Georgia Republicans recommend further law to restrict transgender women's participation in sports
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 23 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday claimed that the results of the Assembly by-elections demonstrate continued public support for the LDF government and confirm its legitimacy and approval. Hours after the results of the bypolls held for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and two Assembly constituencies were announced, he said the people of Chelakkara had delivered a resounding victory to the Left Democratic Front, undeterred by organised propaganda and political attacks. “The Assembly by-election results have further solidified public support for and recognition of the LDF government, with the people of Chelakkara constituency delivering a decisive victory to the Left Democratic Front, despite organised propaganda and attacks,” he said in a statement. In the Palakkad Assembly seat, more voters supported the LDF compared to previous elections, Vijayan said. This mandate will provide renewed energy to advance development and welfare initiatives more vigorously in the coming days. He further emphasised that the LDF received secular votes in opposition to all forms of communalism. The message conveyed by the election results is the necessity to expose communalism and uphold secular politics without compromise, the CM stated. The results clearly show that the anti-government sentiment campaign had no impact on the people, who rejected the controversial and false narratives, he said. The CM claimed that while the UDF managed to retain Palakkad with the backing of communal forces, the LDF saw an increase in its votes compared to previous elections. The people rejected the BJP’s claims, particularly their assertion following their victory in Thrissur in the Lok Sabha elections, and their temporary gains will not lead to a lasting movement in Kerala, he added. The Chief Minister congratulated the winners of the Assembly by-elections and the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-poll and extended greetings to all those who voted for the LDF. Both the LDF and the UDF retained the Chelakkara and Palakkad Assembly seats respectively with a comfortable margin in the bypolls. The Congress won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat with a thumping margin. PTI ARM ARM ROH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );Photo: File image Family violence numbers have remained stagnant for decades, even as evidence shows the vast majority are never reported. The fight for legal support Not long after their whirlwind romance, Christchurch woman Shannon Williams' new partner needed somewhere to live. Given he had been hanging out at her place a lot anyhow, he soon moved in with her and her young son. She said things were good for less than a week. "I felt like I was walking on eggshells, having to hold myself to an unrealistic standard to avoid him getting angry. The anger wasn't always directed at me, but it was enough to make me feel quite uncomfortable in my own home." But things would get much worse when a few drinks at home with friends turned into a violent rage. "Everything was good, we were all having a really good night. I don't know what happened, but he kicked off - he ended up quite violent, he started smashing up the house. "He caused about $20,000 of damage to my property." Police were called, and her ex-partner spent a night in custody, but apologetic and embarrassed, he eventually convinced her to give him another chance. Eventually he would be charged and convicted following another incident. As a solicitor, she had an advantage when applying for the protection order, which she had within 24 hours, but acknowledged getting legal support is an issue for many women. University of Auckland associate professor Carrie Leonetti calls this the privatisation of victim safety - placing the onus on the victim to protect themselves from revictimisation - which she notes violates New Zealand's obligations under several international human rights conventions. "The Convention against Torture and Inhumane Treatment, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - all of these international human rights conventions put obligations on state parties to protect victims from violence and not to make victims grab a torch and a pitchfork and protect themselves." The restraining orders people get under the Harassment Act in many other countries would be handled by the police, she said. "We still largely leave the job of protecting themselves to victims in New Zealand and they're already victims of domestic violence. The last thing they need is to have to get lawyers and go to court to get restraining orders, to get Protection Orders, to get child support, to get occupancy orders from the house." Leonetti said most countries treated those procedures as a police prosecution function, where they would facilitate securing occupancy of the house and getting a protection order. And while they did not arrange child support, they will enforce an order if a parent did not pay. "In New Zealand, we still largely have a self help regime." Instead of protecting victims from revictimisation, "we push it on to victims and make them do it through old clunky, expensive, inefficient civil procedures". Police changes Despite the stubborn statistics of shame, there are fears a recent policy shift by police could lead to less family violence incidents being attended, investigated or prosecuted. Earlier this year, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said