LONDON (AP) — Alexander Mutiso Munyao delivered another win for Kenya on a day the London Marathon remembered last year’s champion Kelvin Kiptum.

A race that started with a period of applause for Kiptum, who was killed in a car crash in Kenya in February, ended with his countryman and friend running alone down the final straight in front of Buckinhgam Palace to earn an impressive victory in his first major marathon.

Mutiso Munyao said he spoke to Kiptum after his win in London last year and that the world-record holder is always on his mind when he’s competing.

“He’s in my thoughts every time, because he was my great friend,” Mutiso Munyao said. “It was a good day for me.”

It was a Kenyan double on the day, with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir pulling away late to win the women’s race and cement her status as the favorite to defend her gold in Paris.

With around 400 meters (yards) to go to, Jepchirchir left world-record holder Tigst Assefa and two other rivals behind to sprint alone down the final stretch. She finished in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 16 seconds, with Assefa in second and Joyciline Jepkosgei in third.

Her time was more than 4 minutes slower than Assefa’s world record set in Berlin last year, but it was the fastest time ever in a women-only marathon, beating the mark of 2:17:01 set by Mary Keitany in London in 2017. The elite women’s field in London started about 30 minutes ahead of the elite men.

For Jepchirchir, though, the main goal was to show Kenya’s selectors for the Olympic team that she should be on the team again in Paris.

“So I was trying to work extra hard to (be able to) defend my title in the Olympics,” she said.

Mutiso Munyao denied 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele a first London Marathon victory by pulling away from the Ethiopian great with about 3 kilometers to go Sunday for his biggest career win.

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Mutiso Munyao and Bekele were in a two-way fight for the win until the Kenyan made his move as they ran along the River Thames, quickly building a six-second gap that only grew as he ran toward the finish.

“At 40 kilometers, when my friend Bekele was left (behind), I had confidence that I can win this race,” the 27-year-old Mutiso Munyao said.

He finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 1 second, with Bekele finishing 14 seconds behind. Emile Cairess of Britain was third, 2:45 back.

Bekele, the Ethiopian former Olympic 10,000 and 5,000-meter champion, was also the runner-up in London in 2017 but has never won the race.

Mutiso Munyao is relatively unknown in marathon circles and said he wasn’t sure whether this win would be enough to make Kenya’s Olympic team for Paris.

“I hope for the best,” he said. “If they select me I will go and work for it.”

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A group of nearly 20 members of Congress took a stand against H.R. 8034, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act. The representatives, including notable figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), released a joint statement explaining their decision.

“This is a moment of great consequence – the world is watching. Today is, in many ways, Congress’ first official vote where we can weigh in on the direction of this war. If Congress votes to continue to supply offensive military aid, we make ourselves complicit in this tragedy,” the statement reads.

The representatives emphasized their support for Israel’s right to self-defense but voiced concerns about the potential consequences of providing offensive weapons. They expressed worries about civilian casualties in places like Rafah, and Gaza.

“All of us support strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems and we are committed to a sovereign, safe, and secure future for Israel,” they continued. “To protect that future, we believe the United States must help achieve a ceasefire that allows hostages to be freed, humanitarian aid to be delivered, and peace talks to begin.”

The statement also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict. “Benjamin Netanyahu appears willing to sacrifice the hostages while inflicting extraordinary suffering on the people of Gaza,” the representatives said. They expressed concerns about reports suggesting Netanyahu’s intentions to expand the conflict, particularly in the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

The representatives concluded by highlighting the American public’s sentiment. “Most Americans do not want our government to write a blank check to further Prime Minister Netanyahu’s war in Gaza. The United States needs to help Israel find a path to win the peace,” they stated.

The vote against H.R. 8034 reflects a growing debate within Congress over U.S. support for Israel’s military actions and the broader implications for peace in the region.

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Fort Wayne Councilwoman Sharon Tucker was chosen Saturday as the new mayor of Indiana’s second most populous city, and its first Black leader, during a caucus to replace its late mayor, who died in March.

Tucker, a Democrat, will also become the second woman to serve as mayor of the northeastern Indiana city. She was elected in the second round of voting during a Democratic caucus when she met the requirement of 50% of the votes plus one, The Journal Gazette reported.

Derek Camp, chairman of the Allen County Democratic Party, said Tucker would be sworn in as mayor early next week. He said he would not reveal how many votes Tucker received in the caucus so that the party can unite behind Fort Wayne’s new mayor.

The local Democratic party said in a statement that it was excited to have “Mayor Tucker at the helm leading Fort Wayne into the future.”

“Today, Mayor Tucker proved that she has the energy and support of our party, and we can’t wait to support her as she works to continue moving our community forward together,” the statement adds.

Seven candidates, including Indiana Democratic House leader state Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, ran in Saturday’s party caucus, where 92 precinct committee members cast votes.

The mayor’s office became vacant when Mayor Tom Henry died March 28 after experiencing a medical emergency related to his stomach cancer. He was 72.

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Henry, a Democrat, was elected in November to his fifth term as mayor of the city with about 270,000 residents. He announced his diagnosis of late-stage stomach cancer during a news conference Feb. 26 and had started chemotherapy at the beginning of March.

Tucker will serve the remainder of Henry’s mayoral term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2027, Camp said.

He said that in addition to becoming the first Black person to serve as Fort Wayne mayor, Tucker will also become its second female mayor. The first was Cosette Simon, who served 11 days as mayor in 1985 after fellow Democrat Winfield Moses resigned as part of a plea agreement involving alleged campaign finance violations.

Her term ended when Moses won a party mayoral caucus to replace himself, The Journal Gazette reported.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday made it easier for workers who are transferred from one job to another against their will to pursue job discrimination claims under federal civil rights law, even when they are not demoted or docked pay.

Workers only have to show that the transfer resulted in some, but not necessarily significant, harm to prove their claims, Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court.

The justices unanimously revived a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by a St. Louis police sergeant after she was forcibly transferred, but retained her rank and pay.

Sgt. Jaytonya Muldrow had worked for nine years in a plainclothes position in the department’s intelligence division before a new commander reassigned her to a uniformed position in which she supervised patrol officers. The new commander wanted a male officer in the intelligence job and sometimes called Muldrow “Mrs.” instead of “sergeant,” Kagan wrote.

Muldrow sued under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion and national origin. Lower courts had dismissed Muldrow’s claim, concluding that she had not suffered a significant job disadvantage.

“Today, we disapprove that approach,” Kagan wrote. “Although an employee must show some harm from a forced transfer to prevail in a Title VII suit, she need not show that the injury satisfies a significance test.”

Kagan noted that many cases will come out differently under the lower bar the Supreme Court adopted Wednesday. She pointed to cases in which people lost discrimination suits, including those of an engineer whose new job site was a 14-by-22-foot wind tunnel, a shipping worker reassigned to exclusively nighttime work and a school principal who was forced into a new administrative role that was not based in a school.

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Although the outcome was unanimous, Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas each wrote separate opinions noting some level of disagreement with the majority’s rationale in ruling for Muldrow.

Madeline Meth, a lawyer for Muldrow, said her client will be thrilled with the outcome. Meth, who teaches at Boston University’s law school, said the decision is a big win for workers because the court made “clear that employers can’t decide the who, what, when, where and why of a job based on race and gender.”

The decision revives Muldrow’s lawsuit, which now returns to lower courts. Muldrow contends that, because of sex discrimination, she was moved to a less prestigious job, which was primarily administrative and often required weekend work, and she lost her take-home city car.

“If those allegations are proved,” Kagan wrote, “she was left worse off several times over.”

The case is Muldrow v. St.Louis, 22-193.

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STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn freshman Stephon Castle has entered his name into the NBA draft, becoming the fifth Husky starter to at least explore moving on after Connecticut’s latest NCAA title run.

UConn and coach Dan Hurley confirmed the move Friday on social media after it was first reported by ESPN.

“No Freshman impacted WINNING like this Champion…His combination of talent, work ethic and humility…And GREAT parents!!” Hurley posted.

The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his only season as a Husky, while often drawing the defensive assignment to shut down the opposition’s top perimeter player.

He was even more impressive during the Final Four, scoring 21 points in UConn’s semifinal win over Alabama and putting up 15 points in the win over Purdue in the national championship game.

Castle becomes just the second UConn player to enter the draft after his freshman year, joining Andre Drummond, who was selected ninth overall by the Pistons in 2012.

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His announcement comes one day after UConn forward Alex Karaban declared for the draft, but said he would retain his college eligibility, allowing him to make a final decision after going through the pre-draft workouts.

Castle and 7-2 sophomore center Donvan Clingan, who declared for the draft last week, are projected to be lottery picks.

UConn’s other two starters, All-American guard Tristen Newton, the most outstanding player in the Final Four, and graduate transfer Cam Spencer, a sharp-shooting guard who averaged 14.3 points, have no more college eligibility and are also draft prospects.

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Get ready, Bluey fans! A brand new episode of the beloved animated series, titled “Surprise,” is set to premiere this Sunday, April 21, on Disney+ at midnight. But that’s not all—fans can catch the excitement on Disney Junior at 7:00 AM PT and on Disney Channel at 7:30 AM PT, with multiple re-airings scheduled throughout the day.

Following the recent airing of the April 7 episode “Ghostbasket” and the thrilling extended-length special “The Sign” last weekend, anticipation is sky-high for what’s in store for Bluey and her family in “Surprise.”

“Bluey” has kicked off 2024 with a bang, claiming the top spot as the most-streamed series across all audiences*. Created and written by the talented Joe Brumm, the series revolves around Bluey, an endearing and energetic Blue Heeler dog, who resides with her Mum, Dad, and little sister, Bingo. With boundless energy, Bluey leads her family and neighbors into a world of imaginative and uproarious games.

Produced by the esteemed Ludo Studio, a recipient of multiple Emmy® Awards, “Bluey” is a joint venture between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and BBC Studios Kids & Family. Its global reach extends to audiences in the U.S. and beyond, excluding Australia, New Zealand, and China, thanks to a comprehensive broadcasting deal between BBC Studios Kids & Family and Disney Branded Television. Viewers can catch the series on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+.

Don’t miss out on the excitement as Bluey and her family embark on another adventure in “Surprise,” promising laughter and heartwarming moments for fans of all ages.

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