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agent rich9 bet NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting. He didn't pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. People are also reading... Ohtani joined Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He was the first player to twice become an unanimous MVP. He had combined with Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 for the first year both MVPs were unanimous. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title, playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. "The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we are able to accomplish," he said through a translator. "The next goal is for me to do it again and so right now I'm in the middle of rehab and working out and getting stronger." When Ohtani returns to the mound, could he win MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same year? "That would obviously be great, but right now my focus is just to get to get back healthy, come back stronger, get back on the mound and show everybody what I can do," Ohtani said. Ohtani became the first primary DH to win an MVP in a season that started with the revelation his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen nearly $17 million from the star to fund gambling. Ohtani is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). Balloting was conducted before the postseason. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia's Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and '21. "I was telling him, `Man, I'm going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,'" Judge recalled. "He'd say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he'll do." When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees' 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. "March and April were not my friend this year." Judge said. "Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can't mope. You can't feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody's going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?" St. Pete rejects money to repair Tropicana Field roof ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course. The reversal on fixing Tropicana Field came after the council voted to delay consideration of revenue bonds for a proposed new $1.3 billion Rays ballpark. Just two days before, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote on its share of the new stadium bonds, leaving that project in limbo. “This is a sad place. I'm really disappointed,” council chair Deborah Figg-Sanders said. “We won’t get there if we keep finding ways we can’t.” The Rays say the lack of progress puts the new stadium plan and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy. “I can't say I'm confident about anything,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members. The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa. The initial vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration. The subsequent vote reversing funding for the roof repair essentially means the city and Rays must work on an alternative in the coming weeks so that Tropicana Field can possibly be ready for the 2026 season. The city is legally obligated to fix the roof. BRIEFLY PIRATES: Pittsburgh hired Matt Hague as its hitting coach, bringing him back to the team that drafted him in 2008. Hague replaces Andy Haines, who was fired after Pittsburgh finished in the bottom 10 in the majors in every significant statistical category last season, including runs (24th) and home runs (25th), while also striking out a club-record 1,504 times, second-most in the National League behind Colorado. The 39-year-old Hague spent last season as an assistant hitting coach with the Toronto Blue Jays. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The goals are flying in again for Arsenal — and it just happens to coincide with the return from injury of Martin Odegaard. Make that eight goals in two games since the international break for Arsenal after its 5-1 hammering of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, tying the English team’s heaviest ever away win in the competition. Odegaard is back in Arsenal’s team after missing two months with an ankle injury . In that time, Mikel Arteta’s attack stuttered, with a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth and a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle dropping the Gunners well off the pace in the Premier League. There was also a 0-0 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League as well as a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan last month, when Odegaard made his comeback from injury as an 89th-minute substitute. Since then, Arsenal hasn’t lost and the goals have returned. After a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday came the cruise in Lisbon — and Odegaard was at the heart of everything as Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end. “He’s an unbelievable player,” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said of Odegaard. “The day he returned, there was a big smile on my face. You can see the chemistry we have. I hope he stays fit for the rest of the season.” Odegaard was involved in the build-up to Arsenal’s first two goals against Sporting — scored by Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz — and was fouled to win the penalty converted by Saka in the 65th to restore Arsenal’s three-goal lead at 4-1. Odegaard was seen flexing his leg after that but continued untroubled and was substituted in the 78th minute. The last thing Arteta would want now is another injury to Odegaard as Arsenal attempts to reel in first-place Liverpool in the Premier League. Liverpool is already nine points ahead of fourth-place Arsenal after 12 games. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer"Struggling To Find Spare Date...": Zeenat Aman Wraps Up 2024 In Style

