Comment on Chris Smith: This fire survivor expresses his gratitude with paint, brushes

Since his retirement from Duke, legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski has stayed very much involved in basketball. Coach K serves as a special advisor to the NBA, he’s still involved as an ambassador at Duke, and he hosts his own radio show on Sirius XM. Krzyzewski knows better than anyone about the changes college sports have seen in recent years, and he’s got a few ideas for how his former conference, the ACC, can stay competitive. “I’d like to see something innovative, like, I’d like to see the ACC and the Big East talk, and form a mega basketball conference,” Krzyzewski said on his radio show last week.

GAINESVILLE — A week after Florida dominated top-ranked Tennessee during the Gators’ best home win in years, Todd Golden’s team was stunned 83-82 by unranked Missouri. Fresh off its highest ranking since 2017, No. 5 Florida looked like an SEC bottom feeder — and on its homecourt, no less. Walter Clayton scores a game-high 28 points during a losing effort against Missouri, 83-82 winners Tuesday night in Gainesville.

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMY MAGDY and JOSEF FEDERMAN DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, multiple officials announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies. The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.

By DANA BELTAJI and ISABELLA O’MALLEY, Associated Press Fire danger remains high in parts of Los Angeles that have been ablaze for days, but there is hope that better weather over the weekend will give firefighters battling the flames some much-needed relief. After calmer weather on Tuesday helped firefighters snuff out fires, a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” was issued for Wednesday in an area near the two fires that killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

A Miramar man accused of setting up a romantic rival, beating him while another friend held the victim down, and finally driving a sword into the victim’s chest to kill him is due in court Wednesday afternoon for what may be his final hearing before a jury is picked to decide his fate. Andre Clements, 20, is charged with murder, conspiracy and tampering with physical evidence in the October 2021 death of Dwight “D.

By MELANIE LIDMAN, SAM MEDNICK and WAFAA SHURAFA, Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — With a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas tantalizingly close, families of hostages in the Gaza Strip are afraid to get their hopes up and agonizing over the unknown. “These days are horrible for us,” Yafit Zailer said Wednesday, breaking down into sobs over the thought of her relatives — Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir — being released after 15 months of captivity. “I want to know already if they’re coming back,” Zailer said.