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HawkPartners Named 2024 Fortune Best Workplace in Consulting & Professional ServicesMITCHELL — Having kicked off practice recently, a new era has dawned for the Mitchell High School girls basketball team. To help guide the team forward, the Kernels are turning to its most experienced players to front the charge. ADVERTISEMENT The senior trio of returning starters Carsyn Weich and Lauren Van Overschelde, along with role player Makenzie Peterson, have taken on more prominent leadership roles within the relatively young roster, while also being among the players the Kernels will look to as they try to improve on a 20-win season and a sixth-place finish at state last year. Even with the success, which included a 15-0 start and the Eastern South Dakota Conference title, the girls know they’ll need to find an extra spark in order to compete for wins. “We’re going to have to be more confident,” Weich said. “We all know we have big shoes to fill and we’re stepping up a little bit and doing more each practice. Our coaches have faith in us, so we have to have faith in ourselves too.” “We just have to remember it’s for the team,” added Peterson. “I know we have so much potential and I know we can bring it. I’m waiting to see it and I know everyone else is as well.” Much of the discussions have been about what can the Kernels do together, knowing everyone will have to make meaningful contributions following top point-scorer Sawyer Stoebner’s graduation, who also led the team in rebounds, assists and steals last season. Each of the three seniors have stepped up to lead the team in different ways. Weich has led ball-handling drills in practice, while Peterson and Van Overschelde have used their actions during practices to set an example to the other girls on the roster. Having been around them throughout their basketball journey, Kernels head coach Dave Brooks knows they’ll let their work ethic set the tone each time the team’s together. However, their words carry added significance. ADVERTISEMENT “I trust their judgment,” Brooks said. “When they speak up, we need to listen. When something’s getting caught, out of control or if they’re pushed far enough, they will speak up, and I think that’s good for our kids to have that.” Patience will also be key, as outside of Weich, Van Overschelde, Peterson, and junior returning starter Addie Siemsen, this year’s team is composed of mostly freshmen and sophomores who’ll see time at varsity and junior varsity this season. Knowing the importance of maintaining morale, even as the group will inevitably deal with adversity throughout the season, the seniors are working on keeping themselves positive and instilling confidence. “We can’t be down on ourselves and we can’t be down on our teammates,” Van Overschelde said. “There’s going to be moments, but we have to stay positive and that’ll make everyone else get better every single practice and every single game.” Overall, the players and coaches know the first few games will be a learning process for the team, as Mitchell opens the season with consecutive home games at the Corn Palace against defending Class A state champion Vermillion on Friday, Dec. 13, and ESD foe Watertown on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Weich, Van Overschelde and Peterson have shown the rest of the Kernels their ability to take on the added responsibility, having grown from the final game at state last season throughout the summer to being in the position they’re in now. “We have great seniors,” Brooks said. “It’s amazing how kids can change from junior year to senior year, which is a good sign. They get along well and like hanging out together, and will still be in the gym with others when practice is over.”

