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Maine town official refuses to apologize after calling opponents of trans athlete policy ‘pedophilic’

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Maine town official refuses to apologize after calling opponents of trans athlete policy ‘pedophilic’

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A Kennebunk, Maine, town official has stepped down from her liaison role with the local school board after facing backlash for suggesting that critics of a transgender athlete policy have “pedophilic tendencies.”

Vice Chair Leslie Trentalange, who serves on the Kennebunk Select Board, made the comments during an Oct. 20 Regional School Unit (RSU) 21 meeting that focused on the district’s transgender-student athlete policy. The policy, consistent with state law, allows students to join sports teams and use facilities matching their gender identity.

Parents and community members across Maine have protested similar policies, arguing they violate Title IX protections.

Trentalange, who said she was speaking as a “concerned community member,” told the board that “the majority in this district knows that all students are welcome.” She went on to say that opponents of the transgender policy have “creepy obsessions” and have “made hate their only hobby.”

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A Maine town Select Board member and school board liaison scolded critics of the district’s transgender policy. (Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

MAINE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SEES WOMEN UNDRESS IN PROTEST OF TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS SPORTS, A GROWING TREND

She added that “their obsession with what is sitting in between the private parts of our students is nothing less than creepy and should absolutely be raising eyebrows in and around our school district.” 

“Their obsession with genitalia points not to caring for the students in this district, but perhaps toward an underlying guilt for their own pedophilic tendencies,” she continued. “There is a registry for that.”

Her remarks drew gasps from those in attendance and a quick response from RSU 21 School Board Chair Matthew Stratford, who called her comments “inappropriate.”

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“I don’t think that was inappropriate, and I stand by my comments,” Trentalange responded.

Transgender athlete supporters hold up signs as an overflow crowd converges outside the Riverside Unified School District meeting, Dec. 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

FORMER NCAA SWIM CAPTAIN WARNS VIRGINIA ELECTIONS COULD DECIDE FUTURE OF WOMEN’S SPORTS

Her remarks sparked backlash from some in the community, prompting letters to the Kennebunk Select Board and calls for accountability on social media.

At an Oct. 28 Select Board meeting, John Salamone, a Republican candidate for Maine Senate District 31, accused Trentalange of violating the town’s code of conduct and urged her censure. 

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“When an elected official uses her platform to publicly slander citizens, she undermines the integrity of this board and erodes public trust in local government,” Salamone said. He called for her removal as liaison to RSU 21 and for a public apology.

Some residents echoed his criticism, while others argued that Trentalange’s comments were protected under state law and the First Amendment. Former RSU 21 Board member Lesley Stoeffler said, “Ms. Trentalange does not owe anyone an apology.”

Other residents and board members, speaking as private citizens, defended her right to free speech. 

Leslie Trentalange refused to apologize for remarks at the school board meeting about transgender athlete policy critics. (Town of Kennebunk Select Board Meeting Screenshot/ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

“Vote them out, that is how democracy works,” Karen Plattes said in response to calls for punitive action. “Stifling free speech is not the way. And that doesn’t matter what side you are on.”

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PARENTS: VIRGINIA BOYS SUSPENDED AFTER QUESTIONING TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM POLICY WERE IGNORED BY SCHOOL

“I personally feel that Leslie had 100% the right and the freedom of speech to say what she feels about any topic, just like any of us do, and I will always support my fellow board members,” Kortney Nedeau said. “I just know that as an elected official, for me, it is an ethical decision to never cross that line.”

During the same meeting, Trentalange acknowledged that her remarks may have “pushed some boundaries” but stood by them. She declined to apologize to those she criticized and instead expressed regret toward the “queer community.”

“If there are folks in the marginalized, queer community who feel my message did not serve them or hurt them in any way, it is that which I regret,” she said. “I do also regret any undue or undeserved backlash other members of the Select Board or town staff have felt over my comments as an individual.”

Trentalange said she would step down as liaison to the school board to avoid any “confusion” over her role with the school district when attending meetings. She remains vice chair of the Kennebunk Select Board.

