South-Carolina

At least 5 dead in Texas after severe weather hits Texas and Oklahoma

Published

3 weeks ago

May 26, 2024

At least 5 dead in Texas after severe weather hits Texas and Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY — A Texas sheriff says at least five people are dead after powerful storms tore through a rural community, obliterating homes and leaving thousands of people without power Sunday.

Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told The Associated Press that the victims included three family members who were found in one home near Valley View, a rural community near the border with Oklahoma.

The destructive storms began Saturday night. Officials said a tornado north of Dallas overturned heavy recreational vehicles, shut down an interstate and caused extensive damage to a highway travel center where drivers had rushed to take shelter.

“Search and rescue is ongoing,” Sappington said Sunday morning. “But we’ve already started to do recovery of the deceased, as well. But we do have five confirmed (dead), but sadly, we think that that number is probably going to go up.”

Forecasters had issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of both states, as some heat records were broken during the day in South Texas and residents received triple-digit temperature warnings over the long holiday weekend.

A tornado crossed into northern Denton County in Texas late Saturday and overturned tractor-trailer trucks, stopping traffic on Interstate 35, Denton County Community Relations Director Dawn Cobb said in a statement.

The tornado was confirmed near Valley View, moving east at 40 mph (64 kph), prompting the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for northern Denton County, Cobb said.

The storm damaged homes, overturned motorhomes and knocked down power lines and trees throughout the area including points in Sanger, Pilot Point, Ray Roberts Lake and Isle du Bois State Park, Cobb said.

People who suffered injuries in the storm were transported to area hospitals by ground and air ambulances, but the number of injuries in the county was not immediately known, Cobb said, while a shelter was opened in Sanger.

The fire department in the city of Denton, about 37 miles (59.5 kilometers) north of Forth Worth, Texas, posted on X that emergency personnel were responding to a marina “for multiple victims, some reported trapped.”

The Claremore, Oklahoma, police announced on social media that the city about 28 miles (45 kilometers) east of Tulsa was “shut down” as a result of storm damage including downed power lines and trees and inaccessible roads.

Earlier Saturday night, the National Weather Service’s office in Norman, Oklahoma, said via the social platform X that the warning was for northern Noble and far southern Kay counties, an area located to the north of Oklahoma City. “If you are in the path of this storm take cover now!” it said.

A following post at 10:05 p.m. said storms had exited the area but warned of a storm moving across north Texas that could affect portions of south central Oklahoma.

At 10:24 p.m., the weather service office in Fort Worth posted a message warning residents in Era and Valley View they were in the direct path of a possible tornado and to immediately seek shelter. The Forth Worth office continued to post notices and shelter warnings tracking the movement of the storm through midnight and separately issued a severe thunderstorm warning with “golf ball sized hail” possible.

The weather service office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, warned on X of a dangerous storm moving across the northeast part of the state through 2 a.m. and issued severe thunderstorm notices for communities including Hugo, Boswell, Fort Towson, Grainola, Foraker and Herd.

The Norman office had compared conditions Saturday to “a gasoline-soaked brush pile.” Forecasters said any storms that form could explode with large hail, dangerous winds and tornadoes.

“There’s a small chance most of the matches are duds and we only see a few storms today. Still, that’s not a match I would want to play with. It only takes one storm to be impactful,” it said via Facebook.

Excessive heat, especially for May, was the danger in South Texas, where the heat index was forecast to approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in some spots during the weekend. Actual temperatures will be lower, although still in triple-digit territory, but the humidity will make it feel that much hotter.

The region is on the north end of a heat dome stretching from Mexico to South America, National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor said.

Sunday looks like the hottest day with record highs for late May forecast for Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio, Taylor said.

Brownsville and Harlingen near the Texas-Mexico border already set new records Saturday for the May 25 calendar date — 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), respectively — according to the weather service.