police attendance to family harm callouts had increased 80 percent in 10 years and was "not sustainable", but that the proposed changes, which had been trailed for six months in 2023, were under consideration. University of Auckland associate professor Carrie Leonetti said she had grave concerns about the impact of the changes. She said the problem stemmed from the decision - dating back several years - to include family violence under the more amorphous term of family harm, which conflated criminal and non-criminal offences. Police say they will still respond to crimes, making a decision based on the 111 call as to whether the harm is criminal family violence, non criminal forms of family violence - such as coercive controlling behaviour, financial and emotional abuse - or other issues such as mental health problems, substance use or people arguing. But Leonetti said she was "baffled" police believe they can accurately distinguish between family violence from non-family violent family harm, without showing up on the doorstep and reading between the lines. "If somebody makes a 111 call and the perpetrator is standing in the room, they are not at liberty to disclose everything they need to. Or if the neighbour calls, how would the police figure out talking to the next door neighbour whether they need to respond to that home or not?" In the absence of coding those things differently when the calls are taken and triaged, there is no data to know if the police position - that they are only avoiding non-criminal non-family violence forms of family harm - is true, she said. "There is evidence from around the world, including Aotearoa New Zealand, that police are getting called out to cases that involve crimes and family violence, and not treating them as such." Leonetti also warned that the non-response could make a victim's situation substantially worse, destroying trust in authorities and emboldening the perpetrator. "The thing that keeps me up at night is, very few people call the police for family violence. On average, intimate partner violence victims call the police after the seventh or eighth occurrence. "So this is a person who hasn't called, hasn't called, hasn't called, and if - when they finally call - don't get a good response, they'll never try again. "That we're missing those opportunities is a tragedy, and it's a tragedy of the creation of our own policy." She said it was particularly frustrating given Aotearoa actually had strong laws, but family violence remained "under-reported, under-prosecuted and under-identified". "New Zealand has some of the best family violence legislation on paper that I've seen, but some of the worst rates of family violence, and some of the worst systemic responses." Overseas models University of Auckland professor in social and community health Janet Fanslow said there were overseas models that had shown huge promise in dramatically lowering family violence rates. Much of what New Zealand has been doing in the past two decades has been about increasing recognition of violence, often targeted at the victims of family violence, encouraging them to leave the relationship and seek help. While that's an important message, Fanslow wanted to see more investment in evidence-based strategies. "There are evidence-based prevention strategies that have been used elsewhere in the world which have seen dramatic decreases in intimate partner violence - I'm talking a 50 percent decrease in four years." While she acknowledged the importance of New Zealand developing "home grown solutions", Fanslow said we could learn a lot from successful international models. "Some of the successful strategies seen overseas are more community based, involving both men and women, exploring power and the use of power in relationships. "It's a great way to flip the discussion so violence becomes seen as a manifestation of power, which can be used in ways that go over the top of other people to suppress them, or you can think about power not as a zero-sum game. "It's been a transformational strategy elsewhere, because it brings men on board into the conversation, and it gives everyone a positive thing to move to." She said other well-evaluated programmes included those working with men, especially when they become new fathers. "That's a great entry, because men are interested in being good fathers, in being good parents and good partners, but we need to have the conversation with people about what that looks like, and how do you negotiate and do things like conflict resolution in ways that aren't about getting your own way at the expense of other people." Fanslow said funding cuts to the sector were counterproductive, especially cuts to parenting programmes. She said there was strong evidence showing the programmes' ability to engage parents and benefit children, and their cost effectiveness. "By supporting people to develop safe, stable and nurturing relationships with their children and giving people the skills and resources for that, it has long term benefits for the kids, and for society. "It's across all of those domains we say we're interested in - we say we're interested in better educational outcomes, we say we're interested in less crime, we say we're interested in better health - actually our relationships, and the quality of those relationships, influence all of those domains." A 2014 economic estimate - which put the cost of family violence at $4-7 billion a year - is likely a significant underestimate given increased costs, and what researchers were now learning about the long term health impacts of abuse, she said. Shannon Williams said the help she and her son received from Barnados was invaluable. She found the group meetings for the women's safety programme were important for her journey. "Before then, I don't think I realised that some of the things I experienced were abuse. It was really empowering to just sit in a room with a group of other ladies who had a similar experience - that was really healing, just to know I'm not alone and I'm not crazy. "We tend to internalise it and think there's something wrong with us, especially when you have someone constantly degrading you and devaluing you, you start to think, this is me, I'm the one causing this anger - but you can start to step back and say I wasn't doing anything wrong, this is their problem to figure out. That was really empowering."Ocean City introduces new fees on rentals
