Autodesk director Lorrie Norrington sells $543,925 in stockWhen investors think about high-yield stocks, the yield is often the only issue considered. That's a mistake, because sometimes high yields are a sign of a risky dividend. That's why you should also examine the company backing the yield and, equally important, its commitment to supporting the dividend through good markets and bad ones. Right now, dividend investors should probably be considering reliable income stocks like Enterprise Products Partners ( EPD 1.45% ) and United Parcel Service ( UPS 2.63% ) . Here's why. Enterprise is boring in a good way Enterprise Products Partners is a master limited partnership (MLP) that operates in the midstream segment of the oil and natural gas industry. It owns vital infrastructure assets like pipelines, storage, processing, and transportation facilities. While oil and natural gas companies are often volatile, Enterprise is basically just a toll taker, charging customers fees for the use of its assets. Given the importance of oil and natural gas to the world's economy, demand for Enterprise's assets tends to be fairly strong in both good energy markets and bad ones. Simply put, Enterprise's cash flows tend to be fairly robust no matter what's going on with oil prices. That's how the MLP has managed to increase its distribution every year for 26 consecutive years, despite operating in the often volatile energy sector . Add in an investment grade rated balance sheet and distributable cash flow that covers the distribution by a strong 1.7 times, and you get a very reliable income stock. That said, it's important for investors to understand that growth opportunities in the midstream space are fairly limited. Enterprise's attractive 6.6% yield will likely make up the vast majority of your return. Still, Enterprise is one of the largest midstream players in North America, so a modest capital investment budget will likely be augmented by acquisitions along the way. Distribution growth of around low to mid-single digits is probably a reasonable expectation over time. That's not a bad combination if you're a dividend investor looking to maximize the income stream your portfolio generates. UPS has more of a dividend growth flair Slow and steady growth with a high yield is what you get from Enterprise. United Parcel Service is a bit different, offering higher dividend growth but a lower yield. To put a number on that, UPS, as the company is more commonly known, increased its dividend at a compound annual rate of nearly 10% over the past decade. That's two to three times faster than the historical growth rate of inflation , so this package delivery service has materially grown the buying power of its dividend over time. What's really exciting about UPS today, however, is that its 4.8% yield is near the high end of the stock's historical yield range. That suggests that the company is on sale right now. There's a reason for that, given that the business isn't hitting on all cylinders. However, the third quarter of 2024 saw year-over-year improvements in revenues and operating margin , so the company is working to get back on track and, seemingly, succeeding. There's still more work to be done, but management looks like it has the business heading in the right direction. That said, the real attraction here is the business. UPS is one of a small number of very large package delivery companies. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to replicate what UPS offers. And given that online shopping continues to grow, it seems highly likely that more demand is on the horizon. If you can handle owning a turnaround situation , UPS looks like a dividend growth stock fallen angel that's already starting to earn back its wings. Two solid dividend options for you to cash in on right now If you have $500, $5,000, or even $5 million and you like dividend stocks, you'll want to check out Enterprise and UPS. One is going to be a better option for investors looking to own high-yield fare, while the other will probably attract those looking for dividend growth. But both businesses have very attractive features and yields that you should be able to count on for years to come.
DHAKA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Internet services across Bangladesh will be disrupted temporarily for three hours on the night of Dec. 2 due to maintenance of the country’s first submarine cable. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp SEA-ME-WE 4, the country’s first submarine cable system, is located in Cox’s Bazar district, some 400 km southeast of capital Dhaka. According to a recent statement by the Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC, from 3:00 a.m. local time to 5.59 a.m. on Dec. 2, maintenance will be conducted near the Chennai Landing Station in India and the Tuas Landing Station in Singapore. During this time, Internet services will be temporarily disrupted. Internet bandwidth in Bangladesh comes mainly through two submarine cables running through the deep sea. The first cable is installed at southeastern Cox’s Bazar while the second one is at Kuakata in Bangladesh’s Patuakhali district, some 204 km south of the capital Dhaka.Manulife cautions investors regarding New York Stock and Bond LLC offer for shares
The Duck Curve challengeIts that time of the year again! Mercury is at it once again. Starting November 25, Mercury goes retrograde one last time this year as it sends us all in massive mood swings until December 15. Experts claim that mercury retrograde can influence communication, travel, technology, leading to misunderstandings, delay, and even equipment malfunctions. Let’s understand this phenomenon better and how it can affect your mood. What Is Mercury Retrograde?Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion that occurs when the planet Mercury appears to move backwards in the night sky. However, in reality, the Earth briefly overtakes Mercury in its orbit. This creates the visual effect that the planet is moving in reverse. Speaking of this astrologically, retrogrades — which occur in other planets, too — are thought to impede the realms that the planet governs. Since Mercury rules communication, information and travel, the retrograde period is believed to hamper these areas. During Mercury retrograde, we may feel pressured, act impulsively or blurt things out. However, it is important to take a moment to reflect before acting and be mindful. Nicholas Campion, professor of cosmology and culture at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, while speaking to BBC said, "Modern astrologers who believe in the influence of Mercury retrograde think it means plans are going to be put on hold or that it is a bad time to start a new job or begin something new. It is very much a feature of a particular strand of western astrology. He further added, "Western astrology now spreads all over the world through social media and apps, so it is becoming global." Dhara Patel of the National Space Centre in Leicester says, "While astronomy and astrology may have been more closely rooted in the past, the general scientific consensus at present is that astronomical phenomena like retrogrades don't have any predictable effect on people's lives." Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Astrology and around the world.Qatar National Library celebrated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, hosting a session to explore the role of social media in conveying the truth about Palestine and its impact on society. Titled "Palestine's Story: An Evening of Solidarity with the Palestinian People," the event spotlighted items from the library's heritage collection, including maps, manuscripts and photos related to Palestinian history. The items pre-date the Nakba and feature photos depicting the community of Bethlehem in the West Bank, bread sellers and stonecutters in Jerusalem, a lady in a traditional Ramallah costume, a Palestinian woman in traditional dress and Muslims praying, among other local figures. Other images depict Jewish migration, which marked a turning point in the history of Palestine. A key highlight of the event was a discussion session with journalist Ahmed Hijazee, titled "How to Be a Voice for Truth from Your Platform and the Role of Social Media in Conveying the Reality." This engaging session explored the power of digital platforms in advocating for truth and the important role of social media in raising awareness, particularly about the Palestinian cause. The evening's programme also included an overview of the beginnings of the occupation, a presentation on Palestines significance from Islamic and humanitarian perspectives, the poem I Am Palestinian presented in sign language, an embroidery workshop, and tours of the "Reesha" and Men in the Sun exhibits. Manager of Children & Young Adults Library Maram al-Mahmoud said the event aligns with the QNL's commitment to document and disseminate the history of Palestine pre-occupation. "Through such events, we aim to document Palestines story and history and to preserve and shed light on our collective Arab and Islamic heritage in a bid to counter narratives that distort historical facts," she explained. Since the launch of the assault on Gaza, the library has organised numerous events to emphasise Palestine's deep-rooted Arab identity. "Palestines Story" was one of several events dedicated to raising awareness about the Palestinian cause among youth and families. Other events included the "Raising for Palestine" webinar, held in co-operation with Teach for Qatar. Related Story QNL, British Library celebrate Qatar Digital Library's 10th anniversary Six Palestinians martyred; others injured in Israeli bombing of Central Gaza
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Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies, who no longer have nearly half their 2022 signees. The list of 2022 recruits now with playoff contenders elsewhere includes Mississippi defensive lineman Walter Nolen, Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart, Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton, SMU offensive tackle PJ Williams and injured Boise State receiver Chris Marshall. Texas A&M has done all right without them, going 8-4 as transfers filled about half the starting roles. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal. “It used to be you lost 20 seniors, you signed 20 incoming freshmen,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “You just had your numbers right. Now you might lose 20 seniors, but you might lose 20 underclassmen. You just don’t know.” Is high school recruiting losing value? Coaches emphasize that high school recruiting remains critical, but recent results suggest it isn’t as vital as before. The last two College Football Playoff runners-up – TCU in 2022 and Washington in 2023 – didn’t sign a single top-15 class in any of the four years leading up their postseason runs, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. This year’s contenders have shown there’s more than one way to build a championship-caliber roster. About half of No. 1 Oregon’s usual starters began their college careers elsewhere. No. 5 Georgia, which annually signs one of the nation’s top high school classes, has only a few transfers making major contributions. Colorado’s rise under Deion Sanders exemplifies how a team can win without elite high school recruiting. None of Colorado’s last four classes have ranked higher than 30th in the 247Sports Composite. Three ranked 47th or lower. “If anybody ever did the homework and the statistics of these young men – people have a class that they say is the No. 1 class in the nation – then five of those guys play, or four of those guys play, then the rest go through the spring and then they jump in the portal,” Sanders said. “Don’t give me the number of where you rank (in recruiting standings), because it’s like an NFL team," he added. "You always say who won the draft, then the team gets killed all year (and) you don’t say nothing else about it. Who won the draft last year in the NFL? Nobody cares right now, right?” Wisconsin's Christian Alliegro tries to stop Oregon's Evan Stewart, right, during the first half of a Nov. 16 game in Madison, Wis. The busy transfer portal Star quarterback Shedeur Sanders followed his father from Jackson State to Colorado in 2023, and Heisman Trophy front-runner Travis Hunter accompanied them. According to Colorado, this year’s Buffaloes team has 50 transfer newcomers, trailing only North Texas’ 54 among Bowl Subdivision programs. Relying on transfers comes with caveats. Consider Florida State's rise and fall. Florida State posted an unbeaten regular-season record last year with transfers playing leading roles. When those transfers departed and Florida State's portal additions this year didn't work out, the Seminoles went 2-10. “There has to be some type of balance between the transfer portal and high school recruiting,” said Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting for 247Sports. “I compare it to the NFL. The players from the transfer portal are your free agents and high school recruiting is your NFL draft picks.” A look at the composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports for the 2020-22 classes shows at least 40 of the top 100 prospects each of those years ended up leaving their original school. Coaches must decide which positions they’re better off building with high school prospects and which spots might be easier to fill through the portal. “The ones that have a ton of learning to do - tight end, quarterback, interior offensive line, inside linebacker, safety, where they are the communicators - they are the guys that are processing a lot of information,” Florida’s Billy Napier said. “Those are the ones in a perfect world you have around for a while. “It’s easier to play defensive line, edge, corner, receiver, running back, tackle, specialists. Those are a little bit more plug-and-play I’d say, in my opinion," Napier said. "Either way, it’s not necessarily about that. It’s just about we need a certain number at each spot, and we do the best we can to fill those roles.” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, right, congratulates place kicker Cristiano Palazzo after he kicked an extra point during the second half of Friday's game against Oklahoma Stat in Boulder, Colo. Transfer portal ripple effects Power Four programs aren’t the only ones facing a balancing act between recruiting high schools and mining the transfer portal. Group of Five schools encounter similar challenges. “We’re recruiting every position and bringing in a high school class,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said. “That’s not going to be maybe 24 scholarship guys like it used to be. It might be more like 16. It’s not four d-linemen necessarily, right? It might be three. It might not be three receivers. It might be two. And it might not be five offensive linemen. It’s two to three.” The extra hurdle Group of Five schools face is the possibility their top performers might leave for a power-conference program with more lucrative name, image and likeness financial opportunities. They sometimes don’t know which players they’ll lose. “We know who they’re trying to steal,” Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin quipped. “We just don’t know who they’re going to steal.” The obstacles facing coaches are only getting steeper as FBS teams prepare for a 105-man roster limit as part of the fallout from a pending $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement. While having 105 players on scholarship seems like an upgrade from the current 85-man scholarship limit, many rosters have about 125 players once walk-ons are included. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last week his program would probably end up with about 30-50 players in the portal due to the new roster restrictions. Is there college free agency? All the added dimensions to roster construction in the college game have drawn parallels to the NFL, but Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck believes those comparisons are misleading. “When people talk about college football right now, they’re saying, ‘Oh, we have an NFL model,’ or it’s kind of moving toward the NFL,” Fleck said. “First of all, it’s nothing like the NFL. There’s a collective bargaining agreement (in the NFL). There’s a true salary cap for everybody. It’s designed for all 32 fan bases to win the Super Bowl maybe once every 32 years – and I know other people are winning that a lot more than others – but that’s how it’s designed. In college football, it’s not that way.” There does seem to be a bit more competitive balance than before. The emergence of TCU and Washington the last couple of postseasons indicates this new era of college football has produced more unpredictability. Yet it’s also created many more challenges as coaches try to figure out how to put together their rosters. “It’s difficult because we’re just kind of inventing it on the fly, right?” Diaz said. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, foreground right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green goes up for a dunk during the second half of an Emirates NBA cup basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) South Carolina guard Maddy McDaniel (1) drives to the basket against UCLA forward Janiah Barker (0) and center Lauren Betts (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Mari Fukada of Japan falls as she competes in the women's Snowboard Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma misses a catch during the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, is hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, center, as Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell (80) looks on during a touchdown run by Barkley in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele, left, trips San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, center, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Olympiacos' Francisco Ortega, right, challenges for the ball with FCSB's David Miculescu during the Europa League league phase soccer match between FCSB and Olympiacos at the National Arena stadium, in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) Brazil's Botafogo soccer fans react during the Copa Libertadores title match against Atletico Mineiro in Argentina, during a watch party at Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) Seattle Kraken fans react after a goal by center Matty Beniers against the San Jose Sharks was disallowed due to goaltender interference during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Seattle. The Sharks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Jiyai Shin of Korea watches her shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Australian Open golf championship at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake) Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland competes in the women's Freeski Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Lara Gut-Behrami, of Switzerland, competes during a women's World Cup giant slalom skiing race, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin cools off during first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brazil's Amanda Gutierres, second right, is congratulated by teammate Yasmin, right, after scoring her team's first goal during a soccer international between Brazil and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher) Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) tries to leap over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams (2) during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo, right. is fouled by goalkeeper Everson of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro inside the penalty area during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) England's Alessia Russo, left, and United States' Naomi Girma challenge for the ball during the International friendly women soccer match between England and United States at Wembley stadium in London, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) reaches for an incomplete pass ahead of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (2) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Melanie Meillard, center, of Switzerland, competes during the second run in a women's World Cup slalom skiing race, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) LSU punter Peyton Todd (38) kneels in prayer before an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. LSU won 37-17. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27), center, fight for the puck with Boston Bruins defensemen Parker Wotherspoon (29), left, and Brandon Carlo (25), right during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Gold medalists Team Netherlands competes in the Team Sprint Women race of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Beijing 2024 held at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Secretaries of State are being told that any outgoings which are not contributing towards one of Labour’s “priorities” must be cut as Rachel Reeves vows to wield “an iron fist against waste.” In letters sent by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, departments will be told to brace for “difficult” spending decisions in order to restore trust in the Government’s handling of the public finances. Every pound of departmental spending will be face a “line-by-line review” involving external finance experts from banks and think tanks in order to ensure it represents value for money, the Treasury said. The Chancellor will on Tuesday launch the next round of Government spending, and is expected to warn departments that they “cannot operate in a business-as-usual way when reviewing their budgets for the coming years”. She will insist that areas focused on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change”, which includes targets to improve living standards across the country and build 1.5 million homes, must be prioritised. Ms Reeves said: “By totally rewiring how the Government spends money we will be able to deliver our plan for change and focus on what matters for working people. “The previous government allowed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to go to waste on poor value for money projects. We will not tolerate it; I said I would have an iron grip on the public finances and that means taking an iron fist against waste. “By reforming our public services, we will ensure they are up to scratch for modern day demands, saving money and delivering better services for people across the country. That’s why we will inspect every pound of Government spend, so that it goes to the right places and we put an end to all waste.” Under the Treasury’s plans, departments will ensure budgets are scrutinised by “challenge panels” of external experts including former senior management of Lloyd’s Banking Group, Barclays Bank and the Co-operative Group. These panels, which will also involve think tanks, academics and the private sector, will advise on which spending “is or isn’t necessary”, the ministry said. The Treasury said work has already begun, with an evaluation of the £6.5 million spent on a scheme that placed social workers in schools finding “no evidence of positive impact on social care outcomes”. “Departments will be advised that where spending is not contributing to a priority, it should be stopped,” it said. “Although some of these decisions will be difficult, the Chancellor is clear that the public must have trust in the Government that it is rooting out waste and that their taxes are being spent on their priorities.” Ms Reeves had already announced efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments in her autumn budget as she seeks to put the public finances on a firmer footing. In a speech in east London, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden hinted at a further squeeze. “At the Budget the Chancellor demanded efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments – and there will be more to