Latest news with #Garza
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Best of new Boston Celtics big man Luka Garza in 2024-25
What can we expect from new Boston Celtics big man Luka Garza? The former Minnesota Timberwolves center recently signed a deal with the Celtics for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 regular seasons, with Boston's front office hoping they can tease some talent out of the Iowa alum after having languished deep in the T-Wolves frontcourt rotation since coming into the league. One of the best scorers in all of college basketball, Garza has yet to find a niche in the NBA ecosphere, his poor defensive skills and limited ability sinking his shot from beyond the arc hampering his success at the next level. How did he play in Minnesota last season, and how could it translate to the style of play Boston expects from their bigs? The man behind the eponymous "Tomasz Kordylewski (Timi)" YouTube channel put together a clip of his best plays with the Timberwolves in 2024-25 for us to watch later at our leisure in search of such answers. Check it out below!
Chicago Tribune
21-07-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Health care provider Aunt Martha's commits to continue serving patients who lose Medicaid
Raul Garza, president and CEO of Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness, which has 22 health centers including five in the south suburbs, doesn't know exactly how many of the more than 50,000 patients Aunt Martha's serves will lose Medicaid coverage due to President Trump's massive spending and tax cut law. But at Aunt Martha's, where 65% to 70% of patients are on Medicaid, the federally qualified health center has no plans to drop patients who lose Medicaid coverage. 'Regardless of whether they have Medicaid coverage or not doesn't change Aunt Martha's commitment to servicing them,' said Garza. 'It's unfortunate, some won't have Medicaid, and I'm not saying by Aunt Martha's serving them that will be enough. They might need care that goes beyond what Aunt Martha's is able to provide. If that's the case, they are going to need to engage other health systems that can provide that additional care.' For those who lose Medicaid coverage and require that more extensive care, he worries some may not be able to access care. He also fears safety net hospitals, which have already been dealing with Medicaid reimbursements that don't cover the cost of care, won't be able to serve all those in need. More than 300,000 people in Illinois are expected to lose Medicaid coverage including 40,000 in the south suburbs under the new law, said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Matteson and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. The law includes $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, has new 80 hours a month work requirements for Medicaid recipients and requirements that recipients have their eligibility redetermined every six months instead of once a year. Critics say administrative red tape barriers will cause many to lose coverage and note that most Medicaid adults under age 65 are working already or face barriers to work. The result of the Medicaid cuts will mean those without Medicaid will delay receiving care and end up in emergency rooms sicker and where care is more costly, Kelly said. Health care providers will be forced to serve fewer people, and many rural hospitals will close due to insufficient Medicaid reimbursements, health care advocates and experts have warned. Roughly 60% of Aunt Martha's Medicaid patients are adults, and 40% are children, said Garza. 'Patients are concerned,' Garza said. 'They are asking us if they are going to lose coverage. The positive thing is many of our patients do work already. But we haven't gotten the exact guidance. We don't have language on the criteria. We don't know how many people would be able to meet the criteria. 'If they have to find a job, are they going to be able to do that? We'll have to see what happens. But we believe several thousand people will be affected, of patients at Aunt Martha's.' Aunt Martha's message is one of stability, he stressed. In 2023, it received a surprise unsolicited $9 million donation from billionaire MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving fund after the funder did quiet research into the organization's operations. That funding certainly helps, Garza said. 'We have done the right things over the years to position ourselves to being able to deal with changes,' he said. 'These are certainly dramatic changes. But we're going to be here. 'Does that mean appointments might take a little longer, that it might take longer to get into the clinics? Yeah, but we're not going to deny them. We're still going to see them.' Aunt Martha's is focused on looking at ways to innovate and create more operational efficiencies. It's experienced at that. Garza noted more than 20 years ago, Aunt Martha's integrated mental health with primary care. 'People thought that was impossible to do back in in early 2000s,' he said. 'We pioneered it in Illinois at Aunt Martha's. From there, we pioneered telehealth as a federally qualified health center. Before the Affordable Care Act, we were already exploring how to provide services to this population in creative, efficient and innovative ways.' Now among its priorities is looking at how to go above and beyond the telehealth services it provides. 'We have to evaluate the kinds of appointments we provide telehealth for and figure out ways to be more efficient,' Garza said. 'That's part of our approach.' He said fundraising has also taken on a heightened priority. 'We have to figure out how to do our work, so people aren't left without care.'
