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East Tennessee State won its fourth straight men’s basketball game Saturday at Freedom Hall Civic Center in a contest which the Bucs dominated statistically. The Bucs defeated Austin Peay 79-57 with advantages in rebounds, assists, fast-break points and points in the paint. ETSU (6-2) held a 46-29 rebounding advantage, including 15-8 on the offensive glass. The Bucs had 20 assists to 10 for the Governors, held an 18-2 advantage in fast-break points and outscored them 42-24 in the paint. “We had 20 assists on 30 made baskets,” ETSU coach Brooks Savage said. “In the first half, I thought we turned some (shots) down. But, they’re so unselfish. Especially in today’s world, I’d rather them be like that. They share it and I’m really proud of how they’re focused and together.” John Buggs III was the leading scorer with 15 points, going 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Quimari Peterson led the way with 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while only having one turnover. Jaden Seymour finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Karon Boyd, held to two points in the first half, had a stretch in the second half where he scored 10 straight for the Bucs. “I wasn’t worried about that. I was trying to stop their best player, No. 4 (LJ Thomas),” Boyd said. “Then, it was time for me to execute on offense. We’re trying to be player-led to pass up a good shot to get a great shot.” The Bucs got off to a fast start with an early 21-9 advantage. They were able to take a 35-28 lead into the half. They pushed the lead to 46-34 on a 3-point shot by Buggs III and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way. “We tried to come out with a bunch of intensity, punch them early,” Buggs said. “We see our chemistry coming together, putting each other in position to succeed.” Thomas, a NC State transfer, led Austin Peay with 15 points. Tate McCubbin had 10 points and seven rebounds. Savage liked the contributions throughout the ETSU roster with nine Bucs playing 12 minutes or more. They included Gabe Sisk with eight points and Maki Johnson with six points on a pair of 3-point buckets. Roosevelt Wheeler totaled six points and seven rebounds in place of Davion Bradford, who turned his ankle earlier in the day. “Roosevelt Wheeler has continued to work hard,” Savage said. “I say it all the time, but he’s a character guy, a salt-of-the-earth type guy. Coach (Cory) Dixon has done a great job keeping him in the gym. He has a great attitude, doesn’t complain or sulk. He was really good around the basket, protecting the rim, rebounding and guarding. We needed everybody along the way. I thought the bench was great.” NEXT UP The Bucs have a pair of tough road games next at James Madison on Tuesday and Wichita State on Saturday. Austin Peay faces another Southern Conference team when the Govs head to Samford next Sunday.The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week suffered physical “external interference”, the airline and Azerbaijan’s transport minister said yesterday, citing preliminary results of an investigation, adding to speculation it was hit by a Russian air defence system. The jet crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, after attempting to land at its destination in the Russian city of Grozny and then diverting far off course across the Caspian Sea. Russia’s aviation chief said yesterday that Grozny was being attacked by Ukrainian drones at the time the plane had tried to land, but the Kremlin has declined to comment on reports the plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defence missiles. Statements from Azerbaijan citing the investigation into the incident suggest Baku believes the plane was hit mid-air. “Based on the opinion of experts and on the words of eyewitnesses, it can be concluded that there was external interference,” Azerbaijani’s transport minister, Rashad Nabiyev, told reporters. “It is necessary to find out from what kind of weapon,” he added, citing reports from survivors of hearing “three explosions” as the plane was over Grozny. Azerbaijan Airlines said it had suspended flights to 10 Russian airports and that preliminary results suggested the crash of Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 was “due to physical and technical external interference”. The head of Russia’s civil aviation agency, Dmitry Yadrov, said in an earlier statement that “the situation on this day and at these hours in the area of Grozny airport was very complex”. “Ukrainian attack drones at this time were making terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz,” Yadrov said, referring to a nearby city. He said the Azeri pilot made “two attempts to land the plane in Grozny that were unsuccessful” in “thick fog”. “The pilot was offered other airports. He took the decision to go to Aktau airport,” he added. Earlier in the day the Kremlin declined to comment on the deadly crash. “Until the conclusions of the investigation, we do not consider we have the right to make any comments and we will not do so,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Some aviation and military experts have pointed to signs of shrapnel damage on the plane wreckage as evidence it was hit by air defence systems. An Azerbaijan pro-government website, Caliber, and several other media have cited unnamed Azerbaijani officials as saying they believed a Russian missile fired from a Pantsir-S1 air defence system caused the crash. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a “thorough investigation” and also pointed to Russian involvement. “Every loss of life deserves a thorough investigation to establish the truth. We can see how the clear visual evidence at the crash site points to Russia’s responsibility for the tragedy,” he said in a post on social media. A Russian survivor, Subkhonkul Rakhimov, told state broadcaster RT that an “explosion” appeared to happen outside the plane as it attempted to land in Grozny in fog, causing shrapnel to penetrate inside. “I wouldn’t say it was inside the plane because the skin of the fuselage near where I was sitting flew off,” he said. “I grabbed a life jacket and saw there was a hole in it – it was pierced by shrapnel.” “I thought the plane was going to fall apart,” Rakhimov said, adding that he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing the bang. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said yesterday that he had phoned his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with both pledging that the “causes of the crash would be fully examined”, according to a statement from Baku. Contacted by AFP, Azerbaijani government officials did not respond to questions about the possible causes of the crash. However, Rasim Musabekov, an Azerbaijani lawmaker and member of the parliament’s international relations committee, urged Russia to apologise for the incident. “They have to accept this, punish those to blame, promise that such a thing will not happen again, express regrets and readiness to pay compensation,” Musabekov told AFP. He suggested the plane was not allowed to land at Grozny or a nearby Russian airport – instead being “sent far away” across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan – in an attempt to “cover up a crime”. Related Story DHL plane crash in Lithuania leaves authorities searching for answers Workers begin recovering bodies from Brazil plane crash

PITTSFIELD — A 17-year-old Pittsfield High School student is suing Pittsfield Public Schools and her former male English teacher she claims sexually harassed her in class and that school leaders did nothing to stop or prevent it. Former Pittsfield High School English teacher Robert Barsanti, pictured here in 2014, is being sued by a former student who claims he sexually harassed her in class. In a civil lawsuit filed on Sept. 26 in U.S. District Court in Springfield, the female student, who's now a senior, says that a Title IX investigator had found that Robert Barsanti engaged in “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that was so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive" that it affected her education. The student, who was 16 and a junior at the time, claims Barsanti directed sexually loaded comments and behaviors at her, including asking her to “go into a janitor closet with him” — which she refused to do. The student is now 17. The Eagle is not using her name at this time because she is a minor. She is represented by attorney Ryan P. McLane. Her lawsuit states that multiple witnesses corroborated her allegations in the school's investigation after she made a formal Title IX complaint to Pittsfield Public Schools on Nov. 1, 2023. Barsanti, 59, who was placed on leave from a previous teaching job in Nantucket for controversial behavior in his classroom, retired in June. He had taught at Pittsfield High since 2006. The student, who lives in Pittsfield, alleges Pittsfield Public Schools received other similar and “numerous complaints” about Barsanti during his tenure and that it did nothing to protect students, and “simply allowed him to retire without any reprimand at all.” The lawsuit says all of this violated the student's Title IX protections against discrimination that harmed her ability to get an education, affected her schoolwork, her experience and prompted her to switch classes to avoid Barsanti. She is also claiming a violation of her 14th Amendment rights to be free from discrimination as a female; negligence on the part of the school; and assault and battery by Barsanti for an “intent to cause a harmful or offensive contact” with her. Robert Barsanti, of Pittsfield, retired from Pittsfield High School in June. Barsanti is being sued by a former student who alleges he sexually harassed her during her time in his classroom. The student's lawsuit is seeking a jury trial, as well as damages and attorney’s fees. Barsanti did not immediately return a voicemail message seeking comment. A message left for his attorney, Jeffrey Trapani, was not immediately returned. Principal Maggie Harrington-Esko and Pittsfield School Superintendent Joseph Curtis also were left messages that were not immediately returned. Pittsfield Public Schools denied the allegations in its answer, dated Nov. 18, to the lawsuit. Barsanti has yet to answer the complaint. Students exit Pittsfield High School last week in the days following the arrest of Lavante Wiggins, a dean of students, for alleged drug trafficking. In the weeks preceding all this, a PHS senior filed a lawsuit in federal court against Pittsfield Public Schools and former English teacher Robert Barsanti, alleging he sexually harassed her and that school officials did nothing to prevent or stop it. The lawsuit precedes a crisis of trust in recent days at Pittsfield High that raises alarms about its hiring practices, school culture and now, its general oversight and transparency. The upheaval began last week when a dean of students, Lavante Wiggins, was arrested after an eight-month FBI cocaine trafficking sweep targeting alleged gang activity. Wiggins is on administrative leave. Pittsfield High's vice principal, Alison Shepard, also was put on administrative leave on Friday while the Department of Children and Families conducts an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct with minors. Also on Friday, a former Pittsfield High employee, Taverick "Tank" Roberson, was placed on leave from his job at the Berkshire Family YMCA due to a new state investigation into some type of alleged inappropriate conduct with one or more students while working at the high school. In her lawsuit, the student alleges a “culture” problem at PHS that allows sexual harassment of girls. “By failing to prevent or punish Defendant Barsanti’s sexual harassment,” the lawsuit states, “Defendants created a culture where female students were denied equal access to benefits, services, programs and other activities at the same level as male students.” The lawsuit outlines incidents that were investigated in the school's Title IX probe and corroborated by "multiple witnesses.” In one instance in class, the student asked Barsanti to use a school computer to finish her schoolwork, to which he replied with comments about her mother using technology at home to “create pornography.” Barsanti stated that “she definitely uses it for porn” and “why would she make porn on the computer when she has a phone," according to the lawsuit. Barsanti also talked to her class about having worked at a strip club called the “'Golden Banana', and instructed his class to write a story based on the strip club.” The students, the lawsuit says, “were forced to research the strip club and were shown pictures of the club as well." The Golden Banana is located in Peabody. The student also claims that Barsanti subjected her and the other students in his English class "to learning about sexual behaviors