Meet Downtown Cedar Rapids’ Latest Advocate

MIAMI — “We have enough to get the job done.” Erik Spoelstra has said it before, will say it again, but at the moment it also might be a reach. No sooner did his team suffer its second 20-point loss to the Celtics in the first three games of this best-of-seven opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series that now has Boston up 2-1, then the Miami Heat’s glass-half-full coach opted for optimism. The reality is not only were the Heat without and will remain without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, but lately have seen diminished returns from Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love.

The AFC East’s 2024 NFL draft is highlighted by New England because the Patriots had the splashiest selection at the sexiest position — North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick. Maye is the freshest face in a quarterback-heavy division that includes New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. But which AFC East team had the best draft in a division that seems more up for grabs than ever at this point of the year? And where do the Dolphins, who haven’t won a division title since 2000, rank among the other three teams in draft grades? Miami added a much-needed pass rusher in the first round. New England got its quarterback. Buffalo made two first-round trades. New York likely went against Rodgers’ wishes. None of the teams had a blockbuster draft, but a few teams seemed to improve. Here’s how it breaks down, starting with the Dolphins:  Miami Dolphins: C The trade. Why? And at that price?

8212; A teenage gunman wounded 10 people when he opened fire early Sunday after fighting broke out during a private event at a Florida party venue, authorities said. A security guard tackled and disarmed the shooter almost immediately, and a second guard handcuffed him until sheriff’s deputies arrived, according to an arrest report from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

By LINDSEY BAHR (AP Film Writer) The sexy tennis drama “ Challengers ” won the box office this weekend with $15 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.

By KEN MILLER (Associated Press) SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) — Tornadoes killed at least four people in Oklahoma and left thousands without power Sunday after a destructive outbreak of severe weather flattened buildings in the heart of one rural town and injured dozens of people. Nearly 30,000 people remained without electricity after tornadoes began late Saturday night.

A Hindu festival in southwestern Pakistan brings a mountainous region to life