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The into the infamous —America’s only unsolved plane hijacking—officially ended in 2016. But federal law enforcement may be regaining interest in the case after examining a parachute rig long hidden inside a family’s storage. On November 24, 1971, a man registered as Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington. Once in midair Cooper passed a note to a stewardess informing her that his battered briefcase supposedly contained a bomb, and that he would detonate it unless he received $200,000 in cash and four parachutes. Flight 305’s pilots landed their plane in Seattle, at which point authorities delivered Cooper’s demands before the aircraft again took off for Portland. It was during this flight that the hijacker strapped on one of the parachutes, clutched his ransom money, and leapt into the night sky. What followed was one of the most high-profile US criminal investigations of all time—a case that spanned over 45 years, resulted in more than 800 suspect leads, and ended in no official charges or clear culprits. “Although the FBI appreciated the immense number of tips provided by members of the public, none to date have resulted in a definitive identification of the hijacker,” the on July 12, 2016. “... In order to solve a case, the FBI must prove culpability beyond a reasonable doubt, and, unfortunately, none of the well-meaning tips or applications of new investigative technology have yielded the necessary proof.” Authorities did take care to note, however, that “should specific physical evidence emerge—related specifically to the parachutes or the money taken by the hijacker—individuals with those materials are asked to contact their local FBI field office.” Seven years later, a retired pilot, recreational skydiver, and YouTuber took the FBI up on its offer. As highlighted earlier this week in a two-part report from Wyoming’s , D.B. Cooper sleuth believes he may finally possess evidence that can conclusively pin the hijacker’s identity to a man named Richard McCoy II. McCoy is a familiar name to Cooper case followers as one of the , although many critics have as the culprit. But although never proven to be the mystery hijacker, McCoy’s own story is wild enough—he conducted a nearly identical just five months after the D.B. Cooper incident. Unlike Cooper, however, McCoy didn’t fade into myth. Instead, within 72 hours thanks to fingerprints left in the plane, and McCoy was subsequently sentenced to 45 years in prison, although he always maintained his innocence. McCoy then managed to break out of his maximum security facility in Pennsylvania in 1974. Three months later, McCoy was cornered by police in Virginia City, Virginia, and killed in a shootout. Gryder attempted to contact McCoy’s now-adult children, Chanté and Richard “Rick” III, multiple times over the years, but they refused to comment in order to protect their mother, Karen, from implication in the D.B. Cooper case. After Karen McCoy’s death in 2020, however, they felt it was time to discuss the alleged family secret. Following extensive communications, Gryder eventually traveled to North Carolina to meet the surviving McCoys and assess their evidence. According to Gryder’s own, , the items believed to prove both their father and mother’s roles in the robbery include a skydiving log that coincided with both the D.B. Cooper and Utah hijackings. They also revealed a heavily modified military surplus bailout parachute rig that they allege their father used to jump out of Flight 305 in 1971. “That rig is literally one in a billion,” Gryder told . The potential smoking guns allegedly didn’t just catch the interest of Gryder, either. On November 18th, a explained the new finds prompted the FBI to contact Gryder, as well as arrange for a visit to the McCoy family’s property in North Carolina. Additional video footage reportedly depicts at least seven vehicles and over a dozen FBI agents assessing “every nook and cranny” for around four hours, according to McCoy III speaking with the Wyoming paper. If true, it marks the first documented D.B. Cooper case follow-up its official close in 2016. But now, the D.B. Cooper case—and its potential McCoy family links—remain in limbo. Rick McCoy III stated he has provided DNA samples to the FBI, and is willing to exhume his father’s body for further analysis. The FBI did not respond to ’s request for comment, and redirected to its last case update in 2016. If it does become clear that Richard McCoy II was D.B. Cooper, however, it would put to rest one of US law enforcement’s longest and most unique cases.He is not yet in power but President-elect Donald Trump rattled much of the world with an off-hours warning of stiff tariffs on close allies and China -- a loud hint that Trump-style government by social media post is coming back. With word of these levies against goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China, Trump sent auto industry stocks plummeting, raised fears for global supply chains and unnerved the world's major economies. For Washington-watchers with memories of the Republican's first term, the impromptu policy volley on Monday evening foreshadowed a second term of startling announcements of all manner, fired off at all hours of the day from his smartphone. "Donald Trump is never going to change much of anything," said Larry Sabato, a leading US political scientist and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "You can expect in the second term pretty much what he showed us about himself and his methods in the first term. Social media announcements of policy, hirings and firings will continue." The first of Trump's tariff announcements -- a 25 percent levy on everything coming in from Mexico and Canada -- came amid an angry rebuke of