between animals.” The student also alleges Barsanti made jokes about the male genitalia of a transgender student who identifies as female. The assault and battery count is based on an incident in which Barsanti on one occasion “put his hands on Plaintiff, taking Plaintiff’s head between his hands and expressed frustration with Plaintiff over her being resistant to participate in class due to her expressed dissatisfaction with Defendant’s vulgarity,” according to the lawsuit Pittsfield High School administrators allowed the student to change classes so that she did not “have to endure” Barsanti’s classroom, according to the lawsuit. When the student's mother went to the the school principal with her daughter’s allegations, the principal told her that “Pittsfield Public Schools has known about Defendant Barsanti’s sexual harassment, having received numerous complaints about Barsanti in the past.” And yet, there was “no meaningful discipline” against Barsanti, the lawsuit says, and school officials “did nothing while Barsanti was engaged in the aforementioned conduct.” When he retired from PHS in June, a Facebook post on the school’s account congratulated “three retirees,” one of whom was Barsanti. “We [wish] you all a happy and healthy retirement!” the message said. “You will always have a ‘Home Under the Dome.’” “Home Under the Dome” refers to Pittsfield High School's domed roof. McLane, the student's attorney, said his client is looking for accountability from school officials who are "responsible for this guy." Through McLane, the student and her mother consented to publishing her name; nevertheless, The Eagle is not naming her at this time because she is a minor. Moreover, McLane told The Eagle he would be amending the lawsuit to add the mother's name to the lawsuit. "The fact that she [the student] had to file a lawsuit to get any recourse, and that the school knew about [past complaints], is frustrating," said McLane. According to a 2003 article in the Cape Cod Times, headlined “ Controversial Island Teacher Faces Probe ,” Nantucket High School put Barsanti on “paid leave pending an investigation of his classroom behavior.” “During the 2002 fall semester, Barsanti took an unpaid leave of absence” from his teaching job at Nantucket High, the paper reported. “He left last September after discussions with administrators about his teaching style, a style that reportedly included the use of foul language and sexual innuendo in the classroom.” Students and parents, the Cape Cod Times story continues, “have complained over the years about this alleged behavior.” In 2020, Barsanti settled a defamation lawsuit filed against him and the City of Pittsfield by a former Pittsfield Public Schools student. The female student said the letter of recommendation he wrote for her college applications contained false and malicious information that "discredited" and held her up to “scorn, hatred, ridicule.” Barsanti, also an author, lives in Dalton, according to his LinkedIn profile. On his social media, he links to his Substack profile on which he writes essays and publishes them. It’s called, “Barr’d for Life.” In his LinkedIn profile, Barsanti says this about himself: "I am a highly skilled, motivated, and experienced English teacher. I have taught in both public and private schools, but have spent the most time at Nantucket High School and Pittsfield High School. For more than thirty years, I have taught Ap English Literature, AP English Language and Rhetoric, and AP Research. I have been a reader (rater?) for many years; this year I have become A Table Leader for AP Research. "I am also a writer. I have primarily written about Nantucket. For the last fifteen years, my work has appeared in Yesterday's Island and N magazine. Other essays of mine have been printed by the New York Times, The Boston Globe, and several educational titles. In the last few years, I have been writing novels and I am filling the slush piles at various agencies." He concludes with, "I lose golf balls, ski indifferently, and body surf. I cook well enough to stay married, mow the lawn before I am told to, and am a fool."Boxing Day is over — but you still have extra time to shop . It wraps up tonight (Dec. 27), so the countdown is officially on to save big on electronics, home & kitchen appliances, and more. Until 11:59 p.m. PST tonight, . Brands and items that rarely go on sale, including select , Apple devices and Ninja appliances, are on sale, plus bestsellers from Dyson, Oral-B, KitchenAid and Amazon Fire. Boxing Day is Amazon's last sale of the year, so if you want to treat yourself to something new ahead of 2025, now's your chance. While Amazon's Boxing Day sale isn't a Prime-exclusive event, it pays to be a Prime member. Members can access Prime-exclusive deals and Amazon's famous Prime shipping. Not yet a member? You can here. Keep scrolling to shop the year's from Amazon Canada. Shop the best extended deals by category: Quick shop: Best extended Amazon Boxing Day deals Apple iPad (10th Generation) Sony Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones Insignia 24" 1080p FHD LED Smart TV Tineco Smart Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum LELO SONA Cruise Suction Vibrator Vichy LiftActiv 15% Vitamin C Serum Amazon Fire TV Stick HD Crest 3D White Whitestrips Professional Effects Keurig K-Mini Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker High Pressure 10-Mode Handheld Shower Head Keep scrolling to shop the year's from Amazon Canada. These are the best of the best deals on electronics, according to editors: | $1,300 | $1,450 | $439 Apple iPad (10th Generation) | $25 | $240 | $123 Amazon Fire TV Stick HD | $420 | $50 | $390 JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless Earbuds | $25 | $360 | $180 TCL 55-Inch Class S4 4K LED Smart TV with Fire TV These are the best of the best deals on kitchen essentials, according to editors: | $380 | $20 | $100 KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer Bundle | $280 | $175 Ninja DCT401 12-in-1 Double Oven | $38 | $56 | $36 YETI Rambler 30 oz Tumbler | $260 | $60 Keurig K-Mini Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker | $130 | $100 HENCKELS Forged German Stainless Steel 10 Pc Knife Block Set These are the best of the best deals on home essentials, according to editors: | $530 | $20 | $800 Dyson V15 Detect Plus Cordless Vacuum | $15 | $16 | $144 LEVOIT Air Purifier | $380 | $45 | $270 ecozy Sunrise Alarm Clock These are the best of the best deals on beauty and personal care essentials, according to editors: | $45 | $650 | $79 Crest 3D White Whitestrips | $14 | $119 | $23 Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Mascara From coffee beans to collagen powder, you won't want to miss these Amazon Boxing Day deals. | $80 | $19 Peektook Mini Chainsaw Cordless 6-Inch | $229 | $17 | $29 Greenworks 40V 20-Inch Brushless Snow Thrower

