
Clayton scores 34 as Ohio knocks off Portland 85-73Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There's no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley's historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. He's not the betting favorite, however. Josh Allen has the best odds at plus-150, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is next at plus-250 followed by Barkley at plus-400. Running backs have won the award 18 times, including three-time winner Jim Brown, who was the AP's first NFL MVP in 1957. Quarterbacks have dominated the award, winning it 45 times. Only three players who weren't QBs or RBs have been MVP. It takes a special season for a non-QB to win it mainly because the offense goes through the signal caller. Quarterbacks handle the ball every offensive snap, run the show and get the credit when things go well and the blame when it doesn't. Adrian Peterson was the most recent non-QB to win it when he ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. Playing for a winning team matters, too. Nine of the past 11 winners played for a No. 1 seed with the other two winners on a No. 2 seed. The Vikings earned the sixth seed when Pederson was MVP. Barkley is a major reason why the Eagles (9-2) are leading the NFC East and only trail Detroit (10-1) by one game for the top spot in the conference. Does he have a realistic chance to win the MVP award? Kicker Mark Moseley was the MVP in the strike-shortened 1982 season when he made 20 of 21 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points in nine games for Washington. If voters once selected a kicker, everyone has a chance, especially a game-changer such as Barkley. Defensive tackle Alan Page was the MVP in 1971 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in voting last year and wide receiver Justin Jefferson placed fifth in 2022. The Offensive Player of the Year award and Defensive Player of the Year award recognize the best all-around players on both sides of the ball, allowing voters to recognize non-QBs if they choose. Wide receivers and running backs have won the AP OPOY award seven times over the past 11 seasons. McCaffrey was the 2023 winner. The AP's new voting format introduced in 2022 also gives non-QBs a better opportunity to get MVP recognition. Voter submit their top five picks for each award, with a weighted point system. Previously, voters made one choice for each award. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league vote for MVP and seven other awards. The awards are based on regular-season performance. Clinching scenarios The Chiefs (10-1) and Bills (9-2) already are in position to lock up postseason berths right after Thanksgiving. Kansas City clinches a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Black Friday and a loss by Miami on Thursday night, or a win plus a loss by Denver on Monday night. Buffalo can wrap up a fifth straight AFC East title with a victory over San Francisco on Sunday and a loss by the Dolphins. Status quo in Dallas? It's not a given that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new head coach after this season. Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on local radio that Mike McCarthy could end up getting a contract extension. "I don't think that's crazy at all. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left," Jones said. McCarthy led the Cowboys (4-7) to three straight 12-win seasons, but they went 1-3 in the playoffs and haven't reached the NFC championship game since winning the Super Bowl 29 years ago. Injuries have contributed to the team's struggles this season, but Dallas was just 3-5 before Dak Prescott was lost for the rest of the season. The Cowboys upset Washington last week and their next four games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they somehow end up 9-8 or even 8-9, Jones could make a case for keeping McCarthy.
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NoneHunter shot 7 of 10 from 3-point range for the Tigers (5-0), who were 12 of 22 from beyond at the arc as a team. PJ Haggerty had 22 points and five assists, Colby Rogers had 19 points and Dain Dainja scored 14. Tarris Reed Jr. had 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Huskies (4-1). Alex Karaban had 19 points and six assists, and Jaylin Stewart scored 16. Memphis led by as many as 13 with about four minutes left in regulation, but UConn chipped away and eventually tied it on Solo Ball’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining. Memphis: The Tigers ranked second nationally in field goal percentage going into the game and shot it at a 54.7% clip. UConn: The Huskies saw their string of 17 consecutive wins dating back to February come to an end. The teams were tied at 92 with less than a minute remaining in overtime when UConn coach Dan Hurley was assessed a technical foul for his displeasure with an over-the-back call against Liam McNeeley. PJ Carter hit four straight free throws — two for the tech and the other pair for the personal foul — to give Memphis a 96-92 lead with 40.3 seconds to play. UConn had three players foul out. Memphis attempted 40 free throws and made 29 of them. Memphis will play the winner of Colorado-Michigan State on Tuesday in the second round of the invitational. UConn will play the loser of that game in the consolation bracket. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball .
French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government Monday evening, putting together a team under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime minister of the year, to drag the second-largest EU economy out of political crisis. Macron named former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, 63, education minister in a new cabinet under centrist Bayrou, announced Elysee secretary-general Alexis Kohler. Another former premier, Manuel Valls, 62, returned as overseas territories minister, while former interior minister Gerald Darmanin became justice minister. Both Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot kept their jobs, the presidency said. Lecornu, a 38-year-old loyalist with a keen political nose, has served in every government since Macron's first election as president in 2017. Conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, and right-wing Culture Minister Rachida Dati, also stayed in their posts. The difficult job of delivering a budget plan for next year falls to Eric Lombard, head of public-sector lender Caisse des Depots (CDC), who was named economy minister. "I'm very proud of the team we're presenting this evening," Bayrou said on X, adding his "experienced" cabinet would aim to "rebuild trust". The inclusion of two former prime ministers indicates Macron's desire for a heavyweight government that will enjoy stability and not share the fate of Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, ousted in a no-confidence vote. Bayrou had hoped to bring in figures from the left, right and centre to protect his government from possible censure, but his 35-member team does not include any members of the left-wing coalition New Popular Front. Macron will assemble Bayrou's team on January 3 for a first Council of Ministers meeting, the presidency said. Barnier was brought down over his failure to win support for an austerity budget to shore up France's shaky finances with spending cuts and tax rises. The priority for 73-year-old Bayrou is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a cost-cutting budget for 2025. The unexpected comeback of Valls, premier from 2014 to 2016, as the head of the overseas territories ministry indicates the importance of the post after authorities were strongly criticised for their response to the deadly cyclone on the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, which killed at least 35 people. More from this section Darmanin had long been known to covet the post of foreign minister, but after days of intense discussions will have to content himself with the justice ministry. Just before the official announcement, heavyweight right-wing politician Xavier Bertrand, who had been tipped for the health ministry, announced he would not be part of the government. He alleged that it had been formed with the implicit "backing" of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who will play a key role in ensuring its survival. "The prime minister informed me this morning, contrary to what he had proposed yesterday, that he was no longer in a position to entrust me with responsibility for the justice ministry due to opposition from (Le Pen's) National Rally," Bertrand said in a statement. "Despite his new proposals, I refuse to take part in a government of France formed with the backing of Marine Le Pen." Bertrand is a major irritant for the far right, which he has long opposed. Le Pen on March 31, 2025 faces the verdict in an embezzlement trial on charges she denies. If convicted, she could lose the chance of standing in the 2027 elections and with it her best chance yet of winning the presidency. The announcement came as France observed a day of mourning for victims in cyclone-hit Mayotte, France's poorest overseas territory. Bayrou, the head of the centrist MoDem group, which is allied to Macron's party, was appointed on December 13. He is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate. Many already predict Bayrou will struggle to survive. France has been mired in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections this summer in the hopes of bolstering his authority. The move backfired, with voters electing a parliament fractured between three rival blocs. Le Pen suggested Macron has been weakened by months of political crisis and would eventually have to resign. "I am preparing for an early presidential election," she told French newspaper Le Parisien last week. bur-as/jhbOn Friday, Stafford co-op football coach Brian Mazzone told his team that he wouldn’t be coming back next year. Mazzone, who has a 60-35 record and is Stafford’s winningest football coach, decided to step down after 10 years to spend more time with his family. Mazzone will coach Stafford (4-5) in one last game Wednesday on the road against the Windsor Locks co-op team at 6 p.m. at Windsor Locks. “I know the time was now,” Mazzone said. “I wanted to coach for 10 years. It was just a number I had in my head, I don’t know why. It happened to coincide with my son starting high school next year. “I know there’s going to be things I want to be at. He says he’s going to play football. He’d play freshman football on Thursday at 3:45. There’s no way I’m running a practice at Stafford at 3:30 and in my head, worrying what’s going on at Platt or Bristol Central or wherever he is that day. I gotta be there for it.” Mazzone still plans to be an assistant baseball coach at Enfield, where his son will play football and baseball, and he will be coaching his kids in CYO basketball as well. “I had a conversation with (Stafford athletic director) Damian (Frassinelli) a few years ago and he said we’ll work it out. But I just felt like it wasn’t sensible,” Mazzone said. “I told the kids the other night, ‘I’m 100 percent in all the time, I’m all in in what I do.’ If I can’t do that, I don’t want to do it. “Hopefully, we go out with a win.” East Hartford’s big win East Hartford stunned Manchester Friday, 46-0, in a CCC Tier 1 game Friday night. The Hornets lost six of their first seven games but bounced back to win their last three. In his last game, senior quarterback Dravyn Roberts, who is also a top wrestler for the Hornets, scored seven touchdowns, four rushing and three passing. He also helped stop Manchester’s offensive attack. “It was sad, but we had a good game,” East Hartford coach Bennie Fulse III said. “It build some confidence, built some character; it let the guys know we had a chance, we just didn’t stay focused all year. It’s a good win. It’s a rivalry. “What we did all week was we made sure we stayed with basic football, stayed with the game plan.” East Hartford will not make the playoffs; Manchester (6-4) is currently ranked seventh in Class LL and eight teams will advance to the playoffs. The CIAC tournament pairings will be announced Friday. Here are some top performances from last week: Nate Blumes, Conard: Blumes had 19 carries for 76 yards and had a field goal and caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter in a 16-10 loss to Hall Saturday. Blumes needed 43 yards to become the 16th running back in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards and he was the first to do since his brother Arsen Shtefan on the same date in 2019. Carter Chambers, Granby/Canton: Chambers had 11 carries for 103 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter from Vince Forte en route to a 42-7 win over North Branford Friday. Will Davis, Rockville: Davis had 11 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yarder, in Rockville’s 44-7 win over Coginchaug Friday. Tyler Redden, Hall: Redden had 22 carries for 83 yards in Hall’s 16-10 victory over crosstown rival Conard Saturday.