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President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

RSU 21, Trentalange and the Select Board did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

In an Oct. 27 statement posted to Facebook, Stratford said the district’s transgender policy complies with the Maine Human Rights Act and will not be revisited this school year. He urged civility at future meetings and reminded residents that there is “no place for harassment, discriminatory language, or disrespectful words” during public comment.

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New York

New York’s BQE Is Falling Apart. The City Can’t Agree on How to Fix It.

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New York’s BQE Is Falling Apart. The City Can’t Agree on How to Fix It.

The triple cantilever runs along the edge of Brooklyn Heights, a wealthy and politically connected neighborhood. It stands as a symbol of resistance to Robert Moses, the power broker who rammed highways through communities.

When Mr. Moses tried that approach here in the 1940s, Brooklyn Heights residents pushed back, and Mr. Moses rerouted the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway around them.

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At the top sits the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, a cherished landmark with skyline views where generations of New Yorkers have come for their first date.

Below, two levels of traffic jut out like drawers pulled from a dresser. The highway is the main artery between Brooklyn and Queens, and it is part of Interstate 278, the only road that connects New York’s five boroughs.

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The cantilever, which opened in 1954, was designed to be used for 50 years. The risks only go up as it continues to deteriorate year after year, even as its life span has been extended with interim measures. While city officials and transportation engineers say imminent collapse is not a threat, other catastrophes could still strike, like concrete falling off and hitting vehicles.

Since 2018, two New York City mayors — Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams — have announced that they would fix this vital artery. But both administrations were unprepared for the ferocious community opposition to their ideas on how to proceed. Both struggled to build any consensus at all as local residents countered with their own ideas. The endless back and forth led to more delays and inertia.

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Traffic on the triple cantilever passes through Brooklyn Heights.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

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The standoff over the B.Q.E. has become, more broadly, a symbol of the power that local communities wield over critical infrastructure projects around the nation.

Though community opposition is hardly new, it is thriving today as residents have become more nimble and sophisticated at influencing projects, or halting them entirely. They strategize about just who to target with their ads and protests, assemble technical experts and consultants to argue on their behalf, and extend their reach with email blasts, online petitions and social media.

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In Los Angeles, a plan to widen the 710 Freeway, one of the nation’s busiest freight corridors, was canceled in 2022 amid community opposition. A major street improvement project in Detroit was paused last summer, in part over the public’s concerns about its design, while state officials took another approach. And a Buffalo project championed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to reconnect communities divided by a highway stalled recently after a state court ruled in favor of critics.

This community pushback is often characterized as NIMBYism — the “not in my backyard” impediment to change — but the reality is more nuanced. Many Brooklyn residents say they are not against improving the B.Q.E., and, in fact, are fighting for a better future with less traffic and more space for people.

But now, time is running out for the triple cantilever.

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A highway in decay

The cantilever structure anchors a 1.5-mile stretch from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street that is owned by the city. The rest of the 16-mile highway belongs to the state.

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Source: OpenStreetMaps.

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The New York Times

Even before the latest effort, state transportation officials had sought to rehabilitate the cantilever section in 2006. They dropped the project in 2011, citing fiscal concerns and other priorities. That left the problem to the city.

The triple cantilever was increasingly flagged for potential safety hazards, said Bojidar Yanev, a former city transportation official who oversaw inspections from 1989 to 2018. “The structure was unraveling,” he said.

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Since at least 1996, the city has fastened metal mesh sheets to the underside of the roadway, particularly below joints, as a stop-gap measure to hold crumbling concrete in place and prevent accidents.

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Photo by Helmuth Rosales/The New York Times

The growing areas protected by the mesh sheets became the most visible sign of the triple cantilever’s decay. It was not easy to inspect the internal structure, which was enclosed in concrete like a catacomb, Dr. Yanev said.