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ATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. The jury started deliberating Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning. If they don’t reach a verdict by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the judge will send them home for the Thanksgiving weekend and they will return Monday morning. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramonIllinois data breach exposes 1M records, 4,700 Social Security numbers (copy)

Stephen Strosnider has been named executive director of the Carroll County Arts Council, after serving as interim executive director since June. Before that, the 35-year-old New Windsor resident was the organization’s assistant director of programs and communications since October 2022. “Even during that interim position, the board was very supportive in letting me make decisions and guide us,” Strosnider said. “Now, in the full-time executor directive position, I’m very excited to lay out some more long-term plans, to get us back to the roots of our mission, where we are looking for ways to serve every citizen in the community.” The executive director should be passionate about connecting people with the arts, competent at handling grants, knowledgeable about technology, and skilled at teamwork and management, Lynn Wheeler, of New Windsor, said in June, and Strosnider has each of those traits. Wheeler was Carroll County Arts Council board of directors’ president at the time. “I will bring a great energy to the building, to our efforts and to the community,” Strosnider said. “We’ve had executive directors who were fine artists and musicians, and now there’s a theater person, and I think my background in performing arts brings a lot of resilience. It brings a lot of event and logistics knowledge and experience. “I think that theater artists and performing arts practitioners have a great ability to pivot and to assess current situations, and make executive decisions that are for the best interest of the whole. In theater and in performing arts, it is collaborative, it is a community, and the goal of the end product is community-based.” Lynne Griffith, the art council’s previous executive director, left the organization after two-and-a-half years, according to a June 12 news release. Wheeler said the board of directors and Griffith, “mutually agreed that we were going to pursue another direction.” Strosnider and Wheeler agreed that Griffith would be remembered for ushering in an era of more diverse programming while leading the Arts Council, including the inception of . Strosnider said he was considered for the role as part of the arts council’s internal candidate search. Prior to joining the arts council, Strosnider worked as a technical director and theater facilities coordinator at McDaniel College, Glenelg Country School and Carroll Community College. Throughout his career in education, he has taught courses in stagecraft, acting, and civil engineering and architecture. He also brings experience in acting and directing. Strosnider grew up in Sykesville and Keymar, and discovered his love for the arts as a young actor at Francis Scott Key High School. The Carroll Countian earned a bachelor’s of fine arts in acting from Shenandoah University, which he said prepared him well for his career. “We were trained in stage management, we were trained in bookkeeping and finances, we were trained in backstage,” Stosnider said. “I was able to learn the ropes in every possible career, and not just in a superficial way, but it was extremely hands-on. Without a doubt, those four years were instrumental in my being able to pursue things.” As the assistant director, Strosnider helped use technology to improve operations. In his role as interim executive director, Stosnider said he learned a lot about the council and its storied history, as well as hiring new staff and introducing a plan to close the arts center most days in January. A part-time program assistant and a part-time administrative assistant have been added, Strosnider said. Within the next six months, the arts council plans to hire a full-time visual arts professional and a full-time operations professional. The arts center will also be closed most days in January, Strosnider said, so staff can get on the same page about responsibilities and goals. The center will remain open on Fridays in January, which coincides with the council’s documentary series, before opening full-tilt with a Feb. 1 concert. January is always the council’s slowest month, Stosnider added. “We can regroup,” Strosnider said, “and we can look at roles and responsibilities, which is a very exciting thing. The most productive companies are the folks that know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing, where they can grow, and where they can look for for more opportunities, so that’s something that we’re very excited about. The adage for a lot of organizations is, ‘You’re putting the plane together while it’s in the air,’ so we all looked at each other and went, ‘You know what? Let’s just land the plane. Is there any reason why we can’t?’ So, we’re going to do it.” The director said he aims to maintain and strengthen ties with Carroll County Public Schools, Common Ground on the Hill, Carroll County’s Chamber of Commerce, municipal governments in Carroll County and the Greater Baltimore Committee. The council partners with the school system to bring arts-related programing to schools or bring students to events. Partnering with Common Ground on the Hill helps the council attract more high-profile acts and artists. “We have partnerships to bring in the big names and the big entertainment,” Stosnider said, “but we also need to find those places to serve the culture and the heritage that we have right here at home. Having that nice balance is going to, I think, continue to solidify why the Arts Council is so important for the community.” The council has a symbiotic relationship with county tourism, Strosnider said, as improving the quality of life in Carroll will attract more residents, which will result in more funds for the arts council. Improving quality of life by enhancing access to the arts is always worthwhile, he added. Strosnider is participating in the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Carroll program this year. The arts council’s mission is supporting artistic education and expression, based in Westminster’s Carroll Arts Center, at 91 W. Main St., a historic building constructed as a movie theater in 1933. The nonprofit is known for hosting the popular annual and fundraising events, hosting performances at the arts center, and contributing thousands of dollars each year to support the arts in Carroll County. PEEPshow is the county’s . The arts council had a fiscal 2023 operating budget of more than $1 million and receives major funding from The Maryland State Arts Council, Carroll County Department of Recreation & Parks and the City of Westminster, according to Strosnider. In the coming years, the organization will celebrate the 90th anniversary of t , the 60th anniversary of the Carroll County Arts Council and the 30th anniversary of Westminster’s ownership of the arts center. “You don’t need to be a fine arts person to enjoy our galleries, and you don’t need to be a musical theater kid to come and enjoy a performance in the theater,” Strosnider said. “Our goal is to curate and provide multiple, numerous and a broad spectrum of arts opportunities so that people can come and see what they love, or come and learn to love something new. That’s where we’re going to move forward with the goal, to go back to celebrating the local talent that we have. “Carroll County is teeming with a vibrant and talented arts community, and I interpret our mission to be celebrating that. It’s our goal to celebrate our own.”

San Diego State edges No. 6 Houston 73-70 in overtime to finish 3rd in Players Era tournamentThere is a worrying rise in armed militancy in the North-Eastern Indian State of Manipur. The minority Christian Kuki tribe is taking up arms to resist the domination of the majority Hindu Meiteis, who are said to be protected by the State and Central Governments, both run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The two ethnic groups have been locked in a deadly conflict since May 2023 that has claimed the lives of more than 200 people and displaced thousands. Violence began again last week after the authorities recovered the bodies of six women and children, who reportedly belonged to the majority Meitei community. Last Saturday, a Meitei mob torched houses and offices of at least a dozen local lawmakers, belonging mostly to the state’s ruling BJP. The Meiteis alleged that the women and children were kidnapped and murdered by armed groups of the minority Kuki group. While the police have not confirmed this, the Kukis said that their armed men only protect their villages from Meitei attacks, which they allege, take place with the backing of the BJP Government dominated by the majority Hindu Meitei. The Christian Kukis have been demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Biren Singh, who is a Hindu Meitei. Police have arrested 23 people and the authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew and suspended Internet services in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and Bishnupur district. At least, 20 people – both Kukis and Meities – have died in the recent flare-ups. Tensions began on November 7, after members of an armed group allegedly raped a woman, who reportedly belonged to the Kuki community, and set her on fire in the Jiribam district. Four days later, a police station and a relief camp housing Meitei refugees in the area were attacked. The majority Meietis blamed Kuki groups for the assault. Police on the same day shot dead 10 armed men in what they said was a “shoot-out” with Kuki militants. But Kuki organisations said that they were “village volunteers” – or armed civilians protecting their villages. Following the attack on the relief camp, six persons – a grandmother, her two daughters and three grandchildren – went missing. Meitei groups alleged that they were abducted by armed Kuki men. The Central Government which had been indifferent to the flare ups in Manipur for reasons nobody could fathom, at long last, sent Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Manipur to control the violence. There was a discussion on re-imposing the dreaded Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), in ‘hyper-sensitive’ areas, in addition to six police station areas, including Jiribam, in which the act was already in operation. AFSPA gives sweeping powers to the military to operate anywhere that is declared a ‘disturbed area’. No military personnel in an AFSPA area can be prosecuted without the Central Government’s nod Shah said