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DALLAS, Dec. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toll Brothers Apartment Living , the rental subsidiary of Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE: TOL), the nation's leading builder of luxury homes, in partnership with Equity Residential, recently celebrated the grand opening of Lyle , a luxury mid-rise apartment community in Dallas, Texas. Located at 17727 Addison Road in Dallas, Lyle offers a chic retreat for residents with sophisticated apartment homes and amenities. Construction commenced in 2022 and the community welcomed its first residents in March 2024. The grand opening event, held at the community on December 12, was attended by members of the project team, the community management team, local guests, and residents. The ceremony included remarks from Tommy Rhodus, Managing Director of Toll Brothers Apartment Living in the Central region; Kristina Fischer, Development & Construction Manager of Toll Brothers Apartment Living in the Central region; and Mary Pawlisa, Assistant Vice President of Property Management for Equity Residential’s Texas region. "We are excited to introduce Lyle to the North Dallas community," said John McCullough, President of Toll Brothers Apartment Living. "This new community exemplifies our commitment to delivering luxury living experiences with exceptional design and top-tier amenities, tailored to exceed the expectations of the modern renter." Lyle offers a selection of studio through three-bedroom apartment homes. Each residence is thoughtfully designed with modern finishes, including quartz countertops, tile backsplash, flat panel cabinetry, and hardwood-style flooring. Luxury features include stainless steel appliances, custom roller shade window treatments, oversized closets with built-in shelving, and smart home technology, including keyless entry and smart thermostats. Private balconies, terraces, and fenced-in yards are available with select residences. Residents at Lyle enjoy a suite of premium amenities, including a resort-style pool with sundeck and a fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment and flex studios. The community spaces are designed to foster connections, from the outdoor courtyard with grilling stations and lawn games, to the sky lounge with entertainment kitchen, lounge seating, and outdoor terrace with city views. Additional amenities include a coworking lounge with shared and private workspaces, as well as a pet park and spa. The community was constructed to meet LEED Gold certification standards, and the parking garage includes EV charging stations. "Lyle represents our dedication to creating communities that not only offer luxury and comfort but also integrate seamlessly into the vibrant fabric of their locations," said Rhodus. "We are proud to deliver residences that align with the dynamic Dallas lifestyle." Strategically situated with direct access to the Dallas North Tollway, Lyle provides residents with seamless connectivity to downtown Dallas and surrounding areas. The community is in proximity to shopping destinations such as the Galleria Mall and diverse dining options, and it is located within the highly rated Plano Independent School District, offering a balanced and convenient lifestyle. Lyle is one of three new communities that opened in Texas this year as part of a strategic development partnership between Toll Brothers Apartment Living and Equity Residential. For more information about Lyle, visit LyleAddison.com . ABOUT TOLL BROTHERS APARTMENT LIVING Toll Brothers Apartment Living is the apartment development division of Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE: TOL), an award-winning Fortune 500 company, and the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. Toll Brothers Apartment Living brings the same quality, luxury, and service for which Toll Brothers is known to its exceptional rental and mixed-use communities in select markets, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. Toll Brothers Apartment Living communities combine the energy of vibrant locations with unparalleled amenities, resident services, design, and the expertise of America’s Luxury Home Builder®. In 2024, Toll Brothers Apartment Living was named to the National Multifamily Housing Council’s Top 25 Largest Developers list, the fifth year it has been so recognized. The firm has completed over 10,000 units nationally, with more than 18,000 units in production. For more information visit TollBrothersApartmentLiving.com . ABOUT TOLL BROTHERS Toll Brothers, Inc., a Fortune 500 Company, is the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. The Company was founded 57 years ago in 1967 and became a public company in 1986. Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOL.” The Company serves first-time, move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, and second-home buyers, as well as urban and suburban renters. Toll Brothers builds in over 60 markets in 24 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington, as well as in the District of Columbia. The Company operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title, land development, smart home technology, and landscape subsidiaries. The Company also develops master-planned and golf course communities as well as operates its own lumber distribution, house component assembly, and manufacturing operations. In 2024, Toll Brothers marked 10 years in a row being named to the Fortune World's Most Admired CompaniesTM list and the Company’s Chairman and CEO Douglas C. Yearley, Jr. was named one of 25 Top CEOs by Barron’s magazine. Toll Brothers has also been named Builder of the Year by Builder magazine and is the first two-time recipient of Builder of the Year from Professional Builder magazine. For more information visit TollBrothers.com . From Fortune, ©2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under licen se. Contact: Andrea Meck | Toll Brothers, Senior Director, Public Relations & Social Media | 215-938-8169 | ameck@tollbrothers.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c349c51-5835-4871-9180-ea9e02b7ad62 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/51774319-a757-48bd-b003-d33b4b5389d2 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ce9d0ca4-2707-4640-92f9-72590b26e738 Sent by Toll Brothers via Regional Globe Newswire (TOLL-REG)
