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Needham Rockets top North Andover, soar into state championship game

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

WORCESTER — While Henry Bickford’s two hand slam was just another two points in his impressive stat line, it signified the start of a Needham celebration.Bickford poured in 23 points to go with nine rebounds and two blocks to lead No. 5 Needham to an impressive 60-43 win over No. 9 North Andover in a Division 1 state semifinal on Wednesday night at Worcester State.Needham (22-2) will play for its first state championship in program history versus No. 6 Worcester North this weekend.“Henry really stepped up tonight, you can’t ask for anything more from a senior. He had a different look in his eye pregame,” Needham coach Paul Liner said. “Our guys have just been so locked in. They’re coachable, they respect the game, and they know what it takes.”Throughout the night, Needham dominated at both ends of the floor, executing their actions on offense to near perfection while preventing the Scarlet Knights from garnering any sort of dribble penetrati...

Ravens free agency tracker 2023: RB Justice Hill re-signs, QB Tyler Huntley receives tender

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

Welcome to the Ravens’ free-agency tracker, which will be updated throughout the offseason.With the NFL’s new league year beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m., teams can officially announce signings and trades. Here’s a rundown of who the Ravens have agreed to sign, who they’ve lost and who’s still on the open market:Free agent additionsRunning back Justice Hill: The 25-year-old running back, whom the Ravens drafted out of Oklahoma State in the fourth round in 2019, is re-signing with Baltimore on a two-year, $4.5 million deal that could be worth as much as $5 million, his agent Andrew Kessler confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.Hill, who missed all of 2021 with a torn Achilles tendon, had his most productive year last season, with 262 yards on 49 carries to go with 12 catches for 58 yards in a career-best 15 games. He was also a significant part of Baltimore’s special teams, which included kick return duties.Cornerback Trayvon Mullen: The 25-year-old cornerb...

TikTok dismisses calls for Chinese owners to sell stakes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok was dismissive Wednesday of reports that the Biden administration was calling for its Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular video-sharing app, saying such a move wouldn’t help protect national security.The company was responding to a report in The Wall Street Journal that said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., part of the Treasury Department, was threatening a U.S. ban on the app unless its owners, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., divested. “If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access,” TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan said. “The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing.”The Journal report cited anonymo...

Thousands of LA school district workers to hold 3-day strike

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District will strike for three days next week over stalled contract talks and teachers will join them, likely shutting down the nation’s second-largest school system, it was announced Wednesday.The strike was set to begin Tuesday. It was announced at a rally by the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 teachers’ aides, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other support staff.United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing 35,000 teachers, counselors and other staff, has advised its members to support SEIU workers by refusing to cross picket lines.Teachers waged a six-day strike in 2019 over pay and contract issues but schools remained open.This time, schools would likely close and there wouldn’t be any access to virtual learning, Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said in an email to parents on Monday.“We would simply have no way of ensurin...

Adult, 3 kids die in fire in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — A house fire in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has killed an adult and three young children, authorities said Wednesday.The bodies of a 31-year-old adult and three children believed to range in age from 1 to 4 years old were recovered from the fire Tuesday morning in Sault Ste. Marie, the city’s police and fire chiefs said in a news release posted on Facebook.The police and fire departments were called to the scene shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.The names and exact ages of the victims were being withheld pending confirmation of identity and notification of next of kin, the police and fire departments said. The genders of the victims were not released.The cause and origin of the fire were under investigation, they said.Sault Ste. Marie, population 13,400, is at the northeastern tip of the Upper Peninsula, about 350 miles (563 kilometers) north of Detroit.___This story has been corrected to delete police chief’s comments about the gender of the ...

California regulators could decide oil profits penalty

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he wants state regulators to decide whether to impose the nation’s first penalty on oil companies for price gouging, pivoting after months of negotiations with legislative leaders failed to reach an agreement on a bill aimed at reining in the state’s notoriously high gas prices.Gas prices in California are always more expensive than the rest of the country because the state has higher taxes and fees than other states and requires a special blend of gasoline that is better for the environment but more expensive to make. But last summer, the average price for a gallon of gas in California was more than $2.60 higher than the national average — a difference state regulators said could not be explained simply by taxes and fees. Meanwhile, oil companies recorded supersized profits.Newsom, a Democrat, responded by asking state lawmakers to pass a law that would impose hefty fines on oil companies if their pro...

Maui businessman sued for $2M after grounding luxury yacht

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — A business owner whose luxury yacht ran aground and leaked diesel fuel into waters off the Hawaiian island of Maui last month is being sued for more than $2 million in damages by a trust that sold him the vessel. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Monday seeks at least $1.45 million for the loss of the yacht, which was supposed to be paid off over the course of 15 years, The Maui News reported. It also seeks at least $500,000 for salvage work and at least $500,000 for environmental damages. Kevin and Kimberly Albert, trustees of the Albert Revocable Trust in New Mexico, filed the lawsuit against Jim Jones, his company Noelani Yacht Charters and the ship captain. It says Jones and his company used the vessel “in a grossly negligent manner” for a personal trip without seeking the approval of the trust. The 94-foot yacht Nakoa ran aground in Honolua Bay on Feb. 20 after its mooring line snapped. Private contractors towed the ship out to sea, ...

Japan, S. Korea to mend ties at summit amid regional threat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will seek to overcome disputes over history and quickly rebuild security and economic ties when they meet later Thursday for the first summit in Japan between the two nations in more than a decade.Japan’s invitation for Yoon to visit followed South Korea’s announcement of a local compensation fund for Korean victims of wartime forced labor by Japanese companies that would not require Japanese contributions. The summit underscores their shared sense of urgency to form a united front on North Korea and China with their mutual ally, the United States.Hours before Yoon departed for Tokyo, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in open waters off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. The launch was seen as a protest by the North of the summit and ongoing training between the U.S. and South Korean militaries.The missile launch could increase momentum for T...

UN: South Sudan must halt fighting, move faster to elections

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday demanded an immediate end to all fighting in South Sudan and pushed for swift progress by the government to ensure that delayed elections are held peacefully and freely in December 2024.The council resolution, which was approved by a vote of 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, also extended the more than 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan until March 15, 2024.Last week, U.N. special envoy for South Sudan Nicholas Haysom, who heads the peacekeeping mission, called 2023 a “make or break” year for the world’s newest nation, which has been beset by civil war. Haysom told the council it’s possible the country can keep its commitment to hold elections in 21 months but only if there is political will. Most people would argue that at this stage that the political environment doesn’t exist “in which the country can withstand a robust political competition,” Haysom said.There were high hopes when oil-rich Sout...

Bears adding former Panthers QB PJ Walker, likely Justin Fields backup, report says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:27:22 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears are adding another former Carolina Panther to their roster in free agency.According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears have come to an agreement with free agent quarterback PJ Walker, likely cementing him as Justin Fields' backup at Soldier Field.Last season, Walker played 6 games in Carolina — making 5 starts — and threw for 731 yards through the air with 3 TDs and 3 INTs.Walker signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017 after coming out of Temple University as their program's all-time leading passer.Two years later, Walker found himself on the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL for their inaugural 2020 season. At the conclusion of the year, Walker finished first in passing yards (1,338) and passing TDs (15) before signing a 2 year deal with the Panthers in 2020.Of note, Walker arguably made the throw of the year last season to none other than wide receiver DJ Moore, the other now former Panther recently acquired by Chicago. What ...