Latest news with #Sharpie
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WNBA star Caitlin Clark is a showstopper in Baltimore, even without playing
Caitlin Clark wanted to document this night like everyone else. About 90 minutes before tipoff between the Washington Mystics and her Indiana Fever at Baltimore's CFG Bank Arena, the 2024 No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick emerged from the tunnel meeting a quiet gym. This was the first time she'd been sidelined for a regular-season game in her professional career. Clark wore a Nike windbreaker and matching Air Maxes with a digital camera tied around her wrist. Advertisement She snapped flicks of her teammates warming up and snuck up on coaches to capture this Wednesday in Baltimore. That's how most others in the gym felt, too — even if the luminary sharpshooter never put on a uniform. It was announced last month that a pair of Mystics-Fever games were being moved from the 4,200-seat CareFirst Arena to CFG Bank Arena, which seats 14,000. Wednesday was the first, with the Mystics winning 83-77 in front of an announced crowd of 11,183. Sept. 7 in the same gym will be the rematch. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year was, and will again be, the main draw. Folks who bought tickets the day they went on sale shelled out hundreds of dollars per seat. By game day, two days after the Fever that announced Clark's quadriceps injury would hold her out for at least two weeks, StubHub offered seats for less than $10. Even without the game's headliner, there were still Fever fans — and more specifically, Clark fans — braving the misty May weather. Advertisement 'I knew she was gonna come on the trip. She's not the type to sit at home,' said Melissa Kramer, a 30-year-old from New Jersey waiting patiently at the front of the line more than two hours before tipoff. 'And she knows that people spend time and money to see her in general, just to be in the environment with her. I knew she was coming and I knew it wouldn't be a problem.' Clark set down her own camera and made her way off the hardwood and into the stands, flanked by what could've been mistaken for a documentary crew. A gym that looked bleak moments earlier suddenly felt smushed. Fans of all ages rushed to the front row for a peak at one of the faces of the WNBA. Clark grabbed a Sharpie and started stretching her fingers, well aware of what she was about to get herself into. She signed shirts, jerseys and posters for 12 minutes. She posed for many pictures. One little girl reached her hand through the railing and probably won't be washing that marker off anytime soon. Someone had a copy of Clark posing for the cover of Time Magazine's December 2024 issue. Another fan held up a sign sending Clark 'healing vibes,' acknowledging that it was still the best birthday present of her young life. A basketball court is 94 feet long. Clark signed autographs well beyond both baselines, her John Hancock filling up the length of the gym for fans draped over the railing behind the benches. Advertisement Mystics vs. Fever in WNBA game at CFG Bank Arena | PHOTOS Why so generous with her time? Fever coach Steph White didn't want to speak for her star player, 'but Caitlin was that little girl that watched this league,' she said. 'And when you are that little girl who eventually gets to live out her dreams, you want to empower the next generation of players. You want to give that hope to the next little girl that's in the stands to accomplish their goals and their dreams.' Mystics veteran Brittney Sykes shared in that sentiment: 'Just being able to bring this game here is so much more than basketball. Now we've been able to show the little girls that are closer to Baltimore that, 'OK, you have a possibility to go to the league.' We would love for them to come all the way to DC, but that's the whole point of us trying to expand.' Advertisement Among those dreamers lucky enough to reach out toward their hero was a quartet of travel basketball teammates whose parents drove them down from Pennsylvania. Ten-year-olds Cece Geesey and Harper White, 9-year-old Daphne Fuhr and 7-year-old Paige Fuhrman met the hooper who is to them, what Taylor Swift is to millennials, or Michael Jordan to basketball fans of the 1990s. The girls pooled their allowance together for these tickets. One made a sign explaining how allowance is $15, the going rate for cotton candy is $10, and tickets to see No. 22 on the bench are 'Pricey' with a frown. There were no frowned faces after meeting Clark, even if just for a moment. 'It was the best!' one shouted. 