Electrovaya Reports Fiscal Year 2024 ResultsTesla After-Hours Stock Price Skyrockets! What This Means for GamersAround 73% of all Indians have no idea about the existence of 'Masked Aadhaar' , according to a report by PWC. When the Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI ) was tasked to find a solution where people could share their Aadhaar number with third parties without repercussions of fraud, it created 'Masked Aadhaar. This Masked Aadhaar is nothing but the Aadhaar card itself where only the first eight numbers are hidden (masked) and the last four digits are visible. "Masked Aadhaar implies replacing of first 8 digits of the Aadhaar number with "xxxx-xxxx" while only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible," says UIDAI on its website. A masked Aadhaar conceals the first eight digits of your Aadhaar number, while still allowing you to provide proof of identity. It can help prevent fraud by reducing the risk of your Aadhaar number being misused. Can a masked Aadhaar card be used as a valid form of identification in places that currently accept regular Aadhaar cards? Masked Aadhaar has the same validity as ordinary normal Aadhaar so it can very well be used and is accepted at all places where a normal Aadhaar is accepted. According to Shiv Sapra, Partner, Kochhar & Co, "A masked Aadhar serves the same purpose as that of an ordinary Aadhar with an added layer of privacy where the first eight digits are redacted. It is a legally valid document and acceptable as a proof of identity. The lack of awareness across industries is what creates a challenge at the time of presentation of masked Aadhaar." Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Analysis Learn Power BI with Microsoft Fabric: Complete Course By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Entrepreneurship Boosting Startup Revenue with 6 AI-Powered Sales Automation Techniques By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Data Science MySQL for Beginners: Learn Data Science and Analytics Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Intermediate Java Mastery: Method, Collections, and Beyond By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Intermediate C++ Skills: Master Pointers, Structures and File Stream By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Advanced Java Mastery: Object-Oriented Programming Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Finance: Finance Beginner Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Tabnine AI Masterclass: Optimize Your Coding Efficiency By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass By - CA Himanshu Jain, Ex McKinsey, Moody's, and PwC, Co - founder, The WallStreet School View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) ChatGPT Mastery from Zero to Hero: The Complete AI Course By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Tally Prime & GST Accounting: Complete Guide By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Finance Financial Literacy for Non-Finance Executives By - CA Raja, Chartered Accountant | Financial Management Educator | Former AVP - Credit, SBI View Program Design Microsoft Designer Guide: The Ultimate AI Design Tool By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Web Development C++ Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Legal Complete Guide to AI Governance and Compliance By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Learn InVideo AI: Create Videos from Text Easily By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program What is the legal validity of masked Aadhaar? According to Shikha Tandon, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, "Section 4(3) of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 enables every Aadhaar number holder to establish his identity by using his Aadhaar number in physical or electronic form, or in such other form as may be notified. The masked Aadhaar card, which is a form of the regular Aadhaar card, is accepted as valid identity proof." The Unique Identification Authority of India by way of circular dated 29.09.2020, has also clarified that "Aadhaar card, Aadhaar letter, e-Aadhaar, masked e-Aadhaar and m-Aadhaar are all equally valid forms of Aadhaar to be used by the resident as per their choice and all of them should be accepted as proof of identity with due validation without giving any preference to one form of Aadhaar over the other." Here's a step-by-step guide on how to download masked Aadhaar card Follow the below steps: Step 1: Go here: myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in and click on 'Login'. Step 2: A new web page will appear and here you need to type your Aadhaar number. Once entered, fill in the 'captcha' and click on 'Login with OTP' button. Step 3 : Once logged in, a new webpage will open where you need to click 'Download' Aadhaar. Step 4: After this, a new page will open where you need to click on 'Do you want a masked Aadhaar?' Click 'Download' after this. Step 5: A file will be downloaded and to open it the password is first four letters of your name as per Aadhaar in capital letters and year of birth in YYYY format. Masked Aadhaar Source: https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/downloadAadhaar/en What to do if an establishment refuses to accept masked Aadhaar According to Yatharth Rohila, Advocate & Partner, Aeddhaas Legal LLP, "In cases where officials, agencies, or departments refuse to accept a masked Aadhaar card, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities of those organizations. For private establishments like hotels or pubs that decline to accept masked Aadhaar as valid identification, a complaint can be made via UIDAI's toll-free Aadhaar helpline at 1947 or by emailing help@uidai.gov.in. Such refusal to accept a valid masked Aadhaar undermines its legal acceptance and should be appropriately challenged." Where to use masked Aadhaar? To keep your Aadhaar details safe, you need to understand when you can use masked Aadhaar and when you need to provide your original Aadhaar details. As per UIDAI regulations only verified and licensed entities are allowed to collect and store Aadhaar details of a person for a specific purpose. So unlicensed entities like pubs, cinema halls, and hotels, cannot collect and store your Aadhaar. In these kinds of situations use masked Aadhaar. Hotels and pubs may ask you for any identity proof to verify age before serving certain items like alcohol. As your date of birth is visible on masked Aadhaar, you can use it to verify your age in such cases. However, you cannot use masked Aadhaar for KYC in a bank or to an insurer. "A masked Aadhaar card is a valid proof of identity and can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as KYC verification, opening bank accounts, and accessing government services. To enhance security and reduce the risk of misuse, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has strongly recommended individuals share masked Aadhaar copies instead of photocopies of the full Aadhaar card. However, it's essential to note that a masked Aadhaar card cannot be used to apply for government schemes or to access benefits offered through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under various welfare schemes," says Rohila from Aeddhaas Legal LLP.
