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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen returned to the Las Vegas Grand Prix as the defending winner of the Sin City spectacle and a fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship well within his reach. ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren to make it four straight for the Red Bull driver. Verstappen starts fifth and Norris is sixth. Norris can additionally lose the title if he fails to outscore Verstappen by three points on the neon-lit street circuit that zips down the famed Las Vegas Strip. The race is back for a second year and again promoted by Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1. The debut event in that locals were livid for months over ongoing construction, as well as traffic detours and delays, the inability to access many local businesses, outrageous price gouging by the tourism industry as well as LVGP ticketing, and then a loose minutes into the first practice. It fans were kicked out of the circuit, and F1 ran practice until 4 a.m. — when it legally had to reopen the streets to the public. This year in part because all of the infrastructure headaches were a year ago, but also that last year’s race was spectacular. Despite all its speed bumps, the actual running of the race was one of the best of the F1 season and could produce a similar show Saturday night. , who wants redemption after the valve-cover fiasco last year. He had to serve a penalty because his car was damaged in the incident. Ferrari is expected to be the class of the field, which could tighten the nail-biting Red Bull, the two-time reigning winners, have fallen to third in the standings behind McLaren and Ferrari. But with Las Vegas the first of the final three races of the season, McLaren is clinging to a 36-point lead for a championship worth an estimated $150 million in prize money. McLaren last won the constructor title in 1998, while Ferrari last won it in 2008. The race is the final stop in the United States for F1, which has exploded in American popularity the last five years. The trio of races in Miami; Austin, Texas; and Las Vegas are more than any other country. After the race completion, to 11 teams to make room for an American team backed by General Motors’ Cadillac brand. The team was initially started by Michael Andretti, who could not receive approval from F1 on his expansion application. Andretti has since turned over his ownership stake to Indiana-businessman Dan Towriss and Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They would run the Cadillac F1 team that would likely join the grid in 2026. The announcement of the American team did not come during the weekend to not derail from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is the showpiece of the Liberty Media portfolio. With one-time infrastructure costs last year, the debut event was believed to cost Liberty nearly $1 billion. Expenses are down this year, but Liberty put in as much glitz and glamour as possible, anyway. There are nightclubs around the course and on top of the paddock, an ice-skating rink, top-level musical acts and a 10 p.m. local start to make it feel like a true Las Vegas big Saturday night event. ___ AP auto racing:
Mayor Brandon Johnson is in danger of losing a budget vote for the first time in recent memory or being forced to cast the tie-breaking vote to save it — and he has himself largely to blame. He can look in the mirror and see: • A 14% approval rating that has emboldened his opponents and sent his own allies running for cover. • A two-week budget delay that put alderpersons behind the eight ball after his first budget was balanced with one-time revenues. • An inexperienced mayor who calls himself “collaborator-in-chief” but has, too often, kept the City Council in the dark while making up parliamentary rules as he goes along. • A head-scratching string of self-inflicted staffing wounds. All those and more have Johnson in an unprecedented political mess that could trigger Chicago’s first budget shutdown in anyone’s memory. “It really comes down to trust. Chicago doesn’t trust the mayor today and alders are feeling that when they go back to their wards,” said Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn (13th). “This is a career-defining vote. ... If they intend to vote `yes’ and haven’t supplied constituents with a ‘why’ and can justify it, they will have allowed their residents to finish the sentence. You voted for a property tax increase because what?” That $68.5 million property tax increase is among a slew of tax hikes making the mayor’s $17.3 billion budget hard for some alderpersons to swallow. Side deals complicate process The deep distrust between the mayor and the Council was on display this week when Johnson tried to lock down the budget votes of two leadership team members — Police Committee Chair Chris Taliaferro (29th) and Housing Chair Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) — by adding a combined $80,000 to their committee budgets. Critics scouring the amended budget also discovered Johnson’s plan to use the water fund to bankroll a security team for City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, which had been stripped away by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. It looked to them like an attempt to curry favor with the treasurer’s husband, Budget Chair Jason Ervin (28th). South Side Ald. David Moore (17th) said he voted for the mayor’s budget at the committee level after the administration “committed to working with me” to prioritize a new $30 million field house for Ogden Park. Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Andre Vasquez (40th), blindsided by the mayor’s side deals, helped to kill those for Taliaferro and Sigcho-Lopez. “It feels like, every single day, the Johnson administration is doing something else to complicate the situation or frustrate the City Council,” Vasquez said. He slammed Johnson’s team for wasting “time and energy in Springfield talking about a stadium rather than figuring out money” for its budget. He also cited its failure to secure an expected $40 million in revenue from a tax on prepaid cell phones and phone cards that needed state approval. “There’s a laundry list of items and it continues to grow,” Vasquez said. “That makes it much harder for people who want the budget to move forward to do so in a way that instills confidence.” Rahm got Council to make tough choices Then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel started with a Council that distrusted and opposed him, but he left as a beloved political figure among Council members. He worked to build relationships with all 50 alderpersons, using his political muscle to force the Council to deal with the looming pension crisis. The result: Chicago’s property tax levy was more than doubled to fund police, fire and teacher pensions. Two telephone tax hikes went toward the Laborers pension fund. A phased-in 29.5% surcharge on water and sewer bills now goes toward the Municipal Employees pension fund, the largest of the four. “When you need an alderman to do something difficult and politically unpopular where they’ll pay a price for it, you can’t create that relationship in that moment. It has to be pre-existing. ... There’s no substitute for it,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), Johnson’s Public Safety Committee chair. Aldermen are getting an earful from their constituents at every community meeting, Hopkins said. “What we want to know from the mayor is [that] he’s gonna have our back. He’s gonna help us get through this politically unpopular route that he has charted for us — and clearly, he hasn’t done that. He did not shore up those relationships in advance. He did not give his key allies enough warning. ” Council dean Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), vice mayor and Zoning Committee chair, also serves as Johnson’s de facto floor leader. He said Emanuel had the benefit of experience built while serving as a political operative for former President Bill Clinton, then White House chief-of-staff for former President Barack Obama and as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Rahm was very aggressive and I give him credit for that. He stayed in peoples’ faces. Rahm knew this stuff inside and out. He was very early with this kind of stuff. He could see the writing on the wall because he’d been doing it a hundred years,” Burnett said. Mayor’s approach ‘evolving,’ floor leader says Burnett argued Johnson is “evolving to be that way, too.” But the transition will take time for a former teacher-turned-paid organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union who has never held an executive position and spent just four years as a Cook County commissioner. “Whether he likes it or not, he’s getting that way because he has to aggressively communicate with all of these guys,” Burnett said, referring to his Council colleagues. “He’s not just telling his staff to talk to people. He’s talking to guys personally. Guys who like him and guys who don’t like him. He’s trying to convince them to come on board. ... I think he’s gonna be a stronger mayor because of this because next year is not gonna be pretty. Next year is gonna be just as challenging. He’s got to start working on next year now.” The mayor’s late lobbying effort is complicated by the large number of newly elected alderpersons, including some of Johnson’s own progressive allies, Burnett said. They are “very insecure about doing something that’s going to make their constituents upset,” like raising property taxes. Johnson’s stumbles and anemic approval ratings have also triggered a surprisingly early start to the 2027 mayoral sweepstakes. The early jockeying is affecting the budget stalemate, with Burnett counting “five or six” Council members who would “like to run for mayor” and up to 10 other wannabes outside the Council. Hopkins said there’s no question Johnson made a series of “strategic missteps,” including “starting the process late, playing year-end brinksmanship” and ignoring the festering financial crisis in his first city budget. Johnson’s missed chance, future opportunity “Everyone told him last year he had a moment of goodwill that he could have capitalized on. He could have forced some of the more unpopular decisions then with three more years to