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A longtime reporter for The Capital, E.B. "Pat" Furgurson III, loved his family, his friends and colleagues, blues music and barbecue.Quinstreet director Stuart Huizinga sells $162,934 in stock
Keir Starmer to set out ‘plan for change’ with ‘milestones’ for key missionsThe Buffalo Bills are back from their bye week and gearing up for a six-week sprint to the end of the regular season. At 9-2, the team has surpassed any reasonable expectations set for it coming into the season. A fifth straight AFC East title is all but guaranteed, and could be wrapped up as soon as Sunday if things go right. The No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs is still in play. As the team prepares to welcome the San Francisco 49ers to Highmark Stadium on Sunday night in a nationally televised game, here is a look at three things that have gone right and three that have gone at least partially wrong thus far: Let’s start with the good: Bills quarterback Josh Allen, left, celebrates after running for the game-winning touchdown against the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on Nov. 17. 1. MVP Allen The Bills’ star quarterback has elevated his game to another level this season, even if he’s not statistically on pace to have his best season. Allen is projected to throw for 3,930 yards and 28 touchdowns, while completing 64.0% of his passes this year. His best season came in 2020, when he threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 69.2% of his passes. Still, Allen’s generally considered to be having his best NFL season to date. He’s on pace to throw a career-low eight interceptions (he threw 10 in 2020), but his MVP case goes beyond just that. Right or wrong, the MVP discussion will inevitably look at a team’s record, and the Bills are 9-2 in a year many had them pegged as a 10- or 11-win team at max. Allen’s leadership and command of the offense have never been greater, thus strengthening his MVP case. 2. Thefts As the Buffalo Bills come out of their bye weekend, they are 9-2, running away with the AFC East and off to their best start since the 1992 season. Here's a roundtable discussion of The News' Bills writers on the state of the team. The Bills’ defense always stresses the importance of taking the football away, and few teams in the league have been better at it thus far. Buffalo’s 21 takeaways currently ranks fifth, just two behind league-leading Houston with 23 and one behind a three-way tie for second with 22 between Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Buffalo’s 13 interceptions rank fourth in the league, and its eight recovered fumbles is tied for fifth. Conversely, the Bills’ offense is taking good care of the football, with just seven giveaways. Buffalo’s five interceptions is tied for sixth fewest in the league and its two lost fumbles is second to only Detroit (one lost). That’s led to a plus-14 turnover differential that is tops in the NFL. 3. The offensive line The Bills are allowing sacks on just 3.7% of their pass plays – the best number in the NFL. That’s not totally an offensive line stat, as Allen’s elusiveness plays into it, but it definitely says a lot about how the group up front is performing. The Bills have started the same five – left tackle Dion Dawkins, left guard David Edwards, center Connor McGovern, right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and right tackle Spencer Brown – in every game, save the Week 11 win over the Chiefs, which Brown missed with a sprained ankle. On the ground, the Bills are third in expected points added per rush, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That number quantifies the net value a ball carrier adds on run plays by translating yards gained into points scored. Again, that’s not totally an offensive line stat, but as Bills head coach Sean McDermott points out after every game, success most frequently starts up front at the line of scrimmages. Here are three things that haven’t always been great: How do the Bills believe they will ever get to the more than 5,000 potential season ticket holder accounts on their waitlist for the new stadium and why advertise for more of them? It likely comes down to the natural attrition that will come with moving to a new stadium − especially when it involves buying a personal seat license, which is relatively new to the Buffalo market, as well as the effort to minimize just how many seats one account holder can purchase, reducing the number of seats held by ticket brokers. 1. Run defense While the Bills are in the middle of the pack in terms of yards allowed per game, ranking 14th at 119.1, they are 30th in terms of yards allowed per carry, at 4.85. Take a look at the upcoming schedule of running backs the team faces: Christian McCaffrey (49ers), Kyren Williams (Rams) and David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions). This concern goes beyond just the short term, though. The Week 4 loss to Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens is tough to forget. It feels like any path to the Super Bowl is going to have to go through Baltimore and/or Kansas City, and the Chiefs should get Isiah Pacheco back soon. The Bills are going to have to get tougher against the run, or else teams will be able to control the clock, and thus the pace of the game. Buffalo is allowing 1.79 yards per carry before contact, which is eighth most in the NFL, according to the league’s Next Gen Stats. That speaks to the defensive line’s inability at times to get to the opposing running back. It’s not been all bad for the run defense, as the team has stuffed opposing rushing attempts, meaning holding them to no gain or for a loss of yardage, on 23.3% of carries, which is the second-best rate in the league. The consistency, however, has lacked, and that’s a potential problem moving forward. 2. Tyler Bass The 61-yard field goal that won the game against Miami was one of the best kicks in team history. Bass followed that up with another good showing against Indianapolis in Week 10, but a missed extra point against Kansas City once again led to some doubt creeping in. It felt for most of that game against the Chiefs like the missed extra point was going to loom large, but the rest of the team eventually made sure that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, it feels certain that there is going to come a time that the Bills need to rely on Bass down the stretch, and their confidence in doing so might have understandably been shaken by his miss against the Chiefs. Bass has made 86.4% of his field goals this season (19 of 22), which ranks 15th among qualified kickers (those with at least 16 attempts). Of the 40 kickers in the league who have an attempted an extra point, however, Bass ranks 36th, with a conversion rate of 89.2%. The Bills don’t currently have a kicker on their practice squad, so they’re all in on Bass coming through. He needs to reward them for their confidence. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, middle, celebrates his interception against the Chiefs in Week 11. The Bills have 13 interceptions this season, which is fourth most in the NFL. 3. The injury report The Bills’ weekly injury report has needed subtitles at times this season because it’s been so long. By unofficial count, the Bills have had 15 players classified as starters or key contributors who have missed at least one game because of injury. That’s a lot of bumps and bruises. The good news, however, is that the bye week came at the right time. The team opened linebacker Matt Milano’s practice window before the bye, meaning his return should come soon. If he can get back up to speed before the playoffs, he gives the team a great 1-2 punch at linebacker with Terrel Bernard (and if not, Dorian Williams has looked just fine in Milano’s place). Ideally, the team’s run of wrist injuries is behind it. Amari Cooper and rookie Keon Coleman should be closer to 100% coming out of the bye. Rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, who had put together a few nice performances before suffering a wrist injury, is eligible to return from injured reserve starting this week. Veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot has to miss at least two more games while on injured reserve with a wrist injury of his own, while linebacker Baylon Spector is out for at least two more games because of a calf injury. All of them should be able to return in time for the playoffs, giving the Bills the chance to be as healthy as they’ve been all season at exactly the right time. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! 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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.” Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti posted on social media. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Englishman Davis scores late to rescue point for Udinese and Lecce steals win at VeneziaSOCIAL MEDIA How do you remove children from the harms of social media? Politically the answer appears simple in Australia, but practically the solution could be far more difficult. The Australian government's plan to ban children from social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram until their 16th birthdays is politically popular. The leaders of all eight Australian states and mainland territories unanimously backed the plan, though Tasmania, the smallest state, would have preferred the threshold were set at 14. But vocal experts in the fields of technology and child welfare responded with alarm. More than 140 of them signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemning the 16-year age limit as "too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively." The Australian Parliament has now passed the ban, and the platforms have one year to work out how to implement it. Concerned teen Leo Puglisi, a 17-year-old Melbourne student who founded the online streaming service 6 News Australia at the age of 11, laments that lawmakers imposing the ban lack the youth's perspective on social media. "With respect to the government and prime minister, they didn't grow up in the social media age, they're not growing up in the social media age, and what a lot of people are failing to understand here is that, like it or not, social media is a part of people's daily lives," Puglisi said. "It's part of their communities, it's part of work, it's part of entertainment, it's where they watch content — young people aren't listening to the radio or reading newspapers or watching free-to-air TV — and so it can't be ignored. The reality is this ban, if implemented, is just kicking the can down the road for when a young person goes on social media," he added. Puglisi is applauded for his work online. He was a finalist in his home state Victoria's nomination for the Young Australian of the Year award, which will be announced in January. His nomination bid credits his platform with "fostering a new generation of informed, critical thinkers." Grieving mom-turnedactivist One of the proposal's supporters, cyber safety campaigner Sonya Ryan, knows how dangerous social media can be for children. Her 15-year-old daughter Carly was murdered in 2007 in South Australia state by a 50-year-old pedophile who pretended to be a teenager online. In a grim milestone of the digital age, Carly was the first person in Australia to be killed by an online predator. "Kids are being exposed to harmful pornography, they're being fed misinformation, there are body image issues, there's sextortion, online predators, bullying. There are so many different harms for them to try and manage and kids just don't have the skills or the life experience to be able to manage those well," Ryan said. "The result of that is we're losing our kids," she said. "Not only what happened to Carly, predatory behavior, but also we're seeing an alarming rise in suicide of young people." Ryan is part of a group advising the government on a national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in Australia. She wholeheartedly supports Australia setting the social media age limit at 16. "We're not going to get this perfect," she said. "We have to make sure that there are mechanisms in place to deal with what we already have, which is an anxious generation and an addicted generation of children to social media." Skeptical internet expert Tama Leaver, professor of internet studies at Curtin University, fears the government will make the platforms hold the users' identification data instead. The government already said the onus will be on the platforms, rather than on children or their parents, to ensure everyone meets the age limit. "The worst possible outcome seems to be the one that the government may be inadvertently pushing towards, which would be that the social media platforms themselves would end up being the identity arbiter," Leaver said. "They would be the holder of identity documents which would be absolutely terrible because they have a fairly poor track record so far of holding on to personal data well," he added. The platforms will have a year once the legislation becomes law to work out how the ban can be implemented. Ryan, who divides her time between Adelaide in South Australia and Fort Worth, Texas, said privacy concerns should not stand in the way of removing children from social media. "What is the cost if we don't? If we don't put the safety of our children ahead of profit and privacy?" she asked. Get local news delivered to your inbox!None
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Julián Álvarez picking up the scoring pace with Atletico MadridKeir Starmer to set out ‘plan for change’ with ‘milestones’ for key missions
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