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — After losing to San Francisco in the playoffs three of the last five seasons, the Green Bay Packers wouldn’t mind seeing the 49ers get left out of the postseason entirely. The Packers (7-3) could damage San Francisco’s playoff hopes Sunday by beating the 49ers at Lambeau Field. San Francisco (5-5) dropped to .500 after losing at home to the Seattle Seahawks, though the 49ers remain just a game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. “I think we’re motivated to keep winning more than anything,” Packers center Josh Myers said. “Obviously, they have knocked us out quite a bit. There’s that extra motivation behind it, but at this point, we’re just trying to churn out wins.” Green Bay is third in the NFC North and two games behind the Detroit Lions, but the Packers appear on track to at least earn a wild-card playoff berth. History suggests their path to a potential Super Bowl would get much clearer if the 49ers aren’t standing in their way. The 49ers trailed 21-14 in the fourth quarter before rallying to beat the Packers 24-21 in the divisional playoffs last year on Christian McCaffrey’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left. Now it’s the 49ers who are struggling to protect late leads, as they’ve blown fourth-quarter advantages in three games against divisional opponents. “You could look at, ‘Hey, we’re three possessions away from being 8-2,’ but you can’t really live like that,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “Those are the mistakes that we’ve made to be 5-5. It’s not exactly where we want to be. It is frustrating. The nice thing is we have seven games left to go out there and play Niners football and take advantage of those opportunities.” Green Bay’s recent history of playoff frustration against the 49ers also includes a 13-10 loss at Lambeau Field in the 2021 divisional playoffs and a 37-20 road defeat in the 2019 NFC championship game. Even the Packers who weren’t around for last season’s playoff loss realize what this game means. “I think one of the first meetings that I was in here, we had a conversation about the Niners beating us,” said Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney, who joined the Packers this season. “So I understand how important it is, and we all do.” Both teams must figure out how to convert red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. The 49ers are scoring touchdowns on just 48.8% of their drives inside an opponent’s 20-yard line to rank 27th in the NFL. The Packers are slightly worse in that regard, scoring touchdowns on 48.7% of their red-zone possessions to rank 28th. In their 20-19 victory at Chicago on Sunday, Green Bay drove to the Bears 5 without scoring on two separate series. Kittle expects to play Sunday after missing the Seahawks game with a hamstring injury, but four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa’s status is uncertain after he hurt his left hip and oblique in that game. Seattle scored both of its TDs after Bosa left in the third quarter with an injury and averaged 2.7 additional yards per play after he got hurt. Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander didn’t play in the second half of the Bears game due to a knee injury that also prevented him from playing in a Nov. 3 loss to Detroit. Green Bay’s defense feasted on turnovers the first part of the season, but hasn’t been as effective in getting those takeaways lately. The Packers have 19 takeaways – already exceeding their 2023 total – but haven’t forced any turnovers in their last two games. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t eased McCaffrey back into the lineup in his return after missing the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey has played 91% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps the past two weeks. Jordan Mason, who rushed for 685 yards during McCaffrey’s absence, has just five snaps on offense the last two games. Shanahan said he’d like to get Mason more opportunities, but it’s hard to take McCaffrey off the field. Green Bay nearly lost to the Bears because of its third-down struggles on both sides of the ball. The Packers were 1 of 5 on third-down opportunities, while the Bears went 9 of 16. The Packers’ defense could have a tough time correcting that problem against San Francisco, which has converted 45.4% of its third-down situations to rank fourth in the league. AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
This week, the 2025 Oscar race began to take more shape as the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations were unveiled to the public. As we tallied on Wednesday, it's time to go more in-depth on the two big sets of nominees this week from the Globes and the critics. While the Oscars always do their own thing, we can learn right now from these two voting bodies how certain stocks are rising and falling among the contenders. We may finally have a Best Picture frontrunner, too. Let's dig into these nominations and what we can learn from them. We've been searching for the Best Picture frontrunner for some time now, and one hasn't emerged yet to solidify itself as the movie to beat. Is it ? The film led the Golden Globes with film nominations with 11 and tied for second at the Critics' Choice with 10 nominations. That shows real strength above and below the line with two different groups. That matters. Audiard's direction and script and stars Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña registered with both voting bodies, as did the film as an international contender, two of its original songs and the film's score from Clément Ducol and Camille. Selena Gomez got a nomination from the Globes voters in Supporting Actress but missed with the Critics' Choice voters. It's possible Netflix might finally nab the Best Picture Oscar it has coveted for so long with Jacques Audiard's audacious-if-flawed musical drama. The film doesn't entirely work, but it's clearly leaving an impact on the audience. Remember that earned a runner-up slot for the audience award at the Toronto Film Festival in September and earned the Jury Prize honor at Cannes in May to go along with a shared Best Actress honor for four of the film's leads. If the film lands a Screen Actors' Guild ensemble nomination next month, this might be the film to beat. Jesse Eisenberg's excellent sophomore feature may well win an Oscar next March for deserving Supporting Actor contender Kieran Culkin. Eisenberg's screenplay also feels like a safe bet to get nominated. However, is the film losing steam for a Best Picture nomination? While registered with the Golden Globes in its best musical/comedy category, it was a curious miss with the Critics' Choice voters in their 10-film Best Picture category. Typically, the CCA skews more toward American titles for its Best Picture nominations. Fringe contenders like and registered with the CCA, but was not recognized at the top. This fantastic millennials-processing-trauma-abroad dramedy will need its fiercest industry fans to rally behind it to secure more Oscar support. We've only got 10 slots, after all. The Academy won't totally match with the CCAs in Best Picture. That's just how this usually goes. missing with a more friendly voting body like the American critics might limit its prospects to just Culkin and the screenplay. Something to consider. To put it mildly, the Oscars don't have a storied history of recognizing body horror in the Best Picture category. Heck, horror movies are always a tough sell. Acclaimed movies that perfectly hit the zeitgeist like break through, but an aggressive satire like with extremely gory moments would've been as cold a contender 10 years ago as the North Pole in January. The times, they're a-changin'. Coralie Fargeat's surprise hit with Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley earned best film nods from the Globes (musical/comedy) and critics. Fargeat also earned nominations from both voting groups for her direction and screenplay. That's a big deal. For a film a month ago I felt was not even a safe bet for a makeup/hairstyling Oscar nomination, I'm a bit stunned it's going to be a serious contender now (in the best way possible). I loved the movie, but this is not typical Oscar fare... to put it mildly. The fact that it is gaining steam in the precursors like it is for real success with the Academy is kind of neat for the future of what it means to be an Oscar movie. The shock is still there, but it's a great surprise. The Academy continues to skew international in recent years, particularly in its Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original/Adapted Screenplay categories. While the non- Oscar players like and didn't register in the best film categories with the Globes or CCAs, they're still real contenders. s Payal Kapadia did particularly well with the Globes, earning one of its six Best Director slots. That could repeat at the Oscars. We probably won't know how truly strong either of these films are until Oscar nomination morning next month, however. RaMell Ross' critically adored Colson Whitehead adaptation showed up in both the best drama category at the Globes and in the field of Best Picture contenders at the CCAs. That's a great boost for a film with Oscar prospects that haven't always been certain. Combined with its New York Film Critics Circle win for Ross in Best Director, the avant-garde nature of this contender might not hold it back from making real gains with an Academy that's shown to be more open-minded in recent years to more innovative filmmaking. That's exciting.
