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TORONTO — Utah’s NHL team was forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night, prompting Premier Doug Ford to call the city’s gridlock “embarrassing.” The Utah Hockey Club posted on social media a video of team members marching to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.” Several city streets had been closed during the day for the annual Santa Claus parade. “I think that’s a first for everyone,” Lamoureux quipped in the video as the group walked along the downtown streets. “Never saw that before.” The viral incident prompted Premier Doug Ford to call the road congestion "unacceptable,” highlighting his government's plan to address the city's gridlock through bike lane legislation. "We're really focused on the congestion in Toronto,” he said Monday at an unrelated press conference. “It's the worst congested city in North America, third worst in the entire world, even to the point last night it was embarrassing that the Utah Hockey Club has to get out of the bus and start walking to the hockey arena.” Ford said people are “avoiding downtown” due to the traffic, pointing to bike lanes as part of the problem. Ontario passed a divisive bike lane bill on Monday that will require municipalities to get the province’s approval to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane for vehicles. The bill also removes sections of bike lanes in Toronto and restores them as lanes for vehicle traffic. At a press conference on Monday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow pointed to the Santa Claus parade as the cause of Sunday's gridlock. "All the big floats and the people flooding out from the Santa Claus parade was jamming that whole area," Chow said. "It was just because of that reason." Chow said while she's glad the Leafs won the game, she's sorry the Utah team got caught in the congestion. "Santa didn't conspire together with the Leafs," she said. Chow had said in September that the city's traffic congestion measures are working, according to data that shows travel times along certain corridors have sped up. The Utah Hockey Club's walk to the arena wasn't the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time. In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through bumper-to-bumper traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena. “Traffic’s too bad in Toronto, so we’re walking to the venue," he said in a social media post at the time. "In all the years playing shows, I don't think I ever walked to a venue." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024.An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition
Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A far-right populist took the lead in Romania’s presidential election Sunday, electoral data showed, and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country's political landscape. Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, led the polls with around 22% of the vote, while Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, trailed at 20.6%. Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR, stood at about 17.4%, and George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, took 14.3%. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Seahawks safety Coby Bryant scored the first pick 6 of his career on Sunday to give Seattle a third-quarter cushion against the Arizona Cardinals. He celebrated with a tribute to one of Seattle's favorite sons — a crotch grab in honor of Marshawn Lynch. It's a move that will surely cost Bryant some money while met with glowing reviews in the Pacific Northwest. The play took place midway through the third quarter as Seattle held a 7-3 lead. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray overthrew Michael Wilson on a fourth-and-1 pass from the Seattle 39. Bryant was there to pick it off. He then raced 69 yards down the left sideline to the end zone. When he reached the goal line, he leapt backward and grabbed his crotch a la Lynch to the delight of the home Seattle crowd. HOUSE CALL FOR COBY 🎱 — Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) The move was an ode to Lynch, the ex-Seahawks great who made the celebration his own much to the chagrin of the NFL. Lynch first pulled the move while scoring a touchdown in the 2015 NFC championship. The league for the gesture. The celebration has resurfaced multiple times since, with the most recent iteration just last week . Bryant, who's playing on the the third season of his four-year, $4.5 million rookie contract, should expect a fine in the same neighborhood. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are fully embracing Bryant's celebration on social media with a juxtaposition of Bryant's crotch grab next to Lynch's. Art But Make It... Marshawn. — Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) Who did it better?
Cargo ship runs aground in St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont.