'So cool,' another chimed in. They all spun around to show proof of signature, having followed Clark's rocket-ship ascension the past few years. Even with Clark sidelined, these elementary school pals were lined up before the gym doors opened. Kramer was too. She's been a fan since watching Clark, then an Iowa freshman, bury a half-court shot against Ohio State. 'I thought, 'I don't know how this can't be real,'' Kramer said. She's seen Clark play six times. She got a picture with her hero in the middle of that lengthy queue. Advertisement There were Mystics fans who made the short drive for this game, too. There might have been more had this not been on weeknight (the rematch is a Sunday afternoon). But the Baltimore gym flooded with Clark supporters, wearing Fever gear. Or Iowa gear. Or both. None more on the nose than the red Fever T-shirts that read, 'Every game is a home game.' Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@ 410-332-6200 and
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Social media reacts to Nebraska winning back-to-back Big Ten Tournament championships
Social media reacts to Nebraska winning back-to-back Big Ten Tournament championships The Nebraska Cornhuskers won back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles after defeating the UCLA Bruins 5-0 on Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. The Cornhuskers scored five runs on eight hits while the Bruins only mustered four hits on the day. This was the fifth time Nebraska played for the Big Ten Tournament championship, and with the victory, the Huskers now hold a 2-3 record in the title game. The championship was the sixth overall conference tournament championship in program history. The Huskers won the first four championships when they were members of the Big 12. The Huskers are the first eight-seed in Big Ten history to win a conference tournament title. With the victory, the Huskers have now secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show will air on Sunday, May 26, at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. Find social media reactions to Nebraska's victory by scrolling below. Back-to-back First team since Indiana Champs The ending The call Nine straight Start to finish The Huskers go back-to-back Storm the field Sharpie Thank You! Sea of red Three trophies in five years The Huskers in the CWS Family They've done it Impressive Momentum AQ Never fold Speechless Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Buzz Feed
24-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
25 Must-Haves To Repair Your Wardrobe
The Pink Stuff can do just about anything cleaning-wise, including getting rid of grime and dirt on your beloved Crocs! A portable fabric shaver to defuzz sweatpants, coats, all kinds of garments that have started to pill because they're worse for wear! Just be sure to test a small, hidden part before going whole hog on that midi overcoat. I did that to my actual midi coat I've had for ~7 years, as you can see/learn about below. And a cashmere comb that'll work on a variety of sweater materials (not just cashmere!) because you CAN take a fabric shaver to sweaters but you SHOULD use a gentler method. Leather Honey conditioner will breathe new life into all kinds of tired-looking leather, like on boots, purses, and more. It's nontoxic, non-oily, and will help your leather goods look and FEEL much better. Oh, and it's water-repellent! It might even have you doing double-takes at those looked-over boots from the back of your closet A jewelry cleaning kit that reviewers say give them a professional-level on the stuff they wear on the reg like wedding bands. It comes with a silver polishing cloth, a stone cleaner, and a detail brush. A specific ink remover to transform hand-me-downs that have been etched with Sharpie pens. And you can use that mighty lil' ink stain remover on pen stains, too! Promising review: "I don't normally write reviews, but this product has worked amazing. From Sharpie marker on the upholstery to, most recently, ink from an ink pen my 3-year-old daughter got ahold of and decided to draw on my Lululemon bag. Within seconds, the ink was gone!" —Amazon CustomerReviewers say this stuff has also worked on lightening pen stains on a Dooney & Bourke leather purse, ink smeared on a corduroy sofa, ballpoint pen on a movie screen, pen scribbles on a white leather couch, lipstick on a rug, and more. A $5 brass cleaner potion can bring some shine back to your designer bag's hardware (without a trip to the Louis Vuitton store). It just takes a tiny bit and some patient work with a cotton swab! A leather stain remover spray that'll turn back time on your leather