NEW YORK — He’s one of the most famous corporate leaders in the world, delivering products embraced by billions. But the haters give companies like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms something to worry about. In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses that consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million on guards, alarms and other measures to keep Zuckerberg and the company’s former chief operating officer safe. Some high-profile chief executives surround themselves with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while he walked alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take in protecting their leaders against threats. Thompson had no personal security and appeared unaware of the shooter lurking before he was gunned down. And today’s political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. “We are better today at collecting signals. I’m not sure we’re any better at making sense of the signals we collect,” said Fred Burton of Ontic, a provider of threat management software for companies. After Thompson’s shooting, Burton said, “I’ve been on the phone all day with some organizations asking for consultation, saying, ’Am I doing enough?’” Since the killing, some health insurers have taken steps to safeguard their executives and rank-and-file workers. Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit healthcare firm, said Friday that it was temporarily closing its six offices for security reasons and would have its employees work from home. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in a statement. A Medica spokesman said the company had also removed biographical information about its executives from its website as a precaution. UnitedHealth Group, parent of the insurer Thompson led, removed photos of its top executives from its website hours after the shooting, later removing their names and biographies. But well before the attack, some of the biggest U.S. companies, particularly those in the tech sector, were spending heavily on personal and residential security for their top executives. Meta, whose businesses include Facebook and Instagram, reported the highest spending on personal security for top executives last year, filings culled by research firm Equilar show. Zuckerberg “is synonymous with Meta and, as a result, negative sentiment regarding our company is directly associated with, and often transferred to, Mr. Zuckerberg,” the Menlo Park, California, company explained earlier this year in an annual shareholder disclosure. At Apple, the world’s largest tech company by stock valuation, CEO Tim Cook was tormented by a stalker who sent him sexually provocative emails and even showed up outside his Silicon Valley home at one point before the company’s security team successfully took legal action against her in 2022. Cook is regularly accompanied by security personnel when he appears in public. Still, the $820,000 the company allotted last year to protect top executives is a fraction of what other tech giants spent for CEO security. Just over a quarter of the companies in the Fortune 500 reported spending money to protect their CEOs and other top executives. Of those that did, the median payment for personal security doubled over the last three years to about $98,000. In many companies, investor meetings like the one UnitedHealthcare’s Thompson was walking to when he was shot are viewed as very risky because details on the location and who will be speaking are highly publicized. “It gives people an opportunity to arrive well in advance and take a look at the room, take a look at how people would probably come and go out of a location,” said Dave Komendat, president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, which is based in the Seattle area. Some firms respond by beefing up security. For example, tech companies routinely require everyone attending a major event, such as Apple’s annual unveiling of the next iPhone or a shareholder meeting, to go through airport-style security checkpoints before entering. Others forgo in-person meetings with shareholders. Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. joined that group Thursday, citing the UnitedHealthcare executive’s death in announcing that its upcoming investor day will be held online, rather than in person as originally planned. “But there are also company cultures that really frown on that and want their leaders to be accessible to people, accessible to shareholders, employees,” Komendat said. Depending on the company, such an approach may make sense. Many top executives are little known to the public, operating in industries and locations that make them far less prone to public exposure and to threats. “Determining the need for and appropriate level of an executive-level protection program is specific to each organization,” said David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation. “These safeguards should also include the constant monitoring of potential threats and the ability to adapt to maintain the appropriate level of security and safety.” Some organizations have a protective intelligence group that uses digital tools such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to comb through online comments to detect threats not only on social media platforms such as X but also on the dark web, Komendat said. They look for what’s being said about the company, its employees and its leadership to uncover risks. “There are always threats directed towards senior leaders at companies. Many of them are not credible,” Komendat said. “The question always is trying to determine what is a real threat versus what is someone just venting with no intent to take any additional action.” Burton, a former special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, points out that despite the current climate, there is little in the way of organized groups that target companies. Today, one of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to zero in on such dialogue and decide whether or not it represents a real threat. And CEOs aren’t the only targets of disgruntled customers. In the U.S., there were 525 workplace fatalities due to assault in 2022, according to the National Safety Council. Industries including healthcare, education and service providers are more prone to violence than others, and taxi drivers are more than 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than other workers, the group said. But the ambush of UnitedHealthcare’s Thompson this week is bound to get some CEOs second-guessing. “What invariably happens at moments like this in time is you will get additional ears listening” to security professionals seeking money to beef up executive protection, Burton said. “Because I can guarantee you there’s not a CEO in America who’s not aware of this incident.” Geller, Bussewitz and Liedtke write for the Associated Press.N.J. Benson has 22 points, 17 rebounds and DePaul wins 84-65 over Loyola Maryland
