Mike Preston: Odell Beckham Jr. is a gamble the Ravens had to make | COMMENTARY

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

Mike Preston: Odell Beckham Jr. is a gamble the Ravens had to make | COMMENTARY Dire situations require desperate actions, and the Ravens made one Sunday in announcing they agreed to a one-year contract reportedly worth up to $18 million with veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.It is not known if the Ravens made the move to placate or further distance themselves in negotiations with star quarterback Lamar Jackson — though since he and Beckham were on FaceTime with each other minutes after the announcement, it’s probably the former — but the addition of Beckham has to make them better.Right?Let’s just call it another gamble by the Ravens in signing another receiver past his prime. Beckham apparently got the blessing of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who coached the wide receiver in 2019 when both were with the Cleveland Browns.Unlike the Browns, the Ravens have been considered one of the NFL’s model franchises ever since they won the first of two Super Bowl titles in 2000. But if this Beckham deal doesn’t work out a...

Cold temperatures, strong winds in store for San Diego County

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

Cold temperatures, strong winds in store for San Diego County SAN DIEGO — Cool temperatures and strong, gusty winds are in store for San Diego County as a storm system makes its way to the region, the National Weather Service said.According to NWS San Diego, the cooling trend will begin late Wednesday into Thursday, with strong winds and a chance of light precipitation.Monday morning saw dense fog along the coast, with above-average temperatures reported before the expected cooldown. As the lower pressure system moves into the region, NWS anticipates gusty west winds Wednesday afternoon through Thursday night in the desert and mountain areas. Peak winds could reach up to 50 mph in eastern parts of the county, with coastal areas experiencing gusts over 20 mph. At least 4 killed, 8 injured in shooting at Louisville bank building The marine layer is expected to deepen Monday night into Tuesday, causing lower visibility. A Dense Fog Advisory was issued by NWS for coastal areas of San Diego County until 10 a.m. Monday.The marine layer is expected...

CP NewsAlert: RCMP say Edmonton-area officer dies from injuries following crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

CP NewsAlert: RCMP say Edmonton-area officer dies from injuries following crash SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. — Alberta RCMP say an officer has died after being injured in a crash early this morning.They say the officer is a member of the Strathcona County detachment, which is just east of Edmonton.More coming.The Canadian Press

Bodies of missing musician, son recovered from Arkansas lake

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

Bodies of missing musician, son recovered from Arkansas lake BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — The bodies of a jam band musician and his adult son were recovered from an Arkansas lake more than three weeks after the two went missing during a kayaking trip, authorities said.The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that the bodies were identified as those of Chuck Morris, 47, and his 20-year-old son, Charley Morris. Chuck Morris was a percussionist who for more than two decades had been a member of the instrumental jam band Lotus.The father and son from Kansas City, Missouri, were last seen on March 16 while on a kayaking trip to Beaver Lake, The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. A search crew found their bodies over the weekend while searching the lake with an underwater drone, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.Lotus posted a statement from the Morris family on its Facebook page saying relatives had spoken with Arkansas authorities and were told the men drowned.A Facebook statement from the band said proceeds from upco...

Ukraine, Russia send home around 200 troops in prisoner swap

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

Ukraine, Russia send home around 200 troops in prisoner swap KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than 200 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have returned home in a prisoner swap, the warring countries said Monday.Russia’s Defense Ministry said 106 Russian soldiers were released from Ukrainian custody as part of an agreement with Ukraine.Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said that Russia freed 100 Ukrainian prisoners.Neither announcement mentioned whether any intermediaries were involved in the agreement.Some of the Ukrainian soldiers have severe injuries and illnesses, Yermak said in a statement published on Telegram.He added that the latest of the sporadic prisoner swaps in the war that started in February 2022 was “not an easy one.” He did not elaborate.Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War alleged that almost half of the 80 men and 20 women soldiers who returned home “have serious injuries, illnesses or have been tortured.” It presented no evidence for its claims.According to Uk...