Pep Guardiola denies rumours of a rift with Kevin De BruyneWhen you match your career high in points in back-to-back games during the same week, there is a high probability that the conference will take notice. The Mountain West Conference did on Monday. Utah State guard Mason Falslev was named the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday. Off to a 5-0 start, the Aggies have received votes the past two weeks in the AP Top 25 Poll. Helping USU stay perfect this past week was Falslev. The sophomore from Benson played a big part in the Aggies’ 95-83 win over Montana in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and then an even bigger role in USU’s 77-69 victory against Iowa in Kansas City. Falslev put up 25 points in each game against the Grizzlies and Hawkeyes, which matches his best scoring game set last season against Boise State. However, Falslev did much more than score. No. 12 set a career-high mark in steals against Montana with five. Against Iowa, he grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds. The double-double against the Hawkeyes was his first at the collegiate level. “Mason played 36 minutes against Iowa, but if we had needed him to play 40, he would have,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said on Monday. “... Not only did Mason play 36 minutes, have 25 (points) and double-digit rebounds, but he also led us in deflections. That’s something that nobody looks at. It’s defense, it’s guarding. When he was on the floor, we held them to less than a point per possession. He impacted that game in a huge way.” Yes, he did. Falslev scored the first points of the game against the Hawkeyes on one of his moves in the paint. Later in the first half he hit a 3-point shot and grabbed a rebound and scored just before halftime as USU went into the break down four. In the second half against Iowa, Falslev scored 16 points, including two big-time 3-pointers as the shot clock was set to expire. Both those treys came with less than seven minutes to play and when the Aggies were in need of a bucket to stay in front. He sealed the victory with a dunk with 34 seconds to play. “I think it’s my first double-double, so that’s pretty cool,” Falslev said after the game against Iowa. “I’m happy about that. It’s awesome.” Against Montana, he had 14 points in the first half, including nine of the final 11 of the opening half for the Aggies as they took a 49-35 lead into halftime. In the second half against the Grizzlies, Falslev hit a huge 3-pointer to end to end a field-goal drought for USU and end a 12-0 run by Montana, who had pulled within two. For the week, Falslev shot 62.5 percent (20 of 32) from the floor, 62.5 percent (5 of 8) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (5 of 6) at the free throw line. In the two games, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 3.5 steals per contest. “Mason Falslev was certainly unbelievable in huge moments,” Calhoun said. This is the first MW Player of the Week honor for Falslev. After spending a few days practicing in Logan, the Aggies will be heading out again to play in the Preseason NIT in Orlando, Florida, later this week. They face St. Bonaventure on Thanksgiving Day at 3:30 p.m. The Bonnies (6-0) beat Bryant Sunday, 85-70. The four-team event will conclude on Friday with a championship and third-place game. Northern Iowa and North Texas are the other two teams playing in Orlando.Helena Capital football state championship fire truck scheduled for Wednesday
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BY MELISSA GOLDIN Social media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. But the ruling by Vermont’s high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents’ wishes. THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella’s suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, the Politella’s son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school’s assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated. Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued. “We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.” The PREP Act , enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct” that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington. Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says. “The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn’t want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’” Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19. Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.” “Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email. Related Articles National News | Judge weighs whether to order Fani Willis to comply with lawmakers’ subpoenas over Trump case National News | Are you a former SmileDirectClub customer? You might be eligible for a refund National News | Justice Department announces sweeping reforms to curb suicides in federal prisons and jails National News | Defense makes closing argument in murder trial of Cash App founder Bob Lee National News | A judge has once again rejected Musk’s multi-billion-dollar Tesla pay package. Now what? Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn’t say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended. “The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.” Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court’s mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.”
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