couch, purse, boots, basically whatever that, despite leather usually withstanding most stains, is really showing its wear. This stuff is transformative! And clean up leather jackets with a microfiber cloth and this leather cleaner. Cue to you scrounging in the back of your coat closets for the jackets you haven't worn in ages but still haven't had the heart to declutter. It's their time to shine! Promising review: "This weekend, we cleaned five leather jackets that were completely covered with white mold. We used microfiber cloths and sprayed the leather cleaner on them, and followed the instructions, and we got wonderful results. We could see the leather really getting clean, and the cleaner also gave the leather a soft feel and a nice shine (we like it because it's not too shiny but looks great). It's GREAT!!" —Sandy Z A shoe stretch spray so you can make those go-go boots you scored at an estate sale or the thrift for criminally cheap work for all your fun ensembles. They used to fit and now they can again! Some leather zipper boot inserts with eyelets so you'll lace 'em into your Docs you don't wear as often as you should because you hate lacing 'em up when you're just trying to get out the door. Let's get your money's worth out of those boots and make getting dressed so much easier! (Psst, they're made to work with *all* brands.) Boot-Fix Glue so you can avoid going to the shoe-repair store because it always ends up being MUCH more expensive than you assumed. The only problem with your sole is that it's become detached. Give this a go first. A handbag organizer with LOTS of pockets that'll help you make the most of that tote you ADORE but REALLY needs far more organization. Or maybe it just (embarrassingly) has pen marks all over inside of it and you're trying to cover it up? Talk about a win-win. A pack of dual-sided SneakErasers to do nearly everything that pair of Sambas you've been wearing for the past six months need for zhuzhing up. One side will clean soles of scuffs, dirt stains, and grime, and the other side whitens them. Some liquid fabric dye can give your canvas sneakers a new life. The Rit website has a TON of official tutorials! And a powder fabric dye could be just the fix for anything whose color you're feeling a little meh about, is a little *too* faded, or would serve you better in a different hue. Grandma's Secret, an under-the-radar solution with serious stain-removing prowess — like, cleaning grease from denim. (Kinda seems like sorcery!) A jean button replacement kit in case the problem with your go-to pair is actually the hardware. Yes, $9 for a one-time fix can feel steep. But y'know what's steeper? Finding another pair and then paying for 'em. Oh, and there are MANY replacement buttons in this kit. Some bra bands that can easily add some extra space to your trusty underthing you aren't quite ready to part with. Bras are incredibly expensive, and these aren't! A puffer jacket repair kit to work around small rips and tears without having to toss a whole item of outerwear. A tie-dye kit for a fun solution as an afternoon activity that'll make you wanna wear the piece of clothing for years to come! Psst, this might be perfect for those white T-shirts that have pit or neck stains. A waist extender that'll help you get FAR more use out of those pants you're nervous about wearing to dinner because they're right on the cusp of being hard to button up. No need to replace! Be free! Use a waist extender! And on the flip side, a set of jean button pins to save the day when you're in between sizes on jeans you love — with this pin you can tighten up a waist gap on top by using this pin to latch it around the button hole and get a snugger fit without bothering with a belt. Bonus — installation is as easy as pressing it in, no sewing or hammering required! A four-way cleaning brush will make big moves on those black suede (or nubuck!) boots you decided to shuffle around in the dirt while wearing last weekend. Their days are no longer numbered. And the same brush can eliminate the evidence of last summer's wear on your suede-footbed sandals. (Cue to you learning this is a fix you can easily make! We're all learning something here.) Promising review: "So easy and quick. I had no idea I could get these this clean!" —tammi p. Bright shoelaces that come in a set of 15 colors so you can switch it up depending on that day's whims. And if you're REALLY into putting in some effort, a leather paint set will help you get creative with some leather shoes and accessories. Sometimes you just need to breathe some new life into a new-to-you accessory. There are LOTS of creative options!
