify as ​Muslim, according ​to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Bilal El-Hayek, mayor ​of Canterbury-Bankstown council, where Lakemba is located, ‌said the community was feeling "very anxious".

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"I've heard first-hand from people saying that they won't be sending their kids to practice this Ramadan because they're very concerned about things that might happen in local mosques," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the recent string of threats.

"It is outrageous that people just going about commemorating their faith, particularly during the holy month for Muslims of Ramadan, are subject to this ‌sort of intimidation," he told ABC radio.

"I have said repeatedly ​we need to turn down the temperature of political discourse ​in this country, and we certainly need ​to do that."

Anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in Australia since the war in ‌Gaza War in late 2023, according to ​a recent report commissioned by ​the government.

The Islamophobia Register Australia has also documented a 740% rise in reports following the Bondi mass shooting on December 14, where authorities allege two gunmen inspired by Islamic State ​killed 15 people attending a Jewish ‌holiday celebration.

"There's been a massive increase post-Bondi," Mayor El-Hayek said. "Without a doubt, this is ​the worst I have ever seen it. There's a lot of tension out there."

(Reporting ​by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

A massive wildfire that started in Oklahoma and pushed into Kansas has grown to more than 442 square miles, according toOklahoma Forestry Services. That makes the Ranger Road Fire amegafirethat's only about 15% contained.

The fire caused widespread evacuations Tuesday and Wednesday, as fierce winds and extremely dry conditions sparked multiple wildfires in both states and Texas.

Oklahoma's Governor declared astate of emergencyin three counties: Beaver, Texas and Woodward counties, as the fires destroyed multiple homes and buildings. Gov. Kevin Stitt said additional counties may be added if the fires spread.

(MORE:Tracking A Potential Nor'easter)

Crews are battling at least three other major fires in the state:

Stevens Fire (Texas County): 12,428 Acres - 50% Contained

Side Road Fire (Texas County): 3,680 Acres - 60% Contained

43 Fire (Woodward County): 1,680 Acres - 30% Contained

(MORE:70+ MPH Winds Cause Deadly Pileup In Colorado)

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported a fire truck from Rosston Fire overturned, injuring three firefighters. The Oklahoma Forestry Services reported that another firefighter was injured and taken to a hospital on Tuesday, but it wasn't clear where the incident happened.

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Kansas

The Ranger Road Fire crossed into Kansas Tuesday, racing into Englewood and Ashland, said the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.

The Kansas Forest Service also reported at least three other fires, two in Seward County plus the Garden City Fire in Finney County.

(MORE:Where Feet Of Snow Could Fall)

Parts of Interstate 70 were shut down after low visibility and blowing dust caused multiple crashes. The highway was closed in both directions between Colby and Oakley but theKansas Department of Transportationsaid all lanes were reopened Tuesday night.

Texas

Crews are responding to multiple fires in the Texas Panhandle.

The 8 Ball Fire in Armstrong County has scorched at least 9,000 acres and is about 40% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

The Lavender Fire has grown to at least 12,000 acres near Valley de Oro, about 18 miles northwest of Amarillo. That fire is about 20% contained.

At least five other fires were 100% contained on Tuesday night.

The fires across the Panhandle shut down multiple roads and caused evacuations Tuesday.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo warned that critical fire weather would return Thursday, even though winds might be slightly lower. They urged residents to be ready to evacuate.

KARACHI, Pakstan (AP) — Agas explosion ripped through an apartment buildingin Pakistan's largest port city of Karachi on Thursday, killing at least 16 people, including women and children, and injuring several others after part of the structure collapsed, police and rescue officials said.

Pakistan Gas Explosion Building

The explosion happened when people were preparing a pre-dawn meal on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in a residential area of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, local police chief Rizwan Patel said. Rescuers were still removing rubble to search for any survivors trapped under the debris, he added.

The death toll was initially reported at 13 but Patel said it rose to 16 after three more bodies were pulled out from the rubble.

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Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow and condolences to the victims' families and directed authorities to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. He also called for a swift completion of rescue operations and urged the Sindh provincial government to enforce building codes, check gas cylinder safety and conduct a thorough inquiry to help prevent similar incidents.

Most houses and apartment buildings in Karachi, like elsewhere in Pakistan, are supplied with natural gas for cooking. However, many households also rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure.

In July, agas explosion following a wedding receptionat a home in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, killed eight people, including the bride and groom. The blast occurred as guests had gathered to celebrate the couple, authorities said.

MILAN –Vera Wangis best known as an iconic fashion designer. But she's at the2026 Winter Olympicsbecause of her love of something else.

Almost 60 years ago, Wang was at the height of her figure skating career, competing at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in junior pairs with partner James Stuart, according to U.S. Figure Skating.

More:Vera Wang predicts US women's figure skating results, hopes Blade Angels skate free

Wang's fashion career began after she let go of her dream of competing in the Olympics, although she has not let go of figure skating.

"That probably is the love of my life, even more than fashion," Wang, who is in her mid-70s, told Brian Boitano of figure skating on the Milan Magic podcast. "I don't get to say that often, but that's the truth."

As a designer, Wang has worked with Olympic gold medalists such as Michelle Kwan, Madison Chock, Nathan Chen and Evan Lysacek.  She speaks with passion not only about the outfits she designed, but also her days as a competitive skater.

Not all of those days were as elegant as her fashion designs, according to Wang.

She shared a recollection of an incident she said took place at the Philadelphia Spectrum when she was practicing for a pairs competition and her partner dropped her onto the rink ice.

"We were going for a kick, cartwheel lift," Wang said. "I was in the air…at about 25 mph, and he tripped going forward. I fell, flew across the ice and landed on my left side, kicked my blade into my rear."

Wang said she was bleeding and blacked out before seeing coaches come on to the ice to get her.

Vera Wang watches figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan

Heart beating as judges watched

Wang also shared memories of her experience with compulsory figures — the figure eights and circles skaters must trace over during competitions.

Under the scrunitizing eyes of judges.

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"On the ice, right around you, and watch you tracing figures on a blade this thin. And you had to create these beautiful shapes on the ice."

Circles. Loops. Counters.

"And you have to go and tiptoe to the center to where you would start your figures," Wang said.

She recalled her heart beating and feeling like she was in a court of law as she was scrutinized by the judges.

She recalled holding up under the glare. For her compulsories, Wang said, she'd won gold medals.

'Wisp of an ice ballerina'

Wang suggested no one alive knows about her skating career because her coaches have passed away. But some of her feats have been documented.

On March 3, 1962, the New York Times published a story that opened as follows:

"Vera Wang, a 12-year-old wisp of an ice ballerina, won the junior ladies singles title in the Middle Atlantic figure skating championships last night. The tiny youngster, whose daily routine includes an hour and fifteen minutes of skating practice before school, triumphed over eleven rivals at the Iceland rink atop Madison Square Garden."

The story also noted Wang was born in New York, the daughter of parents who immigrated from China after World War II. And that she wore a big smile after assuming the lead at those Middle Atlantic figure skating championships in the compulsory school figures.

She and Stuart competed twice at the U.S. Championships, for the final time in Philadelphia in 1968.

"I'm not an Olympian, by I tried to be," Wang said as her interview on the Milan Magic podcast came to a close. "My closing sentence is that I never made it, but my clothes did."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Vera Wang faced figure skating judges before fashion critics