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How a church in Switzerland uses an AI hologram of Jesus for confession. VideoBy KENYA HUNTER, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington . As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race , held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating residents’ pets , he didn’t just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris , many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris’ loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women’s concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution , which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government programs and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people . Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,”’ she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Some of Trump’s plans affect people in Olivia Gordon’s immediate community, which is why she struggled to get behind the “Black women rest” wave. Gordon, a New York-based lawyer who supported the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s presidential nominee, Claudia de la Cruz, worries about who may be left behind if the 92% of Black women voters who backed Harris simply stopped advocating. “We’re talking millions of Black women here. If millions of Black women take a step back, it absolutely leaves holes, but for other Black women,” she said. “I think we sometimes are in the bubble of if it’s not in your immediate circle, maybe it doesn’t apply to you. And I truly implore people to understand that it does.” Nicole Lewis, an Alabama-based therapist who specializes in treating Black women’s stress, said she’s aware that Black women withdrawing from social impact movements could have a fallout. But she also hopes that it forces a reckoning for the nation to understand the consequences of not standing in solidarity with Black women. “It could impact things negatively because there isn’t that voice from the most empathetic group,” she said. “I also think it’s going to give other groups an opportunity to step up. ... My hope is that they do show up for themselves and everyone else.” Brown said a reckoning might be exactly what the country needs, but it’s a reckoning for everyone else. Black women, she said, did their job when they supported Harris in droves in hopes they could thwart the massive changes expected under Trump. “This ain’t our reckoning,” she said. “I don’t feel no guilt.” AP polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux and Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rasheed Bello had 20 points in Purdue Fort Wayne's 87-81 victory over Drexel on Monday. Bello added eight assists for the Mastodons (4-2). Corey Hadnot II went 6 of 7 from the field (3 for 4 from 3-point range) to add 15 points. Jalen Jackson had 13 points and went 6 of 13 from the field. The Dragons (4-3) were led in scoring by Cole Hargrove, who finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Kobe Magee added 15 points and three steals for Drexel. Shane Blakeney finished with 12 points. Jackson scored nine points in the first half and Purdue Fort Wayne went into halftime trailing 37-35. Bello scored 15 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Fantasy plays: Players to start and sit for NFL Week 13
ATLANTA — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington. As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race, held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating their neighbors’ pets, he didn't just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hold their fists in the air after she delivered a concession speech after the 2024 presidential election Nov. 6 on the campus of Howard University in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” People are also reading... After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris' loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. AP VoteCast takeaways: Gender voting gap was unremarkable compared with recent history “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Supporters cheer during a community rally with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Oct. 27 in Philadelphia. Susan Walsh, Associated Press AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women's concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people. Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,''' she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Trump hammered Democrats on transgender issues. Now the party is at odds on a response The 25 best cities for Black women to flourish financially The 25 best cities for Black women to flourish financially Where can Black women feel supported and flourish financially? When posed that question, Dr. Lori Martin, a professor of African and African American studies and sociology at Louisiana State University, had this to say: "A livable place for Black women is safe, and for women with children, it is home to schools where all students have access to an excellent education. It would also be diverse, with a visible and thriving Black community, including Black businesses." While the socioeconomic realities of our current time touch all corners of the country, there are pockets of the U.S. where the wealth gap narrows and Black women have more opportunities. MoneyGeek analyzed data on income, the cost of crime , homeownership , and poverty levels from 164 cities across the United States to rank the best — and worst — cities for Black women to live and financially flourish in. Key findings Suburban cities of large metropolitan areas ranked highest. Southfield — outside of Detroit — and Pearland — a suburb of Houston — ranked highest in the analysis. The South is home to 13 of the top 25 cities for Black women, led by Pearland, Texas; Port St. Lucie, Florida; and Garland, Texas. Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranks at the bottom due to significant income and health insurance disparities for Black women compared to white men. Miami has the second-lowest overall ranking and second-largest income gap of the cities analyzed, with Black women earning only over a third of what white men make. SNEHIT PHOTO // Shutterstock The best cities for Black women MoneyGeek ranked 164 cities with populations greater than 65,000 from the best to the worst for Black women. The ranking includes analysis of income, poverty rate, homeownership, educational attainment and health insurance gaps between Black women and the entire population nationally and locally. The size of the local Black population and the cost of crime in the area were included in the ranking to reflect the presence of the Black community and safety, respectively. Southfield — a suburb of Detroit — and Pearland — a Houston suburb — ranked as the top two cities in the analysis. Notably, Southern cities make up the majority of cities in the top 25, with 13 located in this region. MoneyGeek The worst cities for Black women In contrast, Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranked as the worst city for Black women. In Minneapolis, Black women face high poverty rates in absolute and relative terms and have low rates of health insurance coverage compared to the cities analyzed. Meanwhile, Miami ranks as the second least favorable city, with a significant local income gap — there, white men earn almost triple the income of Black women. MoneyGeek The economic realities Black women face Income disparity is a key measure of how well Black women are doing today. For each city in the analysis, we calculated the local Equal Pay Day — the day in the following year when Black women would make an equivalent amount as white men — using the median income of Black women working full time and the median income of white men working full time in each locality. In Carson, California, the median pay of Black women is higher than the median pay of white men. However, in Evanston, Illinois, Black women make just over a third of white men's earnings, meaning they would need to work until September 24, 2024, to earn the equivalent of a white man's 2022 pay. Economic challenges faced by Black women include restricted career advancement opportunities, insufficient health insurance, and inadequate retirement savings. Survey data from Goldman Sachs indicates that 42% of Black women perceive limited career growth opportunities compared to 35% of U.S. adults, and merely 43% are able to obtain health insurance through their employer, in contrast to 53% nationwide. Additionally, 71% of Black women feel they are living paycheck to paycheck, compared to 63% of the general population. The intersection of racial and gender bias contributes to these challenges, resulting in low-wage jobs and a considerable wealth gap. Our analysis validates this, demonstrating that Black women who work full-time, year-round, earn 64 cents for every dollar white men earn working full-time, year-round. Less access to economic opportunities puts Black women at a disadvantage in building wealth. The FDIC's National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households found that 11.3% of Black households were unbanked compared to just 2.1% of white households. Unbanked households are credit invisible — that is, they don't have a credit history and, therefore, can't build credit. Having no credit history makes it difficult to utilize credit cards to manage cash needs and mortgages to buy homes. Advocating for economic opportunities for Black women The struggle for economic equity remains a persistent challenge for Black women in America, who have historically faced systemic wage disparities and employment obstacles. However, there are tools and resources that can provide Black women with economic opportunities and empowerment. Dr. Ukanwa shares additional solutions, such as: 1. Invest in education: Research has already shown that degrees increase lifetime earnings, close some societal gaps, and increase job security. But if degrees are not your path, it also means continuing to build that knowledge and expertise in something you can be the best at. Figure out your expertise and what you bring to the table. 2. After building your expertise in a field, build your reputation and personal brand: With an excellent reputation and personal brand, people will start to seek you out rather than the other way around. This increases the worth of your expertise. 3. Find out what your expertise is worth: Educate yourself on how to negotiate . Negotiate to be paid what you are worth. 4. Get into the habit of ownership: Build your own equity, which decreases the dependence on someone else for your income. For example, this could be your own business, stocks , or real estate. Methodology To rank the best cities for Black women, MoneyGeek analyzed data from the American Community Survey , MoneyGeek's Safest Cities and Safest Small Cities and Towns studies, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The analysis started with over 500 places in America with populations of 65,000 or more. Places without granular data about Black women or lacking other data points for the analysis were removed to get to the final set of 164 cities. The ranking of the best cities for Black women was based on eight factors: safety, Black population, educational attainment, poverty rates, income, employment, health insurance, and homeownership. Each factor was weighted equally and scaled to a score between 0 and 1. The factors were calculated as follows: Safety (full weight): This metric equally comprises two metrics. Crime cost per capita (50%): This metric is based on the per capita cost of crime calculated in MoneyGeek's Safest Cities series. Racially motivated hate crimes per 1 million people (50%): This metric indicates the number of racially motivated hate crimes for 2022 per 1,000,000 population, with data sourced from the FBI's Crime Data Explorer. Percent of local population that is Black (full weight): This percentage represents the proportion of Black individuals within a city's total population, as reported by the United States Census Bureau's five-year American Community Survey (ACS) from 2021, the most recent data available. Educational attainment (full weight): This metric equally comprises two metrics. High school diploma gap (50%): The difference in percentage points of the rate of female Black high school diploma achievement compared to the national rate of male white high school diploma achievement. Higher education diploma gap (50%): The difference in percentage points of the rate of female Black bachelor's degree or greater educational attainment compared to the national rate of male white bachelor's degree or greater educational attainment. Poverty rate (full weight): The percentage point difference between the city's rate of Black women earning at or above the poverty level and the rate of all women living above the poverty level nationally. This finding comes from the 2021 Census ACS five-year data, the latest available source covering over 200 cities. Income (full weight): This factor equally comprises two metrics. Local Income Gap (50%): The ratio of Black female median income as a percentage of the local median income of white males. National Income Gap (50%): The ratio of Black female median income adjusted for purchasing power as a percentage of the national median income of white males. Employment (full weight): The difference in percentage points between the Black female employment rate and the white male employment rate in the locality. Health insurance (full weight): This metric reveals the percentage point difference between Black women (ages 19-64) and white men (ages 19-64) with health insurance. This information comes from the Census ACS five-year data from 2021, the most recent data source available. Black female homeownership (full weight): This factor comprises three metrics. Local Black homeownership (25%): Proportion of Black-owned homes compared to all local owner-occupied housing. National Black homeownership (25%): Proportion of Black-owned homes compared to all national owner-occupied housing. Mortgage cost percentage relative to income (50%): Black homeowners' monthly costs as a percentage of Black women's median monthly income. The full data set can be found here . This story was produced by MoneyGeek and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. MoneyGeek Be the first to knowFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth was among the biggest of the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 winners today, taking home four of the seven awards it was nominated for - the most of any game at the fan-voted event. It's also tied with Astro Bot for the most-nominated game at The Game Awards this year. Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi believes this is vindication for Square Enix 's decision to turn the JRPG remake into a trilogy. "I think when we first announced that we were going to do the Final Fantasy 7 remake project not just as one game but as a series of games, which ultimately became a trilogy, there were a number of different reactions to that - mixed reactions, I think," Hamaguchi told GamesRadar+ backstage at The Golden Joysticks. "Obviously since then we've released the first game in the series, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and this game, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and I think this has proven our concept now," Hamaguchi continued. "With us being the most-nominated game at today's Golden Joysticks, also the most-nominated game at The Game Awards later this year, I think people have finally come around to understand the reasons, the advantages, and why it's a good thing to have it as a trilogy. So hopefully people are a bit more convinced now." Of course, the one final bit of convincing fans are gonna need is to see how the third part of the remake trilogy turns out. Earlier this month, the devs reported that the plot for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is complete and they're now moving forward in development , and not long before that Hamaguchi said that the third entry will be "one of the most loved, most popular games in the whole history of video games once again." You can't accuse Square Enix of a lack of ambition, at the very least. Here are the best JRPGs for you to sink your teeth into today.
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After three losses this year by a combined eight points, Northwestern has found the finishing touch, winning three straight games, all against power conference teams. Northwestern (9-3) tries to extend its streak Sunday in Evanston, Ill., when it takes on Northeastern (8-4) in the final nonconference game for each team. Making a difference recently for the Wildcats has been their defensive pressure and care of the ball. During the Wildcats' three-game run, which included a 70-66 win in overtime against then-No. 19 Illinois, they forced 45 turnovers while committing just 18. That translates to a 43-16 edge in points off the mistakes. "That's something we've really talked about as a team," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said after an 84-64 win over DePaul on Dec. 21. "We're a really good defensive team and we need to turn some of those live-ball turnovers, so points can come a little easier." Brooks Barnhizer has done a little bit of everything during the Wildcats' mini-streak, averaging 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 3.3 assists and 2.7 blocks. Nick Martinelli has continued to excel with his rare skill set, combining crafty work in the paint with his expanded range from the perimeter. The left-hander has averaged 22 points in the last three games. For the year, Martinelli has hit 14 of 25 shots (56 percent) from beyond the arc. For Northeastern of the Coastal Athletic Association, this is the only game on its schedule against a power conference team. In 19 seasons under coach Bill Coen, Northeastern has pulled off nine victories over major conference foes. With an all-junior starting lineup, the Huskies are off to their best start since the 2015-16 season. Northeastern is led by guards Rashad King, who averages 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, and Harold Woods, who puts up 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Considering both are perimeter players, the rebounding numbers are extraordinary, especially for the 6-foot-5 Woods. "He hunts for those offensive rebounds and the tight spaces where he can finish behind the defense," Coen said. "And he works on that daily." This is the first meeting of the teams since 1993. The Wildcats hold a 3-1 edge in the series. --Field Level MediaThomas Sorber, Georgetown roll past Coppin StateTuesday's Transactions
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It was the fourth time this season they had conceded four or more and the performance showed why they have the Premier League’s worst defence. When O’Neil and the players went over to acknowledge the visiting supporters there were boos for a run of two wins in 14 league matches. “Whatever the fans think of me, there is definitely no-none working harder than me and I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to,” said O’Neil, who is under increasing pressure with his side second bottom of the table. “I go over there to see them because I appreciate every one of the Wolves fans. They have given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club,” he said. “We managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation. We managed to enjoy it together. “Now it is tough. I was happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism they want to throw at me. “I accept responsibility for my part in that. Whatever criticism they want to throw at me will not change how I feel about them. “Everyone at this football club needs to do more. We will get back to be ready to fight again on Monday (another crucial game against West Ham, whose manager Julen Lopetegui’s tenure is hanging by a thread). “I will work with everything I have. I will back myself to get the most out of the group. I understand the drive for change (but) you never know how much of a percentage of supporters it is.” Veteran Ashley Young ended Everton’s 370-minute wait for a goal with a 10th-minute free-kick, his first league goal for more than two years, and on-loan Lyon midfielder Orel Mangala blasted home his first for the club to establish a 2-0 half-time lead. Two Craig Dawson own goals secured Everton’s biggest home league win since April 2019, but manager Sean Dyche insisted their issues up front were far from sorted. He said: “It’s our fifth clean sheet in the last eight so the consistency has been there in one degree, we just haven’t been scoring goals. That’s been the hardest thing to find consistently and we haven’t solved it yet. “Goals change everything, they change opinions. That’s what football is like.” The victory was hugely important in a month in which, having been hammered 4-0 at Manchester United, they face top-six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest and undoubtedly eased some of the pressure on Dyche and his players. “I’ve told them how proud I am of them,” he added. “The challenges come thick and fast on and off the pitch and they just keep going. “It’s only a step and there are many more to go but it’s a good step and a positive step. “It’s a temporary moment in time because the next one is a big one (Saturday’s Merseyside derby).”NoneIn December 2022, Missoula-based grizzly bear biologist Mike Bader said the proposed Clark Fork Face Project — a mix of logging, timber and vegetation thinning, and prescribed burning in the Garnet Mountains east of Missoula — was "a fat target" for a lawsuit. Bader's assessment, which he made during an interview with the Missoulian two years ago about the U.S. Bureau of Land Management project , was borne out on Tuesday, when a coalition of environmental nonprofits sued the federal government in an attempt to halt the project before work begins. An aerial view shows the location of a proposed project by the Bureau of Land Management near Clinton on Jan. 6, 2023. Houses constructed on former mining claims make the area a priority for forest thinning aimed at reducing wildfire risk, the agency says. The Center for Biological Diversity is the primary plaintiff in the lawsuit. The group is joined in the litigation by the Montana-based Alliance for the Wild Rockies — with which Bader frequently collaborates — the Native Ecosystems Council, the Council on Wildlife and Fish, and the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection. The groups sued the BLM, BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning, BLM Montana-Dakotas State Director Sonya Germann, and BLM Missoula Field Office Manager Erin Carey. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Missoula. The project, approved by the BLM on April 18 but originally proposed years prior, entails a variety of work on 16,689 acres of federal land managed by the BLM in the Garnet Mountains north of Interstate 90 roughly between Bonner and Drummond. The majority of the work in the project is proposed for areas in far-northern Granite County, near the Garnet Ghost Town northwest of Drummond. It involves logging with burning on 8,283 acres, further burning on 4,629 acres, a variety of thinning and fuels reduction on 3,540 acres, thinning to enhance limber pine habitat on 237 acres, and 6 miles of temporary road construction. In its planning and approval of the project, the agency stated that the work will improve forest conditions to be more resilient to wildfire — not preventing fires, but theoretically lessening their intensity and rate of spread — and will return tree spacing, age and diversity to something closer to natural norms on lands that had previously been logged and on which trees regrew densely and homogeneously. The BLM stated the project is also necessary to enhance habitat for limber pine (a close relative of the federally protected whitebark pine); to protect the forest from insect and disease outbreaks; and to provide economic benefit from logging, including "capturing the value of dead and dying timber while it remains salvageable." Plaintiffs suing the BLM paint the project as "a massive logging operation" that will harm federally protected species like grizzly bears, bull trout and Canada lynx. They argue the BLM failed to consider those impacts as well as impacts to carbon storage in forests. "The Clark Fork Face Project is yet another inexcusable example of the Bureau of Land Management prioritizing industrial logging over science-backed conservation," Kristine Akland, an attorney and the Northern Rockies director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an announcement of the lawsuit Tuesday. "After decades of industrial exploitation, this region is just beginning to heal, with grizzly bears and other wildlife starting to return. Instead of encouraging restoration, the BLM is charging ahead with another logging project that will obliterate any chance these embattled species have at making a true recovery." Mike Garrity, executive director of Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said in the announcement, "The Garnet Range is in lynx critical habitat and in an important corridor for grizzly bears. Instead of protecting habitat for wildlife the BLM wants to destroy wildlife habitat." An aerial view shows the location of a proposed project by the Bureau of Land Management near Clinton on Jan. 6, 2023. Separately, the nonprofits sent a 60-day notice of intent to sue to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whose assessment of project impacts on federally protected species the BLM relied upon in approving the project. The groups argue the agency's analysis of the project was illegally insufficient. Carey, the Missoula Field Office manager, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday. The agency generally does not comment on active litigation. In late 2022, BLM officials maintained that the project was properly vetted. They noted that the Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for enforcing the Endangered Species Act, agreed with the BLM's analysis that the project may have only minimal impacts on grizzlies and lynx. And, they said, active management for wildfire resilience is the top priority for land in the project area. The project aligns with the U.S. Forest Service's Wildfire Adapted Missoula plan and the Montana Forest Action Plan. Plus, Congress mandated that the BLM perform active forest management, and gave the agency money to do it. It was unclear Wednesday when work on the project could begin, notwithstanding the lawsuit. "As of the date of this filing, to the best of plaintiffs’ knowledge, the BLM has not yet advertised a (timber) sale under this project," the Dec. 3 lawsuit stated. "However, the project does authorize winter logging." Reworked project The BLM originally predicted work would begin in early 2023 and last for 10–15 years. The agency held two public meetings on the project in March 2021: one in Drummond and one in Clinton. The agency advertised the meetings in advance in the Missoulian, in a public press release and on social media . A Missoulian reporter attended one of the meetings and the paper ran a story about the project at the time. But few people beyond locals near the project were aware of it until early December 2022, when the BLM released a draft environmental assessment outlining the work it intended to perform. Garrity, Bader and others decried the 10-day public comment period on the EA and accused the agency of trying to push the project through without public knowledge or involvement. They also made the same substantive critiques of the project itself that are the subject of the lawsuit filed Tuesday. A photo of BLM land shows the landscape after a "regeneration harvest," or clear-cut. This land is not part of the Clark Fork Face project, which has yet to occur. Groups including the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force, Friends of the Bitterroot, Western Watersheds Project, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, WildEarth Guardians and Footloose Montana submitted dozens of pages of public comments criticizing the project. In response to procedural and substantive complaints about the project, the BLM extended the December 2022 comment period from 10 days to 45 days, stretching it into January 2023. And, instead of implementing the project in early 2023, the agency reworked elements of the proposal in response to criticism. The total acreage subject to logging, thinning or burning was reduced from 19,147 acres to 16,689 acres, and the agency eliminated a proposed 16 miles of new road construction. But the project still includes 6 miles of new temporary roads, which will be abandoned after the project, and the use of 19 miles of existing roads that likely will need to be significantly rehabilitated before vehicles and other equipment can travel on them. The 19 miles of existing roads will be added to the BLM's official road system, although they will remain closed to public motorized travel. A photo from a 2014 BLM survey in the Clark Fork Face project area shows conditions in an area selected for thinning. The lawsuit alleges that the BLM failed to adequately enumerate and analyze how much road improvement it will perform and how those improvements and road usage could impact protected species. In May 2024, the groups unsuccessfully appealed the project's approval on those grounds and other concerns via the BLM's administrative process for project opponents who previously commented on the project. "The BLM summarily dismissed any potential impacts from road-related project activities to wildlife, despite inevitable increases to the volume and density of year-round motorized and non-motorized use in the planning area and the 19 miles of currently unmapped and largely unused roads that will be turned into haul routes for the project," the lawsuit stated. It is unclear whether these 19 miles of 'new system roads' were included in the project area’s already high baseline road density calculations." The lawsuit also alleges that the BLM "failed to take a 'hard look' at the climate impacts of removing hundreds of thousands of trees from the forest. The BLM characterized the impacts of logging these mature forests as 'beneficial,' ignoring years of science and agency guidance, and in doing so, failed to acknowledge or otherwise address the negative impacts related to carbon emissions caused by roadwork, burning, cutting, hauling, and processing commercial timber, including thousands of acres of mature trees." A photo from a 2014 BLM survey in the Clark Fork Face project area shows conditions in an area selected for timber harvest and prescribed burning. Joshua Murdock covers the outdoors and natural resources for the Missoulian. He previously served as editor-in-chief of The Boulder Monitor in Jefferson County, Montana, and has worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer in rural towns in Idaho and Utah. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. 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NoneWILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Dior Conners led Appalachian State with 19 points and Myles Tate made a jumper from the free-throw line with 25.1 seconds left as the Mountaineers knocked off Sam Houston 66-63 on Wednesday night. Conners shot 4 of 9 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 9 for 10 from the line for the Mountaineers (4-2). Tate scored 17 points, going 6 of 14 from the floor, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and 2 for 4 from the line. Jackson Threadgill had 11 points and shot 4 for 11, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc. Lamar Wilkerson led the way for the Bearkats (3-3) with 22 points. Marcus Boykin added 11 points, five assists and four steals for Sam Houston. Dorian Finister also had 10 points and seven rebounds. Threadgill scored nine points in the first half and Appalachian State went into the break trailing 33-30. Tate scored a team-high 10 points for Appalachian State in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to another all-time high. The Dow added 1% Monday to the record it set on Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Treasury yields eased in the bond market after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary. Smaller companies can feel a big boost from easier borrowing costs, and the Russell 2000 index of small stocks jumped 1.5%, closing just shy of the record high it set three years ago. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is set to break more records Monday as U.S. stocks rise to add to last week’s gains. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher, as of 3 p.m. Eastern time, and sitting just below its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 397 points, or 0.9%, to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher. Treasury yields also eased in the bond market amid what some analysts called a “Bessent bounce” after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants Scott Bessent , a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary. Bessent has argued for reducing the U.S. government’s deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through tax and other revenue. Such an approach could soothe worries on Wall Street that Trump’s policies may lead to a much bigger deficit, which in turn would put upward pressure on Treasury yields. After climbing above 4.44% immediately after Trump’s election, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell back to 4.26% Monday and down from 4.41% late Friday. That’s a notable move, and lower yields help make it cheaper for all kinds of companies and households to borrow money. They also give a boost to prices for stocks and other investments. That helped stocks of smaller companies lead the way, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped 2%. It’s set to top its all-time high, which was set three years ago. Smaller companies can feel bigger boosts from lower borrowing costs because of the need of many to borrow to grow. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks the market’s expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with overnight interest rates, also eased sharply. The Fed began cutting its main interest rate just a couple months ago from a two-decade high, hoping to keep the job market humming after bringing high inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. But immediately after Trump’s victory, traders had reduced bets for how many cuts the Fed may deliver next year. They were worried Trump's preference for lower tax rates and higher spending on the border would balloon the national debt. . A report coming on Wednesday could influence how much the Fed may cut rates. Economists expect it to show that an underlying inflation trend the Fed prefers to use accelerated to 2.8% last month from 2.7% in September. Higher inflation would make the Fed more reluctant to cut rates as deeply or as quickly as it would otherwise. Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expects that to slow by the end of next year to 2.4%, but he said inflation would be even lower if not for expected tariff increases on imports from China and autos favored by Trump. In the stock market, Bath & Body Works jumped 19.1% after delivering stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The seller of personal care products and home fragrances also raised its financial forecasts for the full year, even though it still sees a “volatile retail environment” and a shorter holiday shopping season this year. Much focus has been on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. Last week, two major retailers sent mixed messages. Target tumbled after giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Another big retailer, Macy’s, said Monday its sales for the latest quarter were in line with its expectations, but it will delay the release of its full financial results. It found a single employee had intentionally hid up to $154 million in delivery expenses, and it needs more time to complete its investigation. Macy’s stock fell 2.9%. Among the market's leaders were several companies related to the housing industry. Monday's drop in Treasury yields could translate into easier mortgage rates, which could spur activity for housing. Builders FirstSource, a supplier or building materials, rose 6.2%. Homebuilders, D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Lennar all rose at least 5.8%. In stock markets abroad, indexes moved modestly across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia. In the crypto market, bitcoin was trading around $96,800 after threatening to hit $100,000 late last week for the first time. ___ AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Stan Choe, The Associated Press