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Callahan: Patriots offense realizing its highest hopes and worst fears in the preseason

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

Picture Week 1 at Gillette Stadium.Tom Brady is waving from a luxury box to deafening applause on a muggy afternoon.The Eagles trot out to a chorus of boos courtesy of a sold-out crowd still stung by Super Bowl LII.Kickoff arrives, Marcus Jones weaves to the 32-yard line on his return, and here comes the Patriots offense.What does it look like after a few plays?Is Mac Jones under center or flat on his back?Is Kendrick Bourne running into open space with the ball tucked under his right arm or is he frustrated and locked up in man coverage?Who’s starting on the offensive line? Is it a full complement of healthy starters — as the Patriots hope — or the ragtag group currently sowing deep anxiety across a fan base?Whatever your vision, some piece of that fantasy has come to life this summer. Over more than a dozen practices and now two preseason games, the Patriots offense is realizing both its highest hopes and worst fears. The unit has become a Rorschach test.What you see is a re...

Patriots-Packers suspend play after Isaiah Bolden carted off field on back board

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

The Patriots and Packers suspended play with 10:29 left in Saturday’s preseason game after Pats rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden was carted off of the field on a backboard.“Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden sustained an injury during the fourth quarter of tonight’s game,” the team announced. “He had feeling in all his extremities, but has been taken to a local hospital for further tests and observation.”Bolden was injured after taking a hit from teammate Calvin Munson on a 7-yard catch by Packers rookie receiver Malik Heath while Bolden was in coverage and Munson was coming over from linebacker to make the tackle.Head official John Hussey announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, at the agreement of both head coaches and team leadership, we have elected to suspend play for the evening. The game is officially over. Thank you.”That came after Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and special-teams captain Matthew Slater and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had met at midfield.“We...

Hilary downgraded again to Category 1 hurricane as Mexico and California brace for storm's impact

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Hilary roared toward Mexico’s Baja California peninsula late Saturday as a downgraded but still dangerous Category 1 hurricane likely to bring “catastrophic” flooding to the region and cross into the southwestern U.S. as a tropical storm.The National Weather Center in Miami said in the most recent advisory at 9 p.m. that the maximum sustained wind speed is 90 mph and the storm was about 175 miles (281 kilometers) south of Punta Eugenia, Mexico, and 535 miles (855 kilometers) from San Diego, California.Meteorologists warned that despite weakening, the storm remained treacherous.One person drowned Saturday in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia, on the peninsula’s eastern coast, when a vehicle was swept away in an overflowing stream. Rescue workers managed to save four other people, said Edith Aguilar Villavicencio, the mayor of Mulege township.It was not immediately clear whether officials considered the fatality related to the hurricane, but vid...

Tanker believed to hold sanctioned Iran oil begins to be offloaded near Texas despite Tehran threats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An American-owned oil tanker long suspected of carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil began offloading its cargo near Texas late Saturday, tracking data showed, even as Tehran has threatened to target shipping in the Persian Gulf over it.The fate of the cargo aboard the Suez Rajan has become mired in the wider tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic, even as Tehran and Washington work toward a trade of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea for the release of five Iranian-Americans held in Tehran. Already, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned that those involved in offloading the cargo “should expect to be struck back.” The U.S. Navy has increased its presence steadily in recent weeks in the Mideast, deploying the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan and considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran from seizing additional ships.Ship-t...

Man, 19, charged in vicious assault, death of man in Moss Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of another man who was viciously assaulted before being struck by a vehicle in downtown Toronto last week. Police say 54-year-old Douglas James MacDonald was physically attacked by a man on the west side of Sherbourne Street just north of Queen Street East just before 11 p.m. on August 15. As MacDonald attempted to flee his attacker, he stumbled and fell onto the roadway, where the attack continued.The suspect then fled the scene on a bicycle.Police say seconds later, a car travelling northbound on Sherbourne Street struck MacDonald as he lay on the roadway.“It was a violent attack, it appeared to be very one-sided with Mr. MacDonald simply defending himself throughout,” Det. Sgt. Brandon Price said in an update to the case on Thursday. Police say following an investigation, 19-year-old Wenzile Ndlangamandla of Toronto was arrested without incident on Saturday and is facing a charge of second degree murder.

