Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Leamington men charged in connection with $150K fire

Published on: April 7, 2016 | Last Updated: April 7, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

The Ontario Fire Marshall investigates a suspicious fire on Emerson Street in Leamington on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

Two Leamington men face arson charges in connection with a fire that gutted a home on Emerson Avenue and caused $150,000 in damage.

The blaze broke out about 3 a.m. Wednesday. It took firefighters about two hours to douse the blaze.

The fire was deemed suspicious and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office and the Essex County OPP Crime Unit were called in to probe the blaze.

Charged with arson, disregard for human life; and arson, damage to property, are Travis Desrosiers, 20, and Brandon Sheehey, 18 both of Leamington.

My Thoughts

Why would anyone want to set fire to someone else's home. I am glad these two guys were caught. The charges they are faces are pretty harsh, especially disregard for human life. I couldn't imagine setting someone's house on fire especially with someone inside. These guys are young and have ruined their futures because of this. I couldn't imagine at three in the morning running for my life because some idiots set the house on fire. this could have ended much worse. I'm glad there were no deaths.

Canadian turtle smuggler receives five years in prison

A Canadian man who repeatedly entered Michigan to buy and ship thousands of turtles to his native China was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison today for smuggling.

It was a tough punishment for Kai Xu, who has been locked up for 19 months since his arrest and had hoped to be released. The 27-year-old expressed remorse to a judge and thanked agents “for stopping the darkness of my greed and ignorance.”

Ahead of the hearing, Xu wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara, saying he sold turtles partly to make money for college. He said he was a semester short of an engineering degree from the University of Waterloo.

The government said Xu shipped turtles to China from Canada and the U.S., or hired people to fly to China with turtles in their luggage. In 2014, he was caught at the Windsor-Detroit border with 51 turtles taped to his legs.

It’s not illegal to buy turtles from breeders in the U.S., but Xu’s crime was shipping them overseas without a federal permit.

Xu was not a “sophisticated international dealer,” defence attorney Matthew Borgula told the judge, adding that hiding turtles under his pants was “not a good way to get them across the border.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Woodward said Xu’s remorse was genuine, but described his smuggling scheme as one of the largest in recent years.

Woodward asked for five years in prison, near the low end of the sentencing guidelines. O’Meara settled on 57 months without an explanation, though he praised Xu for becoming fluent in Spanish while in prison and helping Hispanic inmates.

“We don’t have a whole lot of cases exactly like this every day,” O’Meara said of turtle smuggling.

The guidelines were enhanced by the value of the reptiles as estimated by the government. Prosecutors said shipments intercepted at airports were worth more than $1 million US.

Borgula objected to the government’s conclusion and asked that O’Meara hear testimony. The judge declined, saying he was pressed for time. An appeal is planned.

“The sentence is very severe,” Borgula told The Associated Press.

My Thoughts

This makes me really mad. These poor turtles are helpless. When you transport an animal like that you really don't care about what happens to it. This guy deserves what he gets for smuggling these turtles. I have stopped traffic to help turtles cross the road in River Canard to prevent them from being hit while trying to cross. If people want pets they should go to the proper places to get them. I am glad this man was caught and that people look for these kids of criminals.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

First trailer for new Star Wars film, Rogue One hits the screens

It’s been a good and bad week for Star Wars — first, the good news: The Force Awakens was released on DVD. In bad news, Erik Bauersfeld, the voice of Admiral Ackbar (It’s a trap!) passed away. But on Thursday morning, there’s another indication of the changes in the franchise, as the trailer was released for the upcoming standalone movie, Rogue One.

The trailer gives us tantalizing hints of the Star Wars universe as it existed between the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith and the original, A New Hope. (It’s a universe already richly populated with books, but Star Wars canon has, to some extent, been reset for these new movies.)

The premise of the film is the daring mission to steal the Death Star plans, and, judging from the trailer, seems to have the gritty feel of the original films, not the flashy features of the prequel trilogy. The familiar laser blast noises are there, but crucially, the trailer’s absent the familiar zing of the lightsaber.

We see the newest hero, Jyn Erso (played by Felicity Jones) walking, clapped in irons. To Mon Mothma, the matriarch of the Rebellion, she says, “This is a rebellion, isn’t it? I rebel.”

