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Column: With Justin Fields still sidelined, time is running out to make a case he’s the Chicago Bears QB of the future

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

Perhaps if the Chicago Bears were not in the Thursday night national television slot for the second time in five weeks, Justin Fields would have been able to give it a go against the Carolina Panthers.But coach Matt Eberflus announced undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will make his fourth consecutive start, saying Fields is not medically cleared to return from a dislocated right thumb after another limited practice session Wednesday.It’s a shame because the last time Fields was in prime time, he threw four touchdown passes and accounted for 339 yards in a 40-20 drubbing of the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field. That effort came a week after Fields also threw four touchdown passes in a loss to the Denver Broncos, becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to do that in consecutive games. Those eight TD passes account for nearly 23% of Fields’ career total.It’s a solid bet Fields will return for the Nov. 19 NFC North game at Ford Field against the Detroit Lio...

3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs at the GM meetings, including what rotation will look like after Marcus Stroman’s opt-out

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

The annual MLB general managers meetings lay the groundwork for the rest of the offseason.The Chicago Cubs’ unexpected hiring of manager Craig Counsell added a wrinkle to what should have been an otherwise normal beginning to free agency. But it didn’t change the mission this week for President Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office: getting an early feel for the free-agent market, the trade landscape and meeting with agents, including Scott Boras.As the Cubs prepare to formally introduce Counsell next week, here are three takeaways from the GM meetings.1. Craig Counsell’s departure to rival a surprise for Brewers GM.Thirty-six hours after the Chicago Cubs named Craig Counsell their manager, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold stated he was surprised by Counsell leaving Milwaukee for a division rival but still spoke highly of his friend.“From our perspective, it’s always been about people, that’s something Craig and I talked about a lot after working...

Eng lays out plan to eliminate MBTA slow zones by end of 2024

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

Taking aim at an issue that has plagued service for eight months, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng on Thursday rolled out a comprehensive plan to repair tracks across the system and lift all speed restrictions by the end of 2024.The proposal would deploy nearly two dozen multi-day closures of segments on each of the four subway lines over the next 13 months, ranging in duration from four days to 21 days.Implementing that many closures would represent an unprecedented level of disruption, but it also reflects far more advance notice than MBTA officials have provided to riders in recent years and puts an estimated endpoint on the stretches of slow travel that have hamstrung travel.Altogether, the plan involves 19 days of proposed diversions in November and December, then 188 days of proposed diversions in 2024 to lift all speed restrictions that currently blanket about 23% of the system. MBTA modeling estimates that work would eliminate a total of 86 minutes of current delays across all ...

As NFL fines mount, Ravens players join chorus of frustration with how league determines punishment

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

Patrick Ricard’s wallet could soon be $21,694 lighter.That’s the amount the Ravens’ veteran fullback was fined for unnecessary roughness two weeks ago for what looked to be a routine block on Cardinals middle linebacker Kyzir White as he helped clear the way up the middle for a 5-yard run by Gus Edwards near the Arizona goal line in the second quarter.It’s also what he says is “the cost of doing business” in the NFL these days, though he isn’t happy about it.“I’m trying to make my block. We’re on the 5-yard line,” Ricard said Sunday after the Ravens’ win over the Seahawks. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that my guy doesn’t make the play and I drive him backward. If my head gets involved, it gets involved.”Ricard said he is appealing the fine. His case will be assigned to one of the league’s two appeals officers, former linebacker Derrick Brooks or former wide receive...

Did you see it? Venus and the crescent moon levitate over San Diego

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The waning crescent moon accompanied by a bright Venus could be seen levitating over the San Diego region early Thursday morning.For those who rise before dawn, this celestial attraction could be received as an award for beating the sun to a new day.The moon and Venus hung about one-quarter of the way up into atmosphere as seen from Earth around 5 a.m., however, visibility of the pairing started around 3 a.m. across North America. Now that clocks are turned back, what time is sunset in San Diego? According to space.com, an online publication focused on astronomy and skywatching, the waning crescent moon was 15% illuminated by the sun during that time. Sitting less than a degree to its right, space.com explained that Venus was "'blazing at magnitude -4.4 or 15 times brighter than Sirius" -- the brightest star in the night sky. Some morning commuters may have even been able to see what painter Leonardo da Vinci described as "the old moon in the young moon's arms." Also...

