NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a million revelers crowded New York’s Time Square to witness the traditional dazzling ball drop, fireworks lit up Australia’s Sydney Harbor and communist Vietnam held a rare Western-style countdown to the new year as the world ushered in 2011.
The 8-minute fireworks show featured music choreographed with nearly 50,000 fireworks launched from atop MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Aria, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, Treasure Island and Stratosphere.
Police are closing traffic on the Strip (from the Sahara to Mandalay Bay) to make it safe for walking during tonight’s celebrations. Cars won’t be allowed on the Strip again until a few hours after midnight, at which point traffic will resemble a giant parking lot.
STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford really does have UConn’s number. Top-ranked Connecticut’s record 90-game winning streak in women’s basketball ended Thursday night when No. 9 Stanford outplayed the Huskies from the start in a 71-59 victory at Maples Pavilion – where the Cardinal have their own streak going.
SANTA FE, N.M. — Billy the Kid, the Old West outlaw who killed at least three lawmen and tried to cut a deal from jail with territorial authorities, won’t be pardoned, Gov. Bill Richardson said Friday. The prospect of a pardon for the notorious frontier figure nearly 130 years after his death drew international attention to New Mexico.
ADELAIDE, Australia — Multicolored starbusts and gigantic sparklers lit the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour in a dazzling fireworks show witnessed by 1.5 million enthusiastic spectators who camped out all day to ring in the new year. Sydney touted its claim to be the New Year’s Eve capital of the world with a spectacular display over the iconic Harbour Bridge using 7 tons of fireworks, its largest since 2000.
New Year’s Eve by the numbers and names: 31 degrees Fahrenheit, 3 mph winds, 0 percent precipitation — That’s how cold midnight will be, Weather.com says. It will hit 34 degrees by 7 p.m. Bundle up, kiddies.
His team didn’t win the tournament title, but Liberty boys basketball coach Pat Welby couldn’t help but smile as he left the locker room Thursday.
Jamie Smith scored 15 points and pulled down four rebounds as the UNLV women’s basketball team beat Hawaii 63-48 in the final game of the Wahine Invitational in Honolulu on Thursday.
When you know it’s time for league play to begin: At one point in your final nonconference game, your opponent has 12 turnovers, zero assists, nine shots in 12 minutes and its coach has screamed out at least eight set plays his team can’t execute or really has no idea what they mean.
