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Column: Montez Sweat trade comes down to 1 goal — GM Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears are seeking to add ‘erasers’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

It’s going to be a lot to ask Montez Sweat to make the impact Khalil Mack had with the Chicago Bears in his first game and before him Julius Peppers.But Ryan Poles was dreaming big when he became the only general manager for a team with a losing record — the Bears enter Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome at 2-6 — to be a buyer at the trade deadline day Tuesday.Poles is banking on Sweat being a difference maker for seasons to come and used the term “eraser” when talking about the need to add elite players to the roster Wednesday after Sweat passed his physical and the trade of a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders was finalized.What does an eraser look like?They come in all shapes and sizes and play nearly every position. You see them routinely when you watch weekend highlights. They come in the form of edge rushers who defeat offensive tackles with aggressive hand moves before bending the co...

Women’s lawsuit accuses Kansas City, Kansas, of allowing police corruption to thrive for years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Five women who say they were sexually assaulted or harassed by a former Kansas City, Kansas, detective filed a lawsuit Friday accusing the government of allowing police corruption to thrive for years.The Kansas City Star reports that the federal lawsuit says the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, allowed its officers to “terrorize, abuse and violate” Black residents through a pattern of misconduct and assaults without being disciplined or investigated.The government declined to comment because of the pending litigation, and a lawyer for former Detective Roger Golubski told the newspaper he couldn’t comment because he hadn’t read the lawsuit.Golubski has been accused by federal prosecutors and civil rights groups of framing Black citizens and sexually harassing Black women and girls for years in Kansas City, Kansas. He is currently on house arrest facing two federal indictments alleging he sexually assaulted and kidnap...

Leroy Stover, Birmingham’s first Black police officer, dies at 90

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The City of Birmingham’s first Black police officer, Leroy Stover, has died. He was 90.Birmingham Police on Friday posted about Stover’s death on X, formerly known as Twitter.“Today, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of former Deputy Chief Leroy Stover. As the first black officer to integrate the Birmingham force, his legacy and work at the Birmingham Police Department paved a way for others to follow in his footsteps,” the department said. Stover died Thursday, al.com reported. He was 90 years old. The police department did not share a cause of death. Funeral arrangements are pending.Stover joined the force in March 1966 at the age of 33 and rose to the rank of deputy chief. He retired in 1998, with 32 years of service, news outlets reported.“We offer our full condolences to the family and know that he would forever be in our hearts and mind,” the police department’s statement said.In 2021, while reflecting on his career, the Birmin...

A Norway spruce from West Virginia is headed to the US Capitol to be this year’s Christmas tree

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A 63-foot (19-meter) Norway spruce from the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia is on its way to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to be the Christmas tree for 2023.Snow fell on the crew members Wednesday in Monongahela National Forest as they harvested the tree selected for this year’s holiday season.The tree was selected by Jim Kaufmann, Director of the Capitol Grounds for the Architect of the Capitol, according to the USDA Forest Service.Over the next several days, the tree will be taken to several cities in West Virginia before arriving in the Capitol in Washington. The Forest Service said the tree will be decorated with thousands of handcrafted ornaments from the people of West Virginia. The tree will be lit sometime after Thanksgiving.The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative is a 53-year tradition in which one of America’s 154 national forests provides a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season.The Associated Press

New vehicles from Detroit’s automakers are planned in contracts that ended UAW strikes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis plans to build a new midsize pickup truck, along with battery-run versions of six Jeep, Ram and Dodge vehicles.Ford envisions at least three new electric vehicles that will preserve jobs at several factories. General Motors plans to build at least six new electric vehicles, including a full-size SUV.Those and other closely held production plans by Detroit’s automakers have emerged in details of the tentative contract agreements that ended the six-week strikes by the United Auto Workers union.Under the new agreements, the three companies will significantly boost pay and benefits and improve job security. But the agreements also provide a blueprint for which cars and trucks they intend to build in the coming years and where they will do so. Many of the plans will continue the manufacture of vehicles that the automakers already build. But the production of some new vehicles over the next few years is being planned, too.About 146,000 union members will vo...

