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Fiji avoids a mega shock to come back and beat Georgia 17-12 at the Rugby World Cup

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

BORDEAUX, France (AP) — Fiji just avoided the kind of mega shock it is more used to dishing out at the Rugby World Cup.The Flying Fijians were constrained by a fully committed Georgia effort for 50 minutes before coming back from 9-0 down to win 17-12 in their Pool C game on Saturday.The fighting victory put Fiji on the cusp of making the quarterfinals for the first time since 2007, but not quite there yet and the deal will have to be sealed in a final pool game against another underdog in Portugal.Captain Waisea Nayacalevu began the Fijian fightback with a 51st-minute try deftly finished with inches to spare in the left corner as he dotted down off his feet and almost behind his back before he was tackled into touch. Replacement Vinaya Habosi finally subdued the Georgians when he ran onto an offload from tireless flanker Levani Botia with 12 minutes to go to make it 17-9.Georgia still had enough in the tank to kick a very late penalty and chase what would have been a scintillating ...

Chase Elliott looks for his first win in a season of disappointment for NASCAR’s most popular driver

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — It’s been a year since Chase Elliott won a Cup Series race, a drought that played a role in NASCAR’s most popular driver missing the playoffs in what’s guaranteed to be the worst season of his career.As Elliott returns for Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, site of his last victory, there’s no sugarcoating his season.“I am disappointed in his season, for sure,” team owner Rick Hendrick told The Associated Press. “I think Chase is an unbelievable talent, the most popular driver, under a lot of pressure from the fans, not as much from the sponsors — they want to win. I feel like he deserves to win races, he’s got the talent. So we’ve just got to get him in that position.”It fell apart for Elliott before the third race of the season when he broke his leg in a snowboarding accident in Colorado ahead of the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Elliott missed six races to put him in an enormous hole, and then he was suspended for a seventh for ...

Hatless Cantlay gets the last laugh after a day of ribbing from Europe’s fans at the Ryder Cup

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — Waiting to hit his tee shot on the reachable par-4 16th, Patrick Cantlay smiled and gestured with his hands for the pro-Europe spectators to keep up the ribbing they had been giving him all day long for not wearing a hat.Turns out Cantlay got the last laugh.The hatless Cantlay holed birdie putts on the final three holes to earn the Americans a win in the final fourballs match on Day 2 of the Ryder Cup. He and partner Wyndham Clark beat Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick 1-up Saturday.“Hats off for your bank account,” the gallery chanted in Cantlay’s direction as thousands of spectators waved their hats at him on hole after hole.“I’ve never had so many standing ovations going to tee boxes and greens,” Cantlay said. “I told Wyndham when we were going to the 1st tee today that we were going to use all the energy out there as fuel. And we did.”It was all a response to an unsubstantiated report from Sky Sports — the broadcast partner for the European tour...

Osimhen comes off bench to help Napoli win 4-0 at Lecce. Pulisic scores and Milan beats Lazio

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Victor Osimhen came off the bench to help Napoli win 4-0 at Lecce in Serie A on Saturday as the defending champions notched four goals for the second straight match.Osimhen, who had been angered by the club following a social media post this week, doubled Napoli’s lead early in the second half. Leo Østigård, Gianluca Gaetano and Matteo Politano also got on the scoresheet.Napoli moved third, four points behind league leader AC Milan, which beat Lazio 2-0 following a goal from United States standout Christian Pulisic.Inter Milan can move back level with its city rival with a win at Salernitana later.It was a second straight defeat for Lecce, which was unbeaten before Tuesday’s 1-0 loss at Juventus and had won its previous four home matches.Napoli had ended a three-match winless run with a 4-1 win over Udinese midweek but coach Rudi Garcia opted against starting Osimhen on Saturday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Real Madrid.Napoli took the lead in the ...

Serious crash in Aurora causes road closure

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Police in Aurora investigated a crash with serious injuries Saturday afternoon in the area of East Quincy Avenue and Parker Road.As a result of the crash, all northbound traffic on Parker Road at Quincy Avenue was closed as of 1:37 p.m., and expected to remain closed for several hours.According to police, multiple people were taken to hospitals with varying injures. Details were limited, police said, and the investigation was still active.

