CTV National News: NHLers walk to Toronto gameFARGO — Qualifying for the North Dakota Class B volleyball state tournament for the very first time was a dream for Medina-Pingree/Buchanan. But to come out and dominate three sets was beyond anything it imagined. ADVERTISEMENT That's exactly what the Thunder did, upending Central McLean 3-0 in the state quarterfinals Thursday at the Fargodome. Set scores were 25-15, 25-9 and 25-17. The match was highlighted by M-P/B roaring out to a 17-1 lead in the middle frame, including what was an 11-0 start to the set. "It was so much fun to be at the state tournament and be able to have a score like that," said Thunder head coach Jacie Connell. "We just never let down. I just said we need to eliminate our errors in the second set, and they did a great job of that." With the win, No. 3 seed M-P/B (31-6) advanced to Friday's state semis where they'll take on No. 2 South Prairie-Max (33-6) with first serve set for 5 p.m. Connell said as state tourney newcomers, nerves came naturally. At least whatever nerves were left after downing Class B No. 1-ranked Linton/HMB in the Region 3 championship last week. "Lots of emotions," Connell said. "But beating the No. 1 team in the state in the (region) championship, I think a lot of our nerves were out right there. They were just excited to be here and play." ADVERTISEMENT Maddie Gefroh finished with a match-leading 14 kills for M-P/B, including the final one to secure match point in Set 3. "It felt great knowing we're closer to the finals now," said Gefroh, senior captain and middle hitter for the Thunder. "You could tell there were some nerves, but as soon as we got onto the court, we were ready to go right away." Gefroh said the dominant second set gave M-P/B all the momentum it needed to finish things off in Set 3. "That was crazy," Gefroh said. "That gave us so much energy to go into the third set. We knew we could do it right away." Central McLean (31-4-1) drops into the consolation semifinals, where it'll face Kenmare/Bowbells (35-7) at 1 p.m. Friday. Reagan Kjelstrup paced the Cougars offensively with eight kills while Morgan Snyder had six. Daphne Lauer finished with 25 assists. Behind Gefroh in the Thunder kills department was Brynn Sorenson with nine and Jorgen Tripp with eight, including set point in the opening frame. ADVERTISEMENT Gefroh added three aces and three blocks while Violet Bohl recorded 34 assists. Cierra Mack finished with a match-leading 15 digs. "If we play our game, that's been huge for us just eliminating our errors," Connell said. "We're going to talk about what we need to adjust a little bit on defense and we'll be ready to go. "It's been a great journey so far and we're happy to be here."
Upcoming IPOs: Indo Farm Equipment among four public offerings to watch out for next weekTrump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina KhanArteta: 7-goal first half in win vs West Ham 'crazy'
Nigeria and Brazil sign landmark agreement to boost agribusinessMayor Gillingham and Premier Kinew to face off in friendly hockey game for Winnipeg 150
Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trollingThe New Orleans Pelicans (5-27) are dealing with five players on the injury report, including Yves Missi, heading into their Monday, December 30 matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers (18-13) at Smoothie King Center. The Clippers also have listed five injured players. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. The Pelicans are coming off of a 132-124 loss to the Grizzlies in their most recent outing on Friday. In the Pelicans’ loss, Trey Murphy III led the way with a team-high 35 points (adding three rebounds and four assists). The Clippers head into this matchup on the heels of a 102-92 victory over the Warriors on Friday. Norman Powell scored a team-leading 26 points for the Clippers in the win. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get live and on-demand access to NBA games. Get tickets for any NBA game this season at StubHub. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .None
Trump says he plans to enact new tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico on his first day in his officeA year ago, Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach was on the verge of an NHL call-up. Then inconsistency and injuries disrupted his rhythm, forcing him to — in the words of Rockford coach Anders Sorensen — “start over a little bit” this season. After more ups and downs this fall, Sorensen, who always seems more critical of Dach than the Hawks’ other AHL prospects, sat down with him Tuesday morning for a serious chat. That night against Texas, Dach was denied on two golden scoring chances in the first period, which might have rattled him in the past . But he stuck with it and broke through with two goals less than a minute apart in the second period of Rockford’s eventual win. Sorensen described it as Dach’s “most complete game” of the season, a rare instance of praise. “I’m not going to lie: I was definitely a little bit frustrated when I couldn’t put one in [early on],” Dach said. “But when I scored that first one, I let it all out and calmed myself down, and we went to work after that. “I need to play with confidence. When I’m doing that, I’m moving my feet, getting into guys, being physical and winning a lot of stick battles. That’s something I’ve got to keep doing.” Dach entered Saturday with 11 points in 14 games, trailing only top prospect Frank Nazar for the team lead. “It’s [about] the work off the puck,” Sorensen said. “We’ve talked a lot about the first four strides in transition, whether it’s one way or the other — similar to Frank, although they’re different body types obviously. [Dach is working on] getting his feet going early to get to spots or get in on the forecheck. When he does that, he’s really effective.” In his pursuit of an NHL call-up, Dach is mostly competing against Nazar, Landon Slaggert and Cole Guttman . The race could get more crowded soon if Boston University junior Ryan Greene and Minnesota sophomore Oliver Moore sign entry-level contracts in March or April after their college seasons end. Dach needs to maintain this inkling of momentum to have a chance to break through. He needs his December 2024 performance to be just as impressive as his December 2023 performance — and his January 2025 performance to greatly exceed his January 2024 performance. Waivers looming When the Hawks signed goaltender Laurent Brossoit in the summer, they knew they could send Arvid Soderblom to Rockford without the risk of losing him on waivers. If Brossoit misses much more time, however, that no longer may be the case. Soderblom’s six appearances this season have him up to 56 career NHL appearances; once he gets to 60, he’ll require waivers. Considering how much Soderblom has increased his stock — he has a .926 save percentage compared to .879 last season — that’s a risk the Hawks would be reluctant to take. Instead, they would be stuck with a logjam of three NHL goalies. For now, it’s only an academic concern because Brossoit seemingly has made no progress toward a return after his meniscus surgery. Weird stats After their 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers, the Hawks have gone five games with only one power-play opportunity in each game. That’s a franchise record and the longest such streak by any team since 2019. Forward Lukas Reichel , on the other hand, seems to love Philadelphia. He has three multipoint games since the start of last season, and two have happened in Philly. He scored the Hawks’ first goal and assisted on the second.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars' worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior . Ferguson is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC's antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night. The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC's efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump's orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan's scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.