Maple Leafs’ Keefe ‘hated’ lack of physical response after Liljegren-Marchand incident

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

Sheldon Keefe wasn’t impressed.Ryan Reaves added the situation was discussed internally.As the Maple Leafs prepared to face the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night, their attention Saturday morning was still firmly focused on what transpired less than 48 hours earlier.Toronto announced defenceman Timothy Liljegren had been placed on long-term injured reserve with a high ankle sprain suffered in the first period of Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Boston when he was tripped by Bruins forward Brad Marchand and fell awkwardly into the board.No penalty was called on the play.Keefe, whose team had the day off Friday, was asked about the lack of a physical response from his group in both the moment and the immediate aftermath of the incident.“I hated everything about it, and I’ve addressed it,” he said following Toronto’s full morning skate at Scotiabank Arena. “It’s not what we want to be about. At times we’ve responded very well in those...

US officials, lawmakers express support for extension of Africa trade program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — U.S. officials and lawmakers expressed support Saturday for the extension of a trade program that grants eligible African countries duty-free access to U.S. markets.The move follows a clear push by eligible African countries at the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade forum in Johannesburg to have the program extended. It is currently slated to expire in September 2025.AGOA is U.S. legislation that allows sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to U.S. markets provided they meet certain conditions, including adherence to the rule of law and the protection of human rights.Addressing the forum this week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on the U.S. Congress to extend the program for a far longer period than the previous 10-year extension granted in 2015. More than 30 African countries that are part of the AGOA program participated in the forum, where African businesses showcased products ranging from food and jewelry to electronics. The for...

White Sox decline team option on Tim Anderson, making him a free agent

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have declined their team option on shortstop Tim Anderson, making him a free agent, according to a press release from the team Saturday.After Anderson put together two straight MLB all-star campaigns in 2021 and 2022, his production fell off a cliff during the 2023 MLB season. In 123 games, Anderson hit just one home run with 25 RBI's, while slashing .245/.286/.296 with a .582 OPS, which ranked dead last among MLB shortstops last year. Cody Bellinger declines player option, becomes free agent Rogers also noted Anderson was owed $14 million before the White Sox declined the option, which will in turn pay him a $1 million buyout. Anderson also won an AL Silver Slugger Award (2020) and led MLB with a .335 average (2019) with Chicago. He hit .300 or better and finished in the Top 5 of the American League batting title race in three consecutive seasons from 2019-21. Anderson originally was selected by the White Sox in the first round (17th overall) of th...

Rewatching 'Gilmore Girls' for fall? Here's why it's the perfect autumn show

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — "Fall is for Gilmore Girls."In case you didn't know, the internet says there's one signature show to rewatch come autumn and it's the hit 2000s comedy-drama "Gilmore Girls." But did you know the show has a Texas connection? More on that below.But first: what's with "Gilmore Girls," which premiered on now-defunct network The WB in October 2000, and autumn? 5 dog breeds this veterinarian says he’d never own — and why One needs not search too far for "Gilmore Girls" x fall content, the concept has been memed for years — but this year, the idea seems to have gone more mainstream. Aside from this article you're reading, here are just a few recent stories/videos about the seasonal pairing:Why 'Gilmore Girls' hits different during the fall — Collider15 Coziest 'Gilmore Girls' fall episodes, ranked — ScreenRantA 'Gilmore Girls' fall guide — FilmAndSuchAutumn is for 'Gilmore Girls' — Yahoo!Why 'Gilmore Girls' is the ultimate fall TV show — Rolling StoneNow that everyone seems t...

Giraffes could go extinct – the 5 biggest threats they face

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:24 GMT

(The Conversation) - Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals and an African icon, but they are also vulnerable to extinction.Giraffe populations have declined by 40% in the last 30 years, and there are now fewer than 70,000 mature individuals left in the wild. What are the causes of this alarming decline, and what can be done to protect these gentle giants?The five biggest threats to giraffes are habitat loss, insufficient law enforcement, ecological changes, climate change, and lack of awareness. Below, I will tell you about these threats and what is being done to save them.I will also explain a study I was a part of that ranked these threats in terms of each one’s danger of causing giraffe extinction, and whether human actions can alleviate that danger. The study used data from more than 3,100 giraffes identified over eight years in an unfenced 4,500km² area of the Tarangire ecosystem in Tanzania. We used the data to simulate how environmental and land use changes could...