MIT’s (mostly) secret societyNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brian Callahan insisted Monday he's busy preparing to coach the Tennessee Titans against the Jacksonville Jaguars, not what controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk thinks of his first season. “It’s a bottom line business and we’ve got to show progress and we haven’t shown enough,” Callahan said. “I would like to see more and we got two more opportunities to do it." The Titans have lost four straight after a 38-30 defeat in Indianapolis , dropping the season series to their AFC South foe. They also have lost six of seven to drop to 3-12, putting the franchise two losses from matching the most in a season set in 2014 when the NFL played a 16-game schedule. Asked if he thinks he will have to make a case to keep his job when this season ends, Callahan said he has no idea. “My job is to coach the football team and get ready to go play Jacksonville,” Callahan said. “That’s the only thing that I focus on. And anything other than that, is out of my control.” What’s working The Titans played a season-high 10 rookies in Indianapolis. Even with all that youth, they were flagged only four times matching their second-lowest total of the season. That was a huge improvement from the week before when Tennessee was penalized 12 times for 110 yards. What needs help Callahan said every time they try to fix one thing, another issue pops up. Against Indianapolis, the run defense simply disappeared . They gave up 335 yards rushing, the most in franchise history since Oct. 1, 1961. They gave up touchdown runs of 65 and 70 yards to Jonathan Taylor. A defense that entered Week 16 ranked 12th allowed Taylor to average 7.5 yards per carry and meant Anthony Richardson needed to throw just 11 passes. The Titans gave up 38 consecutive points — the third most allowed in a game all season just a week after giving up 37 in a loss to Cincinnati. Stock up TE Chig Okonkwo. He led the Titans with nine catches and 81 yards receiving — both career highs. He also scored his the second 2-point conversion of his career. He became the first tight end with nine or more receptions in a game since Delanie Walker had nine Nov. 13, 2016, against Green Bay. Stock down Mason Rudolph. Callahan defended the veteran's three interceptions with one going off running back Tony Pollard's hands and the third a last-gasp play to end the game and said he thought Rudolph had a good performance. That said, Rudolph's numbers are almost a mirror image of the quarterback he replaced. Rudolph has eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He's completing 63.8% of his passes and has a 78.8 passer rating. That's nearly the same as Will Levis completing 63.7% of his passes with 12 TD passes and 12 interceptions. Callahan said turnovers from the quarterback spot has sort of been “our Achilles' heel” swinging games. But he also hasn't made a decision yet on who starts Sunday, saying stats don't always paint the full picture. “My goal is to try to put the best chance to win on the field for us and we’ll see what that looks like,” Callahan said. Injuries Callahan said K Nick Folk might have a chance to be back after an abdominal injury sidelined the veteran in Indianapolis. The Titans are practicing with a walk-through Tuesday and taking Wednesday off for Christmas so the coach said he'll have a better handle on injuries Thursday. But Folk's replacement Brayden Narveson missed a 53-yard field goal that would have given Tennessee a 10-0 lead. The Titans waived Narveson on Monday afternoon. They also activated Jaelyn Duncan, hurt four snaps into his lone start at right tackle in a loss to Buffalo on Oct. 20, from injured reserve. Key num ber 121 — Number of points allowed off turnovers this season. It's the most in a season for the Titans since at least 2000, topping the 108 given up in 2015. The Titans lead the NFL with 32 turnovers, which Callahan called their biggest issue. “That’s insanity,” Callahan said. Next steps The Titans visit Jacksonville on Sunday for their final road trip, trying to avoid being swept by their division rival. Then it's back home for the regular-season finale, hosting Houston before more changes this offseason in some form. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Pressgba 777 casino login philippines download 。

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- Pulse Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLSE), a company leveraging its novel and proprietary Nanosecond Pulsed Field AblationTM (nano-PFA or nsPFATM) technology, today announced that it intends to deliver an irrevocable notice of redemption, on or about December 27, 2024, to redeem the first tranche of common stock warrants, redeemable by the Company if the Company’s stock trading price exceeds $16.50 for twenty consecutive trading days, that were issued as part of its July 3, 2024 rights offering which are still outstanding as of February 5, 2025 (the “Redemption Date”). These outstanding common stock warrants (the “150% Warrants”), which were issued in the Company’s 2024 rights offering (the “Rights Offering”), pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, as amended (File No. 333-278494), may be exercised by the holders thereof until 6:30 p.m., Eastern time, on the Redemption Date, at the exercise price of $11.00 per share of Company common stock, $0.001 par value per share. Any 150% Warrants not exercised before 6:30 p.m., Eastern time, on February 5, 2025, will be redeemed by the Company for $0.01 per 150% Warrant share (the “Redemption Price”). Under the terms of the 150% Warrants, the Company has the right to redeem the 150% Warrants (CUSIP # 74587B135) if the volume weighted average price (as defined therein, “VWAP”) exceeds $16.50 per share for twenty (20) consecutive trading days at least three months after the date that the 150% Warrants were issued. This requirement was met for each of the twenty consecutive trading days preceding December 23, 2024. Over this period, the Company had an average VWAP of $18.85. Any 150% Warrants that remain unexercised at 6:30 p.m., Eastern time, on the Redemption Date, will be void and no longer exercisable, and the holders of those 150% Warrants will be entitled to receive only the Redemption Price of $0.01 per 150% Warrant share. The second tranche of common stock warrants issued in the Rights Offering (the “200% Warrants”) are not being redeemed at this time. The Company received aggregate gross proceeds of $60 