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4 things we heard from Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey, including a ‘Hard Knocks’ update and Ted Phillips’ role

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey had a lot to address when he met with reporters at the end of the annual NFL meetings this week at the Arizona Biltmore resort.The possibility of a new stadium. The organization’s new president. And a team in the middle of a crucial offseason.Along with his update on the stadium process, here are four things we heard from McCaskey.1. McCaskey was reminded of the depth of Kevin Warren’s connections and experience during the meetings.A couple of times McCaskey found himself walking and chatting with the new Bears president and CEO around the Biltmore when Warren veered off to talk to someone — “renewing acquaintances,” McCaskey said.Warren is finishing up his post as Big Ten commissioner, his job the last three years. Before that, he worked in the NFL for 21 years, most notably as the Minnesota Vikings chief operating officer.Warren doesn’t officially start with the Bears until April 17, but the team thought it...

Giants, Jets have installed new turf at MetLife Stadium, Giants practice facility

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

The Giants and Jets have installed new turf at MetLife Stadium, and the Giants replaced the indoor turf at their practice facility to match.The “monofilament” turf, which is similar to the Seattle Seahawks’ surface at Lumen Field, is already down and ready for the April 17 start of their offseason program, a source said.Not only that: Giants co-owner John Mara said he hopes long-term to progress toward a grass field, or at least a hybrid, for the stadium’s NFL games.He knows the stadium will need a grass pitch for the 2026 World Cup.“It would have to go down for the World Cup,” Mara said. “I foresee a day — my hope is that we can get to a day some point in the future that we can have a grass field that we’re able to maintain with two different teams and all the other events. I think we can get there at some point. Maybe it’s a hybrid product or something.”NFL players, including the union, had complained loudly about M...

Mikal Bridges explodes for 42 points, Nets beat Hawks for second straight win

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

Mikal Bridges drove the lane, hop-stepped, pump-faked to get his man in the air, then absorbed the contact, whipped the ball off the glass with English for the and-one bucket.Then he turned around and flexed for the camera before dapping up his teammate, Dorian Finney-Smith.The basket was the dagger in the Nets’ 124-107 victory over the No. 8-seeded Atlanta Hawks on Friday, a moment that prompted Hawks head coach Quin Snyder to throw in the proverbial towel and empty his bench down big with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter.It also gave Nets fans something to celebrate: First came the “Brooklyn Bridges” chants. Then came the clamors for MVP.So much of the discussion surrounding the Nets in the aftermath of the pair of mega trades that sent Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out West has centered around Brooklyn’s lack of a primary offensive weapon.It’s the reason why, prior to Wednesday’s “pretty lucky” victory over the lot...

Celtics shake off travel woes, hold off Jazz for hard-fought victory

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

Less than 24 hours after one of their best wins of the season, the Celtics could have made excuses.Travel issues made the Celtics stay an extra night in Milwaukee after their blowout win over the Bucks, and they didn’t land in Boston until about six hours before tip-off for their game against the Jazz. The visitors’ top players – including All-Star Lauri Markkanen – were out. The Celtics’ top two frontcourt players, Al Horford and Robert Williams, were also missing from the lineup.The Celtics have suffered many puzzling losses to inferior, shorthanded opponents throughout the season and about a week until the playoffs, Friday’s matchup – the second night of a back-to-back – had the ingredients for another one. But coach Joe Mazzulla wanted his team to learn from their mistakes of old and emphasized responding to wins as much as they did losses, like they did on Thursday after Tuesday’s bad loss to the Wizards. Mazzulla said Thursday’s big win over the Bucks wouldn’t matter without t...

Cole Anthony taking advantage of midrange opportunities as Magic beat Wizards

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

The Orlando Magic have a clear hierarchy in the type of field-goal attempts they want: shots near the rim, free throws and feet-set 3-pointers.The Magic are mostly successful in these desires, being top 10 in shot frequency at the rim (10th) and free-throw rate (6th). Orlando doesn’t take many 3s.But most modern defenses are designed to take away these shots, leaving one area of the floor open: the midrange.The Magic aren’t shy when it comes to taking intermediate shots and they weren’t in Friday’s 116-109 road win over the Washington Wizards (34-43) at Capital One Arena.Nearly one-third (32.2%) of their field-goal attempts come from the midrange, the 12th-highest mark in the league, including 11% (8th-highest) from “long midrange,” according to database Cleaning The Glass.“You don’t want to take away from what the game is giving you in those moments,” coach Jamahl Mosley said ahead of Friday’s win. “Early on, you wan...

