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Weekend Break: Chicago Magic Lounge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the best-kept secrets on the North Side is the Chicago Magic Lounge, hidden behind a fake laundromat.“We want to catch people with a little bit of misdirection from the moment they walk in,” said Joey Cranford, Chicago Magic Lounge co-owner and CEO. Sunday Brunch with Scratchboard Kitchen Once inside, guests are transported into an Art Deco speakeasy bar where the magic happens every night, starting at 5 p.m. You don’t need to have a ticket to the show to enjoy the experience that comes with the performance bar.“You can just come in and watch magic, you don’t actually have to have a ticket, but make sure you get here early,” Cranford said.The capacity is capped at 34 guests in the performance bar and Cranford said it often gets packed close to show time, so people are encouraged to arrive early. To get inside the Harry Blackstone Cabaret Theater, people are brought into a library and through a secret entrance so mysterious, you’ll ha...

No. 8 Texas softball sweeps Texas Tech, turns attention to showdown with No. 1 Oklahoma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 8 Texas softball team completed a three-game sweep of Texas Tech with an 8-3 win Sunday at McCombs Field.The win is the Longhorns' seventh in a row. They beat the Red Raiders 3-2 to open the series Friday and 4-3 on Saturday.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersIn the finale, freshman pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez notched her 10th win of the season. She allowed two earned runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks in six innings. Courtney Day and Katie Cimusz both hit home runs to jolt the Longhorns' offense. Cimusz hit a 2-run blast in the third inning to make the score 5-1 and Day also hit a 2-run homer to extend the Texas lead to 8-3 in the sixth. Leighann Goode and Reese Atwood each had two hits for Texas. Goode is now leading the team with a .413 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage. Goode entered the weekend third in Division I w...

Gophers hockey: Bryce Brodzinski’s late-season warm-up earns a Florida trip for his family — divided loyalties and all

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

FARGO, N.D. – Michael Brodzinski Sr., known in hockey circles as “Big Mike” (as opposed to his son, the former Minnesota Gopher, who is just “Michael”) offered smiles and friendly handshakes in the lobby of Scheels Arena prior to Saturday’s Fargo Regional title game.It pitted his two favorite teams against one another. Big Mike played for the Huskies and two of his sons — Easton and Jonny — played at St. Cloud State under Bob Motzko. Michael Jr. was the family’s odd duck for a time, taking Interstate 35W south (rather than 94 west) from the family home in Blaine to play for Don Lucia’s Gophers.Michael played in an NCAA title game with Minnesota in 2014 and maybe earned the family’s biggest prize during his days in Dinkytown when he asked a talented member of the Gophers women’s team out on a date. In the summer of 2022, Olympic gold medalist Dani Cameranesi and Michael were married. Rumor has it that several college hockey coaches have already inquired to see if the couple might sta...

Twins’ roster rounds into shape with last round of cuts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Twins’ 26-man roster appears to be set.Two days before the Twins are set to leave Florida for their Opening Day game against the Royals in Kansas City, the club trimmed its roster down once more by optioning Bailey Ober to Triple-A and reassigning Kyle Garlick, Danny Coulombe and Aaron Sanchez to minor league camp, leaving 32 active players remaining in camp.Five players — Jorge Polanco, Alex Kirilloff, Gilberto Celestino, Josh Winder and Ronny Henriquez — technically remain in camp but are not expected to be ready to begin the season due to their respective injuries. Non-roster catcher Tony Wolters is also in camp, but he has been informed that he is not making the team; the Twins wanted to keep him in their major league environment until the end of camp so he could continue to gain familiarity with their pitchers.That leaves 26.“Opening Day, making the club, it’s a big deal and everyone should be excited about that,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But we also...

Police: 19-year-old shot while driving on I-70

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred late Saturday evening on Interstate 70.According to a police spokesperson, the shooting happened around 10:40 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-70 at the Broadway exit. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW The victim, a 19-year-old man, told investigators he was approaching the exit when he heard gunshots, saw his window shatter, and felt a pain in his arm.Police claim the victim drove himself to the 5200 block of Ridge Avenue, where he was then brought to a local hospital. The victim is recovering.The investigation remains ongoing.