Red Flag fire warnings were also in place in West Texas, all of New Mexico and parts of Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado. Humidity was very low, under 10%, and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph) were recorded.

“We’ve got very dry air, warm temperatures and strong winds creating a high fire danger over a wide area … that can lead to rapidly spreading or uncontrollable fires,” Taylor said.

Meanwhile, several inches of snow fell Friday into early Saturday in Rolla, North Dakota, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Canadian border.

April and May have been a busy month for tornadoes, especially in the Midwest. Climate change is heightening the severity of storms around the world.

April saw the United States’ second-highest number of tornadoes on record. So far for 2024, the country is already 25% ahead of the average number of twisters, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman.

Iowa was hit hard this week, when a deadly twister devastated Greenfield. And other storms brought flooding and wind damage elsewhere in the state.

The storm system causing the severe weather was expected to move east as the Memorial Day weekend continues, bringing rain that could delay the Indianapolis 500 auto race Sunday in Indiana and more severe storms in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

The risk of severe weather moves into North Carolina and Virginia on Monday, forecasters said.

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South Carolina women's basketball: Gamecocks in the WNBA – Week 6

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina women's basketball: Gamecocks in the WNBA – Week 6

South Carolina WBB: News • Schedule • Roster • Stats • SEC • Polls • WNBA • Scholarship Chart

Last week in the WNBA saw another record for A’ja Wilson and another battle between Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso. Catch up on their weeks and all the other Gamecocks.

Atlanta Dream (6-6)
Laeticia Amihere (6 games, 2.8 minutes, 0.3 pts, 1.0 rebs)
Once again, Amihere’s only appearance of the week was in a blowout loss.

Last week:
Vs Washington (87-68 loss): 3 minutes, no stats
At Indiana (91-84 loss): DNP-CD
Vs Los Angeles (87-74 win): DNP-CD

Allisha Gray (12 games (12 starts), 32.2 mpg, 15.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg)
Gray got off to a little bit of a shaley start to the season, but she is once again playing at an All-Star level.

Last week:
Vs Washington (87-68 loss): 28 minutes*, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, block
At Indiana (91-84 loss): 34 minutes*, 12 points, 5 rebounds, assist, block
Vs Los Angeles (87-74 win): 34 minutes*, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists

This week’s schedule:
Wednesday, June 18 at Minnesota (8:00 ET, League Pass)
Friday, June 21 vs Indiana (7:30 ET, Ion)
Sunday, June 23 vs New York (3:00 ET, League Pass)

Chicago Sky (4-9)
Kamilla Cardoso (7 games (4 starts), 22.3 mpg, 8.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Cardoso registered the first double-double of her career against Indiana, but she was held without a rebound in the second half as Aliyah Boston wore her down. It’s the difference between being a rookie and a second-year player.

Last week:
Vs Connecticut (83-75 loss): 30 minutes*, 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks
At Washington (83-81 loss): 24 minutes*, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
At Indiana (91-83 loss): 35 minutes*, 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, block

This week’s schedule:
Thursday, June 20 vs Dallas (Noon ET, League Pass)
Sunday, June 23 vs Indiana (4:00 ET, ESPN)

[GamecockCentral for $1: In-depth coverage and a great community]

Connecticut Sun (12-1)
Ty Harris (13 games (13 starts), 30.8 mpg, 10.8 ppg, 3.8 apg, 1.8 rpg)
As the (nominal) point guard on the league’s best team, Harris has put together a dark horse All-Star candidacy. She distributes the ball, hits key shots, and plays tough defense. It’s hard to believe Dallas couldn’t find any use for Harris.

Last week:
Vs Indiana (89-72 win): 29 minutes*, 11 points, 4 assists
At Chicago (83-75 win): 32 minutes*, 13 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
At Dallas (85-67 win): 26 minutes*, 10 points, 4 assists, rebound

Tiffany Mitchell (13 games, 16.2 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
Mitchell isn’t scoring a lot, but she’s playing big minutes off the bench because of her defense. Connecticut currently has the WNBA’s best defense, so Mitchell is appreciated.