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Even time-sculpted sands scarred by the selfish
Opinion An escape from the harshness of the world to a homestead near Cypress River two weeks ago, to a night in a loose-gapped pop-up geriatric tent trailer with all of the outside seeping in liquid through seams, the sounds of the night birds peeping and whistling on the wind, a thunderstorm passing and a pack of coyotes passing, too, yodelling and yipping as they travelled down the road. A few minutes of magic, that short coyote transit, canine conversation distinct and so carefully shaped while half-sleeping that you could hold it in your hand like a ball. It was after lawn chairs and fire tankers rolling down the road to nearby wildland fires, after hot dogs and chips and potato salad and children finally asleep, after sloughing off worries and tamping down fears, sliding into that period where you talk among friends and family without even having to talk. Best of times. RUSSELL WANGERSKY / FREE PRESS A dune at the Spirit Sands in Spruce Woods Provincial Park bears the signs of time and nature. We were heading for the Spirit Sands in Spruce Woods Provincial Park the next day. Up in the bright morning, cautioned at the park gate about the heat rising on the sands, the way the dunes can make it as much as 10 C hotter. Out and up the trail edged by fading Prairie crocuses and yellow stoneflowers, past spruces and rogue chipmunks, trying to outrun the voices of other hikers. Looking for hard alone, looking forward to the dunes. There is a repetition of signs: 'Stay on the trail,' 'Fragile ecosystem' — and yet, at any point where it looked like there might be a view, there was an unregulated path pounded down through the undergrowth to allow off-path hikers to see a glimpse of the winding Assiniboine far down in the valley, or a sloped and shallow dell that might just hold a view of the river — but didn't — but might if you and everyone after you tromped your way in. Later, up the grey, weathered wooden stairs to a lookoff over the dunes, interpretive signs to tell you what you could see — one defaced with heavy Sharpie graffiti — and every single surface of the greyed wood railing was carved with initials and names, the important and necessary proofs of who loved whom at one precise moment in time, and who was exactly right here, at this railing, on May 15, 2019, holding that essential point-down penknife. But at least you could look up and away to the sweeps and hollows of the sand lands, the way they look accidentally peaked and valleyed, yet are precise creations of climate, physics and geometry. Sand, its peaks and slopes set by the unremitting values of the angle of repose of the size and shape of each of its grains. The sand is washed clean — a new slate — when there's a rain, the dimples of raindrops like small shallow dimples or cups, filling in between each other with the randomness of their fall, until they overlap and erase things like footsteps. RUSSELL WANGERSKY / FREE PRESS Park Road in Cypress River, the route the coyotes took. And a thunderstorm had passed through the night before, the very one we heard in the tent trailer, grumbling and flashing along the horizon, but its rainfall had not been heavy enough to reach down into the deepest footprints in soft sand. The dimples had dimpled, but had failed at success erasure. So out on the dunes, on the rail, you could still see a spiderweb of footsteps heading away from the trail in almost any haphazard direction, ample evidence that just as many people ignore the requirement to stay on the trail as actually do take the path. But worse was ahead. Deep in the trail, right where you turn back, once you're confused enough by the straggle of other unofficial trails, you come to a resting spot, a few benches under a sloped roof, and a pair of cables run up a dune face, the cables passing through and attached to logs to make a set of soft stairs on the sand incline. A dune ladder, the least damaging path up the face. There was a family of five at the top of the dune, 30 or 40 feet up, the parents looking away over the vista of the sands with their smartphones, taking pictures, while the kids, maybe 12 to 15, whooped and hollered and climbed the ladder before running across the dune top and then throwing themselves down the face of the dune in long looping sliding strides, rivers of sand rushing away in front of them, breaking up the duneface before heading back to the ladder, picking a fresh untrammelled section of dune, and then doing it all over again. RUSSELL WANGERSKY / FREE PRESS Austin and Maryanne decided to leave their mark on a park railing at the Spirit Sands. Deep gashes left behind won't fill for ages, fragile plant life overrun by individual exuberance. And not a word was said, no remonstration. Half an hour's personal fun that won't be undone for the dunes for months, and for the plants, perhaps ever. Lighten up, old man: it's just kids, being kids. We're out here to have fun. There is garbage in the woods, pop cans and water bottles, and bagged poop-and-scoop doggie bags hanging from occasional branches a short fling away from the path. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Someday, maybe the prevailing ethos in our world will not be 'me and mine's fun first before everything.' Maybe it will be 'we all share a responsibility.' Sadly, that time is not now. The sands may still have spirit. RUSSELL WANGERSKY / FREE PRESS Fragile flowers often meet careless hikers at Spirit Sands. Me? Not so much. Russell Wangersky is the Comment Editor at the Free Press. He can be reached at Russell WangerskyPerspectives editor Russell Wangersky is Perspectives Editor for the Winnipeg Free Press, and also writes editorials and columns. He worked at newspapers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Saskatchewan before joining the Free Press in 2023. A seven-time National Newspaper Award finalist for opinion writing, he's also penned eight books. Read more about Russell. Russell oversees the team that publishes editorials, opinions and analysis — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Vancouver Sun