Valeri Nichushkin scores seven rounds deep in shootout, Avs escape Arizona Coyotes with two vital points

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

No matter how many times the Avs try, the Coyotes are almost never definitively conquered.Irksome Arizona gave the Avalanche one last stressful fight Sunday afternoon, but Colorado left Mullett Arena with a dramatic 4-3 shootout win and a 3-1 edge in the season series, which is now over as the Coyotes hurdle toward their early offseason.But none of those three Avalanche wins, all in March, were easy. Colorado (43-23-6) needed overtime in one matchup, a third-period game-winner in another and seven shootout rounds on Sunday. Valeri Nichushkin scored the walk-off winner after Alexandar Georgiev stopped all seven Arizona shootout attempts, allowing Colorado to snag a vital second point after blowing 2-0 and 3-2 leads.With Minnesota and Dallas both idle, the Avs drew even with the Stars in points (92). They are one behind the Wild for the division lead, with a game in hand.Arizona’s top line had already earned Jared Bednar’s respect: The Coyotes have been regarded as a candi...

Pico Rivera teen missing since Wednesday located

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

A 13-year-old girl who was reported missing earlier this week in Pico Rivera has been found, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.Annahi Tejeda had been missing since late Wednesday night after she left home following an argument with her mother over a cell phone. Details about her location were limited, but family members told KTLA she was safe.Loved ones pleaded for anyone with information about her location to come forward and bring her home.Her family held a press conference alongside Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies on Saturday.She had been missing for three days without any mode of communication or way to support herself financially, family members said.The Sheriff's Department thanked the community for aiding in the search, but no additional information was released.

LeBron James returns to Lakers; comes off bench in loss to Bulls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James returned to the team during Sunday's matchup against the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena, a performance that saw him come off the bench for only the second time in his 20-year career.James had been out of action since late February as he recovered from a right foot injury suffered during a comeback win against the Dallas Mavericks.The Lakers announced that James would be returning against Chicago, but the team's published starting lineup did not list James in his usual role as a starter.Instead, James came off the bench for only the second time in his career. The last time James played in a game he did not start was on Dec. 11, 2007 when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.The NBA's all-time leading scorer suffered a right tendon sprain in that win against Dallas, just days after the Lakers completely retooled their roster at the trade deadline for a late playoff push. Lakers trade Russell Westbrook to Jazz in deal centered aro...

Pac-12 expansion: San Diego State reaches the Final Four and stamps its credentials for membership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

San Diego State edged Creighton on Sunday to qualify for the first Final Four in school history and, in the process, did the Pac-12 a gigantic favor.The Aztecs removed any lingering doubt about their credentials for Pac-12 membership. The university presidents who run the conference have no choice — none, zero, zip — but to invite the Aztecs.That’s probably a good thing for the Pac-12 considering the barrage of bad decisions at the presidential level over the past 10 or 12 years.Remember the time they approved a television network with six regional feeds and declared the commissioner a media executive?Or the time they passed on ESPN’s offer to take over the Pac-12 Networks in exchange for a long-term media rights partnership?In a formal sense, any decision on San Diego State remains in the presidents’ hands — eight of the 10 remaining schools must approve membership additions. (And to be fair, many of the presidents responsible for past blunders are no longer...

Miller, Wong rally Miami past Texas 88-81 for 1st Final Four

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:43 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Miller and Isaiah Wong rallied Miami from a 13-point second-half deficit, Norchad Omier made two big free throws and an even more important steal down the stretch, and the fifth-seeded Hurricanes stunned No. 2 seed Texas 88-81 on Sunday to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history.Miller finished with 27 points, going 7 of 7 from the field and 13 of 13 from the foul line, while Wong scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to beat the Longhorns, who had been the top remaining seed in a topsy-turvy NCAA Tournament.Now, after falling short in the Elite Eight a year ago, the fifth-seeded Hurricanes (29-7) are headed to NRG Stadium in Houston for a date with No. 4 seed UConn on Saturday night. Two more first-time Final Four participants, 5 seed San Diego State and 9 seed Florida Atlantic, will play in the other national semifinal.https://twitter.com/CanesHoops/status/1640134025384972289?s=20In this maddest of Marches, ...