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Guregian: Patriots schedule is a doozy no matter which way you slice it

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

FOXBORO – Let’s face it, even though we now know the Patriots schedule, and which order they’re going to play each opponent, it doesn’t change the outlook all that much.Whether they start with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tom Brady night, and close out the regular season with the New York Jets, the degree of difficulty hasn’t changed.The schedule, which includes at least four primetime games, remains a doozy.It was going to be tough no matter which way the games wound up falling. The order is one thing. But the star power under center is another with two-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia’s budding star Jalen Hurts, and New York’s Aaron Rodgers included in the mix.Case in point, even sporting a top 10 defense, the Patriots have struggled against the elite quarterbacks in recent years. By extension, they haven’t fared particularly well against the NFL’s high-powered offenses.In 2023, they have to face a boatload of the NFL’s top QBs...

The Orioles’ defense hasn’t been what it was in 2022. They believe that’s starting to change.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

The 2022 Orioles were a winning team because of their defense. The 2023 Orioles, so far, have won in spite of their defense.A year after ranking in the top 10 in several defensive metrics, Baltimore ranks in the bottom 10 in many of them through their first 37 games of this season.Those numbers, however, have been improving in recent weeks, and it’s not just the spreadsheets that suggest the Orioles’ defense is finding its footing. Manager Brandon Hyde and some of the club’s most important defenders believe they’re turning a corner after a rough start.“I feel like we’re getting our feet up under us,” infielder Gunnar Henderson said. “We’re starting to see it come around and we’re seeing us making the plays that you see us normally make.”The Orioles (24-13) ended April with a minus-12 figure, according to FanGraphs, for defensive runs saved, which rates individual players as above or below average on defense. Nine game...

How Robert Williams’ return to starting lineup paid big dividends for Celtics in Game 6 victory

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — When the Celtics learned that Robert Williams would be returning to the starting lineup for Game 6 on Thursday, they didn’t hide their feelings.“I was excited,” Al Horford said.“I was ecstatic about it,” Marcus Smart said.They’ve been around long enough, and experienced plenty of games, to know how much Williams’ sheer presence on the floor – physically and emotionally – helps unlock the Celtics. After all, they reached the NBA Finals last season with this lineup for a reason.“He’s the kind of guy that brings a level of joy to his teammates,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.Mazzulla’s decision to start Williams over Derrick White as the Celtics faced elimination in Game 6 was somewhat bold, given the stakes. But it was needed. And it was even expected, according to Sixers coach Doc Rivers, who thought the change would come in Game 5.Maybe this series – which will head to Game 7 on Sunday after the Celtics’ 95-86 victory on Thursday – would have unfolded differently if...

Palestinian militants fire more rockets, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza despite cease-fire efforts

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The most violent confrontation in months between Israel and Palestinian militants continued for a third straight day on Friday, as Israeli warplanes struck targets in the Gaza Strip and militants fired rockets toward Jerusalem and southern Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side Friday, as foreign mediators pressed ahead with efforts to reach a cease-fire. The past few days of fighting have killed 31 Palestinians in Gaza and a 70-year-old man in central Israel. A burst of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip sent warning sirens wailing near the contested capital of Jerusalem, breaking a 12-hour lull that had raised hopes that Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations could soon be able to broker a cease-fire. Residents in Israeli settlements surrounding Jerusalem reported hearing explosions and seeing black smoke rising from the hills after an apparent missile interception. A rocket slammed into an open field in Bat Ayin, a settlement s...

Commerce Department starts process to fund tech hubs across the US with $500 million in grants

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Commerce Department on Friday is launching the application process for cities to receive a total of $500 million in grants to become technology hubs.The $500 million is part of a $10 billion authorization from last year’s CHIPS and Science Act to stimulate investments in new technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotech. It’s an attempt to expand tech investment that is largely concentrated around a few U.S. cities — Austin, Texas; Boston; New York; San Francisco; and Seattle — to the rest of the country. “This is about taking these places on the edge of glory to being world leaders,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told The Associated Press. “My job is to enhance America’s competitiveness.”The Biden administration has made it a priority to set an industrial strategy of directing government investment into computer chips, clean energy and a range of other technologies. Officials say that being leaders in those fi...

