MALAGA, Spain (AP) — No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner won matches in singles and doubles to lead defending champion Italy to a 2-1 comeback victory over Argentina on Thursday, earning a return trip to the Davis Cup semifinals. “I’m here trying to do the best I can in the singles,” Sinner said. “If they put me on the court in doubles, I’ll also try my best.” On Saturday, Italy will face Australia in a rematch of last year's final, but this time it will only be for a chance to play for the championship. Australia eliminated the U.S. 2-1 earlier Thursday to reach the final four at the team competition for the third consecutive year. The other semifinal, to be contested Friday, is the Netherlands against Germany. The Dutch got past Rafael Nadal and Spain in the quarterfinals earlier in the week, sending the 22-time Grand Slam champion into retirement. Italy fell behind 1-0 in the quarterfinals when Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1 on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martina Carpena in southern Spain. But then in stepped Sinner, whose season already includes two Grand Slam trophies — at the Australian Open and U.S. Open — plus the title at the ATP Finals last weekend in Turin, Italy. First he overwhelmed Sebastián Báez 6-2, 6-1. Then Sinner teamed with 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the deciding doubles match to win 6-4, 7-5 against Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez. “He carried me today,” Sinner said about Berrettini. After arriving late to Malaga from Turin, Sinner did not get a chance to practice on the Davis Cup competition court before taking on Báez and stretching his streak to 22 sets won in a row. “In three minutes, he was perfectly comfortable on court,” Italy captain Filippo Volandri said. “He’s a special one.” Volandri swapped out his original doubles team, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, for Sinner and Berrettini, and the change paid dividends. Australia, the Davis Cup runner-up the last two years, advanced when Matt Ebden and Jordan Thompson beat the surprise, last-minute American pairing of Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4 in that quarterfinal's deciding doubles match. The Shelton-Paul substitution for Paris Olympics silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram was announced about 15 minutes before the doubles match began. Ebden and John Peers beat Krajicek and Ram in the Summer Games final in August. The Australians broke once in each set of the doubles. In the second, they stole one of Shelton’s service games on the fourth break opportunity when Ebden’s overhead smash made it 5-4. Thompson then served out the victory, closing it with a service winner before chest-bumping Ebden. The 21st-ranked Shelton made his Davis Cup debut earlier Thursday in singles against 77th-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis, who emerged from a tight-as-can-be tiebreaker by saving four match points and eventually converting his seventh to win 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (14). No. 4 Taylor Fritz , the U.S. Open runner-up, then pulled the Americans even with a far more straightforward victory over No. 9 Alex de Minaur , 6-3, 6-4. When their match finally ended, on a backhand by Shelton that landed long, Kokkinakis dropped onto his back and pounded his chest. After he rose, he threw a ball into the stands, then walked over to Australia’s sideline, spiked his racket and yelled, before hugging captain Lleyton Hewitt. “I don’t know if I’ve been that pumped up in my life. I wanted that for my team,” said Kokkinakis, who won the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles title with Nick Kyrgios. “It could have gone either way, but I kept my nerve.” AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Monday, Dec. 16 COLLEGE SOCCER (MEN’S) 8 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Vermont vs. Marshall, Championship NFL FOOTBALL 8 p.m. ABC — Chicago at Minnesota 8:30 p.m. ESPN — Atlanta at Las Vegas NHL HOCKEY 8:30 p.m. NHLN — Florida at Edmonton SOCCER (MEN’S) 3 p.m. USA — Premier League: West Ham United at AFC Bournemouth SOCCER (WOMEN’S) Noon FS2 — Final Draw For The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .Pick a social media platform and a fishing-related hashtag, say #patroutfishing on Instagram. It’ll turn up thousands upon thousands of posts. Anglers have long posed for photos with their latest and biggest catches, but the phenomenon of being able to pull out a smartphone and share your achievement globally is unique to the past 10 or 15 years. It’s something that’s been on Travis Pantaleo’s mind since the coronavirus pandemic drove so many of us into nature for socially isolated recreation — and it was the focus of his master’s research thesis in fisheries management at Oregon State University. Wednesday night, he brought his look into “Fish Out of Water” to Lost Tavern Brewing in Hellertown, as part of the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley’s Tap Talk