A role reversal doomed the No. 22 Xavier Musketeers in their only loss of the season, against Michigan at the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday. Normally a team that avoids committing turnovers and pressures its opponent into making them, Xavier (6-1) will try to recapture its early-season winning form when it hosts South Carolina State on Sunday in Cincinnati. Through their six wins, the Musketeers had just 58 turnovers while forcing 82 by their opponents. But against the Wolverines, they lost the turnover battle 19-10 and the game 78-53. The Musketeers committed 14 turnovers in the first half and fell behind 41-30. Xavier head coach Sean Miller credited his team for typically playing an up-tempo style while avoiding mistakes, while also acknowledging that the turnover bug really bit them against the Wolverines. "We lost to a really good team; no shame in that," Miller said. "We, on top of that, didn't play well." "And that (avoiding turnovers) is something you (usually) do well? That's going to be hard to overcome against a quality team like Michigan." Leading scorer Ryan Conwell (17.6 points per game) gave the Musketeers a boost with 19 points. Zach Freemantle, second on the team at 15.4 ppg, added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Problematically, however, they also contributed to the turnover problem with three apiece. "We didn't play well enough to win the game," Miller said. "The game got out of hand. It's not like our guys quit. Their depth just continued to wear on us." The Musketeers also get 11 points and a team-high 4.4 assists per game from Dayvion McKnight. The guard had just one turnover against Michigan, but he also made just one of his eight shot attempts. Xavier may have an opportunity get right in the turnover area against the Bulldogs (4-4), who are No. 207 in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.11. South Carolina State is fresh off an 82-53 road loss to Marshall on Wednesday, in a game in which turnovers weren't a huge problem. But assists and made shots were hard to come by for the Bulldogs. Leading scorer Drayton Jones (12.0 ppg) again paced his team in points with 10 vs. Marshall, but the Bulldogs as a team managed just six assists and shot terribly at the 3-point (18.8 percent) and the free-throw (47.1 percent) lines. Jones is also the team's leading rebounder with 5.1 a game, but no Bulldogs player is averaging more than two assists. It's all part of the learning process for coach Erik Martin, whose first team went 5-26 in 2022-23. The Bulldogs improved to 14-18 last season, including 9-5 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. "The only way you can grow sometimes is by failure or by struggling," Martin said this offseason. "You have to fail in order to learn how to deal with failure and move on and become the person you're supposed to be." --Field Level MediaCapgemini, Confluent, IBM, QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and Unstructured join the MongoDB AI Applications Program (MAAP) ecosystem to help organizations make an impact with AI MongoDB, Meta collaborating to support developers with Meta models and the end-to-end MAAP technology stack Leading autism and intellectual and developmental disability software provider CentralReach using MAAP to improve AI-powered care platform MAAP expansion follows the introduction of vector quantization to MongoDB Atlas Vector Search and recent AI partner integrations LAS VEGAS, Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MongoDB, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDB) today at AWS re:Invent announced that a new cohort of organizations have joined the MongoDB AI Applications Program (MAAP) ecosystem of leading AI and tech companies. By lending their experience and expertise to MAAP, Capgemini, Confluent, IBM, QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and Unstructured will offer customers additional integration and solution options, boosting the value customers receive from MAAP. Since it was launched earlier this year, MAAP has already made an impact, helping customers like CentralReach—which provides an AI-powered autism care and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) platform—innovate with AI. The MAAP Center of Excellence Team, a cross-functional group of AI experts at MongoDB, has collaborated with partners and customers across industries to overcome an array of technical challenges, empowering organizations of all sizes to build and deploy AI applications. The expansion of the MongoDB AI Applications Program follows the introduction of vector quantization to MongoDB Atlas Vector Search (which reduces vector sizes while preserving performance—at lower cost), as well as new integrations with leading AI and technology companies. MongoDB is also collaborating with Meta on Llama to support developers in their efforts to build more efficiently and to best serve customers. Currently, both enterprise and public sector customers are leveraging Llama and MongoDB to build innovative, AI-enriched applications, accelerating progress toward business goals. In the coming months, MongoDB plans to implement turnkey mapping from its database to the LlamaStack APIs, empowering developers to deliver solutions to market more quickly and efficiently. "At the beginning of 2024, many organizations saw the immense potential of generative AI, but were struggling to take advantage of this new, rapidly evolving technology. And 2025 is sure to