Several riders rescued from SeaWorld rollercoaster: SDFD

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- First responders on Friday rescued several people from a rollercoaster that stopped working at SeaWorld San Diego, fire officials said.The incident occurred around 4:11 p.m. in the 500 block of Sea World Drive, where crews removed the riders, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department tweeted. Firefighters were clearing the scene as of 5:05 p.m.SDFD initially reported 30 were rescued, but SeaWorld San Diego spokesperson Tracy Spahr later confirmed to FOX 5 16 people were helped off the ride. Multi-vehicle crash delays traffic on I-805 Firefighters said there were no injuries.The name of the ride impacted was "Tidal Twister," Spahr told the San Diego Union-Tribune.Check back for updates on this developing story.

‘Window into history’: Tapes detail LBJ’s stolen election

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — The story was a blockbuster: A former Texas voting official was on the record detailing how nearly three decades earlier, votes were falsified to give then-congressman Lyndon B. Johnson a win that propelled the future president into the U.S. Senate.The audio recordings from Associated Press reporter James W. Mangan’s interviews for the 1977 story were posted this week on the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum’s archival website, Discover LBJ. After Mangan’s death in 2015 at the age of 87, his family found the labeled cassette tapes at his San Antonio home and donated them last summer to the library on the campus of the University at Texas at Austin. Luis Salas, the former South Texas election judge, told Mangan for the story: “Johnson did not win that election; It was stolen for him. And I know exactly how it was done.”The story, which made front pages across the country, pulled back the curtain on the razor-thin victory that had drawn suspicions eve...

Sudan delays signing of deal to usher in civilian government

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s military leaders and pro-democracy forces will delay the signing of an agreement to usher in a civilian government, both sides said in a joint statement issued early Saturday.The postponement of the signing — which had been scheduled for later Saturday — comes as key security reform negotiations between the Sudanese army and the country’s powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces appear to have reached a deadlock. A meeting will be held Sunday “to set a new date for signing the final political agreement, which could not be signed on time due to the lack of consensus on some outstanding issues,” the statement said.Sudan has been mired in chaos after a military coup, led by the country’s top Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, removed a Western-backed power-sharing government in October 2021, upending the country’s short-lived transition to democracy. But last December, the military, the RSF and numerous pro-democracy groups signed a preliminary deal vowing...

Man charged with murder in deaths of missing mom, girl

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The man named as a person of interest in the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter was charged with two counts of murder in their deaths, police in Washington state said Friday. According to a news release, detectives from the Vancouver Police Department booked Kirkland Warren for two counts of first-degree murder Friday after the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner determined Meshay Melendez, 27, and her daughter, Layla Stewart, sustained gunshot wounds to their heads. Warren was out on bail pending a long-delayed murder trial in Arkansas. When he was arrested in southwestern Washington early this month on charges that he assaulted Melendez and fired a gunshot into her apartment, he quickly posted bond and was released again.The March 22 discovery of the bodies of the mother and daughter raised questions about why someone facing a murder charge in another state would be released from custody after being arrested for a...

Raptors’ coach Nick Nurse to reflect on future at season’s end

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:24 GMT

Toronto coach Nick Nurse will take time in the offseason to consider if he wants to return to the Raptors for a sixth season or pursue other options.With the Raptors just at .500, Nurse’s name has been linked to other coaching jobs and there have been reports Toronto could be ready to move on from the coach who led them to the 2019 NBA championship.Nurse joined the Raptors in 2013 as an assistant and was promoted to head coach in 2018 after Dwane Casey was fired. Nurse would enter the final year of his contract next season.“I think I’m concentrated on this job, for sure, and this game,” Nurse said Friday. “But I think that 10 years is a good time to sit back and reflect a little bit, right? I think we’re going to do that all when the season ends.”Toronto is 38-39 and are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference after losing 117-110 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. They would need to get to sixth place over the final six games to av...