series. “What impact, if any, does the use of social media have on recreational angling from a catch-and-release or even a mortality perspective?” is the question he posed. “And the reason that this is important is because some of your most dedicated anglers will do everything that they absolutely can to make sure that a fish swims off. But there’s still a 10% mortality assigned to any catch-and-release angling ... .” Numerous managers of fisheries across the United States offer tips — online, of course — on how to practice safe catch and release. The intersection of the internet and fishing isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Pantaleo said. Anglers can visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s GIS site for maps of trout streams; where-and-when details on the 4.4 million trout stocked this year in Pennsylvania, including 1.2 million stocked by cooperative nurseries that help raise trout for anglers to go out and catch; and more. Those who manage fishing can draw on information gleaned from social media to influence decision making on stocking and conservation, he said. Pantaleo admits to taking photos of some of the fish he catches while out on Cooks Creek in Upper Bucks or other local steams. But his research has shown the extra time to snap a shot can increase the risk to the fish. “When you go to take a photo, the chances are the percentage and times that you’re keeping that fish out of the water multiplies by 1.6,” he cited. “So keeping a fish out for 30 seconds just became 45. Keeping a fish out of water for 60 seconds just became a minute and a half. “And so it kind of extrapolates the possibility of harming that fish without even really thinking about it. And when you see a lot of photos online, they look pretty good. You know, if you’re anything like me, if you go take a picture of a fish, you’re rushing. Like for me it’s quick, it’s awful because the photo comes out really bad because I’m just trying to get it back in the water and I’m not a good photographer.” Pantaleo is a member of the Cooks Creek Watershed Association and a board member at the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, a nonprofit organization that encompasses 13 waterway groups in all. His research shows that the time a fish spends out of water, assuming it’s being released, can cause serious damage. “It’s not too different from if you were to try to hold your breath under the water for 60 seconds or more,” he said. “The only thing is where we would asphyxiate because we would take in too much water, fish kind of have the opposite: They have a large buildup of carbon dioxide. When they’re reintroduced into the water, to put it simply, the oxygen moves through their body so fast that it causes cardiac issues.” That sudden exchange can kill a fish, or cause difficulty righting or balancing itself, or lead to reproductive problems, Pantaleo said, voicing particular concern for native populations of brook or brown trout. “There can be injury to the fish,” Pantaleo said. “So depending on how you hook it, if you hook a fish relatively deep inside of its throat with its gills, there’s a good chance it’s going to swim away bleeding and ultimately die from loss of blood. You can scrape it, it can get infected.” Some examples of best practices for catch-and-release fishing include using barbless hooks, going with a silicone or rubber-mesh net instead of nets with knots, and wetting hands or gloves to reduce harm to the protective slime covering the fish’s skin. Anglers are good partners in conservation, said Stefanie Green, who coordinates the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley’s Tap Talk series. Rod and gun clubs promote coalition events. They organize stream cleanups. Pennsylvania’s fishing license sales estimated at 782,989 in 2023-24 help protect native species, conserve the outdoors and enhance waterways, according to Fish and Boat. Pantaleo cited examples of anglers calling others out on social media, over pics of fish that have been dropped or which are covered in dust or dirt. “And on the opposite side of that, you have other forums where people are very encouraging of folks to go out and experience this type of experience for themselves,” he told about 18 people gathered for Wednesday night’s Tap Talk. “So it goes back to that idea that social media can both be a positive and a negative.” The Watershed Coalition started its Tap Talks in spring 2019 at Birthright Brewing Co. in Nazareth. They’re held in conjunction with the Penn State Extension, whose master watershed steward coordinator for Lehigh and Northampton counties, Shannon Frankosky, was in attendance Wednesday. The series grew out of visits to local businesses that use Lehigh Valley water, and the talks don’t always take place at beer breweries. The members have held events at Portch Tea, a kombucha-tea maker in the Emmaus area; Taylor House Brewing Co. and Blocker’s Coffeehouse in Catasauqua; Seven Sirens Brewing Co. in Bethlehem; and Black River Farms Vineyard & Winery in Lower Saucon Township. “Give us