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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Bill Belichick spent time after his NFL exit talking with college coaches wanting his thoughts on managing new wrinkles at their level that looked a lot like the pros. The two-minute timeout. The transfer portal as de facto free agency. Collectives generating name, image and likeness (NIL) money for athletes becoming like a payroll. The impending arrival of revenue sharing. It didn't take long for Belichick to envision how a college program should look based on his own NFL experience. "I do think there are a lot of parallels," Belichick said. And that's at least partly why the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is now taking over at North Carolina. Years of rapid change at the have only increased the professionalization of college football across the country, with schools adjusting staffing to handle growing duties once seemingly more fitting for a pro team. People are also reading... UNC just happens to be making the most audacious of those bets, bringing in a 72-year-old who has never coached in college and asking him to build what amounts to a mini-NFL front office. But plenty could follow. "I really think there's going to be some of those guys that maybe don't have a job in the NFL anymore," Kansas State general manager Clint Brown said, "and now that this is going to be structured in a way where there is a cap that that's going to be something they're interested in." A changing college course The rapid changes in college athletics have fueled that, notably with players able to transfer and play right away without sitting out a year and be paid through NIL endorsement opportunities in the past five years. Recruiting is now just as much about bringing in veteran talent through the portal as signing recruits out of high school, mirroring the NFL with free agency and the draft, respectively. And a bigger change looms with revenue sharing, the result of a $2.78 billion legal settlement to antitrust lawsuits. Specifically, that model will allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million for athletes in the first year, with a final hearing in that case set for April 2025. It will be up to schools to determine how to distribute that money and in which sports, though football's role as the revenue driver in college sports likely means a prominent cut everywhere as a direct parallel to a professional team's salary cap. Throw all that together, and it's why coaches are adjusting their staffs like Florida's Billy Napier interviewing candidates to be the Gators' general manager. "We're built to do it now," Napier said. "The big thing here is that we're getting ready to be in a business model. We have a cap. We have contracts. We have negotiation. We have strategy about how we distribute those funds, and it's a major math puzzle. "We're going to build out a front office here in the next couple of months, and it's primarily to help us manage that huge math problem," Napier added. "There'll be a ton of strategy around that. I'm looking forward to it." Still, that also explains why Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, the former head coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, said: "This job as a head coach is a juggernaut. There's way more to do here than I had to do in the NFL." The value of a hire And it explains why the Tar Heels are betting on Belichick to be the right fit for today's changing climate. "If I was 16 of 17 years old, a coach who came at you and won how many Super Bowls? And he said, 'Come play for me,'" said New York Giants offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, now in his third year out of UNC. "I mean, that's pretty hard to turn down now, especially in this day and age, he's telling you to come play for him and he's offering you some money, too. I mean, you can't go wrong with that choice." The timing worked for UNC with Belichick, who was bypassed for some NFL openings after leaving the New England Patriots last year and instead spent months taking a closer look at the college game. Those conversations with coaches — some in the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences, he said Thursday — made him understand how the changes in college aligned with his pro experience. "College kind of came to me this year," Belichick said. "I didn't necessarily go and seek it out." And his mere presence in Chapel Hill makes a difference, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham saying his "visibility" would likely allow the team to raise prices for advertising such as sponsorships and signage. Belichick is also hiring Michael Lombardi, a former NFL general manager and executive, as the Tar Heels' general