jili golden empire
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $5.30 Million Holdings in Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON)
Australia's House of Representatives passes bill that would ban young children from social media
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Defending the run has been one of the Green Bay Packers’ weaknesses over the last several years. Not so much lately, though. Green Bay limited San Francisco to 16 carries for 44 yards in a 38-10 rout of the 49ers on Nov. 24, with two-time All-Pro Christian McCaffrey gaining 31 yards on 11 attempts. Four nights later, the Packers beat Miami 30-17 by holding the Dolphins to 39 yards on 14 carries. It was the first time since 1995 — and only the second time since 1950 — that the Packers had allowed fewer than 45 yards rushing in back-to-back games within the same season. “I think we’re playing harder and harder each week,” first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “And that’s how you play good defense.” That defense needs to be at its best Thursday as the Packers (9-3) close a stretch of three games in 12 days by visiting the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions (12-1), who have the NFL’s highest-scoring offense thanks in part to a rushing attack featuring the speedy Jahmyr Gibbs and the physical David Montgomery. “Gibbs is a great running back,” defensive lineman Kenny Clark said. “I really think the offense really starts with him, honestly. He can do everything — receive, in-and-out runner, can do stretch, duo plays. We’ve got to have all hands on deck with Gibbs. And then Montgomery, he’s a great complement to him. He can do everything, also.” The Lions were the first team since the 1975 Miami Dolphins to rush for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in each of their first 11 games. The streak ended on Thanksgiving when the Lions rushed for 194 yards but didn’t have a touchdown on the ground in a 23-20 victory over the Chicago Bears. Green Bay outrushed Detroit 138-124 in the Packers’ 24-14 loss to the Lions on Nov. 3 at Lambeau Field. Montgomery rushed for 73 yards while Gibbs ran for 65 yards and a touchdown. Gibbs has 973 yards this season, which ranks fourth in the NFL. Montgomery ran for a combined 192 yards and four touchdowns in the Lions’ two games against the Packers last season. Green Bay’s run defense has come a long way since. The Packers have allowed 106.6 yards rushing per game this season, which ranks eighth in the league. The Packers haven’t closed a season in the top 10 in run defense since 2016 and have finished outside the top 20 in four of the last six years, including 26th in 2022 and 28th in 2023. “I think Haf’s doing a good job of mixing up the fronts and some of the coverages, but really it’s ultimately about tackling, swarming, getting many hats to the football,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “And our guys have really embraced that style of play.” The Packers are yielding 4.2 yards per carry to rank seventh in the league after finishing 22nd or worst in that category each of the last three seasons. They haven’t closed a season ranked in the top 10 in yards allowed per carry since 2017. Hafley says the improvement starts up front. “The interior part of our D-line has done such a good job these last few games,” Hafley said. “They really have. They’re hard to block. They’re staying in their gaps. They’re tearing off of blocks, and it’s the same thing with those defensive ends. They’re setting edges, they’re forcing the ball back inside, they’re getting off blocks and then we’re tackling and we’re running to the ball and there’s multiple people to the ball. “And when you turn on our tape right now and when you freeze it, you see that. You see a lot of guys around the football. And then you’re not afraid, right? Like if I have an open-field tackle and I know eight other guys are coming, I’m going to take my shot because I know if I miss, it’s going to be, ‘Bang, bang, bang,’ we’ve got three or four other guys there, and we’re starting to play faster.” Green Bay's defense has the Lions’ attention. “They’ve been playing well,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said. “I mean, they have, really, all season, and nothing has changed.” AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Article content The Alberta government is providing $23 million to create a new addiction recovery centre for youth located in a renovated section of the Edmonton Young Offenders Centre. Slated to open in 2026, the Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre will be a 105-bed treatment centre and is said to help up to 300 youths per year. There are currently 70 addiction treatment beds for youths in Alberta. Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams said they are making “extensive” renovation commitments to half of the Edmonton Young Offenders Centre, which will be completely separate from the existing corrections facility with no shared living spaces. Recovery facility in remand centre? Dr. Monty Ghosh, an associated professor at the University of Alberta and an addictions physician, said the new facility is a “welcomed addition” but raised concerns over why the province chose to put the recovery facility in a remand centre. He said if the intent is to divert people from the correction system to a more treatment-based service, it would be more understandable but, ideally, these would be two separate locations. “You don’t want to associate criminality with substance use concerns because they very much are two different issues,” Ghosh said. “One is a health issue and not a criminal justice issue or concern.” When asked by reporters about considering a different facility and the optics of having a recovery centre in a corrections facility, Williams said he is more concerned about not having the necessary treatment spaces for youths. “I have a mandate letter that requires that I care for those (struggling with) addiction, and I need to do that as swiftly as I can. Delaying that for optics because somebody might have the wrong impression after $23 million is spent to very quickly renovate a facility, I think, is misguided,” Williams said. Lack of treatment support for youth Ghosh said his work in addictions does not strictly focus on youth, but he does see people ages 14 to 24 at the hospital or coming into his clinic. Right now, he said there is a lack of treatment support for youths. The process of treating youth can often be