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QB Phil Jurkovec’s homecoming season begins as Pittsburgh hosts Wofford

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

Wofford (0-0) at Pittsburgh (0-0), 3:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network)Line: None according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: First meeting.WHAT’S AT STAKE?Pitt welcomes former offensive coordinator Shawn Watson back to Acrisure Stadium when the Panthers open the season against Watson and the Terriers, an FCS program from the Southern Conference. The game is the lone contest Pitt will play this season against a non-Power Five conference (plus Notre Dame). Things ramp up quickly for the Panthers after Saturday. A misstep in the opener would be disastrous.KEY MATCHUPThe Panthers used a veteran offensive line to lean heavily on the run a year ago when RB Israel Abanikanda ran for 1,431 yards and 20 TDs. There is a smattering of new faces along the line but expect Pitt to try to use its size advantage against Wofford’s defensive front to help establish RB Rodney Hammond.PLAYERS TO WATCHWofford: RB Kyle Parsons can do a little bit of everything. He ran for 485 yards, caught 18 passes for ...

Baylor looks to snap skid in opener; Texas State makes debut for coach GJ Kinne

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

Texas State at Baylor, Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)Line: Baylor by 27 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Baylor leads 9-0.WHAT’S AT STAKE?Baylor gets a fresh start after losing its final four games last season, including a bitterly cold Armed Forces Bowl, to finish 6-7 a year after going 12-2 with wins in the Big 12 championship game and the Sugar Bowl. This is coach Dave Aranda’s fourth season. Texas State, after eight consecutive losing seasons with three different head coaches, plays its first game for 34-year-old GJ Kinne, the second-youngest FBS head coach. Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham is 33.KEY MATCHUPTexas State’s new wide-open spread offense against the Baylor defense. Kinne came from Incarnate Word, bringing offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich with him after the FCS Cardinals averaged 581 total yards and 51.2 points a game while going 12-2. There are a lot of unknowns with Texas State having 53 newcomers.PLAYERS TO WATCHTexas State: WR Asht...

Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect starting Friday

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect starting Friday.Source

Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia election subversion case and seeks to sever his case from others

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday and sought to sever his case from other defendants who are accused along with him of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set arraignment hearings for Trump and the 18 others charged in the case for Sept. 6. A court filing waiving arraignment means Trump won’t have to show up for that.The decision to skip an in-person appearance averts the dramatic arraignments that have accompanied the three other criminal cases Trump faces, in which the Republican former president has been forced amid tight security into a courtroom and entered “not guilty” pleas before crowds of spectators. Georgia courts have fairly permissive rules on news cameras in the courtroom, and this step means Trump won't have to enter a plea on television.An attorney for Trump also asked McAfee on Thursday to separate his case from those of defendants who ha...

Lionel Messi and two more MLS players called up by Argentina for World Cup qualifying

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Lionel Messi was among three MLS-based players to be called up by Argentina on Thursday for the opening rounds of South American World Cup qualifying.Thiago Almada of Atlanta United and Alan Velasco of FC Dallas were also included by coach Lionel Scaloni for games against Ecuador and Bolivia in September.The 36-year-old Messi joined Inter Miami in July and has already scored 11 goals for the club.World Cup champion Argentina will take on Ecuador at home on Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires, before playing Bolivia away in La Paz five days later.Argentina:Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), and Juan Musso (Atalanta).Defenders: Lucas Esquivel (Athletico Paranaense), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Marcos Senesi (Bournemo...

Dolphins agree to terms with fullback Alec Ingold on 3-year extension

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins signed fullback Alec Ingold to a three-year contract extension on Thursday.The deal is reportedly worth up to $17.2 million, which would make Ingold the highest-paid fullback in the AFC, according to Spotrac.com. Only San Francisco Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s five year, $27 million contract is worth more.Ingold signed with the Dolphins in 2022 and was set to become a free agent in 2024. He’s now signed through 2026.Ingold appeared in 17 games last season and caught 15 passes for 105 yards. His role as a blocker made him a key component in coach Mike McDaniel’s offense. He played 40% of Miami’s offensive snaps and 30% of special teams snaps.Miami also extended defensive lineman Zach Sieler this week, signing him through 2026 after he finished the 2022 season tied for fifth among all NFL defensive tackles with a career-high 70 tackles.The Dolphins have several players entering the final years of their contracts, mos...

What precautions should people take for Labor Day and back-to-school? A doctor explains

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

(CNN) — As families prepare to gather for Labor Day and children head back to schools, coronavirus cases are once again on the rise.Covid-19 hospital admissions are up more than 18% in the most recent week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some experts are encouraging a return to masking, especially for older adults and individuals most vulnerable to severe disease.With concerns that Covid-19 could spread as people gather, this has led to many questions about disease prevention: What virus prevention measures should those planning Labor Day events consider? As kids return to the classroom, should they mask? And how should families prepare for the possible confluence of the coronavirus, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (better known as RSV) that may occur this fall?To guide us through these questions, I spoke with our CNN Wellness medical expert, Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the ...

Tunisia yet to receive EU funds to stem migration, senior EU official says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

BRUSSELS – Tunisia hasn’t received EU funding yet to stop migrants coming to Europe, the chief negotiator of the controversial deal between Brussels and Tunis told EU lawmakers Thursday.It’s too soon to see a fall in boat crossings to Europe, said the director general of the EU’s neighborhood department, Gert Jan Koopman, adding that negotiations to unblock the funding have just begun. The European Commission hailed the controversial deal back in July as a template to curb migration from North Africa, leaving the door open to similar arrangements with Libya and Morocco. The agreement offers millions to Tunisia’s authoritarian government in exchange for help to block boats carrying migrants, after arrivals from the country to Europe rose five fold over the last 12 months. But for now, the EU’s cash is still frozen in Brussels.“Yesterday we actually hit it off at my level to make sure that this is brought forward as soon as possible,” Koopman told the European Parlia...

Healey Activates Guard To Help With Shelters

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

Facing a steady influx of migrants from other countries, Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday activated up to 250 National Guard members to provide basic services at emergency shelter hotels.Healey’s office announced the move Thursday afternoon, saying that her new executive order applies to locations that do not have a contracted service provider. Guard members next week will be assigned to hotels to ensure basic needs of families are met.The administration also said it is also launching regional rapid response teams to assist with overseeing shelter sites and serve as a direct contact to the administration to address any concerns.There are 6,000 families in emergency shelters and Healey has declared a state of emergency due to “rapidly rising numbers of migrant families arriving in Massachusetts, requiring the state’s emergency shelter system to expand in an unsustainable manner.”“We need all hands-on deck to meet this moment and ensure families have access ...

Man allegedly threatens, bites, attacks Shrewsbury officers with stolen Taser during investigation on Lake Quinsigamond

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:27 GMT

A 45-year-old man from Millbury is facing multiple assault charges after police say he assaulted two Shrewsbury officers on Lake Quinsigamond.The Shrewsbury Police Department said Lukasz Knutelski was taken into custody early Sunday morning after authorities were first called about a theft on the lake around 2 a.m.According to the police department, a Worcester resident reported that two jet skis were stolen from his dock on Lake Quinsigamond, and that he saw a suspect in a boat near Norcross Point in Shrewsbury with the jet skis in tow.Authorities went on to launch a police boat in search of the suspect, with two officers eventually finding a male subject on a boat by Bay View Drive and Canna Drive.“When the officers approached the suspect’s boat and attempted to board, the man immediately began acting erratically, yelling, and became assaultive towards the officers, including ordering a dog on board to attack the officers,” a news release from the police department sta...