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Inspectors cut openings into the walls of the cantilever in 2016, finding that water and road salt had penetrated the structure at the joints. This caused the steel rebars in the concrete to corrode and expand, forcing chunks of concrete to fall off. Without major structural intervention, this degradation progressively weakens the triple cantilever’s strength.

In September, Times reporters captured video of the undersides of the triple cantilever to understand the structure’s current state.

Analysis of the footage revealed hundreds of steel mesh sheets placed along the structure’s undersides, including at the cantilever’s deteriorated joints, to hold the concrete in place.

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Note: Locations of steel mesh sheets are based on videos captured in September by The Times of the triple cantilever’s undersides.

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The New York Times

City officials say the triple cantilever is safe until at least 2029, with current protective measures. They closely monitor the structure and have taken steps to stabilize it, including making repairs and installing sensors to ticket overweight trucks. After that time, the city may have to further restrict traffic to reduce weight on the cantilever.

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First wave of ideas

Mayor de Blasio’s administration presented two options in 2018 to rebuild the cantilever, touching off the fiercest battle over the B.Q.E. since it was built.

Polly Trottenberg, then the city transportation commissioner, told residents in Brooklyn at the time that “none of the options are going to be very lovable, and that’s the challenge we face.”

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One option would rebuild the highway lane by lane and reroute traffic around the construction. The more controversial proposal, favored by the city, would erect a temporary six-lane highway over the promenade while the lower decks were rebuilt.

Both options would mean losing access to the promenade for years, but the temporary highway would also bring traffic, noise and pollution right to the doors of Brooklyn Heights.

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Furious residents rallied to save the promenade. They raised tens of thousands of dollars to fund their campaign, hired public relations and lobbying consultants, and started a petition that garnered more than 70,000 signatures.

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Of course, the promenade itself was born from an earlier fight with Mr. Moses. In 1942, the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper learned that a new highway could cut through the neighborhood and warned: “Plan for Express Highway Through Heights Is Shocking.”

Residents demanded that it be pushed toward the industrial waterfront and suggested building a “double-decker highway” to take up a smaller footprint, and a roof to cover the noise and fumes — which became the promenade.

Mr. Moses later wrote that “the two shelves of the cantilevers carrying commercial traffic and the overhanging cantilever roof for the promenade and park were designed for the greatest benefit to the Heights.”

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A view of the promenade then and now.

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The New York Times archives (left); Bedel Saget/The New York Times

This time, many Brooklyn residents, as well as architects and urban planners, looked to places like San Francisco, Seattle and Rochester, N.Y., that have torn down or repurposed highways to reconnect neighbors and create more housing, parks and transit.

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Two alternatives to the city’s ideas illustrate how Brooklyn residents see this as an opportunity to make radical changes that would benefit their neighborhoods and the city.

Mark R. Baker, a lawyer, businessman and parks activist, proposed in 2019 to move all the traffic to street level and enclose it in a ventilated tunnel. The cantilever would become a three-level park, called the “Tri-Line,” similar to Manhattan’s High Line.

“We had to protect the promenade, which is one of the most spectacular open spaces in New York City or the world, really,” Mr. Baker said.

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Roy Sloane, a graphic artist and advertising executive, advocated for his earlier idea from 2010 for a tunnel, which would help divert traffic away from the cantilever section.

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The “Cross Downtown Brooklyn Tunnel” — which would become the new alignment for Interstate 278 — would alleviate the traffic and pollution that spills off the B.Q.E. onto streets in the area. The triple cantilever could then be rehabilitated for cars and light trucks going between neighborhoods, and, with less traffic, nearby sections of the highway could also be turned into boulevards.

“Through traffic is the issue for the residential neighborhoods that are parallel to the B.Q.E.,” Mr. Sloane said.

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Other notable concepts included one by Bjarke Ingels Group to transform the triple cantilever into “BQ-Park,” a grander version of Mr. Baker’s Tri-Line. The City Council, working with Arup, an engineering firm, floated an idea to demolish the triple cantilever and replace it with a three-mile bypass tunnel.