Last week:
Vs Indiana (89-72 win): 22 minutes, 10 points, assist
At Chicago (83-75 win): 22 minutes, 3 points, 3 assists, steal
At Dallas (85-67 win): 20 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds

This week’s schedule:
Tuesday, June 18 vs Los Angeles (7:00 ET, League Pass)
Friday, June 21 at Las Vegas (10:00 ET, Ion)
Sunday, June 23 at Seattle (3:00 ET, League Pass)

Indiana Fever (5-10)
Aliyah Boston (15 games (15 starts), 29.6 mpg, 12.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 bpg)
Finally, Indiana is involving Boston in the offense with more than three seconds left on the shot clock. The result is three straight double-doubles, including 27 points to tie her career-high. Boston is also second on the team in assists and the screen game with Caitlin Clark is finally taking off.

Last week:
At Connecticut (89-72 loss): 33 minutes*, 14 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists
Vs Atlanta (91-84 win): 34 minutes*, 27 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists
Vs Chicago (91-83 win): 37 minutes*, 19 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists

Victaria Saxton (5 games, 2.4 mpg, 0.6 ppg, 0.2 rpg)
Saxton appeared in the blowout loss to Connecticut and got her third point of the season.

Last week:
At Connecticut (89-72 loss): 3 minutes, 1 point
Vs Atlanta (91-84 win): DNP-CD
Vs Chicago (91-83 win): DNP-CD

This week’s schedule:
Wednesday, June 19 vs Washington (7:00 ET, League Pass)
Friday, June 21 at Atlanta (7:30 ET, Ion)
Sunday, June 23 at Chicago (4:00 ET, ESPN)

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Las Vegas Aces (6-6)
A’ja Wilson (12 games (12 starts), 33.9 mpg, 28.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.5 bpg, 1.7 spg)
Record of the week: Wilson set the WNBA record with eight consecutive games with 25 or more points. She leads the league in scoring and rebounding and is second in blocks. Her scoring average is nearly 3 points higher than the single-season record, so naturally Rebecca Lobo isn’t sure Wilson should be the MVP.

Last week:
Vs Minnesota (100-86 loss): 33 minutes*, 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
At Phoenix (103-99 win): 34 minutes*, 32 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, steal
Vs New York (90-82 loss): 36 minutes*, 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, block

This week’s schedule:
Wednesday, June 18 vs Seattle (10:00 ET, League Pass)
Friday, June 21 vs Connecticut (10:00 ET, Ion)

Los Angeles Sparks (4-10)
Zia Cooke (11 games, 7.6 mpg, 2.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.7 apg)
Cooke has fallen out of the Sparks’ rotation.

Last week:
At Seattle (95-79 loss): 1 minutes, assist
At Minnesota (81-76 loss): DNP-CD
At Atlanta (87-74 loss): DNP-CD

This week’s schedule:
Tuesday, June 18 at Connecticut (7:00 ET, League Pass)
Thursday, June 20 at New York (7:00 ET, Amazon Prime)
Saturday, June 22 at New York (3:00 ET, ESPN)

Phoenix Mercury (7-7)
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (10 games, 8.7 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.5 bpg)
Herbert Harrigan has not played since Brittney Griner returned from injury.

Last week:
Vs Las Vegas (103-99 loss): DNP-CD
Vs Seattle (87-78 win): DNP-CD

This week’s schedule:
Tuesday, June 18 vs New York (10:00 ET, CBS Sports Network)
Saturday, June 22 at Minnesota (8:00 ET, League Pass)

Unsigned

Brea Beal
Las Vegas cut Beal early in training camp.

