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NFL Notes: Inside the Dirty Show, one of the last hallmarks of the Patriots dynasty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

In the early days of the Patriots’ dynasty, the defense that frustrated Tom Brady most often was his own.Not the legendary starting units that shared Brady’s locker room and sideline, but their backups: The Dirty Show.The Patriots’ scout-team defense earned its “Dirty Show” nickname from former linebackers coach Pepper Johnson, who orchestrated the unit that pestered Brady in practice, occasionally to the point of repeated outbursts. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien once referred to Johnson as the best scout-team coach ever; a coach who turned a mash unit of backups into a loud and proud defense that brought out the worst in the greatest of all time.Unlike most franchise hallmarks from that era, the Dirty Show tradition remains fiercely alive in Foxboro.“It’s about dudes who want to grind every day, show up to work and have fun doing it,” said Pats cornerback Alex Austin.According to Dirty Show cast members who previously playe...

Britain says a Royal Navy ship has shot down an attack drone over the Red Sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A Royal Navy warship has shot down a suspected attack drone targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, Britain’s defense secretary said Saturday.Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War.Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.”“The U.K. remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he said in a statement.Global shipping has become a target during the war between Israel and Hamas, which like the Houthis is backed by Iran. The Houthis have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel.Earlier this month, three commercial ships in the Re...

Northbound highway 400 closed due to crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

An early morning crash involving a car and transport truck has closed a portion of Highway 400 in Vaughan.Ontario Provincial Police said just before 6 a.m. Saturday the northbound lanes of the highway were shut down at Bass Pro Mills Drive due to a motor vehicle collision. Photos from the scene show a badly damaged Tesla against the barrier of the passing lane of the highway and approximately 100 metres to the north, a transport truck with heavy damage to the front end sits in a ditch on the right-hand side.Transport truck with front end damage following an early morning crash on Highway 400 in Vaughan on Dec. 16, 2023. CITYNEWS/James TumeltyPolice have not indicated if anyone was seriously injured or any other details as to what may have led up to the crash. It’s unknown how long the highway will be closed.

Concern rises over number of Canadian seniors going lost or missing due to dementia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

MONTREAL — The number of older people reported missing in Canada is raising an alarm bell for advocates, who warn the problem will only get worse as the population ages and more people are diagnosed with dementia or cognitive impairmentsWhile fewer older adults were reported missing during the COVID-19 pandemic, police forces in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are among those that have seen an increase this year in missing people over the age of 60.Laura Tamblyn Watts, the CEO of seniors advocacy organization CanAge, said an aging population means more seniors are getting lost. And police statistics tell only part of the story, she said, because most people are found by family and caregivers before police are called.“Reports by police should be seen as the tip of the iceberg,” Tamblyn Watts said in a phone interview. “But that iceberg is getting bigger, so the number of people in that tip is getting significantly bigger as well.”The Canadian Press requested data ...

Communications blackout, spiraling hunger compound misery in Gaza Strip as war enters 11th week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiraled in recent days.Internet and telephone lines went down Thursday evening and were still inaccessible Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts as Israel’s war against Gaza’s ruling militant group Hamas stretched into the 11th week.The blackout is the longest in the over-two-month war, said Alp Toker, the group’s director. The United Nations’ humanitarian affairs department said communications with Gaza were “severely disrupted” due to damage to telecommunications lines in the south.“I cannot stress enough the dire consequences of this communications blackout on our ability to provide essential humanitarian aid,” Fikr Shalltoot, director of the Medical Aid for Palestinians group in Gaza, told Th...

