FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye’s arrival in New England coincided with a wholesale reset for the Patriots franchise following the departure of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones this past offseason. In his eight starts since assuming the reins from veteran Jacoby Brissett, the rookie quarterback has provided encouraging examples of what the Patriots’ revamped front office saw in selecting him third overall in the draft last April. While the Patriots enter their bye week with a 3-10 record and just 2-6 with Maye as the starter, both the coaching staff and his teammates feel they have a quarterback they can build around going forward. “I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, one game at a time,” Maye said this week. “I’m trying to learn from negative experiences or negative plays, learn from turnovers, learn from sacks that I take and see if I can get the ball out and do something better. That’s probably the biggest thing. "Hopefully, the work that we’re putting in and the product that we’re putting out can lead to some positive plays and some positive wins down the road.” Maye is coming off his best statistical performance of the season, completing a season best 80% of his passes (24 of 30) for a season-high 238 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 25-24 loss to Indianapolis. He also had a 41-yard run, showing off a running ability that has him averaging 9.1 yards per carry – best among quarterbacks who have played at least nine games. Maye did have one interception off a tipped ball, but showed his best command of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s scheme to date, spreading the ball around to six different players and consistently getting the Patriots into the red zone. The rub is that the Patriots were just 2 of 6 once they got there, including four trips inside the 10-yard line that yielded only one TD. Lackluster play in the red zone has been a hindrance for a unit that ranks 30th in the NFL in scoring touchdowns inside the 20. Maye said it will be one of his main focal points over the final four games. “It’s tough to go out like that,” Maye said. “You can’t win games going four drives in the red zone that end in field goals. We’ve got to focus in on that. I think that’s been an emphasis of improvement for this offense. We know you have to score touchdowns to win in this league.” Though coach Jerod Mayo agrees there is room for improvement for Maye, he also pointed out that the pieces around him need to do a better job supporting him as well. He pointed specifically to the offensive line, singling out rookie left guard Layden Robinson and rookie tackle Caedan Wallace, as well as fellow lineman and 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange, who is working his way back from a knee injury. “You need a guy like Layden Robinson to show what he can do. We need a guy like Cole Strange before the end of the season to see what he can do,” Mayo said. “You can use Caedan in that same bucket. We need to see what the receivers can do and what they’re going to look like going forward, and that’s the hard part for me. You want to win right now, but at the same time, I think it would be a disservice to go to the end of the season and not know exactly what we have.” That’s not lost on Robinson, who wants to play better for his quarterback who he said has grown exponentially as a leader since earning the starting job. “He always has that confidence about him and you know how he takes control of the huddle,” Robinson said. “He gets in there, and he’s like, ‘All right, let’s go to work,’ basically. We rally behind him.” Results aside, Van Pelt said there are no regrets about initially waiting to elevate Maye to the starting job. “Absolutely not. I think we had the plan going into place, and I think that it’s showing now that that was a good decision for us,” Van Pelt said. “Would he be as developed had he started the first game? Maybe. Could’ve gone the other way as well. I stated in the spring, this is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. "This is about a career, franchise quarterback, and we’re trying to develop him in the right way. And I feel like we did it that way.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflPittsburgh Steelers offensive rock bottom illustrated in one wild stat
Regina's Globe Theatre to welcome audiences for Peter Pan as renovations continue