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va — One of the feel-good stories of the year comes in at No. 9, and it is a mixture of all that’s good and all that’s not so good in college athletics today. Mark Kellogg was named WVU’s third women’s basketball coach in three years in 2023 and did an amazing job of putting together a team that became one of the most exciting in America. With JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison leading the way, this team became the women’s version of Bob Huggins’ Press Virginia team. Timing is everything. It was the 50th anniversary of the sport at WVU, started by Kittie Blakemore, and Kellogg’s team spent most of the Big 12 Conference season ranked in the Top 25 and wound up getting a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The deck, though, was stacked against WVU, which felt it deserved a higher seed and had they gotten it, they would not have wound up in the second round facing No. 1 regional seed Iowa and the NCAA sensation Caitlan Clark. As bad as that was, the NCAA women play their regionals at the home of the No. 1 seed, a concession to building crowds for the early tournament games. That, of course, gives the home team a huge advantage, especially Iowa, who was breaking attendance records behind Clark wherever the Hawkeyes played. No one gave the Mountaineers much of a chance, but they played Iowa as tough as you could on its home floor, losing 64-54 to the team that would go to the National Championship game before losing to No. 1 South Carolina. On a neutral court, who knows what would happen? Would Caitlin Clark have finished with 32 points and eight rebounds — half her team’s total? She certainly did not write this down as a banner game in her record-shattering career, making only 8 of 22 field tries and going 5 for 14 from 3. But the game showed something about WVU’s ability to draw a national TV audience. An average of 4.9 million viewers made the game the largest pre-Final Four audience in March Madness history. WVU had the Iowa crowd worried throughout, having the game tied at 54-54 before Clark led Iowa on a 12-2 run at the end to win it, leaving Kellogg with a 25-7 record in his first season. “I think we are close, and I think we have been close all year,” Kellogg said. “No one wants to give us, it feels like, a whole lot of credit. I thought our seed was not the representation. I don’t think we are an 8-seed. Maybe now people will understand what we are and what we are about.” --- No. 10 — Hoo-Ray for JJ You can’t compile the top WVU sports stories of the year without including West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt. Wetherholt went into what everyone knew was going to be his final season at WVU, going out with his coach Randy Mazey. Some people — we’re not talking fans, we’re talking scouts — thought he might be the first player drafted after a sophomore season in which he hit .449, with 16 home runs and 60 RBI in 55 games to go with 36 stolen bases. Had he repeated that season, he certainly would have been the No. 1 or 2 pick, but he battled injuries all season. After playing 55 games last year, he played only 36 this season. He never really got his stroke together, but he got it going. He had his average pushing toward .400 again but fell into a late slump come playoff time and finished the year with just five hits in his last 31 at-bats, a .161 clip. He finished the year hitting a “pedestrian” .331. The result was his draft stock fell to the point that he lasted until the seventh pick of the first round before the St. Louis Cardinals felt it was a gift from heaven to get the infielder that late. He went to Palm Beach, a Class A rookie league team, and batted .295 to put himself clearly into the future plans of the Cardinals, which probably puts himself in position to again be a teammate of centerfielder Victor Scott II, a former Mountaineer teammate who put himself in position to be termed a Cardinals’ starter of the future. --- No. 11 — It was what’s up front that counted As Rich Rodriguez took over the West Virginia football team as the 2024 calendar came to a close, he decided to keep just two of the on-field coaches Neal Brown had employed — running backs coach Chad Scott, who served as Bown’s interim replacement; and tight end coach Blaine Stewart, son of the late former Mountaineer head coach Bill Stewart. That meant the other coaches had to seek employment, and the first to sign was offensive line coach Matt Moore at North Carolina State. It was not surprising as Moore proved himself to be a solid coach as evidenced by consecutive All-American players. The first, the four-year anchor of the offensive line of 2023, was Zach Frazier, who on April 26 was selected in the second round of the NFL draft. The former Fairmont Senior star needed little preparation, earning the starting spot right out of the gate. “I just know how much the offensive line means to the Pittsburgh Steelers, their long tradition of having great o-linemen and great offensive lines,” Frazier said when drafted. “It’s special. They already went to the offensive line in the first round. It’s special. I am excited.“They’re getting a hard worker who is going to give everything he has to the organization to win football games. I couldn’t be more excited.”To date, he has put together a season of such excellence that one would suspect he will be named to the NFL All-Rookie team and, had he played a more visible position, would have been a strong candidate for the league’s Rookie of the Year Award. What do you do for an encore to a player like Frazier? Moore offered up another All-American in 2024 in left tackle Wyatt Milum, a 6-foot-6, 317-pound graduate of Spring Valley High School from Kenova, W.Va. Milum did Frazier one better, earning consensus All-America honors, which means he was picked on the first All-America team on at least three of the five major All-America selections. Milum made first team on four of them, taking home second-team All-American on the AP team. He was the fourth WVU offensive lineman in history to earn consensus All-America honors, joining Dan Mozes (2006), Mike Compton (1992) and Brian Jozwiak (1985). Of all 14 Mountaineers have been chosen as consensus All-Americans, three of them have been in the last five years as Milum joined Beanie Bishop in 2023 and Darius Stills in 2020. Milum’s career was spectacular as he did not allow a sack in 34 of his 36 games played while going the past two years without allowing one. Milum did not allow a quarterback hurry this past season and only let up seven pressures. He is graded out as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the nation, according to PFF College Rankings. In 2024, Milum did not allow a quarterback hurry and only seven pressures. PFF College lists Milum as its No. 3 offensive tackle in the nation, grading out at 90.1. --- Follow @bhertzel on XFSK Completes Public Offering of $100 million 6.125% Unsecured Notes Due 2030None

