A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women's volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to compete in the Mountain West Conference women's championship opening this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by nine current players against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league's policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player's name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Crews' ruling referred to the athlete as an "alleged transgender" player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. San Jose State will "continue to support its student-athletes and reject discrimination in all forms," the university said in a statement, confirming that all its student-athletes are eligible to participate under NCAA and conference rules. "We are gratified that the Court rejected an eleventh-hour attempt to change those rules. Our team looks forward to competing in the Mountain West volleyball tournament this week." The conference did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The players filed a notice for emergency appeal with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Crews said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a loss in league standings. He also refused a request to re-seed the tournament without the forfeited losses. The judge said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 -– making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season's awareness of her reported identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a major election year. Crews' ruling also said injunctions are meant to prevent harm, but in this case, he argued, the harm has already occurred. The games have been forfeited, the tournament has been seeded, the teams have made travel plans and the participants have confirmed they're playing. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. Colorado State is seeded first and San Jose State, second. The teams split their regular-season matches and both get byes into Friday's semifinals. San Jose State will play the winner of Wednesday's match between Utah State and Boise State — teams that both forfeited matches to SJSU during the regular season. Boise State associate athletic director Chris Kutz declined to comment on whether the Broncos would play SJSU if they won their first-round tournament game. Utah State officials did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The conference tournament winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. San Jose State coach Todd Kress, whose team has not competed in the national tournament since 2001, has said his team has been getting "messages of hate" and that has taken a toll on his players. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official conference standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada's players stated they "refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes," without elaborating. Nevada did not qualify for the conference tournament. The nine current players and others now suing the Mountain West Conference, the California State University Board of Trustees and others include San Jose State senior setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser. The teammate Slusser says is transgender hits the volleyball with more force than others on the team, raising fear during practices of suffering concussions from a head hit, the complaint says. The Independent Council on Women's Sports is funding a separate lawsuit against the NCAA for allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Both lawsuits claim the landmark 1972 federal antidiscrimination law known as Title IX prohibits transgender women in women's sports. Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination in federally funded education; Slusser is a plaintiff in both lawsuits. Several circuit courts have used a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to conclude that discriminating against someone based on their transgender status or sexual orientation is sex-based discrimination, Crews wrote. That means case law does not prove the "likelihood of success" needed to grant an injunction. An NCAA policy that subjects transgender participation to the rules of sports governing bodies took effect this academic year. USA Volleyball says a trans woman must suppress testosterone for 12 months before competing. The NCAA has not flagged any issues with San Jose State. The Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the team cancellations, citing fairness in women's sports. President-elect Donald Trump likewise has spoken out against allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Crews was a magistrate judge in Colorado's U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him as a federal judge in January.SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Spencer Knight made 20 saves, Mackie Samoskevich scored with less than a second left in the second period, and the Florida Panthers got four goals in the third to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-0 on Saturday and complete a two-day sweep. Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Evan Rodrigues and Adam Boqvist also scored for Florida, which won 6-3 at Carolina on Friday. The Panthers have won three straight — that streak following a stretch of six losses in seven games for the Stanley Cup champions. It was Knight’s fourth career shutout, his first since Nov. 9, 2022 — also at home against Carolina. Spencer Martin made 23 saves on 28 shots for the Hurricanes, who have dropped four of their last six games (2-3-1). It was Martin’s fourth consecutive start for Carolina. Takeaways Hurricanes: This was the first time all season that the Hurricanes failed to get a point in the game immediately following a loss. Carolina was 4-0-1 after a defeat entering Saturday. Panthers: A big day for Samoskevich — his alma mater on Saturday, that game ending just before the Florida-Carolina game started. The Panthers are 5-0-0 when he scores this season. Sam Reinhart had each of the four most recent Florida goals at 19:59, before Samoskevich got his Saturday. Key moment The Panthers scored two goals 11 seconds apart in the third to make it 5-0, and Yaniv Perets replaced Martin in the Hurricanes’ net with 8:12 remaining. It was the second NHL appearance for Perets, who came on once in relief for Carolina last season. Key stat Ekblad’s goal was his first in a span of 1,045 regular-season shifts since Feb. 20. Up next Carolina starts a two-game homestand Tuesday against Seattle. Florida goes to Pittsburgh to start a two-game trip on Tuesday. ___ AP NHL:
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DENVER — Amid renewed interest in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey triggered in part by a new Netflix documentary, police in Boulder, Colorado, refuted assertions this week that there is viable evidence and leads about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old girl that they are not pursuing. JonBenet Ramsey, who competed in beauty pageants, was found dead in the basement of her family's home in the college town of Boulder the day after Christmas in 1996. Her body was found several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note was left behind. The gravesite of JonBenet Ramsey is covered with flowers Jan. 8, 1997, at St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Ga. JonBenet was bludgeoned and strangled. Her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever prosecuted. The details of the crime and video footage of JonBenet competing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States. The police comments came as part of their annual update on the investigation, a month before the 28th anniversary of JonBenet's killing. Police said they released it a little earlier due to the increased attention on the case, apparently referring to the three-part Netflix series "Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey." In a video statement, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the department welcomes news coverage and documentaries about the killing of JonBenet, who would have been 34 this year, as a way to generate possible new leads. He said the department is committed to solving the case but needs to be careful about what it shares about the investigation to protect a possible future prosecution. "What I can tell you though, is we have thoroughly investigated multiple people as suspects throughout the years and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come in to detectives," he said. The Netflix documentary focuses on the mistakes made by police and the "media circus" surrounding the case. A police officer sits in her cruiser Jan. 3, 1997, outside the home in which 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered Dec. 26, 1996, in Boulder, Colo. Police were widely criticized for mishandling the early investigation into her death amid speculation that her family was responsible. However, a prosecutor cleared her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and brother Burke in 2008 based on new DNA evidence from JonBenet's clothing that pointed to the involvement of an "unexplained third party" in her slaying. The announcement by former district attorney Mary Lacy came two years after Patsy Ramsey died of cancer. Lacy called the Ramseys "victims of this crime." John Ramsey continued to speak out for the case to be solved. In 2022, he supported an online petition asking Colorado's governor to intervene in the investigation by putting an outside agency in charge of DNA testing in the case. In the Netflix documentary, he said he advocated for several items that were not prepared for DNA testing to be tested and for other items to be retested. He said the results should be put through a genealogy database. In recent years, investigators identified suspects in unsolved cases by comparing DNA profiles from crime scenes and to DNA testing results shared online by people researching their family trees. In 2021, police said in their annual update that DNA hadn't been ruled out to help solve the case, and in 2022 noted that some evidence could be "consumed" if DNA testing is done on it. Last year, police said they convened a panel of outside experts to review the investigation to give recommendations and determine if updated technologies or forensic testing might produce new leads. In the latest update, Redfearn said that review ended but police continue to work through and evaluate a "lengthy list of recommendations" from the panel. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
Sam McDowell: Chiefs enacted emergency plan after Patrick Mahomes’ outburst vs. Raiders. What next?Joanna Gaines Enjoys Late-Night Baking with Daughter EllaVolunteers have been busy all month sorting Christmas gifts at the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau (LMCB), working to support around 1,000 Vancouver-area families that need a little helping hand this year. Thanks to donations, the LMCB is able to gift families a wide range of items, including books, stuffed animals, new clothing, and stocking stuffers. Volunteers can spend months sorting all the donated items. The bureau sees an influx of donations around Christmas time, when appointments are made to pick up the gifts, but they accept donations year-round. “We bring in 80 to 100,000 items per year,” said executive director Chris Bayliss. “Sixty to 70 per cent of that is in December.” The bureau says 80 per cent of its clients are working-class families struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. Kristina, a mom of two, says some gifts under her tree growing up were from the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. She’s now shopping here for her own children. She says she appreciates the extra help around Christmastime when parents feel extra financial pressure. “It’s always overwhelming, and then if you don’t have a good Christmas for your children, you kind of feel like a failure,” she said. “So it’s nice that places like this exist so people can keep the magic in their house.” Bayliss says the group’s mission is to empower families with empathy and respect. “As I say to all of our donors...think about what your own children would want,” he said. Jonathan Blackshaw with the Vancouver Rowing Club was one of many donors this year. “We feel we are so lucky with what we’ve got, so it’s nice to be able to hand some of it back,” he said. Bayliss says they currently have almost 70,000 gift items ready to distribute, all donated. “There is not a toy in here that’s been purchased, except by our people that support us,” he said. The Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau is helping keep the Christmas spirit alive, one gift at a time, so no child is left out this holiday season. “I know I can speak for many many people that use it, that we really appreciate this,” Kristina said. “We hope that it can continue for all families.” For those looking to , the bureau says it is in need of more items for teenagers.