The father of a dissident Belarusian novelist has been arrested in Minsk

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A prominent Belarusian dissident author who lives abroad said Thursday that his father was arrested on unclear grounds after police broke into his parents’ apartment.The seven police officers, armed with automatic weapons, also took electronics and data files from the Minsk apartment, said Sasha Filipenko. His father was taken away for detention, but no charges were immediately stated. The arrest appeared to be connected with the relentless crackdown on opposition by the government of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko for the past three years.The crackdown started after a wave of protests that arose in August 2020 following a disputed presidential election in which Lukashenko was declared the winner, giving him a sixth term in office. The protests lasted for months, the largest and most prolonged show of dissent since Lukashenko came to power in 1994 and began repressing independent news media and opposition.Filipenko, a popular novelist, bec...

Authorities search for Jan. 6 attack suspect who fled as FBI approached

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

HELMETTA, N.J. (AP) — Authorities were searching a central New Jersey neighborhood Thursday for a suspect in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol who fled as FBI agents approached his home.The FBI said it and other law enforcement agencies are looking for Gregory Yetman, who it said is “wanted in connection with the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.” It was not immediately clear what charges he faces in connection with the attack.“We will be in the area staging until Yetman is arrested,” the FBI’s Newark office said in a statement Thursday morning. The FBI has set up a command center at the local community center.The FBI was being joined by law enforcement officers from state, county and local police.Helmetta’s mayor, Christopher Slavicek, told the New York Times the search began at 8 a.m. Wednesday when FBI agents came to arrest Yetman, and he “fled and went off into the woods.”The mayor said there was “certainly a sense of heightened anxiety” in and around Helmetta as t...

Israel-Hamas war: Concordia University in Montreal condemns on-campus violence

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

MONTREAL — The president of Concordia University in Montreal is condemning the recent violence on campus linked to the Israel-Hamas war.Graham Carr says in a message to members of the university community that three separate acts of violence or intimidation occurred at the university Wednesday.Carr says two security guards and a student were injured in an altercation, swastikas were found on a university building, and a social media post from a student group could reasonably be interpreted as inciting violence. He says he is saddened and disgusted by these acts and that the university will work to identify those responsible. Montreal police say a 22-year-old woman was arrested at the university in connection with the altercation and released with a citation.Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant says the security guards and student were not seriously injured and that police are investigating. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2023.The Canadian Press

Parks, schools shut in California after asbestos found in burned World War II-era blimp hangar

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) — Parks and schools were closed Thursday in a Southern California city after officials found asbestos in the charred debris of an historic World War II-era blimp hangar.The city of Tustin closed at least nine parks and urged residents to limit outdoor activities to reduce their exposure to ash after asbestos was detected in preliminary samples of ash and debris. Schools were closed Thursday to ensure student safety in the Tustin Unified School District some 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. A Veteran’s Day event planned for Saturday was canceled.The blaze broke out early Tuesday at the massive wooden hangar, which was one of two built in 1942 by the U.S. Navy to house military blimps. The cause of the fire was under investigation.Southern California air quality regulators will continue to analyze samples from areas around the hangar for toxic gases and metals, the city said in a statement. The Associated Press

Top US accident investigator says close calls between planes show that aviation is under stress

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:11:13 GMT

The nation’s top accident investigator said Thursday that a surge in close calls between planes at U.S. airports this year is a “clear warning sign” that the aviation system is under stress.“While these events are incredibly rare, our safety system is showing clear signs of strain that we cannot ignore,” Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a Senate panel on Thursday.Homendy warned that air traffic and staffing shortages have surged since the pandemic. She said there has been a “lack of meaningful” training — and more reliance on computer-based instruction — by the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines. She said technology improvements could help avoid what aviation insiders call “runway incursions.”Representatives of unions for pilots and air traffic controllers and a former chief of the Federal Aviation Administration were scheduled to testify at the same hearing.The FAA said earlier this week that it will hold meetings at 16...