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NFL 2023 predictions: How the NFL divisional and wild card races will play out

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

How the NFL divisional and wild card races shape up in 2023:NFC West49ers. Imagine being good enough to be a prohibitive division favorite with any of the quarterbacks on the roster. Either Brock Purdy or Sam Darnold could — and will — win with this team.NFC NorthDetroit Lions. OK, I’m on board with Detroit after its 8-2 finish last season. We’ll find out right away as they drew the Thursday night opener. Oh, and quarterback Jared Goff may be better than Matthew Stafford, the man who replaced him with the Rams. Imagine that.NFC SouthCarolina Panthers. The Panthers are the strongest of the weakest in a division where 9-8 ought to be enough to finish first. No. 1 pick Bryce Young, the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama, is in a good position with Frank Reich as his head coach and a roster that had a strong finish in 2022.NFC EastPhiladelphia Eagles. The NFC’s best team a year ago, no matter what the 49ers say. There could be a bit of a drop-off from 14-3 a year ag...

What exodus? California has 4th ‘stickiest’ population in US

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

Many of my long-time readers know I have an odd fascination with trying to explain why there’s really no California exodus.My thesis is based on math that shows ex-Californians are proportionally a small share of the state’s population. I’m well aware that my “no exodus” argument runs against conventional wisdom that’s based on statistics tracking California’s nationally leading number of residents exiting. But those figures overlook California being the most-populated state in the US.So, I was thrilled to see a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas ranking states by the “stickiness” of their population. Stickiness refers to percentage of residents of a state who were born there.Dallas Fed economists found California was the fourth “stickiest” state with 73% of its residents being native-born. Who knew? Wink!No. 1 was Texas at 82.2%, then came North Carolina (75.5%), and Georgia (74.2%). Following California was Utah (72.9%) and Florida (72.7%). Let me call them the ...

Al Pacino ‘still together’ with girlfriend despite custody drama over ‘surprise’ baby

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

Conflicting stories emerged early Thursday over the status of Al Pacino’s relationship with Noor Alfallah, the 29-year-old mother of his “surprise” fourth baby after she filed court documents seeking full custody of their 3-month-old son.TMZ initially reported Thursday that the 83-year-old Pacino had split from Alfallah after a year of dating as their “child custody drama” heats up. But Pacino’s representative told Page Six that the actor and Alfallah are “still together.” The rep also suggested that the court filing is a formality, saying “Al and Noor have successfully worked together and have mutually reached agreements regarding their child Roman.” TMZ later updated its story to include the representative’s statement about Pacino and Alfallah still being romantically involved.Even if Pacino and Alfallah are still a couple, as his representative said, the court filing indicates that they are living separately and th...

By dealing with anxiety, Oakland A’s closer finds success, acceptance and peace

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

OAKLAND – Trevor May was gearing up to face Shohei Ohtani in a save situation over the weekend when the ruling came in from the Oakland A’s dugout: In a one-run game with a runner on third and first base open, the Los Angeles Angels superstar was going to be intentionally walked.May understood the decision by A’s manager Mark Kotsay to issue the free pass to Ohtani, Major League Baseball’s home run leader at that point with 44. But May – as he’s done for most of his career — would have welcomed the challenge of trying to retire Ohtani, the likely winner of this year’s American League MVP award.“Those are the types of guys you want to face in the big spots,” May said Sunday, a day after he finished off the A’s 2-1 win over the Angels for what was then his 16th save. “If you’re going to get a save, getting the best player in the league out probably sticks in your mind a little more.”May’s approach illustrates how far he’s come with the A’s since mid-April when he went on the inj...

Bay Area high school football 2023: Week 3 preview, schedule

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

De La Salle hasn’t started a season without a victory through three games since going 0-2-1 in 2004.The Spartans are 0-2 this season as they travel to St. Francis on Friday night for the first time since their 30-year unbeaten streak against regional opponents ended there two years ago.St. Francis lost at DLS 35-3 last season.The rematch headlines a Week 3 lineup that also includes top-ranked Serra visiting Central Catholic-Modesto, Oakland schools Bishop O’Dowd and McClymonds meeting for the first time in 11 years and Los Gatos playing host to Grant-Sacramento.The Bay Area News Group will have complete coverage this weekend and all season. If you have not already, please sign up for a digital subscription. Your contributions keep us going.Here are this week’s top matchups and schedule:FridayNo. 1 Serra (2-0) at Central Catholic-Modesto (2-1), 7 p.m.: First road game of the season for the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked team as Serra tries to beat Central Catholic...

