Wendy’s closure surprise to employees
Syria's new authorities say they've secured the release of an American pilgrim imprisoned by AssadPredators play the Devils following Josi's 2-goal game
Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa are not available for the San Francisco 49ers when they enter Green Bay with designs on finding their finishing kick on Sunday afternoon. Purdy is out with a right shoulder injury and won't leave the sideline at Lambeau Field, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday, when he also declared Bosa out and confirmed journeyman Brandon Allen would make his 10th career start at quarterback. "Outside of here people haven't seen a lot of Brandon. But it's his second year (with the 49ers)," Shanahan said. "Obviously guys want Brock up, but guys are excited to see Brandon play." Shanahan said the 49ers are "a little surprised" Purdy experienced tightness and discomfort in his shoulder after an MRI exam on Monday that showed no long-term cause for concern. "The way it responded this week, it's really up in the air for next week," Shanahan said of Purdy's long-term prognosis. Allen's last NFL start on the road was with the Bengals at the Ravens in 2020. Allen completed 6 of 21 passes for 48 yards with two interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 0.0 in a 38--3 loss. "It's definitely an opportunity for me to go out and play well and put our guys in a good position to win the game," Allen said Friday. "And obviously we want Brock back and healthy and all that, but for time being, it is an opportunity for me." Purdy took the practice field Thursday with the intent to participate. His shoulder tightened significantly, and the 49ers ushered him off the field to meet with trainers. Purdy beat the Packers in the NFC divisional playoffs at San Francisco in January, but Allen is familiar to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. LaFleur was an assistant coach with the Rams during Allen's two-year run in Los Angeles. Allen broke into the NFL in 2016 with the Jaguars and is 2-7 in nine career starts. He went 1-2 with the Broncos in 2019 and 1-5 in six starts over two years with the Bengals in 2020 and ‘21. A victory against the visiting 49ers on Sunday would bolster the Packers' playoff chances, send a conference rival below .500 and avenge a bitter playoff defeat. Those seemingly rank in no particular order for the Packers (8-3), although they don't shy from living at least partially in the past ahead of a Week 12 showdown. San Francisco eliminated Green Bay 24-21 in the NFC divisional playoffs last season, scoring 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. "That's what you've got to sit with all offseason, is going back, watching the game, trying to see what you could have done better," Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. "What you could have done differently in that game. ... Just knowing that's the team that knocked us out, we're definitely hungry for this game." Ditto for San Francisco. The 49ers fell to 5-5 after last week's 20-17 home loss to Seattle, done in by Geno Smith's 13-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds to play. Still only a game behind NFC West-leading Arizona, the reigning conference champion 49ers are just 1-3 in division play and can ill afford to lose more ground. A visit to AFC East leader Buffalo awaits after the trip to Green Bay. While they're dealing with plenty of not-so-good news on the injury front, the 49ers do anticipate the return of other contributors. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, who missed the past two games following the death of his 1-year-old daughter, practiced Wednesday. Tight end George Kittle also is eager to play after a nagging hamstring injury sidelined him against the Seahawks. "Very excited," Kittle said. "Can't pass up playing the Packers, so no, I will be out there for sure." Allen was a three-year starter at Arkansas but has been a journeyman backup since entering the NFL in 2016 as the 201st overall pick of the Jaguars. Shanahan and LaFleur have been fierce competitors since twice working together, first as low-level assistants with the Texans in 2008, then on the so-called "dream team" staff in Washington that also included Sean McVay, Mike McDaniel and Raheem Morris; and two seasons with the Falcons (2015, 2016) where LaFleur was quarterbacks coach and Shanahan called the plays. Shanahan scored the most recent win over LaFleur in January. Green Bay has won seven of the past eight regular-season meetings between the franchises. But the familiarity and shared-brain approach to offense that has the coaches completed each other's play calls has led to some tight games. The past three at Lambeau Field were all decided by three points. Green Bay, which hosts a home game on Thanksgiving next Thursday, is starting a run of three games in 12 days. They'll play back-to-back Thursday games. Their Week 14 game is at Detroit. That might make it good news for LaFleur that surprising contributors have emerged of late. Packers wideout Christian Watson had a career-best 150 receiving yards on only four catches during last week's 20-19 road win against the Chicago Bears. His diving 60-yard reception in the fourth quarter put the Packers in position for Love's go-ahead, 1-yard scoring run with 2:59 to play. Watson entered the game with eight catches for 83 yards over his previous three contests, but LaFleur assured Watson remains a "big part" of the attack. "He's a guy who's got every measurable known to man in terms of the size, the speed, and it's not like those were easy plays he was making," LaFleur said. "He was making tough, contested catches." San Francisco will aim to generate more pressure against Love than the Bears, who sacked him just once. The 49ers collected four sacks against the Seahawks, with Bosa and Leonard Floyd contributing 1.5 apiece. Recent regular-season history between the Packers and 49ers at Lambeau Field has favored Green Bay. The Packers have won seven of their past eight home games against the 49ers and are 22-11 versus San Francisco at home all-time. Green Bay leads the series 34-28-1. --Field Level MediaOpinion: Is there a new paradigm emerging inspired by fungi & a family therapist?
