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Pac-12 survival: Oregon, Washington to deliver the death blow, leave for the Big Ten; more defections expected

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

The Pac-12 Conference, home to hundreds of NCAA titles and dozens of iconic athletes and coaches, hurtled toward extinction on a momentous Friday as Oregon and Washington prepared to formally accept invitations to join the Big Ten next summer, reducing the conference to seven schools and assuredly triggering more defections.The departure list is expected to include Arizona, which has applied for membership in the Big 12.Arizona State and Utah likely will follow and have “ramped up” their talks with the Big 12, according to ESPN.That will leave Stanford, Cal, Washington State and Oregon State behind in an abandoned home.“It’s tragic that it came to this,” a conference source said. “It never had to get to this point, but there were so many mistakes along the way.”Reports surfaced Friday morning that the Huskies and Ducks would accept the Big Ten’s offer, but the schools remained silent through the lunch window.One university didn’t...

Recent shooting outside Discovery Bay Safeway was gang-related, DA says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

MARTINEZ — An alleged Northern California-based gang member was charged with attempted murder and street terrorism in connection with a recent Discovery Bay shooting, court records show.Daniel Jonasson, 29, was charged with attempted murder, gun and drug possession, and street terrorism, and is being held in lieu of $2.175 million bail, court records show. The charges were filed on July 27, exactly 10 days after the shooting.According to prosecutors, the victim was a member of a rival gang in a neighboring county. He was shot and wounded a little before midnight on July 17, outside the Safeway grocery store in Discovery Bay. The victim travelled to Antioch, where he was discovered by police. He was hospitalized but survived the shooting.Prosecutors allege the shooting was motivated by gang rivalry and that Jonasson simply pulled out a gun and fired at the man after recognizing him. Jonasson is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 10, in the AF Bray Courthouse in Martinez, court r...

Harry’s Silicon Valley startup to lay off workers as he and Meghan try to ‘reinvent’ themselves: reports

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

Over the last week, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have returned to the spotlight in an effort to reportedly “reinvent themselves” and prove to the world that they’re not “grifters” who need to exploit their fraught connections to the British family to keep people’s attention and maintain their wealthy, A-list lifestyle.But they hit a possible snag with the news Thursday that one of Harry’s projects, the San Francisco-based mental health startup, BetterUp, “missed its financial targets” last year and needs to lay off 16% of its workforce, or some 100 employees. The Daily Beast reported Thursday that the company, which provides “mental fitness” services to corporate clients, has been dealing with “internal tumult” for many months, including “a revolt” in 2022 by its army of coaches over pay cuts and other professional issues.It appears that Harry still has his lucrative job with BetterUp as its &...

Sale closed in Dublin: $2 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

4370 Foxford Way – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 4300 block of Foxford Way in Dublin has new owners. The 2,800-square-foot property, built in 2000, was sold on June 12, 2023. The $2,020,000 purchase price works out to $721 per square foot. This single-story house presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three baths. In addition, the house features a three-car garage. The lot of the property covers an area of 4,003 square feet.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In July 2022, a 2,580-square-foot home on Roscommon Way in Dublin sold for $1,680,000, a price per square foot of $651. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Belcarra Court, Dublin, in March 2023, a 2,580-square-foot home was sold for $1,870,000, a price per square foot of $725. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,580-square-foot home on the 4300 block of Belcarra Court in Dublin sold in November 2022, for $1,750,000, a price per square foot of $678. The home has 4...

Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot will be $1.35 billion

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

Associated PressOfficials increased the size of Friday night’s Mega Million jackpot to an estimated $1.35 billion, making it tied for the fourth-largest lottery prize in U.S history.There have been 30 straight drawings since the last time someone won the game’s jackpot on April 18. The prize has steadily grown to tie with a Mega Millions jackpot won in January.The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1-in-302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball. The odds are better to win smaller prizes, which start at $2.The $1.35 billion prize is for a sole winner who is paid over 30 years through an annuity. Those who opt for a lump sum payout would get an estimated $659.5 million.A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery payouts.Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Man who tried to enter Jewish school with a gun fired twice at a construction worker, police say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man who tried to enter a Jewish school with a gun fired shots at a construction worker there and later pointed his weapon at police before an officer wounded him on a residential street, authorities said Friday.Joel Bowman, 33, went to Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South school in Memphis on Monday and tried to get inside, but he was denied entry, police said on the day of the shooting. Class was not in session, but there were limited staff and construction workers there at the time.In an affidavit made public Friday, police said Bowman — who had attended the school — walked around its exterior and fired two shots at a construction worker, who was not hit. Bowman then fired two more shots outside the school before driving away in a pickup truck, police said. Officers tracked down Bowman a short drive from the school. He exited his truck with a gun in his right hand and pointed the weapon at an officer, who shot him, police said. B...

3 people killed in Slovenia by torrential storms and flash floods

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Torrential rains and heavy floods ravaged Slovenia on Friday, killing at least three people, cutting off roads and bridges and surging into buildings. Slovenia’s prime minister described the devastation as “catastrophic.”The Slovenian environmental agency raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in the northern, northwestern and central parts of the small European country.As rain continued to fall Friday, authorities warned of more floods in other areas because of swiftly swelling rivers. “We can already say that this a record flood,” Prime Minister Robert Golob said at a news conference after cutting short his vacation because of the floods. Golob said the floods could be the biggest since Slovenia became independent in 1991.“The scale is catastrophic. We are asking for all the help we can get,” he said. “I am calling on everyone to stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessa...

Bears great Steve McMichael, who has ALS, in intensive care with sepsis and pneumonia

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team who has ALS, was in intensive care because of sepsis and pneumonia, his wife said Friday.Misty McMichael wrote in an Instagram post that her husband was hospitalized on Thursday night.McMichael spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the Bears and was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987. He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2. His final season was with Green Bay in 1994.McMichael is one of 12 players whose final appearance was no later than 1998 in the mix to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year. That list will be whittled down to as many as three by the selection committee, and the finalists will be part of the 2024 class if they are supported by at least 80% of voters next January.Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, t...

Joe Biden’s ‘Buy America’ policy on infrastructure projects leads to factory jobs in Wisconsin

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Efforts by the Biden administration have been helping create new factory jobs as part of a push to bring high-speed internet to the whole country — jobs that coincidentally help to back up President Joe Biden’s messaging for the 2024 elections.Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Thursday that up to 200 new manufacturing jobs would be coming to the swing state of Wisconsin. The workers at the Sanmina factory in Kenosha County are to make parts for Nokia that help to connect customers to broadband internet. Nokia’s choice to move production to the U.S. came after an extended engagement with the Commerce Department over how to deliver on the “Buy America” rules in the government’s $42.5 billion investment to provide universal internet services.“Whereas in the past, many of those jobs would have been created overseas, President Biden and I required that the materials and products used in these projects, from steel to electronics to f...

Guardians place slugging 1B Josh Naylor on 10-day injured list with oblique strain

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:25:52 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor has been placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain, leaving Cleveland without one of its top power hitters for the time being.Naylor sat out the team’s past two games in Houston with the injury, which had been bothering him for longer.The Guardians, who enter the weekend 2 1/2 games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central, made the move with Naylor — retroactive to Tuesday — on Friday before opening a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.Naylor has been Cleveland’s most productive middle-of-the-lineup hitter. He’s batting .306 with 15 homers and a team-high 79 RBIs.Earlier this week, the Guardians traded slugger Josh Bell to Miami.The Guardians also placed infielder Tyler Freeman on the injured list with a strained right shoulder.Needing some immediate help, Cleveland acquired outfielder Kole Calhoun in a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash and recalled infielder José Tena...