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Good return for trading No. 1 pick? What headline-grabbing move is next? 5 Chicago Bears questions before free agency.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made a big splash even before the free-agency negotiating window opens Monday.Poles on Friday agreed to trade the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for pick Nos. 9 and 61 this year, a first-rounder in 2024, a second-rounder in 2025 and wide receiver D.J. Moore.As Poles prepares to make more big moves to the bolster the roster this week in free agency, the Tribune’s team of Bears writers addressed five key topics.1. The Bears’ trade with the Panthers was _______.Brad Biggs: A needed step by Poles to see the process through with Justin Fields.The quarterback didn’t have nearly enough talent around him in his second season, and now the franchise is on the way toward changing that. Getting D.J. Moore in the return from the Panthers makes him instantly the best wide receiver on the roster, filling a huge need when considering there isn’t a better option available in free agency.The deal provides Poles with a l...

Moldova police say they foiled Russia-backed unrest plot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldovan police said on Sunday they have foiled a plot by groups of Russia-backed actors who were specially trained to cause mass unrest during a protest the same day in the capital against the country’s new pro-Western government.The head of Moldova’s police, Viorel Cernauteanu, said in a news conference that an undercover agent had infiltrated groups of “diversionists,” some Russian citizens, who had been promised $10,000 to organize “mass disorder” to destabilize Moldova during a protest in the capital, Chisinau. Seven people were detained, he said. Separately, police said they arrested 54 protesters on Sunday, including 21 minors, who exhibited “questionable behavior” or were found to be carrying prohibited items, including at least one knife.The protest Sunday is one of several held in recent weeks organized by a group calling itself Movement for the People, which is backed by Moldova’s Russia-friendly Shor Party, which holds six seats in the country’s ...

3 Palestinian militants killed in attack on Israeli troops

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants Sunday who opened fire on troops in the occupied West Bank, the military said, the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region.The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, claimed the men killed as members. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the men were killed by Israeli fire near the city of Nablus and identified them as Jihad Mohammed al-Shami, 24, Uday Othman al-Shami, 22 and Mohammed Raed Dabeek, 18.The military said it confiscated three M16 rifles from the militants after the shootout and that one gunman turned himself in and was arrested.The deaths Sunday bring to 80 the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the year, as Israel has stepped up arrest raids in the West Bank. A spasm of Palestinian attacks against Israelis has killed 14 people in 2023. The fresh violence follows an Israeli military raid last week...

Millard, Smich murder appeals reopen wounds for victim’s family, 10 years later

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

It’s been more than 10 years since Linda Babcock’s daughter was murdered, a decade’s worth of milestones and memories she says were stolen by the men who killed her child. When Dellen Millard and Mark Smich make their appeals before Ontario’s highest court starting Monday, they will be entitled to reduced sentences for their multiple murder convictions – cutting 50 years and 25 years off their respective parole ineligibility periods.Babcock says when that happens, she’ll feel like justice for her daughter, Laura Babcock, will have been stolen too.“She gets no justice whatsoever,” Linda Babcock said in an interview. “My feeling is if you point a gun and shoot somebody then you do it to somebody else, those are two murders and they should be treated (as such).”A panel of Ontario Appeal Court justices are scheduled this coming week to hear Millard’s and Smich’s appeals of their high-profile convictions for murdering Laura Babc...

Gun reform coming in Michigan after 2nd school mass shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Armed with two handguns and dozens of rounds of ammunition, 43-year-old Anthony McRae open fired on the Michigan State University campus on the night of Feb. 13, killing three students and wounding five more. The mass shooting has pushed Michigan Democrats, who had already planned to prioritize changes to gun laws, into action. Democrats are expected to bring a sweeping 11-bill gun safety package before the Michigan Legislature this week, emboldened by their sweeping victories in statewide elections in November that gave them legislative control. Responding to two mass school shootings in 15 months, the party’s leaders say it is only the beginning of gun reform in the state.“Nothing is off the table,” said Democratic state Sen. Rosemary Bayer, who leads the firearm safety caucus. “But every state has a culture. So I think we’re trying to be conscious of Michigan and how we do things.”The package aims to establish safe storage laws, universal background ch...