something delicious with local water and we’re there,” said Green, who is president of the Bertsch-Hokendauqua-Catasauqua Watershed Association. For more tips on safe catch-and-release fishing, including to keep both the fight and the fish’s time out water as brief as possible, visit the websites of the National Park Service website or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is blunt in its recommendation: ” Photos can be so stressful. SKIP SOCIAL MEDIA! But if you feel you must get a picture, prepare for taking photos with your fish safely under the water surface. When lifting the fish out of the water, do it for 5 second intervals or less. Try to get the shot (within reason), but return your fish to the water for a rest between attempts. Take it slow down below.” More tips from keepfishwet.org include making sure your camera is easily accessible and ready to use and being mindful of conditions where a photo simply isn’t a good idea, like if the water is warm or the fish is deeply hooked. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat also offers a video on “How to Handle Fish for Safe Catch and Release”:
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was a happy man after seeing his team beat Dortmund 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Goals from Raphinha and a brace from substitute Ferran Torres secured a good win for the Catalans, leaving Flick to praise his side. “We can be very happy with what we did, as we believed. The first half was wonderful and in the second half, when they scored, we were stable,” he told reporters. “Suffering is not the right word. Dortmund played very well. They are fantastic players who have a very high tempo, but we did well. The goals happened because we made mistakes. We can always improve, but today I have to say congratulations to the team because they did great.” “The positive thing was the ball possession in the first half. We played calmly. When we made the changes with Fermín and Ferran they were direct.” Flick also played down fears about Raphinha after taking off the Brazilian in the second half and insisted his captain “is not injured.” Next up are games against Leganes and Atletico Madrid - two games which will see Flick forced to watch from the sidelines due to his two-game ban .
TEANECK, N.J. , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GC Biopharma USA , the commercial operations and distribution company of GC Biopharma, has announced the appointment of industry veteran, Sean Zam , to its senior leadership team as Head of Sales and Marketing. He comes to GC Biopharma USA with a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including extensive experience in plasma therapeutics. Sean has a proven track record of growing business and building lasting partnerships for companies such as Grifols, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer. Lisa Betts , Chief Operating Officer at GC Biopharma USA , says the following about Sean: "He's everything we'd hoped to find in a sales and marketing leader. He's authentic, earnest, experienced, and passionate about the IG industry. His core values align perfectly with the unique leadership team we are building." Sean shares his excitement: "When I joined the GC Biopharma USA leadership team, I was inspired by how differently they approach the business. It's not just about business; it's about relationships and the communities they serve. It was something I knew I wanted to be a part of." He adds: "I'm always struck by the strength and resourcefulness of patients who take the initiative to find answers, especially those living with rare diseases. It propels me to push harder. That's partly why I joined this growing team. It's a great opportunity to have a real impact." Sean Zam's appointment further contributes to GC's vision of establishing excellence within its US-based operations. About GC Biopharma GC Biopharma USA , headquartered in Teaneck, NJ , established its sales, marketing, and business operations in 2018 to serve customers and patients throughout the US. Our foundation is built on the expertise of our parent company GC Biopharma, a leading biopharmaceutical company delivering plasma therapies and vaccines worldwide for more than 50 years. With GC Biopharma USA , GC Biopharma will further extend its footprint, bringing its expertise and legacy to the US. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that express the current beliefs and expectations of the management at GC Biopharma and GC Biopharma USA . Such views do not represent any guarantee by either entity or its government of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. GC Biopharma and GC Biopharma USA undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements they may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. ©2024 GC Biopharma USA , Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ALY-C-0074 11/2024 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sean-zam-named-head-of-sales-and-marketing-at-gc-biopharma-usa-302314539.html SOURCE GC Biopharma USA Inc.