A judge declined to sanction Elon Musk for skipping a meeting with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to watch one of his rockets launch. US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said Friday there is no need to sanction Musk because he already agreed to reimburse the SEC $2,923 to cover airfare for the trio of agency lawyers he stood up in Los Angeles in September. Musk finally met with the SEC lawyers to give testimony on Oct. 3, Corley noted. The regulator has been investigating Musk’s purchases of Twitter Inc. stock and statements about his investments before he spent $44 billion in 2022 to buy the social-media platform, which he later rebranded as X. Musk has had a testy relationship with the SEC for years, going back to when it sued him for securities fraud in 2018 after he tweeted about taking Tesla Inc. private. In the Twitter probe, Corley repeatedly ordered Musk to cooperate with the agency after he initially did two interviews but refused to participate in a third round of questioning. Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, had argued that the billionaire’s failure to show up for the September deposition was justified because he had an urgent obligation as the head of SpaceX to travel to Florida for the Cape Canaveral launch of a rocket on a commercial spacewalk mission. The SEC urged Corley to impose sanctions on Musk to remind him that flouting her order was not a “trivial matter,” but Spiro contended that his client’s voluntary offer to reimburse the agency for $2,923 was sufficient. The case is Securities and Exchange Commission v. Musk, 23-mc-80253, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).Ituka scores 18 off the bench, Jacksonville State downs East Carolina 86-78Can Tech Companies Thrive Without H-1B Visas? Elon Musk's SpaceX Sure Is

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Icelanders will elect a new parliament Saturday after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This is Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Iceland, a nation of about 400,000 people, is proud of its democratic traditions, describing itself as arguably the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy. The island’s parliament, the Althingi, was founded in 930 by the Norsemen who settled the country. Here’s what to look for in the contest. How does the election work? Voters will choose 63 members of the Althingi in an election that will allocate seats both by regional constituencies and proportional representation. Parties need at least 5% of the vote to win seats in parliament. Eight parties were represented in the outgoing parliament, and 10 parties are contesting this election. Turnout is traditionally high by international standards, with 80% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2021 parliamentary election. Why now? A windswept island near the Arctic Circle, Iceland normally holds elections during the warmer months of the year. But on Oct. 13 Benediktsson decided his coalition couldn’t last any longer, and he asked President Halla Tómasdóttir to dissolve the Althingi. “The weakness of this society is that we have no very strong party and we have no very strong leader of any party,’’ said Vilhjálmur Bjarnson, a former member of parliament. “We have no charming person with a vision ... That is very difficult for us.” Why is Iceland's politics so fractured? The splintering of Iceland's political landscape came after the 2008 financial crisis, which prompted years of economic upheaval after its debt-swollen banks collapsed. The crisis led to anger and distrust of the parties that had traditionally traded power back and forth, and prompted the creation of new parties ranging from the environment focused Left-Green Alliance to the Pirate Party, which advocates direct democracy and individual freedoms. “This is one of the consequences of the economic crash,’’ said Eva H. Önnudóttir, a professor of political science at the University of Iceland. “It’s just the changed landscape. Parties, especially the old parties, have maybe kind of been hoping that we would go back to how things were before, but that’s not going to happen.” What are the issues? Like many Western countries, Iceland has been buffeted by the rising cost of living and immigration pressures. Inflation peaked at an annual rate of 10.2% in February 2023, fueled by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While inflation slowed to 5.1% in October, that is still high compared with neighboring countries. The U.S. inflation rate stood at 2.6% last month, while the European Union’s rate was 2.3%. Iceland is also struggling to accommodate a rising number of asylum-seekers, creating tensions within the small, traditionally homogenous country. The number of immigrants seeking protection in Iceland jumped to more than 4,000 in each of the past three years, compared with a previous average of less than 1,000. What about the volcano? Repeated eruptions of a volcano in the southwestern part of the country have displaced thousands of people and strained public finances. One year after the first eruption forced the evacuation of the town of Grindavik, many residents still don’t have secure housing, leading to complaints that the government has been slow to respond. But it also added to a shortage of affordable housing exacerbated by Iceland’s tourism boom. Young people are struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder at a time when short-term vacation rentals have reduced the housing stock available for locals, Önnudóttir said. “The housing issue is becoming a big issue in Iceland,'' she said. —— Kirka reported from London. Marco Di Marco And Danica Kirka, The Associated Press