Accenture Plc’s renewed hiring—it added 49,000 people globally in the last six months—suggests technology services companies expect a much better growth in the coming months, according to analysts. The Dublin-headquartered company’s hiring spree paints a sanguine outlook for homegrown IT services companies that are expected to record better growth in the coming quarters, the analysts said. Accenture, which ended November 2024 with 799,000 employees, added 24,000 employees in the June-August 2024 period and 25,000 employees in the three months through November 2024. Its new recruits in the last six months alone make up about 6% of its overall workforce. Accenture follows a September-August accounting year. India’s $254-billion software services industry, with big names like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd, Infosys Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Wipro Ltd, and Tech Mahindra Ltd, reported their slowest revenue growth of 3.3% last year due to macroeconomic uncertainties. TCS, Infosys, and HCLTech grew 4.1%, 1.9%, and 5.4% on a yearly basis to respectively report $29.1 billion, $18.6 billion, and $13.3 billion in revenue for the year ended March 2024. Wipro and Tech Mahindra reported a yearly decline in revenue of 3.8% and 5% to $10.8 billion and $6.3 billion respectively. Also Read: Some analysts said a recovery is on the cards. “While a strong recovery of discretionary demand may take a few quarters, it is unlikely to worsen further, in our view," said Nomura analysts Abhishek Bhandari and Krish Beriwal in a note dated 19 September. “Onset of the interest rate cut cycle from September 2024 and a potential thaw in decision-making by US corporates post-US elections in November 2024 could provide a fillip to demand, in our view." Renewed hiring, which is an indicator of growth, suggests that homegrown IT services companies could also record better growth in the coming fiscal. “With the full employment situation in the US and expected economic stimulation from tax cuts in 2025, I anticipate a good year ahead for Indian IT with US corporate customers," said Phil Fersht, CEO and chief analyst, HFS Research. As the IT industry rebounds, headcount increase across software companies will be needed to meet the growing demand. “Growth has bottomed out and recovery is on the cards. While increasing headcount will be required to meet the additional demand for tech services now, the only uncertainty is the pace of recovery," said Pramod Gubbi, founder of Marcellus Investment Managers. “Strong headcount addition by Accenture does indicate improved demand. But demand may still not be as broad-based, as Accenture’s hiring could be aligned with strong order bookings in recent past, where it might have won against Indian peers. That said, headcount addition should continue for India IT services players as well, as they rebuild bench and correct pyramid," said Abhishek Kumar, equity research analyst with JM Financial Ltd. Indian IT services companies have already started adding headcount in anticipation of rising demand for their services. Four of the country’s top five IT services companies, including TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra, have added people since this fiscal year began in April. TCS added 11,178 employees in the first two quarters of FY25, compared to a fall in headcount of 5,900 in the same period last year. In total, TCS ended the September quarter with 612,724 employees. The company had outlined its plans to onboard 40,000 employees in the current fiscal ending March 2025. Also Read: Bengaluru-based Infosys added 598 net new jobs in the first half of the fiscal, compared to a fall in headcount by 14,470 in the first half of last fiscal. It ended the September quarter with 317,788 employees. The company is looking to hire 15,000 - 20,000 freshers for the year ended March 2025. Wipro added 1,315 employees since April this year. It had reduced its workforce by 13,863 employees in the first half of the last fiscal. It ended September 2024 with 233,889 employees. The Bengaluru-based IT services company aims to add up to 12,000 freshers by the end of this fiscal. Pune-headquartered Tech Mahindra Ltd increased its workforce by 8,818 since the start of the fiscal. This is against a net headcount reduction of 1,796 in the first half of the previous fiscal. Tech Mahindra ended the three months through September 2024 with 154,273 employees. By contrast, Noida-based HCLTech, the country's third-largest IT company, reduced headcount in the first half of this fiscal as well as the previous one. This fiscal, it cut 8,860 jobs after it got out of a joint venture with State Street, a Boston-based financial services provider. It had slashed 4,805 jobs in H1FY24. It ended the September quarter with 218,621 employees. Despite the reduced headcount, the company aims to add 10,000 freshers by the end of the current financial year. Accenture