Seibert misses an extra point late as the Commanders lose their 3rd in a row, 34-26 to the Cowboys
Kraft Heinz Stock Slips As Analyst Lowers Price Target: Retail Mood SoursNew pro-European coalition approved in Romania amid period of political turmoil
Is He Serious? Trump Stirs Unease With Panama, Greenland PloysStock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week
President-elect Donald Trump's repeated support for TikTok has sparked speculation about potential solutions to prevent the app's impending ban in the United States, though the path forward remains unclear. "We got to keep this sucker around for a little while," Trump told supporters on Sunday, just days after meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Florida. Trump, who credits the wildly popular platform with delivering him a large young user base, opposes banning TikTok partly because he believes it would primarily benefit Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company behind Instagram and Facebook. The situation is complex, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, given the various potential solutions and Trump's unpredictable nature. Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation, signed by President Joe Biden in April, that would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. US officials and lawmakers grew wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access the data of TikTok's American users. Even with Trump's decisive election victory and incoming Republican-led Congress, acquiescing to the president-elect's desire and preventing the ban faces significant hurdles. The law enjoyed rare bipartisan support in a divided Washington, making its outright repeal through a vote in Congress politically unlikely even with Trump's influence over Republicans. The Supreme Court may offer the clearest path forward. TikTok has appealed to the nation's highest court, arguing the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech. The court, which is dominated by Trump-aligned conservatives, will hear the case on January 10, just nine days before the ban takes effect. This follows a lower appeals court's unanimous decision to uphold the law in December. Another possibility, according to Tobias, is that a Trump-led Department of Justice could determine ByteDance has addressed the law's national security concerns. However, such a move would likely be seen as caving to China by Congress and others. The final option is ByteDance selling to a non-Chinese buyer, though the company has consistently refused this possibility. With 170 million monthly active users, acquiring TikTok's US operations would require substantial resources. As president, Trump could extend the ban deadline by 90 days to facilitate a transaction. Few potential buyers have emerged, with major tech companies likely deterred by antitrust concerns. Former Trump Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, who runs a private equity fund backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, has expressed interest. During a recent event with Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son pledged to invest $100 billion in the US economy, though specific investments weren't detailed. Other contenders include US real estate billionaire Frank McCourt, who aims to make social media safer through his Project Liberty organization. Elon Musk, given his proximity to Trump and ownership of X, could also have a role to play, as he has expressed plans to transform the text-focused platform into something more like TikTok. A senior Republican lawmaker recently suggested Trump might orchestrate a "deal of the century" satisfying both US concerns and ByteDance's interests. The chairman of the US House committee on China, John Moolenaar, told Fox News Digital that once ByteDance accepts it must comply with US law, the situation could progress rapidly. Any agreement would need Beijing's approval, with US-China relations expected to remain tense during Trump's upcoming term. This isn't the first attempt to resolve TikTok's US status. In 2020, Trump also threatened a ban unless ByteDance sold its US operations. While Oracle and Walmart reached a preliminary agreement with ByteDance for ownership stakes, legal challenges and the transition to the Biden administration prevented the deal's completion. arp/mlm‘Really disgusting’: Surgeons probed over ‘operating on multiple TAC patients at same time’British Columbia business owner Joe Chaput will spend $5,500 a month on security guards during the holiday season and plans on upgrading his store’s video camera system for around $5,000 more. He’s not selling luxury brands or expensive jewels. Chaput sells cheese, and at Christmas, cheese is a hot commodity. He is the co-owner of specialty cheese store les amis du Fromage, with two locations in Vancouver. While cheeselifting is rare in their Kitsilano store, the outlet in East Vancouver is hit in waves, with nothing happening for a month, then three of four people trying to steal their inventory within a week. “Sometimes, you miss it. Sometimes, you catch it. The way shoplifters behave ... they tend to gravitate toward expensive things,” said Chaput. Expensive cheese is on shoplifters’ Christmas list, he