Fentanyl child exposure deaths demand urgent attention

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A 500% surge in child fentanyl exposure deaths has a child safety panel demanding your attention.The warning comes from the St. Louis County Child Fatality Review Panel, a first-of-its-kind panel in the nation that gathers dozens of health professionals along with police and prosecutors. Panel members meet every month to look at trends and search for solutions to dangers that are killing our children. This week, a staggering trend involving children exposed to fentanyl shook even the most seasoned professionals.North County Cooperative Major Ron Martin called it “sickening,” while St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell added that it’s “100% preventable.” Two St. Louis-area highways among ‘America’s most loathed,’ report says The safety panel, this week, reviewed the report from the Missouri Department of Social Services which warned that the scourge of fentanyl is impacting children who don’t even know what’s happening.Take it from a 40-year veteran cop, w...

University City resident strikes lottery gold with $77,777 scratchers win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

UNIVERSITY CITY – A Missouri lottery player found themselves in disbelief upon discovering a $77,777 prize from a scratcher’s ticket purchased in University City.She bought two lottery tickets and got to work. She said that as soon as she realized she had won, she started crying.  “I scratched it off, and I saw a 7, and then I saw another 7, then another 7, and I thought, ‘Oh, my God! Is this really saying $77,777?’” she said. “I can’t believe this. I really can’t believe this.”  Two St. Louis-area highways among ‘America’s most loathed,’ report says With plans to use the winnings to buy a new car, the ticket was purchased at QuikTrip, located at 7579 Olive Blvd. in University City. The scratcher’s ticket purchased was the “Triple Red 777” scratcher's ticket.To participate in this game, match any of your chosen numbers to the winning numbers to secure the corresponding prize displayed. Uncover the black "7" symbol to instantly claim the revealed prize. If you reveal a red "77" sym...

Chilly start to the work week: gusty winds and cooler conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Waves of rain continue through the morning hours, becoming less widespread through the afternoon. Temperatures hold pretty steady in the upper 40s to around 50. Spot showers and drizzle continue this evening into tonight, tapering off from west to east. Overnight lows in the low 40s. Gradually decreasing clouds are expected for Sunday, with highs in the upper 40s to near 50. It'll be a cold start to the work week, with temperatures only near 40 on Monday along with gusty winds. A warming trend back to the mid-50s by mid-week. Rain chances return Thursday night into Friday.

NFL Picks: Christian McCaffrey’s MVP case in San Francisco, Joe Flacco’s reborn and the Seahawks primed for an upset

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

Around the AFCHerbert’s fading star. Oh, how the world has turned on Justin Herbert. A year ago, the Chargers quarterback received MVP votes after leading his team to the playoffs. Seven months later, he signed the richest contract in NFL history in terms of average salary ($52.5 million). Now, he’s the chic pick as the league’s most overrated QB, with critics pointing to his admittedly so-so record (30-32) as an NFL starter. Of course, the Chargers took the field without him Thursday night, and it was hard not to come away from that debacle — hello, 63-21 loss in Las Vegas — feeling like Herbert is the least of that franchise’s problems. At the top of that laundry list? How about since-fired head coach Brandon Staley, who never saw a fourth down he didn’t want to go for?Anyone wanna win this? Don’t look now, but the AFC is completely up for grabs. The defending champion Chiefs can no longer catch footballs (or line up onside). Miami just choked a...

Nuggets Journal: Denver is near top of West, and schedule is about to get much easier than Minnesota’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:15 GMT

Yet again this week, the Nuggets won a road game with Nikola Jokic absent for the second half. They are 3-0 when that happens this season, once in a rest day and twice after he’s been ejected.While coach Michael Malone joked that “I’m starting to think he’s overrated” after their win Wednesday in Chicago, the Nuggets’ record in those situations is more an endorsement of their handling of setbacks and hardships this season than a comment on Jokic’s value.On Jan. 5, 2024, the Nuggets will wrap up their ninth back-to-back in the first 37 games of the season — 48.6% of their games at that point will have been within 24 hours of another game. And in six of those nine back-to-backs, their second-day opponent will have had more rest than them.Then in the last 45 games of the schedule, Denver will play only four back-to-backs.Despite a couple of road slumps early in 2023-24, the Nuggets have more than exceeded expectations under those circumst...