taps India's skilled talent pool For now, Accenture’s management attributed the hiring, now for the third consecutive quarter, to its business picking up. “So we did add about 24,000 people in the first quarter, which is really reflective of the momentum that we see in our business," said Angie Park, chief financial officer of Accenture, in the company’s post-earnings conference call with analysts on 19 December. Accenture reported $17.7 billion in revenue for the three months ended November 2024, up 7.8% sequentially. The NYSE-listed company got much of this new talent from India, where most of its employees are based, but did not mention what percentage of the new talent came from acquiring new companies. “Looking ahead, we'll continue to hire for the demand that we see and the skills that we need. And I'll give you a little bit more context that the hiring that we saw this quarter, similar to last, was that it was concentrated in India," said Park. The company attributed the hiring from India to the availability of skilled talent. Also Read: “And so they really are looking for optimization of the right skills because a big piece of why people, for example, use India, is about skills, right? 10 years ago, it was about labor arbitrage, right? Today, it is about the ability to get these skills at scale," said Julie Sweet, chief executive of Accenture, at the company’s post-earnings press conference, while answering a question on clients wanting employees working from their own locations. While Sweet considers India’s talent pool as skilled, placement officers at the country’s engineering colleges that supply workforce to these companies are highlighting a growing demand for this skilled talent. “Companies today prefer to hire students skilled in AI, machine learning, and data analytics to name a few because these technologies are used across domains in different fields," said Sridhar K.S., dean of placement and training at PES University in Bengaluru. A second placement officer said the demand for skilled graduates has risen. “The companies have been asking us for skilled talent more now than they had in the past, as there are plenty of new technologies now," said Ranganath D, dean of placements at R.V. College of Engineering in Bengaluru. “Today, companies want students who have been skilled in AI, data analytics and machine learning and we encourage our students to take up such courses."The No. 11 USC Aiken men's basketball team lost a hard-fought 100-94 contest to Claflin on Saturday afternoon. The Pacers are now 4-2 on the season. Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Rhyjon Blackwell's career-high and game-best 25 points. He added six boards and four assists. Davion Cunningham netted 21 points, grabbed seven boards to go along with four assists. Rafael Rubel tallied 16 points and three assists while Jalen McCoy posted 13 points, six boards and three assists. Kaleb Siler notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a block. Tied at 9-9, Blackwell drained a 3-point bucket at the 14:50 mark. Twenty seconds later, Cunningham found Rubel for another shot from distance, increasing the margin to six, 15-9. Leading 19-18, Blackwell found Cunningham for a shot from downtown before McCoy hit a jumper at the 10:29 mark. USCA extended the margin to seven after a quick 5-0 spurt. Dwight Canady, Jr., hit two free throws and Rubel drilled a basket from behind the arc with 8:04 to go. Claflin held a 36-34 lead before McCoy, Rubel and Siler hit shots for a 40-36 advantage. Blackwell's basket pushed the lead to six, 42-36, at the 1:44 mark. Vanderslice's team held a 44-40 margin at the break. Leading 52-50, Blackwell buried a 3-ball at the 17:40 mark. He drilled another shot from distance off a pass from Rubel at the 17:12 mark for a 58-52 advantage. The Panthers clawed back into the game, tying it at 58-58 with 16:34 to play. Claflin extended the advantage to 10, 80-70, before Siler nailed an old-fashioned three-point play. Down 88-77, Blackwell canned a jumper. Siler tipped in a shot before Blackwell made two free throws, cutting the deficit to 88-84 with 3:10 remaining. The Panthers increased the advantage to eight, 92-84, with 2:23 to go. Vanderslice's team trimmed the deficit to four, 98-89, on two charity tosses from Cunningham with 39 seconds to go. However, that was as close as the squad could get the rest of the way. For the game, USCA hit 30 of 69 from the floor, including 12 of 30 from downtown. The team connected on 22 of 31 from the charity stripe. The Pacers held a 43-31 edge on the glass, including a 21-8 margin on the offensive boards. Vanderslice's team scored 18 second-chance points and maintained a 21-17 edge on the break. Claflin shot 55% as a team for the game and was 14-for-29 (48.3%) from 3. Five different Panthers scored in double figures. The Pacers return to action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when they host Livingstone.