said. “They tend to do the classic examples of staying away from customer service and trying to go to a different part of the store so they can be left alone to steal.” Chaput isn’t alone. Police say food-related crimes on are the rise in Canada and as prices climb for items such as cheese and butter, they become lucrative on the black market for organized crime groups, not to mention theft for local resale. Sylvain Charlebois, the director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-food Analytics Lab, said a black market tends to emerge as soon as food prices surge. “Organized crime will steal anything (if) they know they can sell it and so, they probably would have known who their clients are before even stealing anything at all, and that’s how a black market is organized,” said Charlebois. He said he believes there are two categories of people shoplifting — those who do so out of desperation because they can’t afford the food, or organized criminals, profiting from sales on the black market. Mounties in North Vancouver made cheesy headlines when they ran into a man with a cart of stolen cheese in the middle of the night in September. The cheese, valued at $12,800, was from a nearby Whole Foods Store. While the cheese was recovered, it had to be disposed of because it hadn’t been refrigerated. Const. Mansoor Sahak, with the North Vancouver RCMP, said officers believe cheese is targeted because it’s “profitable to resell.” “If they are drug addicts, they will commit further crimes with that or feed their drug habits. It’s a vicious cycle,” said Sahak. Sahak said meat is also a top target for grocery thieves, with store losses sometimes in the thousands. “So, we’re not surprised that this happened,” said Sahak. Police in Ontario have been chasing down slippery shoplifters going after butter. Scott Tracey, a spokesman with Guelph Police Service, said there have been eight or nine butter thefts over the last year, including one theft last December worth $1,000. In October, two men walked into a local grocer and filled their carts with cases of butter valued at $936, and four days later a Guelph grocer lost four cases valued at $958. Tracey said he has looked at online marketplaces and found listings by people selling 20 or 30 pounds of butter at a time. “Clearly, somebody didn’t accidentally buy 30 extra pounds of butter. So, they must have come from somewhere,” said Tracey, “I think at this point it appears to be the black market is where it’s headed.” He said the thefts seem to be organized, with two or three people working together in each case. Police in Brantford, Ont., are also investigating the theft of about $1,200 worth of butter from a store on Nov. 4. Charlebois said retailers could invest in prevention technologies like electronic tags, but putting them on butter or cheese is rare. He said up until recently grocery store theft has been a “taboo subject for many years.” Stores didn’t wanted to talk about thefts because they didn’t want to alarm people but now they feel they need to build awareness about what is “becoming a huge problem,” said Charlebois. Chaput, the cheese store owner, said he had been running the East Vancouver store for 15 years while managing the store in Kitsilano for 30 years, and he loves his customers. “It’s really one of the best parts of our businesses, seeing familiar faces and making new customers. It’s why we come to work, really. Partly it’s the cheese, and partly it’s the people,” said Chaput. He said his strategy to combat would-be thieves is to give them extra customer service to make it harder for them to steal. He admits, however, that the shoplifting causes him stress. “It’s challenging. You’re busy trying to run your business day to day and take care of customers and take care of employees. Having to deal with criminals, just kind of scratches away. It can be a bit exhausting,” said Chaput.
The Chicago Bears are 4-6 going into their Week 12 matchup as 3.5-point home dogs against the 8-2 Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are 6-4 at Soldier Field over the last 10 years, and 5-5 against the spread. The Vikings are one of the best teams in the NFL against the spread with a record of 7-3. However, they've only covered three of their five road games. Over their last four games, the Vikings have looked beatable. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams by 10, beat the Indianapolis Colts by eight, beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by five, and beat the Tennessee Titans by 10. In that same stretch, quarterback Sam Darnold has thrown for seven touchdowns against five interceptions. Bears On Tap talked through the Vikings' roster and how the Bears could attack them. Before the season kicked off, we spoke with Arif Hasan , the Chief Writer for WideLeft.Football, about the Vikings' strengths, weaknesses, and how the Bears should attack their roster. Both episodes are available on YouTube , Apple , and Spotify . Our conversations led to these concepts for the Bears' victory on Sunday. 