Detroit Lions list 1 player on injury report ahead of potential Super Bowl preview vs. BillsBy MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Related Articles National News | FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup National News | OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment National News | Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case National News | Texas’ abortion pill lawsuit against New York doctor marks new challenge to interstate telemedicine National News | US military flies American released from Syrian prison to Jordan, officials say Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.Satellite Phone Store Steps in to Support Malibu Wildfire Recovery with Lifesaving Communication Tools
Amazon’s Game-Changing AI Strategy! Discover How They’re Leaving Nvidia Behind.
Pacific Northwest Sportswatch Daily ListingsThe artist’s concept portrays a sleek and modern new building with sharp angles and generous natural light. The Butte Community Wellness and Resilience Hub would be built near the Butte Civic Center and on formerly contaminated ground associated with the Parrot Tailings. As envisioned, the center would serve a host of functions, ranging from providing recreation and wellness programming and facilities to a shelter during times when wildlife smoke diminishes air quality and threatens health — an increasingly common scenario given climate change. Butte-Silver Bow County appears destined to benefit from EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program. An artist's concept of a portion of the proposed hub's exterior. The city-county learned recently that it would receive a multi-million grant from the program. Fine-tuning will follow, according to Taylor Gillespie, a regional spokeswoman for EPA. “After a grant is selected, they go through work plan negotiations which is a back-and-forth process between Butte-Silver Bow and the EPA project officer to make sure that the details are solid and that they are on track to meet the requirements of the grant,” Gillespie said. “This would include going line by line through their budget, looking at all of the specifics in the work plan, etc.” EPA has not yet announced the grant amount, but Butte-Silver Bow’s application last spring sought $20 million. And that’s the amount J.P. Gallagher anticipates local government will receive. “This is going to be a huge benefit to the community,” said Gallagher, chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow. “We are very confident that we will be fully funded but before we go into final engineering and design, we need the full confirmation of that funding,” he said. “The cost of construction could affect the square footage of what can be built. There are still some unknowns.” Butte-Silver Bow County learned this week that it will receive a multi-million dollar grant from EPA that could pay for a new community recreation and resilience center near the Butte Civic Center. Local government applied for the grant in spring. An estimate of total square-footage was not available Thursday. Gallagher said the city-county received feedback that its application, completed in consultation with Water & Environmental Technologies, was one of the most complete received by EPA for funding from the agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program. No taxpayer money was involved in preparing the ambitious grant application, Gallagher said. The proposal had to fall within the grant program’s environmental and climate justice framework. The grant application alluded to the human and economic costs of federal Superfund designation for Butte because of historic mining and smelting pollution. “With an active Superfund site, prolonged disinvestment and significant indicators of poverty and negative environmental impacts, Butte-Silver Bow has been designated as a disadvantaged community and continues to struggle with the impacts of social, economic and environmental decline,” the application noted. Given that status, how will Butte-Silver Bow pay to operate the new facility? One estimate puts annual operating costs at about $560,000. A file photo from 2022 shows wastes removal underway associated with the former Parrot Smelter in Butte. A new recreation and resiliency hub could occupy remediated ground in the vicinity of the Butte Civic Center. The feasibility study completed by Water & Environmental Technologies cites a variety of ways, in fees and rentals, that the facility could cover expenses. Gallagher weighed in. “The analysis is that the facility would make money to pay for operation,” he said. The feasibility study observes, “One of the most important criterion when selecting and evaluating potential programming is the ability of that programming to recover at least 100% of its expense.” The