Put politics aside and act on online harms, mother of sextortion victim tells MPsB.C. premier says feds and premiers have right-left strategy to tackle Trump tariffsSAN JOSE – Former San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl was a bit curious about what kind of reception he would get Friday night in his return to SAP Center. While Hertl became one of the Sharks’ most popular and productive players in his 11 seasons in a teal uniform, he was also returning – for the first time — as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights , San Jose’s once-fierce rival. “I think the rivalry kind of slipped away, but it will hopefully be good. I think it was a nice 11 years,” Hertl said Friday morning when asked about the reception he might get. “But it’s maybe it’s up to the fans now. (There’s) nothing I can do about it really right now.” The reception was expected to be positive, considering Hertl had 484 points in 712 regular-season games for the Sharks before he was traded to the Golden Knights in March . Team officials plan to recognize Hertl for his time in San Jose with a pregame tribute similar to the ones they bestowed upon longtime Sharks Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns in their first games back in San Jose. But while Hertl’s time with the Sharks will not be forgotten, his departure from San Jose has perhaps created a complicated legacy. Hertl could have opted to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Instead, he signed an eight-year, $65.1 contract extension with the Sharks, hoping the team’s fortunes could quickly turn around after what would become — at that point — three years without a playoff appearance. The Sharks, too, did not entertain any trade offers for Hertl that year, hoping he could be an organizational tent pole as they remained in a transitional phase. However, the Sharks hired Mike Grier as their new general manager less than four months after the deal. Grier knew that for the Sharks to become Stanley Cup contenders again, he would have to rebuild the team from the ground up. That meant taking some steps back to have the opportunity to draft future stars with lottery picks. Grier also traded some high-profile players on long-term contracts, such as Burns, Timo Meier, and Erik Karlsson, to gain prospects, draft capital, and free up valuable cap space. Speaking about Hertl and captain Logan Couture as the 2023 training camp began , Grier said, “If there ever were to come a time when they felt like they needed or wanted to go somewhere else, it’s definitely something I would listen to, and if it made sense for us, I would explore it.” Some of Tomas Hertl pic.twitter.com/rVUtnj0vxY — Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) December 27, 2024 While Couture, injured and out indefinitely, remains a Shark, Hertl, a playoff participant in five of his first six NHL seasons, knew at that time it could be years before he could legitimately compete for a Cup again. He had a decision to make. Ultimately, Hertl, with a full no-movement clause in the first three years of his contract, decided it was best to move on and join a contender. Going into Friday, the Golden Knights led the Pacific Division and the Sharks were in eighth and last place. “I couldn’t say one bad word about the organization, about the teammates in the locker room right away, how they (included) me in the team, even the fans around the city,” Hertl said. “Obviously, when you win a lot of hockey games, everything gets pretty easy around it. I almost forgot over the last couple years, honestly, how fun is to win a lot of games. “The last couple of years (in San Jose) was pretty tough. When you’re one of the leaders and you try to help, but the winning wasn’t coming, it wasn’t easy. So this is definitely the fun part.” It turns out Grier and Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon began talking about a Hertl deal before the all-star break, and on March 7, just minutes before the deadline, the Sharks sent the No. 1 centerman, plus third-round picks in 2025 and 2027, to Vegas for center prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round pick. “I just heard, like, maybe in January, before I was hurt, that (Vegas) was thinking about (trading for me) from my agent, but nothing happened,” said Hertl, who injured his knee earlier in a Jan. 27 game against the Buffalo Sabres. Hertl participated in the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, and trade talks between the Sharks and Golden Knights began to ramp up again a few days before the deadline. Hertl then had to waive his no-trade clause to make it happen. “I’m a competitive guy,” Hertl said Friday. “The Sharks give me everything and they give me a great career, they’ve been always great to me. (When) the offer came, I just couldn’t say no, because I think I’m still in my prime, I can help teams win hockey games, and Vegas, they are in a great spot, a great team, and I couldn’t say no. “Nobody can obviously guarantee you can win the Stanley Cup, but I thought there’s a chance (with Vegas), and I just want to grab it and try to fight for it.” Hertl has several friends within the Sharks’ organization and still cheers for the team. “After our games, I will be always cheering for them because I was here so long here and I want to see them do obviously better and turn this team around,” Hertl said. “But at that time I felt it could be my last chance and I was happy both sides could figure it out and work it out, and I could move.”