million from its Rights Offering, which was completed in July 2024, and the Company will receive an additional $66 million of gross proceeds, if all of the 150% Warrants and all of the 200% Warrants (collectively, the “Warrants”) are exercised prior to the Redemption Date. None of the Company, its board of directors or employees has made or is making any representation or recommendation to any holder of any Warrants as to whether to exercise or refrain from exercising any Warrants. A registration statement, as amended, relating to the Rights Offering was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and declared effective on May 31, 2024. A prospectus relating to the offering was filed with the SEC on and supplemented on June 4, 2024 and is available on the SEC’s website. The Company will post a copy of the notice of redemption being sent to the holders of the 150% Warrants on its investor relations website at investors.pulsebiosciences.com . Questions concerning redemption and exercise of the 150% Warrants can be directed to Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, LLC, Attn: BCIS Re-Organization Dept., P.O. Box 1317, Brentwood, NY 11717-0718, telephone number 888-789-8409 or to shareholder@broadridge.com . No Offer or Solicitation This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any offer of any of the Company’s securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. About Pulse Biosciences® Pulse Biosciences is a novel bioelectric medicine company committed to health innovation that has the potential to improve the quality of life for patients. The Company’s proprietary CellFX® nsPFATM technology delivers nanosecond pulses of electrical energy to non-thermally clear cells while sparing adjacent noncellular tissue. The Company is actively pursuing the development of its CellFX nsPFA technology for use in the treatment of atrial fibrillation and in a select few other markets where it could have a profound positive impact on healthcare for both patients and providers. Pulse Biosciences is now headquartered in Miami, Florida and maintains its office in Hayward, California. Pulse Biosciences, CellFX, Nano-Pulse Stimulation, NPS, nsPFA, CellFX nsPFA and the stylized logos are among the trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Pulse Biosciences, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements relating to the Company’s planned redemption of outstanding warrants, statements concerning its expected product development efforts, statements about its Nanosecond Pulsed Field Ablation (nsPFA) technology to non-thermally clear cells while sparing adjacent noncellular tissue, as well as statements concerning customer adoption and future use of the CellFX System to address a range of conditions such as atrial fibrillation. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on Pulse Biosciences’ current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding Pulse Biosciences’ business, operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” and other similar or related expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases, beyond Pulse Biosciences’ control. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described in Pulse Biosciences’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pulse Biosciences undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223275716/en/ CONTACT: Investor Contacts: Pulse Biosciences Darrin Uecker, CTO or Kevin Danahy, CCO IR@pulsebiosciences.com or Gilmartin Group Philip Trip Taylor 415.937.5406 philip@gilmartinir.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA FLORIDA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY MEDICAL DEVICES HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL CARDIOLOGY SOURCE: Pulse Biosciences, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/23/2024 04:30 PM/DISC: 12/23/2024 04:30 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223275716/en

Recruiting top-tier AI researchers today is a bit like a sports team scouting for its — they're few in number and costly to recruit but can change an organization's trajectory. "It's like looking for LeBron James," Databricks' VP of AI, Naveen Rao, told The Verge's newsletter published Friday. "There are just not very many humans who are capable of that." While thousands of tech workers and engineers are qualified to work on AI, identifying the topmost tiers of AI talent — and convincing them to jump ship — remains a challenge for companies leading the AI race. Rao said he agreed that there are probably fewer than 1,000 researchers capable of building new frontier models. However, the work of a star AI engineer can have a "massive influence" on a company's ability to win, the executive added. Rao said the AI talent wars aren't just about "pure AI talent," though. They're also about scaling and building infrastructure for AI models. He said he sees some aspects of the pool expanding in that area. "When you build a model and you want to scale it, that actually is not AI talent, per see," Rao told Command Line. "It's infrastructure talent." The level of scarcity for top AI talent has given researchers "unprecedented" leverage at the companies they work at, he added. While most Americans are navigating an , cutting-edge AI engineers seem to have the upper hand. Earlier this year, Perplexity's CEO shared an instance where he was who told him to "come back to me when you have 10,000 H100 GPUs," the high-demand Nvidia chips needed to develop and scale AI. As competition increases, top players in the AI race, like OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, Microsoft, and Google, have ramped up their hiring efforts. AI tech workers have shared have made to secure top talent. One worker said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman personally called to pitch them on joining the team. Similarly, a Meta recruit reported showing up in an email thread. The companies are also offering hefty pay incentives to secure the best talent. Google recently turned heads when it paid a reported $2.7 billion in a deal to bring 48-year-old Character.ai founder Noam Shazeer back to the company. While Google didn't formally acquire Character.ai, it paid to license the startup's technology, and Shazeer made hundreds of millions from the deal, The Wall Street Journal . Databricks' Rao said while it may sound ridiculous to hear about how much these companies are paying for talent, it's not. The executive cited an example of a former employee at his company Nervana. He described the employee, who now works at OpenAI, as "the best GPU programmer in the world." That programmer's code now likely powers every inference on OpenAI models and could have saved the company $4 billion, Rao said. "I think that's why you see Google hiring back Noam Shazeer," Rao said. "It's very hard to find another Noam Shazeer." Read the original article onOrganizers say two sailors have died in Sydney to Hobart yacht race amid wild weather conditions SYDNEY (AP) — Organizers said that two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honors favorite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which administers the yacht race, has said that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. The race will continue as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies at 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home." He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. 