DEVELOPING Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm. Florida orders evacuations
Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm off Mexico and threatens Florida, forecasters say.
They shared laughs, smiles, memories. There also were tears, fears, unease.
Through the range of emotions, one common thread bonded them together: Brittney Griner.
Wearing 鈥淏G鈥 shirts and holding signs, several hundred fans gathered for a public rally in support of Griner on Wednesday, hoping their sentiments would reach the WNBA player 6,000 miles away in a Russian jail cell.
鈥淚t's really painful and hard to watch, and it's really taken a toll on a lot of us,鈥 said Kelly Gedney of Surprise, Arizona. 鈥淲e can feel the fear that she has. It's scary to me that she's in a cage when she is travelling to her court cases. She's been wrongfully detained and we're going to do everything we can to get her home.鈥
Griner has spent the past four months in a Russian prison and is currently on trial. She's accused of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil when she arrived at the Moscow airport while returning to play for her Russian team, facing a prison term of up to 10 years if convicted.
The WNBA and U.S. officials have worked to free Griner, without success. Griner was able to send a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden, saying she feared spending the rest of her life in prison while pushing the administration to not forget about other American detainees.
President Biden called Griner's wife, Cherelle, on Wednesday to tell her that he is working to free her as soon as possible.
鈥淥ne hundred thirty-nine days have passed since my wife has been able to speak to me, to our family and our friends,鈥 Cherelle Griner said during the rally, stopping to compose herself several times. 鈥淚'm frustrated my wife is not going to get justice. I know you all are frustrated, too. That's why you're here.鈥
The rally at the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and Suns, was part celebration of Griner's accomplishments on and off the court with a call to action.
The rally featured videos of Griner giving back to the community, dancers and a dramatic poem reading as many of Mercury teammates sat together in chairs on the right side of the court.
Phoenix Suns player Torey Craig spoke, as did Mercury player Brianna Turner.
鈥淭o know BG is to know such a kind spirit, a nice person, such a giver 鈥 I can go on and on about the type of person she is,鈥 said Turner, who also was able to exchange letters with Griner. 鈥淲e need to get her back home. She deserves to be home. She needs to be back with her family and friends. We are BG.鈥
Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton, the former Phoenix mayor, also was on hand after pushing a resolution calling for Griner鈥檚 immediate release passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week.
鈥淭oday was important, a show of unity, speaking in one voice that we expect our president, our administration to do what it takes to bring our fellow American back home,鈥 Stanton said.
___
Do you have any questions about the attack on Ukraine? Email dotcom@bellmedia.ca.
Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm off Mexico and threatens Florida, forecasters say.
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should be on the lookout for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.
Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in a case in Canada鈥檚 highest court, arguing there is no way he can be charged with murder under Canadian law.
A British doctor on Monday admitted trying to kill his mother's long-term partner, who stood between him and an inheritance, by injecting the man with poison disguised as a COVID-19 vaccine.
Ceremonies, events and protests are being held across Canada today to mark the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
During the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, LeBron and Bronny James became the first father/son duo to play together on an NBA team.
A man stole a police car and drove it onto the field of an East Vancouver park Sunday morning, placing 'dozens of bystanders in harm鈥檚 way,' according to police.
Lawyers for a man who is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann called on Monday for him to be acquitted in his trial on charges of unrelated sexual offences.
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.
Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.
A gargantuan gourd 鈥 affectionately named 鈥極rangina鈥 by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home 鈥 earned the massive honour of being named B.C.鈥檚 heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.
Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.
From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.
A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.