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The Big Central Conference coaches have made their picks for the 2024 all-star teams in all 12 divisions. Congratulations to all those players selected to either first or second team in their respective divisions. You all contributed greatly to another exciting season in New Jersey’s newest super conference. NOTE : The selections were made by coaches from the conference and not reporters from NJ.com . If an athlete’s name is misspelled, please let us know and we will make the correction. BCC ALL-DIVISION TEAMS American Gold Division American Silver Division Freedom Gold Division Freedom Silver Division Liberty Gold Division Liberty Silver Division National Gold Division National Silver Division Patriot Gold Division Patriot Silver Division United Gold Division United Silver Division RECOMMENDED • nj .com Super Football Conference All-Division teams, 2024 Nov. 22, 2024, 2:00 p.m. Super Football Conference: Freedom Red All-Division teams, 2024 Nov. 22, 2024, 1:23 p.m. Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly TwitteWill Jamaal Williams Play in Week 13? NFL Injury Status, News & UpdatesMayor London Breed, outgoing mayor of San Francisco, made waves recently with a major policy shift: Before providing a shelter bed or any other services, city workers must first offer every homeless person they encounter a bus or train ticket to somewhere else. But while San Francisco has gotten an outsized amount of attention for putting its busing program at the forefront of its homelessness strategy, other California cities and nonprofits continue to quietly send small numbers of unhoused people all over the country. At least one new program is set to launch early next year. For an unhoused person who wants to move in with family in another city or state, or who got stuck somewhere after a job or housing prospect fell through and needs help getting home, these types of programs can be a gamechanger. But some activists worry they can be used coercively to move unhoused people out of sight instead of helping them. And once someone is bused away, it’s hard to tell what happens to them — whether they successfully reunite with family, or become homeless on another city’s sidewalks. “In general, the ability to travel back to a place where you have a home is really important and can be a lifesaving service, in fact, and can help to reunite families,” said Niki Jones, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness. “When done in good faith, it can be an important and powerful intervention.” RELATED COVERAGE A fugitive wanted in the US for a pair of bombings is arrested in the UK after 20 years on the run CalHOPE Courage Award winners Gayles, Daniel-Dalton overcame physical and mental health struggles US gathers allies to talk AI safety as Trump’s vow to undo Biden’s AI policy overshadows their work Many programs do some homework before sending their clients off on a bus, but the amount of effort they put in varies. One nonprofit serving homeless young people in Los Angeles has a therapist call the client’s family in the destination city, to make sure the client is going into a safe, welcoming environment. One of San Francisco’s relocation programs requires the client only to have a vague connection to their destination city. These programs are garnering attention at a time when city leaders are facing pressure from all sides, including from Gov. Gavin Newsom , to get rid of homeless encampments, but lack the resources to give everyone a home or shelter bed. Buying someone a one-way ticket out of town is a much cheaper alternative. But the number of people who can benefit from these programs tends to be small. Data from throughout California consistently shows that most people who are homeless are from the county they’re in. And homelessness, addiction and other traumas have marred many people’s relationships, leaving them with no one to help them in another city. San Francisco offers bus tickets before shelter Shortly after beginning an aggressive crackdown on tent encampments in San Francisco, Mayor Breed ordered all city agencies to “offer and incentivize” the city’s busing program before other services. Those who decline any help may be at risk of being arrested for illegally camping in a public place. Providing free bus tickets to unhoused people is nothing new in San Francisco, which has been offering some form of this program for about two decades, said Emily Cohen, deputy director of communications and legislative affairs for the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. But usage declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel was restricted, and it didn’t pick back up, she said. The mayor’s directive was intended to fix that, she said. The increased emphasis on busing also comes as the demographics of San Francisco’s homeless population are shifting. This year, 41% of the people surveyed in San Francisco’s point in time count reported they were living in another city or state when they lost their housing. That’s up from 29% two years ago. “There are definitely an increasing number of people who are experiencing homelessness in San Francisco who aren’t originally from San Francisco,” Cohen said. San Francisco offers three programs to help unhoused people relocate outside of the city. Journey Home, launched in September 2023, has the lowest barrier to entry. While other programs require clients to work with a case manager on a detailed plan to find and hold onto housing when they arrive in their new city, Journey Home requires only that someone be healthy enough to travel and prove they have some connection to their destination city. That proof could be a phone call to a friend or relative in the city, a receipt showing the client once got food stamps there, or an ID with an address in that city. Clients do not need to prove they have housing in the destination city, and the whole