bring more change—and further innovation," said Greg Maxson, Senior Director of AI GTM and Strategic Partnerships at MongoDB. "The aim of MAAP, and of MongoDB's collaborations with industry leaders like Meta, is to empower customers to use their data to build custom AI applications in a scalable, cost-effective way. By joining the MAAP partner network, Capgemini, Confluent, IBM, QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and Unstructured are helping the program evolve to meet the ever-changing AI landscape, and offering customers an array of leading solutions." Launched in the summer of 2024—with founding members Accenture, Anthropic, Anyscale, Arcee AI, AWS, Cohere, Credal, Fireworks AI, Google Cloud, gravity9, LangChain, LlamaIndex, Microsoft Azure, Nomic, PeerIslands, Pureinsights, and Together AI—the MongoDB AI Applications Program is designed to help organizations unleash the power of their data and to take advantage of rapidly advancing AI technologies. It offers customers an array of resources to put AI applications into production: reference architectures and an end-to-end technology stack that includes integrations with leading technology providers, professional services, and a unified support system to help customers quickly build and deploy AI applications. Because the AI landscape and customer expectations of AI continue to evolve, MongoDB has carefully grown the MAAP program—and the MAAP ecosystem of companies—to best meet customer needs. By working with AI industry leaders, MongoDB has gained a unique understanding of both the technology and implementation partners that can best help customers build AI applications, and has built the MAAP partner network accordingly. New MAAP partners look forward to helping customers build AI applications A global consulting and technology services company, Capgemini offers integrated solutions for digital transformation, blending expertise with breakthrough technology. Confluent , meanwhile, is a cloud-native data streaming platform that allows users to stream, connect, process, and govern data in real time. "Business leaders are increasingly recognizing generative AI's value as an accelerator for driving innovation and revenue growth. But the real opportunity lies in moving from ambition to action at scale. We are pleased to continue working with MongoDB to help deliver tangible value to clients and drive competitive advantage by leveraging a trustworthy data foundation, thereby enabling gen AI at scale," said Niraj Parihar, CEO of Insights & Data Global Business Line and Member of the Group Executive Committee at Capgemini. "MAAP helps clients build gen AI strategy, identify key use cases, and bring solutions to life, and we look forward to being a key part of this for many organizations." "Enterprise AI strategy is inextricably dependent upon fresh, trusted data about the business. Without real-time datasets, even the most advanced AI solutions will fail to deliver value," said Shaun Clowes, Chief Product Officer at Confluent. "Seamlessly integrated with MongoDB and Atlas Vector Search, Confluent's fully managed data streaming platform enables businesses to build the trusted, always-up-to-date data foundation essential for powering gen AI applications." Unstructured is the leading provider of ETL for LLMs, making it easy for enterprises to utilize their unstructured data with gen AI systems. "Like MongoDB, we understand that data is essential to harnessing the power of gen AI," said Brian Raymond, Founder and CEO of Unstructured. "We are excited to join the MongoDB AI Applications Program to bring our expertise in ingesting and preprocessing complex unstructured data for vector databases. The gen AI-ready data we continuously deliver and write to vector databases like MongoDB is essential to enabling our users to counter hallucinations, allowing the LLMs and AI projects that MAAP customers are working on to leverage sensitive, internal data while keeping models and projects up-to-date." Collaborating to make an impact with AI Providing customers direct support from technical subject matter experts has been integral to MAAP's success. Since the program's inception, the MAAP Center of Excellence team—highly skilled AI experts from MAAP partners and groups across MongoDB—has worked with more than 150 organizations on a range of technical challenges, including model and technology stack evaluation, chunking strategies, advanced retrieval techniques, and the establishment of agentic workflows. Example projects include working on sound diagnostic-based maintenance recommendations for a large manufacturer, and customer service automations for companies across industries. A recent example of how MAAP enables organizations to build with AI is IndiaDataHub, which is on a mission to build India's largest market data and analytics platform. Since the company's founding, MongoDB Atlas has been the platform's operational database for some of its key datasets, and earlier this year, IndiaDataHub joined MAAP to access AI expertise, in-depth support, and a full spectrum of technologies to enhance AI functionality within its analytics platform. This includes connecting relevant data in MongoDB with Meta's AI models to perform sentiment analysis on text datasets. "Data is the oil that will fuel the growth of the modern Indian economy," said Pranoti Deshmukh, Chief Technology Officer at IndiaDataHub. "Working with MongoDB, the MAAP ecosystem, and Meta's AI tools, we've been able