3. Let Playmakers (Specifically DJ Moore) Make Plays Last week, the Bears got the ball to DJ Moore in space and let him work. That resulted in one of his more efficient games of the season, catching all seven targets for 8.9 yards per target . When the Bears let Moore work in space, it makes Caleb Williams and the entire offense's lives easier. It creates more space for Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and Cole Kmet to capitalize on. Moore is arguably the best offensive player on the team. Get him the football and let him make plays. Last season, Moore caught 16 of 21 targets for 165 yards in two games against the Vikings. That stat line included a lot of screen passes and short-game targets to make him a ball carrier with numbers in space. While a return of the Luke Getsy "screen them to death" isn't ideal for Chicago, it's not a reason to throw away the entire game plan. Take some of what worked against the Vikings last year and use it with a new quarterback with a much quicker release. 2. Manage the Blitz ANDREW VAN GINKEL DOES IT AGAIN #skol #vikings pic.twitter.com/UV1ZgVPiim Against a Brian Flores defense, the blitz will get home at times. It's inevitable. Caleb Williams is going to take some hits in this game. No matter who the Vikings play on a week-to-week basis, their ability to hit the passer is constant. The key for the Bears will be managing the Vikings' attacking fronts and limiting the damage. The Vikings blitz more than any other NFL team at a rate of 37.7%. They also pressure the quarterback more than any other NFL team, impacting the passer on 29.6% of dropbacks. It's not just pressure though. The Vikings have generated three or more sacks in eight of ten games this season. Expect to see the Vikings attack heavily up the middle. If they bring more pressure from the outside, Williams should be able to manage the situation. It'll be a tall task for the Bears' interior blockers and running backs to keep the interior protection strong against A-gap pressures and interior stunts. Meanwhile, it'll be on Williams to process pre-snap as well as post-snap to manage the situation and get the football out when the Vikings bring the heat. Flores will throw him plenty of change-ups to force errors. 1 . Caleb Williams Needs to Play Chess with Brian Flores Brian Flores might be the most difficult defensive coordinator in the NFL to gameplan against. He doesn't want to play chess with the opposing play-caller , he wants to play chess with the opposing quarterback. Flores will force opposing quarterbacks to address what the defense is showing. Quarterbacks who can read what the defense is showing pre-snap, process what they can get into post-snap, and execute on those answers have a chance against Flores. On Sunday, Williams needs to prove he can process at a high level for the Bears to win. Within that, he'll need to find outside-the-box answers at times. One thing that can break Flores' defense is timely athletic playmaking. If Williams leans on his playmaking abilities too heavily though, it'll likely end in mistakes against the exotic fronts and shifts that the Vikings rely on. Balance is key here, between winning in structure and outside of structure. Bears Players to Watch DJ Moore: Moore's ability to make plays after the catch will be important for the Bears to beat the blitz and generate chunk gains. Kevin Byard : The Bears should align safety help over Justin Jefferson at all times, especially because Jaylon Johnson had issues following Jefferson in the slot in the past. Byard will be the key to limiting Jefferson, who is the best receiver in football. Gervon Dexter Sr: The Bears need to stop the run to force the Vikings out of their play-action comfort zone. Sam Darnold is a different quarterback in a true dropback offense. Dexter's presence and ability to be a difference-maker in the run game will be paramount for the Bears' defense. This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.
The organisers of a Christmas market in said they were 'devastated' after Storm Bert tore through the site forcing it to partially close. The county has been with 'significant damage' caused to part of the market after a marque was destroyed and two huts and mini golf damaged. The storm brought chaos to Kent, from fallen trees on the road, to travel being disrupted. After being shut on Saturday (November 23) and Sunday (November 24), the organisers of this year's Canterbury Market made the decision to close again the huts in the Cathedral Precincts for public safety reasons on Monday (November 25). Both the other sections of the market will remain open. A spokesperson said: "After an onsite meeting this morning (November 24) it was determined that we would remain shut in the Cathedral Precincts for public safety reasons and this proved the correct call because there was risk to life. Teams have worked hard to secure the marquee, continuously checking and rechecking, but Storm Bert had other ideas. "Sadly, Canterbury Marquees have had one of their marquees ripped apart in the storm. This has also caused damage to two huts, the mini golf, decor and furniture, it has been devastating, but our primary concern is, and will always be, the safety of visitors, stallholders and our team and thankfully no one has been hurt." The organisers of the market and the Canterbury Marquees' team are set to be on site first thing on Monday to assess and clear the damage caused by the storm. The