Get complete access for 24 hours to all of the content on our site, including breaking news, e-editions, archives (2010 to current) and special sections.
Start or renew an online subscription to TheDerrick.com! Get 24/7 access to everything on the website, including breaking news, e-editions, searchable archives (2010 to current) and special sections. Subscription commitments begin at just 30 days!
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia has settled a lawsuit with the brother of two young girls killed in the 1985 MOVE bombing, resolving one aspect of an ongoing court battle over the mishandling of victims’ remains by both the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office and the University of Pennsylvania.
Daniel Hartstein, an attorney for Lionell Dotson, confirmed the settlement on Friday. A city spokesperson said Philadelphia has not admitted liability under the settlement and will pay “an undisclosed amount” to Dotson.
A South Carolina man has been executed by firing squad, becoming the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by this method. Brad Sigmon was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m. Friday after being shot by three prison employee volunteers with rifles. Sigmon killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. The 67-year-old chose the firing squad because his lawyers said he considered it a better option than the electric chair or lethal injection. He is the first South Carolina prisoner to be executed by bullets.
Rasmus Neergard-Petersen looked plenty comfortable in his PGA Tour debut, playing bogey-free through 36 holes and shooting a 7-under 65 on Friday for a one-shot lead in the Puerto Rico Open. Ranked No. 88 in the world, Neergard-Petersen received a commissioner’s exemption for international players into the event, which is played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The 25-year-old from Denmark plays on the European tour and was second at the Qatar Masters in his previous start. Davis Riley was one shot back after a second-round 66 at Grand Reserve Golf Club.
Unbeaten Lauren Price has been too fast for the veteran Natasha Jonas as she won their unification world welterweight title fight comfortably in London. Price, of Wales, was the paper-thin favorite but impressively overwhelmed Jonas and won by unanimous decision on Friday. Price relieved the Englishwoman of her WBC and IBF belts to add to her IBO belt. The 2021 Olympic champion improved her record to 9-0. Jonas’ seven-win streak since a 2021 loss to Katie Taylor ended without dispute in a matchup of southpaws. Jonas, 10 years older than Price at 40, struggled to hit Price and lost for the third time in 20 fights.
DENVER — University of Colorado, Boulder research shows about 7% of adults in the United States — or 1 in 15 people — have been present at the scene of a mass shooting and 2% have been injured during one, according to a new study published Friday.
LOS ANGELES — D'Wayne Wiggins, a singer-songwriter and a guitarist who was a founding member of the soul and R&B trio Tony! Toni! Toné!, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 64.
Giancarlo Stanton will return to New York for a third round of platelet-rich plasma injections in his ailing elbows on Monday. Stanton was back at the Yankees’ spring training complex on Friday. Manager Aaron Boone was quoted as saying Stanton is not likely to play in any exhibition games. Stanton said on Feb. 17 after reporting to camp that he had not swung a bat in three or four weeks because of pain in both elbows. The Yankees said he had been in New York, where he received two rounds of PRP injections.
The Florida Panthers welcomed the arrival of Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand in a Friday trade that adds even more grit and experience to the Stanley Cup champions’ roster. Marchand, traded by the Bruins after 16 seasons in Boston will give the Panthers more depth as they battle for first place in the Atlantic Division. Marchand is another huge acquisition for the Panthers, who brought in veteran defenseman Seth Jones in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks last Saturday, and needed a boost after losing the veteran forward Tkachuk for the foreseeable future because of an upper body injury,
Protesters in western Michigan are calling on GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga to hold an in-person town hall to address their concerns. Republican leaders are advising lawmakers not to hold these town halls because of attendees decrying President Donald Trump administration’s slashing of federal government. Drivers honked in support of the protesters outside Huizenga's office on Friday who were chanting and holding signs. Trump and other Republicans have accused paid activists of taking control of town halls. Holland resident Linda Visscher insisted that she has not been paid to attend a protest but that she wanted her congressman to take questions. Huizenga did hold a telephone town hall later on Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS — Aimee Bock, the alleged ringleader of an extraordinary $250 million fraud scheme, took the stand in her defense on Friday at the end of the fourth week of testimony in her federal trial.
In the weeks after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, investors pumped more than $700 billion into Tesla Inc. shares, betting that Elon Musk’s relationship with the commander in chief and growing political prominence would pay off for the automaker. Barely four months later, th…
Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker received some good news regarding the oblique issue that has limited him this spring training. Walker had flown back to Houston to get the oblique examined. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters the MRI didn’t reveal any strain. Espada said Walker is returning to the Astros’ spring training camp. Walker, who turns 34 on March 28, batted .251 with a .335 on-base percentage, 26 homers and 84 RBIs in 130 games for Arizona last season. He signed a $60 million, three-year contract with the Astros in December.
