Midday Roundup: College mourns basketball player who fought cancer

Hoop dreams. A 19-year-old woman who fought through cancer to play college basketball died this morning. Lauren Hill learned she had a terminal brain tumor during her senior year of high school. She enrolled at Mount St. Joseph University and also started a non-profit foundation to raise money for cancer research. Her dream to play college basketball came true Nov. 2 after the NCAA let the college move up its opening game to accommodate her deteriorating condition. She scored two baskets in front of a sold-out arena. “We are forever grateful to have had Lauren grace our campus with her smile and determined spirit,” Mount St. Joseph President Tony Aretz said. “She has left a powerful legacy. She taught us that every day is a blessing; every moment a gift.”

Bakery backlash. A man’s attempt to make a point about religious freedom has turned into a dispute with Florida bakery owners who say he hurt their business. Joshua Feuerstein called Cut the Cake bakery in Longwood, Fla., and asked them to make a cake decorated with the phrase, “We do not support gay marriage.” He recorded the call and put it on YouTube, after which the bakery started receiving angry calls and threats. Now bakery owner Sharon Haller has asked authorities to investigate whether Feuerstein’s recording of the call violates state law. Feuerstein told local news in Central Florida he never asked people to lash out at the bakery. “I wanted to see if it was actually a double standard; if a gay-friendly bakery and one that advertised themselves as so on pro-LGBT wedding sites would actually bake a cake that went against their principles,” he said.

She’s in. Hillary Clinton plans officially to kick off her presidential campaign Sunday with an online video announcement followed by a tour of early primary states. So far, Clinton has no stiff competition for the Democratic nomination, though several lower-profile politicians have expressed an interest in running.

Recall. The Sabra Dipping Co. has recalled about 30,000 cases of hummus over a possible listeria contamination. Listeria is a food-borne illness that can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems and young children. It also causes miscarriage. This is the second listeria-related recall this week. Blue Bell Creameries on Tuesday recalled banana pudding ice cream that tested positive for listeria, expanding an earlier ice cream recall. Eight people in Texas and Kansas have been infected by tainted products and three have died.

Meet-up. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro spoke on the phone Wednesday, only the second time leaders of the two nations have done so in more than 50 years. The call set the stage for a historic encounter between the two at a regional summit starting today in Panama. The leaders have been working to restore diplomatic ties, a move that sent shockwaves through Latin America when Obama and Castro announced it in tandem speeches in December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.