Fourth Thursday: Ash Wednesday

The runway has been his the entire season, with Jimmy Butler nearly as often away as present, with Bam Adebayo uneven on the offensive end. So it hasn’t just been Tyler Herro seizing a moment; it has been Tyler Herro seizing nearly every Miami Heat moment. With Saturday night’s 119-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers just the latest example. This time it was Herro quieting several Blazers rallies as the Heat improved to 3-1 on a six-game western swing scheduled to continue Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome. “It’s reaching a level that it’s becoming a consistency, it’s becoming an expectation,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Herro providing consistent relief at moments of need, of which there have been many amid this uneven ride to 20-17.

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President-elect JD Vance says people responsible for the violence during the Capitol riot “obviously” should not be pardoned, as President-elect Donald Trump is promising to use his clemency power on behalf of many of those who tried on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn the results of the election that Trump lost. Vance insisted in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that the pardon question is “very simple,” saying those who “protested peacefully” should be pardoned and “if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.” He later said there was a “bit of a gray area” in some cases. Trump said he would issue pardons to rioters on “Day 1” of his presidency, which begins Jan.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck a region in southwestern Mexico early Sunday, according to the United States Geological Survey, causing no serious damage or casualties. It said the quake was centered 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of Aquila near the boundary of Colima and Michoacán states at a depth of 34 kilometers (21 miles). Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on social media platform X that the quake prompted emergency response teams to review their protocol. “There are no new developments,” she wrote.

With his life on the line, a defendant in Broward County was told in explicit terms this week that he has a tough decision to make. His own lawyer is being investigated for criminal conduct directly related to her work as his attorney. If she’s charged, there could be a conflict of interest. Attorneys for Jamell Demons, known publicly as rapper YNW Melly, are accusing the Broward State Attorney’s Office of interfering with his right to the best representation he can get.

By The Associated Press An emergency task force arrived in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on Sunday as an oil spill in the Kerch Strait from two storm-stricken tankers continues to spread a month after it was first detected, officials said. The task force, which includes Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, was set up after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on authorities to ramp up the response to the spill, calling it “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in recent years.” Kurenkov said that “the most difficult situation” had developed near the port of Taman in the Krasnodar region, where fuel oil continues to leak into the sea from the damaged part of the Volgoneft-239 tanker. Kurenkov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the remaining oil will be pumped out of the tanker’s stern. The Emergencies Ministry said Saturday that over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been collected since oil spilled out of two tankers during a storm four weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula from the Krasnodar region. Russian-installed officials in Ukraine’s partially Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region said Saturday that the mazut — a heavy, low-quality oil product — had reached the Berdyansk Spit, some 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of the Kerch Strait.

Dear Eric: I recently received a “Christmas wish list” from one of my husband’s adult children. Related Articles Advice | Asking Eric: A neighbor sees something dangerous going on next door and wants to report it Advice | Asking Eric: My (now former) bestie is consumed by his bad relationships Advice | Asking Eric: My husband wants to be the center of attention, not the grandpa Advice | Asking Eric: My friend’s wife wanted a kiss on the lips and now I’m uncomfortable around them Advice | Asking Eric: I want him to act like a husband, not a wife This person is in their late 40s, married and living in a two-income household, both of whom are well-paid.