Oklahoma’s starting center was serenaded with chants of “Beers! Beers! Beers!” from the school’s pep band on Friday. Raegan Beers is getting used to it, and she enjoyed hearing from the band after the 10th-ranked Sooners beat No. 12 Kentucky 69-65 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Beers has been stellar in her first two SEC Tournament games. Next up is a matchup with No. 5 South Carolina. The pep band started the “Beers!” chant earlier this season at a home game and it has become a mainstay for the Sooners.
The Tennessee Titans have released veteran linebacker Harold Landry III after signing him to a five-year extension in 2022. The seven-year veteran with one Pro Bowl was due to count $24.1 million against the cap this season. Tennessee now is seventh in the NFL with more than $63 million in salary cap space per Spotrac.com to go along with the No. 1 pick in the April draft after three losing seasons. Landry led the Titans with nine sacks last season. He was one of three NFL defenders with at least 70 tackles and 15 tackles for loss.
Starter Grayson Rodriguez and reliever Andrew Kittredge will miss the Baltimore Orioles’ opener because of injuries. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde tells reporters that Rodriguez has pitching elbow discomfort and Kittredge needs arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined for multiple months. Rodriguez, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts last season. He struck out 130 and walked 36 in 116 2/3 innings. Kittredge, who turns 35 on March 17, was 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA and one save in 74 relief appearances for St. Louis last year. Baltimore opens at Toronto on March 27.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has agreed to the terms of a contract extension that would keep him with the Ducks through 2030. Yahoo Sports reported that Lanning will make nearly $11 million per season under the agreement, which the university announced on Friday. Oregon was also finalizing extensions for defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and offensive coordinator Will Stein that run through the 2027 season. The contracts have been approved by Oregon’s Board of Trustees.
De’Aaron Fox spent much of his time in Sacramento as the fan favorite and face of the Kings franchise that ended a record-long playoff drought and brought much-needed joy to what had been a downtrodden team. Fox returns Friday night as part of the opposition to play his first game against his original team since being traded to San Antonio in a three-team deal last month. The end of Fox's time in Sacramento was fractious. He didn't want to sign a contract extension and was unhappy about the firing of coach Mike Brown.
Aubrey Whelan and Max Marin - The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia has settled a lawsuit with the brother of two young girls killed in the 1985 MOVE bombing, resolving one aspect of an ongoing court battle over the mishandling of victims’ remains by both the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office and the University of Pennsylvania.
On-loan West Ham winger Maxwel Cornet has bagged his second goal in four games to give Genoa a point away at Cagliari in Serie A. Nicolas Viola opened the scoring for the Sardinian side. Cornet equalized early in the second half on Friday and it held up. The result leaves Genoa in 12th and Cagliari in 15th, four points above the relegation zone.
Xander Schauffele met at least one goal in his return from injury at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He made the cut for the 58th consecutive time on the PGA Tour. That's the longest streak since Tiger Woods set the record at 142. And the 58 in a row is the sixth-longest streak in history. It wasn't easy. Schauffele is coming off a rib injury that kept him out for two months. He opened with a 77. He was going well Friday until back-to-back double bogeys. But he ran off three birdies in four holes and made it on the number.
It’s said that sometimes the best defense is offense. LeBron James took that approach Thursday night when he confronted Stephen A. Smith courtside at a Lakers game and scolded him, telling him in no uncertain terms to stop talking about Bronny James, LeBron’s son and teammate.
Jarvis Moss scored 16 points and David Early added seven points in the overtime as the Radford Highlanders defeated the Presbyterian Blue Hose 74-69 in the Big South Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
President Donald Trump created a task force Friday to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will bring the globe’s premier soccer tournament to North America at a time when Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs have ratcheted up tensions across the continent. The task force, which Trump will chair, will coordinate the federal government’s security and planning for the tournament, which is expected to draw millions of tourists to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Officials from FIFA, the international soccer governing body, met with Trump in the Oval Office and gave him a personalized game ball.
Tariffs, or taxes imposed on imported goods, play a significant role in global trade. While they are often implemented to protect domestic industries, they can also lead to unintended consequences, particularly in sectors like healthcare and healthtech.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s committed to making the U.S. a world leader in cryptocurrencies as industry leaders heaped praise on him for reversing what they said had been unfair attacks on digital assets by the previous administration. The first-ever White House “Crypto Summit” included crypto company executives, cabinet officials and lawmakers, many of whom took turns raving about Trump’s leadership on digital assets. The emboldened industry said it was unfairly treated by the Biden administration and spent heavily to help Trump and Republicans in the last election. Trump reiterated his eagerness to help the crypto industry with friendly legislation and light-touch regulations.