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After hearing from residents, Scott Stringer, then the city comptroller in 2019, jumped in with a proposal to limit the cantilever to trucks, while adding bus and bike lanes and a park.

City officials promised to consider all these ideas. Mr. de Blasio, a former Brooklyn councilman with deep ties to the borough, convened a panel of experts to study the B.Q.E.

The panel reported in January 2020 that the cantilever was in worse shape than believed and called for safety measures, including removing two of the six traffic lanes to reduce vehicle weight.

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The steel and concrete triple cantilever has deteriorated over the years, and various ideas to renovate or overhaul it have failed to gain traction.

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Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Carlo A. Scissura, who led the panel, said the city was not ready to choose among the various concepts without more comprehensive engineering studies. “It would have just been like, ‘Oh, this looks beautiful, let’s just do it,’ ” he said.

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When the coronavirus gripped New York in March 2020, resources shifted to the health crisis, and the momentum to fix the B.Q.E. was lost.

Shortly before leaving office, Mr. de Blasio said the city would postpone a permanent solution and instead spend more than $500 million to shore up the B.Q.E. for 20 years.

Second wave of ideas

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After Mr. Adams became mayor in 2022, he decided the B.Q.E. could no longer wait. He hoped to tap into federal infrastructure funds unlocked by the Biden administration and start construction within five years.

Mr. Adams had opposed the city’s temporary highway idea in 2019 as Brooklyn borough president. And his new administration presented three new concepts — “The Stoop,” “The Terraces” and “The Lookout” — that shifted the focus to open space.

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The Stoop grew out of community interest in BQ-Park, the idea proposed by Bjarke Ingels Group in 2019. City officials hired the firm to help pressure test BQ-Park, only to find that it could not be built because of infrastructure constraints. The Stoop was developed as an alternative concept, but was later shelved amid criticism from residents about the design.

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Vishaan Chakrabarti, an architect and urbanist, said that many of the visions for the B.Q.E. did not fully consider engineering and cost constraints. “Communities get enamoured with ideas that aren’t viable, and then they start thinking worse of the ideas that are viable,” he said.

City officials said the B.Q.E. was an important economic artery, and that without it, trucks would jam nearby streets. They tried to strike a balance between a safe, modern highway and quality-of-life concerns, they said.

Since 2022, they have held 30 public meetings about the B.Q.E. In response to feedback, they committed to a plan that would not impact the promenade or Brooklyn Bridge Park, or require taking private property. They helped secure a $5.6 million federal grant to improve neighborhoods along the state-owned sections.

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Still, many Brooklyn residents complained about a lack of transparency. They said many of their questions were not fully answered and their suggestions went nowhere.

As public discussion evolved over the years, three broad groups of stakeholders emerged: neighbors, dreamers and pragmatists.

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The neighbors saw an opportunity to improve public transit and to reduce the impact of traffic on their health, safety and climate. The dreamers went further and envisioned tearing down the highway for more housing, businesses and parks, and shifting to more sustainable ways to move people and freight. The pragmatists focused on maintaining a vital traffic corridor that would still be needed in the future and fixing a cantilever that had become a safety hazard as soon as possible.

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Three broad groups of stakeholders of the B.Q.E. project are neighbors, dreamers and pragmatists — each with its own vision for the future of the expressway.

Bedel Saget / The New York Times

A leading voice of the neighbors was Lara Birnback, the executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, who said the city should develop “a more holistic, forward-thinking solution.” The association, which is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway-Environmental Justice Coalition, has called for a corridorwide plan.

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“Our perspective at this point is, let’s not spend billions and billions of dollars cementing the status quo, no pun intended, by shoring up the cantilever for 100 years,” Ms. Birnback said.

In the dreamer camp was the Institute for Public Architecture, which highlighted the harmful legacy of the B.Q.E. through community meetings, an oral history project and a documentary by Adam Paul Susaneck, an urban planner. The dreamers asked: What would a future without the B.Q.E. look like?

