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Gopher football: P.J. Fleck reflects on best catches during his tenure

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

P.J. Fleck called it a “loaded” question.On the spot Monday, the Pioneer Press asked the Gophers football head coach to come up with what he viewed as the best catches since he came to Minnesota in 2017.Daniel Jackson’s toe-drag reception on the side of the end zone to help beat Nebraska in last week’s season opener has certainly joined this short list.For starters, the U’s banner 11-2 season in 2019 was loaded with highlight receptions: Rashod Bateman’s one-handed touchdown against South Dakota State; Chris Autman-Bell’s back-of-the-end-zone grab vs. Fresno State; Demetrius Douglas’s two catches to convert out of a third-and-30 hole vs. Georgia Southern; and Tyler Johnson’s one-handed snag in the Outback Bowl vs. Auburn.Which other catches stand out?“Bryce Witham against Auburn,” Fleck said. “The one-handed catch might be the best one.”It was fourth and one and Minnesota led 31-24 in the fourth quarter in Tampa, Fla. The Gophers had called timeout. Interim offensive coordinat...

Giant Pumpkinfest returning to Saratoga Springs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saratoga Giant Pumpkinfest is returning to downtown Saratoga Springs on Saturday, September 23. The family-friendly festival is free and will be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center parking garage from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Visitors can observe an array of giant pumpkins, including some weighing over 1,000 pounds. There will be an official weigh-off at 11 a.m. Competitors will look to win the coveted title of "Heaviest Pumpkin of the Year" in addition to other categories and prizes.“We’re excited to host this family-friendly event as a kick-off to Saratoga County’s fall season of promotions for local farms and our agricultural sector. The fact that we get to host this at the City Center so that families who attend can also support our local economy and the shops, stores, and restaurants located here is awesome,” said Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president Todd...

Saint Rose hosting annual community service day

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The College of Saint Rose announced they will be hosting "Reach Out Saint Rose", their annual day of community service. The event will be held on September 9. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! After receiving their assignments, hundreds of Saint Rose students will spend the day assisting with a variety of projects across the Capital Region. Volunteers will take part in activities such as preparing meals, painting, picking vegetables and sorting recyclables. The participants efforts will help nearly 50 local service agencies, including the Boys and Girls Club, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society and the Regional Food Bank Farm. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Things to do in the Capital Region this weekend: September 8-10 “Our College draws from a long history of our founders, the Sisters of Saint Joseph, who, from their beginnings, went out into the world around them and sought out how they might b...

Annual 5K back in action along Lake George

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - This month, it's time for an amazing race along the shores of Lake George. The ADK 5K returns to the lake for its seventh year on Saturday, Sept. 16. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! As of Friday morning, fewer than 50 spots remain for registration for this year's race, which runs along the lake at two different points. The path starts from Adirondack Pub & Brewery on Canada Street and runs through Battlefield Park as it visits and leaves the lake. Everyone who finishes the run will get a pilsner glass and a custom pendant from the brewery.“We love this race because there is no other race in the world that has a more beautiful view coming out of the gates," said Carl Ewald, Executive Director of Great American Brewery Runs. "Lake George is the perfect backdrop for the race and for the finish line festival. There is no better way to end a run than with live music on the Adirondack Brewery lawn and enjoying...

Schenectady hammer attack suspect sentenced 22 years

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Schenectady man was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of five different charges. According to the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office, Demar Reinfurt, 43, assaulted a woman inside his apartment with a hammer, resulting in a depressed skull fracture. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! On March 27, 2020, Reinfurt used a hammer to assault a woman in his apartment, repeatedly hitting the victim on the head and hands. The victim suffered a depressed skull fracture and broken bones in both hands which required emergency surgery. The Schenectady District Attorney's Office says the assault occurred while the victim was locked inside his apartment. The apartment reportedly had a metal sliding gate which Reinfurt had locked, and soundproofed the windows. Around 11 p.m. that same day, the Schenectady County Unified Communications Center got a call from a female saying "unloc...

25 years later: Remembering Mark McGwire's record-setting 62nd home run

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Friday marks 25 years since Mark McGwire slugged his way into the MLB record books. On Sept. 8, 1998, McGwire crushed his 62nd home run of the season, passing a long-standing MLB record of 61 home runs in a season held by Roger Maris. The milestone night culminated a season-long battle between McGwire, Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa and Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. in a stretch dubbed by baseball enthusiasts as the 1998 MLB home run record chase or the "Summer of Swat." 30 years later: Remembering Mark Whiten’s four-home run game Big Mac won the hearts of baseball fans locally, nationally and worldwide as he came closer to the record, and he set the stage well to break it in Hollywood fashion. Home run No. 62 happened...In front of one of the season's largest crowds at Busch Memorial Stadium (43,688 fans)With McGwire's family cheering him on in front-row seatsOn a national FOX Sports broadcast that peaked at 43.1 million viewersOne night after the L...

Charges filed against St. Louis trio for assault of ex-boyfriend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY – Three west St. Louis residents are charged with assault for attempting to shoot the ex-boyfriend of one of the defendants.  Diamond Johnson, 22, Pierre Watson-Johnson, 20, and Michael Buress, 29, are all charged with assault. Watson-Johnson and Buress also face charges for having a gun during the assault. On August 31, 2023, in University City, police were called to Avalon Avenue and Sutter Avenue for a report of gunshots. They found a person with gunshot wounds who claimed his ex-girlfriend, Diamond Johnson, shot him. Police discovered shell casings at the scene.  Another hidden chamber found under downtown St. Louis sidewalk Johnson told police she contacted Pierre Watson-Johnson to confront the victim. Watson-Johnson then got Michael Buress, both armed with guns, and they went to the victim's place but didn't find him. They later spotted the victim at Avalon and Sutter avenues, where Buress shot at him. After the shooting, Buress and Watson-Joh...

St. Louis County man cleaning gun shoots neighbor's home

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

NORMANDY, Mo. – A resident of north St. Louis is facing charges after accidentally discharging a bullet into his neighbor's house while cleaning his gun. Israel Baruch, 24, has been charged with two misdemeanors, and the court has set a cash-only bond at $75,000.According to an investigation by the Normandy Police Department, on September 1, 2023, a woman was inside her home when she heard a loud crash.One of her sons investigated the source of the noise and discovered a bullet hole in their home. The police were called, and they determined that the bullet had likely originated from the neighbor's house. Police then contacted the neighbor, Baruch, who explained that he had been cleaning his gun with ammunition inside and had accidentally discharged a round. Another hidden chamber found under downtown St. Louis sidewalk “If you’re not going to practice firearm safety, then you have no business handling firearms. There is absolutely no reason why cleaning your gun should put a bulle...

Opinion: CU’s football team has a university that needs our help

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

This past Saturday, the University of Colorado’s football team gave us a moment to savor with its thrilling win over Texas Christian University. But as we raise our foam fingers in celebration, let’s also raise our awareness of the state’s lack of support for the university itself.Colorado has dropped the ball. The team we’re cheering for represents a state that’s forgotten the value of investing in its own future.In 1990, when the Buffaloes won the national championship, the yearly cost of in-state tuition for undergraduate students at CU Boulder was $1,842, a fraction of today’s $13,624. Back then, higher education was a steal; today, it’s more like highway robbery.Those increased tuition costs are filling a void left by decreases in state support. CU Boulder, Colorado’s flagship, is a public university.So it’s alarming that direct state funding now accounts for only 5% of CU Boulder’s total annual budget of $2.3 billion. The state currently provides $112.5 million – less than hal...

Broncos coach Sean Payton and QB Russell Wilson are learning to speak the same language — with the help of a translator

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:49 GMT

Even the most intense football coaches sometimes find themselves going through the motions.Sean Payton did at one point deep into a February stuffed full of coaching interviews.Call a guy, talk, say you’ll circle back.Bring a candidate to town, shake him down and size him up as efficiently as possible, send him on his way.Rinse, repeat.Then 28-year-old Davis Webb showed up at Denver’s training facility for a meeting with Payton and general manager George Paton about the quarterbacks coach job and the Payton almost caught and released one too many times.“You get into this routine after an interview,” Payton said recently. “You go, ‘Alright, let’s get him to the airport and on to the next one.’ I’m sitting and talking to George and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Why are we letting him leave? I know better.’ We called him up. Well, I called the driver up and brought him back and hired him.“I’m glad we did that.”The 2023 season in Denver, Payton’s first, will be measured in many different way...