come,” he said. “As we launch the next phase of the spending review at its heart must be reform of the state in order to do a better job for the public.”For more than 30 years, a man known as Roger A. Pearce Jr. worked as a prosperous land-use and zoning attorney in Oregon and Washington. He represented some of the Pacific Northwest’s most prominent people and businesses and took on high-profile projects. He served on planning commissions, nonprofit boards and racked up hours doing pro bono legal work. He and his wife retired to a $1.4 million condo on Seattle’s Lake Washington. By all accounts, the now-77-year-old had made a good name for himself. Except one thing: Roger Pearce wasn’t actually his name. It belonged to a baby who died in Vermont in 1952. Pearce stole the identity when he was in his early 20s and looking to leave his troubles behind – college dropout, check fraud, a failed marriage. The State Department unmasked him only in 2022 during a review of one of his applications for a new passport. Federal workers detected that he had applied for a new Social Security number as an adult – a red flag. But they still couldn’t figure out who he truly was. So prosecutors last year indicted the man in federal court in Oregon as “John Doe,” charging him with making a false statement in an application for a passport, a felony. He was arrested last year on a warrant in Washington. When he pleaded guilty three months ago to an identity fraud misdemeanor, the courtroom deputy, at the judge’s behest, asked him to state his name for the record. “My birth name was Willie Ragan Casper Jr.,” he said, marking the first time since his arrest that he gave his real name under oath. “The name I’ve gone under and been known as for the last over 50 years is Roger Alfred Pearce Jr.” When he stood Wednesday in Portland to receive his sentence, he offered an explanation for his decades of duplicity. “I really wanted to start over,” he said. ‘I FELT THE FAILURE’ Casper was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in December 1946, the older of two boys. He seized an opportunity to leave his hometown to attend Rice University in Texas but wasn’t prepared for the rigor of the classes and dropped out. An early marriage ended around the same time. Then Casper got involved in fraud, writing checks on a bank account with no money in what he called a “fairly naive” anti-war protest against banks during the Vietnam War era, he said. “I was a young person, confused, depressed. I felt the failure,” he said in court, reading in a steady voice from an open binder resting on the defense table in front of him. Casper, tall, slim and white-haired, sat upright beside his lawyer. He wore a black blazer and gray slacks, a white shirt and a black tie that he adjusted just before the judge arrived on the bench. He looked every bit the experienced lawyer he typically portrayed in court during his three-decade-long career, even engaging in small talk with the prosecutor before the hearing began. “I was ashamed that I had wasted a lot of my parents’ money supporting me in a distant city they couldn’t really afford,” Casper said. “My marriage had fallen apart. I had no real career prospects.” He said he also was worried about getting arrested for his check-kiting. A friend had been caught renting a car with a false ID and police had come to the house they shared. He wasn’t home at the time but feared police would return, looking for him. He spoke for about six minutes as his wife sat in the front row behind him in the public gallery. A psychologist who evaluated Casper and submitted a sealed report to the judge was present by video but didn’t speak. Casper said he stayed another six weeks in Houston and then fled. He also changed his identity. “I wanted to start over with a clean slate,” he said. “I felt like everything was at a dead end for me there in Texas.” In 1971, he stole the name of a dead child using the baby’s birth certificate. It’s unclear who gave him the certificate or if he paid for it, but his lawyer said birth certificates were apparently easy to come by during the anti-Vietnam era as others used them to try to evade the draft. Two years later, when he was in his late 20s, he applied for a Social Security number in the name of Roger Alfred Pearce Jr., using the dead baby’s birth certificate. Casper first went to Montana, then to Oregon, where he had some friends in Eugene. “The decision to change my name at that time was foolish, of course. At the time, I viewed it as a clean break from the past,” he said. I was also naive and in love with grand gestures, like some young people are.” He found work and took classes at Lane Community College in the early 1970s, records show. He made new friends, he said. “I crawled out of being depressed and within a few years, that new name was absolutely normal to me,” he told the judge. “After that, I have never thought of myself as other than Roger Pearce.” He did a stint as a dancer and singer in New York before ending up in Seattle, working for a bakery and then got the idea to go to law school, according to his lawyer. He enrolled in what was then the University of Puget Sound law school in Tacoma without a college degree, graduating in his mid-40s as the first in his class, summa cum laude in May 1991, according to his lawyer. He went on to a successful career with the Seattle-based firm Foster Pepper LLC, representing Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Vulcan development company and serving as a lawyer for the Seattle Monorail Popular Authority. In 2014, he was admitted to the Oregon State Bar, later moved back to Oregon and opened Pearce Law in Ashland. He served as chair of Ashland’s planning commission and as a Jackson County hearings officer. He also was secretary of the Rotary Club of Ashland and secretary of the Ashland New Plays Association. ‘FALSE PRETENSES’ His façade cracked in 2022 when the State Department discovered an unresolved irregularity in his Social Security number. When Casper had gotten his fraudulent number, technology wasn’t available to track the birth certificate he submitted back to a dead child. But the federal government now has fraud detection that screens passport applications of people who received Social Security numbers as adults. Late-issued Social Security numbers strongly correlate to fraud, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan D. Knight wrote in his sentencing memo. The State Department’s screening has caught members of the mafia and other criminals trying to avoid detection. This time, it caught Casper. He had applied for a U.S. passport in 1991 and then renewed it twice more — in 2003 and May 2013 in Ashland. His applications got flagged as suspicious. State Department investigators then confirmed the Pearce name he was using was of someone who had died and had been submitted illegally to get a passport. But they couldn’t figure out his true name — only that the man claiming to be Pearce lived in Oregon and Washington and had been practicing law since 1991. “This is a case, from a criminal perspective, more about who the defendant is not, than who he is,” Knight said. In January 2023, a federal grand jury in Oregon returned a one-count indictment charging “John Doe” with making a false statement on his passport application and he was arrested in Seattle. In a plea deal in August, Casper pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of producing an identification document without lawful authority. The maximum penalty is a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Prosecutors had weighed his “sustained act of deception” with his “otherwise law-abiding existence” and “fundamental decency,” Knight said. When defense lawyer Janet Lee Hoffman tried to explain at the plea hearing that Casper had pursued an illustrious legal career, the judge hastened to interject. “Under false pretenses,” U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon pointed out. ‘CHOICE THAT FEW RECEIVE’ At the start of sentencing Wednesday, Simon asked, “Do you want