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UMass needs to blast off early against the Toledo Rockets

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

UMass (1-5) can salvage a disappointing three-game homestand with a victory over the Toledo Rockets on Saturday (noon) at McGuirk Stadium.The Minutemen opened the stretch with hard-luck losses to New Mexico and Arkansas State, and the Rockets are the toughest opponent of the three.The Rockets are 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the West Division of the MAC and they clobbered the Minutemen 55-10 last season. The need for a win takes on greater urgency because UMass plays at No. 6 Penn State on Oct. 14.“We’ve got to have it,” said UMass coach Don Brown, who is in the second season of his massive rebuilding process. “Obviously we are healthier on the offensive side and that’s a good thing and we just have to get off on the right foot and go fast.“That’s really been our push and we’ve met on it as a staff and the approaches we can make. We are working hard so we can be ready to go when the gun goes off.”Getting off to a fast start has been nonexistent for the Minutemen since they rolled New Mexico ...

Biden administration plans to add to Trump border wall in Texas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

The Biden administration plans to construct several more miles of border barriers along the Rio Grande River in Texas, one of the busiest spots for migrants coming from Mexico.In a public notice filed Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would waive environmental and tribal land protections to speed construction of the wall due to an “acute and immediate need.”The Border Patrol encountered more than 245,000 people attempting to cross the border in the area during the 2023 fiscal year, according to the notice.President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would focus on border security at ports of entry and mocked Donald Trump’s attempts to build a border wall as ineffectual, saying “there will not be another foot of wall constructed” if he were elected.The determination — which DHS said was “necessary” under current law — comes as Republican lawmakers are demanding border security measures as a condition of funding the government.Some Democrats, includin...

8 fresh paperbacks to kick off fall reading season

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

Moira Macdonald | The Seattle Times (TNS)Paperback picksFall reading has officially begun! Let’s all assemble, on our respective armchairs and with our respective favorite beverages, and devour a book or two. Should you be in need of something fresh, here are a handful of brand-new paperbacks. Happy reading!“Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces 2004-2022” by Margaret Atwood (Knopf, $19). This is the third essay collection from the Booker Prize- winning author of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Testaments” and numerous other works of fiction and nonfiction. In it, she reflects on the Obama and Trump eras, the #MeToo movement, the pandemic, the death of her longtime companion (author Graeme Gibson), “Anne of Green Gables” and more. Throughout, wrote a Guardian reviewer, “Atwood remains frank, honest and good company.”“The Hacienda” by Isabel Cañas (Penguin, $17). Irresistibly described by its publisher as &...

Boston College defense on the lookout for Army’s shifting offense

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

Mike linebacker Vinny DePalma is the eyes of the Boston College defense and he expects to see a myriad of different looks when the Eagles engage the Cadets of Army on Saturday (noon) at Michi Stadium.BC improved to 2-3 and 1-2 in the ACC with last Saturday’s 27-24 win over Virginia and has an opportunity to be .500 going into the bye week. Army (2-2) is one of the four FBS independent programs.Army coach Jeff Monken has gotten away from his total commitment to the Flexbone attack. The Flexbone is an adaptive version of the triple option derived from the original Wishbone offense instituted at Texas by coach Darrell Royal in the late 1960’s.Army still uses the triple option in certain situations, but the Cadets have updated to a modern passing game and employ multiple sets and formations. In other words, the Black Knights of the Hudson are a hard read.“Army has always been kind of unique on offense but from what we’ve seen they have changed from the traditional wishbone triple option...

Donald Trump may visit the Capitol to address Republicans as they pick a new speaker, AP sources say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is in talks to visit Capitol Hill next week as Republicans debate who should be the next speaker of the House following Kevin McCarthy’s stunning ouster, according to three people familiar with the talks.Some on the far right have floated the idea of Trump as a speaker candidate — perhaps on an interim basis. One of the people cautioned that if Trump goes ahead with the visit, he would be there to talk with Republican lawmakers and not to pitch himself for the role. Trump would most likely attend a closed-door candidate forum that Republicans plan to hold Tuesday evening, ahead of a vote that could happen as soon as Wednesday.The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement.Trump is being encouraged to run by a small group of far-right allies including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. McCarthy, of Californ...