Christmas Market spokesperson said: "We would like to state that there is no damage to the cathedral or any of the buildings.We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and understanding. We’ve read all of the kind messages, texts, emails and social media posts and all we can say is thank you "We would especially like to thank Canterbury Cathedral’s team for their understanding and the support they and the Cathedral’s constabulary have given us, as well as our team and the amazing KFRS who attended and assisted our team in minimising further risk. "Thank you to our team who have gone above and beyond in the last 48 hours, including those team members in the other sections who have worked tirelessly to ensure the Christmas Market remains open and an enjoyable place to visit. Also thank you to the carousel’s team who provided onsite support." Local business Jey's Heavenly events said it has lost three days of trading due to the storm. A spokesperson said: "A lot of damage has been done to some of the huts and the amazing marquee that the incredible team had worked so hard to make what it was. "So many of us little businesses and the events team have put our all into this and spent months planning, spending and prepping, so it's been really sad this happened." The team intend to reopen the section by Tuesday (November 26). "we know stallholders would greatly appreciate your support to help them overcome this horrendous weekend," they said. Bert also left its mark in Hersden, a village near Canterbury, where a community association was preparing for its Christmas fair next week and has been forced to launch a fundraiser after its marquee was damaged beyond repair. The fundraiser page, set up on behalf of The Hersden Neighbourhood Centre Association, said: "The centre is honestly beyond words, in the 14 years we've never had a problem as great as this. Especially with six days before our biggest event of the year (Christmas fair). This extreme weather has damaged our marquee well beyond repair, despite it being strapped down securely. To make it worse we've just paid out." The page has a £2,000 target. They have raised £265 as of Sunday night (November 24).Jaland Lowe, Pitt charge past LSU in second half to move to 6-0Sports on TV Monday, Dec. 16
House approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minorsThe last six years have landed Canadian Kurtis Rourke firmly in the U.S. college football limelight. The 24-year-old Oakville, Ont., native will lead the upstart Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) into South Bend, Ind., to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) on Dec. 20 to open American university football's expanded playoff bracket. Rourke transferred to Indiana last December to boost his NFL draft stock after five years at Ohio University, where he began as a backup to his older brother, Nathan, then captured the 2022 MAC offensive player of the year award despite suffering a season-ending knee injury before heading to Indiana after the 2023 season. A win over Notre Dame would extend Indiana's stellar campaign while a loss would mark the end of Rourke's collegiate career. "Having six years is something not many people can say," Rourke told Canadian reporters Wednesday. "(It has been) very much a roller-coaster but I'm just grateful. "I've had four surgeries in college and only missed a handful of games. That's the biggest thing I come back to, that I've been so lucky to still play and have an opportunity to play (maybe) four more games and hopefully at a professional level." The six-foot-five, 223-pound Rourke will be eligible for the '25 NFL draft. Rourke has played a big role in Indiana — traditionally known as a basketball school — emerging as a Big Ten contender in head coach Curt Cignetti's first season. Rourke completed 202-of-287 passes (70.4 per cent) for 2,827 yards with 27 TDs and just four interceptions in 11 games and last week was named a finalist for the Manning Award, given annually to American college football's top quarterback. The only blemish on Indiana's record was a 38-15 loss to Ohio State before 105,751 spectators in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 23. Rourke was eight-of-18 passing for 68 yards in that contest and sacked five times. It's that experience Rourke and the Hoosiers are drawing upon as they prepare to visit Notre Dame Stadium, which has a seating capacity of roughly 77,000 but held 84,000 spectators for a 2018 Garth Brooks concert. "I don't know if it will be as crazy or as hostile an environment as Ohio State ... but I do expect it to be a pretty good environment," Rourke said. "We have some plans in place with the silent count if we need at any point to go to ... but ultimately just learning from the experience of Ohio State to handle it individually as well as an offence." Former CFL player Tino Sunseri is Indiana's quarterback coach/co-offensive co-ordinator. Sunseri spent three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2013-15), winning a Grey Cup as a rookie. Reaching the expanded playoff format in Cignetti's first season is a huge accomplishment for Indiana. But the school reportedly added 31 players via the transfer portal before the 2024 campaign. When asked