 EXIT OF THE DAY: Exit 11 To: MD 4, Pennsylvania Ave, to Upper Marlboro, Maryland Hear This Here! "In one of the most crime ridden areas of the United States, a most religious basketball player grew to become a Most Valuable Player. Did you know that the MVP in the NBA of 2014 was born in this upcoming neighborhood off the Upper Marlboro Exit? Did you know he praises Jesus before every game?  When Kevin Durant aka KD comes back to visit his hometown of Seat Pleasant Maryland, the town goes into lock down and it is only in the best of ways. Kids and adults throng around him and they all celebrate his great success and their infinite potential. That's because from these mean streets, sprung a true American Success story. Simultaneously, KD wants to inspire a lot of folks -- especially the kids. He likes to come back and share his awards with the community that inspired him. Maybe that is because he still considers himself to be just a kid. But more on that in a minute. A United States Olympic gold medalist of 2012 and 2016, Kevin Durant has played for many teams from The Oklahoma Thunder, to the Golden State Warriors, and recently for the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association.  A long way from his humble beginnings, he is one of the highest paid pro athletes in any sport. A so-called franchise player, in 2013, he earned $35,000,000, making him the 4th highest-earning basketball player that year.  Kevin's talent was evident early. Durant was a heavily recruited high school prospect. Then before going pro, KD played just one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, where he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year. As for March Madness that year, UT lost to an underdog USC in the second round —this despite 30 points and 9 rebounds from the freshman.  Even today KD thinks of himself as a kid. He even describes himself as a "high school kid" and enjoys playing video games in his spare time. He is very close with his mother, Wanda, a relationship that was detailed in the Lifetime movie The Real MVP: The Wanda Pratt Story.  A Christian, Durant goes to chapel before every game and has religious tattoos on his stomach, wrist, and back. In 2012, he tried his hand at acting, appearing in the children's film Thunderstruck.  In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Durant claimed that, despite his high earnings potential, "global marketing and all that stuff" does not interest him. But don't tell that to Nike, where his laid back demeanor off the court attracts legions of fans and makes KD one of their top earners and influencers  A humble guy and generous with his time, he has participated in many philanthropic causes. In Twenty Thirteen, he pledged $1,000,000 to the American Red Cross for the victims of the Moore tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. Finally, when he is not on the court or working in philanthropy, KD likes technology and follows lots of other trend-setters. In fact, the college drop-out has his own Venture Fund, called — after his jersey number — 35 Ventures. A fan of social media he also has a YouTube account and uploads live stream blogs. Now if all that ain't typical of a college drop-out, I do not know what is!  #KevinDurant #GoldenStateWarriors #NBA #MVP #Maryland #Christianity #TheWANDAPRATTSTORY   Evolution in our BackyardsHear this HERE! EXIT 71; I-95n To: FOUR MILE RIVER RD, Rocky Neck State Park, East Lyme CT Ok, listen up kids! Upcoming is a Road Test but first the Fast Facts: People living in Eastern Connecticut may not know that eastern coyotes aren’t true coyotes at all. They are hybrids, or coywolves. Coywolves only emerged over the last century and have since spread successfully over much of eastern North America. A hundred years ago, as deforestation and poisoning depleted the population numbers of eastern wolves, the last wolves interbred with western coyotes. The hybrid is about 55 pounds heavier than pure coyotes.   Coywolves today are one a quarter wolf and one tenth dog. That blend helps make the hybrid so successful that it now numbers in the millions. Wolves hunt large prey in open space in packs. Coyotes hunt alone anywhere for smaller prey. Despite being almost as large as a wolf, Coywolves have borrowed their coyote ancestor’s trait to hunt small prey alone in our suburban patchwork of vegetation. And yes, all too often that prey includes Puss and Fido. So bring your pets inside at night! Interbreeding has produced an animal skilled at catching prey anywhere. At least 20 now live in New York City. They even stalk prey of fin, fur, and feather along our eastern beaches.  Since coywolves can still breed with wolves and dogs it means it doesn’t quite fit the definition of a new species. But that may change. According to a PBS Special focused on the new canine, Coywolves are telling an "amazing contemporary evolution story that’s happening right underneath our nose but for now coywolves are enjoying the advantages of hybrid vigor.” Now the Road Test: Are eastern coywolves bigger or smaller than western coyotes? #Coywolves #Coyotes #Wolf #Evolution #Hybrids #Connecticut #Connecticutcoywolves #Preyonpets #Huntalone   
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