study adds, “Providing spaces for event, birthday, meeting, fitness and gymnasium rentals offers potential for recovering expenses.” Gallagher said the recreational functions of the facility will likely be less like a fitness center and more like a gym — with basketball and volleyball courts and probably pickleball, too. Programming at the Community Wellness and Resilience Hub would focus on such things as community resiliency, emergency preparedness and wellbeing activities. Several regional environmental consulting businesses and contractors benefit from the so-called remediation economy tied to Butte’s status as a federal Superfund site. And a few cleanup projects have benefitted the community in tangible ways. But a cost/benefits analysis of the Superfund status hitched like a lamprey to Butte since 1987 would have to consider a host of costs, including environmental stigma. Some residents of Butte-Silver Bow are routinely critical of EPA’s handling of Superfund work in the region. But relationships recently improved when EPA proposed a dramatic decrease in the action level for lead in residential soils and interior dust. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Senate Republicans recommended on Friday that the state write laws banning transgender girls and women from participating in high school and college sports, setting the stage for action in the 2025 legislative session. The vote by a committee that was studying the issue is hardly a surprise. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — a possible Republican contender for governor in 2026 — announced almost identical goals at the panel's first meeting in August . It’s an issue that’s already been addressed in Georgia. Legislators in 2022 empowered the Georgia High School Association to regulate transgender students' participation in sports. The association, which regulates sports and activities for all public schools and some private schools, then banned transgender boys and girls from playing on the school sports teams matching their gender identity. Jones and others argue that doesn't go far enough and that lawmakers themselves need to act. It's a sign Republicans believe there is more political gain in fears about transgender women playing women’s sports or using women’s bathrooms. At least 26 mostly Republican states have passed laws or rules to restrict transgender girls from participating high school sports and, in some cases, transgender women from college sports , according to the Movement Advancement Project, a gay rights group. In Georgia, additional action appears more likely now after House Speaker Jon Burns and Gov. Brian Kemp, both Republicans, have voiced support for further legislation. Jeff Graham, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Georgia Equality, said his group is playing defense, concerned about the possibility of other bills that could further restrict gender-affirming care or ban transgender people from using public bathrooms that match their gender identity. “We’re expecting that it’ll be at least what we saw in 2023 and 2024, with the number of bills and more than likely laws,” Graham told reporters Friday. But Burns, from Newington, has said he's not interested in other bills dealing with transgender people besides those dealing with girls' and women's sports. Republican State Sen. Greg Dolezal, of Cumming, who led the Senate study committee, said Friday that he, too, is not interested in a broader bill regulating bathroom usage, although his committee recommended that schools that host sporting events require athletes to use locker rooms based on their assigned sex at birth. Dolezal said senators would seek to write legislation that regulated public schools and colleges, as well as private institutions that compete against public schools and colleges. The committee also recommends that people be able to sue or file grievances if schools break the rules, and that state money be withheld from schools that break the rules. Supporters of more action have focused on the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swam for the University of Pennsylvania and won the 500-meter freestyle . The NCAA has since revised its policy on transgender women’s participation, saying it will follow the rules of respective athletics federations. World Aquatics, the swimming governing body, banned transgender women who have been through male puberty from competing in women’s races. That means Thomas wouldn’t be allowed to swim in NCAA events today. “My basic contention that this is a solution in search of a problem remains,” Graham said. He said he fears that many people who oppose laws that seek to restrict transgender people will be afraid to testify and lobby at the Georgia Capitol, citing assault charges against a man accused of shaking U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in a Capitol office building in Washington, D.C. Dolezal repeatedly tried to turn down the emotional temperature of the issue on Friday. “I think that there’s a group of people that wants to be respected and I think that they deserve respect,” Dolezal told reporters. “But I also think that you can be respectful, but also recognize that in the sporting arena, fairness and competition is important.”By JOSH DUBOW Josh Allen and Jameis Winston delivered signature performances in prime time that define their styles of play. Allen used his athleticism, creativity and a statistical quirk to become the first quarterback ever credited with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game in Buffalo’s win over San Francisco. Winston showed off [...]
