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White Sox legend Frank Thomas gets a big honor from Auburn

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

AUBURN, AL — The latest honor in his decorated career in baseball came from where he first became a national name in the sport.In the process, he joined the elite among the athletes to ever play for Auburn University.White Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas had a statue unveiled at the school in honor of his achievements on the diamond there. A steady rain fell during the ceremony, but that didn't dampen the mood of the occasion as "The Big Hurt" was joined by his wife, Megan, an his six children. "I want to thank the Auburn family for doing this for me," said Thomas in a ceremony this weekend. "I'm so humble, I'm thankful. God is good, and I'm so proud of this moment." The statue is outside Plainsman Park, where Thomas made a name for himself as a player for the Tigers from 1987-1989. At the school on a football scholarship, the first baseman was a three-time All-SEC selection with Auburn and was a consensus All-American with the Tigers in 1989.In the 1989 MLB Draft...

How classified US documents quickly spread from gamer chat rooms to the rest of the internet

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

(The Hill) - One of the worst national security leaks in U.S. history may have begun with classified documents on Russia’s war in Ukraine and other issues spreading across fringe social media sites and messaging rooms for gamers.  The leak, which is being investigated by the Justice Department and Pentagon, was first reported last week by The New York Times.  Yet the earliest documents were spreading across servers on Discord, a messaging platform popular with gamers, for at least a little over a month, even though they are only now being investigated by the Justice Department and Pentagon.   Don’t use public phone charging stations: FBI Here’s how the documents appeared to have spread.  A ‘Wow Mao’ chatroomPhotographs of dozens of pages of the documents were shared on Feb. 28 and March 2 on Discord to a server called “Wow Mao,” The Washington Post reported.  The “Wow Mao” Discord server, seemingly named after a YouTuber’s account, may not have been the first Discor...

Dean's A-List Interviews: Oscar winner Russell Crowe talks 'The Pope's Exorcist'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

CHICAGO -- WGN’s Dean Richards sat down with Academy Award winning actor Russell Crowe about his latest film, "The Pope's Exorcist." Get Dean’s reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean’s Downloads weekly newsletter. You’ll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Minnesota native Brock Faber makes Wild debut 48 hours after Gophers heartbreak

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

CHICAGO — Brock Faber still isn’t over the heartbreaking loss in the NCAA championship game. He won’t be for a very long time. Not when the Gophers men’s hockey team was minutes away from winning it all.“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through,” Faber said of the 3-2 overtime loss to Quinnipiac over the weekend. “It’s going to sting for a while.”Luckily for Faber, he has a pretty good distraction at the moment. Less than 48 hours after crying his eyes out in the Gophers locker room, the 20-year-old defenseman was in the Wild locker room preparing to make his NHL debut.“Just to be here is a dream come true for me,” Faber said before the Wild played the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at the United Center. “Throwing on that Wild jersey is pretty darn cool.”It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for Faber. He flew home from the Frozen Four with his college teammates on Saturday nigh...

Gophers see Georgia quarterback prospect leave 2024 recruiting class

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

Georgia prep quarterback Aaron Philo de-committed from the U’s 2024 recruiting class on Monday.Philo, of Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Ga., had pledged to Minnesota on March 2 after receiving a scholarship offer from the U on Jan. 31.Philo thanked the Gophers, including head coach P.J. Fleck and new co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Harbaugh for the “great relationship built with me and my family.“However, after much prayer, thought and considerations I have decided to de-commit … and re-open my recruitment. Please respect my decision. Please no interviews at this time.”Related ArticlesCollege Sports | Gophers add transfer kicker David Kemp from Memphis College Sports | Gophers football: How will the U’s remade offense look in 2023? College Sports | Top in-state prep prospect Daniel Freitag headed to California for senior year College Sports | Gophers’ Daniel Jackson picks up where he l...

