Latest news with #Connelly
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Book review: A brand new detective hits the scene
Nightshade is Michael Connelly's 40th thriller in a career that's spanned a couple of decades. He has arguably created one of the crime thriller genre's most memorable and beloved characters, Hieronymus 'Harry' Bosch, which has spawned two TV series — Bosch and Bosch Legacy on Prime — suitably starring Titus Welliver as Bosch. He's also created The Lincoln Lawyer, aka Mickey Haller, another charismatic lead character, and yet another successful TV series, this time on Netflix. To say Connelly has pedigree is an understatement; his books have sold over 80m copies worldwide, the man knows how to write a best-selling novel. In this book he introduces us to a new lead character — LAPD detective Stilwell (we never hear his first name). Stilwell heads up the Sheriff's department on the destination island of Santa Catalina off the coast of LA. We find out that he's been forced out of the LAPD homicide department after a run-in with another detective. Catalina, we discover, is where misfit LA cops are banished to. It's a typical tourist destination, with rich tourists descending on the island in their boats during the season. The main crimes tend to be low-level, with judges arriving on the island once a week to try new cases. When we meet Stilwell, he's greeting Judge Harrell at the harbour to fill him in on this week's cases, including an animal mutilation. While Stilwell is investigating the mutilation case at a local alien tours depot, he gets a call from one of his deputies informing him that a body has been found in the harbour. The body is that of a young woman who worked at the Black Marlin Club, a gentlemen's club on the island. Connelly skillfully weaves this main crime in with the mutilation case and the action jumps from Catalina to LA and back again. With Stilwell, we see the character development that Connelly is famous for. Like Bosch, and Haller to a certain extent, Stilwell pushes against the rules, edges around the regulations. But at his heart he's a decent person who is invested in the victim. And Stilwell has his own quirks too; in the first interaction with Judge Harrell he anticipates the judge's every need and has the means necessary to attend to them — a pencil in his top pocket, a towel for the judge who swam ashore from his boat. And we see that smart-assness too that Bosch and Haller also have, where they give as good as they get. Stilwell is no pushover. He's a quick thinker, and has that ability to think outside the box that makes him a good detective. He cares about the people who he works with and who he has relationships with, and when the case spirals in the middle of the book, we see the lengths he will go to to protect the ones he loves. But like Bosch and Haller, Stilwell has his flaws, and that's what Connelly does so well, he gives his characters layers. These are not one-dimensional people. Stilwell has a tendency to act first and think later; we see in the book that this can cause trouble. But beneath it all, we know that Stilwell won't rest until the murder case is solved and someone is held accountable. This is a good introduction to this new character. We're given enough to become invested in Stilwell and the new location of Catalina, and there are plenty of open-ended questions hanging that leave the reader wanting more. Will Stilwell become the next big detective series for Connelly? The signs are pretty good.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Savannah mom frustrated with lack of wheelchair accessibility
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — One Savannah mom is speaking out after facing several challenges with navigating the city with her daughter who uses a wheelchair. Twenty-three-year-old Nykiah Connelly was born with cerebral palsy, a movement disorder caused by brain damage. Her mother, Paula, said navigating Savannah in a wheelchair has become a constant challenge. 'My accessible van is a side entry van. So, and we all know that when you go downtown to Savannah, you're parking on the street,' she said. 'They do have a handicap accessible spot on the side of the street. But, if I were to pop to release the ramp, it wouldn't.' She said it is not just the parking; it is shopping entrances and sidewalks pose risks. 'They had the little cut-ins, but they were out the road was all broken up,' Connelly said. 'And if I would have let Nykiah go over the broken road, her chair would have tilted over, and she would have fell. We had bystanders that was willing to lift a chair up to get her over to the other side, but we couldn't do that. so, we finally found a road that was smooth enough.' She told WSAV it was her recent visit at Savannah Technical College (STC) that pushed her over the edge. She said entrance near the handicap parking spaces did not have a ramp. 'So, on the side of the steps there, the grass with the slope,' Connelly said. 'So, we went up the grass and we were able to answer that way. But coming out of the building, we had to come out the same way, come down the grass, and it was a huge slope.' She continued, 'So, as I was taking her down the slope, her chair kind of leaned over to the bit and she was afraid that she was going to fall.' Connelly said she knows she is not alone in this fight. 'Get someone on the board, create a position for someone that's actually can go around to all these new businesses that are coming up and talk to the contractors, talk to the architects and basically give them someone who is actually living in my shoes,' she said. STC responded to her concerns with this statement: 'At Savannah Technical College, we are deeply committed to ensuring accessibility and are proud to maintain an ADA-compliant campus. We understand that parking and mobility can be areas of concern, and we take feedback like this very seriously. To better meet the needs of our growing community, we are currently undergoing a comprehensive campus master plan. This initiative is designed not only to accommodate our growth but also to enhance accessibility and foster an inclusive environment for everyone we serve. We genuinely appreciate the feedback shared in this instance, as it helps us identify areas where we can improve. Serving our students and community members in the best way possible remains at the heart of our mission.' We are still waiting on a response from the City of Savannah. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Claire Connelly has been here before. With Mundelein in need of a run, Indiana State commit sprints for one.