'Baby Driver' actor Hudson Meek, 16, dies in a fall from a moving vehicle VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say 16-year-old actor Hudson Meek has died after he fell out of a moving vehicle in Alabama. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office says Meek was hurt on Dec. 19 while on a street in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham. He died two days later. The Vestavia Hills Police Department has not issued any public statements. Meek made his on-screen debut in 2014’s “The Santa Con,” and had roles in various TV series, including “MacGyver.” He was perhaps best known for his role in the 2017 film “Baby Driver,” in which he played a younger version of Ansel Elgort’s titular character. Bad Bunny announces a new album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos' Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny announced he will release a new album in early January. He announced Thursday that “Debí Tirar Más Fotos" arrives Jan. 5. It is his sixth studio album and follows in his tradition of releasing new music on unexpected dates. This time, it's a Sunday instead of the typical Friday album drop date. Bad Bunny announced the news on Instagram in a short video featuring Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales. He also released a new single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” His last release was 2023’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.” Hwang Dong-hyuk on killing off his 'Squid Game' characters and wanting to work with Jake Gyllenhaal As season two of Netflix's hit series “Squid Game” returns Thursday, viewers can expect more untimely deaths for many of its characters. Its creator, writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk says whittling down the cast made him happy because less people were easier to manage on set. The show follows a deadly competition in South Korea that targets contestants who are heavily in debt and desperate for money. Hwang told the Associated Press in a Q&A that a third and final season has already filmed and it's better than season two. He also says his next project will be even darker in tone than “Squid Game.” Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel DALLAS (AP) — Severe thunderstorms are firing up in parts of Texas and could trigger high winds, hail and potential tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled Thursday at airports in Dallas and Houston. The National Weather Service says the greatest weather risk stretched from just east of Dallas, and between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western Louisiana. The risk includes the possibility of tornadoes, wind gusts between 60 and 80 miles per hour and large hail. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. NYC taxi driver was having a medical episode when he jumped the curb and hit people, police say NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say a taxi driver who hit six pedestrians when he jumped a curb in Manhattan on Christmas Day was having a medical episode at the time. An NYPD spokesperson would not elaborate on the type of type of medical episode but said Thursday no criminality is suspected at this time. The 58-year-old was taken to a hospital in stable condition for further evaluation. Also hospitalized after the yellow taxi drove onto the sidewalk across the street from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square were a 9-year-old boy with a laceration to his right thigh, a 49-year-old woman with a leg injury and a 41-year-old woman. All were in stable condition. Pizza deliverer in Florida charged with stabbing pregnant woman at motel after tip dispute KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — A pizza deliverer in Florida has been charged with pushing her way into a motel room and stabbing a pregnant woman after a dispute over a tip. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says that Brianna Alvelo has been charged with stabbing a woman in her motel room in Kissimmee, Florida, a short time after delivering a pizza to her on Sunday. The woman gave Alvelo $50 on a $33.10 bill, expecting change back. When Alvelo started walking away, the woman asked for money back, and Alvelo told her they didn’t make change. The woman got a smaller dollar bill from her boyfriend, and Alvelo’s tip ended up being $2. Friday's Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, one of the game's top jackpots Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday’s Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion. Friday’s jackpot will potentially be the fifth largest in the game’s history. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece. But the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials. Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Christmas shooting at Phoenix airport leaves 3 people wounded, 1 stabbed PHOENIX (AP) — Police are investigating a Christmas shooting at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix that left three people wounded by gunfire and another person stabbed. Phoenix police say the evening shooting was related to a family dispute that happened at a restaurant outside the security checkpoints in Terminal 4. An adult female and two adult males were shot, leaving the female with injuries police describe as life-threatening. Police say the two men were in stable condition. Police say the people involved knew each other. They had a physical fight that led to one of them pulling a gun. A man and a girl were detained in a nearby parking garage.