to accelerate our AI strategy to make high-quality, timely data and analytics available to everyone in India who needs it. The professional support and deep AI expertise we've received through the MAAP program have been outstanding." "We are thrilled to see how many enterprises are leveraging our open source AI models to build better solutions for their customers and solve the problems their teams are facing everyday," said Ragavan Srinivasan, VP of Product at Meta. "Leveraging our family of Meta models and the end-to-end technology stack offered by the MongoDB AI Applications Program demonstrates the incredible power of open source to drive innovation and collaboration across the industry." Another success story is CentralReach , which provides an AI-powered electronic medical record (EMR) platform that is designed to improve outcomes for children and adults diagnosed with autism and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Prior to working with MongoDB and MAAP, CentralReach was looking for an experienced partner to further connect and aggregate its more than 4 billion financial and clinical data points across its suite of solutions. CentralReach leveraged MongoDB's document model to aggregate the company's diverse forms of information from assessments to clinical data collection, so the company could build rich AI-assisted solutions on top of its database. Meanwhile, MAAP partners helped CentralReach to design and optimize multiple layers of its comprehensive buildout. All of this will enable CentralReach to support initiatives such as value-based outcome measurement, clinical supervision, and care delivery efficacy. With these new data layers in place, providers will be able to make substantial improvements to their clinical delivery to optimize care for all those they serve. "As a mission-driven organization, CentralReach is always looking to innovate on behalf of the clinical professionals—and the more than 350,000 autism and IDD learners—that we serve globally," said Chris Sullens, CEO of CentralReach. "So being able to lean on MongoDBs database technology and draw on the collective expertise of the MAAP partner network—in addition to MongoDB's tech expertise and services—to help us improve outcomes for our customers and their clients worldwide has been invaluable." The expansion of the MongoDB AI Applications Program builds on recent AI-related announcements from MongoDB. In October, MongoDB announced vector quantization capabilities in MongoDB Atlas Vector Search. By reducing vector storage and memory requirements while preserving performance, these capabilities empower developers to build AI-enriched applications with more scale—and at a lower cost. Outside of MAAP, since the start of the year MongoDB has built partnerships with more than 40 leading AI companies, enabling additional flexibility and choice for customers. Recent collaborations include those with Astronomer, Arize AI, Baseten, CloudZero, Modal, and ObjectBox. By working closely with its AI partners on product launches, integrations, and real-world challenges, MongoDB is able to bring a better understanding of AI to joint customers, deliver interoperability for end-to-end workflows, and to give them the resources and confidence they need to move forward with this groundbreaking technology. To learn more about building AI-powered apps with MongoDB, please see our library of articles, tutorials, analyst reports, and white papers . And for more on the MongoDB AI Applications program, see the MAAP webpage . About MongoDB Headquartered in New York, MongoDB's mission is to empower innovators to create, transform, and disrupt industries by unleashing the power of software and data. Built by developers, for developers, MongoDB's developer data platform is a database with an integrated set of related services that allow development teams to address the growing requirements for a wide variety of applications, all in a unified and consistent user experience. MongoDB has more than 50,000 customers in over 100 countries. The MongoDB database platform has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times since 2007, and there have been millions of builders trained through MongoDB University courses. To learn more, visit mongodb.com . Forward-looking Statements This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements concerning MongoDB's new capabilities with Google Cloud. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts and statements identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "will," "would" or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or variations. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and are subject to a variety of assumptions, uncertainties, risks and factors that are beyond our control including, without limitation: the effects of the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas on our business and future operating results; economic downturns and/or the effects of rising interest rates, inflation and volatility in the global economy and financial markets on our business and future operating results; our potential failure to meet publicly announced guidance or other expectations about our business and future operating results; our limited operating history; our history of losses; failure of our platform to satisfy customer demands; the effects of increased competition; our investments in new products and our ability to introduce new features, services or enhancements; our ability