Mundelein senior Claire Connelly is used to displaying her power. A four-year starter, the Indiana State recruit is widely known as a slugger with an impressive ability to put the bat on the ball. She hits to all fields and knocks a fair share out of the park. She's also a standout first baseman. On Thursday, Connelly showed something more. In the top of the seventh inning, in her first at-bat since striking out for the first time all season, she hit a long fly ball to right-center field that was misplayed by a Stevenson outfielder, and she hustled all the way to third base. 'I saw both of them coming toward center and just tried to give it my all because it could've been my last at-bat of my high school career,' Connelly said. 'I kept running, and the ball dropped. 'If I didn't run as fast as I did, I would've only gotten to second, so I'm glad I sprinted full speed because it gave me an extra base.' That proved to be particularly important for Mundelein because its next batter, junior Shea Eaman, hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Connelly ran home and scored the only run of a Class 4A Stevenson Sectional semifinal as the fifth-seeded Mustangs upset the top-seeded Patriots 1-0 in Lincolnshire. 'Claire was so determined to take the game over herself because she's done it so many times,' Mundelein coach Heather Ryan said. 'She got fooled once, but she wouldn't let it happen to her again. There was no one else I wanted at bat in that moment. She wanted it so badly.' The Mustangs (23-10), who will play 11th-seeded Loyola in the sectional championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday, and the Patriots (28-4) each had only one hit in the pitchers' duel. Mundelein junior left-hander Sophia Zepeda (9-4) earned the victory, striking out eight and navigating six walks, to keep her team on track for a second straight trip to the state semifinals. Stevenson junior right-hander Ava Potempa (16-3) struck out seven and walked one. 'Sometimes in close games, when no one scores, it comes down to whatever team messes up first,' Stevenson coach Vera Pflugradt said. 'We've done a great job defensively all year. This is a great group of girls, and they bought in and had a great season.' Connelly said her rare strikeout against Potempa may have helped her. 'I think not striking out put a lot of pressure on me to not do it,' she said. 'Once it happened, I was fine, and I thought about my next at-bat. I seemed to be getting more pitches in the zone. I took what I did and was successful.' Ryan said Connelly has a lot to do with the Mustangs being successful. Connelly holds the program record for career RBIs and heads into the sectional final batting .477 with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs, 44 RBIs and 30 runs scored. She also has a .986 fielding percentage. 'Claire is the heart and soul of our team,' Ryan said. 'She's been the constant, someone so reliable throughout the years. She's mentored the younger players and raised the bar of expectations for our whole team. We go as she goes.' Ryan said Connelly helped Zepeda overcome control issues. 'Claire played a complete game today,' Ryan said. 'She played excellent defense and calmed Sophia down. She brings that senior leadership. We've had such an up-and-down season with injuries. She was the face of the team and helped us ride the waves and slumps. 'I was so happy she had the hit and scored the run. It was a great reward for her.' Zepeda said she never doubted whether Connelly would come through in the seventh inning. 'I knew Claire was going to get the job done,' Zepeda said. 'She always comes up big. I was little off today, and my spin was not so great, but she saved us.' Mundelein junior outfielder Kieley Tomas said Connelly is a calming presence for everyone. 'I've been playing with Claire since she was 10 years old,' Tomas said. 'She's always been a player to come through in the big moments. She's a great role model for everyone. She's always positive and tells us to put our best foot out there.' Connelly said she hopes to play three more games for the Mustangs. 'I never thought I would have the career or the seasons I did,' she said. 'But I'm so grateful to my teammates for supporting me.'
Hindustan Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Tim Connelly: Timberwolves need to be 'creative as possible' with roster
It's fair to say Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly's default position is not to stand pat. In February 2023, he moved D'Angelo Russell for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker - two key parts of the Timberwolves' eight-man rotation that just reached the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. Last October, Connelly shipped four-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo - two more key pieces in that eight-man rotation. So, with the NBA draft and free agency fast approaching, what might Connelly have in store in order to get the Timberwolves to their first NBA title? "I mean, you're always just guessing," Connelly said. "I mean, I don't know. I mean, until you win it all, you've got to be very self-critical and look for areas where you can improve upon. "This time of year is especially active because the draft free agency, so it's really one of the biggest transactional windows we have. We feel very happy with the core we have. We don't feel like there's a tremendous pressure to do much. But, you know, until you're raising the trophy, you've got to be active and creative as possible to try to get to a point where, at some point, you're the final team." Presuming Connelly wants to bring back every member of that eight-man rotation that went 27-12 over the final three months of the regular season and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 and the Golden State Warriors 4-1 in the playoffs, he's going to have to do some financial gymnastics. Minnesota led the NBA in total cap allocations in 2024-25 at $237,156,897. Hypothetically, the Wolves could live well above the cap again, but forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid are veterans who get to decide whether to accept a contract option for next season or become a free agent. Meanwhile, Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent. "The goal is to keep everybody," Connelly said. But if any or all three move on, the Timberwolves have the Nos. 17 and 31 picks in the NBA draft. They also have three youngsters who just completed their first season - wing Terrence Shannon Jr., guard Rob Dillingham and forward Jaylen Clark - who could warrant more minutes next year. At the same time, the current group lost the Western Conference finals in five games to the Oklahoma City Thunder - an organization loaded with enough younger players and first-round picks that it ought to contend for several more years. "I think team grew together as it got to know each other, so I don't know if there's a ton of certain skillsets we need," Connelly said. "I think it's more kind of collective maturity - to be able to play different ways and have... you know, every night we're not going to be able to be super-productive. So how do we win those games kind of in the mud? "You know, we've got a bunch of guys who have these huge roles that are starting to get a little bit older. So you always want to have people behind them. So I think there's some positions that potentially could be more of need because of how the present roster is set up." Field Level Media
03-06-2025
- Business
Can Timberwolves keep Randle, Reid, and Alexander-Walker? Connelly says continuity is best
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves have plenty of reason to run back the same roster after reaching the Western Conference finals for the second straight time. But that was their initial assessment last year, too, before the big trade went down right before the beginning of training camp. Not many moves can be ruled out, particularly in this era of the NBA that never seems far from the next surprising swap involving star players. 'We feel very happy with the core we have. We don't feel like there's tremendous pressure to do much," president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. "But until you're raising the trophy, you've got to be as active and as creative as possible to get to the point where you're the final team.' Connelly later added: 'Those organizations that can show patience tend to have a really high level of success. But patience shouldn't lead to risk aversion. If there's something that if we have to shake it up and make us a better team, we're certainly open to that.' The most pressing matters for Connelly and the front office over the next month will be negotiations with the agents for Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the two power forwards with vastly different styles and backgrounds who both face the same decision on whether to exercise a contract option for 2025-26 or decline it to become a free agent. Randle's is for more than $30 million, a deal inherited from the New York Knicks when he was acquired with Donte DiVincenzo in the trade that sent away cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns. He raved about settling his family in Minnesota and playing for Chris Finch, and his performance during the first two rounds of the playoffs was superb, until some struggles against Oklahoma City in the conference finals. Reid's is for about $15 million, making him at age 25 more likely to opt out in favor of a larger and longer deal. But that doesn't mean the Timberwolves won't be aggressive about trying to bring the fan favorite back. 'I would tell you I was optimistic even if I was lying to you, but we're pretty optimistic. Those guys are really really good players who play really really well together," Connelly said. "We have nothing but positive indicators both of these guys will be in Wolves jerseys next season.' Nickeil Alexander-Walker, another vital part of the eight-player rotation, will be an unrestricted free agent. Connelly gave no indication he'll be limited by ownership in what he can commit to player salaries, but after spending this season above the NBA's second apron for team payrolls the Wolves clearly have little appetite for staying there — not just because of the steep tax but for the roster-building penalties that come with spending that high on the scale. Bringing back Alexander-Walker as well as Randle and Reid without again passing the second apron might be impossible. 'The goal is to keep everybody. What's neat is the players are all very happy here. They love the coaching staff, they love the teammates, they love the community. When the player wants to be here and the team wants to have them back, there's always room for optimism. Certainly these guys have finite windows to earn a lot of money. We're very appreciative of what the market might look like. We're pretty cautiously optimistic we're in a good place with all of the guys.' The other factor in play is the desire to increase the roles for rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. and second-year player Jaylen Clark, who was essentially a rookie in 2024-25 after sitting his first season out in recovery from an Achilles tendon injury. The Wolves also have the 17th and 31st overall picks in the NBA draft later this month. One key figure for this franchise whose future appears settled is Connelly, who agreed to push back by a year an option on his contract that would essentially make him a free agent out of deference to the ownership transfer process that was complicated at the time. After an arbitration panel sided with the group fronted by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in a decision reached in February, the sale by Glen Taylor is awaiting final NBA approval. 'Super happy here. It's been great — not just as working with the team, but this whole community really feels like home,' Connelly said. 'I think you guys are stuck with me.'
