Dash players hold virtual Q&A ahead of season opener

On Thursday, March 11, Houston Dash players Shea Groom and Katie Naughton held a Q&A session with season ticket holders ahead of the season opener. 

Before fans got a chance to ask questions, Shea and Katie reflected on the preseason preparations so far. 

"The team we have now is very competitive," Shea said. "We want to win every day."

Katie Naughton said that head coach James Clarkson likes to mix up the teams so nobody is on the same team twice. 

When asked how the team feels about opening day, Katie said that she was excited to open Challenge Cup play against her former team, the Chicago Red Stars. "It was a sweet feeling to beat them last time."

Shea Groom said she was pumped. "We want more fans in the stands," she stated. The biggest statement came when she said people still don't believe the team can contend for a title. This was after winning the Challenge Cup last summer too. 

When asked what it was like to scrimmage against the University of Texas Women's Soccer team, Shea said it felt like a youth game and a very bizarre feeling. 

One of the favorite questions asked was who is the better prankster in the locker room. Both Shea and Katie agreed the honor went to Shea who loves to hide stuff belonging to her teammates. 

When asked what it was like to beat her former team in last summer's Challenge Cup Final, Katie said it was a sweet feeling and a great experience. 

Asked about the best advice received, Shea said that you need to find what makes you special while Katie said that finding your friends was important. 

One thing both players agreed on was the lack of support from fans. "If we are going to prove people wrong, we need the support," they said. 

When asked about the odds to defend the Challenge Cup and win the NWSL Cup, Shea said she was willing to bet on it. Katie said it was a challenge and a chance to prove the team's identity.

Finally, when asked about the upcoming season, both agreed it was needed after not really having a season last year. 

Will the Dash go back to back in the Challenge Cup? Will they win the NWSL Cup? Will they end up missing the playoffs completely? We find out when the NWSL season officially kicks off. 

Unprecedented winter storm cripples Houston

It started out as any other Valentines Day in Houston. Little did anyone expect a winter storm would cripple the city for days. The storm dumped snow, ice, and freezing rain on the city and ended up forcing power companies to cut power to millions of residents. 

Houston Mayor Slvester Turner is demanding to know why the state's power grid was completely unprepared. Even Governor Abbott is launching an investigation into what went wrong. 

My power went out at about 6:30 pm on Monday. I was hoping it wouldn't last long and was just part of the rolling blackouts. Tuesday came and still no power. Wednesday came and by about 2:30, the power was finally back on. 

This isn't the first time Houston has been hit with winter weather. It happened in January 2018, but that time, the power grid wasn't under so much strain. 

The winter storm that hit this time strained the power system so much due to the entire state of Texas being under a winter weather warning of some kind. This forced the state's energy grid to go into conservation mode due to sub-freezing temperatures throughout Texas. 

And the winter weather is not over yet. Another winter storm is projected to hit Thursday, plunging temperatures into the 20's. 

Will an investigation into the state's power grid system lead to changes? Many fuming Texans are hoping the answer is yes. 

Why you should be worried about winter weather

 Not all winter storms bring snow. 

While certain types of winter storms can bring large parts of the country to a standstill, it is crucial that forecasters do their best to get the type of winter weather expected right the first time.

Winter precipitation in a nutshell

There are three basic types of winter weather. This includes snow, sleet, and freezing rain. What type of precipitation will fall depends on the air temperature at different levels of the atmosphere.

If the air temperature in the atmosphere is below freezing, snow is expected. If there is mix of warm air in the upper part of the atmosphere, but cold air in the lower part, you can expect sleet. Sleet results when the warm air produces rain. As the rain hits the cold air, it freezes just before hitting the surface. This is what most people hear during winter storms. 

If the atmosphere is above freezing until right at the surface, you get freezing rain. This is the most dangerous and can result in black ice on surfaces. Because it freezes to anything on contact, widespread power outages can happen when power lines sag and collapse under the heavy weight. 

Why get it right the first time?

While a lot goes into forecasting a winter storm, the hardest part is actually knowing what type of precipitation will result. 

Deciding where the rain ends and snow begins is especially important in places where snow is a daily part of winter. Cities and states need to know when to deploy plows, de-icing machines, airport winter maintenance crews, and close schools. This is just the beginning too. 

We often hear about the rain-snow line, but what exactly is it? Simply put, it's the point where the rain ends and the snow begins. 

If inaccurately forecasted, a city expecting to get only rain could end up with snow. This can be disastrous in places like Houston, Texas. The city is not used to snow and ice accumulation and relies on sanding to keep roads and bridges open. 

The same is true if a city is expecting snow and ends up with rain. Taxpayer money will have been wasted on unnecessary plowing and de-icing efforts. 

Most people living in the South can recall at least one "snow day" where no snow fell. Key decisions need to happen overnight when wintry weather is expected to happen during morning hours. If the temperature is warmer than expected, you have a busted forecast. 

Why bridges and overpasses freeze first

During winter weather, bridges and overpasses freeze first due to having air on all sides. This results in faster cooling than road surfaces. 

You also can have what is known as a wintry mix, which encompasses a little of everything. 

Forecasters have the important job of knowing what type of precipitation will fall, where it will fall, and when a transition from one type of precipitation to another will occur. While it's challenging and never perfect, modern technology has greatly helped forecast when and where winter storms will hit. 

Valpo falls to Miami (OH) to move to .500

On December 8, Valpo traveled to Oxford, Ohio to face the Miami University Redhawks. Valpo would lose the game 67-49. 

A run spanning the first and second quarters of the game proved too much for the Crusaders to overcome. 

The two teams traded baskets at first with Valpo holding an early 8-6 lead. Then things unraveled in a hurry. Miami went on a 12-3 run starting at 8:33 in the first quarter to give the Redhawks an 18-11 lead. The scoring run continued in the second quarter with Miami outscoring Valpo 12-2 over the first seven minutes. This increased the Miami lead to 17 points. 

Valpo would counter with a fast-break layup from junior Shay Frederick and a three-pointer by senior Caitlin Morrison on consecutive possessions. This would cut the lead to 12, but the Redhawks would score the final five points to push the lead up to 35-18 going into halftime. 

The Crusaders went on a 10-2 run after Miami scored the first two baskets of the third quarter. Junior Carie Weinman had five points and an assist that cut the lead to 41-28 with 6:52 to play in the quarter. However, Valpo was unable to get any closer after that. 

What killed Valpo was shooting only 31.6 percent from the field and 5-27 from the three-point line. Miami shot 41.7 percent and hit 7-19 from the three-point line. 

After four straight road games to open the season, Valpo returns to the ARC on December 12 for the home opener against the Western Michigan Broncos. Tip is slated for 1 pm. 

Two B1G wins for Valpo Women

In what may seem like deja vu, it was not. The Valparaiso Women's Basketball team beat the Purdue Boilermakers on December 6 in West Lafayette, Indiana. Playing for the second time in five days, the women showed no signs of fatigue. The final score was 52-47 in favor of Valpo.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Crusaders had a five point lead. But a bunch of back and forth baskets over the first four minutes allowed the Crusaders to outscore the Boilermakers 10-8. A three-pointer from junior Carrie Weinman with 4:03 to play in the game pushed the Crusader advantage to double digits for the second time after leading 47-37. 

What killed the Boilermakers were four missed baskets over the final 44 seconds of the game. The only point came from a free throw. 

Senior Grace White came up with key back to back possessions in the final 75 seconds of the game after the Boilermakers had cut the lead to one. That would ultimately secure the win. 

It was only the second time the Crusaders have knocked off Purdue, and the first time since dropping the nationally ranked Boilermakers in Valparaiso on December 10, 2008. With the win over Illinois, Valpo has defeated at least two Big Ten teams in the same season for the first time. 

The team joins only the 2001-2002 and 2008-2009 squads to knock off multiple power conference teams in the same season. The 2001-2002 squad knocked off Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten opponent Michigan. The 2008-2009 squad beat Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as Purdue from the Big Ten. 

Things did not go well for Purdue at all. The Boilermakers shot just 27.3 percent and could not make a single three-point shot.

In the first three games, opponents have made 8 of 59 from the three point line. 

Can Valpo keep the momentum going as the season continues? Time will tell. 

A B1G Win for Valpo over Illinois

Facing the University of Illinois Illini in Champaign, IL Wednesday, the Valparaiso Crusaders looked to rebound after dropping the season opener Sunday afternoon. 

It was a HUGE win for the Crusaders after dropping the previous four meetings by at least 19 points each. The Crusaders earned their first win over the Illini and the first over a power five conference opponent since 2012. 