MUST-WATCH: The video game that smashed the box office

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

MUST-WATCH: The video game that smashed the box office The greatest hero in all of video games has entered the MUST-WATCH for the first time ever! Will Japan’s greatest plumber earn the top spot, or could it go to a modern day revenge drama? Perhaps a show about the French Resistance? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!TransatlanticWhere to watch: NetflixLet’s start this week with a miniseries about fighting unjust oppression!Transatlantic is a new show about the Emergency Rescue Committee. That was a resistance group aligned with the French Resistance that attempted to help people escape from Nazi-occupied France. It was created in part by Varian Fry (played by Cory Michael Smith from Gotham), an American journalist living in France. The show takes a multi-pronged approach to the resistance, showing numerous perspectives on the incredible pains it took for anyone to flee the Nazis. This show also stars Gillian Jacobs (from Community), Corey Stoll (from Ant-Man), and Moritz Bleibtreu (from Run Lola Run).You can wa...

Police car firebombed in protest against NIreland peace deal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

Police car firebombed in protest against NIreland peace deal LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland (AP) — Demonstrators opposing the Good Friday peace agreement that ended three decades of hostilities in Northern Ireland firebombed a police car Monday in Londonderry during a march on the agreement’s 25th anniversary, officials said.Police called for calm and said no officers were injured in the attack during an otherwise peaceful demonstration. No arrests were reported.Police had warned in advance that officers could be attacked in the Creggan neighborhood during the Easter Monday parade, for which official permission had not been granted, by republicans who opposed the U.S.-brokered peace deal reached April 10, 1998.As several hundred people — many in black face masks — marched peacefully through the streets with flags, some youths in hoods and masks charged at a police Land Rover parked at the end of a street and pelted it with rocks and petrol bombs.“Our officers have come under attack in Creggan with petrol bombs and other objects thrown at...

WNBA adding charter flights for playoffs, back-to-back games

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

WNBA adding charter flights for playoffs, back-to-back games NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is adding charter flights for the entire playoffs and back-to-back regular season games this year, the league announced Monday.The league will pay for all of the flights.“It’s significant dollars,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. “Now that we have best of three and five in the semifinals and finals. … You add it up it’s a lot of flights.”The cost is expected to be around $4.5 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details haven’t been publicly released.Last year, the league chartered for the WNBA Finals as well as for the road team in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game. Since taking over in 2019, Engelbert has slowly added a few more charter opportunities for teams. She allowed playoff teams that were traveling for more than one time zone to fly charter if they only had a day between games in the past.“It’s something I’ve ...

About 35K clients still without power after ice storm; Hydro-Québec finishes repairs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

About 35K clients still without power after ice storm; Hydro-Québec finishes repairs MONTREAL — Quebec’s hydro utility says it hopes to restore power today to nearly all the tens of thousands of customers still without electricity since last week’s ice storm.Roughly 35,000 homes and businesses remained without power across Quebec as of 11 a.m. today, with the majority in the Montreal, Outaouais, Montérégie, and Laval regions. Hydro-Québec says power has been restored to over 95 per cent of the more than 1.1 million customers that were impacted after the weight of freezing rain Wednesday split tree trunks and sent branches crashing onto power lines.The utility says the “quasi totality” of customers should get power back by the end of the day, but it warns there could still be a few more complex cases that could take longer.Officials are also warning people not to use fuel-burning appliances inside after a number of reports of carbon monoxide poisoning.Montreal public health said Sunday that 180 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning had been repor...

Suburban woman found guilty after pregnant nurse kicked in stomach

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:58 GMT

Suburban woman found guilty after pregnant nurse kicked in stomach MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — A suburban woman has been found guilty after a pregnant nurse was kicked in the stomach over two years ago.Briana Veurink, 31, of Algonquin, was found guilty of aggravated battery to a nurse and aggravated battery to a pregnant woman.The decision comes after a bench trial on March 27.Witnesses testified that on Feb. 17, 2021, Veurink was at Northwestern Hospital in McHenry receiving treatment. At some point, she intentionally kicked one of the nurses in the stomach. Suburban man charged following break-in at Michael Jordan’s mansion At the time, the nurse was six months pregnant. Sentencing is scheduled for June 15.