Howie Carr: How’s indictment, ex-Methuen Police ‘Don’ Joe Solomon?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

An indictment is always a disappointment, so why is this man smiling?But what does ex-Methuen police chief Joseph Solomon care? His motto is, if you’re indicted, you’re invited.How did he run the Methuen PD, you ask?Like “the don of an organized-crime family,” according to one of the several scathing reports about him over the years.Don Solomon was paid $326,272 a year as chief. Plus he got to run a business on the side — “security.” He got a “night deferential.” He didn’t have one police car, he had two.The second cruiser was used by Chief Solomon to smoke cigars in. Or so said one of the dissident city councilors, who by the way happened to be a Lawrence police officer. You can’t be a real organized-crime don unless you smoke cigars.As he stuffed holiday envelopes full of bribes for his bent feds and crooked local police, Whitey Bulger used to quip, “Christmas is for cops and kids!”For Joseph Solomon, the capo di tutti capi of the Methuen PD, every day was Christmas.When they even...

Ontario city home to Nazi soldier that visited Parliament shares mixed emotions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

Allan Hirsh sits on a lawn chair on a cool fall evening in North Bay, Ont., pondering the mixed emotions he’s been feeling since his community made international headlines. The northeastern Ontario city is the current home to a man who was honoured with a standing ovation in the House of Commons during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but whose presence in Parliament later caused global outrage and embarrassment when details emerged about his past as a Nazi soldier during the second World War.Hirsh says he can understand the pain many are feeling after Yaroslav Hunka’s reception in the House, noting his own ancestors fled persecution by the Russian Empire for practising Judaism in the early 20th century and many of his loved ones lost relatives and friends during the Holocaust.But Hirsh and other city residents say they are shocked to hear their long-time Member of Parliament Anthony Rota resigned as House Speaker over his choice to invite and recogn...

Some Canadian hockey fans want future partner to cheer for same team: survey

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

With puck drop on a new NHL season just around the corner, fans from coast to coast will begin dusting off their jerseys and reintroducing hockey habits into their daily lives.Canadian hockey fans hope this is the year the decades-long drought ends, and a Stanley Cup comes north of the border.As games get increasingly crucial during the season, relationships could be put to the test.In fact, more than one-in-five Canadian sports fans (21 per cent) say they would rather watch a crucial game over spending a romantic date with their partner, a new study shows.That’s according to research from sports platform The Grueling Truth, which explored the intersection of sports fandom and dating.The survey also found one-in-three Canadians (34 per cent) would rather spend an evening out with their sports hero than their partner.Graphic showing Canadian hockey fans’ willingness, by team, to date a person with the same allegiance. (Courtesy: The Grueling Truth)A portion of Canadian hockey f...

NY woman who fatally shoved singing coach, age 87, is sentenced to more time in prison than expected

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge sentenced a woman who pleaded guilty to fatally shoving an 87-year-old Broadway singing coach onto a Manhattan sidewalk to six months more in prison than the eight years that had been previously reached in a plea deal.During Friday’s sentencing of Lauren Pazienza for manslaughter, Manhattan state Supreme Court Judge Felicia Mennin said she was unconvinced that the 28-year-old Long Island woman took responsibility for her actions on March 10, 2022, when she pushed the vocal teacher, Barbara Maier Gustern, to the ground.Gustern, whose students included “Blondie” singer Debbie Harry, lay bleeding on a sidewalk. She died five days later.Pazienza pleaded guilty on Aug. 23. She could have been sentenced to 25 years had she been convicted during a trial.Pazienza, a former event planner originally from Long Island, has been locked up at the city’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex since a judge revoked her bail in May 2022. According to prosecutors,...

A truck crash in Illinois kills 5, seriously injures 5 and forces an evacuation due to ammonia leak

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:50:12 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say five people were killed and five were seriously injured after a truck overturned in central Illinois, causing a toxic substance to leak from its cargo. Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the five dead included three from the same family — one adult and two children under 12. The other two were adult motorists from out of state, Rhodes said. Additionally, five people were airlifted to area hospitals, their conditions unknown.The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will review the crash, which also prompted an evacuation of area residents. Illinois State Police said the accident occurred Friday and involved “multiple” vehicles. It happened about a half-mile east of Teutopolis on U.S. Highway 40. Police said Saturday that due to the plume from the ammonia leak, an evacuation was ordered within an approximate one mile radius of the crash, including northeastern parts of Teutopolis. Crews were working to contain the leak. T...