Pope joins Meloni in urging Italians to have more kids, not pets

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis joined Italy’s conservative premier on Friday in encouraging Italians to have more children, denouncing the financial precariousness facing young couples and “selfish, egotistical” choices that have led to a record low birth rate that is threatening the country’s economic future.Francis urged concrete political action to invert the “demographic winter,” which in population terms resulted in the disappearance of a city the size of Bari last year. Blasting couples who have pets instead of children, Francis called for resources to be dedicated to helping couples grow their families, saying it was necessary to “plant the future” with hope.“Let us not resign ourselves to sterile dullness and pessimism,” Francis told an annual gathering of pro-family organizations. “Let us not believe that history is already marked, that nothing can be done to reverse the trend.”Italy recorded a record low number of live births last year, 392,598, which combined with an elevated n...

NYC lawmakers approve bill that bans weight discrimination

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

(The Hill) - The New York City Council on Thursday approved a bill to ban height- and weight-based discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations in the state. The proposal, which the council passed by a 44-5 vote on Thursday, amends the city's administrative code to add a mention of both height and weight — both perceived and actual — among a list of protected categories. “It’s official! The New York City Council has voted to ban weight and height discrimination in NYC!” announced the nonprofit National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. The bill also has an exemption for “employers needing to consider height or weight in employment decisions” in some cases, where permitted by law or where the physical factors are key to “performing essential requirements of a job and no alternative is available” or where the criteria are “reasonably necessary for the normal operation of the business.”“People with different body types are not only denied jobs and promotion...

Adidas to sell some Yeezy shoes and donate proceeds to charities months after Kanye West split

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months wrestling over the fate of milions of unsold Yeezy shoes, Adidas said Thursday it will sell a portion of its remaining inventory and donate the proceeds to charitable organizations.The German sportsware company cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, in late October, following his antisemitic comments on social media and in interviews. Since then, the fate of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of the unsold Yeezys, a lucrative sneaker line launched with Ye, has been up in the air.At Adidas' annual shareholders meeting, CEO Bjorn Gulden said the company had spent months trying to find solutions. He said the company spoke to nongovernmental organization and groups that were harmed by Ye's comments and actions.“Burning those shoes cannot be the solution,” Gulden said, adding that Adidas will try to sell part of the remaining Yeezy inventory and “donate money to the organizations that help us and were harmed by what Ye said.” ...

Why Wisconsin's no-toll road solution may not work in Texas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As more energy-efficient and electric vehicles make their way into the American market, transportation departments across the country are grappling with one key question: How do we fund future infrastructure projects without a dependable gas tax?Currently, Texas collects 20 cents per gallon on gasoline and diesel fuels' sales, according to the Comptroller of Public Accounts. Billions of dollars in revenue collected go toward building and maintaining state highways, roads and bridges, as well as the state's Available School Fund for public education. Here in Texas, the state's toll road system also brings in significant revenues to support transportation infrastructure upgrades and improvements. But the Texas Department of Transportation's TxTag toll billing system hasn't gone without its own share of billing concerns.As electric-powered vehicles render the gas tax more obsolete, both states with and without toll roads are evaluating new techniques to collect funds to...

A popular Minnesota baitfish is in short supply. UMN’s golden shiner project hopes to help.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:25:39 GMT

Barry Thoele stands in front of one of his greenhouses near Staples, Minn. As part of the Minnesota Sea Grant golden shiner project, Thoele will grow baitfish right alongside his hydroponics system that grows lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and hot peppers. (Michael Johnson / Forum News Service)STAPLES, Minn. — Some Minnesota anglers could be skunked before they even hit the water for this weekend’s fishing opener with live bait supplies limited.Bait producer Barry Thoele, of Staples, blames record breaking winter kill as a major factor hurting bait supplies this spring. But the demise of the bait industry has been coming for years as minnow populations continue to shrink in the wild and in conventional farming practices that require overwintering in outdoor ponds, he added.Recent projections by bait dealers estimate a deficit of approximately 10,000 gallons of golden shiners annually in Minnesota. The golden shiner is a go-to bait for many walleye anglers, even as prices hang ou...