Author: Gesi Lloyd

Joseph Contreras completed his social studies homework before facing Aaron Judge with the bases loaded Friday night. Blessed Trinity Catholic High School held classes that day in Roswell, Ga., but Contreras was not there. He had somewhere more important to be. When he emerged from the bullpen in the second inning of Team Brazil’s game against Team USA at Daikin Park, Contreras became the youngest player to appear in a World Baseball Classic game since 2013. He is 17 years old, the son of former Chicago White Sox All-Star Jose Contreras, and pitching on the same field where his father…

Hundreds of people lined the streets outside Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church on Saturday morning to say a final goodbye to Lil Poppa, the Jacksonville rapper who died Feb. 18 at 25 years old. Family, friends, and fans traveled from across the country to attend the public service, which began at 10 a.m. and was simultaneously streamed on his official YouTube channel for supporters unable to make the trip. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a suicide following a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Georgia. He was born Janarious Mykel Wheeler. Lil Poppa’s legacy in Jacksonville and beyond For…

The shoe that carries Michael Jordan’s name is paying tribute today to the franchise he spent his career defeating. The Air Jordan 4 Imperial Purple, widely referred to as the Lakers colorway, is available now in full family sizing at Nike SNKRS, Foot Locker, Champs Sports, SNIPES, DTLR, and other select retailers. Pricing runs $220 for adults, $165 for grade schoolers, $105 for preschoolers, and $90 for toddlers. The Lakers dynasty that made Jordan’s rise mean something To understand why this colorway carries weight, it helps to understand what the Showtime Lakers represented before Jordan arrived. When Magic Johnson went…

A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale was diverted to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport late Friday after a possible security threat prompted the crew to reroute the aircraft and alert authorities on the ground. Southwest Airlines Flight 2094 landed safely in Atlanta at approximately 9:06 p.m. A passenger was subsequently removed from the plane by the Atlanta Police Department. The remaining passengers boarded a replacement aircraft and continued to Fort Lauderdale, arriving just before 3:30 a.m. What Southwest said about the security matter The airline confirmed the diversion in a statement Friday night, saying the flight landed…

National Weather Service forecasters had spent days warning about the possibility of tornadoes in southern Michigan and northern Indiana ahead of Friday’s storm system. Most of those forecasts described the threat as limited, flagging the potential for brief, weak twisters embedded in a broader weather system moving through the region. What arrived was considerably worse. A supercell storm developed Friday afternoon along the Michigan-Indiana border and swept northeast through Southwest Michigan, killing four people and injuring dozens more. It was the deadliest tornado day Michigan had seen since 1980. Tornadoes tear through three Michigan towns The storms touched down across…

The Denver Nuggets finally had their full starting lineup together for the first time since Nov. 12. It lasted less than one half. All-Star guard Jamal Murray left Friday night’s 143-103 loss to the New York Knicks with a left ankle injury and did not return, casting fresh uncertainty over a Denver team that has spent most of the season managing one setback after another. Coach David Adelman said the team would assess Murray on Saturday but offered no timetable for his return. Murray went down after taking contact from a driving OG Anunoby in the lane and stepping back…

Dillon Brooks, the Phoenix Suns forward who has been sidelined since late February with a fractured left hand, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence early this morning in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was booked at Maricopa County Jail around 2 a.m. and released by 3:30 a.m. The arrest came just hours after Phoenix dropped a 105 to 103 decision to the Chicago Bulls, a loss that pushed the Suns to 35 and 27 on the season. Brooks was not in uniform for the game. Police confirmed the stop but have not disclosed the specific reason he was initially…