lax border security at 6:45 pm on Truth Social, Trump's own platform. The United States is bound by agreements on the movement of goods and services brokered by Trump in a free trade treaty with both nations during his first term. But Trump warned that the new levy would "remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country" -- sowing panic from Ottawa to Mexico City. Seconds later, another message from the incoming commander-in-chief turned the focus on Chinese imports, which he said would be hit with "an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs." The consequences were immediate. Almost every major US automaker operates plants in Mexico, and shares in General Motors and Stellantis -- which produce pickup trucks in America's southern neighbor -- plummeted. More from this section Canada, China and Mexico protested, while Germany called on its European partners to prepare for Trump to impose hefty tariffs on their exports and stick together to combat such measures. The tumult recalls Trump's first term, when journalists, business leaders and politicians at home and abroad would scan their phones for the latest pronouncements, often long after they had left the office or over breakfast. During his first four years in the Oval Office, the tweet -- in those days his newsy posts were almost exclusively limited to Twitter, now known as X -- became the quasi-official gazette for administration policy. The public learned of the president-elect's 2020 Covid-19 diagnosis via an early-hours post, and when Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Trump's order, the Republican confirmed the kill by tweeting a US flag. The public and media learned of numerous other decisions big and small by the same source, from the introduction of customs duties to the dismissal of cabinet secretaries. It is not a communication method that has been favored by any previous US administration and runs counter to the policies and practices of most governments around the world. Throughout his third White House campaign, and with every twist and turn in his various entanglements with the justice system, Trump has poured his heart out on Truth Social, an app he turned to during his 20-month ban from Twitter. In recent days, the mercurial Republican has even named his attorney general secretaries of justice and health via announcements on the network. "He sees social media as a tool to shape and direct the national conversation and will do so again," said political scientist Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor. cjc/ft/dw/bjt
Alberta UCP backbenchers support loosening ethics rulesGary Mayor Eddie Melton says a Japanese company’s potential purchase of U.S. Steel is beneficial for Northwest Indiana, but local environmental groups worry the deal will further permit the use of blast furnaces. “We remain opposed to this deal based on Nippon Steel’s abysmal global track record on environmental issues,” a Just Transition Northwest Indiana news release said. “Nippon is currently building two outdated blast furnaces in India and is also investing heavily in coal mining operations in Australia and Canada when we must move away from coal and fossil fuels to meet global climate goals. Even their own shareholders in Japan protested these moves simply because it is not a profitable, sustainable model.” Melton met with Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori on Thursday to discuss the history of U.S. Steel in Gary and the significance of the American company’s potential purchase. “As 22nd mayor of the city of Gary, I want to show my support for this effort,” Melton said Thursday. “We need to do our due diligence to make sure this is the right thing for citizens, the right thing for our economy, the right thing for the United States.” Gary Mayor Eddie Melton speaks as Takahiro Mori, vice president of Nippon Steel, on right, listens nearby during a press conference at the Gary City Hall concerning the planned acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japanese company Nippon Steel, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that President Joe Biden plans to block the $14.9 billion transaction. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States panel must refer its decision to Biden by Dec. 22 or 23. Biden had shared in March that he opposed the sale, and Trump had vowed during his campaign that he would block the deal. Vice President Kamala Harris in September also said that she opposed the purchase. As part of the potential deal, Nippon plans to invest about $300 million into the local Gary Works facility, specifically into the blast furnace. With the investment, the furnace would have its life extended by up to 20 years. JTNWI and Gary Advocates for Responsible Development have both said they oppose blast furnaces, calling the technology outdated. For steelmaking, both groups would prefer direct reduction furnaces. U.S. Steel workers stand at the front of the room during a press conference at the Gary City Hall concerning the planned acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japanese company Nippon Steel, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) Activists have called direct reduction furnaces more environmentally and economically friendly because they use natural gas and could cut carbon dioxide emissions in half. “They generate significantly less climate-harming, carbon and health-harming emissions,” a GARD news release said. “And when green hydrogen becomes increasingly available and affordable, (direct reduction) furnaces can make the transition to zero carbon emissions.” GARD argues that blast furnaces will be obsolete by the early 2040s, and both organizations believe Nippon isn’t interested in modernizing Gary Works. Industrious Labs, an environmental