manager. Cunningham also said the plan is for Belichick to continue his appearances on former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning's "Manningcast" broadcasts during Monday Night Football as well as ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" — all giving the coach the chance to promote himself and the program. Investing in football Yet these steps to reshape football at North Carolina comes with a rising price. Belichick will make $10 million per year in base and supplemental pay, with the first three years of the five-year deal guaranteed, according to a term sheet released by UNC on Thursday. That's roughly double of former coach Mack Brown, whose contract outlined about $4.2 million in base and supplemental salary before bonuses and other add-ons. Additionally, Belichick's deal includes $10 million for a salary pool for assistant coaches and $5.3 million for support staff. That's up from roughly $8.1 million for assistants and $4.8 million for support staff for the 2022 season, according to football financial data for UNC obtained by The Associated Press. And those figures from 2022 under Brown were already up significantly from Larry Fedora's tenure with the 2017 season ($4 million for assistant coaches, $2.3 million for support staff). There is at least one area where the Tar Heels are set for Belichick's arrival: facilities. UNC spent more than $40 million on its football practice complex with an indoor facility (2018) as the biggest project, while other projects include $3 million in upgrades to the locker room and weight room (2019), $14.5 million on renovations to the Kenan Football Center (2022), even $225,000 on Brown's former office (2021). Now it's up to Belichick to rethink the approach to football here for the changing times. "We're taking a risk," Cunningham said. "We're investing more in football with the hope and ambition that the return is going to significantly outweigh the investment." AP Sports Writers Tom Canavan in New Jersey; Mark Long in Florida; and Eric Olson in Nebraska; contributed to this report. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she 'sustained an injury' from fall on official trip to Luxembourg
Research from the University of New England (UNE) showcases the potential effectiveness of certain plant-based compounds in preventing hospital-acquired infections, with implications for decreasing the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. The scientists set out to explore methods for reducing biofilm formation for two types of Staphylococcus bacteria that are prone to causing infections in hospitals, notably on in-dwelling medical devices such as catheters or surgical implantations. The bacteria studied were Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis . These organisms are among the leading causes of such infections and are notable for their robust ability to form biofilms. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms attached to a surface that play a significant role in the persistence of bacterial infections. The organisms within a biofilm are often more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic bacteria. With biofilm formation, layers of bacteria are trapped in a slimy secretion (an extracellular matrix) that can accumulate on various types of surfaces and which confers protection. Biofilms that form inside the human body can break off and travel through the bloodstream, attaching themselves to organs like the heart and causing sometimes life-threatening infections. To counter this in certain circumstances, the researchers attempted to test the ability of pyrogallol, a phenolic compound used in several clinical applications for its anti-inflammatory effects, to disrupt biofilm formation. The researchers exposed four strains of Staphylococcus to varying concentrations of pyrogallol. Through observation, the team determined that pyrogallol successfully prevented biofilms from forming in Staphylococcus samples, although the compound did not reduce the prevalence of existing biofilms. Additional testing, however, revealed that pyrogallol inhibited biofilm formation by causing bacterial oxidative stress, demonstrating that oxidative stress is an effective mechanism in preventing staphylococcal biofilms from forming. The findings additionally show promise for reducing the need for broad-spectrum antibiotics in hospital settings, which research has suggested may lead to further antibiotic resistance. Pyrogallol prevents these bacteria from doing what they need to do to cause infection. The study appears in the Journal of Applied Microbiology , titled: “Pyrogallol Impairs Staphylococcal Biofilm Formation via Induction of Bacterial Oxidative Stress.” Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.