Friday's TransactionsUPI – A heartwarming love story unfolded in a senior living home in Philadelphia, United States, where a 100-year-old man and a 102-year-old woman found romance and tied the knot. Their union earned them a Guinness World Record as the oldest newlyweds. Bernie Littman and Marjorie Fiterman set the record for the oldest couple to marry (combined age) when they exchanged vows on May 19 at the residence they both call home, confirmed by Guinness World Records. Littman and Fiterman met at a costume party at the facility and later discovered they had both attended the University of Philadelphia at the same time, but never crossed paths as students. Sarah Sicherman, Littman’s granddaughter, told the Jewish Chronicle the pair were “so lucky to have found each other and be a support to each other, especially during the pandemic”. She wrote on social media that Littman and Fiterman “both had 60-plus years of marriage to their first spouses and found love again at 100 years old!” Adam Wohlberg, who officiated the ceremony, told Fox News the couple had “eventually reached the point where being not just close friends – but husband and wife – felt like the right step to take.” Littman credited his long life to reading and staying up-to-date on world events, while Fiterman attributed her longevity to buttermilk. “They both love each other’s humour and intellect,” Sicherman told Guinness World Records, “they keep each other young”.
Xbox Game Pass Subscribers Are Getting a Bonus Game in December
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Senate Republicans recommended on Friday that the state write laws banning transgender girls and women from participating in high school and college sports, setting the stage for action in the 2025 legislative session. The vote by a committee that was studying the issue is hardly a surprise. — a possible Republican contender for governor in 2026 — announced almost identical goals at the . It’s an issue that’s already been addressed in Georgia. Legislators in 2022 empowered the Georgia High School Association to regulate transgender students' participation in sports. The association, which regulates sports and activities for all public schools and some private schools, transgender boys and girls from playing on the school sports teams matching their gender identity. Jones and others argue that doesn't go far enough and that lawmakers themselves need to act. It's a sign Republicans believe there is more political gain in fears about transgender women playing women’s sports or using women’s bathrooms. At least have passed laws or rules to restrict transgender girls from participating high school sports and, in some cases, transgender women from , according to the Movement Advancement Project, a gay rights group. In Georgia, additional action appears more likely now after House Speaker Jon Burns and Gov. Brian Kemp, both Republicans, have voiced support for further legislation. Jeff Graham, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Georgia Equality, said his group is playing defense, concerned about the possibility of other bills that could or ban transgender people that match their gender identity. “We’re expecting that it’ll be at least what we saw in 2023 and 2024, with the number of bills and more than likely laws,” Graham told reporters Friday. But Burns, from Newington, has said he's not interested in other bills dealing with transgender people besides those dealing with girls' and women's sports. Republican State Sen. Greg Dolezal, of Cumming, who led the Senate study committee, said Friday that he, too, is not interested in a broader bill regulating bathroom usage, although his committee recommended that schools that host sporting events require athletes to use locker rooms based on their assigned sex at birth. Dolezal said senators would seek to write legislation that regulated public schools and colleges, as well as private institutions that compete against public schools and colleges. The committee also recommends that people be able to sue or file grievances if schools break the rules, and that state money be withheld from schools that break the rules. Supporters of more action have focused on the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swam for the University of Pennsylvania and . The NCAA has since revised its policy on transgender women’s participation, saying it will follow the rules of respective athletics federations. World Aquatics, the swimming governing body, who have been through male puberty from competing in women’s races. That means Thomas wouldn’t be allowed to swim in NCAA events today. “My basic contention that this is a solution in search of a problem remains,” Graham said. He said he fears that many people who oppose laws that seek to restrict transgender people will be afraid to testify and lobby at the Georgia Capitol, against a man accused of shaking U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in a Capitol office building in Washington, D.C. Dolezal repeatedly tried to turn down the emotional temperature of the issue on Friday. “I think that there’s a group of people that wants to be respected and I think that they deserve respect,” Dolezal told reporters. “But I also think that you can be respectful, but also recognize that in the sporting arena, fairness and competition is important.”
Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death
It’s been a day fuelled by weather-related postponements and delays throughout Scottish football. And in the final Scottish Premiership fixture of the weekend, Celtic were 3-1 up against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle with a matter of minutes remaining when the game had to be halted because of a bizarre incident. Assistant referee appeared to sustain a thigh injury whilst running the line which resulted in the fourth official taking over the duties late on. “What is going on here, is the fourth official having a massage?,” quipped Chris Sutton on Sky Sports commentary as he attempted to figure out what was happening. “That’s Mickey Mouse, dearie me!” The match ended up at a standstill for four minutes until the replacement, Stevie Kirkland, prepared themselves. Celtic went on to score another with substitute Adam Idah converting from the penalty spot to secure maximum points and go three ahead of Aberdeen in the league table.As we move towards the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday night, two-way Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter remains the odds-on favorite to take home the award. Let’s predict the early favorites for college football’s most prestigious award for the 2025 season. Arch Manning - QB, Texas The nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, Arch appears to be in line to take over the starting job in Austin after an up-and-down year from quarterback Quinn Ewers. Manning saw action in eight games this year, throwing for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Dissimilar to his Super Bowl-winning uncles, Manning is a dual-threat quarterback, scoring four times on the ground this year to go along with 100 rushing yards. Assuming Manning can take over the starting role, he could very well be the Heisman favorite going into the 2025 season. CAN'T TOUCH HIM @ArchManning pic.twitter.com/65nR57qIR5 DJ Lagway - QB, Florida A heralded high school recruit, Lagway traded snaps with quarterback Graham Mertz before taking over down the stretch and wowing with his arm talent and escapability in the pocket. Lagway finished the year with 11 touchdowns, seven interceptions and 1,610 yards and will return to Florida with a year of experience under his belt and a solid receiving corps led by junior wide receiver Eugene Wilson III. Ryan Williams - WR, Alabama The 17-year-old true freshman sensation led the Crimson Tide in receiving yards and touchdowns this year, showcasing his big play ability, averaging 19.0 yards per reception. Assuming Williams stays put in Tuscaloosa, the only question is who will be delivering the ball to him, as quarterback Jalen Milroe could declare for the NFL Draft or enter the transfer portal this winter. Jeremiah Smith - WR, Ohio State Another true freshman, Smith, hauled in 10 touchdowns through the air and scored another on the ground in his 2024 campaign. A physical, gifted receiver, Smith had viewers in awe with acrobatic one-handed catches on numerous occasions. Ohio State starts the season on Aug. 30 against Texas, a good opportunity for Smith to start his Heisman campaign on a national stage. ONE-HANDED @OhioStateFB extends their lead with this Jeremiah Smith touchdown. #B1GFootball on CBS pic.twitter.com/3VMuKAvxEQ Nico Iamaleava - QB, Tennessee The sophomore signal-caller had a solid 2024 season, totaling 19 touchdowns, five interceptions and 2,512 yards through the air while leading the Volunteers to a College Football Playoff appearance. Head coach Josh Heupel’s fast-paced offense will always provide its quarterback with ample scoring opportunities, and Iamaleava will be in Heisman contention from week one.