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Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel in response to killing of Hamas leader

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel on Saturday in retaliation for the targeted killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut this week amid mounting fears of a larger regional war, according to media reports. Hezbollah said in a statement Saturday that it targeted an Israeli air surveillance base in northern Israel with 62 missiles as an “initial response” to the suspected Israeli strike on January 2 that killed senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. The Israeli military said around 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon at its territory. Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, said earlier this week that the killing of al-Arouri will “not go unpunished.” The escalation comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has embarked on his fourth diplomatic tour of the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war reaches its three-month mark and amid growing internation...

Four Patriots players who deserve a longer look in season finale

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick already said this week that he won’t be using Week 18 to gather information on players for the 2024 season.“We’re going to get ready to play the guys that deserve to play against the Jets,” Belichick said Wednesday. “I think they all want to play.”But with so many injuries across the roster, there will almost certainly be some players taking on significant roles who weren’t part of the team’s plans in Week 1.Here are four players who deserve a longer look in Week 18 against the Jets in what could also be Belichick’s last game as Patriots head coach.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Jets preview: What to watch for in Belichick’s possible last NE game New England Patriots | NFL notes: How Matthew Slater’s passionate speeches helped keep the Patriots together New England Patriots | Patriots-Jets injury report: Hunter Henry out, 12...

Patriots-Jets preview: What to watch for in Belichick’s possible last NE game

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

It’s come down to this.Bill Belichick’s Patriots against the hated Jets.Playoff hopes for both teams dissipated around Thanksgiving, leaving only pride and rivalry at stake. That will be enough Sunday, when speculation will swirl – along with snow – that Belichick may be coaching his last game in New England.Whether or not Belichick returns next season, here’s what to watch for in the Patriots’ 2023 season finale:When the Patriots runThat steady-eddy run game feels like a memory from long ago.Thanks to opponents’ stacked boxes and injuries up front, Pats running back Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 25, 27 and 39 yards the last three weeks. He’s averaged fewer than three yards per carry in all of those games and scored one rushing touchdown. The offense’s best runs have been Bailey Zappe scrambles, unscheduled scampers that catch a defense off-guard.Few opponents have caught the Jets off-guard on the ground this season, where their...

NFL notes: How Matthew Slater’s passionate speeches helped keep the Patriots together

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

Patriots linebacker Josh Uche slowly closed his locker after a full day of meetings and practice, then took his first of a dozen steps toward the nearest exit.He had an appointment at 3:30 p.m. The clock read 3:28. A reporter walked with him to see if he might have time for one question. Uche politely declined, then overheard the reporter mention the subject of his story as he continued toward the door.He stopped and turned.“Oh, wait,” Uche said Thursday. “This is about Slate?”In that about-face, Uche epitomized how Matthew Slater, even in his 16th season, 13th year as captain and even from another room, holds his teammates’ attention and utmost respect. Slater said this week he will weigh retirement again this offseason, making Sunday’s season finale a potential farewell to one of the NFL’s greatest special teams players ever. Whether Slater, 38, retires or returns, and whether the Patriots win or lose, there is one guarantee about how Sund...

Citizen scientists needed to see what happens in trout streams in winter

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

University of Minnesota Extension at UMD is helping produce a free online event to raise awareness about the winter life of the little creatures in trout streams that make up the backbone of the food chain for fish.“Bugs Below Zero: Engaging Citizens in Winter Research” is set for 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11.A student inspects insects collected during winter months from a Minnesota trout stream as part of the Bugs Below Zero project. (Sarah Karnas / Bell Museum)Biologist Amy Schrank, an expert on trout streams stationed at Sea Grant’s University of Minnesota Duluth headquarters, will be joined by Rebecca Swenson, associate professor at the university’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and by Alyssa Anderson, associate professor of biology at Southwest Minnesota State University.Bugs Below Zero is a Minnesota Sea Grant project designed to draw attention to the importance of winter stream food webs and how citizens can be involved in community science...

Snow blankets St. Louis, more winter weather expected

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Precipitation has come to an end, with amounts ranging from just a dusting to a little over 2.5". The highest amounts were reported in St. Louis County and over into the metro east. Now we're left with some fog, clouds and chilly temperatures. We could have a few spotty sprinkles or flurries this afternoon but we are not expecting any additional accumulations. Temperatures will stay in the 30s today. Patchy fog is possible overnight, with lows falling to near freezing. On Sunday, we'll see a dry day with a lot of clouds to start with and maybe some sunshine popping out by the afternoon. Temperatures are still chilly, around 40s. As we've been talking about for a few days now, things get interesting on Monday. Monday will start off dry and temperatures will make it into the mid 40s. Rain and a rain/snow mix will build in through the afternoon. For Monday evening's commute in the metro, the precipitation type looks to be mainly rain at this point, with a wintry mix to the...

Advisory group recommends converting Colorado coal plant to nuclear power

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

A committee of Pueblo community members has recommended that Xcel Energy-Colorado replace a coal plant, beset by longstanding mechanical and operational problems, with modular nuclear units or a gas plant that would capture the carbon dioxide emissions.However, a report released Friday by the Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee made clear that the group’s top choice is what it calls advanced nuclear technology. A nuclear facility will create more jobs and tax revenue for local governments, the report said.Xcel Energy will consider the recommendations as it develops a new plan to provide a transition for the community leading up to the closure by the start of 2031 of the Comanche 3 coal plant in Pueblo, said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy-Colorado. He said Xcel generally supports nuclear power, which generates some of the utility’s electricity in Minnesota.Xcel Energy’s Fort St Vrain power plant in Platteville was nuclear. It was decommiss...

Nuggets Journal: Five reasons Denver’s defense ranks vastly higher in NBA than it did this time last year

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

The Nuggets were ranked No. 8 in the NBA in team defensive rating heading into Friday night, allowing 112.6 points per 100 possessions at the 36-game mark of the season. At the same time last year, they were a couple of points worse — enough of a difference relative to the rest of the league that Denver ranked 25th. Here are five reasons the Nuggets have improved defensively after winning a championship.Swatson’s ascendanceIn terms of personnel, it certainly helps that the Nuggets have the same starting five as last season. From a communication and cohesiveness standpoint, any group of players should theoretically improve with more time together. Denver’s starting lineup is 1.2 points better at the defensive end so far, checking that box.But changes to the roster are more illuminating. Peyton Watson is replacing the minutes of multiple 2022-23 bench players, and he’s leading the team in individual defensive rating (108.9). In those same minutes, Bruce Brown a...

Opinion: U.S. faces biggest COVID wave since omicron. Why are we ignoring?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

The pandemic is far from over, as evidenced by the rapid rise to global dominance of the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2. This variant is a derivative of BA.2.86, the only other strain that has carried more than 30 new mutations in the spike protein since omicron first came on the scene more than two years ago. This should have warranted designation by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern with a Greek letter, such as pi.By wastewater levels, JN.1 is now associated with the second-biggest wave of infections in the United States in the pandemic, after omicron. We have lost the ability to track the actual number of infections since most people either test at home or don’t even test at all, but the very high wastewater levels of the virus indicate about 2 million Americans are getting infected each day.In several countries in Europe, wastewater levels reached unprecedented levels, exceeding omicron. Clearly this virus variant, with its plethora of new mutations, has continue...

Cowen: Want to be wealthy? You might consider therapy

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:13:10 GMT

Economists are used to the idea that intervening in concrete ways — spending on development projects, for example, or on social services — can improve outcomes. But what about psychological interventions?Is it possible to make people wealthier simply by helping them feel better? What is the connection between psychotherapy, or pharmaceutical treatments, and wealth accumulation?This is a new branch of economic research, and the results are by no means definitive. Yet these investigations are especially important for development economics. In poor countries, people may be especially likely to suffer from trauma, given circumstances of war and violence, food scarcity or natural disasters. And purely psychological interventions have promise as modest tools for economic self-improvement.One study of Ethiopia looked at the psychological impact of raising aspirations. The researchers created a randomized control trial, showing one group of people short films about business and ...