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Meet undrafted rookie NaJee Thompson, the Vikings’ new special teams ace

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

It took roughly 10 seconds last week for undrafted rookie NaJee Thompson to show Vikings they might want to keep him around.Though most fans likely weren’t locked in when the Vikings punted to the Seattle Seahawks early in Thursday night’s preseason opener, that particular snap meant everything to Thompson in his pursuit of making the team.As a gunner on the outside, Thompson used his speed to weave through traffic in the middle of the field, eyed his target at the point of attack, then promptly leveled Seahawks returner Easop Winston Jr.The effort from @najee_thompson here pic.twitter.com/ohW4iWzOHZ— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2023“You’re running down there with a plan,” Thompson said. “Sometimes the plan works, sometimes the plan doesn’t work. It comes down to effort.”That’s not an issue for Thompson. He prides himself on his special teams play; it’s a role he fully committed to while playing at Georgia Southern. After ...

Kyle Garlick unbowed by latest roster setback with Twins

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

When the Twins claimed Jordan Luplow off waivers on Aug. 4, the news didn’t land with much of an impact, nationally or even locally. For Kyle Garlick, however, it was something of a kick in the teeth.“It didn’t feel great,” Garlick said with a rueful chuckle last Friday.That’s because the stars appeared to finally be aligning for Garlick, who found a niche, if not a big league roster spot, within the organization as an outfielder and right-handed bat against lefties.So, when right-handed hitter Byron Buxton was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain in his right leg, and with first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff on the IL with a right shoulder strain, Garlick made sense for the Twins — even if they had to clear a 40-man roster spot for him.Especially considering Garlick had just finished a stretch in which he hit .366 with nine doubles, five homers and a whopping 32 RBIs in 22 games in June and July.Instead, the Twins picked Luplow off waivers from Toronto, moved righ...

Law-enforcement raid of small Kansas newspaper raises free press concerns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

A small town in Kansas has become a battleground over the First Amendment, after the local police force and county sheriff’s deputies raided the office of the Marion County Record.Raids of news organizations are exceedingly rare in the United States, with its long history of legal protections for journalists. At the Record, a family-owned paper with a circulation of about 4,000, police seized computers, servers and cellphones of reporters and editors. They also searched the home of the publication’s owner and semiretired editor as well as the home of a member of the City Council.The searches, conducted Friday, appeared to be linked to an investigation into how a document containing information about a local restaurateur found its way to the local newspaper — and whether the restaurant owner’s privacy was violated in the process. The editor of the newspaper said the raids may have had more to do with tensions between the paper and officials in Marion, a town of about 2,000 north of W...

Developer settles with Aurora residents who sued to stop apartments

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

Aurora residents who sued the city to stop an apartment complex near their gated golf course community have closed the case after reaching a deal with its developer.The Garrett Cos., an Indiana-based builder of apartment complexes, intends to turn a vacant 15-acre lot at East Aurora Parkway and South Quemoy Way in southeast Aurora into Echelon at Eagle Bend. The complex would have 260 units inside a dozen buildings.Just south of the proposed Echelon at Eagle Bend is the Heritage Eagle Bend subdivision, home to residents who signed a petition, testified before the Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission and, when those tactics failed, filed a lawsuit to stop the project.Sixteen residents sued Mayor Mike Coffman, the Aurora City Council, the planning commission and Garrett Cos. in Arapahoe County District Court on April 5. They asked a judge to overturn a unanimous vote by the city’s planning commission approving the project.The complaint alleged that Echelon’s buildings will be 54 feet...

3 canine teams from L.A. County Fire Department leave for Maui to assist with search and rescue efforts 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

The massive wildfire in Maui has triggered an outpouring of help from across the nation, and a coalition from Los Angeles County Fire Department left for the island to assist with search and rescue efforts.Three LAFD canine teams departed from LAX late Sunday morning to provide aid and support to the Maui Emergency Management Team. "We're expecting about a two week deployment," said L.A. County Fire Department firefighter paramedic Nicholas Bartel. "We are going to go find the victims of the fire and bring closure to the families."Three canine teams from the L.A. County Fire Department departed from LAX on Sunday, August 13, 2023. The teams will provide aid and support to the Maui Emergency Management Team. (Twitter/@LACOFD)Bartel is joined by Captain Celina Serrano and firefighter paramedic Edward Ruiz, as well as K9 Prentiss, K9 Harper and K9 Six.Search and recovery efforts on the state's second-largest island are ongoing and will continue for the foreseeable future. The death to...