23-05-2025
- Vancouver Sun
‘Playing Whac-a-Mole': Vancouver police say crime is down in the DTES due to boosted presence. Some aren't so sure
Vancouver's Cullin David was posing for a photograph inside his Downtown Eastside restaurant on Thursday afternoon, discussing crime in the neighbourhood, when he noticed a man outside tagging his front window. 'Look at that,' said David, head chef and co-owner of Calabash, a Caribbean restaurant. 'Excuse me.' With that, he stepped out onto Carrall Street and followed the tagger into an alley, where he asked him to hand over his Sharpie marker, which he snapped in two. David would never want his staff to confront people like that. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'I don't want them getting into harm's way. I don't want to do that either. But at the same time, if you don't put your foot down, you continually get run over.' Crime and public safety have been problems in the neighbourhood long before Calabash opened in 2010. But this block has been significantly more 'volatile' in recent years, David said. David welcomed a Postmedia News reporter and photographer into his restaurant to talk about crime in the Downtown Eastside, hours after the Vancouver Police Department released figures it says shows the success of boosted efforts starting three months ago to curb crime in and around the neighbourhood. The department says it sent additional officers to Gastown, Chinatown, and Hastings Street, supported by $5 million from city hall. It has officers working overtime to patrol the neighbourhood, helping to deter crime and respond more quickly to incidents. The funding is expected to last six months. From David's perspective, as a longtime owner of a business just steps away from East Hastings Street, crime and disorder doesn't seem to have dropped much since police started their Task Force Barrage started on Feb. 13. He does not blame the police. 'Through no fault of their own, the police are playing Whac-a-Mole,' David said. 'We need the province to come into play, we need mental health facilities, we need more of a holistic focus to improve anything down here.' While crime doesn't seem very different in recent months, business at Calabash has been worse since police launched Task Force Barrage, David said. He believes the public perception of the area as a 'war zone' is keeping people away, and if not for some recent catering gigs to keep them afloat, Calabash may have already been forced to close. Some area business owners expressed more optimism. Alex Chang, who owns Baldy's Vintage clothing boutique on East Pender across from the Sun Yat-sen Garden, is in a group chat with other Chinatown business owners, including both newer merchants like him and longtime operators. Much of their talk relates to crime in the neighbourhood, which he says has slowed from several reports daily last fall to one message a day earlier this year. Lately, the group chat is only pinging every few days. At a news conference Thursday, Sgt. Steve Addison said: 'We've had more police officers out on the street in the Downtown Eastside and surrounding areas over the past three months than we have in years. And crime has plummeted.' Since the task force's launch, police say violence and most property crimes in those neighbourhoods have declined compared to 2024, with violent crime dropping 13 per cent in the Downtown Eastside and Gastown, 26 per cent in Chinatown and 14 per cent in Strathcona. The department says officers have seized 745 weapons — including 79 guns — made 414 warrant arrests, and filed 258 reports to prosecutors. Addison did not have figures on the number of convictions or recommendations to Crown counsel resulting from the arrests made by the task force. 'The process for (suspects) working their way through the court to a conviction could take months, 18 months, or longer.' He said the figures show that serious assaults, robberies and commercial break and enters in those areas have also dropped, as have residential break and enters, with the exception of Gastown, which has had no change when compared to 2024. The biggest declines were for commercial break and enters, ranging from 42 per cent in the Downtown Eastside to 86 per cent in Chinatown. Despite progress, Addison described the situation as a continuing struggle due to factors including mental health and drug use, as well as challenges when violent offenders are released from institutions and sent to halfway houses in the neighbourhood. 'It feels like we're trying to hold back a leaky dam,' said Addison. Addison emphasized the need to maintain the momentum of the task force beyond its initial surge. 'We don't want this task force to come to an end after six months and have all the gains we've made, all the progress, go to for naught,' he said. 'There will need to be broader discussions about how to sustain this effort — not just relying on the police department, but involving the community as a whole,' he added, citing senior levels of government, service providers, and community organizations as key partners. 'By having our officers close, we've been able to more easily intervene and arrest people, or stop them when they've committed thefts,' Addison said. Police and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said when the operation was launched that it would be a 'long-term operation to dismantle organized crime networks and target predatory criminals in the Downtown Eastside and beyond.' Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, said: 'Overall, we are pleased with the results of Task Force Barrage, having seen a noticeable decline in major crime in our area.' 'However, we are also conscious of the chronic systems-level challenges that still persist, which policing will not resolve,' Hoyt said. 'We will continue pushing for those services that this community desperately needs.' With files from The Canadian Press
