gstar28 legit Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has surprised Gary Neville with the level of his performances this season under Arne Slot ’s management. Gravenberch was signed by Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp from Bayern Munich for £34million in September 2023, but didn’t make an impact last season. Since Slot took over in the summer, Gravenberch has emerged as a real force in the midfield for Liverpool , who are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after 11 games. He has surprised Neville along with Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who has been exceptional in front of goal so far, and Ipswich forward Liam Delap, who has taken to top-flight football like a duck to water. “Gravenberch is a massive surprise with how well he has played at the start of the season [for Liverpool],” Neville said on The Overlap . “I don’t think anyone expected him to be as good as he has been in that position [in midfield]. Curtis Jones has been very good too. “Chris Wood with eight goals has got to be in the top three, Liam Delap with six goals for Ipswich. I’m not surprised by Danny Welbeck, he’s very good – his current form is better than any current [Manchester] United front player this season. Morgan Rogers at [Aston] Villa could be top notch. “I’d go Wood number one, Delap number two and Gravenberch in three.” Wood is currently joint second-top scorer in the Premier League along with Mohamed Salah and Bryan Mbeumo, with the trio behind only Erling Haaland , who has 12 goals so far this season. Joining the conversation, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright had a few other names to put into the mix. “I like the way Liam Delap has come up – we should mention Antoine Semenyo at Bournemouth as well,” he said. “Carlos Baleba at Brighton – he was unbelievable against [Manchester] City. Two years ago, he was at Lille, now Brighton has found another one [player]. “We also need to mention [Yoane] Wissa and Mbeumo – Ivan Toney’s gone, and they’ve just ploughed through. They’ve not missed him (Toney) at all.” Gravenberch made 26 appearances in the Premier League in 2023/24, but only 12 of those were starts, with fellow new arrivals Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai more prominent. The Dutchman has connected with Slot, who has got the best out of him by handing the ex-Ajax man more responsibility. "There were sometimes matches in which I had only touched the ball once after five or six minutes. Then you don't get into your game. Now I get the ball more, then you get more comfortable," Gravenberch said earlier this season. "He just saw this. In the end it worked out well.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Diversity statements will no longer be used in University of Michigan faculty hiring, promotion and tenure, a move applauded by critics who have called the practice "litmus tests" that limit diversity of thought while diversity advocates said the process was "preordained" and dishonest. Provost Laurie McCauley announced the decision Thursday based on a recommendation from a UM faculty working group to end diversity statements. But the recommendation is "deceptive," coming after the regents rejected a previous recommendation to keep the diversity statements, a faculty leader said. Diversity statements are documents written by faculty job candidates that let applicants explain to a search committee the distinct experiences they would bring to the university along with their commitment to diversity. The statements help search committees identify applicants "who have professional skills, experience and/or willingness to engage in activities that would enhance campus diversity and equity efforts," according to a University of California at San Diego statement referenced by UM's Center for Research on Learning & Teaching. McCauley's announcement came hours before the Board of Regents is scheduled to meet and a protest is planned beforehand at UM President Santa Ono's house. Many in the UM community are concerned the regents may dismantle a multimillion dollar diversity, equity and inclusion effort built after the school was at the center of a decade-long national debate around affirmative action in higher education, and DEI programs have been under attack across the nation.. "Diversity, equity and inclusion are three of our core values at the university," McCauley said in the University Record, an internal UM publication for faculty and staff, in announcing the end of diversity statements. "Our collective efforts in this area have produced important strides in opening opportunities for all people. As we pursue this challenging and complex work, we will continuously refine our approach.” But there is more that happened in this process, UM Faculty Senate Chair Rebekah Modrak wrote on the University Record page under the announcement. After the regents called for diversity statements to be banned last summer, McCauley formed a faculty committee to review diversity statements in the spirit of shared governance that came up with a different recommendation, Modrak wrote. "My understanding is that the committee’s first report recommended that the use of diversity statements should be up to each unit, a recommendation that honors our decentralization, independence, and academic freedom," Modrak wrote. "The Regents rejected that report and central leadership didn’t support their own faculty committee. Sending a committee back to work to give a second report with preordained results is neither honest nor respectful of faculty expertise. The University Record’s erasure of the Regents’ autocratic hand in this process is also deceptive." Regents will not vote on the provost's action, but may discuss it during the meeting, said Regent Sarah Hubbard, one of two Republicans on the eight-member UM board. "I applaud the provost for ending the practice of requiring diversity statements," said Hubbard. "This policy change removes a barrier to diversity of thought on campus by eliminating the ideological litmus test." No action is expected during Thursday's meeting around other DEI issues, added Hubbard, who previously said the regents have been looking for a long time at the university's DEI efforts and want to realign funds closer to student scholarships. Any budget decisions wouldn't