President Biden has overseen nearly four years of a two-tiered justice system, as his pardoning of Hunter Biden and the political persecutions of then-candidate Donald Trump make all too clear. But there have been quieter attacks on justice, like “debanking” — and few people realize they could be the next victims because they are a “politically exposed person,” that is someone who disagrees with the liberal status quo. Debanking is a kind of financial blackballing that has appeared within just the last 20 years. It started under then-President Barack Obama as a war to punish those seen as political enemies, like firearm manufacturers. Government documents unsealed at the end of 2020 proved that the federal government used its regulatory authority over financial markets to attack political opponents. Government regulators essentially make it impossible for certain people or businesses to make online transactions, or to have a bank account or a credit card. Dr. Joseph Mercola, a critic of the COVID vaccine, found his business accounts shut down by JP Morgan Chase, a move his chief financial officer claimed was at the same time Mercola spoke out against the Food and Drug Administration. In her new memoir, Melania Trump says her bank account was terminated after the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, and her son Barron was unable to open his own account. She called it “political discrimination.” In the modern world, exclusion from electronic financial services is an economic death sentence. Regulators will claim that they’re not technically forbidding a private bank from doing business with an individual, and that the bank is freely choosing not to have that person as a customer. But the reality is very different — because of the undue influence and control in the hands of today’s bloated administrative state. A bureaucrat can make someone’s life so difficult that the victim is forced to comply — the government strong-arming a private individual or institution into doing what the government itself cannot do by law. It’s like when the Biden administration pressured social-media companies into deplatforming anyone who questioned political talking points about the COVID pandemic. The debanking scourge under President Biden has hit the crypto world particularly hard. The Securities and Exchange Commission has unleashed a plague of investigations, some real and some merely threatened, to force innovators and investors out of that space. Dozens of tech and crypto founders have been debanked under Biden, and their inventions smothered. On Joe Rogan ‘s podcast, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen blamed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a group set up at the behest of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to go after crypto firms in particular. “Basically every crypto founder, every crypto startup, either got debanked personally and forced out of the industry, or their company got debanked,” Andreessen said. Andreessen added that others, like Kanye West, have been debanked, “For having the wrong politics. For saying unacceptable things. Under current banking regulations, after all the reforms of the last 20 years, there’s now a category called a politically exposed person, PEP. And if you are a PEP, you are required by financial regulators to kick them off, to kick them out of your bank.” President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent , has pointed out that many Democrats have been on an anti-crypto crusade as they attempt to wash off the stink of FTX and Sam Bankman Fried — the crypto scammer and fraud who gave massive campaign donations to Democratic politicians. The problem goes far beyond crypto or the tech industry, however. And it’s bigger than just the Biden administration, which uses surrogates like the Southern Poverty Law Center to fallaciously label any conservative institution a “hate group.” Doing business with a group that engages in “hate” can get a financial institution dinged by regulators for increased “reputational risk.” What does that have to do with a creditor’s ability to repay a loan or the solvency of a bank or the worth of an individual’s assets? Nothing. The radical left’s push to debank anyone with whom they disagree has nothing to do with sound financial principles — it’s all politics. Anyone who appreciates freedom and the rule of law should be supremely grateful that the incoming president has put the bureaucrats on notice: Their days of covertly forcing political compliance are numbered. E.J. Antoni, a public-finance economist, is the Richard F. Aster fellow at the Heritage Foundation.Atalanta tops Serie A after late win over AC Milan while Inter goes 13 games unbeaten
Colts Notebook: Lions add physicality to explosive attackNone
TikTok Asks Supreme Court To Stop Federal BanHouse passes bill limiting energy efficiency mandates on home laundry machinesLONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.” Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. “She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.” Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. “I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie. “It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.” McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter. “You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.” The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.” McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions. The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent. Brian Melley, The Associated Press
Jerry Yang didn’t speak English when he started school at L.A. Nelson Elementary. Now, as a Guyer High School sophomore, Yang is a budding teacher, and among 18 Denton ISD students qualified to advance to nationals from their work in Texas Association of Future Educators contests. Yang and his peers are also eligible for the Educators Rising National Conference. How did the high school student go from being a Mandarin speaker in an English as a second language program to a competitive aspiring teacher? Yang credits Denton ISD’s Teach Denton and how it channeled his enthusiasm for learning in elementary school. “I believe it’s because I was not a native speaker,” he said. “And I usually excel more, like faster than others. So then I helped others, and then it clicked for me at the same time.” Guyer High School sophomore Jerry Yang qualified for a national competition for future educators. Yang is a member of both Teach Denton, a Denton ISD program that offers training and development for students who want to be teachers, and his campus chapter of Texas Association of Future Educators. Yang said his ESL teacher nominated him for the program. “I was like ‘OK,’” he said. In elementary school classrooms across Denton ISD, teachers notice when some students help their classmates out. They might explain part of a small group activity, or help a friend stand in the right spot. They are eager to learn, too. Since the 2016-17 school year, teachers have tapped those students to join Teach Denton, a program that introduces students — some of them as young as prekindergarten — to teaching. Since its founding, Teach Denton has fed campus chapters of the Texas Association of Future Educators, a three-year education training program at LaGrone Academy that certifies students to work as classroom aides. Teach Denton is also a pathway to LaGrone’s teaching internship, a program that gives students professional development and student teaching experience ahead of college programs. Since the program was