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First-place Buccaneers are confident they can remain atop NFC South, earn playoff berth

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Now that they’re back on top of the NFC South, the challenge for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is to stay there.A 29-25 come-from-behind victory over Atlanta lifted the Bucs (6-7) into a three-way tie for first place with the Falcons and New Orleans Saints with four weeks remaining in the regular season.The two-time defending division champions currently hold tiebreaker advantages over both rivals. Still, the margin for error down the stretch figures to be minimal with Tampa Bay facing playoff contenders Green Bay and Jacksonville before closing with division matchups against the Saints and Carolina Panthers.The Bucs have won two straight following a stretch in which they lost six of seven.Coach Todd Bowles said Monday the difference has been players simply beginning to make plays they weren’t earlier in the season.“The plays we won yesterday with — and the week before (against) Carolina — we weren’t winning in late October and early November,” Bowles said.“The maturit...

As COP28 nears finish, critics say proposal ‘doesn’t even come close’ to what’s needed on climate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Negotiators from around the world haggled deep into the night to try to strike a deal to halt global warming at United Nations climate talks, with Western powers and vulnerable developing countries worried that a proposed text fell far short of goals to save the planet.A new draft released Monday of what’s known as the global stocktake — the part of talks that assesses where the world is at with its climate goals and how it can reach them — called for countries to reduce “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”The release triggered a frenzy of fine-tuning by government envoys and rapid analysis by advocacy groups, just hours before the planned late morning finish to the talks on Tuesday — even though many observers expect the finale to run over time, as is common at the annual U.N. talks.Bangladesh climate envoy Saber Chowdhury said a revised text would be presented Tuesday morning that take...

Status of Texans rookie QB Stroud for Sunday’s game uncertain because of concussion

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud had the worst game of his young career in Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets before leaving with a concussion.Now the Texans must wait and see if the star rookie quarterback can return this week or if they’ll have to start Davis Mills against the Titans.“We’ll see how he progresses,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Not many guys have returned the following week from a concussion. It’s more about the long-term health than the excitement of the game. We care about their long-term health.”Stroud and the rest of the Texans (7-6) struggled to do much of anything right in the 30-6 loss to the Jets, who entered the game having lost five in a row. Both teams were scoreless in the first half before New York took the game over after halftime. Stroud came into Sunday leading the NFL with 3,540 yards passing and had averaged 348 yards a game in his previous five games. But he had a season-low 91 yards Sunday playing in wet and windy conditions before leaving with abou...

Sports on TV for Tuesday, December 12

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsTuesday, December 12CHL HOCKEY11:30 a.m.NHLN — Dynamo Pardubice at Lukko Rauma 2 p.m.NHLN — Skelleftea AIK at Farjestad Karlstad COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)6:30 p.m.FS1 — Monmouth at Seton Hall7 p.m.ACCN — UT-Martin at NC StateBTN — Alcorn St. at MarylandESPN2 — Hofstra at DukeSECN — Georgia Southern at Tennessee8:30 p.m.FS1 — Coppin St. at Georgetown10 p.m.PAC-12N — California Baptist at OregonNBA BASKETBALL7:30 p.m.TNT — LA Lakers at Dallas10 p.m.TNT — Golden State at PhoenixNBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL10 p.m.ESPNU — Rip City at Team IgniteNHL HOCKEY7:30 p.m.ESPN — Detroit at St. Louis10 p.m.ESPN — Chicago at EdmontonSOCCER (MEN’S)3 p.m.CBSSN — UEFA Champions League Group Stage: Real Sociedad at Inter Milan, Group D_____Source

Falcons squander a chance to take control in NFC South. Now it’s a 3-way tie for first place

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons squandered a huge chance to bring a bit of clarity to the muddled NFL South.Now, their hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2017 are much more convoluted heading into the final month of the season.The Falcons (6-7) find themselves in a three-way tie for the lead of the NFL’s weakest division with New Orleans and Tampa Bay after a last-minute loss to the Buccaneers. With four weeks left, a guaranteed playoff spot and first-round home game are very much up for grabs. “We’ve won some games in the clutch and we’ve lost a couple,” coach Arthur Smith said. “But this team never, never has ever had their spirit broken. Certainly, that won’t happen. We know it’s a tough challenge every week.”Atlanta was on the verge of delivering a potentially lethal blow to the Bucs’ playoff chances after Desmond Ridder led a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives for a 25-22 lead with under 3 1/2 minutes remaining.But the Falcons’ defense —...

