GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Matthew Downing threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Elon to a 31-21 season-ending win over North Carolina A&T on Saturday. The game was tied at 7 in the second quarter when the Phoenix turned a fumble recovery into a field goal. That started a string of four-straight scoring possessions. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Will New Year's Eve be loud or quiet? What are the top 2025 resolutions? AP-NORC poll has answersNASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par 3s on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge. Two months off did nothing to slow the world's No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is in position to get another before the end of the year. Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom had to save par on the 18th hole to stay in range going into the weekend. Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and never slowed until after he went out in 29 to seize control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled slightly on the back nine, except it didn't feel that way to him. "Front nine, just things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much," Scheffler said. "A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things." Asked if he felt any frustration he didn't take it lower — he once shot 59 at the TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs — Scheffler sounded bemused. "I think in this game I think a lot of all y'all are looking for perfection out of us," he said. "Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there — clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I'm pretty pleased." Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly the way he was driving the ball. The wind laid down again, rare for the Bahamas, though it is expected to pick up on the weekend. Thomas wasn't concerned to see Scheffler get off to a hot start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that at worst leaves a flip wedge to the green. "You literally can birdie every hole as soft as the greens are," Thomas said. "He's a great player, a great wedge player, and you have a lot of birdie holes to start. I'm honestly surprised he only shot 8 under. It's a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on some shots, you can get out of position. But if you're on and focused and really in control of everything — like these last two days with no wind — you can just make so many birdies." Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind. No matter how benign the conditions, it wasn't always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach tumbled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that goes all the way down the 18th hole. Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he had three bogeys over the final seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71. The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, is unofficial but offers world ranking points to all but the bottom three players because of the small field. It's the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cachet. He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish a year at No. 1 in the world. And even after a layoff — giving him time to tinker with a new putting stroke — it looks like it might be a while before anyone changes that. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
ISU not immune from the good, the bad and the ugly of college football's transfer portal
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg snapped back Thursday at criticism from airline executives who say the Biden administration over-regulated them, pointing out that some of those airlines are making large profits despite new passenger-protection rules. Buttigieg said the rules his department has imposed, including automatic cash refunds after flights are canceled, enjoy broad public support and “will stand the test of time.” The comments came after the CEOs of Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines said they hoped the government will be more pro-business when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the Trump administration will be “a breath of fresh air” for his industry. “I know that some airline CEOs have expressed hopes that the next administration will be less passenger-friendly and more corporate-friendly than this administration,” Buttigieg responded during a news conference to discuss Thanksgiving travel. “The passenger protections that we have put in place deservedly enjoy broad public, bipartisan support. I just don't run into a lot of people who are against the idea that you ought to get an automatic refund without any hassle, for example.” Buttigieg argued that strong passenger protections are good for the airline business. “Some of these companies have been showing very healthy profits even at this new and higher level of consumer protection, demonstrating to me that these things can travel together,” he said. It appeared to be a reference to Delta, the most profitable U.S. airline in recent years. Delta earned $2.6 billion in the first nine months of this year and $4.6 billion last year. The airline industry has opposed many consumer-protections written by the Biden administration, even suing the Transportation Department to kill a rule requiring greater transparency over fees that airlines charge their passengers. Airlines also oppose a current department inquiry into their frequent-flyer programs. Bastian, the Delta CEO, said he expected the Transportation Department under Trump to “take a fresh look at the regulatory environment, the bureaucracy that exists in government, the level of overreach that we have seen over the last four years within our industry.” Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan said last week, “We are hopeful for a DOT (Department of Transportation) that is maybe a little less aggressive in terms of regulating or rule-making.” Buttigieg noted that his department extracted a $140 million settlement from Southwest over widespread flight cancellations in December 2022 and is conducting a similar investigation into Delta, which canceled about 7,000 flights after a technology outage in July. He suggested airline CEOs should spend more time thinking about passengers and less about their regulator.Lautaro Martinez ends goal drought as Inter keep pressure on Serie A leadersAnthony Edwards’ leadership had to take another step forward this week for Timberwolves
Martinez had gone eight matches since last finding the back of the net against Venezia on November 3 but after Alessandro Bastoni opened the scoring in the 54th minute, the Argentina international struck in Sardinia. The Inter captain took his tally against Cagliari to 10 goals in as many games after 71 minutes before Hakan Calhanoglu capped an excellent night for the visitors from the penalty spot a few moments later. This moment >>> #ForzaInter #CagliariInter pic.twitter.com/aZwbAZvRVI — Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) December 28, 2024 Inter’s fifth-successive league victory led to them temporarily leapfrogging Atalanta, who reclaimed top spot but saw their lead cut to a single point following a 1-1 draw at Lazio. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were grateful for a point in the end after falling behind to Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s first-half strike, only drawing level with two minutes remaining thanks to Marco Brescianini. Lautaro Valenti’s last-gasp strike condemned rock-bottom Monza to a 10th defeat in 18 matches as Parma edged a 2-1 victory, while Genoa defeated Empoli by the same scoreline.