recover. ... But he didn’t want to do that. So, here we are,” Hopkins said. Despite all that, Johnson still could emerge from the budget stalemate relatively unscathed, Hopkins said. “If he pulls this off and passes this budget under these conditions with this amount of political resistance and treachery going on, that’ll be an achievement. A win is a win. Even if it’s a razor-thin win,” he said. Burnett, who’s counting heads, offered no prediction. “It’s gonna be close. Either he’s gonna have to vote for it [to break a tie] or we’re gonna be one or two votes over,” Burnett said. Asked if Johnson could lose the most important Council vote of the year, Burnett said: “I hope not. ... That means we’ve got to find more money. We have to cut more things and raise more taxes. ... Everybody in the city loses if we don’t get it.”Greeley’s Centennial Village Museum prepares for extended Homesteader’s Holiday
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson topple Penn State to win Sunshine SlamBOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Deshawn Purdie threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to O'Mega Blake for the go-ahead score and Charlotte defeated Florida Atlantic 39-27 on Saturday in a game that matched two new interim coaches. Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 American Athletic Conference) fired Biff Poggi on Monday and Tim Brewster took over. FAU (2-9, 0-7) fired Tom Ferman, also on Monday, with Chad Lunsford taking charge. After Blake's third touchdown catch of the game that came with 5:25 left, the 49ers extended their lead when Tyriq Starks was strip-sacked by Ja'Qurious Conley and 335-pound Katron Kevans carried it 22 yards into the end zone. Blake made five catches for a career-high 205 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. Purdie was 16 of 30 for a career-best 396 yards passing with the three scores plus an interception. The 49ers only rushed for 46 yards. Stephen Rusnak kicked four field goals. Starks was 12-of-23 passing for 179 yards including a 65-yard score to Omari Hayes in the final minute of the third quarter to get FAU within six of the 49ers. CJ Campbell rushed 58 yards to score early in the fourth quarter and the Owls had a 27-26 lead. Campbell finished with 150 yards on 21 carries. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Sl Green Realty's chief legal officer sells $3.65 million in stock
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One Of The Unhealthiest Beef Stock Brands Is Already In Your PantryData Innovation And Engineering Excellence: The Journey Of Swathi GarudasuOTTAWA — Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump is brushing off Ontario's threat to restrict electricity exports in retaliation for sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, as the province floats the idea of effectively barring sales of American alcohol. On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said Ontario is contemplating restricting electricity exports to Michigan, New York state and Minnesota if Trump follows through on a threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada. "That's OK if he that does that. That's fine," Trump told American network CNBC when asked Thursday about Ford’s remarks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “The United States is subsidizing Canada and we shouldn’t have to do that," Trump added. "And we have a great relationship. I have so many friends in Canada, but we shouldn’t have to subsidize a country," he said, claiming this amounts to more than US$100 billion annually in unspecified subsidies. Meanwhile, an official in the Ford government says it's considering restricting the Liquor Control Board of Ontario from buying American-made alcohol. The province says the Crown agency is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. The province also says it could restrict exports of Canadian critical minerals required for electric-vehicle batteries, and bar American companies from provincial procurement. Ford doubled down Thursday on the idea of cutting off energy exports. The province says that in 2013, Ontario exported enough energy to power 1.5 million homes in those three states. "It's a last resort," Ford said. "We're sending a message to the U.S. (that if) you come and attack Ontario, you attack livelihoods of people in Ontario and Canadians, we are going to use every tool in our tool box to defend Ontarians and Canadians. Let’s hope it never comes to that." Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said the province would rather have co-operation with the U.S., but has mechanisms to "end power sale into the U.S. market" the day Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith ruled out following suit. "Under no circumstances will Alberta agree to cut off oil and gas exports," she said. "Our approach is one of diplomacy, not threats." Michael Sabia, president and CEO of Hydro-Québec, said "it's not our current intention" to cut off Quebec's exports to Massachusetts or New York state, but he conceded it might be possible. "Our intention is to respect those contracts, both because they're legally binding, but also because it's part of, in our view, a sound relationship with the United States," he said. "It's a questionable instrument to use in a trade conflict." Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew would not directly say whether Manitoba would threaten to withhold hydroelectric exports. "We are preparing our list and starting to think through what those options should look like," he said. "I'm not going to make specific news today about items that we're looking at." Kinew added that some premiers felt retaliatory measures wouldn't work in a call Trudeau held Wednesday. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said "we have no interest in stopping" the export of energy to the U.S., adding that a trade war would hurt both countries. "We hope it is just bluster; we're preparing as if it is not," he said. Canada supplies more oil to the U.S. than any other country. About 60 per cent of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85 per cent of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada sold $170 billion worth of energy products last year to the U.S. It also has 34 critical minerals and metals the Pentagon is eager for. Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tax on all products entering the United States from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs. Canadian officials have said it is unfair to lump Canada in with Mexico. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Canada since has promised more border security spending to address Trump's border concerns. Ford said that will include more border and police officers, as well as drones and sniffer dogs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024. — With files from The Associated Press, Liam Casey in Toronto, Lisa Johnson in Edmonton and Steve Lambert in Winnipeg. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
From twinkling lights to festive sites, happy holidays await you in CharlestonMiddle East latest: Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is set to begin at 4 amHow Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woesClemson added a quarterback to its 2025 recruiting class on Tuesday with Chris Denson announcing his decision to flip from Coastal Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder from Plant City High School in Florida had been committed to the Chanticleers since April and has yet to visit Clemson's campus. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has been putting a push on to flip Denson in recent weeks following the decommitment of Blake Hebert last month. "I just feel like my development will be through the roof," Denson told On3.com about his decision to switch. "Playing under one of the best coaches in the country and knowing that I haven't reached my potential yet, I know that they will take me to that level." A three-star recruit, Denson is ranked as the No. 50 quarterback in the nation by the 247 Composite. He is the 14th player to commit to the Tigers, who have also seen six players decommit this cycle, according to The Greenville News. "What makes Clemson special is just the level of ball that they are playing at," Denson said. "And the way they compete. I'm a huge competitor, so that's the type of place and people I want to surround myself around." --Field Level Media
The Week 13 college football slate featured some incredible matchups, most notably in the SEC and Big Ten. A few of these matchups included No. 2 Ohio State versus No. 5 Indiana, No. 7 Alabama versus Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas versus Kentucky. While much of the attention is turned toward the powerhouse conferences, there was an interesting matchup down south. The UAB Blazers hosted the Rice Owls in Week 13, heading into matchup having won two games in the entire 2024 season. Despite the season struggles they played a phenomenal game, defeating Rice 40-14. Journalist and photographer Reid Scott posted a picture of the crowd at Protective Stadium on social media, mentioning that the Blazers had a great performance, but it didn't come with too many fireworks. Protective Stadium can accommodate around 42,000 fans. It's a relatively new venue, originally being built from 2020 to 2021 with around a $200 million investment. Blazers are balling out but no one is here to see it. Man... #UAB pic.twitter.com/yegu8JvZIR The Blazers were led by quarterback Jalen Kitna who posted two touchdowns and 174 yards, completing 18-of-23 pass attempts. Kitna received tremendous help from running back Lee Beebe, who record video game-like stats in Week 13. He produced two touchdowns and 161 yards on 17 carries. Matt Bush-Imagn Images While the Blazers secured the Week 13 victory, they've been struggling all season. With the win, UAB advanced to 3-8 on the season, snapping a two-game losing streak. They now hold a 2-5 record in the American Athletic Conference. UAB will look to build off their Week 13 win when they take on Charlotte next weekend. ESPN's Matchup Predictor is giving the Blazers a 43.5% chance to win the game in Week 14. Related: College Football Reporter Laura Rutledge Was A Fan Favorite On Saturday Related: Travis Hunter Makes College Football History on Saturday