process, from intake to sitting on a bus, can take a day or two. Since July 2022, San Francisco has relocated a total of 1,039 unhoused clients via Journey Home and other programs, according to city data . The number of clients relocated via Journey Home spiked in August of this year (the month Breed issued her order) — 25 people were moved, up from nine the month before. The city relocated another 32 people through other programs. That same month, the city placed 120 people from encampments into shelters, and another 429 people on the street declined help, according to the city. While Lukas Illa, a human rights organizer with the San Francisco-based Coalition on Homelessness, supports programs that help unhoused people who want to relocate, he’s skeptical of Journey Home. The choice to leave San Francisco should be the unhoused person’s to freely make, he said. And he says that’s not the case when police, who have the power to cite and arrest people, offer bus tickets as a first resort. “Journey Home needs to be so deliberate and to really center the agency and the autonomy of the person it is offered to, and not used as a cudgel to threaten arrest or jail time,” Illa said. Cohen said no one is being forced to leave San Francisco. “The intention is to facilitate connections with loved ones and home communities, if that is a safe and healthy option for you,” she said. “But no one is required to take that option.” Other cities that use homeless busing programs San Jose has budgeted $200,000 to launch a relocation program called Homeward Bound, which is expected to start in February. That money can go toward a client’s bus or plane ticket, or to help with utility bills or other expenses for the friend or family member taking them in. The city will make sure clients have friends or family to help them in their destination city, but staff are still ironing out the specifics, said Tasha Dean, spokesperson for Mayor Matt Mahan. “Reconnecting people living on the streets with family members or loved ones who want to care for them is just common sense,” Mahan said in a statement. “It’s the least expensive, most impactful program we could launch.” Sacramento County also offers those services, but they aren’t widely used, said county spokesperson Janna Haynes. During the 2022-23 fiscal year, 17 people used the county’s Return to Residency Program to leave the county. That program has since dissolved, and now social workers in various county programs offer the service on a case-by-case basis. The city of Los Angeles doesn’t run a busing program, but multiple nonprofits within the city offer similar services. PATH helped 313 clients reunite with family in the last fiscal year, and a little more than half of those clients left LA County. A Safe Place for Youth also helps young people reunite with friends and family outside LA. Cities and nonprofits in other states also run busing programs — and sometimes send people to California. Haven for Hope, which operates a large homeless shelter and service center in San Antonio, Texas, gave about 60 people one-way bus tickets out of the city last year, said Alberto Rodriguez, vice president of operations. Before they send a client on their way, Haven for Hope calls the family or friend they are going to live with and confirms the client can stay there, Rodriguez said. “We’re never just going to send someone back to homelessness in another city or another state, in the same way we don’t want other cities or other states to send their homeless clients to San Antonio without connecting with us,” he said. Where do people who are bused end up? Of the 151 people relocated from San Francisco since August, at least 29 went to other cities within California. At least another 12 went to Texas, six went to Florida and seven went to Georgia. Due to a data processing error, the city couldn’t provide information on where 34 people went. It’s harder to tell what happens to those people once they reach their destination. San Francisco only recently started requiring staff to check in with clients 90 days after they leave, but staff often can’t get a hold of them in their new city, Cohen said. The city didn’t provide data on the outcomes of those 90-day calls, which started in July, in time for publication. About 15% of people who left San Francisco through the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s relocation program between July 2022 and July 2023 ended up back in San Francisco, using the city’s homeless services, within a year. Cohen called that an 85% “success rate,” despite the fact that even though someone didn’t return to San Francisco, they might have ended up homeless in their new city. “That is fantastic,” Cohen said, “in terms of the amount of investment for the outcome we are able to achieve.” ___ This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

Dodgers announce 5-year contract with LHP Blake SnellDETROIT – The summer before Pavel Datsyuk’s rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings, Ken Holland showed him around an empty Joe Louis Arena after development camp and delivered a simple message. “He goes, ‘If you practice hard, you can maybe play one day here. Just remember,’ ” Datsyuk said on Thursday. Datsyuk took his general manager’s advice to heart, and 23 years later, hard work and his electrifying skills got him inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Red Wings were set to honor him during a ceremony prior to their game against the New York Islanders. Datsyuk, 46, was one of the game’s premier two-way forwards during a 14-year NHL career spent entirely in Detroit. He won two Stanley Cups and three Selke Trophies as the league’s premier defensive forward. “It’s a good 14 years,” he said. “It’s a good memory. It’s a fun road.” Datsyuk’s talent not only wowed hockey fans but also made him an idol to current NHL players who grew up watching the Red Wings’ puck magician. “He was my favorite player,” Farmington Hills native Alex DeBrincat said. “Watching the stuff he did out there was obviously a lot of fun to watch and a lot of fun to cheer for. And obviously the teams then were definitely easy to cheer for. So, it was very special. To grow up watching him and see how he plays at both ends of the ice and what he can do with the puck is cool.” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said he has an appreciation for Datsyuk’s puck skills and puck protection. “I think it speaks volumes, there’s a handful of Islanders players showing up tonight wanting a jersey signed,” Lalonde said. “I think it’s one of the most amazing compliments when NHL players are seeking autographs or sticks. “Pav borrowed (Red Wings assistant coach) Alex Tanguay’s gloves during development camp (in July) and he left him a picture signed – grammatically brutal – he said, ‘Thank you for the glove.’ But even Tanguay was like, ‘This is awesome.’ That speaks volumes about the type of player when his peers have such respect for him.” DeBrincat said he briefly met Datsyuk prior to the team’s game in Toronto on Nov. 8. “I think it’s special when you’re anyone’s favorite player,” DeBrincat said. “So, I think it would be cool for me to be able to talk to him and I think for him, too.” Datsyuk was asked whether he was always a wizard with the puck. “Probably when I come here, I have more creativity,” Datsyuk said. “But when I start playing with best players, I use it less. We focus on less chances for (opponents) to score on us. But it’s fun to play with best players, especially when your fans around and they’re cheering you. You have emotion and you start to do something fun.” Datsyuk retired in 2021 following five years in the KHL. He spends some of his time as a development coach for Yekaterinburg, the last club for whom he played. “We explain many good players how they play, how they do some stuff and how they’re professional, not only on the ice but off the ice,” Datsyuk said. “Also, we tell them they need to enjoy every moment.”Bad Axe: Wisconsin wary of rival Minnesota with bowl bid in peril

JERUSALEM — The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants began early Wednesday as a region on edge wondered whether it will hold. The ceasefire announced Tuesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. An international panel led by the United States will monitor compliance. The ceasefire began at 4 a.m. Wednesday, a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict that in recent weeks turned into all-out war. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. The ceasefire does not address the devastating war in Gaza , where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. There appeared to be lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected. Israel's security Cabinet approved the U.S.-France-brokered ceasefire agreement after Netanyahu presented it, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. In this screen grab image from video provide by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a televised statement Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Jerusalem, Israel. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire and described it as a crucial step toward stability and the return of displaced people. Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state," he said, referring to Israel's demand for freedom of action. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Rescuers and residents search for victims Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut, Lebanon. Even as ceasefire efforts gained momentum in recent days, Israel continued to strike what it called Hezbollah targets across Lebanon while the militants fired rockets, missiles and drones across the border. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in central Beirut — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously were not targeted. Residents fled. Traffic was gridlocked, with mattresses tied to some cars. Dozens of people, some wearing pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed overhead. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli soldiers inspect the site Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024, where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah is required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have exchanged barrages ever since. Israel escalated its bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. Israeli security officers and army soldiers inspect the site Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024, where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut and Federman from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

NoneSocial media start-up Bluesky is exploding as academics, journalist, and left-leaning politicians abandon Elon Musk ’s X in search of bluer skies. Now, the platform has surpassed Meta ’s Threads in user numbers, yet Threads still leads in app usage. According to data from Similarweb, app and website usage of Bluesky in the United States rose more than 500 percent following President-elect Donald Trump’s election win, raking in 3.5 million daily users. The platform still only has around 21.5 million users as of Nov. 22. “We’ve been growing by about a million users a day for several days,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber told NPR on Monday. “It’s proving out the model that we thought would be the right approach to social [media]: Give people the tools to control their experience and they’ll have a better time.” ADVERTISEMENT The app, created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey , debuted in 2019 as a desktop and app-based social network that operates similarly to X. Users can post text, videos and photos, reply to one another and share other users’ posts. The platform is now led by digital rights activist and software engineer Graber. Aside from the growing discontent among X users with Musk, Bluesky’s expansion has come partly from its “starter pack” feature that allows users to follow curated groups of accounts with the click of a button. This growth, however, has faltered due to repeated outages and glitches and concerns over its future success as a working business model. Still, prior to Nov. 5, Threads had five times more daily U.S. users than Bluesky. Now, the Meta run platform is only 1.5 times larger than its much smaller rival. Some have attributed the closing margin to Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg ’s decision to de-prioritize political content across its apps, including Facebook and Instagram. By contrast, Musk has curtailed content moderation on X since taking over the platform, leading to concerns about the spread of disinformation. The Tesla executive’s embrace of deregulation, his affiliation with Trump , and promotion of fringe theories prompted a first wave of user departures after the app was suspended in Brazil in September. The temporary ban coincided with Bluesky picking up 3 million new users that week. The X alternative added another 1.2 million users in the two days after Musk announced his app would allow blocked users to view posts by those who had blocked them. Since Trump’s election victory, however, several prominent businesses, celebrities, and journalists have publicly and officially left X, including Target, The Guardian , journalist Don Lemon , actor Bradley Whitford, and singer Barbra Streisand .Warner Music Group (WMG) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

JERUSALEM — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, but neither he nor Netanyahu have proposed a postwar solution for the Palestinian territory, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Israel says it will ‘attack with might’ if Hezbollah breaks truce Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” Netanyahu's office later said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but "reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” In this screen grab image from video provide by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a televised statement Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Jerusalem, Israel. Warplanes bombard Beirut and its southern suburbs Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. Israeli forces reach Litani River in southern Lebanon The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has been appointed to lead a subcommittee dedicated to working with President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. Known as a Republican firebrand and close ally of Trump, Greene has already set her sights on rooting out “every penny of waste and abuse.” “We’ll be looking at everything from government-funded media programs like NPR that spread nothing but Democrat propaganda, we’ll be going into grant programs that fund things like sex apps in Malaysia, toilets in Africa,” she said on a media appearance Sunday morning. The subcommittee will be under the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, which is chaired by U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. “We want to make the government more efficient,” Comer said on a media appearance . “We want to work for the taxpayers, not the bureaucrats. We hate the deep state, we’ve dealt with the deep state, we’ve fought the deep state.” He added that Republicans are excited to implement the recommendations of DOGE, which, as an advisory committee, will have to work with Trump and Congress to change policies. “What Trump has ... are willing partners to make government more efficient,” Comer said of Congress. Elon Musk, CEO of X and Tesla Motors, and Vivek Ramaswamy are currently heading up DOGE. “Looking forward to working together with Congress,” Ramaswamy said on social media of Greene’s appointment . “Proper oversight of agencies and public transparency are critical.” DOGE has made it a key part of its plan to address the national debt of $36 trillion. That is $273,000 owed per taxpayer. “This trend must be reversed, and we must balance the budget,” DOGE posted . For her part, Greene has promised to “drain the swamp,” stating that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to holding government agencies like the Pentagon accountable. “Our government should steward every single cent of your hard-earned money,” Greene said. “The DOGE subcommittee will expose the waste and bring truth and transparency to the American people.” Bureaucrats and independent contractors will also be on the chopping block, in what Greene called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make real transformational change to government to benefit the American people.” “In the private sector, if you’re not doing a good job, you get fired,” she said on social media . “But for some reason, in government, bad employees – whether they’re failing to do the job they were hired to do or working in roles that are no longer needed – never get fired. This is incredibly unfair to the hard-working taxpayers of our country, and it’s about to change.” Recently, an audit of the IRS found that its employees and contractors owe millions in taxes, all while the agency warned thousands of taxpayers that they could face jail time. “The same unelected IRS government employees and contractors, who owe $50 million in unpaid taxes, would throw Americans in jail for not paying their taxes,” Greene said of the audit . “Time to hold them all accountable.” Greene also addressed Democrats' accusations that the subcommittee will go after programs like Social Security. “No, Senator Warren, we are not going to take away a senior’s Social Security. That’s a lie,” Greene responded on social media . “We are going to investigate all areas of the federal government like CFPB, an ‘independent’ agency inside the federal government. Beholden to no one. Ran by unelected bureaucrats.”

Jerry Jones: Mike McCarthy Extension 'Not Crazy At All'None

KINGSTON — Appearing in the 2024 DI NCAA FCS playoffs, the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils fell in a close 21-17 contest to No. 10 University of Rhode Island Rams on Saturday, at Meade Stadium. With the loss, Central’s season comes to an end at 7-6 after winning the NEC title last weekend as URI will move one step closer to the FCS championship, facing No. 7 Mercer (10-2) next weekend in Georgia. In the loss, CCSU quarterback Brady Olson threw two touchdown passes, both to wide receiver Isaac Boston, and running back Elijah Howard rushed for 101 yards on 19 carries. The Blue Devils defense had two takeaways as Christopher Jean and Malachi Wright each had an interception. In URI’s win, running back Malik Grant ran all over the Blue Devils defense for 223 yards on 29 carries and broke URI’s school-record for most rushing yards in a single-season. Wide receiver Tommy Smith ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown reception in the win for the Rams. Following the loss and their season ending, CCSU coach Adam Lechtenberg said URI was able to win another close game due to committing fewer mistakes than his team and not being able to execute late in the game. “I’m extremely proud of my guys, they battled like they always do, we just made a few too many mistakes,” said Lechtenberg. “We had opportunities to win the game, we couldn’t get it done, they did. I couldn’t be more proud of the direction we’re headed, but couldn’t be more disappointed for our kids that we weren’t able to find a way to get it done.” After CCSU forced a three-and-out on defense to begin the game, quarterback Brady Olson was picked off by D.J. Cureton. This set up the Rams at CCSU’s 27 where they looked to take a 3-0 lead on a 45-yard field goal attempt. CCSU freshman Christopher Jean blocked the Rams’ field goal try, leaving the game scoreless. On Central’s next defensive possession, linebacker Vince Thomas forced and recovered a fumble that got overturned. A few plays later, URI quarterback Hunter Helms hit wide receiver Tommy Smith for a 38-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 7-0 lead with 2:31 left in the first quarter. 14 seconds later, the Rams would score their second touchdown of the quarter, going up 14-0. The Rams came up with their second interception on Olson in the opening quarter as defensive back Emmanuel Gomes returned a 22-yard interception for a touchdown to put URI up 14-0. Looking to cut URI’s lead, Central’s defense came up with a big turnover when linebacker Malachi Wright picked off Helms with CCSU taking over at URI’s 48. Central’s offense piggy-backed off of the momentum. The Blue Devils used an eight-play 48-yard drive that was capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Olson to wide receiver Isaac Boston. Central cut URI’s lead to 14-7 with 7:25 left in the half. As both teams looked to score again in the first half, both defenses came up with stops. CCSU had a chance to tie the game with a few minutes left in the half. Facing 4th-and-1 from URI’s 27, Olson had an opportunity to hit tight end Sean O’Brien to extend the drive and score a possible touchdown, but overthrew him with the ball being a little too high over his head. URI looked to capitalize on their big stop on defense with a touchdown or field goal on the last drive of the first half. Facing 4th-and-7 from Central’s 30, the Rams elected to go for it and were stopped by the Blue Devil defense. The Rams entered the second half with a 14-7 lead. After a CCSU three-and-out to begin the second half, the Rams got into Central territory and into the red zone as Grant broke free for a long 75-yard run after the Rams started the drive backed up at their own two-yard line. Two plays later, Jean made another big play for the CCSU defense, picking off Helms, and taking away the opportunity for URI to go up by two scores. The Blue Devils would tie the game at 14-14 a few drives later. A few big plays from Howard, including a 40-yard run and a 22-yard reception helped put the Blue Devils at the Rams’ six-yard line. Olson and Boston connected for their second touchdown through the air to cap the drive off, tying the game with 1:27 left in the third quarter. After being held scoreless in the second and third quarters, URI’s offense came alive, and put them up by a touchdown with 9:42 remaining in the game. On a drive that started from the Central 32, the Rams used six plays, capped off by a six-yard direct snap by Smith out of the wildcat formation to put the Rams up by a touchdown. On Central’s ensuing offensive possession, Michael Trovarelli (35-yard catch) and Howard (17-yard run) helped put the Blue Devils in a good position to score, getting in the red zone. Facing a 4th-and-goal situation from the 14, kicker Jack Barnum converted a 32-yard field goal to make it 21-17 in favor of URI with 4:47 left in the game. Looking to run out the clock, the Rams picked up two first downs before the Blue Devils forced a punt and got the ball back with 43 seconds in the game. With no timeouts and needing 80 yards to win the game, Olson was pressured on the Blue Devils’ first play of the drive, and threw a pick to defensive lineman Westley Neal Jr. With the loss, CCSU’s season ends at 7-6 (5-1 in NEC.) The Blue Devils had 12 players make NEC All-First Team (school record), and had multiple players win conference awards as well as receive national recognition for other awards. After the loss, Lechtenberg reflected on the remarkable season the Blue Devils put together in 2024, and spoke about how proud he was of the work they put in that saw them have the opportunity at an FCS championship. He expects his team to pick up off of their success from this season into next season. “Last night in my talk, I listed 40 different players that made impact plays and not one of them was All-Conference,” said Lechtenberg. “Football is the greatest team sport because it takes everybody. I’m proud of everyone. It takes everyone to try to make a chance at winning games. I’m proud of the direction we’re headed, proud of our administration, our fans, and our alumni.” “We still have a relatively young team, a lot of our better players are not seniors, we had a lot of really good senior players too,” Lechtenberg said. “Our expectations are to get better. This is not where we stop, we are headed in the right direction but we are not there yet.”

Offseason work pays off in thrilling victory

Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in First Solar, Inc. ( NASDAQ:FSLR – Free Report ) by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 157 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in First Solar were worth $39,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of FSLR. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of First Solar by 14.5% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 356 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in First Solar by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 7,698 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of First Solar by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,172 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,068,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Solar by 2.8% in the third quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of First Solar by 6.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 916 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on FSLR shares. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of First Solar to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of First Solar to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of First Solar from $274.00 to $257.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Truist Financial began coverage on First Solar in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on First Solar from $311.00 to $279.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.04. First Solar Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ FSLR opened at $199.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 1.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $208.94 and its 200-day moving average is $225.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Solar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.88 and a 1-year high of $306.77. First Solar ( NASDAQ:FSLR – Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by ($0.19). First Solar had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 32.41%. The firm had revenue of $887.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.15 earnings per share for the current year. First Solar Profile ( Free Report ) First Solar, Inc, a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FSLR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for First Solar, Inc. ( NASDAQ:FSLR – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for First Solar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Solar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) attacked California for its slow ballot counting process, which still hasn't concluded weeks after Election Day . He mentioned two Republican incumbents, Reps. Michelle Steel (R-CA) and John Duarte (R-CA), who have watched their voting leads disappear with Democratic ballots streaming in late. MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR "We are on the eve of Thanksgiving and California still hasn’t finished counting votes," DeSantis posted on X on Wednesday afternoon. "Post-election day ballot 'dumps' continue to net Democrat votes over two GOP incumbents. This may reduce the Republican majority in the US House to a razor thin 220-215. What a farce." Steele conceded defeat in California’s 45th Congressional District just hours later. DeSantis's slamming of California is a continuation of the feud he has with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who he debated about a year ago in a publicized red versus blue, Florida against California face-off on Fox News. Both got in jabs against each other and fueled presidential speculation. FIVE DEMOCRATS IN PRIME POSITION TO BE FACE OF THE PARTY IN 2028 For DeSantis, it temporarily boosted his campaign against eventual President-elect Donald Trump. He ignited a social media mockery of Newsom by holding up a human "poop map" of San Francisco that showed the locations of feces across the city. And for Newsom, it boosted his profile in a time when cries for President Joe Biden to step down were at a low whimper. His viral moment came with a stabbing remark aimed at the Florida governor: “There’s one thing in closing that we have in common, is neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024." Those cries would grow in the coming months until Biden relented and stepped down. Newsom got a chunk of the presidential speculation before Vice President Kamala Harris snatched the nomination and kept it. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Now post-election, both governors will be term-limited and forced to step down after the 2026 elections. That would open a pathway for either politician to run in the 2028 presidential election if they choose, and both will likely be involved in speculation. DeSantis's attack could be the opening shot in a feud that carries into November of 2028.