DOGE and FLOKI posted triple-digit returns in 2024 and are predicted to explode further, reaching new ATHs in 2025. But before putting their hard-earned cash into a meme coin, investors searching for which crypto to buy would do well to look at the Rollblock (RBLK) presale . This GambleFi crypto is tipped to explode 50x on launch, beating meme coins like DOGE and FLOKI. Let's find out why. Rollblock (RBLK) is set to disrupt the half-trillion gambling market Rollblock is an Ethereum-based gambling protocol that brings utility to online gambling markets. This innovative iGaming dApp features over 7,000 games and a myriad of live sports betting options. The iGaming titan is set to disrupt the half-trillion sector with Advanced AI betting strategies, copy betting initiatives, and blockchain-powered gaming technology, ensuring a fair gaming process and more competitive odds. The deal gets sizzling hot if you consider Rollblock's market potential and profit-sharing benefits. The platform redistributes up to 30% of its weekly gaming revenues to RBLK token holders, making it a high-margin cash cow for DeFi investors. More impressively, Rollblock is predicted to develop into a multi-billion iGaming protocol in the massive $540 billion gambling market. As crypto betting goes mainstream, market pundits believe Rollblock will capture a substantial share of the market, rolling RBLK's market cap into the billions. That will spark a stratospheric price action for the altcoin. Analysts expect RBLK to grow 880% in presale and possibly blast past 50x on launch. So, if you've been wondering which crypto to buy, RBLK could be a smart choice. Will FLOKI explode further in 2025? FLOKI has been a top-performing meme coin in 2024. As of press time, FLOKI was over 375% up year-to-date, and CoinCodex analysts predict it could pull another 400% jump in the coming month to hit $0.00086 in January! However, a 20% monthly drop has created a bearish climate in the FLOKI community. FLOKI's community sentiment was 79% bearish, spelling doom to the meme coin's short-term prospects. Whales could be waiting for FLOKI to revisit the $0.00014 support zone before loading up their bags for the next leg up. DOGE could hit $1 next year DOGE was up an impressive 240% yearly! That's after a 17% drop from its new yearly high of $0.48. In the short term, the meme coin is expected to sink further to find solid footing at monthly support in the $0.27 zone. But with the DOGE community sentiment at 86% bullish on CoinMarketCap, it appears like DOGE whales might capitalize on the downturn to solidify their positions. DOGE price analysts' predictions for 2025 point to robust bullishness. Per CoinCodex, DOGE is predicted to rise over 241% in Q1, making the meme coin attractive for speculative investors looking for which crypto to buy. Meme coin whales scoop over 23 million RBLK RBLK is set to crash FLOKI and DOGE in 2025 crypto gains, and an increasing number of whales are opening new positions in Rollblock. Over the past week, investors scooped over 23 million tokens, pushing the ICO past $7.7 million. Jump in and grab your RBLK share at the $0.044 bargain price! Website: https://presale.rollblock.io/ Socials: https://linktr.ee/rollblockcasino Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.Year-Ender 2024: Kazakhstan Leads North And Central Asia In FDI, Secures $15.7 Billion, Reveals ESCAP Report
Stuck behind a VPN wall? Let’s find a way around itThe Village of Valemount hosted consultants from Strategies North, the consultancy firm Council contracted to develop a business recovery plan, last Wednesday, November 27th. Over the next six months, the firm will gather information on the economic impacts of this summer’s highway closures, lobby the provincial and federal government for more financial support of local businesses, and to find other potential solutions to help struggling businesses survive. Attendees discussed the challenges they have faced as a result of the highway closures, as well as immediate and long-term solutions for struggling business owners in Valemount. The boom-and-bust cycle of a mostly tourism-dependent economy puts business owners in a precarious place, said Michele