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10 of the best and 10 of the worst Netflix original movies that came out this yearCALUMET CITY — Dolton-Calumet City Elementary School District 149 has informed parents a mealworm was found this week on a middle school table where students were eating lunch. Rumors circulated on social media of students coming home sick after finding bugs in their spaghetti. However, District 149 Superintendent Maureen White said Thursday she received no reports of children falling ill and the single mealworm found on the table did not come from the kitchen. “There was absolutely no mealworm in the food or in the food supply, and not even where the food is prepared,” White said. “It was a hoax.” White said students told her the mealworm was brought to the table as part of a social media challenge. However, she said the district took “precautionary measures” to sanitize the cabinets where food trays are stored and clean tables more frequently. “We’re just doing an extra clean to assure that there are no bugs of any kind getting on the table,” White said. This time lapse video by the JG-TC's Herm Meadows shows a cicada molting recently in Charleston. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win enough votes for confirmation. He said he will not back down after allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell. It’ll be a first for him National Politics | The Trump and Biden teams insist they’re working hand in glove on foreign crises National Politics | ‘You don’t know what’s next.’ International students scramble ahead of Trump inauguration National Politics | Trump is threatening to raise tariffs again. Here’s how China plans to fight back National Politics | Trump won’t be able to save the struggling US beef industry Collins said after the hourlong meeting that she questioned Hegseth about the allegations amid reports of drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She said she had a “good, substantive” discussion with Hegseth and “covered a wide range of topics,” including sexual assault in the military, Ukraine and NATO. But she said she would wait until a hearing, and notably a background check, to make a decision. “I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters as she left her office after the meeting. “I pressed him both on his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him, so I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.” The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow moderate Republican, did not shy from opposing Trump in his first term when they wanted to do so and sometimes supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and executive branches. And Hegseth, an infantry combat veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host, is working to gain as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed concerns about his personal history and lack of management experience. “I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands,” Hegseth said as he left Collins’ office. “This is a process that we respect and appreciate. And we hope, in time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor that we can earn her support.” Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has also been meeting repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran who has said she is a survivor of sexual assault and has spent time in the Senate working on improving how attacks are reported and prosecuted within the ranks. On Monday, Ernst said after a meeting with him that he had committed to selecting a senior official to prioritize those goals. Republicans will have a 53-49 majority next year, meaning Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any of his nominees. It is so far unclear whether Hegseth will have enough support, but Trump has stepped up his pressure on senators in the last week. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform last week.Ukraine relies on military and financial aid from international partners to sustain its military campaign, especially the U.S. and Europe. On Sunday, Donald Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Ukraine will "possibly" receive less military aid once he takes office. After the election of Donald Trump and a Republican sweep of both chambers of Congress, the risk of the United States cutting its funding for Ukraine is a real possibility, stoking concerns among leaders in Europe on what it means for the ongoing conflict. > 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are Trump has previously expressed he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours and has been vocally critical of funding the war-torn nation alongside hardline Republican congressmen, who almost blocked a critical aid package in April of this year . On Sunday, Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Ukraine will "possibly" receive less military aid once he takes office. But according to experts that spoke to CNBC, there is reason to believe Europe, which is Ukraine's biggest donor, can make up the shortfall if the U.S. withdraws or tightens that funding. Ukraine relies on military and financial aid from international partners to sustain its military campaign, especially the U.S. and Europe. According to the Kiel Institute of Economy's Ukraine Support Tracker , which has been tracking funding to Ukraine since January 2022 up until October 2024, Europe has committed 241 billion euros ($255 billion) in aid and the U.S. has committed 119 billion euros. Out of this, Europe has actually allocated 125 billion euros and the U.S. 88 billion euros, thus far. Money Report European markets set to open lower as investors digest European Central Bank rate cut New AI winners beyond Big Tech are set to emerge, UK fund manager predicts Both Europe and the U.S. have provided "a comparable amount of military aid," Pietro Bomprezzi, the project lead of