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearfield Instruments, a pioneer in advanced process control metrology solutions, is proud to announce that it has received repeat purchase orders for its flagship QUADRA High-Throughput Process Control Metrology System . This follow-up order highlights Nearfield Instruments' increasing market traction and its success in penetrating high-volume manufacturing operations. The QUADRA system offers cutting-edge capabilities for in-line process control by Nearfield's high-throughput AFM metrology technologies that deliver highly accurate, non-destructive 3D measurements of critical semiconductor parameters. By providing real-time feedback on critical device structures, the system provides good correlation to device yield and enables manufacturers to maintain high yields and optimal performance in their production lines. QUADRA's exceptional throughput allows manufacturers to quickly and accurately analyze large numbers of devices without compromising measurement precision, ensuring both efficiency and quality in the production process. This follow-on order from a leading semiconductor manufacturer reflects the confidence that global manufacturers are placing in the QUADRA platform as they scale to meet the demands of next-generation technologies. "This repeat order is a clear validation of the QUADRA system's performance, both in terms of capability and expected reliability and customer support and responsiveness and its critical role in enabling high-volume manufacturing for cutting-edge semiconductor processes,” said Hamed Sadeghian, CEO of Nearfield Instruments . "It demonstrates not only the system's technical excellence but also the trust our customers place in us to support their production goals. With this new repeat orders, our order book for 2025 is fully filled and underlines Nearfield Instruments' dedication to providing innovative solutions that help manufacturers achieve new heights of efficiency and yield.” The continued adoption of QUADRA systems by leading manufacturers further strengthens Nearfield Instruments' position as a driving force in advanced process control metrology for mass production. About Nearfield Instruments Nearfield Instruments is bridging the semiconductor industry's metrology and inspection challenges with in-line, non-destructive process control nanometrology solutions for advanced 3D memory and logic devices. Their groundbreaking technology combines high-resolution with high-throughput, essential for the production of advanced semiconductor nodes. Nearfield is headquartered in Rotterdam with offices in Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Pyeongtaek, South Korea. For more information, visit www.nearfieldinstruments.com Media Contact Roland van Vliet Chief Partnership Officer Nearfield Instruments B.V. e-mail: [email protected] Telephone: +31620369741Online Black Friday shopping shattered records in 2024, with spending up 10.2% this year compared to 2023, according to data provided by Adobe Analytics. Consumers spent a record $10.8 billion online on Friday, which is nearly double what was spent just seven years ago on Black Friday. How does Black Friday shopping compare to a typical day? Spending on toys was over seven times higher than a typical day, jewelry had over six times the spending, and electronics had more than four times the spending. RELATED STORY | Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: When are the better deals? Adobe Analytics said popular toys helped drive a massive increase in toy spending. Top toys sold on Friday include Harry Potter LEGO sets, Wicked toys, card and board games, Disney Princess toys and dolls, and Cookeez Makery oven playset, Adobe Analytics said. “Crossing the $10 billion mark is a big e-commerce milestone for Black Friday, for a day that in the past was more anchored towards in-store shopping”, said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights .“And with consumers getting more comfortable with everything from mobile shopping to chat bots, we have tailwinds that can prop up online growth for Black Friday moving forward.” Adobe Analytics expects Thanksgiving weekend spending to remain robust. An estimated $5.2 billion is expected to be spent by Americans on Saturday, and $5.6 billion is expected to be spent at online retailers on Sunday. Cyber Monday is expected to generate $13.2 billion, a 6.1% increase from last year. RELATED STORY | Best apps to manage your money as the holiday shopping season ramps up The National Retail Federation expects that 200 million Americans will shop this weekend, nearly 4 million more than a year ago. Online shopping is projected to generate more revenue than in-person. “The five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday represents some of the busiest shopping days of the year and reflects the continued resilience of consumers and strength of the economy,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Shoppers exceeded our expectations with a robust turnout. Retailers large and small were prepared to deliver safe, convenient and affordable shopping experiences with the products and services consumers needed, and at great prices.”