We see glimpses of the Rebel base, perhaps on Yavin 4, the jungle planet from which the Rebels staged their attack on the first Death Star. There are familiar sights, AT-AT walkers, which destroyed the Rebel base on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. There are Rebel pilots in their familiar orange jumpsuits, and X-wing fighters in the background.

And then there’s the Death Star itself; the trailer shows the giant laser being installed as a Star Destroyer floats past. There are black stormtroopers. Some rough looking characters. Potentially a new villain.

What we don’t see in this trailer is Darth Vader — will some younger incarnation of the villain show up in coming trailers? Or in the movie?

Rogue One will be in theatres in December.

My Thoughts

The Star Wars Rogue One movie I think is going to be a box office top seller. The latest movie, The Force Awakens made over 2 billion dollars. Star Wars Rogue One takes place shortly before the events of a New Hope. The story focuses on a group rebel spies on a mission to steal the plans of the Galactic Empires secret weapon, the Death Star. There are rumors speculating the return of the Sith Lord Darth Vader who is being played by a new actor. I have also heard Vaders bounty hunter Bobba Fett, from the original Star Wars movies has returned. So many fans have followed these movies and I personally am looking forward to watching it in theaters. I would like to see lots of lightsaber action. May the force be with you!

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Villanova tops North Carolina 77-74 on Jenkins' buzzer-beater

HOUSTON — One good shot deserved another.

Kris Jenkins of Villanova wasn’t about to be outdone.

Jenkins overcame the shock of watching North Carolina’s Marcus Paige hit a double-clutch 3 to tie it by spotting up behind the right side of the arc and draining a 3 of his own at the buzzer to lift Villanova to a 77-74 victory and the national championship Monday night.

What a shot! What a game!

The second-seeded Wildcats (35-5), had a six-point lead with 1:52 left, but watched it slowly trickle away. Then, it was gone, when Paige jumped — and with Ryan Arcidiacono running at him — double clutched and pumped one from beyond the arc to tie the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds left.

After a timeout, Arcidiacono took the inbound pass from Jenkins, worked the ball upcourt and got it back to the junior guard. He took two quick stutter steps and swished it from about two steps behind the 3-point line.

“Kris told him he was going to be open, Arch made the perfect pass,” Villanova coach Jay Wright explained. “Kris lives for that moment.”

Jenkins’ range is anywhere in the gym, as he showed earlier in the tournament by nonchalantly draining a shot from the edge of the midcourt logo.

When this one went up, he never had a doubt.

“I think every shot’s going in, and this one was no different,” he said.

He finished with 14 points — the last three as memorable as any that have been scored in the history of this tournament.

After being thrown to the floor by his teammates, he got up, leaped over press row, hugged his family in the stands and shouted, “They said we couldn’t, they said we couldn’t, they said we couldn’t.”

Oh yes, they could.

This adds to the other title Villanova won in 1985, when Rollie Massimino, who was on hand Monday night, coaxed a miracle out of his eighth-seeded underdogs for a victory over star-studded Georgetown.

Hard to top this one, though.

Jenkins, who was adopted by the family of North Carolina guard Nate Britt, now has a spot with Keith Smart, Lorenzo Charles, Christian Laettner and anyone else who ever made a late game-winner to win a big one.

Paige finished with 21 for the Heels (33-7), the only No. 1 seed to make the Final Four, who came one agonizing shot short of giving coach Roy Williams his third national title.

Not surprisingly, the tears flowed from a coach who, some speculate, could have worked his last game on the sideline; the entire sports program at Chapel Hill is under NCAA
scrutiny and awaiting possible penalties for a long-running academic-fraud case.

“I’m not very good because I can’t take away the hurt,” Williams said. “I told them I loved them. I told them I wish I could have helped them more.”

His thought when he saw the last shot fly: “It was helpless. It was not a good feeling.”

Even MJ felt the pain. In the stands with the thousands of Carolina Blue-wearing fans, Michael Jordan simply nodded, smiled, looked at his buddy Ahmad Rashad and said, “Good shot, good shot.”

High praise from the Great One. And what a night for Villanova, a team full of scrappers, grinders and also-rans, who proved you don’t have to have a roster full of NBA-bound one-and-doners to win a title.