Missing dog returned to family home and rang the doorbell WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her. Yet on Christmas Eve, Athena appeared at the family's front door ringing on their doorbell — ending a search after more than a week. Her owner, Brooke Comer, said Athena's escape brought multiple communities in her town and neighboring towns to search for her dog, and that Athena's escape was about a 20-mile roundtrip near the train tracks. Sinkhole in New Jersey keeps I-80 closed after a section collapses into an abandoned mine WHARTON, N.J. (AP) — Road crews are repairing Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey after a sinkhole from an abandoned mine shut down the eastbound lanes. The state’s transportation department says it remains unknown when those lanes will reopen. The hole opened up along the highway’s right shoulder Thursday morning, and the guardrail was still hanging suspended across the gaping 40-foot-wide hole on Friday. Drivers are currently having to detour near Wharton, about 40 miles west of New York City. The New Jersey Department of Transportation said crews will work around the clock to the repair the roadway. Customs agents seize 22,000 fake Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers shipped from Israel HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says it seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. The agency said that customs officers found the stickers in two different shipments that arrived on different days, Nov. 26 and Dec. 9. The agency didn't say in a Thursday statement who sent the stickers, who was to receive them and what purpose the stickers were going to serve. The agency said it made no arrests. Pennsylvania requires that motor vehicles be inspected annually to ensure they meet minimum mechanical, safety and emissions standards. One owl rescued by a Minnesota woman is euthanized; efforts to save the other continue ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — One of the two owls rescued by a Minnesota woman in a story that went viral this week has died, but the other is still getting medical care. Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Duluth said in a Facebook post Thursday that the snowy owl rescued by Annabell Whelan had internal injuries, a broken wing and a broken leg, and had to be euthanized. The great gray owl also rescued by Whelan suffered broken bones and large soft tissue wounds. Wildwoods says the injuries are severe and veterinarians are doing everything they can to “give the bird a chance at recovery.” Whelan happened to find both injured owls at different places Monday. 2 Florida tourist spots halt drones in shows following a separate accident that injured a boy ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A theme park resort and a huge hotel in central Florida either have stopped using drones or canceled their drone-based shows after several drones collided and fell from the sky during a separate holiday celebration in downtown Orlando. The accident last weekend injured a boy who required surgery. Universal Orlando said this week that it was pausing the drone component of its “CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular” show, while Orlando World Center Marriott posted that it was canceling its scheduled drone shows during the holiday week. The halt in using drones follows last Saturday’s accident at a holiday show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. NASA's Parker Solar Probe survives close brush with the sun's scorching surface NEW YORK (AP) — NASA has confirmed that a spacecraft has made the closest approach to the sun. Earlier this week, the Parker Solar Probe passed within a mere 3.8 million miles of the sun. Space agency officials received an all-clear message Thursday night confirming Parker survived the journey. The spacecraft was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. It'll continue circling the sun at this distance until at least September. Scientists hope to better understand what drives the solar wind and why the sun's outer atmosphere iis so much hotter than its surface. 'Morrison Hotel' made famous by The Doors goes up in flames in LA The former Morrison Hotel, which was famously on the cover of a 1970 album by The Doors, has been significantly damaged by a fire in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department says the four-story building burned for nearly two hours Thursday. More than 100 firefighters helped bring the fire under control. The building had been vacant for more than a decade but several people who were inside at the time escaped without injuries. The Morrison Hotel was featured on the album’s cover that showed legendary frontman Jim Morrison in the middle. That album was viewed as a comeback for The Doors. Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal? Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that's still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion. The prize has evoked headlines across the country, despite the nation's top 10 jackpots already having boasted billion-dollar payouts. Jonathan Cohen is the author of the book “For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America.” He says he expects jackpots to continue to grow in size. Larger payouts attract more media attention, increase ticket sales and bring in new players. Suzuki Motor former boss Osamu Suzuki, who turned the minicar maker into a global player, dies at 94 TOKYO (AP) — Osamu Suzuki, the charismatic former boss of Japanese mini-vehicle maker Suzuki Motor Corp., has died. He was 94. Suzuki was known for his candid remarks and friendliness, calling himself an "old guy from a small to mid-size company.” He became CEO of Suzuki in 1978 and helped turn the company into a global brand name. It was the first Japanese automaker to start local production in India and has had tie-ups with industry leaders like General Motors and Volkswagen. It is working with Toyota on developing self-driving vehicles. The company said Suzuki died Wednesday of malignant lymphoma. Cowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go over receiver's shoulder issue FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team says additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team says surgery isn't expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend’s 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay.Larson Financial Group LLC Purchases 107 Shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Boy, 13, ‘abandoned’ at African boarding school after parents thought he joined London gang