founded, 88 of Teach Denton’s alumni have returned to Denton ISD in full-time teaching positions. Denton ISD leaders are proud of that number, and officials from the Texas Education Agency have visited campuses to meet Teach Denton students and the school leaders who are shepherding them toward a career in the classroom or administrators’ offices. “We’re planting these seeds; we’re planting Christmas trees,” said Leah Zavala, the coordinator of Teach Denton. “We’re not going to have all of our vacancies and spots filled tomorrow. But this is that long-term goal. It’s building Rome, you know?” Leah Zavala, Denton ISD’s Teach Denton coordinator, speaks at a event for Teach Denton students in February. Zavala said the program has attracted attention from school districts across the country. The program grew out of a campus improvement plan, a sprawling project that the leaders of each campus complete regularly to align classrooms with everything from state standards to the needs of the regional and national labor market. Zavala said a deputy superintendent likened the initiative to planting trees that would bear fruit generations later. District leaders routinely consider the challenges that face public schools. Texas has been dealing with a teaching shortage for more than a decade, a situation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and political upheavals. Denton ISD has fared better than other Texas schools. It’s a destination district, and boasts an 81.8% teacher retention rate. But the program isn’t about filling vacancies, Zavala said. It’s about connecting students who excel in the classroom and who show leadership traits to a vocation that makes an impact on lives, and on a granular level. Texas public schools act on a 2019 mandate from state lawmakers to make sure students can graduate from high school ready for college, a career or the military. Denton ISD has the typical pathways for students to pursue those outcomes. LaGrone Academy, the district’s advanced technology complex, offers certifications in longstanding trades, such as cosmetology, nursing, auto mechanics and welding. The campus also has a menu of newer certification programs, such as commercial photography, animation, law and forensics. Zavala said the campus improvement plan process sparked conversations about teaching. Every teacher and administrator knows students who are clever, curious and willing to lead. “The questions came up: Why are we not marketing our profession?’” Zavala said. “We have the career-tech complex. We have law enforcement, we have health science. All of these were feeding into a profession. And education is feeding into that same profession, but there was this disconnect with students dropping off and not going into education [in their] postsecondary [education]. And so we started asking, ‘Why are we not doing this?’ “It was really just an idea from [a Denton ISD deputy superintendent] of, like, ‘Hey, why don’t we?’ And if we are in the business of education, why are we not marketing for education?” Zavala said elementary school students and even prekindergarten students who demonstrate empathy can be considered. The youngest students can take part in activities that develop empathy and positive interactions. When they get into kindergarten, Zavala said, they can start attending monthly Teach Denton meetings. Middle and high school students in the program can join their campus chapter of Texas Association of Future Educators. Student in the Teach Denton program at Denton ISD are set on education and career paths in teaching, with the ultimate goal of returning to Denton ISD for their careers. Among their peers and with their faculty advisers, those students drill down on teaching and focus on things like differentiation in education, which prepares them for a typical classroom and its varied students and abilities, to classroom management. Yang will compete in the Area 10 TAFE Conference at Texas Woman’s University over the weekend. The conference at TWU, hosted by the College of Professional Education and the Educator Preparation Program, includes students from Cooke, Denton, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise counties. Staci Scott, one of the two coordinators of the LaGrone Academy education internship program and campus TAFE chapter, is helping guide 85 students through the internship, which offers dual credit to students who plan to become certified teachers. The program, separate from Teach Denton, starts with five weeks of preparation, and then interns travel to Denton ISD campuses, where they do hands-on work and student teaching with younger students. “The more that I meet other teachers from other districts, I feel like our district is leading the way with this program,” Scott said. “So many districts want to get it going, but they’re not where we are.” Scott is in her third year sharing the helm of the internship, and she said she’s seeing some important things happen for the interns. “I think starting at an elementary level, keeping kids engaged and excited through their entire [school] career matters,” she said. “I think the fact that they are in classrooms actually teaching — it’s not for everyone, right? Teaching? I tell them, ‘This is such an opportunity for you to spend $75 to take this course and get to do what juniors in college do.’ “Because let’s be real, some people make it that far in college and then they do their student teaching and they’re like, ‘Oh, maybe this is not the route that I want to take.’ So the opportunity to be able to try it out and see is huge.” She also sees that the internship puts students in the classroom, a challenging place that is changing fast, early. By the time alumni are in collegiate teacher preparation programs, they’ve seen how students learn and interact. They’ve had a front-row seat to the challenges and the triumphs that students start experiencing the moment they start school. Scott said she sees room for growth in Teach Denton. “I think the earlier we can get kids in TAFE, and keep building that, we’ll be even better.” Students as young as pre-K can enter Denton ISD’s Teach Denton program. Many times, teachers notice certain characteristics, like helping others and a passion for learning, and recommend them for Teach Denton. An event in February honored the hundreds of Teach Denton students in the program. Yang is two years from graduation from Guyer High, but he’s already considering teacher preparation programs at the University of Texas and University of California. He’s also thinking of a career teaching high school biology and perhaps trying his hand as a public school administrator or college professor. And when he thinks of the future, he imagines teaching in a public school. Until then, Yang said, he’s going to mentor new TAFE students and continue competing while studying honors courses. As a Teach Denton student, Yang is already thinking about what the classroom will be like when he starts his career. “Our world is changing right now,” he said. “Technologies are more advanced, and new generations are coming up. We have to adapt to like the ever-changing present. I believe we should use resources, like AI, to help us, because that’s becoming a big thing. And I know ... teachers think that AI is cheating