organization focused on cleaning up industries, found in an October report that coal-based steelmaking contributes to an estimated 892 premature deaths, nearly 250,000 asthma symptoms annually and from $6.9 to $13.2 billion in health costs, according to a Dec. 12 email from the company. U.S. Steel’s coal-based plants contribute to up to 200 of those deaths and more than 55,000 asthma symptoms each year, the company found. In a Thursday statement, Hilary Lewis, steel director at Industrious Labs, urges Biden to stop the sale. “Costly relinings do nothing to modernize these aging plants or reduce their pollution,” Lewis said in her statement. “Instead, it delays the urgent transition to cleaner steelmaking — which could slash climate pollution by more than 95% and bring long overdue relief to frontline communities who have endured the health impacts of toxic emissions for far too long.” During a Thursday press conference, Melton and Mori both continued to say that Nippon will invest in the blast furnace. Before the press conference, the two men met with GARD to talk about the environment and sustainability, Melton said. GARD members protested outside Gary City Hall prior to the news conference. “They made a commitment to make sure that’s going to be a priority,” he added. “I appreciate the conversation about making a cleaner steelmaking process.” Both GARD and JTNWI first said in October that they oppose the blast furnace investment. Melton said then that Nippon had made it clear that they support making investments in cleaner, greener steelmaking technology. He also supports talks between environmentalists and Nippon. In its news release, GARD calls on Nippon to announce it will build the first U.S. direct reduction furnace at Gary Works; share its long-term plans for modernizing the iron and steelmaking capacity at Gary Works and U.S. Steel; transparently cooperate with city leadership about the feasibility and desirability of replacing Gary Works’ blast furnaces; and partner with Gary to build the foundation for an economically and environmentally sustainable city. JTWNI members worry about the future of jobs at Gary Works if the blast furnace is relined. U.S. Steel employs about 4,500 at Gary Works and the Midwest plant in Portage. If Nippon buys U.S. Steel, Mori said they plan to keep jobs in the U.S. Nippon plans to invest nearly $1 billion into the Gary facility and workers, Mori said Thursday. “Sustainable steel based on (direct reduction) technologies and green hydrogen made only from renewable sources like wind and solar energy is the direction steel manufacturing in Indiana must go to preserve jobs and protect work health and communities,” JTNWI’s release said. mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday said he would lift martial law just hours after he imposed it, in a brief and confusing episode in which he blasted the opposition as "anti-state forces" threatening the country's democracy. The unexpected move from Yoon — the first time martial law has been declared in South Korea in more than four decades — alarmed the United States and the country's other allies. What do we know about the imposition, its lifting and what might come next?
Montana transgender lawmaker on Capitol Hill's bathroom ban: 'Do not cede ground'Australia news LIVE: Labor fast-track social media ban; ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader
Providence, Oklahoma hope key players are back in BahamasGregg Wallace asked sign language translator to sign 'big boobs' and 'sexy bum' in front of a live audience, outraged fan claims By MATTHEW COX Published: 22:55 GMT, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 23:18 GMT, 3 December 2024 e-mail 4 View comments A sign language translator was asked by Gregg Wallace to sign ‘big boobs’ and ‘sexy bum’ in front of a live audience, it was reported last night. A MasterChef fan who attended the BBC Good Food show at Birmingham ’s NEC Arena in 2012 recalled how the TV star told the female British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter to sign everything he said before proceeding with his remarks. The fan said she was ‘appalled and aghast’ at the ‘sexist’ behaviour. ‘It was like he could control her,’ she told The Guardian. ‘I just found that deeply disrespectful to [her] and deeply disrespectful to her profession.’ The MasterChef fan vented her anger on social media after the event, to which Wallace reportedly replied asking if she was joking. Her mother, also among the audience of roughly 400 people, said she complained to the BBC but no action was taken. The complainant’s daughter suggested the recent reports show he had been allowed to continue behaving in a manner distressing to others. ‘I do think the world has changed quite a lot since 2012 [and] perhaps things that he could get away with then he can’t really get away with now,’ she said. A MasterChef fan has claimed that Gregg Wallace asked sign language translator to sign 'big boobs' and 'sexy bum' in front of a live audience MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace is facing fresh allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour Gregg Wallace is pictured at his house in Kent shortly after stepping down from MasterChef last week ‘But I didn’t think it was in any way acceptable at the time and I was judging it by my expectations of how people behave in 2012 not by my expectations now.’ The broadcaster said it takes complaints very seriously but would not comment on events which may form part of the ongoing investigation by Banijay UK, which owns MasterChef. Banijay’s investigation follows a number of public allegations against the presenter accusing him of inappropriate comments and behaviour. Wallace’s representatives were contacted for comment. Share or comment on this article: Gregg Wallace asked sign language translator to sign 'big boobs' and 'sexy bum' in front of a live audience, outraged fan claims e-mail Add comment
