Good luck trying to bag a santa this year

TEXAS CITY — Miles inland from Galveston’s beaches and colorful vacation homes, a group of Black men dribble and jump on a covered basketball court, aiming for a chain-link net. Carver Park in Texas City, created during segregation, is considered the first African American county park in the state. It sits on land donated by descendants of freedmen who survived slavery and pioneered one of Texas’ oldest Black settlements, the footprint of which sits just a few blocks away. Until last year, the park sat at the heart of Galveston County’s Precinct 3 — the most diverse of the four precincts that choose the commissioners court, which governs the county along with the county judge. Precinct 3 was the lone seat in which Black and Hispanic voters, who make up about 38% of the county’s population, made up the majority of the electorate. The precinct sliced the middle of coastal Galveston County , stretching from the small city of Dickinson on the county’s northern end through … [Read more...] about A GOP power grab shatters 30 years of political progress for Black voters in Galveston County

When you think "bearer of wisdom," actor Charlie Day probably isn't the first name that comes to mind. The creator and star of the popular TV series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a professional goof but is more recently known for his work in Jason Orley's romantic comedy, I Want You Back, steaming on Amazon Prime Video. Written by co-screenwriters Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger and working with Jenny Slate, Gina Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, and Manny Jacinto on the project, Charles Day surprised critics with his dimensional performance. Back in 2014, the Monsters University actor addressed graduates at his alma mater Merrimack College and the filmmaker had some very interesting advice for the students. While acknowledging that he's no Steve Jobs - "I don't know how my computer works; I don't even know how my toaster works!" he told the audience -- Day had some genuine lessons to Merrimack College grads nonetheless. He spoke about the time, fresh out of college when … [Read more...] about Charlie Day: Always Sunny in Philadelphia Creator Says You Shouldn’t Just ‘Do What Makes You Happy’

Listen to this article The championship runner-up from the past two seasons has endured a slow start to the 2022 season highlighted by retirements in Monte Carlo and Sweden. Evans picked up much needed first solid points haul of the season finishing fifth in Rally Croatia, but remains 59 points adrift of championship leader and Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera. Virtue of his difficult start to the year, the Welshman will receive a significant road position advantage heading into this weekend’s first gravel rally of the season in Portugal this weekend. Last year’s Portugal winner will start ninth on the road when the rally begins on Thursday and will be aiming to benefit from much cleaner road conditions compared to his rivals. Despite the advantage, he says road position alone won’t be enough to secure a strong result. “As with a lot of rallies this year, it’s difficult to know how we will fare against the competition in our first event on gravel with the Rally1 cars, … [Read more...] about Evans: Portugal road position no “automatic ticket” to result

Ayrton Senna spent six seasons racing for McLaren, during which time he won each three of his world championships and most of his 41 grand prix victories. During that time McLaren team principal Ron Dennis became one of his closest confidantes and allies. Senna was killed three races after he left McLaren to join Williams. Ahead of the twentieth anniversary of Senna’s death, Dennis spoke to a group of media at the McLaren Technology Centre and gave a candid account of the most famous driver who ever sat in one of his cars. Go ad-free for just £1 per month >> Find out more and sign up The first McLaren test Senna first drove a McLaren five years before he started a race for them. He earned a test in their F1 car after winning that year’s British Formula three championship. He made his mark immediately, demanding an extra run in the car after a problem on his original flying lap, then setting a scorching lap time. But Dennis had misgivings about his … [Read more...] about Ron Dennis on Ayrton Senna: “He was so awesome” – F1 Fanatic

Listen to this article "I have a new rival now." Those were the words uttered by then six-time world champion Sebastien Loeb in 2010 after losing a hard-fought Rally Portugal duel to Sebastien Ogier - as the young pretender to the World Rally Championship throne claimed a breakthrough maiden victory. It was a premonition as accurate as Loeb's precision behind the wheel that would help the Frenchman record a career nine world titles and 80 rally wins to date. Portugal 2010 marked the emergence of a new world order and challenger for Loeb. It was the precursor for several intense and sometimes controversial duels, until Loeb decided to bow out as a full-time WRC driver following his ninth title-winning campaign in 2012. Twelve years and a few battle scars later, Loeb and Ogier remain perhaps the two most revered names in the WRC. Ogier picked up the WRC baton previously held by Loeb at the end of 2012 to ensure the Sebastien dominance continued, winning eight of the … [Read more...] about The epic Loeb battle that ignited Ogier’s WRC career

Listen to this article Alonso and his Alpine team were left infuriated by a post-race time addition penalty the double world champion received for cutting the Miami track’s tight chicane during the closing stages of F1’s most recent race. The stewards felt that in doing so Alonso gained a lasting advantage by running off-track, which he disputes. Ahead of this weekend’s Spanish GP, where Alonso was speaking in the pre-practice press conference, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer had insisted his driver had "lifted twice, significantly" after cutting the Miami chicane while running ahead of Mick Schumacher . The penalty was Alonso’s second of the Miami race after he was also handed a five-second addition for hitting Pierre Gasly , with the second dropping him out of the points having finished eighth on the road. Alpine had already described the second penalty as "wholly unjust" and "difficult to accept" in strong, separate public defences of Alonso from … [Read more...] about Alonso slams “incompetent” Miami F1 stewards after penalty

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has called for a second DRS zone to be introduced at Imola to encourage overtaking at the track which is holding the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Drivers can only use their Drag Reduction System once per lap along the pit straight. This zone, which has been extended for F1’s return, leads from the high-speed final corner of track down to the first braking zone at the second corner, Tamburello. But Verstappen, who spent much of last year’s race trying to overtake Valtteri Bottas , expects it will still be “super hard” to overtake even when the longer DRS zone is used. The activation zone lasts almost a kilometre on a track which is 4.9km long. The detection point is positioned at the end of another straight which leads to the Rivazza left-handers towards the end of the lap, another favoured overtaking place. Verstappen believes this would be a good spot for another DRS zone. “We can … [Read more...] about F1: Verstappen wants second DRS zone added to Imola · RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton is hopeful Mercedes can get within range of Ferrari and Red Bull after their new aerodynamic package gave promising results in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Mercedes have been as much as a second per lap slower than Ferrari and Red Bull over the opening races of the season. However, they ended Friday practice at the Circuit de Catalunya second and third on the times sheets. George Russell set the second-quickest time of all, a tenth of a second off pace-setter Charles Leclerc. Hamilton lapped within a tenth of a second of his team mate. Mercedes brought a swathe of updates for their problematic W13 in Spain. They include several revisions to the floor intended to change the under-body aerodynamics, in order to address the porpoising problems which have troubled the team all year. Its front wing endplates have also been modified. Hamilton said the first day of running with the updated car had … [Read more...] about Delighted Hamilton says Mercedes upgrade has brought rivals within range · RaceFans

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES — In the satirical comedy “Emergency,” college seniors Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler) set out for an epic night of partying only to return home to a shocking scene: Their door is ajar and a woman is passed out on their floor. The men are Black and the woman is white and they know that calling the police is not a straightforward proposition. The film, directed by Carey Williams and written by KD Dávila, was one of the breakouts of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year for its penetrating look at racial dynamics in a heightened, comedic setting. It’s currently playing in theaters for a limited time before streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting Friday, May 27. — “Navalny,” the riveting documentary about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been making the rounds in theaters and on CNN, … [Read more...] about New this week: Dinosaurs, Def Leppard and ‘The Responder’