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College Football Corner: While Maryland flounders, two future Big Ten teams shine

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest rankings here.On a weekend where Maryland had issues against a Big Ten West school, two of the Terps’ future foes went toe-to-toe in a midseason matchup of unbeatens that saw then-No. 7 Washington outscore No. 8 Oregon 36-33 behind the arm of Heisman Trophy favorite (and former Indiana quarterback) Michael Penix Jr.With the Huskies and Ducks joining USC and UCLA (all four teams are ranked in this week’s Top 25) in the next wave of Big Ten expansion, the ante will be upped in 2024 as the Terps trade the Big Ten East gauntlet for a different group tough teams.Saturday’s Games:James Madison (6-0, 3-0 Sun Belt) exacted revenge on the team that knocked them out of the unbeaten ranks last year and, unlike 2022’s 45-38 shootout, this was a day the Dukes dominated, handing Georgia Southern a 41-13 drubbing. They may be ineligible for postseason play this year (per NCAA rules regarding their transfer from FCS to FBS)...

Putin hammers Ukraine with West distracted by Middle East crisis

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

KYIV — With world leaders focusing their attention on trying to solve the Israel-Hamas conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has resumed hammering Ukraine on all fronts. Over the weekend, Kremlin forces attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure and struck regions with missiles and drones. Newly replenished Russian forces have also been pressing Ukrainian troops on all parts of the front line.On Saturday and Sunday, Russia shelled the Kherson region alone more than 200 times, Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional governor, said in a statement.Massive attacks caused disruption of electricity and water supply in Kherson and in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening statement Sunday. Kherson’s electricity supply has since been restored, with water restored to all but ten houses, he added.“We must be aware that there will be more such Russian strikes as winter approaches. More on generation facilities, on the network. You have to be ready for ...

Five things we learned from the Ravens’ 24-16 win over the Tennessee Titans

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

The Ravens could not afford to blow another game a week after they fell apart in Pittsburgh, and they didn’t, scoring enough in the first half and making enough critical defensive plays in the second to come home from London with a 24-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.Here are five things we learned from the game.This was a critical week for the Ravens’ season, and they acted like itThe Ravens boarded their flight to London as a team in peril. Their inability to finish overmatched opponents, a trend that reached a new nadir as they unraveled against the Steelers, had fans in Baltimore apoplectic. Their 44-7 loss the last time they traveled overseas hovered as a reminder of what could happen if they showed up to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium woefully unprepared.Coach John Harbaugh respected the possibility of a disaster that would send his team spiraling, so he treated the past week as anything but normal. The Ravens (in contrast to the Titans) flew to London on Monday, givi...

Analysis: Reliable Red Sox bullpen shouldn’t get lost in shuffle of last-place finish

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

When a top baseball operations executive gets fired, especially as abruptly as Chaim Bloom’s dismissal in mid-September, it’s difficult not to see the forest for the trees, but to see the trees for the forest.Likewise for a team that collectively finishes last, especially when it’s the third time in four seasons; the parts may be great, but they’re obscured by their sum.In a rebuild, a general manager-type leader’s true impact is often felt later. When the farm system Bloom replenished produces strong Major League talent in coming years, the Red Sox will benefit, but he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of his labor.For now, at least, give Bloom credit for the bullpen he made over.After the ‘pen blew 29 saves (fourth-most in MLB) in 2022, the Red Sox made three significant changes. They signed Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen to two-year deals, and cut bait with Matt Barnes, designating him for assignment and trading him to the Miami Marlins for left-hander Richard...