Massachusetts pot boss apologizes as state’s weed sales hit all-time high

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

Cannabis board boss Shannon O’Brien is apologizing for her recent outburst saying she was too blunt in saying the state’s legal weed rollout was in a “crisis.”It came on the same day the commission announced the Bay State has hit a new one-month high in legal weed sales — $136 million in July.The previous record was set in June when 150 marijuana retailers sold $132.9 million in gummies, pre-rolls, drinks and other assorted THC-infused products.“I want to begin by apologizing to my fellow commissioners regarding the way I made an announcement before I left our July 28th meeting. I know I caught you off guard and I know that there was some concern about that,” she said Thursday.“At the time,” she added, “I believed I was alerting you to an important eventuality that I only discovered the day before.”The $181,722-a-year chair of the commission went on to say: “I was not graceful in doing it. I apologize for what I did.”O’Brien explained she was motivated by a desire to comply with the...

Varsho has 5 RBIs, Ryu gets first win since surgery as Jays avoid sweep, beat Cubs 11-4

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Daulton Varsho homered and had five RBIs, Hyun Jin Ryu pitched five innings to win for the first time since returning from elbow surgery, and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Chicago Cubs 11-4 on Sunday.Whit Merrifield had four hits, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Brandon Belt reached base four times as the Blue Jays used 14 hits to snap a three-game losing streak.The Cubs lost for the seventh time in 25 games. Chicago is 19-10 since the All-Star break and 8-4 in August.Varsho hit a three-run home run off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (7-7) in Toronto’s five-run second inning, then added a two-run single off righty Hayden Wesneski in the fourth.Chicago’s Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run home run off right-hander Jay Jackson in the seventh, his 20th.Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson had two hits, including a two-run double in the first. Belt’s fielding error at first base on Ian Happ’s grounder meant the runs were unearned.Ryu...

Sonny Gray strikes out 7, Jordan Luplow homers and leads the Twins past the Phillies 3-0

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sonny Gray tossed two-hit ball over six shutout innings, reliever Caleb Thielbar pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and Jordan Luplow homered to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.The AL Central leaders bounced back from a 13-2 loss in the series opener to win the last two games. Gray (6-5) struck out seven and pitched into the sixth inning in his eighth straight start.Gray allowed just two singles and otherwise quieted a Phillies’ offense that had hit 20 homers over the last eight games.Yet after 80 pitches, that was enough for Gray.It almost cost the Twins.Griffin Jax allowed two singles and hit a batter to load the bases with one out and to send the Philly crowd into a frenzy. Thielbar got the call from the bullpen and the lefty got left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber to pop out. Thielbar then went to a full count on Alec Bohm and caught him looking at strike three on a close call at the knees. Boh...

Rookie Tanner Bibee wins 7th consecutive decision as Guardians beat Rays 9-2

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tanner Bibee won his seventh consecutive decision and the Cleveland Guardians beat the AL wild-card-leading Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.Bibee (9-2) gave up two runs, seven hits and struck out five in seven innings.Andrés Giménez and Gabriel Arias homered for the Guardians, who had 15 hits. Five starters finished with two or more hits as the Cleveland won for the fifth time in 16 games.Rays starter Zach Eflin (12-7), seeking to become the AL’s first 13-game winner, allowed a season-high six runs and nine hits over three innings in an 82-pitch outing.Tampa Bay is 9-6 in it last 15 games after going an MLB-worse 5-15 from July 1-26. The Rays have lost 12 of 18 at home.Guardians All-Star third baseman José Ramírez served the second and final game of a suspension for fighting with Tim Anderson of the Chicago White SoxArias had a two-run homer and Steven Kwan added an RBI single in the second as Cleveland went ahead 4-0. Cleve...

Derek Carr throws a TD pass in his Saints debut, a 26-24 preseason win over the Chiefs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:31 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Derek Carr threw a touchdown pass in his New Orleans preseason debut and rookie Blake Grupe kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Saints to a 26-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in the opening exhibition game for both clubs.Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes started but took just five snaps before Kansas City’s first drive ended with a failed fourth-and-1 play on a direct snap to reserve tight end Blake Bell.Carr looked comfortable taking his first live snaps in his new offense, completing six of eight passes for 70 yards on the game’s opening drive.Aftrer twice rolling away from pressure on first-down completions to tight end Juwan Johnson and running back Alvin Kamara, Carr closed out the 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard pass to Keith Kirkwood as the receiver crossed the back of the end zone.With backups in the game for both teams, the Saints rallied late.After rookie Jake Haener’s 2-yard scoring pass to running back Ellis Merri...