Before Jenkins did his thing, it was sophomore Phil Booth — one of the many unheralded players on that Villanova squad — pouring in a career high 20 points to give the Cats their late six-point lead.

Booth’s forced turnaround jumper with the shot-clock blaring, then a free throw from Josh Hart gave Villanova a 70-64 lead with 1:52 left.

But Carolina never quits. Paige sandwiched a 3-pointer and a putback around a bucket from Brice Johnson (14 points, eight rebounds) to help the Tar Heels stay within striking range. Then, he tied the game and the Carolina fans went wild.

It looked like overtime.

Thanks to Jenkins, it wasn’t.

“Every kid dreams about that shot,” Arcidiacono said. “I wanted that shot, but I just had confidence in my teammates and Kris was able to knock down that shot.”

My Thoughts

This NCAA Final Four Championship game is probably the best game in college basketball history. Throughout the entire game it was nothing but close on the scoreboard. In the final half with 1:52 left on the clock Villanova was up by 6 when north Carolina hit a deep 3 to be down by 3 again. The Tar Heels got the ball back and hit a double clutched and pumped 3 with 4.7 seconds left tying the game at 74. After a timeout, Arcidiacono took the inbound pass from Jenkins, worked the ball up court and got it back to the junior guard. He took two quick stutter steps and swished it from about two steps behind the 3-point line to call it a game and win it all. There are not many games that intense, clean or close in basketball especially a championship one that has 2 back to back deep 3s with less than 10 seconds remaining. I would have liked to see the Tar Heels take the win but all in all it was a good game.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Scottie Pippen Says 1995-96 Bulls Would Have Swept Warriors in 7-Game Series

In case you haven't paid attention to the NBA at all this year, the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' single-season record of 72-10.

Through 76 games, Golden State is 68-8 and has to win five of its last six to break Chicago's mark. During the Warriors' quest for history, many have compared the teams and debated which one would win a seven-game series.

On Saturday, Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, who was a part of that 1995-96 squad, shed some light on who he thinks would come out on top when he spoke with Paul Pabst of The Dan Patrick Show (via producer Seton O'Connor), saying "Bulls in four":

Pippen and the legendary Michael Jordan would have been tasked with trying to shut down the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, a duo that is revolutionizing the game with its three-point shooting.

When Pabst asked him, Pippen disclosed who he thought would guard the two Golden State shooters

Pippen saying the Bulls would take four straight from a Warriors team that is on the verge of setting the new standard of single-season excellence could be viewed as disrespectful.

Here's a look at how the teams match up on paper:

1995-96 Chicago Bulls vs. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors
Bulls	Stat	Warriors
72-10	Record	68-8
105.2	Points Per Game	115.0
92.9	Points Allowed Per Game	104.1
47.8	Field Goal Percentage	48.6
40.3	3-Point Field Goal Percentage	41.6
44.8	Opponents FG %	43.5
35.0	Opponents 3 Pt. FG %	33.1
1,405	Turnovers Forced	1,110

Golden State's high-powered offense would have to compete with Chicago's stingy defense, which was the best in the league in 1995-96. In comparison, the Warriors defense ranks fifth in the NBA this season.

But with Golden State's offense, giving up more than 104 points per 100 possessions is OK. It would be a different story if it played a team with several Hall of Famers, though, such as the Bulls featured. However, Pippen and Co. would probably not sweep this Warriors team.

Then again, we'll never know. Let the debate continue.

My Thoughts

I predict that if the 2015-16 Warriors played the 95-96 bulls in a 7 game series the bulls would beat them in 4 games straight with the series of 4-0 in the finals. No one on the Golden State Warriors could stop Jordan or Pippen from scoring 30 points per game or out rebound Dennis Rodman. and the only way to shut the Warriors down is to prevent Curry from heating up and locking down the 3 point line. If the bulls do that their offence would not be able to withstand the Bulls physical defense in the paint. Jordan and Pippen would be at the top perimeter defending and that is how the bulls would beat the Warriors.

Butler carries Bulls to win: 'Give me the ball, and get the (bleep) out of the way!'