Thousands take part in new Greece protest over train crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Thousands of people protested on Sunday against safety deficiencies in Greece’s railway network nearly two weeks after dozens were killed in the country’s deadliest train crash. The demonstrators also demanded punishment for those responsible for the head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train that killed 57 people Feb. 28. Police said that more than 8,000 people in Athens gathered outside Parliament to protest on Sunday. The protesters later marched to the offices of privatized train operator Hellenic Train. The company, which has been owned by Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane since 2017, isn’t responsible for the maintenance of the railway network. State-owned Hellenic Railways is in charge of upkeep.Authorities shut down four subway stations on two lines running through central Athens because of the protest.The rally was organized by civil servants, a pro-communist union and university students.In Thessaloniki, Greece’s s...

Is Will Smith invited to the 2023 Oscars?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A year after he slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage, don't expect to see Will Smith at the Oscars this year. The actor has been banned from any academy event for 10 years after he walked onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and hit Rock on live television. The slap came after Rock made a joke about Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Later in the show, Smith won best actor for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father in “King Richard.” Traditionally, the best actor winner presents one of the major awards in the following year's ceremony, but that will not be the case for Smith in 2023. Everything you need to know about the 2023 Academy Awards “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the academy said in a statement announcing Smi...

Threshold Theater’s 2023 new play reading series to kick off Monday night with ‘strange, sexy’ sci-fi romance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

Coming to the Black Hart of St. Paul bar on Monday, March 13: A reading of “an unexpectedly pansexual sci-fi romance” play, courtesy of Threshold Theater.Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the reading begins at 7 p.m. Expect a 90-minute show, Threshold’s literary director Matthew Everett said, with a half-hour conversation afterward to debrief. And since the reading is at Black Hart, the soccer bar in Midway, attendees are encouraged to grab a drink and bring it to their seat. Tickets are $10 at the door.The play, “Zero State,” is written by Allison Moon, a former sex educator and neuroscientist by training. The main character — a neuroscientist — inhabits the body of her dead husband and learns more about him than she’d known when he was alive, including his memories and hallucinations. The reading on March 13 is directed by Kim Hines, a local actor, playwright and theater coach.“It’s very funny, it’s very sexy; a lot of strange, thorny ethical issues involved,” Everett said. “It has to ...

North Warren final four bound for first time in program history

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Three years ago, the North Warren Central boys basketball team was set to take on Schroon Lake in regionals of the Class D state tournament. Unfortunately, COVID-19 robbed the Cougars of their chance to reach the final four. Fast forward to Saturday night, and James Cuyler's squad would have its' opportunity at redemption, and the team seized it. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Backed by a 26-point effort from senior Sean Evans, North Warren is headed to the state semifinals for the first time in program history after knocking off Sec. VII's Schroon Lake 64-59 in regionals.The Cougars had to overcome a sizeable, first-quarter deficit, though. Schroon Lake was firing on all cylinders offensively to start, and jumped out to a 15-8 advantage after the opening frame.But North Warren quickly responded, opening the second quarter on a 9-0 run that was capped by a put-back lay-up from junior forward Derr...

Catholic Central continues run into state semis, punishing Potsdam 72-34

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Catholic Central boys basketball team is officially in uncharted territory. On the heels of the program's first section title since 1981, the Crusaders are now headed to the final four of the Class B state tournament for the first time in program history. Guy Di Bacco's bunch punched its' ticket to the semis with an emphatic, 72-34 win over Sec. X's Potsdam in the regional round Saturday afternoon. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Catholic Central got off to a blistering start. It opened up the game on a 12-0 run, punctuated by a wing three-pointer from freshman phenom Darien Moore.After Potsdam finally got on the board with a two-point basket, CCHS countered with another 7-0 run, maintaining a 17-point advantage just 4:52 into the contest.And with just seconds remaining in the first quarter, eighth grader Xavjon Arroyo poured in a wing triple of his own, capping a 27-point opening frame from t...