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A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk also wanted the job, according to emails revealed as part of the court case, but grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI's board in early 2018. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.RS Chairman Under Siege, Oppn’S Blackmail Politics Exposed: TN BJP LeaderHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is underscoring his intention to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp. , and he's pledging to use tax incentives and tariffs to strengthen the iconic American steelmaker. Trump had vowed early in the presidential campaign that he would “instantaneously” block the deal, and he reiterated that sentiment in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday night. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company” and will use tax incentives and tariffs to make U.S. Steel “Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST!” he wrote. “As President," he continued, "I will block this deal from happening. Buyer Beware!!!” President Joe Biden , like Trump, also opposes Nippon Steel's purchase of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Biden’s White House in September said that it had yet to see a report from the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States , which was reviewing the transaction for national security concerns. The committee, which is chaired by the treasury secretary and includes other Cabinet members, can recommend that the president block a transaction, and federal law gives the president that power. Ahead of the November election, the proposed merger carried political importance in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state that Trump eventually won. Biden publicly sided with the United Steelworkers, the labor union, in seeking to reject the deal. When he announced his opposition in a March statement, Biden said: “U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.” Nippon Steel has said it is the only company that can make the necessary investment in U.S. Steel's factories and strengthen the American steel industry. Both Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel on Tuesday released statements in support of the acquisition. "This transaction should be approved on its merits. The benefits are overwhelmingly clear. Our communities, customers, investors, and employees strongly support this transaction, and we will continue to advocate for them and adherence to the rule of law," U.S. Steel said. The deal follows a long stretch of protectionist U.S. tariffs that analysts say has helped reinvigorate domestic steel, including U.S. Steel. U.S. Steel's shareholders have approved the deal, but the United Steelworkers oppose it. In a statement Tuesday, the union said the deal carries “serious long-term implications for U.S. economic and national security.” “It’s clear that President Trump understands the vital role a strong domestic steel industry plays in our national security, as well as the importance of the jobs and communities the industry supports," the union said. The deal has drawn bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Senate, including from the incoming vice president, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, although the federal government's objections to the deal have drawn criticism that the opposition is political. Some U.S. Steel workers would prefer Nippon Steel acquire the company, given that it appears to have a better financial balance sheet than another potential buyer, Cleveland-Cliffs. U.S. Steel “provided a very, very good life for our families for a lot of years,” said Jack Maskil, a vice president at the Steelworkers local branch in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. “And we feel that with the Nippon deal that a lot more families for futures to come will be able to share the same.” West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly said he met with Nippon Steel executives and found himself satisfied by their commitments. Located southeast of Pittsburgh, West Mifflin is home to U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant. “There’s no question in my mind that it’s the best deal moving forward,” Kelly said at a panel hosted on Tuesday by the conservative think tank Hudson Institute, where Maskil was also speaking. The Biden administration committee vetting the merger is scheduled later this month to decide on the acquisition or possibly extend the ongoing review. William Chou, a deputy director at the Hudson Institute specializing in relations with Japan, said that "President-elect Trump's view on the deal are important." But given the upcoming deadline, “It's up to President Biden to recognize how this deal will advance the interests of future generations of U.S. Steel union steelworkers.” Trump’s statement came two weeks after Nippon Steel’s vice chairman, Takahiro Mori, visited Pittsburgh and Washington to meet with lawmakers, local officials and workers in an ongoing persuasion campaign. That campaign has included Nippon Steel's promises to boost its capital commitments beyond the original deal and, more recently, a pledge that it won’t import steel slabs that would compete with U.S. Steel’s blast furnaces. As part of its proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel also pledged to invest at least $1.4 billion in USW-represented facilities, not to conduct layoffs or plant closings during the term of the basic labor agreement, and to protect the best interests of U.S. Steel in trade matters. Boak reported from Washington.