As world warms, Sweden sees opportunity to grow its young wine industry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

NYHAMNSLÄGE, Sweden (AP) — It’s mid-afternoon in late summer and a fresh North Sea breeze blows through the vines at Kullabergs Vingård, a vineyard and winery at the vanguard of producers seeking to redefine what Swedish wine can be.Scandinavia isn’t exactly what connoisseurs would define as prime wine country and commercial vineyards are still tiny compared to France, Italy or Spain. But with climate change making for warmer and longer growing seasons, and new varieties of grapes adapted to this landscape, the bouquet of Swedish wines is maturing nicely.As drought, rising heat and other extreme weather events are forcing traditional wine-growing regions to reassess their methods, Swedish winemaking is shifting from mostly small-scale amateurs to an industry with growing ambition.Kullabergs Vingård stretches over 14 hectares (about 34 acres) and most of the vines were planted less than a decade ago. By 2022, the winery had reached an annual output of over 30,000 bottles — most...

Ron Cephas-Jones, ‘This Is Us’ actor who won 2 Emmys, dies at 66

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series “This Is Us,” has died at age 66, a representative said Saturday. Jones’ manager, Dan Spilo, said in an emailed statement the actor he died “due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.” “Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” Spilo said. Jones had a double lung transplant in 2020 because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and spent nearly two months in a Los Angeles hospital. On “This Is Us,” Jones played William “Shakespeare” Hill, a biological father whose life is renewed through his relationship with the family of his son Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K. Brown. “One of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us,” Brown said in an Instagram post after...

'She wanted to be a dental hygenist:' Grandmother remembers granddaughter after fatal West Side shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

CHICAGO — Two teens were shot in the Austin neighborhood late Saturday afternoon, and one is dead, according to multiple sources.The Chicago Police Department said a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were in a park in the 5700 block of West Bloomingdale Avenue around 4:10 p.m. when they were both shot by an unknown gunman. The 17-year-old girl, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Ashuntice Wilburn, was shot in the buttocks and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, where she later died."She wanted to be a dental hygenist," said Patty Ringo, Ashuntice's grandmother. "She helped me with all kinds of activities ... She volunteered in the community, she was an exceptional person, [an] exceptional individual."According to community activist Andrew Holmes, the family is in shock, as Ashuntice was preparing to start her senior year in high school Monday."We spoke with her father. He is grieving and he is hurting," Holmes said. "He told us he had just r...

14-year-old boy dead after Calumet Heights shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

CHICAGO — A 14-year-old boy is dead after a shooting in Calumet Heights Saturday evening, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said officers were called to the 8700 block of South Cregier Avenue around 6:50 p.m., where they found a 14-year-old boy who had been shot in the head and chest.The boy was initially taken to Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, where he later was pronounced dead. 2 teens shot, 1 killed, after fatal Austin shooting If you or someone you know has information that can help lead police toward making an arrest and conviction in the investigation of this incident, CPD encourages you to file an anonymous tip online at cpdtip.com.Police have no one in custody.

Reset helped Saints reliever Austin Schulfer put struggles behind

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:48 GMT

The Saints bullpen, solid all season, has been particularly stingy of late, leading Triple-A baseball with an earned-run average of 2.78 in the month of August.The group has been led by right-hander Austin Schulfer, who has made five appearances this month, allowing one run in seven innings for an earned-run average of 1.29. The 27-year-old Schulfer has put himself in position to be a late-season addition to the Twins.“When he’s at his best he’s attacking the zone early, getting early strikes and putting guys away without giving them much of a chance to get back into counts,” said Saints pitching coach Pete Larson prior to the Saints’ 5-4 loss to Indianapolis on Saturday at CHS Field.“Sometimes when he does have a little bit of a struggle it hasn’t really been falling behind, it’s not putting hitters away.”There was nothing “little” about the struggles Schulfer went through midway through the season.Through the first 66 games, Schulfer was a force out of the bullpen, and fulfilling ...