difficult since youths need a special amount of consideration because the individual might not have the capacity to treat themselves or gain treatment. But Ghosh said families who are dealing with their loved one needing help also need to be treated. “Having these treatment beds, which is one piece of this larger system, is absolutely crucial, and it’s one thing that is lacking. This is a huge problem,” Ghosh said. In an email to Postmedia, the province said the virtual opioid dependency program youth team has served 89 clients so far this year. From April to November 2024, it handled 49 referrals, 49 admissions, and 13 discharges. There were 70 referrals, 70 admissions, and 17 discharges in 2023-’24. Alberta NDP mental health and addiction critic Janet Eremenko said the additional 105 beds is “a good thing,” but she has concerns about the stigma a recovery facility in a corrections centre will bring and what kind of programming the facility will offer. “Operation in recovery communities currently has been a little bit all over the place, with not a great deal of transparency around the selection for those actual operators, and so it is a big question for me around the actual provision of the programming and the services that are going to be happening,” Eremenko said. Compassionate intervention legislation Alberta currently has the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act that allows a parent to request their child be placed in a mandatory detox for up to 15 days. Williams said the Compassionate Intervention Act, which could allow courts, police or families to involuntarily put their loved ones into mandatory addictions treatment, will be introduced in the spring. Ghosh said involuntarily putting a loved one into mandatory care has been controversial. He said the longer someone is in mandated care, the more likely they will be successful down the road, but the evidence around it is very weak. “The key piece to this is that there needs to continue to be support for the individual when they leave involuntary treatment as well. It cannot just stop after they leave involuntary treatment. You have to have a large amount of supports in the community thereafter,” Ghosh said. — with files from Tyler Dawson ctran@postmedia.com @kccindytran Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters . You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Many all-stars of fall hailed from Forecaster CountryCOPS have launched an urgent hunt for an 11-year-old schoolboy who "sexually assaulted" a woman in broad daylight. Detectives said that the pre-teenager approached the woman in Woodford, Northants, at around 12 noon on December 17. Northamptonshire Police said the 11-year-old then touched her inappropriately before fleeing. The young boy, wearing blue jeans and a black bomber jacket, was today being hunted by cops following the incident. The force urged eyewitnesses or anyone with information to get in touch immediately. A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said today: "Police officers are appealing for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted in Woodford. "The incident happened on Tuesday, December 17, between 12pm and 12.30pm, when a boy approached a woman and touched her inappropriately. "The suspect is described as a white boy, aged 11 to 12 years, with short, light brown hair and wearing a black bomber jacket and blue jeans. "He walked away in the direction of Mill Road. "Witnesses or anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101." Most read in The Sun FILTHY FLOOD Major Scots motorway closed after road flooded by raw SEWAGE TOUGH CALLS Former top refs issue strong verdicts on Celtic-Motherwell penalty flash points HAD HIS PHIL Inside Philippe Clement's dressing room rant as Rangers flopped at St Mirren SNOW END Exact date snow storms to hit Scotland as weather map reveals Arctic freeze on way 1 Cops are hunting for an 11-year-old boy (stock) Credit: Getty
“They are going to have to pay for my image”: Luigui sends a warning to Skándalo after a fight with Ricky
Scientists uncover insights into neuron function by simultaneously measuring two key signals in living animals
Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media
Colorado State center Jacob Gardner highlighted a group of nine CSU Rams honored by the Mountain West on its football all-conference teams released Tuesday.WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.
Matvei Michkov is made for the moment. Wherever this Flyers season ends up, that much is clear. Against the Blackhawks on Saturday, and at a 4-on-3 advantage from a Chicago holding call, the 19-year-old surveyed the situation with the puck from up high before dropping it off to Travis Sanheim at the point. The Chicago skaters' eyes all tracked the puck, and Michkov snuck down toward the net with no one looking. Travis Konecny camped up at the left side of the goal line and Sanheim slid the puck down to him, Sean Couturier hovered over the center of the net mouth to create a pick on the lone defender there, then Konecny threaded a seamless pass to Michkov's stick blade across the crease. Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mzarek was caught, Michkov fired the overtime winner home, and the Wells Fargo Center jumped to its feet as the horn blared and the comeback was made complete. The Flyers won, 3-2, climbing out of a 2-0 hole with the Russian phenom, and the rising star who the organization's grand plan is heavily depending on, putting an exclamation point on the rally. He was the hero again. He's made for this. "There's not many moments you're gonna get," Michkov, via Russian interpreter Slava Kuznetsov, said from the Flyers' locker room postgame. "When you get the moment, you have to be cold-blooded and realize it, finish it." He's made for a place like Philadelphia with a quote like that, too. Just over a week ago in Ottawa, Michkov completed another late Flyers surge when he tucked in the OT winner on a tough-angle shot along the goal line past Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, sending Philly to a 5-4 win in a show of the rookie's burgeoning skill and willingness to shoot from almost anywhere on the ice. Was either scenario one of the real big-time moments that come late into the season or in the playoffs? No, not yet. But these are the ones that have presented themselves so far, and so far, Michkov has capitalized – hopefully with greater down the line, although everyone on the Flyers knows that they