X removes article headlines in latest platform update, widening a rift with news media

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — X, formerly known as Twitter, has stopped showing headlines on articles shared on the platform. Now, X only displays an article’s lead image and a link to the story.Plans for the change were first reported by Fortune in August, when owner Elon Musk confirmed in a post that he thought the change— which came from him “directly” — would “greatly improve the esthetics” of posts.Linked articles now appear as an image, and include text in the left-hand corner noting the domain of the link. Users must click on the image if they wish to visit the full article, which could lead to confusion. Musk’s platform has been the target of a lot of criticism recently, including accusations by a top European Union official who said that X has “the largest ratio of mis- or disinformation posts.” The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil-rights organization, has accused Musk of allowing antisemitis...

Raves popping up beneath San Diego freeways are 'extremely dangerous': CHP

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- California Highway Patrol Sgt. Brian Pennings joined FOX 5 Wednesday to discuss the dangers of raves that have been popping up beneath San Diego freeways."Partygoers are finding these secluded places, industrial parks and whatnot, underneath freeway overcrossings and remote locations, and they're putting up these impromptu gatherings," Pennings said.Three major raves were held in the San Diego area this summer, Pennings said. These parties are attended by hundreds to thousands of people, Pennings said, adding that the largest one he has seen consisted of 2,500 partygoers. SDSU places seven fraternities on interim suspension Pennings says these raves are dangerous because they're often held in areas not meant for pedestrians, such as construction zones or riverbeds. These areas are dark, and the alcohol and drug use makes the activity even more unsafe."We had one here locally underneath the 805 where they had literally full access up the path to the center divide of th...

US officials bring concerns about migration to meetings in Mexico

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. officials worried by rising migration took their concerns south of the border this week with separate trips to Mexico City by high-level Biden administration officials and New York City’s mayor.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed migration with his Mexican counterpart Alicia Bárcena, as well as foreign ministers from Panama and Colombia, Wednesday. Talks were scheduled to continue Thursday, including a meeting between U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.López Obrador said Thursday during his daily news briefing that Mexico has reiterated in talks its position that there should be investment to spur development in the countries that migrants leave.“The people don’t abandon their towns because they want to, but rather out of necessity,” the president said. He also criticized the Biden administration’s announcement yesterday that it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wa...

Maryland Supreme Court weighs victims’ rights in case of Adnan Syed from ‘Serial’ podcast

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland Supreme Court on Thursday scrutinized a hearing that vacated Adnan Syed ’s murder conviction last year and released him after more than two decades behind bars, as the victim’s family says they weren’t given adequate opportunity to take part in the proceeding.Syed’s case, chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial,” has been fraught with legal twists and divided court rulings for decades. The arguments Thursday before Maryland’s highest court were no exception.Among the issues discussed were whether Syed’s 2000 murder conviction should still be reinstated after a recent appellate court decision ruled in favor of the family, as well as the extent to which Maryland crime victims have a right to participate in hearings on whether to vacate a conviction. The panel of seven justices will release their ruling in the coming weeks or months. Ultimately, Syed’s freedom hangs in the balance. While unlikely, he could eventually be sent back to prison for lif...

Biden says he had to use Trump-era funds for the border wall. Asked if barriers work, he says ‘No’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday defended his administration’s decision to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow for construction of roughly 20 miles of additional border wall, saying he had no choice but to use the Trump-era funding for the barrier to stop illegal migration from Mexico.Asked if he thought such walls work, he said flatly, “No.”The new construction was announced in June, but the funds were appropriated in 2019 before the Democratic president took office. Biden said he tried to get lawmakers to redirect the money but Congress refused, and the law requires the funding to be used as approved and the construction to be completed in 2023. “The money was appropriated for the border wall,” Biden said. “I can’t stop that.”Still, the waiving of federal laws for the construction — something also done when Republican Donald Trump was president — raised questions, particularly because Biden condemned border wall spending when he was running for the...