Malique Ewin finished with team highs of 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Florida State Seminoles to a 92-59 victory over the Massachusetts Minutemen in each team's final game of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Conn. The Seminoles (6-1) won their third consecutive game and went 2-0 in the event as they pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 36 points. It's Florida State's best start since the 2019-20 season when it went 7-1. UMass (1-5) dropped its fifth in a row following a season-opening win over New Hampshire despite a strong game on Sunday from Jaylen Curry, who scored 17 points. Curry, with six free throws, helped propel the Minutemen on a 10-0 run over a four-plus minute span in the first half to take a 24-23 lead with 4:22 left. FSU closed the half on a 13-3 run to lead 37-27 at halftime. A 15-4 surge to open the second half helped the Seminoles break the game open. Florida State's defense frustrated UMass shooters throughout the contest, especially on the perimeter, limiting the Minutemen to 3-for-24 shooting (12.5 percent) from 3-point range and 18-for-58 (31 percent) overall. The Seminoles finished with 22 points off 17 UMass turnovers. On the flipside, Florida State had one of its best shooting games of the season. The Seminoles moved the ball well throughout the game and finished with 25 assists while only turning the ball over 10 times. The Seminoles shot 33 for 58 (57 percent) from the field and made 9 of 18 three-pointers to put together a season-high scoring output. Once again, Florida State shined thanks to its depth as 10 players scored and four scored in double figures. The Seminoles were able to have 16 players participate in the game as well. Jamir Watkins finished with 14 points while Jerry Deng and Justin Thomas each had 10 points. For UMass, Daniel Rivera finished with 12 points and six rebounds while Nate Guerengomba had 10 points. Daniel Hankins-Sanford collected a game-high 13 rebounds. --Field Level Media
Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with HezbollahSaturday Storylines: Plenty at stake in Arizona-TCU showdown in Fort Worth
The Seattle Seahawks placed leading rusher Kenneth Walker III on injured reserve due to an ankle injury and signed George Holani off the practice squad on Thursday afternoon. Walker had been ruled out earlier in the day ahead of Thursday's game against the host Chicago Bears. He returned from a two-game absence due to an ailing calf on Sunday before injuring his ankle in the Seahawks' 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Zach Charbonnet is set to shoulder the load in the backfield for the Seahawks (8-7), who have lost two in a row heading into Thursday's game against the Bears (4-11). Seattle is in a must-win situation. Even if the Seahawks can top Chicago and beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, they still might miss out on the postseason because of the strength-of-victory tiebreaker. Walker, 24, leads Seattle in carries (153) and rushing yards (573) to go along with seven rushing touchdowns. Charbonnet, 23, has a team-best eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 106 carries for 453 yards. Holani, who turned 25 on Dec. 16, has three carries for 10 yards in three games this season. He is an undrafted rookie out of Boise State. The Seahawks also ruled out tight end Brady Russell (foot) and safety K'Von Wallace (ankle) for Thursday's game. Cornerback Artie Burns was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for the contest. The Bears will be without defensive backs Elijah Hicks (ankle/foot) and Tarvarius Moore (knee), running back Travis Homer (hamstring) and offensive lineman Teven Jenkins (calf). --Field Level Media
Vancouver's Bench Accounting abruptly shuts down, with hundreds of jobs lostWith more than half of the 16 teams still mathematically alive to make the conference championship game, the Big 12 will command a lot of attention in the final week of the regular season. No. 14 Arizona State and No. 17 Iowa State would play for the Big 12 title and likely College Football Playoff spot on Dec. 7 if they both win Saturday and there's a four-way tie for first place. There are seven other teams that begin this week with hopes, slim in most cases, of getting into the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Last week it was No. 19 BYU and No. 23 Colorado that had the inside track to the championship game. Arizona State beat the Cougars and Kansas knocked off the Buffaloes, and here we are. "Everybody counted us out, I think, two weeks ago," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said after his team beat Utah 31-28. "We didn't flinch. We didn't waver. And we just keep fighting." The Cyclones were national darlings the first half of the season as they won seven straight games to match the best start in program history. Back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Kansas followed. Now they've won two straight heading into "Farmageddon," their rivalry game against Kansas State at home. "Right now they've got the pen and they continue to write the story," Campbell said of his players, "and I hope they will continue to write it the way they've got the ability to write it. Unwavering. Tough, mentally tough, physically tough. This group has stood for it every step of the way." Arizona State has been an even better story than the Cyclones. The Sun Devils have six more wins than they did last season, when they went 3-9. They were picked to finish last in their first year in the Big 12. They'll go for their fifth straight victory when they play at Arizona on Saturday. "These guys came off no momentum and everybody doubting them, and everybody is still doubting them. That's what makes this special," second-year coach Kenny Dillingham said. "Hopefully the expectations become higher. I don't know if there's a way we can exceed expectations more than we're exceeding them right now." Checking in on five of the Top 25: The Ducks were idle Saturday after clinching a spot in the Big Ten championship game with their win at Wisconsin on Nov. 16. Oregon can go 12-0 in the regular season for the first time since 2010 if it beats Washington at home this week. Oregon's only two losses last season came against the Huskies, both decided by three points. The first was a top-10 matchup in the regular season and the