Woodward Earnings Report: Q4 Overview

PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images This is my second 2seventy bio ( NASDAQ: TSVT ) article after 09/2023's "bluebird bio And 2seventy bio - Spinner And Spun: The Better Bet In Cell Therapy (" Spun "). Spun characterized both companies as: ...small biotechs ... struggling as they Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in ANY STOCK MENTIONED over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Jets' Ulbrich says Rodgers 'absolutely' remains the team's starting quarterback

SALEM — It meant the world to Ella Shreckhise just to be in the state championship game. It wasn’t the result the Indians were hoping for, but the Fort Defiance senior outside hitter kept her head held high throughout Saturday’s match. Minutes after finishing her final career high school game, Shreckhise was overcome with emotion as she expressed what this incredible postseason run for the Indians meant to her in her last season. “It’s meant a lot,” Shreckhise said through tears. “It’s been really cool because I’ve been playing for such a long time and I’ve looked up to so many girls and I’ve always wanted to be that girl. During the game, I wasn’t down, because it’s so cool to be where I was at and I just couldn’t help but just smile at my teammates because it was such a surreal event. ... I’m really blessed.” Even when things weren’t going Fort Defiance’s way, Shreckhise had a smile on her face as she tried to encourage her teammates to keep pushing. “The entire time, she was smiling and she was really positive,” junior outside hitter Maecy Frizzelle said. “That’s hard. It’s very frustrating. ... She did really great.” The Indians scratched and clawed like they did all season, but the Ridgeview Wolfpack proved to be too much for them as they were swept 25-21, 25-22, 25-17 in the Virginia High School League Class 2 state title game on Saturday afternoon inside the Salem Civic Center. “They’re a really good team,” Fort head coach Amber Pitsenbarger said. “I thought that we played to our potential and that we didn’t give up, and that’s the biggest thing that I’m proud of. I told the girls in the locker room that I just really wanted them to keep fighting no matter what the score was, and I thought they did a good job to just keep fighting and keep working.” The Wolfpack executed quality ball placement and led the Indians by as many as seven to take set one 25-21. Ridgeview exuded confidence throughout set two and fended off a late rally by the Indians to take set two 25-22. Senior Leah Sutherland impressed for the Wolfpack with a string of kills down the stretch. Fort Defiance celebrates after scoring a point against Ridgeview. Set three was much of the same as the Wolfpack took the early lead and kept a stranglehold on it throughout. Sutherland carried her team on her back late by swatting down the last few kills to clinch Ridgeview the title. The Indians battled from behind essentially the entire match, and while that’s always frustrating, Pitsenbarger never lacked confidence that her team could rally back and still put themselves in position to win. However, Fort Defiance struggled to play with energy, something Pitsenbarger said is crucial to their success. “I think that lacked a little bit today,” Pitsenbarger said. “We could see it in little spurts here and there, but it wasn’t 100 percent across all three sets.” Shreckhise attests the lack of energy to the unusual environment the Indians were in. With a sense of normalcy playing in smaller gyms against smaller schools, Shreckhise said they were taken aback by the environment inside the Salem Civic Center. “Being here, you walk in and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is a really big deal,’” Shreckhise said. “I think that it was kinda hard just to get here and then have to go play right away.” On top of that, Frizzelle said the surrealness of playing in the state title game weighed on their minds as well. “It’s a lot of pressure,” Frizzelle said. Frizzelle led the Indians with 17 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Norah Anderson led in digs with 19 while Shreckhise added 18 digs. Freshman Caroline Hanger poured in nine assists and seven kills while senior Riley Davis tallied 19 assists in her final career game. While there was disappointment in the final result, it didn’t change Frizzelle’s emotions. Win or lose, Frizzelle knew it was going to be an emotional end, and the surreal feeling of just being in the state title game overshadowed any woeful feelings about the loss. “To me, it just felt like another game that we lost,” Frizzelle said. The Indians lose the senior trio of Shreckhise, Davis, and Rachel Bast after this season. Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle and Fort Defiance's Rachel Bast. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview celebrates after scoring against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle takes a shot against Ridgeview's Tsega Mullins and Alyssa Kiser. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Norah Anderson comes up short as she dives for a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Autumn Weber and Savannah Crookshanks. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland chases down a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Mackenzie Wright takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle takes a shot against Ridgeview's Tsega Mullins. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Autumn Weber. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Alyssa Kiser blocks a shot from Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle takes a shot against Ridgeview's Tsega Mullins. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Mackenzie Wright comes up short as she tries to dig into a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance celebrates after scoring a point against Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger sets up a shot for a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Savannah Crookshanks. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Skylar Golaschevsky serves to Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's MaKinley Owens sets up a shot for a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger and Rachel Bast try to block a shot from Ridgeview's Mackenzie Wright. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Jaeda Dingus digs into a serve from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise sets up a serve to Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Rachel Bast blocks a shot from Ridgeview's Alyssa Kiser. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's MaKinley Owens celebrates after a point against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's MaKinley Owens and Leah Sutherland come up short as they chase down a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview celebrates after scoring a point against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Norah Anderson digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise celebrates after a point against Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance fans cheer on their team against Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Brooke Beavers passes the ball to a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Josie Hill digs into a serve from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance head coach Amber Pitsenbarger talks with her team during a timeout. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger sets up a shot for a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland digs into a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle hits a loose ball back in bounds. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Riley Davis comes up short as she chases down a loose ball. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview celebrates after scoring a point against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle digs into a serve from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview storms the court after their state championship win against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fort Defiance reacts after their loss to Ridgeview in the state championship game. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Ridgeview celebrates with their state championship trophy after defeating Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Volleyball: Fort Defiance vs. Ridgeview State Championship Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle and Fort Defiance's Rachel Bast. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview celebrates after scoring against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle takes a shot against Ridgeview's Tsega Mullins and Alyssa Kiser. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Norah Anderson comes up short as she dives for a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Autumn Weber and Savannah Crookshanks. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland chases down a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Mackenzie Wright takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle takes a shot against Ridgeview's Tsega Mullins. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Autumn Weber. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Alyssa Kiser blocks a shot from Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle takes a shot against Ridgeview's Tsega Mullins. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Mackenzie Wright comes up short as she tries to dig into a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance celebrates after scoring a point against Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger sets up a shot for a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland takes a shot against Fort Defiance's Savannah Crookshanks. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Skylar Golaschevsky serves to Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's MaKinley Owens sets up a shot for a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger and Rachel Bast try to block a shot from Ridgeview's Mackenzie Wright. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Jaeda Dingus digs into a serve from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise sets up a serve to Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Rachel Bast blocks a shot from Ridgeview's Alyssa Kiser. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's MaKinley Owens celebrates after a point against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's MaKinley Owens and Leah Sutherland come up short as they chase down a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview celebrates after scoring a point against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Norah Anderson digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Ella Shreckhise celebrates after a point against Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance fans cheer on their team against Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Brooke Beavers passes the ball to a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle digs into a shot from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Josie Hill digs into a serve from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance head coach Amber Pitsenbarger talks with her team during a timeout. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Caroline Hanger sets up a shot for a teammate. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview's Leah Sutherland digs into a shot from Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle hits a loose ball back in bounds. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Riley Davis comes up short as she chases down a loose ball. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview celebrates after scoring a point against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance's Maecy Ann Frizzelle digs into a serve from Ridgeview. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview storms the court after their state championship win against Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Fort Defiance reacts after their loss to Ridgeview in the state championship game. Daniel Lin / DN-R Ridgeview celebrates with their state championship trophy after defeating Fort Defiance. Daniel Lin / DN-R Pitsenbarger told her girls in the locker room after the game that the team chemistry the three seniors helped build, Shreckhise especially, exemplifies what a strong team should be. “All three of them have done a really good job,” Pitsenbarger said. “Especially Ella, being my captain here. She’s done a fantastic job keeping everybody up and making sure that everybody is doing what they’re supposed to be doing and really going hard in practice.” For Frizzelle, she still has one more chance to make it back and win the state championship next year in her senior season. After having a younger team this season with many returners for next year, Frizzelle believes Saturday’s experience will be a positive if they can make it back. “Now, if this were to happen next year, it won’t be as much of a shock because they’ve done it before,” Frizzelle said. “It’s also one of those things where they know that they can do it and they know that they’re capable. From a leadership point of view, I’ll be able to lead them better because I know what it’s like.” They might not have ended the campaign with the state championship, but it was still a remarkable season for the Indians (26-3). Looking ahead, Pitsenbarger and company still have a lot to be excited about. Echoing much of what Frizzelle said, Pitsenbarger said it’ll be important to have a lot of returners next year as they now have the experience of a full state championship run. When they gear up for next year, Pitsenbarger said they’ll be more prepared to gun for the state crown. “We’ve really only made it to the state quarterfinals the last two years,” Pitsenbarger said. “Making it to the state championship the first year, I think it’s going to be the same thing as last year. We were really stunned at Bruton [last year]. This year, we were able to come back and beat them. I think having that experience, we’re more prepared for it and I think we’ll be ready for it next year.” One that won’t be continuing on that journey, however, is Shreckhise. It was an emotional time for Shreckhise as reality started to set in that she had played her final game for the Indians. Through each other and through faith, Shreckhise is proud of her team and how they’ve grown over this season. After a season filled with battling through adversity and moving the program forward, Shreckhise couldn’t have asked to be a part of a better team. “That’s been my favorite thing about this season, is how close we’ve all grown to God and just seeing how he’s worked through us, which has been really, really cool,” Shreckhise said. “Just the adversity that we faced, I just couldn’t be more blessed to have a team like this to end my season with.”Burt, the huge Australian crocodile who had a cameo in ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ dies at 90NoneSure, Netflix Christmas Movies Are Often Patently Absurd. They’re Also Occasionally Perfect

Dave Chisnall was left with egg on his face after celebrating a checkout - before finding out he had embarrassingly miscounted. The world number six was dumped out of the PDC World Championship by Ricky Evans on Monday night in a five-set thrillier. Chisnall, who averaged an impressive 94.54, lost 3-2 against 'Rapid' in what will go down as one of the most memorable second round contests at Alexandra Palace. And in the fifth set, Chisnall was guilty of a gaffe that will go down in Ally Pally folklore. Trailing 5-4 in the fifth, the 44-year-old needed to hold his throw to send the match into a sudden death leg. He thought he had produced an incredible 139 checkout after taking out D16. But in reality, he should have been taking out D20. Chisnall reacted to the D16 by pointing his finger to the crowd, but was quickly left with his head in his hands after miscounting. The fans in attendance all jeered in unison at Chisnall's expense, who proceeded to speak with the referee about his error. Speaking on talkSPORT 2, a shocked Paul Nicholson said: "He's got it wrong! He's got eight left! "Apparently Professor Chisnall has miscalculated and now Evans can bring the guillotine down." Social media was sent into meltdown over the incident, as one X user said: "Moment of the tournament." Another commented: "Miscount and a missed big number. Absolute scenes." Meanwhile a third added: "Serious darting drama." Thankfully for Chisnall, Evans then proceeded to fluff his own attempt at a checkout after drifting into the 5s after hitting a first T20. Chisnall then closes out the tenth leg of the fifth set to send the game to a sudden death. But ultimately, Chisnall failed to progress into the third round after being blitzed in the deciding leg. It means that he has become the latest top seed to bow out in what has been an enthralling tournament so far.Here’s the Average RRSP Balance at 45 in CanadaYou see someone in the midst of a mental breakdown, or high on drugs. Call 911 and they may get arrested. Things could get worse from there. They might lose their job, their apartment. Rather than get the care that could pull them out of a crisis, they could land in custody and spiral into further trouble. So a new program funded by the Kansas City Council offers another response: A call to an alternative number could hook the person up with a mental health clinician, a social worker or another professional to get them help. Kansas City’s fledgling Responding with Empathetic Alternatives and Community Health, or REACH, program aims to cut crime and keep people committing nonviolent offenses out of jail. The program launched in December and operates along the Prospect Avenue corridor from 27th Street to 45th Street. It offers a shortcut to help with homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse problems. So instead of calling 911 and making it a police problem, residents can call 816-513-6010 or submit an inquiry at reach@kcmo.org to put REACH on the case. The Kansas City Council approved $1.2 million for the program, which sprang from a joint effort of the Kansas City Fire Department, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and the Kansas City Police Department. Representatives with the program said they are still establishing the hours of operation. If it works, said 6th District Councilmember Johnathan Duncan, it will be expanded across the city.The next expansion phase will be downtown, leaders with Decarcerate KC said. This is republished under a Creative Commons license.

JERUSALEM — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization's director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. "The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. He added that he and U.N. colleagues were safe. "We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave," he said, without mentioning the source of the bombardment. U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay later said the injured person was with the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service. The Israeli strikes followed several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Iran-backed Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports in Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib, along with power stations, asserting they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. Israel's military didn't immediately respond to questions about Tedros' post but issued a statement saying it had "capabilities to strike very far from Israel's territory — precisely, powerfully, and repetitively." The strikes, carried out over 1,000 miles from Jerusalem, came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad's regime and others learned" as his military has battled those more powerful proxies of Iran. The Houthi-controlled satellite channel al-Masirah reported multiple deaths. Iran's foreign ministry condemned the strikes. The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in recent days. The U.N. has noted that the targeted ports are important entryways for humanitarian aid for Yemen, the poorest Arab nation that plunged into a civil war in 2014. Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, while other missiles and drones have been shot down. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting Monday in response to an Israeli request that the council condemn the Houthi attacks and Iran for supplying them weapons. 5 journalists are killed in Gaza Meanwhile, an Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in Gaza overnight, the territory's Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said all were militants posing as reporters. The strike hit a car outside Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The journalists were working for local news outlet Al-Quds Today, a television channel affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group. Islamic Jihad is a smaller and more extreme ally of Hamas and took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel that ignited the war. Israel's military identified four of the men as combat propagandists and said that intelligence, including a list of Islamic Jihad operatives found by soldiers in Gaza, had confirmed that all five were affiliated with the group. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups operate political, media and charitable operations in addition to their armed wings. Associated Press footage showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings visible on the back doors. Sobbing young men attended the funeral. The bodies were wrapped in shrouds, with blue press vests draped over them. The Committee to Protect Journalists says more than 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel hasn't allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds. Israel has banned the pan-Arab Al Jazeera network and accused six of its Gaza reporters of being militants. The Qatar-based broadcaster denies the allegations and accuses Israel of trying to silence its war coverage, which has focused heavily on civilian casualties from Israeli military operations. The toll continues to mount in Gaza Separately, Israel's military said a 35-year-old reserve soldier was killed during fighting in central Gaza. A total of 389 soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. About 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead. Israel's air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It says more than half the fatalities have been women and children, but doesn't say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The offensive has caused widespread destruction and hunger and driven around 90% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid tent camps along the coast, with little protection from the cold, wet winter. Also Thursday, people mourned eight Palestinians killed by Israeli military operations in and around the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said that it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid.Instagram Adds Live Location Sharing to Direct Messages - MacRumorsThe wife of Kentucky governor – and Donald Trump and J.D. Vance critic – Andy Beshear, the mother of 2 and ordained deacon is also a dedicated volunteer worker She’s been the first lady of Kentucky since 2019 and this year all eyes were on her family, after her husband’s name was thrown into the ring as a potential running mate for Democrat Kamala Harris in the November US presidential election. Britainy Beshear, wife of Kentucky governor Andy, has dedicated her life to volunteer work and serving her community. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Britainy Beshear is a supporter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library programme. Photo: @britainybeshear/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/19/12d82a05-2bed-4982-bb9a-a9522fe0bc41_d7491f3d.jpg"} Britainy Beshear is a supporter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library programme. Photo: @britainybeshear/Instagram Advertisement Although her husband’s powerful political ascent has never been in doubt, Britainy has moved from a behind-the-scenes role to embracing the spotlight. Just weeks before the US election, Andy made headlines for his tough stance against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, criticising their refusal to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Britainy is married to Kentucky governor Andy Beshear. Photo: @britainybeshear/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/19/2de0c932-4444-4876-a1b1-1223d85a9744_d7491f3d.jpg"} Britainy is married to Kentucky governor Andy Beshear. Photo: @britainybeshear/Instagram Back home, Britainy, 45, is working on education and Kentucky family matters – core interests for her remaining period as first lady, following Andy’s re-election last year. Here’s what you need to know about Britainy’s work and how she remains determined to hit her goals. First, who is Andy Beshear? {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Kentucky governor Andy Beshear pictured in Frankfort, Kentucky, in September. Photo: AP","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/19/42a18ae0-96b8-48cf-a4ef-b82672c876a7_d3082453.jpg"} Kentucky governor Andy Beshear pictured in Frankfort, Kentucky, in September. Photo: AP Andy Beshear’s name was catapulted into global headlines after he was named one of Kamala Harris’ possible running mates before the election . Although she finally chose Tim Walz, Beshear’s political career has been elevated by his potential inclusion. The two-term Kentucky governor grew up in politics: his father Steve was state governor from 2007 to 2015. In an interview with the Herald Leader in July, Andy said his political fate was always clear: “Dad and I are really close, as you can tell. I always say I’ve got two jobs – to be the best governor I can be, and to be the best Gov. Beshear.” Covid heightened Britainy Beshear’s profile {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Britainy Beshear with husband Andy and singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in August. Photo: @britainybeshear/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/19/79cd4ec5-f9c3-42f7-8679-d738910568ae_77e70e99.jpg"} Britainy Beshear with husband Andy and singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in August. Photo: @britainybeshear/Instagram Although her husband has been governor since 2019, having previously been the attorney general of Kentucky, it wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic that Britainy’s profile became more public. According to Spectrum News, she had focused on behind the scenes work, choosing to remain out of the spotlight. But in an effort to help families during the crisis, Britainy said she offered an inside look into her private life. “It just seemed like a really great time to maybe offer a little bit more of a glimpse into my family and talk to the mums out there, and you know, put our heads together and come up with some fun things we can do with our kids, while we are healthy at home,” she said.