Granada wins point in La Liga game restarted after death of fan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Granada came from behind to draw with Athletic Bilbao 1-1 in a La Liga game that was restarted on Monday, a day after a fan died in the stands.The game was suspended on Sunday after 17 minutes when Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simón alerted the referee to a problem with one of the supporters at Estadio Los Cármenes.Doctors from both teams helped but the fan who suffered a cardiac arrest could not be resuscitated. The teams left the field and agreed to continue the match on Monday.Both clubs laid flowers on the fan’s seat and held a minute’s silence before kickoff in the 17th minute.Athletic was leading 1-0 thanks to a sixth-minute goal from Iñaki Williams and he almost got a second before halftime only to hit the bar.The visitors were superior throughout the first half but they paid for their profligacy 10 minutes into the second period when Granada drew level.Bilbao defender Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta tried to clear a cross but managed only to put the ball into his own goal....

Two Nashville churches, wrecked by tornadoes years apart, lean on each other in storms’ wake

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — After a March 2020 tornado destroyed the Rev. Jacques Boyd’s Nashville church, his friend, the Rev. Vincent Johnson, lent him space to worship in. Nearly four years later, Boyd has offered to return the favor for the exact same reason.“Whatever we have is available to them,” said Boyd, who leads Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, two days after a tornado ripped through Community Baptist Church. “We’re walking hand-in-hand with them as sister churches and as pastors being friends, being present with them however that presence looks.”Although the tornado struck early Saturday evening, Community Baptist was full of people attending an appreciation banquet for Pastor Johnson and his wife Donella Johnson. In a video message to the congregation posted on the church’s Facebook page Sunday, Donella Johnson said several members needed emergency surgery. Their injuries included broken hips and femurs.One of the people injured was George Presley, who suffered a hea...

Slumping Lions have quick turnaround, looking to keep edge in NFC North

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions have a short week before hosting the Denver Broncos in prime time on Saturday night.Coming off Sunday’s 28-13 loss at the Chicago Bears, the Lions (9-4) are still atop the NFC North but face a tough four-game schedule. Along with the Broncos (7-6), who have won six of their past seven, they will face the Cowboys (10-3) at Dallas and the NFC North’s Minnesota Vikings (7-6) twice in the past three games.The Lions have lost two of their past three, but are still alive in the hunt for a playoff berth, their first since the 2016 season.“Here is the most encouraging thing about what happened yesterday, some of our best players on the team did not play well,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “That’s encouraging going into this one because those are prideful guys, those are our dudes and, believe me, those guys are going to come back, no different than us as coaches. We’re going to be at our best. I know what kind of locker room, what kind of pl...

Wisconsin Republican leader stands by fake Trump elector, will keep him on elections commission

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The majority leader of the Wisconsin Senate on Monday rejected Democrats’ calls to rescind his appointment to the state elections commission, who was one of the Republicans who served as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in 2020.Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in a statement that his appointee Bob Spindell and the other fake electors had invoked a “failed legal strategy” and “not a sinister plot to overturn an election.” For that reason, LeMahieu said he will not rescind his appointment of Spindell to the nonpartisan elections commission.Spindell was one of 10 Republicans who signed certificates in 2020 falsely stating that Trump had won Wisconsin. President Joe Biden won the battleground state. Spindell and other nine fake electors conceded in a legal settlement last week that Biden had won the state and agreed to not serve as electors in next year’s election or in any in which Trump is running. They also agreed t...

These new Colorado laws go into effect in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A lot of laws were passed in 2023, and not all of them have gone into effect yet.Several new Colorado laws will go into effect at the start of 2024. So as you're celebrating the ball drop and starting work on those New Year's resolutions, there are a few new rules you'll have to follow and, in some cases, some new rights you can enjoy. When will you get your next TABOR check? The laws going into effect cover a wide range of topics, including requiring informed consent for certain medical examinations to an agricultural right-to-repair law.New Colorado laws in 2024At least one of the new laws going into effect was not passed this year.Specifically, the next phase of a law passed in 2021 to eliminate single-use plastic bags in grocery stores, as well as eliminate the use of Styrofoam in food containers, goes into effect in January.Of the laws passed in 2023, here are some that are going into effect on Jan. 1, 2024:HB23-1068: Among other things, caps pet security dep...