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Chicago Bears Q&A: What if Caleb Williams refused to come to Chicago? How many wins would it take to say the team is on the upswing?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

The father of USC quarterback Caleb Williams made some interesting comments in a magazine interview, leading to questions about the projected top draft pick’s options. What could that mean for the Chicago Bears?And injuries still are affecting the Bears lineup. What is the latest on Lucas Patrick, Darnell Mooney and Braxton Jones? Brad Biggs answers questions each week in his Bears mailbag.What if Caleb Williams refuses to come to Chicago? I’ve seen some reports that say he and his father are putting the word out they would refuse to sign if drafted by the Bears. — Jim Foley, Aiken, S.C.Talk about a doomsday predicament. Can you imagine if the Bears wound up in position to add potentially the best draft-eligible quarterback since Andrew Luck in 2012 — or perhaps longer — and he opted to remain at USC?For starters, it’s important to note that, to my knowledge, neither Williams nor his father, Carl, has said anything specifically about the Bea...

How did the Orioles get swept by the Rangers in the ALDS? Here are 4 explanations.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

The beautiful ride that had been the 2023 Orioles’ season — the modest expectations, the consistent dominance over ostensibly mightier foes, the historic avoidance of sweeps — sped forward all spring, all summer, and into the fall. It whistled and wowed and stormed past setbacks. But with a whimper in Texas, it stalled, finally to a halt.The Orioles’ 101 regular-season wins could not help them here, in the wilderness of the postseason, as the fragility of a best-of-five series quickly crashed down on what had been a dream season.Here’s a look at some of the reasons for the early exit after Tuesday night’s 7-1 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.Starting pitching strugglesKyle Bradish was one of the best pitchers in the American League during his emergent 2023. Grayson Rodriguez looked like the first-round talent he is since being called up in July. Dean Kremer, too, was strong in the second half, postin...

The Orioles, swept in ALDS, weren’t ‘overrated.’ They were overmatched. | ANALYSIS

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

Amid a constant stream of noise from the sold-out crowd at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, chants of “overrated” briefly leaked out. Regardless of whether the jeers were directed at rookie Gunnar Henderson, who stood in the batter’s box at the time, or the Orioles at large, who spent 2023 largely as the opposite, they were misguided.The Texas Rangers’ American League Division Series sweep didn’t prove the Orioles were overrated. It simply showed them to be overmatched.“They outplayed us,” backup catcher James McCann said. “It’s just that simple. I don’t think you can really point to experience in this case. They just outplayed us, and you’ve got to tip your cap to them.”Across the three games against Texas, Baltimore led for about 10 minutes, spending much of the rest of the series facing insurmountable deficits. All 16 of manager Brandon Hyde’s pitching changes came with the Orioles losing. They...

The Supreme Court weighs whether South Carolina targeted Black voters in redistricting

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a new congressional redistricting case, this time from South Carolina, that could shape the fight for partisan control of the House of Representatives.Arguments taking place at the high court on Wednesday will focus on a coastal district that is held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. In January, a lower court ordered the district redrawn after finding that Republicans who control the state Legislature improperly moved Democratic-leaning Black voters into another district to make the seat safer for Mace in 2022. When Mace first won election in 2020, she edged Democratic incumbent Rep. Joe Cunningham by 1%, under 5,400 votes. In 2022, following redistricting driven by the 2020 census results, Mace won reelection by 14%. She is one of eight right-flank Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker.Democrats could have a shot at picking up the seat in 2024 if the district is redrawn. With Republicans holding a thin margin in the U....

In the news today: Health ministers in Charlottetown and Joly talks Israel airlifts

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Joly to provide update on Canada’s Israel airlift plansForeign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly will hold a news conference to explain how the federal government will help get Canadians out of harm’s way as a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages on for a fifth day.Joly announced Tuesday that Ottawa is planning to airlift Canadians out of Tel Aviv in “the coming days” using military aircraft.She also urged all Canadians in Israel to register with Global Affairs.Israel has vowed unprecedented retaliation against the Hamas militant group ruling the Gaza Strip after its fighters stormed through a border fence Saturday and gunned down hundreds of Israelis.Palestinians in the sealed-off Gaza Strip are struggling to find any safe area, as Israeli strikes demolish entire neighbourhoods, hospitals run low on supplies and a power blackout is ex...

Ontario NDP leader calls on MPP to retract Israel-Hamas statement

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

Ontario’s NDP leader is calling for one of her MPP’s to retract a controversial social media post made about the Israel-Hamas war.Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama posted a two-paragraph statement under Ontario NDP letterhead that made no mention of the past weekend’s surprise attack by Hamas. The Tuesday afternoon post instead chose to focus on the decades-long struggle of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, which she referred to as “apartheid.”“I call for immediate ceasefire and de-escalation,” Jama wrote. “We must look to the solution to this endless cycle of death and destruction: end all occupation of Palestinian land and end apartheid.”The social media post included the hashtag “FreePalestine.”NDP Leader Marit Stiles released her own statement in response to Jama’s comments, saying the MPP’s message was not approved by her caucus and asked her to retract the statement. Stiles called on Jama to instea...

Exxon Mobil buys Pioneer Natural in $59.5 billion deal with energy prices surging

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

Exxon Mobil is buying Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock deal valued at $59.5 billion, its largest buyout since acquiring Mobil two decades ago, and creating a colossal fracking operator in West Texas. Including debt, Exxon is committing about $64.5 billion to the acquisition, leaving no doubt of the Texas energy company’s commitment to fossil fuels as energy prices surge. Pioneer shareholders will receive 2.32 shares of Exxon for each Pioneer share they own.Exxon purchased XTO Energy in 2009 for approximately $36 billion. In the late 1990s, the merger between Exxon and Mobil was valued around $80 billion.The deal with Pioneer Natural expands Exxon’s presence in the Permian basin, a massive oilfield that straddles the border between Texas and New Mexico. Drilling the Permian accounted for 18% of all U.S. natural gas production last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Pioneer’s more than 850,000 net acres in the Midland Basin will be...

MTY Food Group reports third-quarter profit and revenue up from year ago

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

MONTREAL — MTY Food Group Inc. reported its third-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago as its revenue gained 74 per cent.The restaurant company says its net income attributable to owners totalled $38.9 million or $1.59 per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 31.The result compared with a profit of $22.4 million or 92 cents per diluted share in the same quarter last year.Revenue totalled $298.1 million, up from $171.5 million a year earlier.Same-store sales rose three per cent compared with the same quarter last year.MTY franchises and operates quick-service, fast casual and casual dining restaurants under more than 90 different banners in Canada, the United States and internationally.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:MTY)The Canadian Press

Second biggest lottery prize ever is up for grabs in Powerball drawing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After 35 straight drawings without a big winner, Powerball players will have a shot Wednesday at a near-record jackpot worth an estimated $1.73 billion.It would be the second largest of any lottery prize ever, topped only by the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November. The previous No. 2 was a $1.586 billion Powerball with three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee on Jan. 13, 2016.Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins. And wins in recent months have been few and far between.The jackpot has grown so large because there have been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner. The previous winning Powerball ticket was sold on July 19, and it was worth $1.08 billion after 39 drawings without a jackpot win.In most states, a Powerball ticket costs $2 and players can select their own numbers or leave that task t...

Music Review: Jamila Woods’ ‘Water Made Us’ showcases what we love, and loathe, about romance

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:41:09 GMT

Love can bring great joy and great pain; no wonder it is the source material for great art. For Jamila Woods, the Chicago-based neo-soul musician and poet, romantic love is a featured topic on her third studio album, “Water Made Us.”Her first full-length project since 2019’s “Legacy! Legacy!” explores all the ins and outs of love, such as falling in it (like in the up-tempo funky track “Practice”), being burned by it (the fluid R&B of “Good News”) and healing from love lost (the mid-tempo “Wolfsheep”).Before releasing her debut album, “Heavn” in 2016, Woods was known for her work as a poet.On “Water Made Us,” that talent shines through lyrics that perfectly describe the many nuances of relationships, the bliss and the tragedy. That is abundantly apparent in songs like “Wreckage Room,” where she addresses her lover, “Don’t feel sorry if you leave/Love don’t mean you saving me.”This 17-track collection highlights Woods’ soulful vocal tone, but occasionally veers into rap. It’s a r...