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College football season arrives as gambling scandals, bet monitoring take on primary role

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — North Carolina junior tight end John Copenhaver gets group text message from his university pointing out the latest betting scandal or reminding him of the importance of not violating rules against betting on sports.“It’s being put in our heads every single day,” he said.Schools feel they have no choice. The spread of legalized sports gambling — and some early scandals — have captured the full attention of athletic departments and conference offices. All major conferences are paying independent betting monitors to make sure their athletes abide by the rules — and catch those who are not.All of this means the personal information surrendered by athletes — birthdays, addresses, Social Security numbers, cell phone numbers — is used in a way unlike the same information shared by their fellow students. Some combination of those details can tip off a betting monitor that something doesn’t look right.“They’re just onboarding and they’re going through the ...

One person in hospital after being struck by vehicle in Bay and Bloor area

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

One person is in hospital after being struck by a vehicle in the Bay Street and Bloor Street West area on Sunday morning.Toronto police confirm an adult male pedestrian was struck by a black Volkswagen at approximately 3:00 a.m.The pedestrian was taken to hospital in non-life-threatening condition and the driver of the vehicle stayed on scene.Southbound Bay Street is blocked at Bloor Street West and they 19 Bay TTC bus is on detour southbound due to the collision.

14-year-old boy dead after Calumet Heights shooting ID'd

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

CHICAGO — A 14-year-old boy who died after a shooting in Calumet Heights Saturday evening, has been identified by the medical exaimer.The medical Examiner's office identified him as Rajon Harshaw from Chicago. Police said officers were called to the 8700 block of South Cregier Avenue around 6:50 p.m., where they found a 14-year-old boy who had been shot in the head and chest.The boy was initially taken to Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, where he later was pronounced dead. 2 teens shot, 1 killed, after fatal Austin shooting If you or someone you know has information that can help lead police toward making an arrest and conviction in the investigation of this incident, CPD encourages you to file an anonymous tip online at cpdtip.com.Police have no one in custody.

Rural Texas awaits mental health windfall after expanded state investment

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Crisis counselors are available 24/7.AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Across 25,000 square miles of the Texas Panhandle, Nancy Tanner can offer scant help to rural Texans in a worsening crisis."People are unhappy. People are unstable right now," Tanner said. "There has been an upswing of mental health cases, and it's not going to get any better." About 98% of Texas counties have a mental health professional shortage As the Potter County Judge in the Panhandle hub of Amarillo, she processes mental health cases from 26 counties. The closest care, however, is 225 miles away in Wichita Falls. Texans in the small towns dotting the panhandle may not even have access to a doctor, let alone a psychiatrist.Their access to mental health care will improve in the coming years after a major investment from the state. Amarillo will soon build a $159 million mental health hospital, a...

Rain remains in Tuesday's forecast

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This afternoon's highs are forecast to reach up to 103° to 107°. This will be Austin's 44th consecutive day with a high in triple digits. Austin has reached a high of 100° and higher 59 times.Today's normal high is 98°Winds coming from the east this afternoon will gust up to 20 mph.The area of disturbed weather is in the eastern Gulf of Mexico where it is expected to become an area of low pressure. It is moving to the west at 15 to 20 mph. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center suggest this could become a tropical depression by Tuesday.A Tropical Depression could develop on TuesdayIt's impact on Central Texas will be a few showers and thunderstorms beginning as early as Tuesday morning but with more coverage during the afternoon and evening. Tuesday will be the wettest dayThe area of low pressure will quickly track across the southern part of the state being driven by the large area of high pressure to our north.Thus, the rain will only last until late Tuesday...

Texas neighborhood has 'Friends'-themed street names

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) – A neighborhood just outside of Austin features some familiar names in a neighborhood where your friends will always be there for you.In Taylor, you can pivot your way into a "Friends"-themed neighborhood, where you’ll find other memorable, familiar names connected to the series.According to the City of Taylor, the creation of the street names lies with the developer. Furthermore, the developer is WBW Development, which is based in Killeen.Pivot Drive and Yemen Road‘Pivot, pivot, pivot!’If you’re a "Friends" fan, then you remember the pivot scene, when Ross asks for help moving a sofa upstairs. When Ross, Rachel and Chandler start attempting to turn up the stairs, Ross starts yelling pivot multiple times before they all give up and put the sofa down.As for Yemen Rd., do you remember the episode where Chandler actually went to Yemen just to fully break up with Janice? That's some serious commitment to breaking up. Not to mention that plane ticket was $2,100. Oh ...

John Mannillo: What makes an ‘improvement district’ work? Trust and independence

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

How can St. Paul attract new private investment to its downtown? How can we attract more vitality, more people and spending? After the pandemic, cities throughout the country are struggling with the same problem.I was disappointed but not surprised at the decision not to extend the Downtown Improvement District (DID) further west to include the West Seventh Street area. This occurred after some of the restaurant property owners changed their minds on the idea of joining an expanded district that would be under the direction of the Downtown Alliance.The DID, operating as a separate entity, under the control of the Alliance, has been established to improve the central core of St. Paul’s downtown. It is funded through self-assessments by commercial property owners, within a defined area. Some of the benefits the DID provides these owners are a group of hired ambassadors who welcome visitors, help the public with different problems, remove graffiti and pick up trash. There is also an en...

Excessive heat warning from today through Thursday

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- The Excessive Heat Warning will be in place from this afternoon through Thursday. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 100s, with dangerous heat index values anticipated to range between 110 and 115. This hazardous heat period will persist until Friday, although heat index values for Friday appear to be slightly decreasing. Throughout the week, temperature records ranged from 101 to 104, potentially breaking records on several days.To exacerbate the situation, overnight lows will only reach the upper 70s to near 80 each night, significantly increasing the risk for vulnerable populations. Relief seems to be on the horizon for next weekend, as a cold front is expected to bring temperatures back down to levels closer to the late August norm.

Hurricane Hilary moves “very near” to Mexico’s Baja coast packing deadly rainfall

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

By IGNACIO MARTINEZ and STEFANIE DAZIO (Associated Press)CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Hilary neared landfall on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula as a still-dangerous Category 1 hurricane carrying so much rain that forecasters said “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding is likely across a broad region of the southwestern U.S.The National Weather Center in Miami said that as of 5 a.m. the storm was “very near” the Baja coast south of Ensenada, and 285 miles (460 kilometers) from San Diego, California. The maximum sustained wind speed dropped to 80 mph (130 kph) while spreading “heavy rains” northward over the peninsula.Meteorologists warned that despite weakening, the storm remained treacherous.One person drowned Saturday in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia, on the peninsula’s eastern coast, when a vehicle was swept away in an overflowing stream. Rescue workers managed to save four other people, said Edith Aguil...

Improving Investor Behavior: The problem with pessimism

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:44:04 GMT

With markets improving and the overall economy strengthening, why is everyone so negative about our country’s current financial state? By many measures, I believe our economy is far better than people’s sentiment toward it.The past two years brought the strongest labor market in a generation, for example. Yet many are convinced of an impending recession. The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, a measure of how positively or negatively people “feel” about the market, indicates a lower low than during the 2008 financial crisis. The 2023 level is even lower than in the 1980s when inflation was 15%, and the 1970s during a challenging economic period.Steve BoorenInflation certainly is a factor in people’s negativity. But that hasn’t stopped consumers from spending, which is generally a sign that things are going well at a household level.It’s also bizarre to see sentiment so low with unemployment near the lowest levels since 1969. With something like 10 million job openin...