how he appealed to incoming players, Cignetti said, "It's pretty simple, I win. Google me." Cignetti came to Indiana after posting a 52-9 record over five seasons at James Madison. Rourke said Hoosiers' players draw inspiration from their brash head coach. "Seeing your head coach on a national stage say what he said, 'Google me,' ... that just shows how confident he is in himself and the coaches," Rourke said. "And that just makes us feel like, 'Yeah, we're coming along with you coach.' "As the season went on we were like, 'Yeah, we can do this.'" Rourke suffered a right thumb injury that required surgery in Indiana's 56-7 win over Nebraska on Oct. 19. Fortunately, he missed only one start (31-17 victory over Washington) and returned to throw four TD passes in 47-10 decision over Michigan State on Nov. 2. "My thumb feels 100 per cent now," Rourke said. "It was hard missing that Washington game ... but I knew the team would have my back." It's no surprise Rourke has leaned upon his brother throughout his college tenure. The two are very close and Rourke said he began playing quarterback after watching Nathan do so growing up. Nathan Rourke rejoined the Lions in August after spending time in the NFL with Jacksonville, New England, Atlanta and the New York Giants. "We've been able to talk about ball but (also) life," the junior Rourke said. "Just having someone who's done it, who's been through the college experience, been through the NFL experiences and now the CFL to learn from and also bounce questions off him, it's been quite beneficial to have him in my corner." Rourke has hired an agent — Octagon's Casey Muir — and will work out this off-season in Fort Myers, Fla. As of Wednesday, Rourke said he's not been invited to the NFL combine, which begins Feb. 27 in Indianapolis. "I'd love to get an invite to the combine," he said. "That was one of my goals, honestly, when I got to college, which seems forever ago. "That would be awesome." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024. Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
Dear President John Mahama, Since Raymond Archer was mentioned as a member of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team, he desisted from being an adult and has slipped back into the bad mode of a child who is ranging from whining and crying to screaming, kicking, hitting, and breath-holding spells against the magnate businessman, Dr Daniel Nii Nshia Mckorley, also known as McDan. Sir, you have an opportunity to leave a great legacy and laurel for this nation. We voted you into power again so that you can hear the cry of the youths and meet the needs of the suffering Ghanaians. Your win is not only NDC’s, and it is not a chance for some people engage in contemptuous utterances, cast aspersions or threats at others. Instead, it was a win for all floating voters, the poor, the needy and the hungry. When you were soliciting for prayers and support from the church and the mosque, we did not see you as villifier, but a Christian politician who, given a second chance, will judge his people with justice, fairness and righteousness for peace and progress to prevail. Unfortunately, some of your lead members like the embittered Raymond Archer, have started the vilification menace which is paroxysmal to your character, plan and vision for nation building. Raymond Archer is so displaying temper tantrums that if he can’t get his own way, he will blowout hissy fits against McDan. He’s already paddying information loaded with lies and fabrications against McDan, someone who rather has saved Raymond’s life and reputation again and again. Sir, McDan and his business, as you know, have suffered more political reviling situation than any local investor. They started by tagging his business as either NDC’S or NPP’S. He has endured years of contempt and vilification from politicians who engineered threats around his business to affect investor relations. The two Ewe brothers: Raymond Archer and his cousin, Yao Graham, should be told that they must not see McDan as an easy prey because he is a GaDamgbe and must not take McDan’s silence as cowardly guilt. McDan can also be posting abusively disparaging speeches or writings on social media or publish his uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration, typically like a young child in the media space. Raymond Archer and Yao Graham, are two Ewe brothers and not more Ghanaians than McDan, but as a strong SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHRISTIAN and a cherished reader of Ellen G. Whites writings, he knows that “The highest evidence of a Noble Christian is Self Control”. The God who fought his battles in the tenure of the New Patriotic Party will defend his defendless head in the period the National Democratic Congress Party will be in power. We pray thee President John Mahama, as a priest and a politician, kindly deal with those political pillorists before they, from their hidden animosities and animalistic tendencies fulminate against your political legacy, caprices or many messages delivered as political guidance from the pulpits. We congratulate you, wish you well and God Bless You JESUITS OF GADAŊMEJets' Ulbrich says Rodgers 'absolutely' remains the team's starting quarterback