still have a ways to go to get there. "I think he likes being there," head coach John Tortorella said of Michkov in the clutch . "I think he does. I think TK likes that situation. He comes as advertised a little bit." It hasn't all been perfect, of course. Michkov was benched for a stretch at the end of October against the Blues , then was a healthy scratch for a couple of games at the end of a road trip two weeks ago , which was inevitable for a young player on a Tortorella-coached team as it was an unpopular choice among fans. His play away from the puck was always going to be a work in progress. Tortorella has frequently noted that since Michkov joined the team but never outwardly harped on him for it. The rookie is getting there in that regard, and he and Tortorella have found a way to talk and work through it past a steep language barrier . But Michkov's offensive talents are his gift, and the Flyers don't want to disrupt that. They need that, and they want to let him take off with it. "That's why it's nice that we have him now, right?" Tortorella said. "We knew it was going to be a little bit of a gong show as far as away from the puck – expected. We're going to slowly try to teach him that, but without getting in the way of what you're talking about, allowing him to play. "So as we're building, this is a good year that we can have these games to teach but not be overbearing with it, to allow him to experience some success. He's going to help our power play, he's going to help us in those types of situations, and it's something we need." For years to come. Having put the game-winner away, Michkov left the ice Saturday with seven goals and 16 points, which stood as second on the Flyers in scoring behind Konecny (11 goals, 25 points) and first among the NHL's 2024-25 rookie class. He also left outpacing Chicago's second-year star Connor Bedard (3 goals, 15 points), who was taken six spots ahead of Michkov at first overall in the draft two years ago, and with the two likely to go back and forth for years to come. "I hope it's only the beginning," Michkov said. "I think he'll try to get it back," he added with a smile. "I have to be ready for it." But he's made for this. Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice SportsThe 2024 fire season cost Oregon emergency response agencies nearly $350 million, and the state leaders are struggling to find a way to cover outstanding bills. Gov. Tina Kotek announced Tuesday following reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting that she’ll call a special session of the Legislature on Dec. 12 to appropriate at least $218 million from the state’s general fund to cover remaining fire costs. Lawmakers will already be at the Capitol for committee hearings during that time. More than half of the $350 million in outstanding debts will eventually be covered by disaster relief funds from the federal government, according to a news release from Kotek’s office, but the state wants to pay those owed as soon as possible. Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, explained that it’s about ensuring state agencies don’t burn bridges with private contractors who stepped in to help with fire prevention or response work this year. “We contracted with people, and we are obligated to pay them, and we will want many of those people to bring their machines, their aircraft, their bodies back next fire season,” Marsh said. Nearly 2 million acres burned this summer and fall — more than three times the 10-year average — mostly in eastern Oregon grass and shrub, with about 25% of it in forestland, according to the Wildland Mapping Institute . More than one-third of all acres burned have been on private land, and about 62% was on federal land. At least 42 homes and 132 other structures were burned. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold federal wildfire reimbursements to California as a form of political gamesmanship. Asked whether Kotek is seeking more money to prepare for potential federal withholding, Anca Matica, a Kotek spokesperson, said it’s not part of the current issue being solved by the special session. “The state needs to pay its bills as expeditiously as possible,” Matica said in an email. Kotek declared a state of emergency in response to wildfire threats and invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act a record 17 times. This mobilized structural firefighting resources coordinated by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office to local communities. The state fire marshal is on the hook for more than $200 million of the $218 million owed by the state to contractors. Incoming House Republican leader Christine Drazan of Canby expressed frustration in a news release that Kotek did not talk with her or her peers before announcing the special session, but she said Republicans are willing to work cooperatively to solve the funding issues. Drazan lost the 2022 gubernatorial race to Kotek, and the two frequently butted heads in the House when Kotek served as speaker and Drazan as minority leader. “Evidently, the Governor will be communicating via press release rather than a phone call. That is her prerogative,” Drazan said. “Despite this bizarre approach to leadership, Republicans welcome the opportunity to solve this problem by ensuring the people who work to protect Oregon communities during wildfire season are paid for their service.” The Department of Administrative Services, responsible for tracking spending, did not respond to a request for a list of outstanding payments from the wildfire season by Tuesday afternoon. Fire agencies already got $47.5 million from the Legislature’s Emergency Board in September to cover some outstanding costs, and the Oregon State Treasury rejected the Department of Forestry’s request for a $60 million loan last month, according to reporting from Willamette Week. Wildfire protection and response costs in Oregon are generally split between private and public forest and range landowners and Oregonians via the state’s general fund. Costs for 2024 were projected to be about $136 million. “Fighting wildfires of the magnitude we saw this season required a tremendous level of resources that even wildfire experts couldn’t foresee,” said House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, in a statement. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com . Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and X .H&M REOPENS ICONIC TIMES SQUARE FLAGSHIP IN NEW YORK CITY AS NEW BRAND SHOWCASE