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Tornado Touches Down in Springfield, MA

2011-06-01T20:52:00.002-04:00

Tornadoes swept through western Massachusetts this evening downing trees and utility polls, and in the city of Springfield caused significant damage to a house and apartment building, according to several Massachusetts-based news agencies.

One death has been reported, along with several injuries, according to the news organizations.

The Springfield Republican began tracking the storm and reporting its whereabouts at 4:35 p.m. when one of its reporters saw and heard the funnel headed toward the Main Street area of the city.

Multiple twisters touched down in the city's south end and downtown area, according to WWLP.com. One death has been associated with a twister; a man who was driving his car in West Springfield was killed when a tree fell on top of his vehicle, one of the city's police captains told News22.

Gov. Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency for the Commonwealth and has posted information on what to do in case of a tornado.

For more details on the western Massachusetts tornadoes follow these links:

MassLive.com

WWLP.com

WGGB.com

Philadelphia, New York, Boston weather: tornado watch issued

2011-06-01T18:24:00.000-04:00

The Berkely Building (commonly known as The old John Hancock) in Boston is topped by a seven-story weather beacon that gets its glow from 288 neon blue and red lights. No fancy computer needed, just three switches in the basement: power

By Associated Press / June 1, 2011 The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of the East Coast, including Philadelphia, New York and Boston. The watch area stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania and is in effect until 8 pm A watch

By AP, NEW YORK — The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of the East Coast, including Philadelphia, New York and Boston. The watch area stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania and is in effect until 8 pm A watch means conditions

By AP, NEW YORK — The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of the East Coast, including Philadelphia, New York and Boston. The watch area stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania and is in effect until 8 pm A watch means conditions

Shaq retires

2011-06-01T18:20:00.000-04:00

Goodbye, Shaq

Shaquille O'Neal is retiring. He announced on Twitter that he'll end his 19-year career after a disappointing season with the Celtics. He has lore in every NBA city in America, but special lore here in Sacramento.

Star-divide

This dude was completely unstoppable, no matter who you threw at him. He was the unsolvable puzzle. Kobe Bryant was fantastic during the great Kings-Lakers battles of the Glory Era. But Shaq? He was on another plane, just a gigantic problem, constantly. We had Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, Scot Pollard ... it didn't matter. If Shaq was on and focused, you weren't stopping him, period. In 16 playoff games against the Kings, Shaq averaged 30.7 points and 15.7 rebounds. Thirty and fifteen.

He wasn't just dominant -- he was completely hateable. He called our team the "Queens." He made fun of us, and our cowbells. Even after his prime was gone and he no longer competed for championships, he pretended he had no idea who Spencer Hawes was. He seemed to genuinely consider Sacramento a joke he wasn't in on, a mistake on the NBA map that he'd rather didn't exist.

Shaq was a total villain in Sacramento in every way, so much so that I vomited into a garbage can when I walked into work at a bar on one fine afternoon in 2004 and saw the front of the Sacramento Beesports page, emblazoned with a big ol' headline that read

"Shaq-ramento?"

Blake Lively Threatens to Sue Over Fake Nude Photos

2011-06-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

Just hours after photos of a blond girl who looks like her spread across the web, Blake Lively comes forward to set the record straight. Through her representative, the actress who plays Serena van der Woodsen on "Gossip Girl" denied the authenticity of the nude photos and threatened to sue any publication reprinting the images.

"The photos of Blake Lively which have just surfaced on various websites including Perez Hilton and Zap2it are 100% fake," insisted the rep. "Blake has never taken nude photos of herself. Blake will pursue legal action against the publication which initially published these photographs and any other outlets that republish them in any manner."

Snooki Hits Cop Car in Italy

2011-05-31T21:40:00.000-04:00

Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi was taken into police custody in Italy on Monday after hitting a police car.

According to TMZ, the reality star was driving around the city of Florence when she rammed into a local cop car, wedging her and co-star Deena Cortese in the Fiat Multipla, along with a member of the MTV production crew.

According to PEOPLE, Snooki and Cortese were taken to the police station to fill out an accident report. No drugs or alcohol were suspected in the incident.

The MTV stars refused medical treatment, but it is reported that two police officers were taken to the emergency room and treated for whiplash, bruises and cuts.

NBA Finals Preview: Heat-Mavericks

2011-05-31T21:26:00.000-04:00

In terms of sheer entertainment value, a Dallas-Miami Finals should be pretty special. Three of the best players in the league -- all future Hall of Famers -- will be playing. And that doesn't even include Jason Kidd, who at 38 years old will become the oldest point guard ever to start in The Finals. It's safe to say David Stern is salivating.

But if you're looking for a rematch of 2006, you might as well stop now.

Miami, of course, is a totally different team. But so is Dallas. This year's Dallas squad is far more resilient than the 2006 team. Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki are the only holdovers and Dirk has gotten tougher and better, scoring at an all-time high efficiency and -- for the first time in his career -- consistently punishing smaller defenders. His inability to score against smaller defenders after all was a key component as to why the Mavs lost to the Heat in 2006 and why 8th-seeded Golden St. upset them during the 2007 playoffs.

Further, with Rick Carlisle, the Mavs have now have a coach tailored to their style. Avery Johnson's strategy of clear out for Dirk at all costs was effective but also predictable and stagnant.

Jonas Bevacqua, LRG Founder Dead

2011-05-31T19:20:00.000-04:00

Jonas Bevacqua, co-founder and creative director of LRG, was found dead in Los Angeles today. Though we don’t often cover LRG here at Highsnobiety, we have nothing but respect for what Jonas and his team achieved with the brand and the strong influence they hold to this day. A true visionary, Jonas Bevacqua was 34 years old. Rest in peace.

Rep. Anthony Weiner Hires Lawyer After Twitter "Prank"

2011-05-31T19:17:00.000-04:00

After Congressman Anthony Weiner's Twitter feed was allegedly hacked, prompting a lewd photo of someone's bulging underpants to be sent to Gennette Nicole Cordova of Seattle, Weiner has hired a lawyer.

The Congressman said that the photo was a prank and nothing more, and that police action wasn't necessary. "[The incident] was a prank," he told the New York Post. "It was intended to distract. I'm not going to let it do it."