me to refer to your client as Mr. Pearce, Mr. Doe or Mr. Casper.” Hoffman said Pearce. She sought a year of probation for her client, but the prosecutor recommended two years. “Every person is responsible for and owns their own history and really the shadow that that casts and the consequences that ultimately may bear out,” Knight said. “The defendant’s choice in this case really is an abdication of that basic principle.” Many people come before the court who would have liked the option Casper took to start anew and leave their past behind, Knight said. “He availed himself of a choice that few receive, and that’s why we’re here today,” he said. Hoffman said the defendant lived a model life under his new identity. “Roger had a stellar career and enhanced each community that he lived in and the lives of everyone he touched,” she said. The judge said he considered Casper’s statement, the psychologist’s evaluation and letters from his wife and from Elisabeth Ann Zinser, a retired Southern Oregon University president who had known him for 10 years. Simon noted that Casper’s wife – Julie Benezet, a Seattle finance lawyer and author – hadn’t said in her letter if she knew of her husband’s long deception. He asked if Casper would say. Casper demurred, replying, “I prefer not to answer,” while acknowledging that he didn’t expect the government to prosecute his wife for fraud. He also said they have a “really wonderful marriage.” Simon said he was troubled that no one had delved into the real Roger Pearce Jr. Based on a photo in the court documents, he noted that the baby’s gravestone indicated he had lived six months and nine days. “It must be tough for a parent to lose a baby after six months, and it would only be worse if they ever knew or learned that someone else falsely took that baby’s name,” Simon said. Knight told the judge that the baby’s parents had both died. Simon then adopted the prosecutor’s recommendation and sentenced Casper to two years of probation. Casper must now relinquish his licenses to practice law in Oregon and Washington and never reapply to practice law. He also faces an Oregon State Bar disciplinary investigation. He is barred from getting a new piece of identification, whether it’s a driver’s license or Social Security number, in any name other than his legal name. But Casper said he intends to legally change his name to Roger Alfred Pearce Jr. soon, making the prohibition moot. “He will always be Roger Pearce,” his lawyer said after court. ‘STILL IN SHOCK’ The actual Roger Alfred Pearce Jr. was born in Montpellier, Vermont, in September 1951 and died March 11, 1952. A younger sister, Dawn Hyttinen, now 51, said she believes her brother died of meningitis. He was the first born of seven children, she said. Their mother died in 2016 and father died in 2020, she said. “I grew up hearing about him,” she said. She said her father didn’t talk about the baby, but her mother always did. But she said no one in her family was told that someone had stolen her brother’s identity or was living under his name. “This is just absolutely crazy,” she said. “I’m flabbergasted.” Government investigators couldn’t find any living relatives of the boy, prosecutors said in court records, but an Oregonian/OregonLive reporter found Hyttinen in Arizona. She said she’s very curious about Casper and how he ended up using her brother’s identity. “I’m still in shock,’’ she said. The same is true for the family that Casper left behind. “He’s alive?!” a stunned Justin Casper blurted when contacted by The Oregonian/OregonLive. He’s the son of Casper’s younger brother, Dr. Robert Casper, now 72. “This is the first I’ve heard anything about him,” said Justin Casper, who lives in Arkansas. “We didn’t have a good answer as to what really happened to him. He’s my dad’s long lost brother.” He said he had heard his uncle had some problem with credit card fraud. “He just kind of left. He took off and never said where he was going. He never had any contact with his family again,” Justin Casper said. “I thought he was dead.” In a coincidence, Justin Casper had tried about six months ago to track down his uncle for his dad but couldn’t find anything online about him and was thinking of hiring a private investigator. He said his father hasn’t talked much about his older brother through the years. “I think it hurt him too much,” Justin Casper said. Now, the nephew is eager to learn what happened. “Why? What in the world? I’m happy that he’s alive,” he said. “Maybe we can reconnect with him, though it’ll be an awkward conversation.” ANOTHER CHANCE In the months since his arrest, Willie Casper said he has had to face his past. He’s had difficult and emotional conversations with colleagues and friends about what he did but said they’ve been supportive. “I didn’t forget my birth name. I didn’t forget my early history,” he said in court. “I think I just literally compartmentalized it because it wasn’t relevant to my day-to-day life.” He added matter of factly: “I was Roger Pearce.” As he’s reflected on his identity, he said he feels good about what he’s accomplished: “I contributed to my community. I think I’ve helped raise a wonderful daughter.” At the same time, he can’t shake his true past. “I’ve also had an opportunity to think about what I’ve walked away from and lost,” he said. At the time he changed his name, he said he was “disengaged and estranged” from his birth family. His parents didn’t understand his anti-war sentiment, his lawyer said. “I really never got back in touch with them,” Casper said. But now, he said, he would be willing to contact his younger brother. He hasn’t seen him in over 50 years. “Perhaps paradoxically,” he said, “this prosecution may give me the chance to recover some of what I’ve lost.” ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. 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The Utah Jazz will be back in action on Friday night in Salt Lake City when they host the Phoenix Suns, but good luck guessing what will happen on the Delta Center court. If NBA games were capable of causing whiplash, a lot of Jazz fans would be in neck braces after watching what their team did on the road last week. Utah followed a 27-point loss at Oklahoma City last Tuesday with a jaw-dropping 141-99 blowout victory at Portland on Friday. But the pendulum then swung dramatically back the other direction on Sunday in Sacramento, when the Jazz allowed the Kings to score 141 points while they only put up 97. "Yeah," Jazz coach Will Hardy said after the setback in Sacramento, "we got our butts kicked." Utah makes a quick, one-game pitstop at home against the Suns having lost six of seven and 10 of 12. The Jazz then head out for a five-game holiday trek that has them traveling from Los Angeles to face the Clippers to Detroit, Brooklyn, Cleveland and back to Portland from Dec. 16-26. The Jazz will have to do much better on both ends than they did against the Kings to be competitive in this rough stretch. Sacramento shot 22 of 44 from 3-point range, while Utah made only 38.8 percent of its shots overall. The result wasn't pretty. "That's the way the NBA can feel now," Hardy said. "Games can feel crazy when teams get hot shooting the ball from kind of everywhere." Though neither made significant contributions in the blowout loss, Lauri Markkanen and Kyle Filipowski did return for the Jazz, so their presence could make a difference during this upcoming trek. Keyonte George had a strong game against the Kings, scoring 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting with six assists and four steals. Johnny Juzang scored a season-high 22 in the win at Portland. "We are in this space of guys being in and out, and it's tough for young players to find continuity," Hardy said. "I think for any team to find a level and sustain we do need to have continuity." The Suns wrap up a cross-country, four-game road trip with their second visit to Utah this season. They won 120-112 on Nov. 12. Phoenix has struggled on its trip, falling at New Orleans, Miami and Orlando, and finds itself closer to the bottom of the Western Conference standings than the top. Getting Kevin Durant back from a left ankle injury, which could happen as soon as Friday, would provide a big lift. They are 8-2 this season when Durant teams up with fellow stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but 1-9 when Durant is sidelined. Durant, who has missed the last three games and 12 overall this season, is Phoenix's leading scorer (25.8 points per game), followed by Booker (24.9) and Beal (17.8). "You try to put importance on every segment of the season," Suns center Mason Plumlee said. "Just being fully healthy, having everybody, it'd be nice to get rolling and string some wins together. Those stretches can be meaningful. It does bring out a sense of identity if you're able to put some wins together." --Field Level MediaTexas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies, who no longer have nearly half their 2022 signees. The list of 2022 recruits now with playoff contenders elsewhere includes Mississippi defensive lineman Walter Nolen, Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart, Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton, SMU offensive tackle PJ Williams and injured Boise State receiver Chris Marshall. Texas A&M has done all right without them, going 8-4 as transfers filled about half the starting roles. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal. “It used to be you lost 20 seniors, you signed 20 incoming freshmen,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “You just had your numbers right. Now you might lose 20 seniors, but you might lose 20 underclassmen. You just don’t know.” Is high school recruiting losing value? Coaches emphasize that high school recruiting remains critical, but recent results suggest it isn’t as vital as before. The last two College Football Playoff runners-up – TCU in 2022 and Washington in 2023 – didn’t sign a single top-15 class in any of the four years leading up their postseason runs, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. This year’s contenders have shown there’s more than one way to build a championship-caliber roster. About half of No. 1 Oregon’s usual starters began their college careers elsewhere. No. 5 Georgia, which annually signs one of the nation’s top high school classes, has only a few transfers making major contributions. Colorado’s rise under Deion Sanders exemplifies how a team can win without elite high school recruiting. None of Colorado’s last four classes have ranked higher than 30th in the 247Sports Composite. Three ranked 47th or lower. “If anybody ever did the homework and the statistics of these young men – people have a class that they say is the No. 1 class in the nation – then five of those guys play, or four of those guys play, then the rest go through the spring and then they jump in the portal,” Sanders said. “Don’t give me the number of where you rank (in recruiting standings), because it’s like an NFL team," he added. "You always say who won the draft, then the team gets killed all year (and) you don’t say nothing else about it. Who won the draft last year in the NFL? Nobody cares right now, right?” The busy transfer portal Star quarterback Shedeur Sanders followed his father from Jackson State to Colorado in 2023, and Heisman Trophy front-runner Travis Hunter accompanied them. According to Colorado, this year’s Buffaloes team has 50 transfer newcomers, trailing only North Texas’ 54 among Bowl Subdivision programs. Relying on transfers comes with caveats. Consider Florida State's rise and fall. Florida State posted an unbeaten regular-season record last year with transfers playing leading roles. When those transfers departed and Florida State's portal additions this year didn't work out, the Seminoles went 2-10. “There has to be some type of balance between the transfer portal and high school recruiting,” said Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting for 247Sports. “I compare it to the NFL. The players from the transfer portal are your free agents and high school recruiting is your NFL draft picks.” A look at the composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports for the 2020-22 classes shows at least 40 of the top 100 prospects each of those years ended up leaving their original school. Coaches must decide which positions they’re better off building with high school prospects and which spots might be easier to fill through the portal. “The ones that have a ton of learning to do - tight end, quarterback, interior offensive line, inside linebacker, safety, where they are the communicators - they are the guys that are processing a lot of information,” Florida’s Billy Napier said. “Those are the ones in a perfect world you have around for a while. “It’s easier to play defensive line, edge, corner, receiver, running back, tackle, specialists. Those are a little bit more plug-and-play I’d say, in my opinion," Napier said. "Either way, it’s not necessarily about that. It’s just about we need a certain number at each spot, and we do the best we can to fill those roles.” Transfer portal ripple effects Power Four programs aren’t the only ones facing a balancing act between recruiting high schools and mining the transfer portal. Group of Five schools encounter similar challenges. “We’re recruiting every position and bringing in a high school class,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said. “That’s not going to be maybe 24 scholarship guys like it used to be. It might be more like 16. It’s not four d-linemen necessarily, right? It might be three. It might not be three receivers. It might be two. And it might not be five offensive linemen. It’s two to three.” The extra hurdle Group of Five schools face is the possibility their top performers might leave for a power-conference program with more lucrative name, image and likeness financial opportunities. They sometimes don’t know which players they’ll lose. “We know who they’re trying to steal,” Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin quipped. “We just don’t know who they’re going to steal.” The obstacles facing coaches are only getting steeper as FBS teams prepare for a 105-man roster limit as part of the fallout from a pending $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement. While having 105 players on scholarship seems like an upgrade from the current 85-man scholarship limit, many rosters have about 125 players once walk-ons are included. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last week his program would probably end up with about 30-50 players in the portal due to the new roster restrictions. Is there college free agency? All the added dimensions to roster construction in the college game have drawn parallels to the NFL, but Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck believes those comparisons are misleading. “When people talk about college football right now, they’re saying, ‘Oh, we have an NFL model,’ or it’s kind of moving toward the NFL,” Fleck said. “First of all, it’s nothing like the NFL. There’s a collective bargaining agreement (in the NFL). There’s a true salary cap for everybody. It’s designed for all 32 fan bases to win the Super Bowl maybe once every 32 years – and I know other people are winning that a lot more than others – but that’s how it’s designed. In college football, it’s not that way.” There does seem to be a bit more competitive balance than before. The emergence of TCU and Washington the last couple of postseasons indicates this new era of college football has produced more unpredictability. Yet it’s also created many more challenges as coaches try to figure out how to put together their rosters. “It’s difficult because we’re just kind of inventing it on the fly, right?” Diaz said.