FICAC dismisses bias claims in Lynda Tabuya investigationNone
The Liberal government is pulling out the federal wallet to put more money into people’s pockets over the holidays, but its recently announced affordability measures create winners and losers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Thursday that the federal government will remove the goods and services tax on a slew of items for two months, starting Dec. 14. But in provinces where the provincial and federal sales taxes are blended together into a harmonized sales tax, Canadians will get a larger break. The federal government also plans to send $250 cheques to Canadians who were working in 2023 and earned up to $150,000. That means Canadians who were not working in 2023, including those who were receiving social assistance or were in retirement, will not be sent a cheque in April. In the House of Commons on Friday, NDP MP Peter Julian called the government out for not including Canadians with fixed incomes. “Why are Liberals excluding seniors and people with disabilities from the real help they need this holiday season? Why won’t Liberals help them, too?” Julian asked during question period. At a news conference on Friday, Trudeau said that the federal government has already stepped up to help the most vulnerable Canadians and that it is now time to give a hand to workers. “Over the past number of years, we have been extraordinarily present in helping the most vulnerable Canadians,” Trudeau said, mentioning the boost to old-age security for seniors aged 75 and older and the Canada Child Benefit. “But as I travel across the country, I do regularly hear from working Canadians who are having trouble making ends meet, but saying, ‘look, I don’t have kids. I’m not a senior yet, and I’m facing challenges.’” The GST break, which is expected to cost the federal government $1.6 billion, will apply to a number of items including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine. It also applies to Christmas trees — both natural and artificial — along with a variety of snack foods and beverages, and video game consoles. Meanwhile, 18.7 million people will receive a check this spring, costing the government about $4.7 billion.Watch the latest Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 trailer to learn more about the story of Henry of Skalitz, and dive into the medieval world of this upcoming RPG sequel. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 follows Henry, a young man seeking justice for his murdered parents, as he embarks on an epic journey where his morality and integrity are tested. With blood feuds and political conspiracies unraveling, Henry’s choices will ultimately shape his destiny. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be available on PC, PS5 (PlayStation 5), and Xbox Series X|S on February 4, 2025.VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada's premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan over possible U.S. tariffs, where Conservative premiers lobby their Republican counterparts and left-leaning leaders court the Democrats, while the federal government focuses on president-elect Donald Trump. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada's premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan over possible U.S. tariffs, where Conservative premiers lobby their Republican counterparts and left-leaning leaders court the Democrats, while the federal government focuses on president-elect Donald Trump. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? VICTORIA – British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada’s premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan over possible U.S. tariffs, where Conservative premiers lobby their Republican counterparts and left-leaning leaders court the Democrats, while the federal government focuses on president-elect Donald Trump. Eby says the premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about using their political diversity and connections to approach politicians and business leaders in the United States, as talks over Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico ramp up. He says it has been discussed that Conservative premiers Danielle Smith in Alberta, Doug Ford in Ontario and Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston are well-placed to lobby their contacts with Republican governors and business leaders. In a year-end interview, Eby says as a New Democrat leader he will likely have more in common speaking with Democrat governors and business leaders from the West Coast states. He says Canada’s diversity of representation, ranging from the right and left sides of the political spectrum, can bring leverage and advantages in tariff talks. Eby also says — if it is deemed helpful — he is prepared to appear on American’s right-leaning Fox News TV network as did premiers Ford and Smith. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Tim Houston’s first name was John. Advertisement
Presbyterian 67, Youngstown St. 42Pittsburgh Steelers offensive rock bottom illustrated in one wild stat
Volunteer Calah Derocher, left, and kitchen manager Cassandra Culleton assemble to-go meals Dec. 3 during the daily Meals Program at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal LEWISTON — After living off-grid and being a stay-at-home mom for the past few years, Calah Derocher was looking for some inspiration as she re-enters the professional world. Through Fedcap’s ASPIRE program, she planned to use volunteer work to get started and perhaps explore several different roles and settings in the nonprofit realm. But after starting at the Trinity Jubilee Center, she found it difficult to go anywhere else. And, according to staff there, Derocher has been rearranging her schedule to help out on holidays. She’s become a regular volunteer in the soup kitchen and food pantry. “After a week of being there I just knew I really wanted to give my time to these people and their cause,” she said. “It’s really kind of scary to go back into society and the job force and it was a really comfortable way to get myself back in there, and feel like I’m a productive member of society.” The ASPIRE program helps Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients move toward financial independence through case management, job