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Callahan: If Bill Belichick’s time is over, say thank you before goodbye

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

Two weeks ago, a reader emailed me on Christmas morning.Before I could pour any coffee or cereal, I opened the message.Oh, good. Hate mail.This reader took exception to my “dislike of Bill Belichick” after the Patriots’ dramatic upset win in Denver. According to him, this disdain rendered me unable to give Belichick proper credit for a team playing hard after it had suffered from a few tough breaks. Those breaks, he claimed, prevented the Pats from winning “four of five more games.”Let’s just say, on four hours of sleep, it felt like being awoken to the sight of Santa stuffing coal in my stocking.So, I took a day to respond, and put almost as much thought into that reply as I do my columns, because words matter. And the words in my columns or film analyses are probably how he knew me. And I knew the words in this reply would reveal much more to him about who I am, and how I feel about Belichick than any article.I hit send. A few hours later, the r...

Snow on the way this weekend ahead of potentially larger storm next week

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

Some active winter weather is expected to hit Toronto and the GTA this weekend ahead of what could be an even larger storm early next week.CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor says a system will move in on Saturday night that should bring the first snowfall of the new year.“There will be some areas that collect more than five centimetres,” Taylor says. “Even around the city we could be using the snow shovels on Saturday night.”Taylor says the snow should start around 7 p.m. and will bring around five centimetres for most areas in the GTA, but lake enhancement could result in higher snow totals for some areas.The flurries are expected to continue into Sunday morning before relenting by the afternoon. It’s Friday! Bring on the weekend and some snow!! Tune in to find out how much and when it gets going https://t.co/DgcH1Buuz0— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) January 5, 2024Monday will stay dry but a bigger storm could arrive on Tuesday bringing significan...

Track star, convicted killer, now parolee. A timeline of Oscar Pistorius’s life

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Major moments in the life of Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee Olympic runner who was released from prison on parole Friday having served nearly nine years of a murder sentence for the 2013 killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.Pistorius, 37, will have to live under strict conditions until his full sentence of 13 years and five months expires on Dec. 5, 2029.Nov. 22, 1986 — Pistorius is born with a congenital condition where he has no fibula bones. His legs are amputated below the knee before he is a year old.May 16, 2008 — Already a multiple Paralympic champion, Pistorius wins a ruling at sport’s highest court that overturns a previous ban and allows him to compete against able-bodied athletes at the world’s biggest track events on his specially designed carbon-fiber running blades.Aug. 4, 2012 — Pistorius realizes his sporting dream to compete at the Olympics. He finishes second in a heat in the 400 meters to qualify for t...

Ukraine unleashes more drones and missiles at Russian areas as part of its new year strategy

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

Russian air defenses downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia on Friday, officials said, as Kyiv pressed its strategy of targeting the Moscow-annexed peninsula and taking the 22-month war well beyond Ukraine’s borders.Air raid sirens wailed in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, and traffic was suspended for a second straight day on a bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. The span is a crucial supply link for Russia’s war effort.The Russian Defense Ministry said its defenses intercepted 36 drones over Crimea and one over Krasnodar, part of an emerging pattern of intensified Ukrainian aerial attacks in recent days.A Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile also was destroyed over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the ministry said.The developments came after three people were injured Thursday night by other Ukrainian rocket and drone attacks on the Russian border city ...

President Joe Biden will stress democracy is still a ‘sacred cause’ in a speech near Valley Forge

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will kick off his 2024 pitch to voters Friday, the day before the anniversary of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by posing the question of whether democracy is still a “sacred cause” worth sacrificing for.Biden believes the upcoming election is largely about that question, according to a Biden adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Democratic president’s expected remarks. Whether or not the nation agrees may end up a central question of the 2024 race. The president will speak from near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where George Washington and the Continental Army spent a bleak winter nearly 250 years ago. And he’ll talk about how Washington spoke to his army about democracy as a “sacred cause.”The Jan. 6 attack was a vivid reminder of how that democracy can be tested, Biden is expected to say, according to the adviser. Biden will also lay out then-President Donald Trump’s role in the ...

