Toddler injured after sticking hand into wolf habitat at ZooAmerica

A child was injured after crawling under a fence and sticking his hand into a wolf enclosure at the ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park in Pennsylvania, the zoo said.

The incident occurred on Saturday, April 4, a spokesperson for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company confirmed to USA TODAY. The unsupervised 18-month-old crawled under an exterior perimeter fence and headed to the primary metal enclosure of the wolf habitat, where the child put his hand through the fence, according to the spokesperson.

"A wolf approached and made contact with the child's hand," the zoo added. "This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression."

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Following a review by the zoo, the spokesperson said that at no point during the incident was the child inside the wolf's enclosure. No other details on the incident were provided, and ZooAmerica did not identify the child or their family, but described the child's injuries as minor.

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ZooAmerica said the safety of its visitors and the well-being of their animals are "always our highest priorities," but noted that visitors are expected to "remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times."

"Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing," according to the statement.

ZooAmerica is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about 95 miles west of Philadelphia. The zoo is part of Hersheypark, an about 121-acre family amusement park that features over 70 rides and attractions, and a water park.

The zoo covers about 11 acres and is home to more than 200 animals native to North America, including three gray wolves, according to the zoo's website. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Child injured after sticking hand into wolf enclosure at ZooAmerica

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

April 05, 2026

Toddler injured after sticking hand into wolf habitat at ZooAmerica

A child was injured after crawling under a fence and sticking his hand into a wolf enclosure at the ZooAmerica North American Wildlife ...

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Sha’Carri Richardson storms from scratch to a stunning Stawell Gift win

STAWELL, Australia (AP) — American sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson surged through the field Monday to win the Stawell Gift, an annual race contested on handicap over 120 meters on grass in a small Australian town near Melbourne.

Stawell Gift US Sprinters

In the 144th edition of the event, Richardson provided one of its most breathtaking finales as she started at scratch and caught the field at the 90-meter mark before pulling away for an astonishing win in 13.15 seconds.

“Just make sure I’m patient that first 10-meters like my coach today told me, and just executing the rest,” Richardson told Seven Network television post race. “I think I realized I was gonna win right past 90.”

The 26-year-old American, one of the fastest women of all time, is just the third woman to win the race from scratch and claimed a prize of 40,000 Australian dollars ($27,500).

Richardson won a silver medal in the 100 meters in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and gold in the 4x100 relay that same year. She also claimed the 100-meter title at the 2023 World Championships.

After a near calamity in the semifinals earlier Monday, where Richardson rose too soon and was almost pipped on the line, the American made no errors in the final, chasing down the field early and running through the line powerfully.

She celebrated with fans before embracing boyfriend and former world champion Christian Coleman, who was the marquee name of the men's draw. She and Coleman remain in a relationship despite adomestic violence chargeagainst Richardson last July.

“This is one of the most exciting, fun, and entertaining track meets I’ve ever ran in, not even just that, but the love, the true love and support for track and field, unbeatable,” she said.

Coleman misses men's final

Former 100-meter World Champion, Coleman failed to qualify for the men's final after finishing sixth in his semifinal earlier Monday with 12.48 seconds. Only the winners of the six semifinals for both the men's and women's division qualified for the respective finals.

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Both Richardson and Coleman raced from “scratch” meaning they were required to run the entire distance and chase down opponents, which proved too much of a gulf to bridge for Coleman, despite him closing the gap appreciably in the latter stages of his heat.

“Yeah, it is what it is, but I mean, I gave it everything I got, like you said, they’re great athletes, so when you’re giving up that much of a margin, I mean, it’s pretty tough,” Coleman said to Seven Network television.

Australian Olufemi Komolafe won the men’s Stawell Gift ahead of Jake Ireland and Dutchman Liam van der Schaaf.

Semifinal scare for Sha'Carri

Earlier Monday, Richardson powered through the field to win her semifinal by just 0.007 seconds after she leaned back at the finish allowing local Halle Martin to almost steal the race in a photo finish.

“I feel like I am having a great time, but also working on race pattern, me and my coach Dennis Mitchell staying calm, executing, and running through the line,” Richardson said after the semifinal.

In Saturday’s heats, Richardson, who gave away 10 meters to her closest competitor at the start, won her heat in 13.815 seconds Saturday and Coleman his in 12.681.

There are more than 700 competitors in the Stawell race, including many of Australia’s top runners, in the event held about 235 kilometers (145 miles) west of Melbourne.

It has not been disclosed whether Richardson or Coleman have been paid appearance money to take part in the race. Last year Australian media reported that top Australian sprinterGout Goutwas paid 50,000 Australian dollars (35,000) to run at Stawell, where he was eliminated in the semifinals.

AP sports:https://apnews.com/hub/sports

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

April 05, 2026

Sha’Carri Richardson storms from scratch to a stunning Stawell Gift win

STAWELL, Australia (AP) — American sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson surged through the field Monday to win the Stawell Gift, an annual ...

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Chiefs add defensive back Kaiir Elam after trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — TheKansas City Chiefssigned Kaiir Elam on Thursday to provide some help at defensive back, where they traded 2023 All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and lost fellow starter Jaylen Watson in free agency.

The 24-year-old Elam was the 23rd overall pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 draft, but the former Florida star has largely failed to live up to expectations. He split last season between the Cowboys and Titans and has 114 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 19 starts and 43 games covering his first four seasons in the league.

The Chiefs announced the deal with Elam, but the terms were not immediately available.

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Kansas City has veteran Kristian Fulton and youngsters Nohl Williams and Kevin Knowles on the roster. The addition of Elam takes some of the pressure off selecting a cornerback early in the draft, where the Chiefs have two first-round selections.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

April 05, 2026

Chiefs add defensive back Kaiir Elam after trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — TheKansas City Chiefssigned Kaiir Elam on Thursday to provide some help at defensive back, where they traded 20...

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From representation to results: Women coaches define NCAA championship matchup

PHOENIX — The two teams playing inthe women's basketball national championshipwill once again be coached by two women.

UCLA's Cori Close, who is coaching in her first title game, will face off againstSouth Carolina's Dawn Staley, who is coaching her fifth. It's been a trend of late as women have been the head coaches of both teams in five of the past sevenWomen's NCAA Tournamentchampionship games, not including 2020 − when the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Close said being part of the shift is gratifying. Only three men have won championships in the NCAA era — UConn's Geno Auriemma, Louisiana Tech's Leon Barmore and Texas A&M's Gary Blair. Auriemma has been in 13 championship games, winning 12, Barmore three, winning one, and Blair went to one and won it in 2011. Of men still coaching, Louisville's Jeff Walz and Texas' Vic Schaefer are both two-time runner-ups.

"Both Dawn and I feel a sense of pride that we are able to continue to represent women that can coach at the highest levels, to promote our game," Close said. "(We) really see this as something bigger than ourselves. That's an honor."

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness Second Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

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See women's March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the2026 NCAA Women's March MadnessSecond Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

Close said the key to access to coaching for young women is getting them involved in at lower levels so they can work their way up. And women need to give women opportunities. At the end of her career, former Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw famously stopped hiring men as assistants.

"We need to promote more women at the grassroots levels to be coaching, getting involved in youth sports," Close said. "There's just a lot of things that go into that.

"There's something to be said, that if you can see it, you think you can achieve it, right?"

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Close said Staley has been extremely helpful to her during her career. She hopes to keep her program at a championship level, even as her five starters leave the program for theWNBA.

"What impresses me most about what Dawn's done is, obviously, her sustained level of excellence on the court is just undeniable," Close said. "She's been a standard bearer.

"The other part I respect so much about Dawn is how much she cares for the people around her. ... How she cares for the entire community. ... To me that's really a spectacular combination, to have that level of sustained excellence and make a difference in so many people's lives, then you're doing things the right way."

Staley was equally complimentary of Close, who Staley said has done a great job of getting top talent and keeping it in the age of name, image and likeness and revenue share. All five starters for UCLA − including All-American center Lauren Betts − are seniors.

"Cori Close has done a tremendous job with keeping that group together and formulating something truly special in getting back-to-back Final Fours, now to the national championship game," Staley said. "She's done it with players who believe in her and her system. Her system works.

"They've been together. They're an experienced group that's used to playing well with each other. They've been in situations where they've been challenged. They're battle-tested. We got all of that that we're up against."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Female coaches continue to dominate NCAA women's basketball title game

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

April 05, 2026

From representation to results: Women coaches define NCAA championship matchup

PHOENIX — The two teams playing inthe women's basketball national championshipwill once again be coached by two women. UCLA...

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Pope Leo marks first Easter as pontiff with call for hope amid global conflicts

VATICAN CITY (AP) —Pope Leocelebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff with a call Sunday to exercise hope against “the violence of war that kills and destroys,’’ saying “we need this song of hope today” as conflicts spread around the world.

Vatican Pope Easter

With theU.S.-Israeli waron Iran in its second month and Russia’s ongoingcampaign in Ukraine, Leo has repeatedly called for a halt in hostilities. In his Easter homily, the pope singled out those who wage war, abuse the weak and prioritize profits.

Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, addressed the faithful from an open-air altar in St. Peter’s Square flanked with white roses, while the steps leading down to the piazza where the faithful gathered were filled with spring perennials, symbolically resonating with the pope’s message of hope.

The pontiff implored the faithful to keep their hope in the face of death, which lurks “in injustices, in partisan selfishness, in the oppression of the poor, in the lack of attention given to the most vulnerable.

“We see it in violence, in the wounds of the world, in the cry of pain that rises from every corner because of the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys," he said.

He quoted his predecessorPope Francisin warning against falling into indifference in the face of “persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty," because “it is also true that in the midst of darkness, something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit.”

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He will later deliver the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” message — Latin for “to the city and the world.’’

Christians in the Holy Land were marking a subdued Easter

Traditional ceremonies at theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre, revered by Christians as the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, were scaled back under an agreement with Israeli police. Authorities have put limits on the sizes of public gatherings due to ongoing missile attacks.

The restrictions also dampened the recent Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr holiday, as well as the current weeklong Jewish festival of Passover. On Sunday, the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall — normally attended by tens of thousands — was limited to just 50 people.

The restrictions have strained relations between Israeli authorities and Christian leaders. Police last week prevented two of the church’s top religious leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Tuesday, the pope hadexpressed hopethat the war could be finished before Easter.

Barry reported from Milan. Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

April 05, 2026

Pope Leo marks first Easter as pontiff with call for hope amid global conflicts

VATICAN CITY (AP) —Pope Leocelebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff with a call Sunday to exercise hope against “the violence of war...

Read More