second was a top-five matchup in the Pac-12 championship game. The Ducks are 19 1/2-point favorites this time, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The Buckeyes' showdown with upstart Indiana combined with Michigan's dropoff after winning the national championship have lowered the volume on this week's meeting with the Wolverines at the Horseshoe. If Michigan beats Ohio State a fourth straight time and it keeps the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten championship game and playoff ... well, there'll be lots of noise in Columbus then. The Lone Star Showdown returns to the gridiron for the first time since 2011, when Texas and Texas A&M were in the Big 12. The Longhorns head to No. 20 Texas A&M on a four-game win streak. The Aggies have lost two of three after Saturday's four-overtime loss at Auburn. The winner advances to the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia. The Broncos are tied with Notre Dame for the second-longest active win streak, at nine games, and they seem to have adopted a survive-and-advance mantra. They trailed 23-point underdog Wyoming in the fourth quarter before winning 17-13 and clinching a spot in the Mountain West championship game. They won their previous game, 42-21 against San Jose State, but didn't pull away until the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago they beat a three-win Nevada team 28-21. Just when you think Illinois is about to cash in for the season, they do what they did against Rutgers. The Illini were down 31-30 when they lined up for a 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds left. Ethan Moczulski missed. But wait. Rutgers called timeout before the snap, and Bret Bielema thought better of trying another kick and sent his offense back on the field. Luke Altmyer passed to Pat Bryant for the winning 40-yard touchdown. The Illini won't play for the Big Ten title, but they have a chance for nine wins and a nice bowl. Ohio State played in three of the five regular-season top-five matchups and won three of them. The Buckeyes lost to Oregon and beat Penn State and Indiana. ... Kansas' 37-21 win over Colorado made the Jayhawks the first FBS team with a losing record to beat three straight Top 25 opponents. The Jayhawks, who were 2-6 a month ago, will be bowl eligible if they win at Baylor. ... Nebraska ended the longest power conference bowl drought with its 44-25 win over Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers haven't played in a bowl since 2016. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty in the assassination of UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson on Monday. Following the plea, an uptick in donations to Mangione’s legal defense fund rolled in on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo. At present, the sum sits at a staggering $212,426. “We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation,” a statement on the crowdfunding page reads. GoFundMe, another popular crowdfunding site, previously pulled all campaigns supporting Mangione. While the public response to the alleged killer has ranged from utter vitriol to admiration, the fact that so many have rushed to donate to Mangione’s defense further demonstrates how many feel sympathetic to the alleged killer, or even agree with the cause he’s become the face of. So does a recent survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, which found that, while 8 out of 10 U.S. adults believe the person who killed Brian Thompson bears the responsibility for the murder, 7 in 10 shared the belief that healthcare companies are also to blame. They said that proceedings like healthcare denials for coverage bear “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 slaying. Regardless of public opinion, the 26-year-old Maryland man now faces 11 counts, including three murder charges, and a terrorist charge. Last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is prosecuting the case, said the crime “was a killing that was intended to evoke terror.” Prosecutors have also brought a four-count criminal complaint that could invoke the death penalty. | Anna Schecter, who covers crime and safety for CBS News , told the outlet in an on-air interview that there is a possibility under a Trump department of justice that the death penalty could be sought, though it would be “highly unusual.” Schecter pressed that the death penalty is typically reserved for terrorist charges, and “interestingly, the only terrorism charge he’s facing is coming from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office—that first degree murder charge,” rather than any federal charges. In court on Monday, Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the judge that, although her client has cooperated with law enforcement every step of the way, Mangione is being treated like a guilty man before his trial has begun. The attorney blasted the New York City Mayor Eric Adams for joining Mangione’s perp walk alongside armed NYPD, which she pressed was purely “political fodder.” “There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles (during his extradition) that, frankly, I had no idea was in their arsenal,” Friedman Agnifilo told the judge. “He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career.” Schecter says that, given how much evidence is stacked against Mangione, including DNA evidence and surveillance footage, she doesn’t see “any other pathway” than an insanity plea. “There’s no question that prosecutors think he pulled the trigger,” she explained. The question for his attorneys, she pressed, will be “how is his defense team going to try and get the lightest sentence possible?” While the public will certainly be watching Mangione’s case closely, healthcare companies, which have received increased scrutiny since Dec. 4, are also under the microscope. Even before Thompson’s murder, recent pointed criticisms of UnitedHealthcare were making headlines. In October, a Senate subcommittee report criticized UnitedHealthcare, and insurers CVS and Humana, for using technology to limit coverage while boosting profits. “Medicare Advantage insurers are intentionally targeting a costly but critical area of medicine—substituting judgment about medical necessity with a calculation about financial gain,” the report reads.
Cargo ship runs aground in St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont.