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NFL notebook: How the Patriots could extend Matt Judon, Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche on fair contracts

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

Much like their end-zone militia before a Mac Jones touchdown pass, the Patriots’ front office is keeping its powder dry.The Pats own the third-cheapest roster in the NFL, per Over The Cap. They are scheduled to rank dead last or second-to-last in cash spending for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons. It’s a prove-it year in New England, and all Bill Belichick’s front office has proven since the end of last season is they – or perhaps owner Robert Kraft – are more patient and frugal than their frustrated fanbase.The question is: why? What are the Patriots waiting for? Why aren’t they exhausting more resources to build a roster that can reach the championship standard the team established for two decades and claims to be pursuing now?Basically, who are they planning to pay?Considering the barren free-agent market, start with the players inside the building.Six of the Pats’ projected starters are entering contract years, and a seventh – outs...

Supporters of Niger’s coup march through the capital, waving Russian flags and denouncing France

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Thousands of supporters of the junta that took over Niger in a coup earlier this week marched through the streets of the capital, Niamey, on Sunday waving Russian flags, chanting the name of the Russian president and forcefully denouncing former colonial power France. The protestors marched through the city to the French Embassy and a door was lit on fire, according to someone who was at the embassy when it happened and videos seen by The AP. Black smoke could bee seen rising from across the city. The Nigerien army broke up crowd of the protesters. Russian mercenary group Wagner is already operating in neighboring Mali, and Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to expand his country’s influence in the region. However, it is unclear yet whether the new junta leaders are going to move toward Moscow or stick with Niger’s Western partners. Days after after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger’s democratically elected president, uncertainty is mount...

TTC to increase subway wait times at night on both Line 1 and 2

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

The TTC is increasing wait times for nighttime subway service on both Line 1 and Line 2 starting this week as part of a series of updated route and service changes.Starting Monday, the wait time between trains from 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday to Friday on both the Yonge-University and Bloor-Danforth lines will be five minutes, an increase of one minute from the current wait time. After 10 p.m., the wait time between trains on Yonge-University will also be five minutes, an increase of two minutes from the current standard, while the wait time between trains on the Bloor-Danforth line goes up to six minutes.Transit advocate groups say one minute might not sound like much but any delay creates a ripple effect which means a longer wait time overall and may cause riders to miss possible surface connections, which could mean an additional 15 or 20 minute wait for the next bus or streetcar due to previous cuts made on those routes. No reason was given for the increased wait times but the tra...

Shooting wounds 5 people in Michigan with 2 victims in critical condition, police say

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An early morning shooting Sunday in Michigan wounded five people, including two who were listed in critical condition, police said.Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 1 a.m., the Lansing Police Department said in a statement.The five victims who were transported to a hospital by the Lansing Fire Department ranged in age from 16 to 26 years old, police said.There was a large crowd at the scene when officers arrived, prompting Lansing police to ask for assistance from other jurisdictions. Several people were detained, and officers found multiple firearms, police said.In February, a gunman killed three students and injured five others in a shooting at Michigan State University in neighboring East Lansing. Students sheltered in place for four hours on the campus about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit while hundreds of officers searched for the shooter. Suspect Anthony McRae, 43, killed himself when confronted by police near his home in ...

‘Complacency’ blamed for N.S. struggles with flooding, other climate disasters

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

HALIFAX — On the night floodwaters swept through his Nova Scotia county, taking lives and tearing out bridges, Doug Pynch says he had trouble believing an emergency alert that flashed across his phone.It called for residents to evacuate to a civic centre in Newport, N.S., a community that was already seeing water accumulating in low-lying areas. The retired deputy fire chief said he soon found himself having to transport people in his large truck, as cars couldn’t cross an intersection where water was pooling.“That alert distracted us from doing other things, rescues that needed to be done. Now we had multiple other situations we had to deal with first,” he said in an interview this week. “I couldn’t allow them to drive through that water.”In portions of Halifax and central Nova Scotia, as an estimated 250 millimetres of rain fell last weekend, similar confusion and improvisation was unfolding, in what some experts say is the latest example of the provi...

Woman killed, 8 others injured in North Lawndale shooting overnight

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

CHICAGO -- A woman is dead and eight other women are injured after a group of individuals opened fired in North Lawndale overnight.According to police, the group of women were gathering near the 1500 block of South Keeler Avene around 12:51 a.m. when a black jeep approached, and multiple individuals exited the jeep and began shooting. Police said a total of nine women were stuck by gunfire. A 21-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound to the face and was transported to the hospital in critical condition She was pronounced dead a short time after.Another woman, 28, sustained eight gunshot wounds to the torso and was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Another woman, 33, sustained a graze wound to the stomach and is listed in good condition. Woman dead after incident in Lake Michigan, found pinned beneath boat: CFD Another woman suffered a graze wound to the right arm and is also in good condition. A 28-year-old woman was also shot in the right knee. She is in good ...

Texas renter says air conditioning has been on the fritz for nearly two months

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, TX (KXAN) – Daniel Bowers is having trouble keeping his shorts up.“They fall down,” he said as he pulled at their waist. “If I try to hold them at my waist, I’ve got that much extra.”“I’m estimating I’ve lost 15 pounds” he added.Daniel Bowers shows the extra space in his shorts. He says the heat in his home made him lose his appetite (KXAN Photo/Richie Bowes)Bowers estimates he's lost around 15 pounds since his AC went out in late May (KXAN Photo/Richie Bowes)But the software account executive is not celebrating his weight loss because he’s not trying to lose weight.“It was very much an involuntary weight loss program,” Bowers said.Bowers, who was recently diagnosed with heat exhaustion, said he’s suffering physically and mentally.“I haven’t had much of an appetite because my house has been 85 degrees for a month,” he said. City department says it’s working to fix AFD vehicle AC issues According to Bowers, the air conditioning in the Pflugerville home he rents hasn’t...

What you need to earn to be among the top 1% in Texas

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A new analysis shows how much you need to make to be in Texas’ top 1% of income earners compared to other states. In Texas, the median household income is $67,321 a year, according to 2021 Census data. To qualify as the top 1% of earners in the state, one would have to earn over $631,849 a year. Texas has the 14th highest 1% threshold in the country, per the SmartAsset study. MORE: $100K paychecks go furthest in these Texas cities SmartAsset analyzed IRS and Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the income required to be in the top 1% of earners for each state. The state with the highest 1% threshold is Connecticut. There, folks would need to earn $952,902 to be in the top 1% of households. Income equality has been on the rise in the U.S. and Texas — from 2011 to 2022, the rate increased by about 1.2%. The top 1% of earners in the U.S. hold almost as much wealth as the bottom 90% of earners in the U.S., according to Princeton Economics. Texas has a high...

Video shows police officer threaten to use Taser on suspect's genitals

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) -- A Vancouver, Washington, police officer is facing fourth-degree assault charges after an incident in a Walmart parking lot during which the officer was recorded threatening to use a Taser against a suspect's genitals, authorities announced Thursday.Vancouver police say Officer Andrea Mendoza, who has been with the department for seven years, was placed on administrative leave three days after the May incident.The incident was captured on the officers' body cameras as well as security footage from Wal-Mart’s camera. The video is graphic in nature and viewer discretion is advised.“The actions of the officer who deployed the Taser in the video are disturbing,” said Vancouver Police Chief Jeff Mori. “I want to emphasize to the community that my expectation is that at all times, our personnel serve the public with professionalism, compassion and respect. Our department process includes supervisor review of all use-of-force incidents. Upon review of this inciden...

Texas boy airlifted after gruesome pit bull attack, authorities say

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:28 GMT

Warning: This story contains graphic information. BEXAR COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Texas teenager was airlifted to a local hospital after he was attacked by up to six pit bulls, authorities said.At a press conference Thursday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that they received a 911 call of a dog bite at a vacant home in far north Bexar County. Deputies arrived and began knocking at other doors when the lady at one of the homes told deputies "he's not moving."Deputies went inside the home where they found a 13-year-old boy suffering from severe dog bites, Salazar said. One of the deputies on scene was a tactical medic, with specialized gear to administer aid to the boy."He actually told us that the bites that he had seen were some of the worst wounds he had seen on a person," Salazar said.According to Salazar, the boy had "chunks of flesh" missing from his back and his face, with over 50 puncture wounds across his body. It was determined that the boy was at the home ...