Tesla investor Ross Gerber doesn't think Elon Musk's ties to Donald Trump will benefit the EV maker. The longtime Tesla bull thinks the car company has a number of problems to sort through. Gerber says Tesla stock should be trading around $200, about 40% lower than current levels. Elon Musk spent immense money and energy helping Donald Trump retake the White House, but the Tesla CEO's new political influence may not do much to boost the fortunes of his carmaker, one of the company's longtime backers said. Ross Gerber, a Tesla bull and the president of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, thinks the electric vehicle maker faces big challenges ahead, even as optimism about Musk's ties to Trump has excited investors and sparked a sharp rally in Tesla stock since the election. Traders are hopeful that Musk's close ties to the president-elect — which ultimately landed the Tesla CEO a new government role — could sway important policy decisions in favor of Tesla. But that doesn't solve the problems Tesla has been struggling with for years, Gerber said, pointing to concerns surrounding the success of Tesla's car business, and whether its new ride-hailing platform or artificial intelligence projects will amount to much. In Gerber's view, Tesla shares should be trading around $200, implying 40% downside from the stock's closing price of $338.23 on Tuesday. Gerber said his fund, which began cutting its stake in Tesla in late 2023, continues to sell the stock in small amounts, keeping Tesla's concentration in its portfolio to just 2%. The fund sold nearly 16,000 shares in the third quarter, though the total value of its remaining stake rose to $71 million, regulatory filings show. "We're still selling it," Gerber told Business Insider. "I used to have a 10%, 12%, even 20% stake in Tesla at some point in my life where it was like, Tesla was taking us to the moon kind of thing. And I just think its best days are behind it." It's worth noting that Tesla handily beat third-quarter earnings estimates, soothing some investor concerns after a tough start to the year. Countering Gerber's views, some also see Musk's new political influence as a big win for his companies. "The biggest winner from a Trump White House remains Tesla and Musk which made a strategic big bet on Trump that will pay major dividends for years to come," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote following the election. Skeptical of the tech Gerber believes Tesla's technology has plateaued in recent years, and Musk's ties to Washington won't help that. He pointed to issues with Tesla's full self-driving technology, which he's been using nearly every day for the last three years. "So the ultimate reality for full self-driving is it doesn't work, and the precision isn't good. And vision-only systems have flaws that I don't think Elon wants to admit." Gerber thinks the tech issues will persist, partly because Musk looks poised to devote more of his time to his role in the Department of Government Efficiency. Beginning with the acquisition of X, Gerber, in recent years, has been a vocal critic of what he sees as Musk's neglect of his core companies, primarily Tesla . "He doesn't work at Tesla. I mean, let's be real, "Gerber said. We all know where Elon is right now, and he's at Mar-a-Lago. So he hasn't worked at Tesla for a long time." Gerber is also concerned about some of the projects within the company. He pointed to Tesla's ride-hailing platform, which will be competing with more established companies like Uber and Waymo. "Why does it deserve this premium?" he said of the stock. "I get that Elon is now vice president of the United States, but that doesn't necessarily help Tesla." Trump's transition team has signaled that it would end the $7,500 tax credit for EVs— a move that Musk supports —but even that's unlikely to be a bullish catalyst for the company, Gerber said. Musk has said that repealing the tax credit would be more harmful to Tesla's rivals, but Gerber's firm has estimated that Tesla sales could drop around 25% if the tax credit was no longer available. That would be "devastating" to Tesla's business, he said, given that the company has already slashed prices on some of its models in the face of uncertain EV demand in recent years. "If the EV tax credit goes, that would be an extreme negative I would have to react to," Gerber said, adding that it was his biggest concern at the moment. Previously, Gerber told BI he would consider completely closing his position in Tesla by the end of the year if its business didn't improve, or if Musk didn't refocus his attention on his companies. Gerber has since adjusted his view and said he would continue to hold Tesla as a small investment in his portfolio, mostly out of bullishness on EVs in general. "Certainly if you want to get out of Tesla, it's a great opportunity," Gerber said, later adding that he was in "wait-and-see" mode. "And if you're a buyer of Tesla, boy, you're paying a lot for hope." Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Dentsply Sirona Inc. (NASDAQ: XRAY) and certain of the company’s senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Dentsply, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/dentsply-sirona-inc . Investors have until January 27, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in Dentsply stock. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and is captioned North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District Firefighters’ Retirement Plan v. Dentsply Sirona Inc., et al. , No. 24-cv-09083. What is the Lawsuit About? Dentsply manufactures professional dental products. On December 31, 2020, Dentsply paid $1.04 billion to acquire Byte, a manufacturer of affordable, “doctor-directed,” clear dental aligners. The complaint alleges that, during the relevant period, Dentsply touted the growth in Byte’s business as well as Dentsply’s ability to profitably generate revenue by converting members of Byte’s “target demographics” into new patients. In truth, the complaint alleges that Dentsply targeted low-income people with underlying dental issues that were ineligible for treatment and Dentsply sold Byte aligners to contraindicated patients. The complaint further alleges that Dentsply knew that its Byte aligners were causing severe patient injuries but did little to investigate and had no systems in place to notify the FDA, contrary to regulation. As a result, Dentsply materially overstated the goodwill value of Byte. On October 24, 2024, Dentsply announced the “voluntary suspension of sales and marketing of its Byte Aligners and Impression Kits while the company conducted a review of certain regulatory requirements related to these products.” Dentsply also disclosed that it “expects to record non-cash charges for the impairment of goodwill within the range of $450-$550 million” for its Orthodontic and Implant Solutions segment, with the decline in fair value for the Orthodontic Aligner Solutions reporting unit “driven primarily by adverse impacts from recent state regulatory trends pertaining to the Company’s direct-to-consumer aligner business.” During a “Byte business update call” CEO Campion gave more context about the Byte suspension: “[I]n connection with our ongoing discussions with FDA, we have determined that our patient onboarding workflow may not provide adequate assurance that certain contraindicated patients do not enter treatment with Byte Aligners.” As a result of this news, the price of Dentsply stock fell more than 4%, from a closing price of $24.41 per share on October 24, 2024 to a closing price of $23.31 per share on October 25, 2024. Then, on November 7, 2024, Dentsply reported its financial results for the third quarter of 2024 during which it disclosed it had “recorded a non-cash charge for the impairment of goodwill of ($495) million net of tax within the Orthodontic and Implant Solutions segment.” Dentsply also revised its 2024 outlook, with expected organic sales of “(3.5%) to (2.5%) (previously (1%) to flat)” and adjusted EPS of “$1.82 to $1.86 (previously $1.96 to $2.02).” CEO Campion disclosed that although Dentsply was “not at a point in our analysis to make a definitive decision concerning Byte,” the company was “thoroughly evaluating strategic options, which may include a discontinuation of some or all of this business.” This news caused the price of Dentsply stock to fall $6.72 per share, or more than 28%, from a closing price of $23.98 per share on November 6, 2024, to a closing price of $17.26 per share on November 7, 2024. Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/dentsply-sirona-inc . What Can You Do? If you invested in Dentsply you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/dentsply-sirona-inc Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@bfalaw.com 212-789-3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It was named among the Top 5 plaintiff law firms by ISS SCAS in 2023 and its attorneys have been named Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thompson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.’s Board of Directors (pending court approval), as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com . https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/dentsply-sirona-inc Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies, who no longer have nearly half their 2022 signees. The list of 2022 recruits now with playoff contenders elsewhere includes Mississippi defensive lineman Walter Nolen, Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart, Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton, SMU offensive tackle PJ Williams and injured Boise State receiver Chris Marshall. Texas A&M has done all right without them, going 8-4 as transfers filled about half the starting roles. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal. “It used to be you lost 20 seniors, you signed 20 incoming freshmen,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “You just had your numbers right. Now you might lose 20 seniors, but you might lose 20 underclassmen. You just don’t know.” Is high school recruiting losing value? Coaches emphasize that high school recruiting remains critical, but recent results suggest it isn’t as vital as before. The last two College Football Playoff runners-up – TCU in 2022 and Washington in 2023 – didn’t sign a single top-15 class in any of the four years leading up their postseason runs, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. This year’s contenders have shown there’s more than one way to build a championship-caliber roster. About half of No. 1 Oregon’s usual starters began their college careers elsewhere. No. 5 Georgia, which annually signs one of the nation’s top high school classes, has only a few transfers making major contributions. Colorado’s rise under Deion Sanders exemplifies how a team can win without elite high school recruiting. None of Colorado’s last four classes have ranked higher than 30th in the 247Sports Composite. Three ranked 47th or lower. “If anybody ever did the homework and the statistics of these young men – people have a class that they say is the No. 1 class in the nation – then five of those guys play, or four of those guys play, then the rest go through the spring and then they jump in the portal,” Sanders said. “Don’t give me the number of where you rank (in recruiting standings), because it’s like an NFL team," he added. "You always say who won the draft, then the team gets killed all year (and) you don’t say nothing else about it. Who won the draft last year in the NFL? Nobody cares right now, right?” The busy transfer portal Star quarterback Shedeur Sanders followed his father from Jackson State to Colorado in 2023, and Heisman Trophy front-runner Travis Hunter accompanied them. According to Colorado, this year’s Buffaloes team has 50 transfer newcomers, trailing only North Texas’ 54 among Bowl Subdivision programs. Relying on transfers comes with caveats. Consider Florida State's rise and fall. Florida State posted an unbeaten regular-season record last year with transfers playing leading roles. When those transfers departed and Florida State's portal additions this year didn't work out, the Seminoles went 2-10. “There has to be some type of balance between the transfer portal and high school recruiting,” said Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting for 247Sports. “I compare it to the NFL. The players from the transfer portal are your free agents and high school recruiting is your NFL draft picks.” A look at the composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports for the 2020-22 classes shows at least 40 of the top 100 prospects each of those years ended up leaving their original school. Coaches must decide which positions they’re better off building with high school prospects and which spots might be easier to fill through the portal. “The ones that have a ton of learning to do - tight end, quarterback, interior offensive line, inside linebacker, safety, where they are the communicators - they are the guys that are processing a lot of information,” Florida’s Billy Napier said. “Those are the ones in a perfect world you have around for a while. “It’s easier to play defensive line, edge, corner, receiver, running back, tackle, specialists. Those are a little bit more plug-and-play I’d say, in my opinion," Napier said. "Either way, it’s not necessarily about that. It’s just about we need a certain number at each spot, and we do the best we can to fill those roles.” Transfer portal ripple effects Power Four programs aren’t the only ones facing a balancing act between recruiting high schools and mining the transfer portal. Group of Five schools encounter similar challenges. “We’re recruiting every position and bringing in a high school class,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said. “That’s not going to be maybe 24 scholarship guys like it used to be. It might be more like 16. It’s not four d-linemen necessarily, right? It might be three. It might not be three receivers. It might be two. And it might not be five offensive linemen. It’s two to three.” The extra hurdle Group of Five schools face is the possibility their top performers might leave for a power-conference program with more lucrative name, image and likeness financial opportunities. They sometimes don’t know which players they’ll lose. “We know who they’re trying to steal,” Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin quipped. “We just don’t know who they’re going to steal.” The obstacles facing coaches are only getting steeper as FBS teams prepare for a 105-man roster limit as part of the fallout from a pending $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement. While having 105 players on scholarship seems like an upgrade from the current 85-man scholarship limit, many rosters have about 125 players once walk-ons are included. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last week his program would probably end up with about 30-50 players in the portal due to the new roster restrictions. Is there college free agency? All the added dimensions to roster construction in the college game have drawn parallels to the NFL, but Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck believes those comparisons are misleading. “When people talk about college football right now, they’re saying, ‘Oh, we have an NFL model,’ or it’s kind of moving toward the NFL,” Fleck said. “First of all, it’s nothing like the NFL. There’s a collective bargaining agreement (in the NFL). There’s a true salary cap for everybody. It’s designed for all 32 fan bases to win the Super Bowl maybe once every 32 years – and I know other people are winning that a lot more than others – but that’s how it’s designed. In college football, it’s not that way.” There does seem to be a bit more competitive balance than before. The emergence of TCU and Washington the last couple of postseasons indicates this new era of college football has produced more unpredictability. Yet it’s also created many more challenges as coaches try to figure out how to put together their rosters. “It’s difficult because we’re just kind of inventing it on the fly, right?” Diaz said.Ex-US Marine not guilty in fatal NYC subway choking
These holiday gifts change the game when building fires, printing photos, watching birds and more