the Ukraine Support Tracker, told CNBC. As Ukraine's largest donor and neighbor, Europe would face the brunt of costs if U.S. aid runs out and isn't renewed under Trump. In the tracker's latest press update released last week, Christoph Trebesch, the head of the Ukraine Support Tracker, stated: "With the current funding due to end, all eyes are now on the incoming U.S. administration and its willingness to support Ukraine." European leaders have convened several times since the election to bolster support for Ukraine, with many countries doubling up on their commitments. Germany, which is Europe's biggest donor to Ukraine, has repeatedly reiterated its support for Ukraine and pledged further military aid on a surprise visit to Kyiv last week: "Ukraine can rely on Germany," Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has repeatedly blocked EU funding to Ukraine, offered a different tone last month, stating that Europe would not be able to fill in the gap financially if the U.S. withdraws aid. But according to analysts who spoke to CNBC, Europe can fill the gaps, and has several ways to do so. In its latest update on Dec. 5 , the Ukraine Support Tracker stated that the use of profits from frozen Russian assets, which are "primarily available to European donors," "could help them compensate for the loss of U.S. funds in the future." Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank, told CNBC that "making up for U.S. financial support for Ukraine would be very easy for the EU," by using instruments such as new common debt, bilateral donations, and seizing the 250 billion euro in frozen Russian assets and distributing them to Ukraine. Nigel Gould-Davis, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at The International Institute for Strategic Studies, stated that seizing and distributing frozen Russian assets would be a "game changer." While the G7's $50 billion loan using interest payments from Russian assets is a small step in this direction, the EU can do more as it has full control over these assets. "At a stroke, if [the G7] had the will to do so, it could provide a huge slice of the aggressor's money and put it to defend Ukraine," Gould-Davis said. The main reason this hasn't been done is due to a fear among certain EU members on the financial consequences, he added. There are also other ways Europe can fill in the gaps. Kirkegaard mentioned the Danish model of financing Ukraine: Instead of sending over Western-made weapons, which are more expensive to produce, countries could directly finance Ukraine's military industrial complex. Even in the case of withdrawal of critical U.S. weaponry, Kirkegaard points out that they can still be purchased: European countries could agree to a trade deal, like China did in 2018, and agree to purchase American-made products, in this case weapons to supply to Ukraine in exchange for a relief on tariffs. It is "an entirely political choice" how much Europe devotes to defend itself and Ukraine, said Gould-Davies. He frames it as a balance of resources versus a balance of resolve — the balance of resources is in Europe's favor, but the balance of resolve is in Russia's: If Europe has the political will to make use of its advantage in resources, Ukraine's defense can greatly be bolstered. Max Bergman, the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studiesn told CNBC that while European countries are likely to increase aid in the case of U.S. withdrawal "it is unclear if Ukraine can survive the gap between the withdrawal of U.S. aid and the ramp up of European defense production." In the case that Europe didn't step up its aid in the case of U.S. withdrawal, Ukraine would lose the war: "The danger is that we see in Kyiv in 2026 what we saw in Kaboul in 2021 — a military collapse, leading to the end of Ukraine and Ukrainian democracy." Also on CNBC SEC says Cantor Fitzgerald, led by Trump Commerce pick Lutnick, broke law NJ drones don't pose national security or public safety threat, FBI says U.S. charges 14 North Koreans in $88 million identity theft and extortion casePredators play the Devils following Josi's 2-goal game Nashville Predators (7-11-3, in the Central Division) vs. New Jersey Devils (14-7-2, in the Metropolitan Division) Newark, New Jersey; Monday, 7 p.m. Canadian Press Nov 24, 2024 1:12 AM Nov 24, 2024 1:20 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Nashville Predators (7-11-3, in the Central Division) vs. New Jersey Devils (14-7-2, in the Metropolitan Division) Newark, New Jersey; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Nashville Predators visit the New Jersey Devils after Roman Josi scored two goals in the Predators' 4-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets. New Jersey has a 5-3-2 record in home games and a 14-7-2 record overall. The Devils have a 14-2-2 record in games they score three or more goals. Nashville is 7-11-3 overall and 2-5-3 on the road. The Predators are 7-2-0 in games they score at least three goals. The teams meet Monday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hischier has 10 goals and 11 assists for the Devils. Luke Hughes has over the last 10 games. Filip Forsberg has eight goals and eight assists for the Predators. Adam Wilsby has over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Devils: 7-3-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.6 assists, 3.6 penalties and 9.2 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game. Predators: 3-5-2, averaging 2.1 goals, 3.2 assists, 4.9 penalties and 11 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game. INJURIES: Devils: None listed. Predators: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Hockey San Jose brings losing streak into game against Los Angeles Nov 24, 2024 1:12 AM Flames visit the Senators after shootout win Nov 24, 2024 1:12 AM Panthers bring losing streak into matchup with the Capitals Nov 24, 2024 1:12 AM