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Seahawks take Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 overall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks continued the overhaul of their defense, selecting Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 pick of the NFL draft.Despite edge rusher Tyree Wilson and defensive tackle Jalen Carter still on the board, the Seahawks opted to solidify their cornerback position a year after Seattle spent two draft picks on cornerbacks in Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant. 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Follow Round 1 picks live Thursday Witherspoon was regarded as one of the top two cornerbacks in the draft despite being slightly undersized from what Seattle has opted for in the past with players at the position.Witherspoon blossomed in his final season at Illinois where he was the Big Ten defensive back of the year, had three interceptions and 17 passes defensed.

Peter Skoronski, Park Ridge native & former Northwestern offensive tackle, picked by Titans in NFL Draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

CHICAGO — A player who grew up in the Chicago area and then played his college football in Evanston now knows where he'll begin his career in professional football.Offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, a Park Ridge native who was a standout at Maine South High School and Northwestern, was picked by the Tennessee Titans with the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.Skoronski is one of the highest-rated offensive lineman in this year's draft after he was a unanimous All-American and Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year Award winner in 2022. The tackle was also a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection the last two seasons and made the second team in 2020. Before Northwestern, Skoronski was a four-star prospect for Maine South and was selected to All-State teams in 2018 and 2019. Also a three-time All-Conference and All-Area selection, he recorded 173 pancake blocks for the Hawks. Peter is the grandson of the late Bob Skoronski, who was an offensive lineman for the Pac...

Barrington native Lukas Van Ness selected by the Packers in 2023 NFL Draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

CHICAGO — For the second time in three picks early in the 2023 NFL Draft, a native of the Chicago area got to hear his named called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.Defensive end Lukas Van Ness, a native of Barrington who played for Iowa, was picked by the Packers with the 13th overall pick in the draft. A three-star recruit out of Barrington High School, he played three seasons at Iowa but primarily played in 2021 and 2022. In 24 games with the Hawkeyes, Van Ness had 13 sacks with 19 tackles for loss, including six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in the 2022 season.In his final campaign at Iowa, he was named a second team All-Big Ten selection.

Police: Noose found at middle school in Naperville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — A noose found at a middle school in Naperville has prompted a police investigation. The Naperville Police Department launched the investigation after a faculty member at Scullen Middle School found it and reported it to police. ‘Get her’: Suburban parents accused of encouraging daughters to beat classmate It's not yet clear when or where at the school it was found.Naperville police said they are working with Indian Prairie School District 204.The investigation is in the "early stages," police said.

Atlanta Falcons select Texas RB Bijan Robinson with No. 8 pick in 2023 NFL Draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's time to see if Bijan Robinson can cut the mustard in the NFL.The former Texas running back and 2022 Doak Walker Award winner was picked No. 8 overall in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday in the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersHe's the first Texas running back taken in the draft since Houston selected D'Onta Foreman in the third round of the 2017 draft, and the first in the first round since the Bears took Cedric Benson with the No. 4 overall pick in 2005.Robinson ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in March, the sixth-fastest time at the event.Robinson left the 40 Acres as the Longhorns’ fourth-leading rusher with 3,410 yards over three seasons with back-to-back seasons rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2021 and 2022. He was critical to the Longhorns’ 8-4 bounce-back season this year, ...

DATA: DPS misdemeanor arrests in Austin disproportionately Latino, black

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A report from the Travis County Attorney's Office shows 65% of people the Texas Department of Public Safety arrested for misdemeanors in Austin since March 30 were Latino, and 23% were Black. On March 30, DPS began patrols in Austin as part of the Austin Violent Crime Task Force (AVCTF) to assist the police department amid a staffing shortage. APD Chief Joseph Chacon said DPS' priorities in the initiative are to crack down on dangerous driving and violent crime. The AVCTF uses data on crashes and violence-related 911 calls to determine where DPS troopers patrol based, both APD and DPS have said. Where DPS is patrolling in Austin and why Chief Chacon has called the initiative successful so far, previously stating that violent crime is down 58% in crime "hot spot" areas where DPS has more heavily patrolled.On Thursday, about one month into the partnership, County Attorney Delia Garza calls some of the demographic data "concerning." APD: More than 4,000 traffic st...

Longhorns add high scoring guard Abmas from transfer portal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)--Texas basketball coach Rodney Terry added another key piece in his efforts to rebuild the Longhorns roster with the addition of high-scoring guard Max Abmas. He announced on social media on Thursday that he will transfer to Texas after four seasons at Oral Roberts.Abmas has been one of the top scorers in the country, averaging 21.9 points while hitting 119 (37%) 3-pointers and four assists per game. For his career at ORU, Abmas started all 123 games and had a career scoring average of 20.8 points per game. Abmas was fifth in the nation this past season in free throw percentage, shooting 92% on 172 attempts.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersAbmas is the second player from the transfer portal to commit to Texas. On Sunday, 6-11 Kadin Shedrick announced he was transferring to UT after three seasons at Virginia. Also Sunday, Longhorn Dylan Disu announced he wi...

NFL draft dominated early by QBs, including top pick Young

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

By ROB MAADDI (AP Pro Football Writer)KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Quarterbacks dominated the first part of the NFL draft.Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were among the top four picks Thursday night, an expected result in a league where teams know finding a franchise QB is the quickest path to success.The Carolina Panthers selected Young, the slender and dynamic Alabama quarterback, with the No. 1 pick, seven weeks after making a blockbuster trade with Chicago to move up to get their choice.The Panthers chose the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner over Ohio State’s Stroud, Florida’s Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis. New coach Frank Reich said earlier in the week that the organization reached a consensus Monday after several weeks of deliberation.Stroud didn’t have to wait long. He went No. 2 to the Houston Texans, who then made a blockbuster deal with Arizona to acquire the No. 3 pick and selected Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.Richardson t...

Hotter temps hit L.A. through Saturday; chance for rain next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

Hotter, drier conditions mixed with occasional northern winds are expected across Southern California valleys and mountains through the weekend before a cooling trend Monday that could bring cloud cover and an increased chance for rain, according to the National Weather Service.  Temperatures along the coast will remain mild over the next several days due to low clouds and dense fog.  As the marine layer begins to shrink on Friday, inland regions will see a few degrees of warming, with Saturday forecast to be the warmest of the next seven days as temps in the 90s are expected in the valleys and deserts.  “Record daily high temps are possible at Lancaster, Palmdale and Sandberg (on Saturday),” the NWS reports.  The National Weather Service's seven day high temperature forecast on April 27, 2023. (NWS)Temperatures on Sunday will see a downward slide across all regions as “An unseasonably cold trough digs south along the west coast and begins to hold court just...

Man bites off portion of LAPD officer’s finger in Metro station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:11 GMT

A suspect allegedly bit off a portion of an officer’s finger during a narcotics arrest at a Metro subway station on Thursday.Los Angeles police officers assigned to the Metro Red Line were conducting routine activities when they spotted a male suspect “board the train in possession of narcotic paraphernalia" around 10:15 a.m.Police approached the suspect and escorted him off the train to investigate. As the suspect was being held, he became violent and began fighting with officers which resulted in a use-of-force incident.During the incident, the suspect bit off a portion of a sergeant's finger, said LAPD.The sergeant was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The suspect was also transported to the hospital for minor injuries.He was later arrested on charges of mayhem and resisting an executive order. Toddlers with urine-soaked diapers found wandering streets of San Bernardino County “I’m deeply disturbed by this vicious attack,” said LAPD Chief Michael Moore. “Fortunatel...