This Timberwolves roster is different than the one from a year ago. That much is obvious in games, as Karl-Anthony Towns’ consistent scoring and general size is missed, as is the playmaking and ball security of guys like Kyle Anderson and Jordan McLaughlin. ADVERTISEMENT But their absences have been felt in the locker room, as well. Towns was a consistent source of positivity for the team. Anderson was one of the loudest vocal leaders. The latter can be especially difficult to replace, especially because it can be uncomfortable to speak up when things are going poorly and something needs to change. That was the position Anthony Edwards has found himself in early this season. Edwards has been praised for his leadership through his first four years on Minnesota’s roster. Mostly, that all came via positivity and example. Edwards can be coached hard, which gave the greenlight for the coaches to treat everyone else the same way. Edwards was also quick to credit his teammates around him for their contributions to the cause, and was eager and willing to spend time with and talk to anyone on the roster, players No. 1-15. He’ll also stand up for any of his teammates if the occasion ever arises. That’s why he has been so beloved in the locker room and why he was viewed as such a leader, even at his young age. ADVERTISEMENT But with Anderson’s departure, Edwards was now tasked with leading even through choppy waters. And the waves have been rather large through the first quarter of the season. Minnesota’s defense has fallen off a cliff in comparison to where it was a year ago. After never even as many as three consecutive games during the 2023-24 regular season, the Wolves endured a four-game losing skid earlier this week. At that point, words were exchanged, both publicly and privately. A halftime hash out during Minnesota’s loss Wednesday to Sacramento got the conversation rolling. Mike Conley got the dialogue started, but all indications are that Edwards was a healthy participant. Edwards noted it’s difficult to know what to say in those times. “Because you look at everybody, and everybody got a different agenda. It’s like, ‘What the (heck) am I supposed to say?’ You know what I mean?” Edwards said. “I’m trying to get better in that aspect, figure out what the hell to say to get everybody on the same agenda, because everybody right now is on different agendas. I think that’s one of the main culprits of why we’re losing, because everybody out there got their own agenda. I guess their imagination of what’s supposed to be going on, and what’s really happening.” Nickeil Alexander-Walker told reporters at Friday’s shootaround that this is the most vocal Edwards has ever been. And while the intention of everyone’s messages are pure, “sometimes it’s not always worded the right way.” ADVERTISEMENT “I think we’ve crossed that line of, ‘Man, I feel like you’re not hearing the message.’ It’s tough to be called out, because you start to feel like, ‘OK, are you saying I’m the reason?’ No one wants to be at fault,” Alexander-Walker said. “But at the end of the day, I definitely think that guys are open to hearing it better. And I think it just came from a stand point of, at a point and time in the conversation, there was a comeback. It was going back and forth now, as opposed to receiving it (and saying), ‘OK, I got you.’ That’s how it’s going to be. It’s very rare that someone is just going to be able to be called out and not have anything to say. “It’s human nature to be defensive, at the end of the day. But kind of remembering what we’re here for, and if I’m being called out, chances are I’ve got to look in the mirror and be better.” It’s a delicate dance. There has to be an environment rooted in accountability, but you also have to be sure not to lose teammates, as Jimmy Butler was criticized for doing during his short stint in Minnesota a few years ago. ADVERTISEMENT And while it’s never ideal for a team to be living through a stretch of basketball the quality of which falls significantly short of the expectation, these stretches will likely lead to growth for Edwards, if not on the court, then in the locker room. You can’t steer a ship to a title if you don’t know how to navigate turbulent tides. Day by day, loss by loss, Edwards is learning how to spin the wheel. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .Senator Alli Celebrates Oyo APC Leader, BAO At 85
The migrant from Honduras who was charged with raping a woman on a woodsy trail in Herndon, Virginia, is a case study in permissive left-wing sanctuary city and state laws that have endangered so many Americans. “Let me start by saying that I am incredibly saddened and outraged that a crime like this could happen here in the town of Herndon,” Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said at a press conference last weekend after the arrest of the migrant. Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, 31, was arrested and charged for the November 18 attack and rape of a woman he allegedly encountered on the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail in Herndon. The attack was termed a “stranger rape” because the attacker and the victim did not know each other. “We haven’t had a stranger rape in over 12 years that I’ve been here as chief,” Chief DeBoard said. “There should be full prosecution, so this never happens again.” The attack, though, should not come as a surprise. Authorities discovered that Romero has been linked to several sexual battery attacks on juveniles going back to 2017, they said after his arrest. There have been other charges as well. A flabbergasted DeBoard was shocked to find that the suspect had already been charged with two felonies, and yet he was still freely wandering around the United States. “He had two felonies from cases we had where we were called, dispatched to investigate a