Dallaire, owner of Infinity Office and Health. “We need to focus on the long-term, on finding people with greater capacity to spend locally,” Dallaire said. “If there are no jobs here, if rent is outrageous, then families are just struggling to meet everyday needs. Spending extra is just not going to happen.” However, attendees agreed that immediate financial aid would be a boon to businesses in the short term. “Most of us, we’re looking for some kind of grant funding to help financially float our businesses through the tough times,” said Sherrie Houghton, owner of Emerald Earth Organic Spa. “But long-term, we’re looking for some kind of solution as to how we can have more people here in Valemount to keep the community running.” President of Strategies North Grant Barley said he wasn’t surprised to hear businesses are struggling. “When you start adding up COVID, the fluctuations in weather with snowpack, then the fire, the compound effects this particular town has been dealt is tough,” he told The Goat. “I’m sure other places in Canada have those kinds of challenges, but in a B.C. context, it’s pretty unique to be impacted greatly by a fire, but not in your community.” Still, Barley said he was happy to hear that business owners are determined to stay afloat. “The one reassuring piece is when you talk to a group of entrepreneurs and somehow see they’re doing what they can to survive and look at things in a positive way,” he said. “It always gives me a sense of optimism, that sense of mentality that it takes to open a business.” It has been difficult for the Village to access government grants, since the emergency that caused the economic downturn took place in a different province, as Mayor Owen Torgerson remarked during the November 12th Council meeting. Barley said this is a challenge, but believes there may be ways for Strategies North to work around it. “We’ve had success in the past in convincing government departments to look at the way they’re administering that grant money differently on a short-term or medium-term basis because of a specific set of events,” he said. “It’s all about making it politically advantageous for them to support Valemount. It’s pretty easy when you sit in a room with them and have these discussions. You can see how important it is.” Barley added that grants may not be the only option: a tax deferment could also provide relief to Valemount businesses, he said. In any case, the firm will get creative in its efforts to provide support. “It’s trying to find out what [businesses] need and then use a variety of mechanisms to get them through this next period so that they survive it and can get back to business in the summer,” he said.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police arrested on Friday a man accused of killing two people during a large parade where two separate shootings within an hour left two dead and at least 10 wounded. Curtis Gray, 19, faces two counts of second-degree murder tied to the Nov. 17 shootings along a crowded parade route, according to a news release from the New Orleans Police Department. Gray allegedly fatally shot Rasean Carter, 21, and Malachi Jackson, 19, at the Almonaster Avenue Bridge, authorities say. Carter, an aspiring photographer who lived in Marrero just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, had planned to document the Nine Times Social Aid & Pleasure Club's annual outing and was accompanied by Jackson, his friend and uncle, Nola.com reported. The parade was part of New Orleans' long-running tradition of “second-lines” where revelers follow brass bands marching through the streets and has deep ties to the city's Black culture. The deaths of Carter and Jackson were among a series of recent lethal shootings in New Orleans. While most violence has been on the decline in the city since mid-2023 , there were three people killed and eight wounded in six shootings over the past weekend according to Nola.com . On Thursday, New Orleans police arrested two men, Darrell Fairley Jr., 18, and Cornelius G. Tillman, 19, in connection with a Nov. 30 double homicide in New Orleans East.Anthony Edwards’ leadership had to take another step forward this week for Timberwolves