The Herald Scotland
10-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Amid Texas floods, teen Mexican counselors protect Camp Mystic girls
"We had to put on brave faces so the girls wouldn't know," Silvana Garza told the Mexican news outlet NMas. Garza and fellow counselor Maria Paula Zarate, both Mexican nationals at the camp for the summer, have been recognized for their heroism by Mexico's president. Their story has also gone viral on social media. Their crisis began in the early hours of July 4, as heavy rainfall knocked out the camp's power. The storm sounded like a scary movie, Garza said later. The camp, nestled between the banks of the Guadalupe River and its Cypress Creek tributary, had just begun its monthlong term for hundreds of girls. Attending Camp Mystic is a summertime ritual for generations of Texas families. The Christian camp is remote, about 90 miles northwest of San Antonio. Garza and Zarate were watching girls in the camp's newer site, up in the hills and away from the original campsite down by the Guadalupe River. It wasn't until hours later that the teens realized the original campsite, where they had slept just the week before, had been destroyed. At least 27 campers as young as 8 were swept away in the raging floodwaters. Nearly a dozen more remain missing. For hours, as Garza and Zarate waited for more information, they sang songs and played games with the girls. They instructed the girls to pack their belongings to prepare to evacuate. They had them put on name badgesand wrote their names on their skin where it was visible, Zarate said. If they had a favorite stuffed animal, counselors instructed them to bring it along with suitcases. Though the counselors tried to remain positive, the girls were scared. "They wanted to be with their parents," Garza said. Finally around 6 p.m., the counselors were alerted that more flooding was on the way. They had to evacuate. They passed through the original campsite by the Guadalupe River. Mattresses and clothes hung in the trees, Garza recalled to Univision 41. Tables floated along the river. "I felt like I was in a dream," she said in Spanish. "I didn't think it was real." In an evacuation center, 19 miles away in Kerrville, they saw similar damage of houses uprooted and turned aside. Cars were lodged in trees - a sign of how high the water rose, Garza noted. Eventually, their campers were reunited with their families. Garza and Zarate also saw parents whose children were missing. "That was the worst part of the day," Garza told Univision 41. She later added, "I couldn't explain the feeling of being a parent and not seeing your daughter not being there." Garza had planned to stay for weeks at Camp Mystic, but she said she would return to Mexico early. From one day to the next, everything can change, Garza said. On the morning of July 7, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo expressed condolences for the lives lost in the floods. She also recognized Garza and Zarate for their efforts helping save camp attendees. "They make us proud," she said. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Luke Kornet, Luka Garza moves highlight Celtics' new cap reality
The post Luke Kornet, Luka Garza moves highlight Celtics' new cap reality appeared first on ClutchPoints. The 2025 offseason was expected to be a busy one for the Boston Celtics, and the start of free agency confirmed that. On Monday night, former Celtics center and fan favorite Luke Kornet agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, per ESPN insider Shams Charania. Less than an hour after Kornet's departure, Charania reported that Boston nabbed a replacement, bringing in 26-year-old center Luka Garza for $5.5 million over two years. Advertisement These moves shouldn't be a complete shock for Celtics fans, as Kornet upped his value by overachieving during the 2024-25 season, averaging six points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in a career-high 18.6 minutes per game. Although Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens wasn't shy about wanting Kornet back, it couldn't have been for the price the Spurs delivered. The Celtics recently ducked under the second apron after trading away veteran guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis. Paying Kornet around $40 million would've reversed all of that financial maneuvering. The backup big earned just a little over $2 million last season, making it unlikely that he'd agree to another short-term, vet minimum deal. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Who is Luka Garza? And what's next for the Celtics at center? Since Boston couldn't afford Kornet's new price, it shifted its attention to the open market and found Garza. Advertisement Any college basketball enthusiast should recognize the 6-foot-10 big man. Garza won the prestigious John R. Wooden Award in 2021 for being the best player in the NCAA. He shined at Iowa for four years before declaring for the NBA, starting his professional career with the Detroit Pistons. The late second-round pick, similarly to Kornet, had to fight his way into the Association via the G League. He did so with the Motor City Cruise in 2022 while on a two-way contract, going up to the 'big leagues' every now and then to play a total of 32 NBA games that season. Garza's next official stop was with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. There, he spent time on another two-way contract until April of 2024, when he finally earned a standard contract in order to join the Timberwolves' playoff roster. While Garza played in less than 100 games over the course of three seasons with the T-Wolves, his body of work was enough to impress the Celtics. Plus, and perhaps most importantly, Boston could pay him without breaking the bank. Advertisement The C's now employ three true centers in Garza, 25-year-old Neemias Queta, and rookie Amari Williams. None of these big men have much NBA experience, so Boston's hunt for a solution at the five spot may continue, whether it be through a signing or a trade. The front office would love to bring back free agent center Al Horford and have Garza, Queta, and Williams learn under him. However, the future Hall of Famer could — like Kornet — command a lot of money in free agency. There are already rumors tying Horford to the Golden State Warriors, and the Celtics might not have the funds to prevail in a bidding war. If Boston is unable to re-sign its oldest player, it'll have to quickly pivot to other options or prepare for an uncertain, experimental preseason. Related: NBA rumors: Warriors, Celtics among several Al Horford suitors in free agency Related: Why Kevin Garnett questions Celtics trading away Jrue Holiday
USA Today
09-07-2025
- General
- USA Today
These Mexican camp counselors put on 'brave faces' to protect girls during Texas floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo recognized Garza and Zarate for protecting Camp Mystic girls. Two 19-year-old Camp Mystic counselors knew tragedy had unfolded in other cabins early in the morning hours of July 4. But they were responsible for the girls in their own bunk, who knew enough to be upset and worried. So the two teens hid their own fears and focused on distracting and entertaining the younger girls from the moment they awakened until they were evacuated by military vehicles around dinnertime. 'We had to put on brave faces so the girls wouldn't know,' Silvana Garza told the Mexican news outlet NMás. Garza and fellow counselor María Paula Zárate, both Mexican nationals at the camp for the summer, have been recognized for their heroism by Mexico's president. Their story has also gone viral on social media. Their crisis began in the early hours of July 4, as heavy rainfall knocked out the camp's power. The storm sounded like a scary movie, Garza said later. The camp, nestled between the banks of the Guadalupe River and its Cypress Creek tributary, had just begun its monthlong term for hundreds of girls. Attending Camp Mystic is a summertime ritual for generations of Texas families. The Christian camp is remote, about 90 miles northwest of San Antonio. Garza and Zárate were watching girls in the camp's newer site, up in the hills and away from the original campsite down by the Guadalupe River. It wasn't until hours later that the teens realized the original campsite, where they had slept just the week before, had been destroyed. At least 27 campers as young as 8 were swept away in the raging floodwaters. Nearly a dozen more remain missing. For hours, as Garza and Zárate waited for more information, they sang songs and played games with the girls. They instructed the girls to pack their belongings to prepare to evacuate. They had them put on name badgesand wrote their names on their skin where it was visible, Zárate said. If they had a favorite stuffed animal, counselors instructed them to bring it along with suitcases. Though the counselors tried to remain positive, the girls were scared. 'They wanted to be with their parents,' Garza said. Finally around 6 p.m., the counselors were alerted that more flooding was on the way. They had to evacuate. They passed through the original campsite by the Guadalupe River. Mattresses and clothes hung in the trees, Garza recalled to Univision 41. Tables floated along the river. 'I felt like I was in a dream,' she said in Spanish. 'I didn't think it was real.' In an evacuation center, 19 miles away in Kerrville, they saw similar damage of houses uprooted and turned aside. Cars were lodged in trees ‒ a sign of how high the water rose, Garza noted. Eventually, their campers were reunited with their families. Garza and Zárate also saw parents whose children were missing. "That was the worst part of the day," Garza told Univision 41. She later added, "I couldn't explain the feeling of being a parent and not seeing your daughter not being there." Garza had planned to stay for weeks at Camp Mystic, but she said she would return to Mexico early. From one day to the next, everything can change, Garza said. On the morning of July 7, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo expressed condolences for the lives lost in the floods. She also recognized Garza and Zárate for their efforts helping save camp attendees. 'They make us proud,' she said. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