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Karn Kalptinan, a candidate from the ruling Pheu Thai Party , secured a decisive victory in the Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Administrative Organisation ( PAO ) chairman election on Sunday. Unofficial election results indicate Mr Karn, also a former PAO chief, received 387,456 votes, significantly outrunning his competitors. Independent candidate Jittawan Wangsuphakijkosol came second with 322,986 votes, followed by Sitthiphon Laohawanich of the main opposition People's Party (PP) with 138,837 votes. Athipatai Kuisrimongkol trailed behind with 3,620 votes. Mr Karn's supporters gathered late on Sunday at the Kriang Kalptinan Law Office in Ubon Ratchathani's Muang district to celebrate the win. Kriang Kalptinan, Mr Karn's elder brother, congratulated him with a garland of lowers and thanked the campaign staff and voters. He emphasised the importance of completing unfinished projects to develop the province and praised former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's influence in rallying support for him. Mr Kriang credited his brother's victory to the grassroots efforts and his dedication to community development over the past four years. He said Mr Karn once in office will push policies aligned with Pheu Thai's national agenda, including the 10,000-baht cash handout scheme and promote welfare for the elderly. "I feel proud that the people of Ubon Ratchathani have consistently valued our work," he said. "I firmly believe in the continued support of the public to allow us to carry on with our work," he added. Mr Sitthiphon and PP key party figures, including party executive Phicharn Chaowapatanawong, yesterday released a statement conceding defeat in the election. However, the party said the poll outcome shows its support base in Ubon Ratchathani has grown since last year's general election. Mr Sitthiphon urged the PAO leader-elect to consider adopting some of the PP's proposed campaign policies. The party reiterated its commitment to grassroots politics, highlighting its plans to field candidates in 17 provinces in the PAO elections early next year.T hroughout history, humans have been consistently creative and inventive. We’ve found ways to solve problems to make life easier and more enjoyable. While this is typically positive, we also learn that creative inventions can also lead to unforeseen problems. Innovation never stops, and with the help of science, technology, and human creativity it allows us to create solutions. Think about electric cars. The world has become increasingly aware of the harmful effect the combustion engine has on the environment. For years, car companies have been experimenting and developing new technologies to enable fully electric engines. Thanks to years of research and development, electric cars are now a common sight to see on roads. Increasingly, we’re finding ways to power our lives which do less harm to the environment than traditional methods of power generation. We still need to drive cars, but we had to develop a more sustainable way to do it. Energy-saving lightbulb which utilized lead was developed and were much more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs. So, people still had access to electric light, but with reduced environmental impact. This is an example of an idea known as harm-reduction. Rather than abandoning the technology because of the harm it causes, harm reduction accepts that innovation needs reviewing and improving, and that there are often better ways to do the same things, which keep the desired effects while minimizing the unintended negatives. Harm reduction also applies to tobacco. It’s obviously best that nobody smokes and that those who do smoke, quit. Nevertheless, huge numbers of people aren’t doing so. Science and technology have provided a better alternative to continued smoking. Devices such as e-cigarettes and tobacco heating systems are designed to deliver nicotine, but without the burning that takes place while smoking cigarettes. How does this reduce harm? It is the smoke produced from burning that contains the high levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals associated with smoking related disease. By eliminating combustion, and therefore smoke, scientifically substantiated alternatives can significantly reduce the average levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes. This does not make them risk-free and they provide nicotine which is addictive. However, they offer the potential to be much better alternatives for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke. Harm reduction techniques are all around us in countless ways, and the drive to do better has served us well in the past. There’s no reason we shouldn’t keep trying to find better alternatives and embrace technologies that do less harm. Sponsored by Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Limited

TORONTO — The Winnipeg Jets had payback on their minds and top spot in the National Hockey League in their final game before the holiday break. The Jets made good on both accounts with a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs before 18,923 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. The win avenged a 6-4 home loss to Toronto on Oct. 28, that halted the Jets' eight-game win streak to begin the season. It also pushed the Jets into first overall. "They don't hand out awards at Christmas, but obviously, we're happy," said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who enjoyed a three-goal, four-point outing. "It's good to get a couple of days off, get recharged and get going for the next half of the season." Surprisingly, the Jets (25-10-1) are only one point ahead of the 36-game pace of 23-9-4 set a year ago. "We've been good from top to bottom and we need everybody in this group," said Kyle O'Connor, who scored the Jets first two goals and helped set up Scheifele for his first of three third-period goals. "I just think our ability to roll over lines and be hungry, and not to be satisfied with anything. We also have taken a day-to-day approach, learning what we can improve on from wins and losses and implementing the adjustments." Besides defeating the Maple Leafs after what transpired in late