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No. 5 Florida State and rival Florida turn to backup QBs with plenty at stake in the Swamp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No one could have imagined Tate Rodemaker and Max Brown would headline the latest matchup between in-state rivals Florida State and Florida.But the backup quarterbacks will step into the brightest of spotlights when the fifth-ranked Seminoles (11-0) face the reeling Gators (5-6) in the Swamp on Saturday night. Is either one truly ready to handle the stage, the moment, the pressure?“You try to make it to where the mindset is always the same because you never know,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “But it’s probably different for them.”Wildly different.Rodemaker, a fourth-year junior, will make his second career start in place of the injured Jordan Travis. The Heisman Trophy contender suffered a season-ending injury to his left leg against North Alabama last week, leaving Rodemaker to try to fill some of the biggest cleats in program history.Rodemaker’s only previous start came against lower-division Jacksonville State in 2020 and he’s never played in a road venu...

FIFA renews with Qatar Airways as World Cup sponsor through 2030 ahead of Saudi-hosted tournament

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — Qatar Airways will be FIFA’s airline sponsor at the men’s 2026 World Cup being played across North America after soccer’s governing body renewed with the company through 2030 on Wednesday.The state-owned airline initially had a two-tournament deal for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 edition played in Qatar.The World Cup airline slot should next be vacant for the 2034 tournament that FIFA has lined up to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, which is launching a second national carrier called Riyadh Air.The value of the new Qatar Airways deal was not disclosed though is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars. At World Cup finals, trophy and medal presentation assistants are dressed in the airline’s uniform. The airline was among seven top-tier men’s World Cup sponsors in the 2019-2022 commercial cycle which FIFA said earned almost $1.8 billion in total marketing rights sales.It includes selected FIFA youth tournaments and the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which wil...

Denver pursues another hotel to house homeless in Hampden neighborhood

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The City and County of Denver has identified a hotel in the Hampden neighborhood as a new site to support Mayor Mike Johnston's homelessness initiative.On Wednesday, the city announced the hotel located at 7525 E. Hampden Ave. will begin the process of being approved as the next shelter. Currently, the spot is an Embassy Suites by Hilton.According to Johnston's team, this hotel will primarily serve families with children and transgender and gender non-conforming guests.The hotel has 200 rooms and a commercial kitchen. According to the city and county, the site will prioritize the health and safety of those experiencing homelessness with wraparound services. Homelessness in Denver up 58% since 2016 If the site is approved by the city council, it will become the fourth hotel property secured during Johnston's House1000 initiative. The city has acquired the former Best Western Central Park hotel at 4595 Quebec St., the former Stay Inn at 12033 E. 38th Ave. and the fo...

Why will flags be at half-staff during Thanksgiving weekend?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Beginning after the Thanksgiving holiday, all flags on public buildings will be lowered to half-staff.The flags will be lowered in recognition of former first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday afternoon at age 96. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96 In honor of the first lady, President Joe Biden ordered flags to be lowered at all federal government buildings for five days. Following his orders, Gov. Jared Polis announced all public building flags to be lowered on Saturday, Nov. 25 until sunset of Carter's funeral which is on Wednesday, Nov. 29.The first lady was an advocate for mental health. During her time at the White House, she was an honorary chair of the newly established President’s Commission on Mental Health and spearheaded the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980. Biden orders US flags lowered in memory of former first lady Rosalynn Carter One of her greatest accomplishments was the Ca...

France backtracks on EU-only ammo for Ukraine

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

PARIS — Growing worries that the EU will fall short of its pledge to supply a million artillery shells to Ukraine by March is forcing France to do an about-face on its earlier insistence that the ammunition should only be sourced in Europe.However, before resorting to foreign suppliers, the EU needs to actually miss the March target, a senior French diplomat told POLITICO. “As long as we haven’t come to that conclusion, we won’t do it [buy abroad], but if we have to adjust, we’ll adjust,” they said.That’s a significant shift from France’s traditional position of encouraging national governments to buy European arms and ammunition. “We need European preference, because if we don’t encourage companies [to produce], we won’t get out of the cycle. But we know how to be flexible to help Ukraine,” the senior diplomat said.So far the bloc is well short of the million shell mark, sending Ukraine only about a third of that amount. Earlier this month,...

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán threatens to blow up EU’s Ukraine policy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

BRUSSELS — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to block all European Union aid for Ukraine, as well as the country’s future accession to the bloc, unless EU leaders agree to review their entire strategy of support for Kyiv, according to a letter seen by POLITICO.In the letter, addressed to European Council chief Charles Michel, the Hungarian leader says that no decision on funding for Ukraine, the opening of accession talks to the EU, or further sanctions against Russia can be taken until this “strategic discussion” happens when leaders gather in Brussels in mid-December.“The European Council should take stock of the implementation and effectiveness of our current policies towards Ukraine including various assistance programs,” Orban writes in the letter, which is undated but bears the stamp of his office.He also asks why Europe should continue to support Ukraine at a time when the United States, which has provided the bulk of mili...

Firefighters battling 3-alarm fire in Chelsea

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

Firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire in Chelsea Wednesday morning.Heavy smoke and flames could be seen billowing out of a building on Broadway around 9 a.m. Fire crews could be seen attempting entry through the charred rear of the building and on the roof hammering down. The 4th Street ramp on Route 1 northbound was closed due to the fire, according to MassDOT. Additionally, multiple streets around the site of the fire were blocked off by police. https://twitter.com/MassDOT/status/1727323822653919514?s=20This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

2 charged in high-end brothel operations in Watertown, Cambridge expected in court

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

Two suspects facing charges in connection with the operation of high-end brothels in parts of Massachusetts and Eastern Virginia are expected in court today.The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the brothel network’s breakup earlier this month, which officials believe had clients who included “elected officials, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, attorneys, scientists and accountants, among others.”Han Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Mass., and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., are expected in court today. A third suspect, James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif., is under investigation.Citing charging documents at the time of their arrest, the US Attorney’s Office said that since at least July 2020, the suspects had operated an “interstate prostitution network” with brothels in Cambridge and Watertown in Massachusetts, along with locations in Fairfax a...

Boston police make animal cruelty arrest after witnessing suspect kick dog

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

A 26-year-old woman from Boston is facing an animal cruelty charge after police say they witnessed her kick a dog while they responded to a report of animal abuse.The Boston Police Department said the arrest came after officers heard the sound of a dog crying while walking in the area of Boston Common on Tuesday night around 8:40 p.m.According to the police department, a passerby told police that a woman was beating a dog near 131 Tremont St., leading to the officers responding to the area and coming across the suspect who they reportedly observed kicking the animal.“Officers were able to quickly separate the suspect from the dog, and moved the dog to a safe location as there was broken glass and unknown liquid on the ground,” Boston PD stated in a news release.Police went on to investigate the incident further and spoke with multiple witnesses who claimed to have seen the woman strike the dog “multiple times,” with officers learning she allegedly struck the ...

A population of hard-to-eradicate ‘super pigs’ in Canada is threatening to invade the US

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:57 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a “super pig” that’s spreading out of control.Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, “the most invasive animal on the planet” and “an ecological train wreck.”Pigs are not native to North America. While they’ve roamed parts of the continent for centuries, Canada’s problem dates back only to the 1980s when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boar, Brook said. The market collapsed after peaking in 2001 and some ...