Alaina Coates (Preseason stats with Seattle: 2 games, 8.0 minutes, 3.0 pts, 1.0 reb, 1.0 block)
Coates got a long look in Seattle but didn’t fit in with the Storm’s rebuild. She’s got lots of experience, though, and will probably be one of the first calls for any team that needs post depth once the season starts.

Kaela Davis (Preseason stats with Seattle: 2 games, 14.0 minutes, 1.5 points, 3.5 rebs)
Davis was hoping to show she was fully recovered from an Achilles injury, but she didn’t do enough to convince Seattle.

Destanni Henderson (Preseason stats with Atlanta: 2 games, 19.0 minutes, 3.5 pts, 6.0 assists, 2.0 rebs, 1.0 steal)
Henderson was signed after training camp started and put up nice numbers in Atlanta’s two preseason games. Whenever Henny gets a shot, she contributes, but she can’t seem to stick anywhere.

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Paul Mainieri addresses biggest challenge South Carolina is facing in the SEC

Published

9 hours ago

June 17, 2024

Press Room

Paul Mainieri addresses biggest challenge South Carolina is facing in the SEC

Many were surprised when Hall of Fame coach Paul Mainieri came out of retirement to become the next head baseball coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Returning to the SEC for the first time since 2021 after spending 15 years with LSU and leading the Tigers to a national championship.

In Columbia, South Carolina they’re hoping that Mainieri can bring the program similar success. Which never comes easy in the SEC and will only get more difficult next season with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference.

At his introductory press conference, Mainieri was asked what he thinks the biggest barrier will be between the Gamecocks and championship success.

“Well I think the league is getting tougher every year, there’s a lot of great teams out there,” Mainieri said. “And let me tell you something, one year I went as a coach our team went, at LSU, our team went 13-17. We make the SEC Tournament, there was only eight teams that went that year. I think that was 2011.”

“Two years later we went 17-13. We were national seed. Four game difference, 36-21 year to 40-16 the next. Four game difference in conference, four game difference overall. Went from not making the tournament to national seed, so the difference is razor thin,” Mainieri explained.

There isn’t a coach in college baseball that can speak from experience more than Mainieri, who rejoins the game with 1,501 career wins and 39 years of head coaching experience. Also understanding that playing the best when it matters the most in college baseball over any metric.

“You win a few one run games and you’re having a good year. that’s the key. You gotta win the close ones,” Mainieri said. “And the only way to win the close ones is with clutch hitting, poise on the mound and on defense late in the game, and a belief that they’re that you’re going to finish the game off. That’s one of the things that quite frankly we’ve been proud about in our career, as we’ve won a lot of close games, and I think it’ll make the difference in the season.”

South Carolina is an NCAA Tournament regular, but have not been able to break through to the College World Series and SEC Championship heights they were able to achieve a little over a decade ago. But with Mainieri now at the helm for the Gamecocks, it will be fascinating to see if the program can return to those heights.

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South-Carolina

Tony Awards 2024: The complete list of winners

Published

16 hours ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

Tony Awards 2024: The complete list of winners

Updated June 16, 2024 at 19:31 PM ET

The 77th Tony Awards air Sunday night on CBS. Below is the full list of 2024 Tony Award nominees, with winners marked in bold.

Best Sound Design of a Play

WINNER: Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic
Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Leah Gelpe, Mary Jane
Tom Gibbons, Grey House
Bray Poor and Will Pickens, Appropriate

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

WINNER: Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, The Outsiders
Brandon Stirling Baker, Illinoise
Isabella Byrd, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Natasha Katz, Hell’s Kitchen
Bradley King and David Bengali, Water for Elephants

Best Choreography

WINNER: Justin Peck, Illinoise
Annie-B Parson, Here Lies Love
Camille A. Brown, Hell’s Kitchen
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Best Orchestrations

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Best Costume Design of a Play

WINNER: Dede Ayite, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Dede Ayite, Appropriate
Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic
Emilio Sosa, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, An Enemy of the People

Best Book of a Musical