that the Centre would despatch an additional 50 companies of the Central police forces to join the 20 already there. Violence and unrest Clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis erupted first in May last year. They were sparked by Kuki protests against demands from Meiteis to be given official “tribal status”, which would make them eligible for special affirmative action on par with those available to the Kukis. Kukis felt that the Meiteis were already advanced and so, deserved no affirmative action. Since then, the State has witnessed months of violence and unrest, with only sporadic moments of calm. Today, Manipur is divided into two camps, with Meiteis inhabiting the Imphal Valley and the Kukis living in the surrounding hill areas. Borders and buffer zones guarded by security forces separate the two regions. The violence has resulted in the burning of at least 1,700 buildings (including homes and religious sites). More than 35,000 people were displaced in 2023, with many living in the 315 relief camps. The State Government’s response has largely echoed the strategies India has previously employed during unrest in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir. This has included issuing military curfews, suspending internet services and deploying thousands of troops and paramilitary forces with shoot-on-site orders in “extreme cases.” In India’s Northeast, the different ethnic communities have been weaponised to serve the interests of a powerful few, said human rights worker Binalakshmi Nepram. Any moves towards peace-building in the medium or the long-term will have to reckon with the weaponisation of ethnic fault lines, she adds. Even 70 odd years after India’s Independence in 1947, these fault lines have remained and getting stronger by the year because of competitive politics based on ethnic strength and also weaponisation. No effort has been made to foster understanding between different communities regarding one another’s history, culture and traditions and the need to coexist peacefully, said Nepram. Manipur, which means “Land of Jewels,” consists of a valley surrounded by mountain ranges. The State is home to 39 ethnic communities following different faiths, including Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, as well as Indigenous religious traditions such as Sanamahi. Opposition to the manner of Manipur kingdom’s merger with Independent India in 1949 laid the groundwork for separatist movements. It remains at the heart of the dispute between New Delhi and Manipur. Draconian AFSPA To quell this resistance, the Indian Government imposed the draconian AFSPA for the first time in 1958. The act has been criticised by rights groups and has contributed to a deep trust deficit between the State and its people on the one hand, and the Central Government, on the other. The Central Government said that the AFSPA is necessary to maintain order in areas with a history of insurgency and alleged foreign support for separatist movements. Manipur has at least four Meitei armed groups, several Naga groups and nearly 30 Kuki armed groups. Those with political influence have been gun-running and also narco- and human-trafficking. Armed groups frequently back candidates in State elections. In 2022, two Kuki insurgent groups issued statements in support of the BJP. In 2019, images on social media reportedly showed a letter written by armed groups to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah asking for a party ticket to be given to a candidate of their choice. The armed group later disputed the claim. Civil society organisations in Manipur said that the 2022 elections were overshadowed by “open intimidation” by militant groups. The most recent violence began in May 2023 after the Manipur High Court asked the State Government to consider Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community. This status would ensure protection within the Indian Constitution and allow the Meitei expanded access to benefits, including reserved jobs in the Government. But soon after the court announcement, a rally was held by the All-Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur led by the Kukis. Reports surfaced about the burning down of the Anglo-Kuki War Memorial Gate. In response, the Kukis burned down several Meitei villages in Churachanpur, which in turn prompted retaliation by the Meiteis, who torched several localities inhabited by the Kuki in the Imphal valley. The other issue angering the Kukis is the ban on poppy cultivation. Efforts to survey reserved forests to reduce poppy cultivation, had resulted in evictions from Kuki villages. The Meiteis said that while the law prevents them from buying lands in the Kuki inhabited hill regions, Kukis and other tribal communities can buy lands in the Imphal valley where the Meitis live. The influx of Zo tribals from Myanmar following the 2021 military coup there led to disputes between the Kukis and the Indian Government. The Government wanted the influx to be stopped but the Kukis and the Zo refugees are kindred tribes. Binalakshmi Nepram, the Manipuri peace activist, said that the need of the hour is “citizen-centric dialogues to address deep distrust and historical hurt that have polarised indigenous communities across the region. Indigenous peace-making initiatives, truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies could be a way to start to soothe the fractured hearts and minds of communities who have lived through violence for decades.”Interview: ONE OR EIGHT talks about their new music, working with Big Sean, and the digital age