happen until next year when budgetary decisions get made, she said. Even so, hundreds of students, faculty and staff demonstrated on campus earlier this week to show support for the university's DEI programs, and others are planning to attend the protest organized by UM's Black Student Union before the regents meeting and show up to the official meeting. UM's decision to discontinue diversity statements came after the statements were also eliminated in May at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in June at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. In June, UM's provost charged the eight-member faculty working group to examine diversity statements, though the university did not have an institutional policy on the statements but units did have the discretion to ask for them. The working group recommended the end of the statements after reviewing other policies and surveying more than 2,000 faculty members. “Critics of diversity statements perceive them as expressions of personal identity traits, support of specific ideology or opinions on socially-relevant issues, and serve as a ‘litmus test’ of whether a faculty member’s views are politically acceptable,” the working group wrote in its report. “Thus, as currently enacted, diversity statements have the potential to limit viewpoints and reduce diversity of thought among faculty members.” The working group said it acknowledged the concerns. "But, well-written diversity statements do not necessarily require expression of one’s identity, and they need not express one's beliefs or stances on socially-charged issues," the working group wrote. "Instead, well-written diversity statements contain reflections of how identity has shaped a faculty member’s approach with their students, how they work with their colleagues, and how they interact with society. These are desirable features of current and future U-M faculty members, and this information should be considered when potential faculty are hired and current faculty are promoted." The work group also offered two other recommendations, including that the university "can and must" incorporate of content about DEI into teaching, research and service statements. "Through this incorporation, the problematic features of diversity statements can be eliminated, while the useful and necessary information that exists in diversity statements can be saved and placed where it more naturally belongs," the group wrote in its report. However, UM did not adopt those recommendations. UM's decision to discontinue diversity statements followed other steps the university has taken in recent months that supporters said will create an environment that expands diverse views on campus. They include the regents' controversial adoption last month of a policy on institutional neutrality that prohibits some officials from taking public stances on political and social issues not related to the internal governance of the university. Last month the Faculty Senate passed a resolution censuring the Board of Regents and accusing the regents of "increasingly exhibiting authoritarian tendencies, and silencing free speech. ©2024 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Robert Braswell scores 19 to help Charlotte earn 77-63 victory over Georgia StateINCLINE VILLAGE, Nev., Dec. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE:TPH) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to $250 million of common stock through December 31, 2025 (the “Repurchase Program”), which succeeds the stock repurchase program that the Board of Directors authorized in December 2023 (the “2024 Repurchase Program”). For the fourth quarter through December 17, 2024, under the 2024 Repurchase Program, the Company repurchased 1,202,913 shares of common stock at a weighted average price per share of $41.57 for an aggregate dollar amount of $50.0 million. For the full year through December 17, 2024, under the 2024 Repurchase Program, the Company repurchased 3,964,537 shares of common stock at a weighted average price per share of $36.97 for an aggregate dollar amount of $146.6 million. Purchases of common stock pursuant to the Repurchase Program may be made in open market transactions effected through a broker-dealer at prevailing market prices, in block trades, or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws, including pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company is not obligated under the Repurchase Program to repurchase any specific number or dollar amount of shares of common stock, and it may modify, suspend, or discontinue the Repurchase Program at any time. Company management will determine the timing and amount of any repurchases in its discretion based on a variety of factors, such as the market price of the Company’s common stock, corporate requirements, general market economic conditions, legal requirements, and applicable tax effects. About Tri Pointe Homes® One of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. (NYSE: TPH) is a publicly traded company operating in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and is a recognized leader in customer experience, innovative design, and environmentally responsible business practices. The company builds premium homes and communities with deep ties to the communities it serves—some for as long as a century. Tri Pointe Homes combines the financial resources, technology platforms and proven leadership of a national organization with the regional insights, longstanding community connections and agility of empowered local teams. Tri Pointe has won multiple Builder of the Year awards, was named to the 2024 Fortune World’s Most Admired CompaniesTM list, is one of the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® and was designated as one of the PEOPLE Companies That Care® in 2023 and 2024. The company was also named as a Great Place To Work-CertifiedTM company for four years in a row (2021 through 2024), and was named on several Great Place to Work ® Best Workplaces lists (2022 through 2024). For more information, please visit TriPointeHomes.com . Forward-Looking Statements Various statements contained in this press release, including those that express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our strategy, projections and estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects and our future production, land and lot sales, operational and financial results, including our estimates for growth, financial condition, sales prices, prospects, and capital spending. Forward-looking statements that are included in this press release are generally accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or other words that convey future events or outcomes. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and we disclaim any obligation to update these statements unless required by law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. The following factors, among others, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements: the effects of general economic conditions, including employment rates, housing starts, interest rate levels, home affordability, inflation, consumer sentiment, availability of financing for home mortgages and strength of the U.S. dollar; market demand for our products, which is related to the strength of the various U.S. business segments and U.S. and international economic conditions; the availability of desirable and reasonably priced land and our ability to control, purchase, hold and develop such parcels; access to adequate capital on acceptable terms; geographic concentration of our operations; levels of competition; the successful execution of our internal performance plans, including restructuring and cost reduction initiatives; the prices and availability of supply chain inputs, including raw materials, labor and home components; oil and other energy prices; the effects of U.S. trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs and duties on homebuilding products and retaliatory measures taken by other countries; the effects of weather, including the occurrence of drought conditions in parts of the western United States; the risk of loss from earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, floods, droughts, windstorms, hurricanes, pest infestations and other natural disasters, and the risk of delays, reduced consumer demand, and shortages and price increases in labor or materials associated with such natural disasters; the risk of loss from acts of war, terrorism, civil unrest or public health emergencies, including outbreaks of contagious disease, such as COVID-19; transportation costs; federal and state tax policies; the effects of land use, environment and other governmental laws and regulations; legal proceedings or disputes and the adequacy of reserves; risks relating to any unforeseen changes to or effects on liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, indebtedness, financial condition, losses and future prospects; changes in accounting principles; risks related to unauthorized access to our computer systems, theft of our homebuyers’ confidential information or other forms of cyber-attack; and additional factors discussed under the sections captioned “Risk Factors” included in our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The foregoing list is not exhaustive. New risk factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risk factors on our business. Investor Relations Contact: InvestorRelations@TriPointeHomes.com , 949-478-8696 Media Contact: Carol Ruiz, cruiz@newgroundco.com , 310-437-0045The counting of votes in the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane, where Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is squaring off against Kedar Dighe of the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate, will begin at 8 am on Saturday. The seat saw 59.85 % turnout on Wednesday. This election not only marked a significant personal contest between the two candidates, but also symbolised the broader ideological and political divide between the two factions of the Shiv Sena. Eknath Shinde, who has been representing Kopri-Pachpakhadi since 2009 as a Shiv Sena candidate, remains a dominant figure in the region. His hold on the constituency is formidable, having won the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections by a margin of over 89,000 votes, defeating Congress’s Sanjay Ghadigaonkar. Shinde’s long tenure in the constituency, alongside his leadership in the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), has solidified his position as the go-to leader in the region. As Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Shinde has positioned himself as the face of development, promising to continue his legacy of growth and governance. On the other hand, Kedar Dighe, contested on behalf of the Shiv Sena (UBT), represented a rival faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. As the nephew of the late Anand Dighe, a revered figure in Thane politics, Kedar Dighe came with a strong legacy of his own. However, the contest was not just about personal legacies, but also about reclaiming the Shiv Sena’s ideological soul, which has been at the heart of the party’s split in 2022. The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray, continued to battle for its political survival against the Shinde-led faction. The election in this constituency was not just a contest between two individuals, but a symbolic battle between two visions of the Shiv Sena. Eknath Shinde and his allies in the Mahayuti alliance (BJP and others) have positioned themselves as champions of development (Vikas), while the UBT faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray and represented by Kedar Dighe in this constituency, sees itself as the true inheritor of the Shiv Sena’s values of Hindutva and regional pride. Shinde has himself described the contest as one between “Vikas” (development) and “Vinash” (destruction), emphasising his commitment to progress and stability. While the focus was on the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency, this battle reflects the broader political landscape of Maharashtra. The outcome of the Kopri-Pachpakhadi contest will be more than just a local electoral win. It will represent the ongoing struggle for the soul of the Shiv Sena. For Eknath Shinde, securing a victory here would solidify his leadership not only in Thane, but also within the state’s political power structure. For Kedar Dighe, defeating the Chief Minister would provide a huge moral victory and reinforce the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s claim as the true representative of the party’s ideals.