French authorities say school where teacher was fatally stabbed last week evacuated over bomb alert

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

French authorities say a high school where a teacher was fatally stabbed in an attack last week has been evacuated over a bomb alert, as France’s president cut short travel plans abroad to host a security meeting Monday.The prefecture of the northern Pas-de-Calais region said the decision was made to evacuate the high school in Arras after police received a bomb threat via its website.A demining team was on site, the prefecture said, adding that “all precautionary and safety measures” are being taken until the site is clearedFrance is on heightened alert against feared terror threats following the stabbing incident.The Associated Press

Poles vote in huge numbers for centrist opposition after 8 years of nationalist rule

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The majority of voters in Poland’s general election supported opposition parties who promised to repair the nation’s constitutional order and its relationship with allies, including the European Union and Ukraine, according to projections Monday.After a bitter and emotional campaign, voters turned out in droves on Sunday to make their voice known. Turnout was at the highest level in the country’s 34 years of democracy, surpassing the 63% who turned out in the historic 1989 vote that toppled communism.The final result was not expected for many hours. But a so-called late exit poll by Ipsos suggested that voters had finally grown tired of the ruling nationalist party, Law and Justice, after eight years of divisive policies that led to frequent street protests, bitter divisions even within families and billions of euros (dollars) in funding held up by the EU over rule of law violations.The poll showed that three centrist opposition parties that c...

Biden picks Boebert as his foil for economic message in Colorado

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is visiting the Colorado congressional district of Rep. Lauren Boebert, a combative Trump loyalist, on Monday as he draws a sharper contrast between the Democratic and Republican economic agendas.Boebert has described Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the president’s signature domestic legislation and the source of hundreds of billions of dollars for clean energy incentives, as “a massive failure” that “needs to be repealed.”But Biden is out to demonstrate otherwise when he visits CS Wind, the world’s largest facility for wind tower manufacturing, in the town of Pueblo. The company is undergoing a $200 million expansion that is expected to create 850 jobs by 2026 with help from the tax incentives in the law.Pueblo is one of the anchors of Colorado’s sprawling Third Congressional District, which covers more ground than the state of Pennsylvania. Boebert won her seat in 2020 and barely held on to it during the 2022 midterms. Biden...

The ancient ways of natural wine is finding new fans

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Wine made in ancient ways is gaining new fans.Natural wine — which emphasizes sustainability and minimal processing — is seeing growing interest in the U.S even though overall wine consumption has been declining since 2015, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, a research firm. While natural and other sustainable wines made up less than 1% of sales in 2021, demand was rising faster than the wine category as a whole, according to alcohol delivery site Drizly.Generally, natural wine is made with hand-picked organic grapes that haven’t been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. Once they’re crushed — sometimes by foot, the way they were crushed by ancient Romans — they are naturally fermented with no added water, yeast or other ingredients. Some natural winemakers add sulfites, a chemical found naturally in grapes, as a preservative; others don’t. Some filter their wines; others leave them cloudy and full of sediment.The result is wines that are earthy, savor...

Rite Aid files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, names new CEO

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (NEXSTAR) — Major U.S. pharmacy chain Rite Aid said Sunday that it has filed for bankruptcy and obtained $3.45 billion in fresh financing as it carries out a restructuring plan while coping with falling sales and opioid-related lawsuits.In 2022, Rite Aid settled for up to $30 million to resolve lawsuits alleging pharmacies contributed to an oversupply of prescription opioids. It said it had reached an agreement with its creditors on a financial restructuring plan to cut its debt and position itself for future growth and that the bankruptcy filing was part of that process.The plan will “significantly reduce the company's debt” while helping to “resolve litigation claims in an equitable manner,” Rite Aid said.In March, the Justice Department filed a complaint against Rite Aid, alleging it knowingly filled hundreds of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances from May 2014-June 2019. It also accused pharmacists and the company of ignoring “red flags” in...

Gaza's hospitals near breaking point as Israeli invasion looms

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:55:35 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians in besieged Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water. More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas after its fighters rampaged through southern Israel.As the enclave’s food, water and medicine supplies dwindled, all eyes were on the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, where trucks carrying badly needed aid have been waiting for days as mediators press for a cease-fire that would allow them enter Gaza and allow foreigners to leave.A convoy of Israeli armoured personnel carriers (APC) head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in U.N. facilities are on less than 1 liter (1 quart) of water per day. Hospitals warn they are on the verge of collapse, with emergency generators that power machines like ...