MILWAUKEE — Whether it was to someone in particular, no one in particular or said in pseudo-frustration, Jimmy Butler yelled out his feelings in a building he once called home:

“Give me the ball, and get the (bleep) out of the way!”

Walking off the floor, having created most of the critical scores late in a game that still leaves the Bulls, at best, in critical condition in the Eastern Conference playoff race, Butler’s importance in the Bulls’ 102-98 win over the pesky Milwaukee Bucks cannot be overstated.

On a night where he missed just one shot in a 25-point, eight-assist and five-rebound performance, one can be entitled to a bit of hubris, moments after an emotional win that kept the Bulls two games behind the Indiana Pacers with five games to play.

One of those shots was a mid-range jumper where the Bucks’ defense — like the Pacers’ defense last Tuesday — didn’t switch on the screen-roll with Butler as a ballhandler with 51.9 seconds left, stretching the lead to 97-93.

“Not really, tell you the truth I was looking to pass,” he said. “I was. He showed, they didn’t switch like we thought they would, I rose up and knocked it down.”

It comes with the territory, Butler says, as a player with a max contract on a team that entered the season with aspirations on being more than a fringe playoff team.

“I think I kind of have to do it now,” Butler said. “Everybody looks to me to do so, with the deal I just signed and being one of the better players on this team. Fred (Hoiberg) is putting the ball in my hands as of late, he knows I’ll
make the right decision, whether to shoot or pass the ball.”

My Thoughts

The Chicago Bulls have been struggling all season due to injuries, a new head coach and constant line up changes. during the Bucks game Chicago was down in the 4th and Jimmy Butler took control all through out the 4th too keep the team in the game and reserve a playoff spot for the post season. In order for the Bulls to make it to the post season Butler is gonna have to carry the team throughout the rest of the season and maybe even next season considering the mentality of starting point guard and former MVP Derrick Rose who is not the same player he was in 2012.If the Bulls cant make it to the post season this year there gonna have to make a lot of adjustments with players, staff and coaching in order to have a better season and make it to the playoffs.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2016: List of Inductees for This Year's Class

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

The full list of the 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees was announced on Monday and includes Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry Reinsdorf, Sheryl Swoopes, Yao Ming,Allen Iverson and Tom Izzo, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

The posthumous inductees include Zelmo Beaty, Darell Garretson, John McLendon and Cumberland Posey, per Zillgitt.

O'Neal and Iverson are the headliners of the 2016 class. O'Neal, one of the most dominant centers in NBA history, was a four-time NBA champion, the 1992-93 Rookie of the Year, the 1999-00 league MVP, a three-time NBA Finals MVP, a two-time scoring champion and a 15-time All-Star., one of the game's most electrifying players, was the 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, the 2000-01 league MVP, a four-time scoring champion and an 11-time All-Star selection.Yao was an eight-time NBA All-Star and remains one of China's most decorated and famous athletes.

Michigan State head coach Izzo has a 524-205 record at the school and has led the Spartans to 19 straight NCAA tournament appearances. The school won the national championship in the 1999-00 season and has reached an impressive seven Final Fours under Izzo.

Swoopes was one of the most dominant players in WNBA history. She was a four-time WNBA champion, three-time league MVP, a two-time scoring champion and a six-time All-Star selection.

Reinsdorf has been the owner of the Chicago Bulls since 1985, presiding over the team during one of the most successful runs in NBA history, when the team won six titles between 1991-98.

Beaty was a three-time ABA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Star and was an ABA champion in 1971 with the Utah Stars. Garretson was an NBA referee for 27 seasons and the NBA supervisor of officials for 17 years. Posey was considered the top African American player of his time, playing from the 1900s through the 1920s. He's also a baseball Hall of Famer. McLendon was a pioneering African-American coach who broke barriers at the college and professional levels

My Thoughts

I am glad to see Iverson, Shaq and Ming inducted to the Hall of fame.

Growing up watching the sport was exciting for me as a kid. I have a lot of love for the sport and watching these guys on the court showed nothing but skill. Shaq and his big awkwardness was fun to watch. He had some crazy blocks. Yao Ming was a true role model for many people in the Asian community. He showed his fans that they could make it in the NBA. I'm glad to see they gave him recognition for his performance.