Hantavirus — blamed in the death of Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa — is a rare virus spread by contact with rodents or their urine or feces. It is found throughout the world, but it doesn't spread between people. It can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vast majority of cases since then in the U.S. have been in western states, especially the southwest. Between 1993 and 2022 there were 864 reported cases in the U.S.
David Wickert - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump and his fellow defendants in the Fulton County election interference case could eventually receive reimbursement for attorney fees, under a bill that passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday night.
Jessica Nix and Damian Garde - Bloomberg News (TNS)
U.S. measles cases jumped by a third over the past week, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, a worrying sign in the outbreak that’s already linked to two deaths.
Lia Assimakopoulos - The Dallas Morning News (TNS)
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars have said all season they’re “all in” to win the Stanley Cup this year after back-to-back runs to the Western Conference finals.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's campaign of disruption is engulfing the federal government. A series of decisions revealed Friday showed how the turmoil is upending how public servants do their jobs in ways big and small. For example, Environmental Protection Agency officials now need to seek approval from the Department of Government Efficiency for contracts exceeding $50,000, and the Pentagon has choked off the ability of civilian employees to travel for work. The cascading developments are only a fraction of the upheaval that’s taken place since Trump took office. The White House is pushing ahead despite political blowback, including from some Republicans.
Freedom Caucus leaders in the Wyoming House of Representatives are claiming victory after a legislative session in which most of their priorities got passed. Wyoming is the first state where a Freedom Caucus has taken control of a statehouse chamber. Republican Gov. Mark Gordon has signed three of the conservative lawmakers' top five bills into law. They include a steep property tax cut, a ban on diversity programs in government, and nonrecognition of driver’s licenses issued to unauthorized immigrants. Stricter voter registration and residency requirements still await Gordon's signature. A fifth bill banning environmental, social and governance investing by the state wasn't taken up by the state Senate.
A shocking defensive mix up has helped Toulouse to draw at home to Monaco 1-1 in Ligue 1. The visitor was leading through an early goal from Japanese winger Takumi Minamino and Toulouse rarely looked like equalizing on Friday. But in the last minute, a collision between Monaco's goalkeeeper and centre half allowed Frank Magri to steal in and score into the almost empty net. The result leaves both teams in the same positions, Monaco is fourth and Toulouse eighth. Players from both clubs wore shirts with “WO=MAN” written on the back instead of their names in a league initiative to mark International Women’s Day.
Jordan Hobbs scored 23 points and Michigan used a 25-0 first-half run and a dominating second half to crush No. 15 Maryland 98-71 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Freshmen Syla Swords and Olivia Olson added 22 and 20, respectively. The fifth-seeded Wolverines face league champion and second-ranked USC in the semifinals on Saturday. Hobbs and Olson both had 10 points in the big run that saw the Wolverines race to a 31-6 lead. After the Terrapins had a 16-0 run to close within one late in the first half, Michigan outscored Maryland 57-34 in the second half. The Wolverines shot 61%, making 12 of 23 3-pointers, to score the most points of any Maryland opponent this season. Sarah Te-Biasu scored 25 points for the fourth-seeded Terrapins
The Florida Panthers closed out the NHL trade deadline on Friday with another blockbuster: They are acquiring veteran forward Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins, according to multiple reports.
PITTSBURGH — For the past two years, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission's definition of sex has been expanded to better protect LGBTQ+ people across the state.
Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban says he wouldn’t have traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers without receiving much more in return. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has come under heavy criticism after sending Doncic to the Lakers in a shocking three-team deal on Feb. 1 that sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick to Dallas. The Lakers have put themselves in position to be title contenders and the Mavericks are in danger of missing the playoffs after Davis and then Kyrie Irving were injured.
A man accused of tampering with a witness in a courtroom hallway has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Abdinasir Abshir will be sentenced for his role in a scheme that prosecutors said stole $250 million in federal funds meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The witness tampering allegation surfaced last month at the trial of the alleged ringleader of the Feeding Our Future scheme. Abshir's lawyer conceded it was a “shocking incident.” Under Friday's plea deal, both sides recommended 63 to 78 months in prison, and Abshir has agreed to pay nearly $2.3 million in restitution. The judge is not bound by the recommendations.