Trump team signs agreement with Justice Department for background checks for administration picks
NEW YORK (AP) — If you're planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you're not alone. A majority of U.S adults intend to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research . “As I’ve gotten older over the last few years, it’s like if I don’t make it to midnight, it’s not a big deal, you know?” says Carla Woods, 70, from Vinton, Iowa. Nearly 2 in 10 will be celebrating at a friend or family member’s home, and just 5% plan to go out to celebrate at a bar, restaurant or organized event, the poll found. But many U.S. adults will celebrate the new year in a different way — by making a resolution. More than half say they'll make at least one resolution for 2025. There's some optimism about the year ahead, although more than half aren't expecting a positive change. About 4 in 10 say 2025 will be a better year for them personally. About one-third don’t expect much of a difference between 2024 and 2025, and about one-quarter think 2025 will be a worse year than 2024. Kourtney Kershaw, a 32-year-old bartender in Chicago, often fields questions from customers and friends about upcoming events for New Year's Eve. She said this year is trending toward low-key. “A majority of who I’ve spoken to in my age range, they want to go out, but they don’t know what they’re going to do because they haven’t found anything or things are just really expensive,” she said. “Party packages or an entry fee are like a turnoff, especially with the climate of the world and how much things cost.” As expected, younger people are more interested in ringing in the new year at a bar or organized event — about 1 in 10 U.S. adults under 30 say they plan to do that. But about 3 in 10 older adults — 60 and above — say they won’t celebrate the beginning of 2025 at all. Anthony Tremblay, 35, from Pittsburgh, doesn't usually go out to toast the arrival of the new year, but this year he's got something special cooked up: He and his wife will be traveling through Ireland. “I don’t do anything too crazy for New Year’s, usually. So this is definitely a change,” he said. “I wanted to do something unique this year, so I did.” Woods will be working New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. She answers calls on The Iowa Warmline, a confidential, noncrisis listening line for people struggling with mental health or substance use issues. “Holidays are really hard for people, so I don’t mind working,” she said. “I’m passionate about it because I have mental health issues in the family and so being able to help people is rewarding to me.” Every New Year's also triggers the eternal debate about resolutions. A majority of U.S. adults say they intend to make a New Year’s resolution of some type, but millennials and Gen Z are especially likely to be on board — about two-thirds expect to do so, compared to about half of older adults. Women are also more likely than men to say they will set a goal for 2025. Tremblay hopes to lose some weight and focus more on self-care — more sleep, meditation and breathing exercises. “It’s probably a good year to focus on mental health,” he said. Many others agree. About 3 in 10 adults choose resolutions involving exercise or eating healthier. About one-quarter said they'll make a resolution involving losing weight and a similar number said they'll resolve to make changes about priorities of money or mental health. Woods' resolutions are to stay social and active. As a mental health counselor, she knows those are key to a happy 2025 and beyond: “Probably one of my biggest resolutions is trying to make sure I stay social, try to get out at least once a week — get out and either have coffee or do something with a friend. That’s not only for the physical but also for the mental health part.” Kershaw, the bartender, says weight loss and better health are the top resolutions she hears people make. “Mental health is the new one, but I think it’s high up there as well as with regular health,” she said. She prefers more goal-oriented resolutions and, this time, it's to do more traveling and see more of the world: “I don’t know if that’s really a resolution, but that’s a goal that I’m setting.” And how will she welcome the arrival of 2025? Usually, she takes the night off and stays home watching movies with plenty of snacks, but this year Kershaw has a different plan, maybe one of the most Chicago things you can do. This die-hard sports fan will be at Wrigley Field on Tuesday watching the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues. “Hockey’s my favorite sport. So I will be watching hockey and bringing in the new year,” she said. The AP-NORC poll of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Sanders reported from Washington.GETTING your heart rate up can also keep brain power boosted. Research found people performed better in memory and thinking tests after moderate or vigorous exercise. Easily accessible workouts, such as brisk walking or taking the stairs , can be beneficial, with increased brain performance still showing 24 hours later. But being active is not the only tactic to help your noggin. What you eat , the games you play and the way you move can also improve cognitive function . Laura Stott looks at eight other ways to train your brain. Read More on Health EAT KIDNEY BEANS THE right food is vital for fuelling our brains and keeping minds healthy. Enjoying a diet that is rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids has been proven to help improve memory, increase concentration levels and boost blood flow to the brain. Omega-3s are especially important for grey matter development and function because they are the only fatty acid found in cell membranes in this area in significant amounts. You will find lots of it in fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout and sardines, as well as walnuts and flaxseed. Most read in Health But one cheap and plentiful source is a can of the cupboard staple kidney beans. Tuck into a yummy chilli con carne, tip a tin into a sausage hot pot or add to a stew or sauce to get smarter while you scoff. PLAY ONLINE GAMES WHETHER it is Candy Crush on your phone or Minecraft, Fifa and Fortnite on the console, the good news for male and female gamers is that playing regularly really can improve your brain function. By enhancing skills such as concentration, memory, strategic thinking and problem solving, one study showed people who played video games for five or more hours weekly had the cognitive capabilities on average of someone 13 years younger than their actual age. Results have also found that gamers perform better in memory, attention and reasoning skills tests compared to those who did not play. Playing against other people also aids brainpower by adding social interaction to the mind mix. KEEEEP DANCING COPYING routines from Strictly could be the key to increasing your intellect, as numerous studies have shown dancing is a great way to boost your brain. Learning moves requires focus, concentration and co-ordination that can increase cerebral processing speeds and enhance memory. Taking to the floor can also greatly increase the area of the brain called the hippocampus, which plays an important role in learning, memory and navigation. Deploying motor skills and focusing on rhythm also synchronises areas that can nurture creativity. It does not have to be ballroom, though. Busting any moves will work wonders on your noodle, from salsa to line dancing or anything in between. BAKE A CAKE BAKING a delicious Victoria sponge or batch of biscuits will not just result in some delicious treats to eat. Using all your senses in the kitchen may also help strengthen the grey cells. Whipping up a cake or other homemade goodies from scratch is a great way to deploy the five human senses of smelling, touching, tasting, seeing and hearing simultaneously, which is recognised as a way to enhance brain power. Following a recipe will aid recall and sharpen up decision-making skills, too. And if you do not have a sweet tooth, you do not have to lose out as it does not need to be cake you make. Cooking anything new, from a roast dinner to a curry, which employs your senses together, will be as effective for fine-tuning your cognitive functioning. CHANGE YOUR ROUTE REPEATING the same routines and tasks daily can result in our brain power becoming stagnant and flipping into autopilot. Help to keep your mind fresh and focus sharp by mixing things up a little. One easy way to do this is by using a different route to get to work or on the school run from Monday to Friday. Or opt for a different mode of transport, such as walking or taking the bus instead of the car. Small deviations from stale, familiar routines, even if it is just going via the scenic route instead of the usual main road, can exercise the brain as it forces us to concentrate, focus and stimulate thinking. WATCH A CHAT SHOW PASS the remote control if you want to help boost your intelligence. Research has found that relaxing on the sofa and enjoying an episode or two of a boxset or some favourite celebrity chat like BBC’s Graham Norton Show could help make you smarter. Switching off and zoning out can aid cognitive faculties by exercising the brain area that allows us to daydream, which is particularly important for consolidating our memory. One study by experts at Reading University discovered that just 30 minutes spent watching a teatime chat show improved people’s mental powers, even more than listening to classical music or doing a crossword for the same amount of time. WALK THE DOG A HALF-HOUR walk in the park may boost your memory power for 24 hours, according to the findings of a new study published this week. Experts at University College London discovered that people aged 50 to 83 who did 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as walking or dancing, performed better in memory tests a day later. These mind-health improvements applied to both short-term memory and longer-term recollections, while the findings also revealed that less time spent sitting down improved the staying power of cognitive function. PLAY BINGO IT is a full house for your frontal lobes as regular visits to the bingo hall are proven to sharpen up your grey matter. Research has shown the memory and cognitive skills required when remembering and searching for numbers, then quickly marking your card, positively affects the way the brain processes information, helping players think more swiftly, stay alert, concentrate harder and strengthen focus. READ MORE SUN STORIES 9 Studies have shown that bingo regulars out-performed non-players on tests measuring mental speed Credit: Getty Studies have shown that bingo regulars out-performed non-players on tests measuring mental speed, the ability to scan for information and memory. They discovered that older players even out-performed younger non-players, suggesting that bingo’s brain-boosting impact could contribute to keeping people’s minds sharper for longer periods.