Hurricane Smacks Florida
Hurricane Milton made landfall just after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.
Milton came on the scene on Saturday as a tropical storm. Early Monday morning, Milton kicked off a rapid intensification starting as a Category 2 storm. It waffled between Category 4 and 5 strength on Tuesday before weakening to a Category 3 as it came ashore near Siesta Key, south of Tampa and St. Petersburg. The key is part of Siesta Beach alongside Sarasota.
Now, the storm is already exiting Florida as a Category 1, heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. The worst of the damage should be over by mid afternoon today, but the flooding will take awhile to subside, and some risk of tornadoes remains. Here’s an update from Channel 10, the CBS station serving Tampa Bay and Sarasota.
NBA Legend Bill Walton Dies
Two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer, and sports broadcaster extraordinaire Bill Walton died on Memorial Day following complications from cancer.
Among the most iconic sports personalities of his era, Walton was voted to the 50th and 75th NBA’s anniversary teams, won the league’s MVP Award and the championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and again with the Boston Celtics in 1986, all despite an injury-plagued career. He also played with the San Diego Clippers.
The 6-11 redhead was just as prolific throughout his college career at UCLA, where he won three consecutive Player of the Year Awards and two national titles under the tutelage of legendary coach John Wooden. He was selected No. 1 in the NBA Draft in 1974 by Portland.
Walton was equally as dynamic in the broadcast booth, with stints at CBS, NBC and ABC/ESPN (also PAC 12 Sports Network, owned by ESPN), often overshadowing the play-by-play announcers with his antics. Here’s more from ESPN, with reaction on Walton’s death from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and some of his sports and media colleagues.