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Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president, said he saw a future with more freight moving on the waterways and less reliance on polluting highways like the B.Q.E. He told city transportation officials that he would like them to explore the option of tearing down the cantilever. But he said that option was never presented in community meetings.

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Aerial photo by Vincent Alban / The New York Times

Pragmatists like Samuel I. Schwartz, a former chief engineer for the city Transportation Department who established a transportation research program at Hunter College, urged city officials to immediately fix the cantilever and leave amenities like parks to be added later. He pointed to the Williamsburg Bridge as a cautionary lesson. In April 1988, it was shut down for more than a month after decades of neglect, causing widespread chaos.

“There should be urgency,” he said, “because something is going to happen if nothing is done.”

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Third wave of ideas

Many New York projects have run into opposition, like the $10 billion plan to replace the Port Authority Bus Terminal that was substantially revised last year with community input. “Community opposition is a way of life,” Mr. Schwartz said. “It doesn’t mean we stop.”

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But the B.Q.E. has often seemed adrift, without a strong champion at the helm to build consensus. Communities have a right to speak out, and “the job of government is to hear the voices and then whittle it down into something that works,” Mr. Stringer said.

Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler said the Adams administration has seemed more interested in checking a box than really collaborating with the community. Any plan for the B.Q.E., he added, faces multiple layers of government review and approvals and will require community support to move forward. “We’ve got a long way to go,” he said.

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Cars in a traffic jam near the north end of the triple cantilever during rush hour in September.

Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

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In 2024, the Adams administration presented another concept for the B.Q.E. — the city’s third attempt — this time emphasizing an engineering solution: a two-level, stacked highway that would be supported on both sides.

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Marc Wouters, an architect and urban planner, countered with yet another idea. In 2019, he had partnered with the Brooklyn Heights Association on a plan to protect the promenade. Since then, he has spent thousands of hours working on his own to take field measurements, build 3-D models and test engineering scenarios.

The result is the “Streamline” plan, which would be quicker to build, cost less than other options, and have minimal impact on the promenade and surrounding area, Mr. Wouters said. It would move all traffic to an expanded bottom deck and repurpose the upper deck for bike lanes and a park.

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“I’m hoping that it advances because it does seem to check a lot of boxes off for the community,” he said.

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Last month, Mayor Adams urged Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to start the environmental review process for the B.Q.E., which would consider a range of plans and allow construction to begin in 2029. “After a fix for the B.Q.E. languished for decades, the Adams administration advanced this project further than ever before to build a safe, resilient highway,” said Anna Correa, a spokeswoman for Mr. Adams, this week.

But a new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, will take over in January and may have his own ideas. Mr. Mamdani knows that protecting the safety and stability of the B.Q.E. is “an urgent priority for the city,” said his spokeswoman, Dora Pekec. “After years of patchwork fixes that have only offered temporary fixes, the Mamdani administration will work to deliver a permanent solution for the city-owned sections of the B.Q.E. that both meets community needs and preserves this essential transportation corridor,” she said.

That will not be a quick or easy process. Big hurdles remain, including how to pay for the project. It was passed over for federal funding in 2024 and could cost up to $5 billion, depending on the plan chosen.

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“I think the B.Q.E. has just bedeviled and frustrated everybody who’s ever driven on it, looked at it, and worked on it — it’s like a curse,” Ms. Birnback said.

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An aerial view of the triple cantilever.

Bedel Saget/The New York Times

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Note: The ideas illustrated in the story are schematic interpretations by The New York Times, based on the original proposals.

Video at the top of this article by Todd Heisler. Additional work by Nico Chilla.

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Boston, MA

Starting 5: Ingram wins it, Shai lifts OKC, Boston cools Detroit

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Starting 5: Ingram wins it, Shai lifts OKC, Boston cools Detroit


Winner, winner, turkey dinner.

Brandon Ingram called game to lift Toronto to 4-0 on the second-to-last night of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play.