Black lawmaker who was expelled reinstated to Tenn. seat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

By JONATHAN MATTISE, TRAVIS LOLLER and KIMBERLEE KRUESI (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature.The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council took only a few minutes to restore Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat.Moments later, Jones marched to the Capitol several blocks away. He took the oath of office on the steps and entered the building while supporters sang “This Little Light of Mine.”A loud round of applause erupted as Jones walked into the chamber with Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson, who was also targeted for expulsion, but spared by one vote.“To the people of Tennessee, I stand with you,” Jones said in his first statement on the House floor. “We will continue to be your voice here. And no expulsion, no attempt to si...

Keeler: How can Russell Wilson make Broncos Country forget his DisasteRuss 2022? Experts say these 3 things have to happen.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

When he first heard about Russell Wilson getting his own office at UCHealth Training Center, Steve Clarkson could see the red flags flying all the way from his HQ in Southern California.“That would be troubling onto itself, for Russell to essentially be in one camp and have his own facility, so to speak,” the longtime quarterback guru told me phone Monday. “I put that more on (Broncos) management for allowing that to happen.“And you saw where Sean (Payton) basically said, ‘We’ll have none of that.’ The chain of command has been re-established. And I’d expect Russell will adhere to that and you’ll see a much better Russell Wilson because of it.”As Payton’s first set of OTAs get underway this week at Dove Valley, the sportsbooks already like Wilson as a darkhorse candidate to win the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. But for him to reach the summit, the Broncos have to rack up some wins, too.And for Wilson’s ability to get Broncos Country back onside after a DisasteRus...

Former Broncos DL Dre’Mont Jones says team “should have just traded me” in Russell Wilson deal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

Dre’Mont Jones said Monday that he thinks the Broncos should have included him in last year’s trade for Russell Wilson if they weren’t committed to signing him to a long-term deal.Jones, speaking with reporters in Seattle via Zoom weeks after signing a three-year contract worth up to $51 million, said he learned that the Seahawks wanted him included for the five-pick, three-player trade for Wilson in March of 2022 but the Broncos refused to part with him.A year later, Jones ended up in Seattle after he said the franchise “came in almost out of nowhere” to offer him $17 million a year on the first day of free agency.“I was flattered,” Jones told outlets in Seattle including The Seattle Times. “(The Broncos) should have just traded me from the jump. But it was cool it kind of came full circle for Seattle a little bit. I was included in the trade, and Denver said no. … But Denver didn’t pay me my proper respects. So I’m here because they respected me from ...

Gig workers can organize without fearing antitrust, Bedoya says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

By Leah Nylen, BloombergIndependent contractors such as those who work for Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and DoorDash Inc. aren’t barred by antitrust law from collectively seeking better pay and working conditions, Democratic FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said Monday.Bedoya’s remarks herald a shift in the FTC’s approach to labor: As recently as 2017, the agency opposed a Seattle law that would have allowed Uber and Lyft drivers to collectively bargain by arguing it violated antitrust law.“Congress has made it clear that worker organizing and collective bargaining are not violations of the antitrust laws,” Bedoya said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. “From the beginning, American antitrust law aimed to protect worker organizing – not limit it.”Antitrust law generally restricts independent contractors — how most gig companies classify their workers — from forming union-like groups. In his remarks at a conference in Salt Lake City, Bedoya argued that courts have...

Racist graffiti, threats spray painted on Riverside County elementary school

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:51 GMT

Hamilton Elementary School in Anza was defaced with death threats and racist graffiti last week and now parents and teachers are calling for action.  Racial slurs and swastikas, along with other graphic images, were spray painted on the street and the school itself.  While the incident happened during spring break, it’s unclear exactly when the vandal or vandals hit the school. A spokesperson with the Hemet Unified School District said the incident occurred last Tuesday. Officials at the school said they learned about the graffiti on Wednesday and notified law enforcement immediately, before cleaning up the hateful messages on Wednesday and Thursday.  The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, however, paints a different picture, saying deputies were not notified about the racist graffiti until Monday.  While the timeline is unclear, one source with a close connection to the school, who did not want to be identified, said the incident is concerning because he has...