training, education, support and employment services. Derocher said life events led her to the program, to find a way to support her family. This winter, she’s starting classes at Central Maine Community College. At first she considered going into social work, but she ultimately decided to learn a trade — electromechanical technology. She said the program asked her to consider tough questions about her passions and what a new professional career could look like, and volunteering was one of the ways for her to face that. Volunteer Calah Derocher, right, organizes to-go meals Dec. 3 during the daily Meals Program at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Derocher began volunteering at Trinity in November, and plans to stay on until school starts. She said she’s been doing “anything and everything” that’s asked of her, including food prep, organizing donations, and more. “I give them my all when I go in there, and try to get as much done as I can,” she said. She often ends up leaving late. On Dec. 23, she was helping to prepare for the Christmas Eve lunch, where everyone who comes through for the meal also gets a stocking with various items. On Christmas Eve she was there from 7:30 a.m. to noon, getting the food out. She did the same on Thanksgiving. Derocher was also helping organize a toy drive, which allows Trinity guests to choose an item to give to someone special in their lives. While her time there will be slowing down soon, she said she could see herself back there again, either during summers when she’s not in school, or at another time. “I feel like the impact of coming here and being around the staff and clients and the whole experience — I know in the future I’ll be able to contribute in my own way back to the community,” she said. Derocher was born in Lewiston and grew up in Auburn, but until just recently lived in Hartford “in the middle of the woods.” She said part of what she’s rediscovered since returning to Lewiston is the feeling of community. She said moving back was a big change, as it was to realize it was “OK to ask for help.” “I think it’s something that’s lost sometimes this day and age,” she said, referring to community. “And I’m hoping to bring that with me for the rest of my life — to remember that communities are stronger together.” Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousTwo sides separated by just one point in the bottom half of the Portuguese Primeira Liga table go head to head this weekend as Gil Vicente play host to Nacional on Saturday. The Alvinegros have failed to win their last six visits to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, losing four and picking up two draws since a 2-1 victory in March 2014, and will head into the weekend looking to end this dry spell. Gil Vicente continue to struggle for results in the bottom half of the Primeira Liga table as they suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Vitoria de Guimaraes on Monday. In a one-sided affair at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, goals from Jesus Ramirez , Manuel Silva , Nelson Oliveira and a second-half own goal from Sandro Cruz saw Guimaraes cruise to their sixth win of the campaign. Before that, the Gilistas booked their spot in the fifth round of the Taca de Portugal on November 24, when they secured a 2-0 win over Campeona de Portugal outfit Vila Real courtesy of second-half goals from Ze Carlos and Jordi Mboula . With Monday's result, Gil Vicente have now lost each of their most recent four Primeira Liga matches, conceding 11 goals and scoring four since a 3-0 home victory over Estrela Amadora on October 5. After three back-to-back games on the road, Bruno Pinheiro 's men now return home, where they are unbeaten in all but one of their last seven matches, claiming three wins and three draws since mid April. On the other hand, Nacional were guilty of a lack of cutting edge at the attacking end of the pitch as they played out a goalless draw against Boavista when the sides met last Monday. Despite seeing over 60% of the ball possession and having 22 shots at the Estadio da Madeira, the Alvinegros failed to beat Cesar Dutra in goal for Boavista as they settled for their third stalemate of the league campaign. Nacional have now failed to win eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions — losing six and picking up two draws — with a 2-0 home victory over Santa Clara on November 4 being the exception. Having gained promotion from the Segunda Liga last term, Tiago Margarido 's men have picked up nine points from their 11 Primeira Liga games to sit 15th in the standings , one point and two placed below Saturday's hosts. Nacional's slow start to the campaign has been owing to their struggles on their travels, where they are yet to taste victory in any of their eight matches across all competitions this season, losing six and picking up two draws so far. Gil Vicente remain without the services of South African international Sphephelo Sithole , who picked up an injury while on international duty against South Sudan in September. He is joined on the Gilistas' injury table by 23-year-old midfielder Facundo Caseres , who has been out of action since picking up a severe meniscus injury back in April. While they struggled in attack against Boavista last time out, Nacional were rock-solid at the back and we we expect Margarido to name an unchanged back four of Jose Gomes , Ulisses , Ze Vitor and Palmeiras loanee Gustavo Garcia . Matheus Dias has started all 11 Primeira Liga matches this season and the 22-year-old should retain his role at the centre of the park, teaming up with Luis Esteves and Tunisian midfielder Chiheb Labidi . Gil Vicente possible starting lineup: Andrew; Ze Carlos, Sa, Fernandes, Cruz; Castillo, Gbane; Correia, Fujimoto, Toure; Caue Nacional possible starting lineup: Franca; Garcia, Ze Vitor, Ulisses, Gomes; Esteves, Dias, Soumare; Appiah, Isaac, Thomas With just one point separating Gil Vicente and Nacional in the bottom half of the table, we expect both sides to go all out at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos as they look to get one over the other. Margarido's men have struggled to get going on the road and we fancy the Gilistas to come away with the desired result. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here .