5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Feasting: OKC & Toronto extend win streaks to stay unbeaten in Cup Play

More Streaks: Boston snaps Detroit’s historic heater, Herro lifts Miami to another dub

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Setting The Stage: Three wins create three “win-and-in” Group Play finales on Friday

Roundup: Houston & Memphis pull off late rallies to cap a hectic 9-game slate

Season Of Giving: 20 years of NBA Cares and holiday support across the league


BUT FIRST..

Friday Finale: After a day off to celebrate Thanksgiving, the NBA returns on Friday with an 11-game slate to close Emirates NBA Cup Group Play. 

That includes a Prime doubleheader as the Bucks visit the Knicks (7:30 ET), before the Lakers welcome the Mavs (10 ET).

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1. BEAST STREAKS: OKC IMPROVES TO 18-1, INGRAM CALLS GAME

The Thunder entered Wednesday not only eyeing a crucial Group Play win, but one of the best starts in NBA history.

Standing in their way: Anthony Edwards and the Wolves, eager to avenge last year’s West Finals loss and cut into OKC’s push for more hardware.

But when Minnesota made its run, the champs responded.

Thunder 113, Wolves 105 (West A): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on an MVP performance (40 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) to give OKC control, but the Wolves never went away and an Edwards 3 with 1:02 left made it a one-point game.

Twenty-four seconds later, Chet Holmgren (12 pts, 9 reb) answered with a lead-extending triple, and SGA sealed it at the line as OKC never allowed another bucket – closing on an 8-1 run to earn its 10th straight win, improving to 18-1 and 3-0 in Group Play. | Recap

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  • “We knew they were going to fight, give us a challenge,” said SGA postgame. “It took us making plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch to come out with a W – and we did so.”

All-Time Open: The Thunder are just the fifth team ever to start a season 18-1 or better and the second in three decades, joining the 2015-16 Warriors – who finished with the best record in NBA history (73-9).

  • The Other 3? The 1993-94 Rockets, ‘90-91 Blazers and the ‘69-70 Knicks. Houston and New York both won the NBA title that season
  • OKC Identity: It’s Shai’s 16th 30-piece of the season and OKC’s 11th time holding an opponent to 105 points or fewer – both the most in the NBA
  • Elite Execution: Amid the 10-0 run, SGA is averaging 32.0 ppg on 58.2% shooting, while the Thunder are allowing just 101.1 ppg with a +20.9 point differential
  • Where They Stand: Ant led Minnesota (31 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 5 3s), which is eliminated from Cup contention, while OKC can clinch West A with a win over Phoenix on Friday (9:30 ET, League Pass)

Having already clinched East Group A, the red-hot Raptors eyed a 4-0 Group Play finish to boost their odds of homecourt advantage in the Quarterfinals.

With 0.6 seconds left on Wednesday, Brandon Ingram delivered for Jurassic Park.

Raptors 97, Pacers 95 (East A): Tied at 95, Jakob Poeltl blocked Indy’s attempted winner, setting up Ingram’s (26 pts, 8 reb) heroic jumper to complete Toronto’s perfect Group Play and grab its fifth clutch win in its 9-game W streak – now the hottest in the East. | Recap

  • “Just wanted to be super aggressive, and get into my spots,” Ingram said of his game-winner, with the moment reminding him of last shots he’s “seen on TV.”
  • Pitching In: Scottie Barnes (24 pts, 10 reb) and Immanuel Quickley (15 pts, 6 ast) supported Ingram, while season highs from T.J. McConnell (16 pts, 7 reb) led Indy
  • Historically Hot: This is just the fifth time in team history that Toronto has had a win streak as substantial as 9 games
  • “We’re going to need this crowd big,” Ingram said postgame, with the win and Detroit’s loss ensuring the Knockout Round visits The North

2. MORE STREAKS: CELTICS COOL PISTONS, HEAT WIN AGAIN

A historic stretch of 14 games and 28 days of perfect results all culminated in 15 pivotal seconds Wednesday night.

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That’s when Boston’s defense took control.