Sri Lanka declares moratorium on research ships for a year amid Indian concerns over Chinese vessels

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighborhood.Though the moratorium comes ostensibly for capacity building it is seen as a reaction to growing concerns in India.Foreign Ministry spokesman Niluka Kadurugamuwa told The Associated Press on Friday that the moratorium relates to all countries and will allow local researchers to build capacity be on a par with their foreign counterparts in joint researches.Chinese ships have docked in Colombo in recent years for research based on agreements between between agencies in China and Sri Lanka.Last October, Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 docked in Colombo port for several days, while in 2022 the navy vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka. There were fears in India that these vessels could be used to monitor the region.China has been trying to expand its influence in ...

Car crashes into home in North York sending 3 people to hospital

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

Three people were taken to hospital and a home is badly damaged after a car crashed through the walls of a townhouse in North York on Thursday night.Emergency crews were called to a townhouse complex on Parkway Forest Drive, just south of Sheppard Avenue, just before midnight.Toronto Fire says a vehicle crashed into the first floor of a home. Paramedics said five adults sustained minor injuries. Toronto police tell CityNews the driver of the vehicle and two people who were inside the home were brought to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The car involved remained at the scene and could still be seen inside the home as of early Friday morning. Police say both the home and vehicle have significant damage.A car crashed into the first floor of a home in a townhouse complex in North York. Five people were sent to hospital with injuries. CITYNEWS/Bertram DandyIt’s unclear how many people were inside the home, or inside the car, at the time of the crash.The collision also d...

7 weeks after train crash, CTA Yellow Line reopens early Friday morning

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

SKOKIE, Ill — Seven weeks after a CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a piece of snow-removal equipment, sending more than a dozen people to the hospital, train service has resumed.Scheduled service for the Yellow Line — also known as the "Skokie Swift," because it runs back and forth to Skokie — resumed Friday at 4:45 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to determine what caused the crash, but the CTA has still worked with the NTSB to put several interim safety enhancements in place, including lowering the speed that Yellow Line trains travel.Here are the the interim safety enhancements for the Yellow Line:SEE ALSO | Emergency brakes were activated before CTA Yellow Line collision with snow equipment, NTSB report suggestsReduced Travel Speeds: Yellow Line trains will run at reduced speeds of 35 miles per hour, down from 55 mph. They'll travel at 25 mph near the Howard Station on Chicago's North Side, where November's crash happened.Track Cleaning: Crews have power-w...

Chance for snow Friday night into Saturday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in the mid 30s Friday with mostly cloudy conditions. Winds: SE 0-5. High: 36. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here A chance for snow Friday evening with mostly cloudy conditions. Winds: SE 0-5. Low: 30. Skilling: Cloudy, chilly weekend ahead with possible snow coming to Chicagoland Saturday Forecast: Snowy at times—perhaps some mixed drizzle as the day proceeds. Modest half inch to inch and a half accumulations likely. Winds: ESE 0-5. High 36.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Illinois Lottery player on city's South Side wins $500K prize in latest Powerball drawing

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:05:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Nobody won Wednesday night's $20 million Powerball jackpot.But one lucky Illinois Lottery player on the city's South Side woke up Thursday feeling like a half-million bucks.A winning Powerball ticket of $500,000 for Wednesday's drawing was purchased at Jewel Osco, 443 E. 35th Street, in the city's Douglas neighborhood. The winner matched four numbers and the Powerball, plus they added the game’s "Power Play" feature to win the large prize.The winning Powerball numbers in Wednesday's drawing were 30-31-38-48-68, and the Powerball number was 8.The Jewel Osco that sold the winning $500,000 ticket will receive a 1% selling bonus, or $5,000.In total, almost 13,000 winning tickets were purchased by Illinois Lottery players for the Wednesday's Powerball drawing, netting players nearly $700,000 in prizes.The Illinois Lottery encourages all winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to claim their prize. Winners have one ...