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The Chicago Bears have played 8 times on Christmas Eve and twice on Christmas Day. Here’s how they’ve done since 1989.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

Playing on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day has only been a possibility for the Chicago Bears since the 1980s.Why? From the league’s start in 1920, the NFL season required fewer regular-season games and its championship usually concluded before or avoided altogether the December holidays.That changed in April 1971, when it was announced four playoff games would take place on Dec. 25-26. This arrangement — with two games each day — meant all four games could be broadcast nationally.As the holidays drew nearer, however, fans became vocal.“I enjoy football, but is it really necessary to play on Christmas Day?” an angry caller told Joe McGuff, then the sports editor for the Kansas City Star. “This is a religious day, a family day. But apparently it makes no difference to the people who run professional football.”When NFL executive director Jim Kensil was asked in early December 1971 why the two games scheduled for Christmas Day couldn’t be p...

Rhamondre Stevenson among 3 Patriots starters missing at practice Wednesday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots tight end Hunter Henry and safety Jabrill Peppers were newly absent at practice Wednesday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bailey Zappe’s personal goal to finish Patriots season is an obvious one New England Patriots | Bill Belichick explains why Patriots claimed new QB Nathan Rourke New England Patriots | Patriots place J.C. Jackson on non-football illness list, sign running back New England Patriots | What to know about Patriots new quarterback Nathan Rourke New England Patriots | Patriots up-and-coming assistant has head coaching aspirations Henry left last weekend’s loss to Kansas City with a knee injury. The reason for Peppers’ absence is unknown. Backup left tackle Conor McDermott (head) and Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) were also missing Wednesday.McDermott also got hurt against the Chiefs, while Stevenson has been out since suffering a high ankle spr...

How to give stock as a holiday gift

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

James Royal, Ph.D. | Bankrate.com (TNS)Stocks are a popular investment: 46 percent of Americans owned a stock-related investment in 2023, compared to 43% in 2022, according to a recent Bankrate survey.But stocks can also make great gifts, appreciating in value well beyond the initial gift amount. In many ways, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.Giving stock is not quite as easy as placing an order from Amazon, and would-be givers need to pay attention to a few rules so that they stay on the right side of the law.Key takeaways• Unlike conventional gifts, stocks have the potential for long-term growth. It can be a great way to build wealth.• You can gift stocks to children through custodial accounts. For adults, you can transfer shares from an existing investment account to the recipient’s brokerage account.• You can gift up to $17,000 in calendar year 2023 ($18,000 in 2024) without triggering gift tax. If the stock appreciates in value, the recipient will owe capital gains tax when t...

The Constitution’s insurrection clause threatens Trump’s campaign. Here is how that is playing out

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s bid to win back the White House is now threatened by two sentences added to the U.S. Constitution 155 years ago.The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Trump from the state’s ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it from holding office. It’s the first time in history the provision has been used to prohibit someone from running for the presidency, and the U..S. Supreme Court is likely to have the final say over whether the ruling will stand.If it does — which many legal experts say is a longshot — it’s the end of Trump’s campaign because a Supreme Court decision would apply not just in Colorado, but to all states. It also could open a new world of political combat, as politicians in the future fish for judicial rulings...

EU countries agree on compromise for overhaul of bloc’s fiscal rules

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union finance ministers on Wednesday sealed a deal to reform the 27-nation bloc’s fiscal rules after France and Germany finally adhered to a compromise.EU countries had been negotiating for months a reform of the bloc’s fiscal rules limiting debt and deficits for member states, known as the Stability and Growth Pact.The rulebook, which has often proved difficult to enforce and has served as a source of tension, was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but should be reactivated next year.“Once this agreement is formalized into a general approach, which should happen very soon, negotiations can begin with the European Parliament so that EU Member States have clarity and predictability on their fiscal policies for the years ahead,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, a European Commission executive vice president.The deal was announced a day after France and Germany reached an agreement on the compromise put forward by Spain, which currently holds the rotati...

Hospital that initially treated Irvo Otieno failed to meet care standards, investigation finds

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The hospital that initially treated a man who later died while being admitted to a Virginia psychiatric hospital failed to meet care standards while he was in a mental health crisis, a state investigation found.The state Department of Health led the investigation of Parham Doctors’ Hospital, where Irvo Otieno was briefly held, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man, died in March after being pressed to the floor of Central State Hospital for about 11 minutes by a group of Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and hospital employees. Surveillance video that captured how Otieno was treated at the facility where he was set to receive care sparked outrage across the U.S. and calls for mental health and policing reforms. Parham staff were “not in compliance” with health guidelines for hospitals that treat mental health crisis patients, two inspectors said. The report also said a psychiatrist did not examine Otieno during his six hours ...

North Dakota judge to hear request to temporarily block part of abortion law that restricts doctors

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Physicians and the formerly sole abortion provider in North Dakota are asking a state district court judge to temporarily block a part of the state’s revised abortion laws so doctors can perform the procedure to save a patient’s life or health.The request for a preliminary injunction, scheduled for a hearing Wednesday, asks the judge to bar the state from enforcing the law against physicians who use their “good-faith medical judgment” to perform an abortion because of pregnancy complications that could pose “a risk of infection, hemorrhage, high blood pressure, or which otherwise makes continuing a pregnancy unsafe.”North Dakota outlaws all abortions, except in cases where women could face death or a “serious health risk.” People who perform abortions could be charged with a felony under the law, but patients would not.Physicians have perceived the law’s language for “serious health risk” to be “so vague” that they “don’t know at what point a ...

How Carey Mulligan became Felicia Montealegre in ‘Maestro’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

Carey Mulligan recently realized that she’s spent much of her professional career holding back.That might be surprising to hear for an actor with two Oscar nominations, a Tony nod and a laundry list of extraordinary films and enviable roles. She just didn’t get precious about it and preferred the old Laurence Olivier adage “why don’t you just try acting?”But that changed in the past several years, in no small part because of Bradley Cooper and “ Maestro,” an all-encompassing project that would push her out of that comfort zone to play Felicia Montealegre, the elegant actor and wife of Leonard Bernstein. As with “ Promising Young Woman,” “Maestro,” now streaming on Netflix, would prove to be a transformative experience for her understanding of herself as an actor and what she’s capable of. And it’s likely to earn her another Oscar nomination and possibly her first win. Mulligan spoke to The Associated Press about the journey to becoming Montealegre, and the people who hel...

Judge threatens to dismiss lawsuit from Arkansas attorney general in prisons dispute

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas judge on Tuesday threatened to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general against the Corrections Board that he would normally represent, the latest in a widening legal fight between the panel and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders over prisons.Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox on Tuesday criticized Attorney General Tim Griffin for filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Board of Corrections without arranging for a special counsel to represent the panel in the case. The judge said he’ll dismiss the lawsuit in 30 days if Griffin doesn’t reach an agreement with the board on a special counsel. Griffin has accused the panel of violating the law when it hired an outside attorney in its dispute with Sanders over who runs the state prison system.“The case, at this juncture, from a procedural standpoint, is that the attorney general has sued his own clients, in violation of his duties and responsibilities mandat...

McCombs family rejoining Spurs ownership group 30 years after patriarch sells franchise

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:54 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The McCombs family has purchased a share of the San Antonio Spurs, returning after 30 years to the organization their patriarch helped establish and once owned.Billy Joe “Red” McCombs owned at least a share of the Spurs for 11 years and was the team’s primary owner for five years. McCombs, who died on Feb. 19 at age 95 after a lengthy illness, was a driving force in bringing the franchise to San Antonio in 1973.“Red, Charline and the entire McCombs family mean so much to the Spurs and San Antonio,” said Peter J. Holt, Spurs Sports & Entertainment managing partner. “To see the McCombs family come full circle and officially welcome them back into our investor group is beyond special. Red was a visionary whose bold work shaped San Antonio and put us on the global map. The McCombs family is continuing his legacy and together with our entire investor group, we are committed to seeing the Spurs and this great city thrive.”The size of the investment was not revealed....