Celtics 117, Pistons 114 (East B): Derrick White (27 pts) closed with 11 4th-quarter points on three of a season-high six 3s, and forced one of two key turnovers in the final 15 seconds as Boston stood tall in a wild finish to snap Detroit’s 13-game win streak. | Recap

  • C’s Keys: Jaylen Brown (33 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk) set the tone in all aspects as Boston’s defense held Detroit to its 2nd-lowest field goal percentage (39.8) of the season
  • All-Out Cade: Cunningham (42 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast) led all scorers, nearly willing the Pistons to OT by drawing a 3-shot foul, but couldn’t hit the game-tying free throw 
  • “I couldn’t be more proud of the group,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Detroit’s franchise-record-tying win streak coming to an end. “Win or loss.”
  • Winner Take All: The Pistons (2-1) meet the Magic on Friday (7:30 ET, LP) to decide East B, while Boston is eliminated despite the victory

ICYMI: Tyler Herro is back – and the Heat can’t stop stacking dubs.

Heat 106, Bucks 103 (East C): After scoring 24 and the game-winner in his season debut on Monday, Herro led Miami again with 29 points and 7 dimes as the Heat held on to edge out Ryan Rollins (26 pts) and the Bucks, extending their win streak to six games. | Recap

  • Spo’s 800th: With the win, Erik Spoelstra became the 9th-fastest coach to reach 800 career victories and just the 17th all-time
  • Eyeing Its Ticket: Miami finishes 3-1 in Group Play and will clinch East C if the Bucks beat the Knicks on Friday (more on that below ⬇️)

3. SETTING THE STAGE: 3 WINS CREATE 3 ‘WIN-AND-IN’ FRIDAY FINALES

While Orlando and Detroit entered Wednesday already locked in for an East B winner-take-all duel on Friday, three more teams earned group-clinching opportunities with victories last night.

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Suns 112, Kings 100 (West A): In the Thanksgiving spirit, Mark Williams was eating (21 pts, 16 reb, 9-12 FG), while Collin Gillespie matched him with 21 points along with 9 helpers to power Phoenix to a wire-to-wire win, improving to 3-0 in West A. | Recap

  • Suns Shining: Devin Booker added 19 points and 6 assists as the Suns improved to 9-2 in their last 11 – a stretch in which they rank 3rd in DefRtg
  • Winner Take All: Up next for Phoenix? OKC, also 3-0, in a Friday showdown to decide the group (9:30, League Pass)

The Blazers simply needed a win to punch their ticket to the Knockout Round.

De’Aaron Fox and the Spurs had other ideas.

Spurs 115, Blazers 102 (West C): With San Antonio up 2 at the half, Fox caught fire, pouring in 23 of his 37 points in the final two quarters, as the Spurs outscored Portland 59-48 to avoid elimination, despite Deni Avdija’s big night (37 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast). | Recap

  • Deciding Duel: Both at 2-1, the Spurs now face the Nuggets on Friday to decide West C (9:30 ET, LP)

Knicks 129, Hornets 101 (East C): For the first time in the play-by-play era, all five Knicks starters had 10+ points at the half, as New York jumped out to a 72-47 lead and didn’t look back to improve to 2-1 in Group Play, eliminating Charlotte (0-3). | Recap

  • NY5: Led by Jalen Brunson (33 pts, 14-28 FG) and Josh Hart (22 pts, 7 ast), the Knicks’ starting 5 combined for a season-high 111 of their 129 points
  • Win & In: New York can claim East C with a victory over Milwaukee on Friday (7:30 ET, Prime), while a Bucks victory would hand the group to Miami


4. ROUNDUP: HOUSTON & MEMPHIS RALLY FOR LATE DUBS

Trailing by as many as 14 points in the 3rd quarter, Houston flipped a switch.