sexual battery, basically where he had grabbed a female,” Chief DeBoard said, “and when we went to investigate the case, we encountered the individual then and he assaulted two of my police officers. One he actually grabbed around the throat, tried to choke him. So he was charged with two assaults on a police officer, felonies.” DeBoard was asked if Navarette Romero was convicted for those felony assaults. “No, because a couple months later, that case was reduced to simple assault, misdemeanor. We weren’t asked to provide input on that,” she replied. “You know, my officers were victims in that case. We would hope that victims would be asked about their input on this, and we certainly wouldn’t have agreed to have that reduced to a misdemeanor.” The chief was also skeptical about deporting Navarette Romero after this latest arrest. “The problem with deporting him right now would be there is a strong chance that he could end up back in this country again,” she said. “The danger is, if he’s not held accountable for his crimes here, and he’s simply deported, we would have no way to keep him from coming back into the country.” How did all this happen? Because of the “sanctuary” policies of the law enforcement agencies he met previously. This latest incident of an illegal alien causing serious injury to an American caused Andrew R. Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy for the Center for Immigration Studies, to explain: Why are serious alien criminals who beg to be deported released into the community to reoffend? Because local – and federal – officials interpose themselves between those criminals and ICE in a misguided and senseless attempt to ‘protect’ the very victims who end up paying the price. The price for Joe Biden’s border crisis has been high, indeed. It seems as if not a month goes by when there isn’t a rape or murder perpetrated by a migrant who entered this country illegally. Victims abound across the nation. Young Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old girl from Houston, paid with her life . The same end befell 22-year-old Laken Riley in Georgia. Patty Morin of Baltimore also paid the ultimate price. And these are just some of the most famous cases. There are many others that have not become national news. There is also a long and growing list of other crimes occurring at the hands of Biden’s border crossers, including sexual assault , drug trafficking , robbery , child rape , and human trafficking , not to mention the criminal activities of dangerous gangs, including Tren de Aragua . All these cases add up into the tens of thousands and many of the perpetrators are repeat offenders who were in the U.S. justice system previously, but then simply let go right back into our population with no coordination or cooperation with ICE. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston , or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston2024 Black Friday online shopping sets massive record
After Trump’s win, Black women are rethinking their role as America’s reliable political organizers
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Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti says police have made arrests after an explosion hit a canal that sends water to its two main power plants, an incident officials in Pristina labelled a "terrorist act" by neighbouring Serbia. Login or signup to continue reading Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic denied what he said were "baseless accusations" about his country's involvement. "Police have carried out raids. There are arrests," Kurti told reporters from the scene near the northern town of Zubin Potok, where he repeated allegations that elements in Serbia were responsible for the attack. He said that police had found evidence, and that all those involved would "face justice". It was not clear if those arrested were directly involved in the blast. A Reuters witness saw special police forces carrying out raids in northern Kosovo. The explosion has increased tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 almost a decade after a guerrilla uprising against its rule but Serbia has not recognised Kosovo as an independent state. Relations remain especially frayed in the north where the blast occurred, and where the Serb minority refuses to recognise Kosovo's statehood and still sees Belgrade as their capital. The explosion occurred about 7pm on Friday. The exact cause was not clear. Kosovo's Security Council, which held emergency talks early on Saturday, said it had activated armed forces to prevent similar attacks. Security was already heightened after two recent attacks where hand grenades were hurled at a police station and municipality building in northern Kosovo where ethnic Serbians live. "The Security Council has approved additional measures to strengthen security around critical facilities and services such as bridges, transformer stations, antennas, lakes, canals," the council said in a statement on Saturday. The NATO military alliance, which has maintained a peacekeeping force in Kosovo since 1999, condemned the attack in a statement on Saturday. Its personnel have provided security to the canal and the surrounding area since the blast, it said. A Reuters reporter visited the site on Saturday, where silt had poured through a hole in the canal's concrete wall. Workers had installed a series of large tubes to bypass the leak. Power supplies appeared to be largely intact but drinking water supply was disrupted to some areas. Energy minister Artane Rizvanolli said Kosovo was co-ordinating with Albania's power company to provide more electricity. She said water will be trucked to affected areas. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!
Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix doc brings renewed attention to JonBenet Ramsey's killing