Valpo held Illinois scoreless over the last 2:54 seconds to walk away with a 62-59 victory at State Farm Center in Champaign. 

Senior Caitlin Morrison put Valpo up for good with a layup and 0:42.8 to play in the game. 

Trailing by five going into the fourth quarter, it seemed the Illini would walk away victorious once again. The Crusaders surrendered the first basket to Illinois, but bounced right back on a three-pointer by junior Carrie Weinman. That cut the lead down to one. Another three-pointer by sophomore Cara VanKempen tied the game at 56 with 6:41 to play.

The next few minutes would become a defensive showdown as both sides stepped up the intensity. For a stretch of five minutes, only three points, all by Illinois, were scored. This put the Illini up 59-56 with under two minutes to play. 

The biggest basket perhaps came when senior Grace White as on Valpo's first possession under two minutes, drove down the left side and finished up and over two Illinois defenders from the block to make it a one point lead for Illinois. 

Illinois missed two shots on the next possession and that led to Valpo calling a timeout after rebounding the second missed shot to advance the ball into the frontcourt with only 0:49.3 to play. The inbounds went to White, whose attempted drive on the right side got cut off. Morrison would flash down the middle of the paint and caught a perfect pass from White. The easy bucket put Valpo up 60-59 with 0:42.8 left in the game. 

 Wienman came up with a block on an inside effort by Illinois on the defensive end. The forced foul put Valpo in the bonus. White would split the pair of free throws with 0:26.5 to push the lead to 61-59 in favor of Valpo. 

Illinois would come down and miss two crucial free throws that could have tied the game and possibly sent it to overtime. Freshman Lauren Gunn corralled the second free throw after being put back in the game on the previous defensive possession. Gunn would draw the foul and split the pair of free throws to put Valpo up 62-59 with 0:10.7 to play. 

The final desperation three-point attempt by Illinois to tie the game and send it to overtime was off the mark and the rebound bounced around until the final buzzer. This would secure the win by Valpo over Illinois and send the team into a locker room frenzy. 

Head Coach Mary Perry Evans stated that the older players on the team have made so much progress over the years. They work hard and put in the effort to be in the position to win big games. "I am so proud of how they responded this week after a tough loss on Sunday. They came out with their only goal being to try and get a win."

Evans thinks the Missouri Valley Conference is one of the best in the country. "My staff and I have to schedule non-conference games that will prepare us for conference play." 

Next up for the Crusaders is a trip to West Lafayette, Indiana and a matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers. That game tips off Sunday afternoon at 1pm. Fans can watch the game on Big Ten Network Plus or listen on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso). This is the second of back to back Big Ten opponents for the women. Their third and final Big Ten opponent is the Wisconsin Badgers. That game is at the Athletics-Recreation Center and tips off on December 20 at 2pm. 

The other two home games are December 12 against Western Michigan at 1pm. That game will be on ESPN3. The second home game is December 16 against Xavier. That game is on ESPN+ and tips off at 1pm. No fans are allowed in the Athletics-Recreation Center due to the COVID pandemic. Only family members of players and media personnel are permitted. 

New York Subway to celebrate 115 years of service

If you're like me and love to travel back in time, the 115th birthday celebration of the New York Subway is for you. 

New York Transit Museum director Concetta Bencivenga told ABC7 that families, friends, and visitors come in droves this time of year. We love to host them here at the museum. It's a really special time."

One of the most popular events is a trip back in time aboard the vintage subway cars. 

"Starting the Sunday after Thanksgiving and continuing until New Year's Day, the cars will start at the F line subway station on Second Avenue on Manhattan's Lower East Side and will end at the Harlem station," Bencivenga said while sitting in a 1960s Blue Bird subway car. These cars carried riders to the world's fair during the 1960s. 

One of the biggest displays though is the fleet of vintage cars that are on both sides of a decommissioned subway station set for a giant swing party.

"Four swing bands spaced throughout the museum will provide the music. We have partnered with New York Distillery and will have a cocktail called the 'Bee's Knees,' which is a rip on a prohibition era cocktail. We're really excited about that." 

This is the sixth year of hosting the December 12 party. 

"Things like the incandescent light bulbs, rattan seats, ceiling fans, and ads reflecting the period bring back the nostalgia. What better way to have a swing party?" 

The events are very popular and draw interest from people who come to New York City for the holidays.

The best part? You just tap or swipe your fare card and you're ready to go.