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Rockets 104, Warriors 100 (West C): The Rockets outscored the Warriors 57-41 in the 2nd half on the strength of Reed Sheppard’s career night (31 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast), leading Alperen Sengun (16 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and five Rockets in double-digits to victory. | Recap

  • Dubs Check: Jimmy Butler III led the Bay with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, with Steph (14 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) exiting in the final minute with quad pain

Grizzlies 133, Pelicans 128 (OT, West C): Vince Williams Jr. was feeling extra generous on Thanksgiving eve, dishing out a career-high 17 assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr. (27 pts, 5 3s), Jaylen Wells (25 pts, 5 3s) and Zach Edey (21 pts, 15 reb) all scored season-highs to rally the Grizz past the Pels in OT. | Recap

  • Epic Finish: Memphis chipped away at a 17-point deficit before its 15-7 4th-quarter run forced Zion Williamson (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) to extend the game with 0.9 left
  • But overtime was all Grizz, as Jackson (5 pts) and Wells (4 pts) single-handedly outscored NOLA 9-3 to complete the comeback, improving to 2-1 in Group Play
  • Pacing The Pels: Jose Alvarado (24 pts, 6 3s) led eight Pelicans in double figures
  • What It Means: The Grizzlies’ win eliminated the Wolves, Kings, Warriors and Rockets. Memphis contends for the West Wild Card on Friday, facing the Clippers (10 ET, LP)

5. SEASON OF GIVING: 20 YEARS OF NBA CARES

For 20 years, NBA Cares has helped bring people around the world together through the game of basketball.

Established in 2005 to unite the league’s community efforts and amplify positive impact of teams and players off the court, NBA Cares has continued to drive change on key issues facing fans and communities.

Now, as we head into the winter holidays, we also head into one of the key moments on the NBA Cares calendar: the NBA Cares Season of Giving.

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  • “It’s been 20 years of meaningful impact, and that’s what we’re most proud of,” said Kathy Behrens, the NBA’s President of Social Responsibility and Player Programs
  • “[The] commitment to community that’s existed in our league from the very beginning, and will no doubt live on for decades to come, is truly I think what makes the NBA so special.”

Designed to brighten the winter holidays for children and families across the globe, the NBA Cares Season of Giving will reach thousands of children, families and those in need through hundreds of local events.

  • All 30 teams will host local events across the country, with players, legends, coaches and teams – both NBA & affiliate league – engaging communities through education, health, wellness & hands-on service
  • OKC’s Isaiah Hartenstein served meals for Thanksgiving, the Pistons donated food and household essentials for Season of Giving
  • Philly’s Tyrese Maxey hosted his annual Turkey Giveaway, distributing 3,000 holiday meals, while Dylan Harper helped lead the Spurs annual Turkey Drive
  • The Wolves held their annual Holiday Shopping Event, surprising young fans with a shopping spree alongside players, while the Hawks packed 1 million meals at State Farm Arena
  • Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen brought holiday cheer to Open Doors Academy students and Houston’s Jabari Smith surprised residents from the Julia C. Hester Community Center with a Thanksgiving meal
  • The Knicks hosted a fall dinner that served 250 families affiliated with the NYC Department of Homeless Services
  • And for the 28th year, the Pacers provided warm meals and winter essentials inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Hoosiers in need

Join the NBA Family in making a difference this holiday season. Visit NBACares.com to learn how you can help, and follow #NBACares on social as the NBA family highlights charitable efforts from now through Dec. 31.

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Pittsburg, PA

One man taken to Pittsburgh hospital after shooting outside of Washington County club

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One man taken to Pittsburgh hospital after shooting outside of Washington County club



A man had to be taken to a Pittsburgh hospital after an overnight shooting in Washington County. 

According to the City of Washington Police Department, on Wednesday night, they were called to the area of the Washington Community Club on North Main Street. 

Originally, the call came in for a person who had been shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. 

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Once officers arrived on the scene, they found a man who had been shot multiple times. EMS was able to transport him to a Pittsburgh area hospital. His condition was not made available. 

Police believe that the shooting happened outside the club after a person had been removed earlier in the night. 

They’re asking anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting to call the City of Washington Police Department’s confidential tip line at 724-223-4108 or reach out to their detective unit at 724-223-4225. 



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