I feel like we have already seen a different Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, but some issues are going to take longer to resolve. The international break meant he only had a couple of training sessions with some of his players before facing Ipswich in his first game in charge, but there were still some patterns of play that looked promising. You could see an obvious balance to their team in Sunday's draw following the switch to his 3-4-3 system and there were certain things that he had clearly worked on and asked them to do. Amorim is trying to make United more composed and measured in possession, but there were also times when they passed forward quickly and with purpose. Overall, they looked more confident and courageous with the ball than they have done recently but, on the downside, it was still too easy to play through them when they were without it. That allowed Ipswich to grow into the game and, with the chances they had, they will probably be disappointed not to have won. Getting their wing-backs forward, like Amad Diallo did to set up their early goal, was a big part of United's attacking plan. Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho, the two players behind Marcus Rashford, were also getting into pockets of space, but were much narrower than Diallo and Diogo Dalot. Garnacho is usually a lot wider when he plays as a winger, but this was a different role for him, as I highlighted on MOTD2. The reason Amorim wants Garnacho and Fernandes in more central areas is because, as well as leaving space for the wing-backs, it also means that when they get the ball on the turn, they can run directly at goal. They did that several times in the first half, and it made United look a lot more dynamic and dangerous in attack than they did at the end of Erik ten Hag's spell as manager. It didn't last, however. I think Amorim would have expected a bit more from his side going forward after half-time, and he will be quietly disappointed they did not cause Ipswich more problems then. You have to give some credit to Ipswich's game management for that, though. They play a high-energy style and you cannot do that for 90 minutes. Their players had been working very hard when the game was more open and end-to-end, but there was a spell in the second half where they just dropped in and filled those spaces that United had utilised earlier. That settled the game down until Ipswich made changes that refreshed their front line, and United did not find a way of getting in behind them. Every system has its pros and cons and, even if this United team were used to playing 3-4-3, there are still issues that come with using that shape. While having Garnacho and Fernandes playing inside worked in an attacking sense, it meant Ipswich's full-backs could get up the pitch very easily, and double up with their wingers to give them overloads in the wide areas. The other problem with that formation is that it asks the two central midfielders to cover a lot of ground, particularly in a league as demanding as the Premier League. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen had a lot of work to do, and you could argue that the athleticism that is required is not their strongest trait. Ipswich played well and made it difficult for them, by dragging them everywhere. To play that role well, United's midfielders will need to be more than just mobile, too. They will both have to love the defensive side of the game and be able to spot danger then be fast enough to stop it. In the long run, I think Manuel Ugarte will be one of them. He needs a run of games to get his sharpness back but we have seen glimpses of how good he is, for example in the Europa League against Fenerbahce last month, and he has flourished under Amorim at Sporting before. As for who Ugarte will have alongside him, well it will probably be someone who is not at the club at the moment - there is going to have to be activity in the next couple of transfer window for them to get the type of player Amorim requires. Until that happens, United are always going to find it hard without the ball but this team is going to evolve, and so could Amorim's tactics. As I said on MOTD2, I would be amazed if United are still playing the same 3-4-3 system in a year's time because the Premier League is very different to continental leagues. If United are going to improve and become competitive for the title, I think Amorim's formation will evolve into something else but, in the meantime, at least their fans have already seen some progress. Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

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