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30 Toys Under $30 That Reviewers Say Their Kids Are “Obsessed” WithProposed auto-enrolment pensions plan labelled a 'waste of resources'Lea Miller-Tooley hopped off a call to welcome the Baylor women’s basketball team to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, where 80-degree temperatures made it easy for the Bears to settle in on Paradise Island a week before Thanksgiving. About 5,000 miles west of the Caribbean nation, similar climes awaited Maui Invitational men's teams in Hawaii. They’ve often been greeted with leis, the traditional Hawaiian welcome of friendship. College basketball teams and fans look forward to this time of the year. The holiday week tournaments feature buzzworthy matchups and all-day TV coverage, sure, but there is a familiarity about them as they help ward off the November chill. For four decades, these sandy-beach getaways filled with basketball have become a beloved mainstay of the sport itself. “When you see (ESPN’s) ‘Feast Week’ of college basketball on TV, when you see the Battle 4 Atlantis on TV, you know college basketball is back,” said Miller-Tooley, the founder and organizer of the Battle 4 Atlantis men's and women's tournaments. “Because it’s a saturated time of the year with the NFL, college football and the NBA. But when you see these gorgeous events in these beautiful places, you realize, ‘Wow, hoops are back, let’s get excited.’” The Great Alaska Shootout was the trend-setting multiple-team event (MTE) nearly five decades ago. The brainchild of late Alaska-Anchorage coach Bob Rachal sought to raise his program’s profile by bringing in national-power programs, which could take advantage of NCAA rules allowing them to exceed the maximum allotment of regular-season games if they played the three-game tournament outside the contiguous 48 states. The first edition, named the Sea Wolf Classic, saw N.C. State beat Louisville 72-66 for the title on Nov. 26, 1978. The Maui Invitational followed in November 1984, borne from the buzz of NAIA program Chaminade’s shocking upset of top-ranked Virginia and 7-foot-4 star Ralph Sampson in Hawaii two years earlier. Events kept coming, with warm-weather locales getting in on the action. The Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Cancun Challenge in Mexico. The Cayman Islands Classic. The Jamaica Classic. The Myrtle Beach Invitational joining the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. Numerous tournaments in Florida. Some events have faded away like the Puerto Rico Tipoff and the Great Alaska Shootout, the latter in 2017 amid event competition and schools opting for warm-weather locales. Notre Dame takes on Chaminade during the first half of a 2017 game in Lahaina, Hawaii. Miller-Tooley’s push to build an MTE for Atlantis began as a December 2010 doubleheader with Georgia Tech beating Richmond and Virginia Tech beating Mississippi State in a prove-it moment for a tournament’s viability. It also required changing NCAA legislation to permit MTEs in the Bahamas. Approval came in March 2011; the first eight-team Atlantis men’s tournament followed in November. That tournament quickly earned marquee status with big-name fields, with Atlantis champions Villanova (2017) and Virginia (2018) later winning that season’s NCAA title. Games run in a ballroom-turned-arena at the resort, where players also check out massive swimming pools, water slides and inner-tube rapids surrounded by palm trees and the Atlantic Ocean. “It’s just the value of getting your passport stamped, that will never get old,” Miller-Tooley said. “Watching some of these kids, this may be their first and last time – and staff and families – that they ever travel outside the United States. ... You can see through these kids’ eyes that it’s really an unbelievable experience.” ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock knows that firsthand. His Louisville team finished second at Atlantis in 2012 and won that year’s later-vacated NCAA title, with Hancock as the Final Four's most outstanding player. “I remember (then-coach Rick Pitino) saying something to the effect of: ‘Some of you guys might never get this opportunity again. We’re staying in this unbelievable place, you’re doing it with people you love,’” Hancock said. “It was a business trip for us there at Thanksgiving, but he definitely had a tone of ‘We’ve got to enjoy this as well.’” Maui offers similar vibes, though 2024 could be a little different as Lahaina recovers from deadly 2023 wildfires that forced the event's relocation last year. North Carolina assistant coach Sean May played for the Tar Heels’ Maui winner in 2004 and was part of UNC’s staff for the 2016 champion, with both teams later winning the NCAA title. May said “you just feel the peacefulness” of the area — even while focusing on games — and savors memories of the team taking a boat out on the Pacific Ocean after title runs under now-retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams. “Teams like us, Dukes, UConns – you want to go to places that are very well-run,” May said. “Maui, Lea Miller with her group at the Battle 4 Atlantis, that’s what drives teams to come back because you know you’re going to get standard A-quality of not only the preparation but the tournament with the way it’s run. Everything is top-notch. And I think that brings guys back year after year.” That’s why Colorado coach Tad Boyle is so excited for the Buffaloes’ first Maui appearance since 2009. “We’ve been trying to get in the tournament since I got here,” said Boyle, now in his 15th season. And of course, that warm-weather setting sure doesn’t hurt. “If you talk about the Marquettes of the world, St. John’s, Providence – they don’t want that cold weather,” said NBA and college TV analyst Terrence Oglesby, who played for Clemson in the 2007 San Juan Invitational in Puerto Rico. “They’re going to have to deal with that all January and February. You might as well get a taste of what the sun feels like.” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo argues a call during the first half of a Nov. 16 game against Bowling Green in East Lansing, Michigan. Mi zzo is making his fourth trip to Maui. The men’s Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, got things rolling last week with No. 11 Tennessee routing No. 13 Baylor for the title. The week ahead could boast matchups befitting the Final Four, with teams having two weeks of action since any opening-night hiccups. “It’s a special kickoff to the college basketball season,” Oglesby said. “It’s just without the rust.” On the women’s side, Atlantis began its fourth eight-team women’s tournament Saturday with No. 16 North Carolina and No. 18 Baylor, while the nearby Baha Mar resort follows with two four-team women’s brackets that include No. 2 UConn, No. 7 LSU, No. 17 Mississippi and No. 20 N.C. State. Then come the men’s headliners. The Maui Invitational turns 40 as it opens Monday back in Lahaina. It features second-ranked and two-time reigning national champion UConn, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 10 North Carolina. The Battle 4 Atlantis opens its 13th men’s tournament Wednesday, topped by No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 16 Indiana and No. 17 Arizona. Michigan State Hall of Famer Tom Izzo is making his fourth trip to Maui, where he debuted as Jud Heathcote’s successor at the 1995 tournament. Izzo's Spartans have twice competed at Atlantis, last in 2021. “They’re important because they give you something in November or December that is exciting,” Izzo said. Any drawbacks? “It’s a 10-hour flight,” he said of Hawaii. Mike Tyson, left, slaps Jake Paul during a weigh-in ahead of their heavyweight bout, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal serves during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) A fan takes a picture of the moon prior to a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 between Uruguay and Colombia in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich) Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark reacts after missing a shot on the 18th hole in the final round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) fails to pull in a pass against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson) Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, top right, scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) India's Tilak Varma jumps in the air as he celebrates after scoring a century during the third T20 International cricket match between South Africa and India, at Centurion Park in Centurion, South Africa, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski warms up before facing the Seattle Kraken in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Kansas State players run onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Arizona State Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) A fan rapped in an Uruguay flag arrives to the stands for a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) People practice folding a giant United States flag before an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brazil's Marquinhos attempts to stop the sprinklers that were turned on during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Venezuela at Monumental stadium in Maturin, Venezuela, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Georgia's Georges Mikautadze celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the UEFA Nations League, group B1 soccer match between Georgia and Ukraine at the AdjaraBet Arena in Batumi, Georgia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili) Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque, right, attempts to score while Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) and Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) keep the puck out of the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt) Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Italy goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario misses the third goal during the Nations League soccer match between Italy and France, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) President-elect Donald Trump attends UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Fans argue in stands during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between France and Israel at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Thursday Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova hits a return against Danielle Collins, of the United States, during a tennis match at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Malaga, southern Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) falls after driving to the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against New Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) England's Anthony Gordon celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between England and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Katie Taylor, left, lands a right to Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner, right, tackles Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington, left, on a punt return during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) UConn's Paige Bueckers (5) battles North Carolina's Laila Hull, right, for a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown) Get local news delivered to your inbox!
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday questioned the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) ability to be accountable in Government given the party leaders’ refusal to answer questions relating to 2015 to 2020 when they served as ministers in the Coalition government. Jagdeo was at the time referring to a restriction placed on media practitioners during a recent AFC media conference where Executive Member Cathy Hughes narrowed questions to specific topics. She further stated that questions relating to five years ago –when her party was in Government –will not be addressed. “I really want you to pose questions that are topical to the issues we are discussing today. We are not prepared to entertain questions that go back four or five years,” Hughes told reporters in the presence of the AFC’s Leader Nigel Hughes, Chairman David Patterson and Executive Member Khemraj Ramjattan. The audio was replayed by Jagdeo at Thursday’s press conference where he pointed out that clarifications for decisions made five years ago is a form of showing accountability. “If they can’t be accountable now, how would they be accountable if they have political power?” he questioned adding that “it’s a kind of arrogance they had when they had political power, they brought it back out into the opposition.” The PPP General Secretary outlined that there are several issues during the APNU+AFC’s tenure which the party members can shed light on including the negotiation of the current Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil and the issuance of contracts from Cathy Hughes former Ministry of Telecommunications to a company she owned. “How could you take the political party like this seriously when the entire leadership...says we will tell you what you can ask and we will not take