or something like that. But I think that in the future, AI is going to become like a useful resource.” Yang said both Teach Denton and TAFE have created a community for its members. Just like in team sports, Teach Denton students forge friendships. The students have built a support system for one another. And Yang said the skills students develop in Teach Denton don’t have to stay in classrooms. “I think a lot of people think that you’re in the program, you’re going to be kind of teacher and stuff, but I don’t think that I think that you’re in the program just to become a teacher,” Yang said. “You can do [work] in the program just to build your relationship with others, and basically strengthen your skills.” Zavala said Teach Denton has attracted attention from districts across the country. “Dr. [Robert] Stewart used to be our assistant superintendent of human resources, and he used to tell me all the time, ‘We’re going to take Teach Denton on the road, we’re going to take Teach Denton on the road!’” she said. “And we essentially have. We have gone to several different states in the U.S and talked about Teach Denton, and helped other education agencies in different states develop their grow your own program. Teach Denton is an exemplar for other districts.” Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.NEW YORK — Juan Soto put on a New York Mets jersey and cap for the first time Thursday after his record $765 million, 15-year contract was finalized and talked about what made the difference in his decision. “They showed me a lot of love. ... How they're going to make it comfortable for me,” he said. "That's one of the things I was looking for." Soto was introduced at Citi Field a day after his deal was finalized. Speaking in the Piazza 31 Club, he was flanked by Mets owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns and his agent, Scott Boras. “They always talk about family. They always talk about stick(ing) together,” Soto said. “That's one of the things that opened my eyes.” Security men in gray suits wearing earpieces were off to the side. Soto walked in led by Boras, wearing a dark suit, black turtle neck shirt and gold chain with his No. 22. “I’m excited by the Mets future,” Cohen said. “I think this accelerates our goal of winning championships.” Soto chose the Mets' offer on Sunday, deciding to leave the Yankees after helping them reach the World Series in his only season in the Bronx. SAN FRANCISCO — Willy Adames wasted little time making one thing clear: He wants to play all 162 games for the San Francisco Giants. So when introduced as their new shortstop Thursday, Adames looked to his left and gently put a hand on manager Bob Melvin's right shoulder, smiled and said, “if he lets me.” Melvin might not need much convincing, thrilled to suddenly have stability at a position that lacked continuity this year in his first season as skipper. Adames didn't hesitate to also offer a thought to new boss Buster Posey: He plans to win a few championships with the Giants just like the catcher-turned-executive did here. Surrounded by his parents and other family and friends, Adames was formally introduced and welcomed at Oracle Park after signing a $182 million, seven-year contract — the first big, splashy move made by Posey since he became President of Baseball Operations in late September. “There’s no words to describe my feeling right now to be here in this beautiful city, I’m just so happy to be here,” Adames said. "... This is a dream come true for me. I’m thrilled to be here, I’m so excited. Hopefully we can win a few championships like you did, and that’s one of the main reasons I’m here.” PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — The trial against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking, was postponed on Thursday and scheduled to resume June 2, 2025. Dominican judge Yacaira Veras postponed the hearing at the request of prosecutors because of the absence of several key witnesses in the case. Only three out of 31 witnesses arrived to the hearing on Thursday. Franco’s lawyers asked the court to reconsider the postponement, arguing Franco must report to spring training in mid-February. “There is no case against Wander, for as many witnesses as they present, there is no case now,” Franco's lead lawyer Teodosio Jáquez told The Associated Press after the hearing. The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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Deepak Venkatachalam: A Seasoned Leader in Data Engineering and AI InnovationTime names Trump ‘Person of the Year’ for second timeMore than a dozen people, including three firefighters, were injured Saturday when a passenger train collided with a Delray Beach Fire Rescue truck, officials said. The collision occurred at around 10:45 a.m. near East Atlantic Avenue and Railroad Avenue in Delray Beach. Three firefighters were injured and taken to the hospital in stable condition, Delray Beach Fire Rescue said in a on Facebook. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue transported 12 people from the train to the hospital with minor injuries. Images posted on social media showed a mangled fire truck lying next to the train tracks. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, and the roadway where the crash occurred is closed. Brightline, which operates the train, said in a that it was experiencing delays.
This Revamped $11 Million L.A. Home Dates Back to Hollywood’s Golden AgeThe Vancouver Canucks got some coal in their stocking over the holiday break. Two of the team's biggest stars, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, were missing from Friday's practice and, according to head coach Rick Tocchet, will not play in Saturday afternoon's game against the Seattle Kraken. While the full scope of their injuries isn't yet known, with Tocchet saying he wasn't sure if they were day-to-day or week-to-week, but they want to play it safe. "Especially with a guy like Hughes, I don't think you want to put him in situations where he could really get hurt," said Tocchet. "I don't think you want to do that with any player. You've got to be careful of that." You definitely want to be careful to avoid turning a short-term injury into a long-term injury but it's hard to take Tocchet entirely seriously when he says the team wants to avoid putting players institutions where they could really get hurt because they already have. Hughes was questionable for December 23's game against the Sharks — a game-time decision. He not only played but also led the Canucks in ice time with 24:45. After the game, Hughes admitted that he needed the holiday break. "I think that the break's coming at a fortunate time," said Hughes. "I've got three days here just to recover and regroup and we'll see what's going on after that." If whatever injury he's dealing with is significant enough for him to miss Saturday's game perhaps it was serious enough that he should have missed the game against the Sharks as well. Was that not Hughes being in a position to get "really hurt?" Tocchet even praised Hughes for playing through his injury. "Obviously, our captain, dealing with some stuff, to play and get two points for us, I'm really proud of him," said Tocchet after the game. "He sucked it up tonight." As