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A turnover trashcan foreshadowed a coaching search best described as a dumpster fire that wound up costing both a coach and athletic director their jobs. A revolving door to the coaching office. NCAA investigations and scholarship reductions. Don’t forget the mustard bottle thrown onto the Neyland Stadium field or the golf ball that came perilously close to Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin — whose one-year stint made him the first of seven coaches, counting two interims, at Tennessee after Philip Fulmer’s firing after the 2008 season. No. 6 Ohio State is very accustomed to the playoff stage with the Buckeyes chasing their first national championship since 2014 and first title game berth since 2020. Seventh-ranked Tennessee has its own championship pedigree, though its last national title came in 1998. The Volunteers had been the butt of too many jokes for too many painful years. That officially ends Dec. 21 when ninth-seeded Tennessee visits No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, No. 6 CFP) in the first round of the newly expanded College Football Playoff with the winner traveling to the Rose Bowl to face top-ranked Oregon. “We’ve done our job and gotten this place back to back to where it needs to be and where it’s supposed to be,” said center Cooper Mays, who played high school ball in Knoxville and knows what this game means. “We’re out here in the in the thick of things going into December, going into the playoffs. And that’s kind of all you can ask for at this point in the season.” Plenty of credit goes to coach Josh Heupel who has the Vols (10-2, No. 9 CFP) here in his fourth season on Rocky Top. A quick revival for a program that went 3-7 in 2020 with a season capped by the chancellor firing then-coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine others over what she called “shocking” NCAA violations. Tennessee took its medicine to ease NCAA sanctions by cutting scholarships, leaving Heupel with 65 his first season. University officials refused to self-impose a bowl ban on top of that. That probe ended in the summer of 2023 with the NCAA’s scathing report detailing more than 200 infractions — including 18 Level I violations and approximately $60,000 paid out to athletes and families in recruiting infractions under Pruitt. Yet Heupel, who called potential NCAA punishment a “mere speed bump” when hired in January 2021, has managed something none of his recent predecessors could. He has led Tennessee to 30 victories since 2022 — matching the Vols’ winningest three-year stretch since 1998 through 2000. To Heupel, the playoffs is simply the next step. “You earn the right to be in a game like this,” Heupel said. “Proud of what we’ve done throughout the course of the regular season. The new season starts here. There was an expectation inside of our program to earn the right to play in a game like this in the postseason. So, a lot of excitement in here but also understand we’re getting ready to go play a great team and we’ve got to be at our best.” Heupel initially was seen as a quick fix. New athletic director Danny White, who was lured away from Central Florida to rebuild the athletic program, brought Heupel with him to Knoxville a week after his own hiring. Now Heupel is the third coach in Tennessee history with multiple 10-win regular seasons with two in three years. He joins Fulmer (five in 17 years) and Gen. Robert Neyland (five in 21 including the 1951 national championship season). Neyland Stadium is full again. The waiting list for season tickets now tops 20,000, even with an announced ticket hike for 2025 to help the Vols pay and keep top talent. “Vol Nation proves again why y’all are the best fan base in all of sports!” White wrote on social media. When the NCAA came at Tennessee again over name, image and likeness compensation to athletes, the same chancellor who made sure everyone cooperated in the last investigation didn’t hold back. Donde Plowman called the NCAA a “failing” organization in a letter in January pursuing “factually untrue and procedurally flawed” allegations. She had the backing of the attorneys general of both Tennessee and Virginia who sued the NCAA, and a federal judge granted their injunction request in February keeping the organization from enforcing NIL rules for recruits. The winning has been contagious at Tennessee: — Coach Rick Barnes won the regular season Southeastern Conference men’s basketball title in March and now has the nation’s top-ranked team. — Coach Tony Vitello won the Vols’ first national baseball title in June. — New Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell has the women’s basketball team back in the AP Top 25 after White fired Kellie Harper, who won national titles for the late Pat Summitt as her point guard. Yet, football really just means more in the SEC. Those devoted Vols’ fans, who stopped the hiring of then-Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano before Tennessee could even announce a news conference in 2017, had hoped Tennessee would host a game. Road losses to Arkansas and Georgia are why Tennessee is hitting the road. This game seemed a distant hope for Tennessee after too many beatdowns by Alabama, Georgia and Florida — and yes even Vanderbilt. Not to Heupel, who was the quarterback who led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship. And not for Tennessee, not now.