Thursday, December 19, 2024 Swiss Airlines, a member of the Lufthansa Group, has announced a major expansion of its fleet with the addition of 10 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The new aircraft will be delivered between 2025 and 2031, with five aircraft initially scheduled to arrive by 2025, and five additional planes to be delivered gradually from 2027 onward. This significant investment aims to modernize the carrier’s long-haul fleet, enhance passenger experience, and support sustainability initiatives across the Lufthansa Group’s airlines. The latest order is part of a broader investment strategy spearheaded by Lufthansa Group, which also owns Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, and Air Dolomiti. By expanding the Swiss Airlines fleet with A350-900s, the Group strengthens its position in the competitive European aviation market while supporting long-term sustainability goals. Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger emphasized that the new fleet addition would bring a “totally new level of modernity, sustainability, and inflight comfort” to the airline’s operations. This investment reflects Lufthansa’s broader commitment to fleet renewal, operational efficiency, and environmental responsibility. The A350-900 is known for its fuel efficiency, advanced technology, and lower carbon emissions, aligning with industry-wide efforts to reduce the aviation sector’s environmental impact. One of the most notable aspects of the fleet expansion is the introduction of Swiss’s new “SWISS Senses” cabin interior, which is set to debut in 2025. The cabin design will be featured on the A350-900 fleet and promises a complete transformation of inflight comfort and passenger experience. The new interior will offer: The SWISS Senses cabin underscores the airline’s commitment to innovation, passenger well-being, and enhanced onboard experience, ensuring that travelers on long-haul routes can enjoy a comfortable and personalized journey. The decision to incorporate the Airbus A350-900 into Swiss’s fleet also supports Lufthansa Group’s sustainability agenda. The A350-900 is among the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the world, offering a 25% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to older aircraft. This move aligns with Lufthansa’s broader goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. With lighter materials, improved aerodynamics, and energy-efficient engines, the A350-900 will play a critical role in reducing Swiss’s environmental footprint. Passengers can expect quieter cabin environments, lower noise pollution, and more efficient fuel usage, all of which contribute to a more eco-friendly travel experience. The first Airbus A350-900 aircraft is expected to be delivered to Swiss Airlines in the summer of 2025, with additional deliveries continuing through 2031. The carrier stated that routes for the A350-900 aircraft will be finalized “over the next few months,” but it is anticipated that the aircraft will be deployed on high-demand long-haul routes where enhanced passenger experience and sustainability benefits can be maximized. By modernizing its fleet and introducing these next-generation aircraft, Swiss will be better equipped to meet evolving passenger expectations for efficiency, comfort, and eco-friendly travel. The gradual introduction of the A350-900 fleet will allow Swiss to phase out older, less fuel-efficient aircraft, further contributing to its decarbonization strategy. Swiss’s investment is part of a larger strategy within the Lufthansa Group to modernize its fleet across multiple airlines. The Group’s investment in Airbus aircraft demonstrates its commitment to environmental sustainability, operational efficiency, and premium passenger experiences. As part of the wider fleet renewal program, Lufthansa Group is also introducing A320neo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to its subsidiaries, reflecting a unified approach to fleet modernization. By leveraging fleet synergies across the Group’s airlines, Lufthansa aims to reduce operating costs, improve fuel efficiency, and streamline maintenance processes. The Group’s strategic focus on fleet modernization is driven by growing passenger demand, stricter regulatory requirements for carbon reduction, and heightened competition in the European aviation market. Swiss Airlines’ investment in the A350-900 fleet positions the carrier as a leader in modern aviation innovation. The SWISS Senses cabin differentiates the airline from its competitors, offering a premium passenger experience on par with other leading carriers such as Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. As airlines around the world strive to meet sustainability targets, the adoption of fuel-efficient aircraft like the A350-900 has become a critical priority. Swiss’s fleet upgrade aligns with global aviation industry trends, which emphasize fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and enhanced inflight experience. By investing in sustainable aviation technology, Swiss is setting a benchmark for responsible growth within the industry. Swiss Airlines’ decision to acquire 10 Airbus A350-900 aircraft marks a major milestone in the airline’s growth strategy. The investment will modernize Swiss’s long-haul fleet, introduce the new SWISS Senses cabin, and support Lufthansa Group’s sustainability goals. With its first delivery scheduled for 2025, Swiss is poised to offer passengers enhanced comfort, privacy, and efficiency on long-haul routes. This investment solidifies Swiss’s commitment to sustainable aviation, operational efficiency, and superior passenger experience. As part of Lufthansa Group’s broader modernization strategy, Swiss’s fleet upgrade underscores the Group’s leadership in sustainable aviation and its focus on creating a greener, more efficient travel industry for the future. Read Travel Industry News in 104 different regional platforms Get our daily dose of news, by subscribing to our newsletters. Subscribe here . Watch Travel And Tour World Interviews here . Read more Travel News , Daily Travel Alert , and Travel Industry News on Travel And Tour World only.Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. (NYSE:ALEX) Stake Lifted by KBC Group NVIRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS) has once again been recognized as a Representative Vendor in the 2024 Gartner® “Market Guide for IT Asset Disposition. 1 ” In our opinion, this acknowledgment, our fifth inclusion in the Market Guide 2, highlights SLS's commitment to delivering world-class IT asset management and disposition solutions that meet the highest standards of data security, sustainability, compliance and value return. We feel this recognition of SLS as a Representative Vendor underscores the company's strong position in the market and our ability to support global clients in managing the end-of-life cycle of IT assets. According to Gartner, “Sustainability requirements are compounding the ongoing ITAD challenges of data security and sound reuse/recycling. Sourcing, procurement and vendor management leaders can use this Market Guide to navigate the ITAD market, assess growing compliance risks and identify representative ITAD providers.” "In our view, being included again as a Representative Vendor in the 2024 Gartner® “Market Guide for IT Asset Disposition” is not just a recognition, it’s a validation of our commitment to excellence and innovation in IT asset disposition,” notes Sean Magann, chief commercial officer at Sims Lifecycle Services. “We believe this inclusion highlights our ability to innovate in ways that not only safeguard our clients’ data but also drive sustainability and efficiency. It’s proof that we’re not just adapting to change, we’re leading it.” While inadequate data security and environmentally harmful recycling continue to be the biggest risks within the ITAD market, the report focuses largely on the financial and environmental advantages of device reuse and states that “ITAD is increasingly focused on the environmental sustainability benefits of extending the lifecycle of technology assets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and e-waste.” Refurbishment and redeployment of IT devices is expected to increase as organizations more fully recognize the carbon avoidance realized versus recycling. “ITAD,” the report maintains, “is crucial for IT sustainability, mitigating Scope 3 emissions and supporting the circular economy.” Gartner urges corporations to utilize industry-best ITAD vendors to “leverage the superior environmental sustainability (and budget) characteristics of asset reuse as your primary disposition process.” About Sims Lifecycle Services Sims Lifecycle Services provides solutions to extend the life of data center and enterprise IT assets, and the company recognizes the value in end-of-life electronics, components and materials. SLS works with hyperscale and cloud data centers to reuse and redeploy data center equipment. Fortune 500 companies are supported by SLS to navigate ongoing technology shifts by securely and responsibly managing the disposition of IT equipment and recycling of electronic products. IT asset disposition (ITAD) and electronics recycling services offered at SLS support the evolution of the electronics industry movement toward circularity. SLS clients benefit from data security, maximum IT value recovery, global compliance and sustainable IT use. As a responsible corporate citizen, and in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we continuously seek new ways to contribute to the circular economy. Visit the SLS website, www.simslifecycle.com for more information on the company’s global coverage and services offered or for media contact email: sls.media@simsmm.com . Notes: 1 Gartner, Market Guide for IT Asset Disposition, By Rob Schafer, Christopher Dixon, Autumn Stanish, 6 November, 2024 2 Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS) was recognized as Sims Recycling Solutions in 2018 and 2016. Gartner, Marketing Guide for IT Asset Disposition, 22 November 2016 Gartner, Marketing Guide for IT Asset Disposition, 26 July 2018 Gartner, Marketing Guide for IT Asset Disposition, 30 November 2020 Gartner, Marketing Guide for IT Asset Disposition, 23 January 2023 Required Disclaimer: GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121451696/en/ sls.media@simsmm.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENT HARDWARE DATA MANAGEMENT RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY OTHER TECHNOLOGY SECURITY SOURCE: Sims Lifecycle Services Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 06:01 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 06:00 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121451696/en

Garden Edging Market is Thriving Worldwide with EverEdge, EasyFlex, Vigoro

Natixis Advisors LLC Has $5.85 Million Stock Position in FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE)

Labour councillor Conor Sheehan makes bold prediction on who will win fourth seat in Limerick CityLongtime Wahoo boys basketball coach Kevin Scheef resignsCONN_Hansen 55 pass from Fagnano (Freeman kick), 13:58. MASS_Gibson 19 pass from Hairston (Lurie kick), 8:23. MASS_Keeney-James 29 pass from Hairston (Lurie kick), 2:19. CONN_M.Brown 96 kickoff return (Freeman kick), 2:02. CONN_C.Edwards 3 run (Freeman kick), 11:58. MASS_Mazotti 1 pass from Hairston (Lurie kick), 8:20. CONN_FG Freeman 30, 4:46. MASS_John 15 run (Moore kick), 1:19. CONN_FG Freeman 53, :19. CONN_Gathings 26 pass from Fagnano (pass failed), :12. CONN_C.Edwards 3 pass from Fagnano (Freeman kick), 11:12. MASS_Hester 8 run (Lurie kick), 7:21. CONN_D.Robinson 15 run (Freeman kick), 2:18. MASS_Harding 7 pass from Perry (Lurie kick), :34. A_10,365. RUSHING_Uconn, Edwards 18-142, Robinson 11-83, M.Brown 8-26, Fagnano 2-6, (Team) 2-(minus 4). Umass, John 18-78, Hester 13-55, Haston 2-33, Hairston 4-9, Campbell 2-7, Harding 1-6, Perry 1-2, (Team) 1-(minus 6). PASSING_Uconn, Fagnano 15-26-1-181. Umass, Hairston 13-21-0-134, Perry 7-11-0-72. RECEIVING_Uconn, Hansen 4-73, Sheffield 3-31, Robinson 3-19, Gathings 2-31, S.Bell 2-24, Edwards 1-3. Umass, Mazotti 7-50, Keeney-James 5-68, Gibson 2-50, John 2-19, Harding 2-12, Galban 1-7, Campbell 1-0. MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.FSK Completes Public Offering of $100 million 6.125% Unsecured Notes Due 2030

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.Cutting in line? American Airlines' new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports