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Here’s a look at the Vikings schedule and a game-by-game breakdown

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

Thanks to a historic run last season — which included a perfect 11-0 record in games decided by a single possession — the Vikings will have a much tougher schedule this season.That’s the price of an NFC North championship.Because the Vikings were division champions in the 2022 season, they now have to play other teams that finished in first place in their respective divisions. That means the Vikings must play the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals in crossover games on top of their usual games against the NFC North and their predetermined games against AFC West and NFC South teams.Despite that, the Vikings only rank No. 18 in strength of schedule this season. Looking at the results from last season, their opponents finished with a combined 143-145 record.Here’s the full schedule with a game-by-game breakdown:Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.While there’s no such thing as a walkover game in the NFL, it’s hard to see Bak...

Lawmakers send bill to governor's desk criminalizing celebratory gunfire

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In the final hours of session, the Missouri General Assembly sent legislation to the governor's desk to impose tougher penalties for people who fire celebratory gunshots. In 2011, bullets fired on the 4th of July, fell killing 11-year-old Blair Shanahan Lane. Since then, Blair's mom Michele Shanahan DeMoss has been coming to Jefferson City to ask lawmakers to strengthen the state's law. Nearly 12 years later, the General Assembly gave final approval to the bill Thursday. "I'm just thankful for this corner that we turned and the finish line that we've crossed," DeMoss said after the vote while holding back years. "It's incredible to me. It's been a marathon but it's been worth it."After years of pleading for tougher laws, Blair's Law is headed to Gov. Mike Parson's desk.  Man convicted of killing St. Louis County police officer challenges guilty verdict "It's not the drive back and forth, it's not the gas money or the mileage on the car, they are reliving it ...

Kirkwood High School's yearbook raises concerns from others

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

KIRKWOOD, Mo. - Questions about 'racy' content in this year's yearbook have been raised by some Kirkwood High School parents.Inside the 400-page yearbook is a portion where students share their opinions on hookups, the concept of a casual sexual relationship, and its benefits and consequences. A picture of birth control was in the background.Kirkwood parent Derek Byers has seen the yearbook. His son, Wyatt, is graduating in two days. Byers ran the Kirkwood scholarship program for six years. He said he's in touch with student life and is not upset about his son's yearbook."The students of Kirkwood are provided a very unique autonomy. The autonomy is both in the school yearbook and the newspaper," Byers said. "This has been a tradition in Kirkwood for decades."The Kirkwood School District released a statement on Thursday saying: Kirkwood High School has a longstanding tradition of allowing student media to be designated public forums. This practice has led to the Kirkwood High School ...

Denver Post staff predictions: Forecasting the Broncos’ 2023 record

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

With the Broncos’ full schedule released Thursday, The Post sports staff predicts how things will turn out in Year 1 of the Sean Payton era.Parker Gabriel, Broncos reporterRecord: 8-9The Broncos open with two home games and have a manageable finishing five-week stretch that features the Chargers twice, Detroit, New England and Las Vegas. They also have Sean Payton as their head coach instead of Nathaniel Hackett (he and Aaron Rodgers come to town in October, which will be fun). Is the roster markedly better than last year? On the offensive line it is. The rest? Debatable. So the initial projection is for a bump, but not a massive turnaround.Ryan McFadden, Broncos reporterRecord: 9-8After six straight losing seasons, Payton will lead Denver to an above .500 record in his first year at the helm. The key to the Broncos’ turnaround will be Russell Wilson, who should be 70% better under Payton’s guidance. The running back situation is still up-in-the-air, but if the wide receivers ...

Gov. Jared Polis signs “enormous package” of green energy and climate change bills

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

Colorado has new climate goals etched into state law and a slew of new tax credits and programs to help get it there.Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Thursday a package of bills that includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100% come 2050, a program to automate and streamline local solar energy permitting, encourage geothermal heating and cooling and a tax credit package to incentivize more electric vehicles.“It’s sort of one enormous package that, taken together, will help to clean the air, achieve our climate targets and save Coloradans money,” Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office said.In particular, Toor touted the new decarbonization tax credit law, HB23-1272, as “probably the single-largest investment the state of Colorado has made in climate action, clean energy, and consumer incentives.”That bill creates some $200 million in tax incentives over the next several years to promote electric bicycle, car and truck purchases...

Rockies’ Jake Bird is workhorse of vastly improved Colorado bullpen

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

PITTSBURGH — Daniel Bard has seen a lot of pitchers come and go since he first stepped onto the big-league stage 14 years ago.But he’s seen very few like Jake Bird, the right-hander who’s been terrific in the role of the Rockies’ bullpen workhorse over the first six weeks of the season.Allow Bard, the 37-year-old right-hander, to explain.“I was Jake’s throwing partner when he got called up in June last year,” Bard said. “His ability to move the baseball was impressive. Like, really impressive. Like, better than most of the guys I’ve ever played catch with.”Specifics, please.“He has an elite sinker and an elite ability to spin that curve, or slurve, whatever you want to call it,” Bard said. “I saw that from the get-go last year. I almost couldn’t believe he wasn’t having more success, just because of his ability to move the ball so much.”Bird’s 2022 rookie season was far from a disaster. T...

Flesh-eating 'zombie drug' saturating Los Angeles streets

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

A flesh-eating "zombie drug" called xylazine has been saturating the streets of Los Angeles with severe, deadly effects when mixed with illicit opioids.Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials launched a new program to track the troubling prevalence of the substance, which is a sedative typically used by veterinarians to anesthetize animals. Also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope” on the streets, xylazine has become increasingly present in the illicit drug supply. The drug can be cooked down into a powder form and mixed with illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl or pressed into counterfeit pills or sedatives.The “zombie drug” nickname stems from the substance's known effect of rotting the skin.Growing concerns over the increasing prevalence of xylazine in L.A. have law enforcement officials and addiction specialists extremely concerned.“I’ve never seen anything like what we’re dealing with right now,” said Cary Quashen, an addiction expert.Xylazine is known to have severe effects,...

L.A. County hospital seeks help identifying patient

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

Officials at a Los Angeles County Hospital are asking for the public’s help in locating family or friends of a patient who was admitted without any identification.  The approximately 70-year-old patient was brought to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by the Los Angeles Police Department for evaluation on April 27, according to a news release from the hospital.  He is described as white, 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighing around 100 pounds, with blue eyes, white-gray hair and a beard. He has a slim build with no visible tattoos.  The patient has told staff that he is British but does not have a driver’s license or any other form of identification.  The patient, approximately mid-70s, was admitted on April 27, 2023, without any identification. (Harbor-UCLA Medical Center)Anyone with information that may help identify the man or locate his family is asked to contact the hospital at 424-306-6851.  

Gilroy police: After being asked to leave property, man fires a shot at victim’s feet

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

GILROY – A 40-year-old man was arrested in connection with a shooting in Gilroy earlier this week, police said.The shooting was reported around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday in a field between Gilman Road and Camino Arroyo, the Gilroy Police Department said in a statement Thursday.The Gilroy man got upset when the victim asked him to leave the property, police said, adding that the suspect pulled out a gun and fired a single round that hit the ground near the victim.Police said the suspect fled into a nearby creek. Officers later found him hiding in a tent and arrested him. Two guns were also seized during the investigation, police said.No injuries were reported.The suspect was booked into Santa Clara County jail on charges related to the shooting. As of Thursday, he remained in custody on $500,000 bail, according to jail records.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | San Jose: Police arrest man after finding ‘destructive device manufacturing operation’ Crime and ...

New FDA rules allow more gay, bisexual men to donate blood

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:46 GMT

By Matthew Perrone | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can give blood in the U.S. without abstaining from sex under updated federal health guidelines that focus on donors’ behavior, not their sexual orientation.The Food and Drug Administration guidelines finalized Thursday ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The agency announced plans for the change in January and said this week the new approach can now be implemented by blood banks.The updated guidelines do away with a requirement that men who have sex with men abstain from sex for three months prior to giving blood.Instead, all potential donors — regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender — will be screened with a new questionnaire that evaluates their individual risks for HIV based on sexual behavior, recent partners and other factors. Potential donors who report having anal sex with new partners in the last three months will be barred...