NZCity NewsLinks -

All Links

19 Mar 2025

Search

Homes without power after fierce storm hits Canterbury
Nearly 100 millimetres have fallen in Banks Peninsula over the past 12 hours.

Report calls for a trades entrance qualification to rival University Entrance
Combined with other changes to school and post-school courses and funding, a new qualification could help double the number of school-leavers who opted for industry training and apprenticeships.

Minecraft recreates NZ's most popular tourism destinations
Gamers will soon be able to explore some of NZ's most popular tourism destinations - walk part of the Abel Tasman and gaze at the night sky from Lake Tekapo - in the cube-shaped world of Minecraft.

Waka Kotahi puts the brakes on reversing some speed limits
Sixteen of state highways where speed limits had been lowered had been required to revert to their previous higher speed limit by 1 July 2025.

Man who died on mental health ward in 2014 was failed by staff - coroner
A man who died by suicide in the Palmerston North Hospital mental health ward 11 years ago was failed by staff who should have provided care to him, in a facility that was not fit for purpose.

'You're on mute': Five years on from Zoom
Video calling has given us a glimpse into our colleagues' lives like never before - but is that a good thing?

What's in a name - trademarks in 2025
With trademark applications surging, The Detail looks at what it takes to get a mark registered in New Zealand.

‘We’d love to have more’: Is Chris Wood building an All Whites team in the EPL?
Chris Wood reveals the part he played in helping two of his New Zealand teammates land moves to Nottingham Forest.

How NZ Maori under-18 team went from scrubbing toilets to a famous win
The NZ Maori under-18 rugby players learned how to clean toilets and dishes before providing the underdog had a tremendous bite.

Teenage running sensation’s historic tilt at a sub-4 mile
All you need to know about Sam Ruthe’s bid to become the youngest person to break the 4-minute mile barrier.

Miramar resident wants meeting to deal with crime in community
A Miramar resident is calling for a meeting between Wellington City Council, police and locals about crime in the community, days after a man was found with fatal injuries in the suburb.

TVNZ job cuts expected to save broadcaster $8.9m
TVNZ expects to save $5.6 million from the 48.5 full time jobs slashed late last year - and another $3.3 million by not replacing vacant roles -according to data released under the Official Information Act.

Farms turn into deserts as drought conditions worsen
A drought has been declared in the Northland, Waikato, Horizons, Marlborough-Tasman, and Taranaki regions.

Don't wait to increase KiwiSaver contributions to 10 percent, providers say
If the government is making changes to KiwiSaver contribution rates, the amount we are putting aside for retirement should be pushed up to 10 percent of incomes, providers say.

The best second-screen apps for watching Major League Baseball
When Major League Baseball starts its 2025 season on March 27, you can enhance your big-screen game-watching experience by enlisting the aid of your small screen; i.e., your smartphone or tablet laptop. A second screen adds context to the game by delivering everything from analysis, player stats, and interactive features, to tools for communicating with other fans. We’ve rounded up the six best second-screen apps that belong on your smartphone or tablet this baseball season. Download and install one or more of them to make sure you’re game ready when the ump yells “play ball!” MLB At Bat If you don’t use anything else this season, be sure to install at least the MLB app. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry As second-screen apps go, the MLB App remains the ace of the rotation. It personalizes the viewing experience by curating news, highlights, and live updates based on users’ favorite teams and players. On iPhones, live scores and updates appear directly on the lock screen and within the Dynamic Island, allowing fans to track games without opening the app. MLB.TV subscribers can stream up to four games simultaneously on supported mobile devices. Condensed game replays and key highlights are available shortly after each game ends, making it easier to catch up on the action. Audio access has expanded to include home and away radio broadcasts for every game, even in areas subject to blackout restrictions. The Gameday 3D feature provides real-time pitch tracking in an interactive environment, offering a deeper look at each play. For fans attending games in person, the app integrates ticketing and in-venue experiences, including seat upgrades and exclusive content. iScore Baseball Scoring a game by hand is a tradition that goes back to the earliest days of baseball; but in our digital age, this pen-and-paper activity could easily go the way of flannel uniforms and Pullman cars. Thankfully, there’s iScore Baseball. This app turns your device into a digital scorebook, but you don’t need to know any of the arcana of scorekeeping to use it. iScore employs interview prompts to help you track the on-field action. Say the batter grounds out to first base: To record that play, tap the Out button and iScore will ask what kind of out was made. Select Ground Out and the app will ask you to tap on the diamond where the ball was hit and the position that made the out. As you record each play in this manner, iScore translates it all into scorebook speak. After the game, you can generate and email a completed scoresheet, box score, or team stats. iScore Baseball, available for Android and iOS devices, can create a traditional scoresheet without requiring you to know the details of scorekeeping. And if the idea of scoring a game for posterity seems quaint now that the web can serve up play-by-play stats for just about any matchup in history, consider that its greater purpose might be keeping you focused on the game amid the distractions of home. ESPN If you prefer your baseball coverage from a third-party source, it’s tough to beat ESPN’s free flagship app. In addition to scores and standings, it will keep you supplied with a steady stream of injury reports, contract signings, and other breaking news from around the league. You’ll also get live streaming access to national and regional ESPN Radio stations and more than 100 ESPN Podcasts. Designate your favorite team and you can receive alerts before games and get the latest news and videos about your club sent directly to your ESPN inbox. Best of all, you can use the app as a second screen for other sports after the Fall Classic. Bleacher Report: Sports News Bleacher Report: Sports News lets you curate your own news feed to receive breaking news on your favorite MLB teams, players, and fantasy investments. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Like most fans, it’s your own rooting interests rather than the league at large that keeps you glued to the screen. Bleacher Report understands this and lets you customize your second-screen experience with Bleacher Report: Sports News. Though not exclusively a baseball app, Bleacher Report: Sports News lets you curate your own news feed to receive breaking news on your favorite MLB teams, players, and fantasy investments. Just add your favorite clubs, and all the latest rumors, news, hot plays, and injury reports from those organizations will appear in a real-time stream on its home screen. The app also makes it easy to email, text, or social-share the juiciest stories with your baseball-loving buddies. A separate Scores tab keeps you up today on your team’s schedule and game results. ESPN Fantasy Sports The ESPN Fantasy app provides everything you need to manage your lineup from opening day to, hopefully, the postseason. You get full access to your ESPN fantasy team, letting you start, bench, add, drop, trade, and waive players, so you’re fielding the best nine possible on game day. It also provides a steady stream of player news and enough stats and analysis to satisfy the most hardcore sabermetrician. During games, the app keeps you updated with real-time scoring by all your fantasy players, while push notifications alert you to injuries, trades, and other player news. MiLB app There’s always important action in the minor leagues, too. The MiLB app helps you keep track of it all. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry A companion to the MLB app, the MiLB app provides similar coverage of 120 minor-league clubs with scores, stats, news, video highlights, and push-notification game alerts. As with the big-league app, the basics are free, but you must buy into video streams of games—both live and on-demand—and other premium offerings. But it’s the best way to scout tomorrow’s stars while following their parent clubs on TV. Pair it with At Bat for complete coverage of your favorite team’s entire organization. Batter up! Okay, those are our picks for the best second-screen apps for baseball. What do you think, did we hit a grand slam or fly out to left field? What are your favorite second-screen baseball apps? Let us know in the comments section on our Facebook page. And don’t miss our in-depth cord-cutter’s guide to streaming Major League Baseball without a cable subscription.