for Pettersson, he got “banged up” in the second period of that game against the Sharks according to Tocchet but then came back for the third period and played a shift before finally leaving the game. Should he have returned to the game? Did the medical staff miss something? Was that not a situation where he could have been further injured? Here’s the thing: I don’t even blame Tocchet or the Canucks’ medical staff for Hughes and Pettersson playing through injuries. Often, they can only go off what the players self-report in terms of how their body is feeling and how much pain is too much. Fundamentally, hockey players want to play and they'll push themselves through all sorts of pain to do it. For Pettersson in particular, he might not have even known the extent of what he was dealing with until he took the ice for the third period and pushed himself. It’s also part and parcel of hockey culture that players play through pain and injury. In fact, most players in the NHL are playing through something, whether it’s minor bumps and bruises that are merely uncomfortable or long-term issues that can’t really be fixed but can be managed. In all honesty, every time a player steps on the ice, they’re entering a situation where they could get "really hurt." That's a fundamental risk of a fast, physical sport like hockey. Playing through pain isn't unique to hockey either. All sports lionize athletes who grit their teeth and bear through the pain to accomplish something great. But you do have to wonder if playing through pain and injuries is really worth it in late December. It’s one thing to battle through pain in the playoffs in the quest for the Stanley Cup when every game is of the utmost importance; it’s quite another to risk causing a bigger issue for one of 82 games in the regular season. Perhaps it would have been wiser for Hughes to sit out against the Sharks to get a bit more rest for whatever injury is bothering him. Maybe Pettersson shouldn’t have pushed it by returning for the third period. And if the Canucks couldn’t beat the basement-dwelling Sharks without Hughes, maybe that says a lot about how the team is currently constructed. Without Hughes and Pettersson at practice on Friday, the Canucks had to shake up the forward lines and defence pairings. Here are the Canucks' projected lines: Just as Pettersson had to step up when J.T. Miller stepped away from the team for personal reasons, Miller will have to step up in Pettersson's absence. He'll centre the Canucks' two best wingers in Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser. Pius Suter filled in admirably as a second-line centre when Miller was gone, so he'll be back on the second line with Nils Höglander and Conor Garland, with hopes of creating some secondary offence behind Miller. The one forward line that remains intact is the fourth line — now third line — of Danton Heinen, Teddy Blueger, and Kiefer Sherwood. Finally, Max Sasson returns to the lineup, this time at centre between Dakota Joshua and Phil Di Giuseppe. The bigger question, of course, is how the Canucks will handle being without Hughes, especially with Filip Hronek already out long-term. At practice, the top pairing consisted of Derek Forbort and Tyler Myers, which is sobering. Erik Brännström will draw back into the lineup alongside Vincent Desharnais. Brännström will also quarterback the top power play unit and could play some bigger minutes as the only true puck-mover on the Canucks' blue line with Hughes out. The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Thatcher Demko. He has an .889 save percentage in five starts since returning from his popliteus injury but has helped the Canucks earn at least a point in four of those five starts with a 2-1-2 record. The Seattle Kraken are struggling this season, sitting just barely above the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division with a 15-19-2 record. They lost five straight heading into the holiday break. Don't be surprised, then, if the Kraken shake up their lines and try something different against the Canucks on Saturday. Until they show us anything different, however, these are the projected lines: Jaden Schwartz - Matty Beniers - Kaapo Kakko Eeli Tolvanen - Chandler Stephenson - Oliver Bjorkstrand Jared McCann - Shane Wright - Yanni Gourde Tye Kartye - Ben Meyers - Daniel Sprong Vince Dunn - Adam Larsson Jamie Oleksiak - Brandon Montour Ryker Evans - Josh Mahura Philipp Grubauer Ales Stejka With the injured Joey Daccord not making the trip to Vancouver, expect the Kraken's starting goaltender to be Philipp Grubauer. He has an .877 save percentage this season and has picked up a win in just three of his 13 starts.The Lebanese army said it was sending more forces to southern Lebanon on Wednesday as a U.S.-backed cease-fire began to take effect between Israel and Hezbollah, and as thousands of displaced Lebanese began to return to areas ruined by Israeli strikes. Bumper-to-bumper traffic jammed roads leading out of Beirut, the capital, as people sought to make their way back to southern towns and villages devastated by the war, the deadliest between Israel and Hezbollah in decades. Suitcases, mattresses and blankets were stacked on the roofs of cars moving south, even as Israel’s military warned civilians against immediately returning to some areas and declared a curfew over much of southern Lebanon until Thursday morning. Related Story: Under the agreement, which was mediated by the United States and France, Israel will withdraw its forces from Lebanon over the next 60 days; Hezbollah will move its fighters north of the Litani River, which runs roughly parallel to the Israel-Lebanon border; and the Lebanese army will send more troops to the country’s south. Lebanese Convoys Seen in South Lebanon Lebanese military convoys were seen on roads in southern Lebanon early Wednesday. The country’s armed forces said in a statement that the army was “reinforcing its deployment in the sector south of the Litani and extending the state’s authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” or UNIFIL, an international peacekeeping force. But many questions remained about the durability of the truce, which was underscored when Israel’s military shelled two villages in southern Lebanon, Khiam and Kfar Kila. Asked about the shelling, the military said in a statement that its soldiers had opened fire after identifying a vehicle in “a zone prohibited for movement” in Lebanon, forcing it to turn around. It was not immediately clear where that took place. The fighting since last October displaced more than 1 million people. It intensified in recent months as Israel killed Hezbollah’s longtime leaders, wiped out much of its weapons stockpiles and invaded southern Lebanon. Israel’s military continued its intense bombardment of areas it called Hezbollah strongholds until the last hour before the ceasefire took effect. Hezbollah has long wielded considerable power in Lebanon, both as a political party with representation in parliament and ministers in the government and as a military force that is not under the state’s control. Related Story: What Else to Know? — This article originally appeared in . By Euan Ward, Ben Hubbard and Aaron Boxerman/Diego Ibarra Sánchez c. 2024 The New York Times Company