Salinas man gets 28 years in prison for sexually assaulting family members

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

(BCN) -- A Salinas man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for sexually assaulting two family members for years, Monterey County prosecutors said. Marco Ramirez Serna, 51, was sentenced last week after being convicted of two counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old and one count of lewd act upon a child under 14 years old, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said in a news release Tuesday. Prosecutors said that Serna began sexually assaulting a female family member when she was 6 years old. According to the victim, Serna would wait for her mother to go to work before he sexually abused her, and this went on for four years. Police standoff with armed suspect near SF high school resolved When the victim finally reported the sexual assault to her mother, another family member also disclosed that Serna also abused her for two years, since she was in fourth grade, prosecutors said. Both victims initially kept Serna's sexual abuse secret ...

Low-cost vaccinations, microchips being offered at SF animal center

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

(KRON) -- Low-cost vaccinations and microchips are being offered on Saturday at San Francisco Animal Care and Control, located at 1419 Bryant St.The clinic will offer rabies vaccinations and DHLPP vaccinations, which protects against canine distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus and parainfluenza, for $10 each. Dog owners can also choose to buy both vaccinations for $15. Microchips are being offered for $10, however, it is free to dogs with a current San Francisco dog license. Man dead, woman shot in possible domestic violence incident in Oakley: police The vaccines will be administered by the San Francisco Veterinary Medical Association. A limit of up to three dogs per customer will be honored. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The line cut-off is at 12:30 p.m.“The safety and well-being of the dogs in our community is incredibly important” said Virginia Donohue, Executive Director of Animal Care and Control. “Keeping them healthy and free of disease and quic...

No students charged following Montgomery Co. football game brawl

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

No students involved in the post-football game brawl in Bethesda last week were charged with a crime, Montgomery County officials said.Word came in a joint statement released Wednesday evening by Superintendent of Montgomery County Schools Monifa McKnight and police Chief Marcus Jones.On Friday, Sept. 1, a fight broke out between students of Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson high schools after a football game near the Bethesda Metro station. Videos of the brawl circulated on social media and other news outlets showing multiple students punching, pushing and stomping on one another.In one video, some teenagers could be seen kicking and pummeling one student who was curled up on the sidewalk.So far, two people have filed police reports stating that they had been assaulted and there were other reports of thefts and robberies near the Metro station following the game.The statement noted that its main purpose was to “reiterate our collective commitment to community safety,...

Demarai Gray joins Al-Ettifaq from Everton on Saudi transfer deadline day

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Everton winger Demarai Gray became the latest player to join the exodus to Saudi Arabia after signing for Al-Ettifaq on Thursday on the final day of the country’s transfer window. The Jamaica international moved for an undisclosed fee and signed a four-year contract. He follows a slew of stars from Europe’s top leagues who have headed to the lucrative Saudi League in recent months. Marquee names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema have all taken up the riches on offer as Saudi has embarked on a spectacular recruitment drive. The 27-year-old Gray joined Everton from German team Bayer Leverkusen in 2021. He made 75 appearances and scored 12 goals for the Premier League club. “There has been a lot of speculation about my situation all summer,” Gray posted on Instagram. “The truth is, I gave my all to this club on and off the pitch through good and bad. I was ready to play as much football as possible this season but it felt...

Palestinian fishermen decry Israel’s ban on Gaza exports as collective punishment

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel closed the main commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip, effectively banning exports from the coastal territory after saying it had uncovered explosives in a shipment of clothes to the occupied West Bank. Gaza’s fishermen, with their perishable exports, were among the first to feel the pain. The new restrictions choke off the territory’s already ailing economy. They come on top of the punishing 16-year blockade that Israel and Egypt have maintained since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007. The blockade, which Israel says is needed to prevent Hamas from arming, severely limits the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza.Israel closed the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing late on Monday after saying it had discovered explosives hidden in a shipment of Zara jeans and other clothing bound for the West Bank — one of the main markets for Gaza’s tiny export sector. Israeli officials fear the explosives were bou...