October, Scheifele had extra motivation after being left off Canada's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. In the 10 games since Canada's roster was announced, Scheifele has eight goals and 15 points. "You're disappointed, but at the end of the day, you just want to play well for your group of guys," Scheifele said. "There's always a bit of motivation you can draw from in every game. But it's just a matter of playing good for the Winnipeg Jets and controlling what I can control." He also enjoys playing in Toronto, an hour from his hometown of Kitchener. "I love coming to Toronto to have the opportunity to play in front of a lot of friends and family," Scheifele said. "Being so close to home, I get a little extra excited to play here. "I think the biggest thing is we didn't play our best when we played them last. We were excited to get another crack at them and how them the game we can play. All in all, it's a big win for us." MATTHEWS STILL OUT WITH INJURY While the Jets enter the Christmas break with back-to-back wins, the Maple Leafs dropped their second in a row at home without wounded captain Auston Matthews, out with an upper-body injury. "We just have to clean up some things off the rush, the transition part especially against a team that's obviously very good with their top line that takes advantage of time and space," said Maple Leafs centre John Tavares, who scored both Toronto goals. The Maple Leafs have gone 7-4-0 with Matthews on the sidelines this season and 42-23-2 in his career. Toronto was also missing defenceman Chris Tanev, out day-to-day with a lower-body ailment. Tanev missed his first game after skating in the pre-game warm-up. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024. Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian PressTroy Deeney questions ‘strange’ Chelsea decision following latest injury blow

Article content A new generation of minivan has traditionally appeared every decade, but Auto Forecast Solutions’ vice president of global vehicle forecasting Sam Fiorani said Stellantis’s interest in creating a fully electric version of the Pacifica likely means a major overhaul won’t come until 2032. “It’ll depend on the development of the electric vehicle market,” Fiorani said. “We anticipate the next generation will be on the STLA platform giving it the proven ability to be fully electrified.” Currently, Stellantis offers gas-powered and plug-in hybrid versions of the Pacifica built at its Windsor Assembly Plant. Fiorani expects a significant refresh of the Pacifica, which was unveiled in 2016, to come in 2027 or 2028. “We just saw a refresh of the Pacifica, so that timeline makes sense as it would normally be just beyond when it would’ve been replaced,” Fiorani said. “We’re looking at 2032 before the next generation comes along.” Fiorani said Stellantis remains committed to the Pacifica and as the inventor of the segment would likely be the last to abandon the segment. Through the first three quarters of 2024, there were 92,386 Pacificas sold in the U.S., which is down 18 per cent compared to 2023. In Canada, the company sold 3,670 Pacificas, a decline of 17 per cent. Sales of the Chrysler Grand Caravan in Canada have risen 85 per cent to 3,670. Chrysler CEO brand Christine Feuell has previously stated the company wants to ‘reinvent the minivan’ and is studying just how the vehicle will fit in its product offerings in the electric era. Stellantis Canada president Jeff Hines reenforced the company’s belief in the industry’s electric future in a recent interview with the Star. He was asked specifically about the possibility of introducing a battery electric version of the Pacifica at Windsor Assembly. “I think there’s a market for a lot of fully electric products, without giving away what our product strategy is going to be moving forward,” Hines said. “We’re 100 per cent believers long term that electrified is going to be a big, big part of the market globally and more importantly here in Canada.” Fiorani noted Stellantis isn’t the lone automaker to believe there’s a market for a fully electric minivan. “Volkswagen thinks there’s one too with the ID. (Buzz minivan) coming out (this year),” Fiorani said. He added the longer wait for the next generation of Pacifica also hints at the company’s desire to add a fully electric version. In shifting the Pacifica onto a new platform and offering a full BEV version presents both opportunity and technical challenges that will take some time to sort out. “You’re looking at a new platform that gives them the flexibility to do a lot of new things,” Fiorani said. “Part of the delay is to get the flexibility of the Pacifica design into a platform that can accommodate fully electric. Things like Stow N Go seating is expected in a minivan and that uses the same space for storage as the battery.” Fiorani added by the time the next generation Pacific arrives it’ll be using the evolved version of STLA large platform containing more advanced technology, software and batteries. He said it wouldn’t be a surprise if the powertrain layout for the Pacific is also completely different. “Right now, the STLA large platform is only showcasing longitudinal engines,” Fiorani said. “They may need a transversing engine for an electric minivan.” Fiorani said engineers will also need to focus on charging technology, maintaining the energy levels and battery design to meet the demands of minivan buyers. The Dodge Charger Daytona models produced in Windsor offer 400- and 800-volt options offering up to 800 kilometres of range. “There are so many different things you need to engineer for a minivan that you don’t have in a passenger car or crossover,” Fiorani said. “They’re heavier, larger and less aerodynamic than crossovers. “For families you need the 300-400-mile (480-640 km) range and power, that when you put seven family members and all their stuff in the vehicle, your range isn’t dropping to 150 miles (240 km). “Once they overcome those issues, you very likely will see a large swath of people attracted by the benefits of an electric minivan.” Dwaddell@postmedia.com Twitter.com/winstarwaddellB. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Makes New $116.71 Million Investment in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)