questions from the past?” Jagdeo emphasised. In contrast, Jagdeo, who is also the country’s Vice President, noted that he can answer any question posed to him about his party, even if it predates his presidency. “If you ask me about a question from the 1950s when the party was formed, I will take your questions and give you an answer,” he told reporters.The Atlanta Falcons continue to stand by the faltering Kirk Cousins after he was upstaged by Sam Darnold on a brutal return to Minnesota . On Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings secured an epic 42-21 win over the Falcons . Cousins endured a difficult return to Minnesota, as the veteran was outclassed by Darnold while his staggering midseason slump continued. Darnold threw for 347 yards and a career-high five touchdowns to post a 157.9 rating in the win over Atlanta. On the other side, Cousins threw for 344 yards without a score, tossing two interceptions with a 70.1 rating. Terry Bradshaw gives verdict on Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni Aaron Rodgers cruelly denied chance to enjoy Jets breakthrough he warned Dolphins about Earlier this offseason, Cousins signed a four-year deal worth up to $180 million to head to the NFC South. His exit in free agency brought an end to his six-year run with the Vikings, where he twice led the franchise to the playoffs. Last season, Cousins was arguably playing the best football of his career before going down with his season-ending Achilles injury. He is now struggling for form in Atlanta, with cries for rookie quarterback Michael Penix to be inserted getting louder with each passing week . Remarkably, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris continues to resist bringing in Penix by throwing his weight behind the misfiring Cousins. Morris told reporters: “Everything is always discussed when you go watch the tape, but Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. Kirk played significantly better than he did the week before. We’ll do whatever is best to win football games, and Kirk is definitely a part of that.” Follow us on X for the best and latest in sports news When asked if he considered bringing in Penix against the Vikings, Morris declared: “Not today. Not today. I wanted to go finish his deal out here in Minnesota, and go out and play the game like he wanted to play. That was my decision, and my decision alone.” While Cousins headed to Atlanta, the Vikings inked Darnold to a one-year deal before selecting J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft . The move proved to be inspired; Darnold has led the Vikings to an 11-2 record with the journeyman quarterback enjoying a phenomenal season. Cousins threw two interceptions in Minnesota, giving him no touchdowns and eight picks in his past four games - all losses - as the Falcons' hold on the division continues to loosen. Ultimately, Darnold outplayed Cousins in every metric on a torrid return for the veteran. Given their incredible, unexpected success, the Vikings will have a decision to make in the offseason. McCarthy should be healthy enough to step in as the starter, but if Darnold wins a playoff game or two, a serious conversation regarding his future will be had. He is set to hit free agency once again, with his form likely to lead to a lucrative long-term deal. The 11-2 Vikings are next in action against the Chicago Bears while the 6-7 Falcons will hope to get back to winning ways on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders . Both contests are on Monday Night Football on Dec. 16. Want to watch more live sports? Peacock has your favorite sports, shows, and more all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 so you can stream live sports like NFL, Premier League, and Big Ten Football.
AP News Summary at 3:22 p.m. EST
Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, poll finds
Lincoln Academy Honor Roll
Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, poll finds
NoneSANTA ANA — California will appeal a judge’s decision to reject a state lawsuit over a measure allowing the city of Huntington Beach to require voter identification at the polls, officials said Thursday. State officials said they plan to continue to fight over the measure — passed by voters in March in the coastal city of 200,000 people — in the court of appeal. An Orange County Superior Court judge last month found it was too soon for the state to bring litigation over the local law, which allows the city to implement voter identification requirements in 2026. “With preparations for the 2026 elections beginning late next year, we want and need a state appellate court to weigh in expeditiously,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. Michael Gates, Huntington Beach’s city attorney, said he supports the court’s ruling and noted that the voting public supported the local measure. “Voter ID in Huntington Beach is the law of our land here, it’s our Constitutional right, and, it’s here to stay – I will make sure of that,” Gates wrote in an email. Related Story: Measure Allows for Increased Voting Sites and Ballot Box Monitoring The Huntington Beach measure also lets the city increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections. The state sued, saying the measure violates state law and could disenfranchise poor, non-white, elderly and disabled voters, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed into a law a state measure banning local governments from establishing laws requiring residents to provide identification to vote. Related Story: Huntington Beach, which has been dubbed “Surf City USA” and is known for its scenic shoreline dotted with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on issues ranging from immigration to housing. The city is led by a politically conservative city council, and the GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 57,000 registered voters versus 42,000 Democrats, county data shows.
Biden says the US believes journalist Austin Tice is alive after disappearing in Syria in 2012FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Wade Taylor IV scored 19 points, Zhuric Phelps hit a go-ahead 3-pointer during an 11-0 run and finished with 12 points, and 22nd-ranked Texas A&M beat Texas Tech 72-67 on Sunday in the first meeting of the former conference rivals since 2012. Phelps' 3 with 7 1/2 minutes left made it 54-52 and put the Aggies (8-2) ahead to stay. His step-back jumper after hard contact with Tech's Kevin Overton capped the game-turning spurt. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.
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