to effectively expand our sales and marketing organization; our ability to continue to build and maintain credibility with the developer community; our ability to add new customers or increase sales to our existing customers; our ability to maintain, protect, enforce and enhance our intellectual property; the effects of social, ethical and regulatory issues relating to the use of new and evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in our offerings or partnerships; the growth and expansion of the market for database products and our ability to penetrate that market; our ability to integrate acquired businesses and technologies successfully or achieve the expected benefits of such acquisitions; our ability to maintain the security of our software and adequately address privacy concerns; our ability to manage our growth effectively and successfully recruit and retain additional highly-qualified personnel; and the price volatility of our common stock. These and other risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2024, filed with the SEC on May 31, 2024, and other filings and reports that we may file from time to time with the SEC. Except as required by law, we undertake no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise. Investor Relations Brian Denyeau ICR for MongoDB 646-277-1251 ir@mongodb.com Media Relations MongoDB press@mongodb.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mongodb-announces-expansion-of-the-mongodb-ai-applications-program-302319439.html SOURCE MongoDB, Inc. Copyright © 2024 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Romania's top court annuls first round of presidential vote won by far-right candidate

Toronto Stocks Soar to All-Time High

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland announced Monday that he will run to become the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee next year, directly challenging fellow Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler as the party prepares to fight a second Trump administration and an emboldened Republican majority. "House Democrats must stand in the breach to defend the principles and institutions of constitutional democracy," Raskin wrote in a letter to colleagues. “That is our historic assignment now. We dare not fail.” Raskin said in the letter — obtained by The Associated Press — that he decided to run for the post after spending the week consulting with House Democrats and “engaging in serious introspection” about where the party is following their stunning electoral defeat last month that handed Republicans control of Congress and the White House. While currently the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Raskin said that come next year, the Judiciary Committee under his leadership would become "the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism" as well as other efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to thwart the Constitution. Being the face of the resistance against Trump is not new territory for Raskin who spent the last two years on Oversight as the most vocal defender of President Joe Biden and his family as they faced a sprawling Republican investigation — encouraged by Trump — into their various business affairs. Raskin, who is a former constitutional law professor, also helped draft articles of impeachment against the incoming president for his encouragement of the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021, and led the impeachment prosecution in the Senate. But by throwing his hat in the ring, Raskin is inviting what a bitter intra-party fight with Nadler, who is currently serving his 17th term in Congress and who has held the top spot on Judiciary since 2019. Democrats have over the years rarely broken from the seniority system for committee assignments, no matter how long someone has held a position, making the outcome of the race uncertain. Both men did not respond to requests for comment but Raskin closed his letter by praising Nadler, saying that he made this decision “with respect and boundless admiration” for him. “If I’m lucky enough to be chosen for this responsibility in the 119th Congress, I will turn to Jerry first and throughout for his always wise counsel and political judgment,” Raskin added.NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Priority Income Fund, Inc. (“Priority Income Fund” or the “Fund”) announced today that it will redeem all outstanding shares of its 6.250% Series G Term Preferred Stock Due 2026 (CUSIP: 74274W 814; NYSE: PRIF PRG) (the “Series G Preferred Shares”) at a price of $25 per Series G Preferred Share, plus accrued but unpaid dividends per Series G Preferred Share from September 30, 2024, to but excluding, the Redemption Date (the “Redemption Price”). The redemption date will be December 23, 2024 (the “Redemption Date”). On the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price will become due and payable on the Series G Preferred Shares and any dividends shall cease to accumulate on the Series G Preferred Shares that are redeemed from and after such date. Unless the Fund defaults in the payment of the Redemption Price, dividends on the Series G Preferred Shares that are redeemed will cease to accumulate on and after the Redemption Date, and the only remaining right of the holders of the Series G Preferred Shares that are redeemed is to receive payment of the Redemption Price. The Series G Preferred Shares are held through The Depository Trust Company and will be redeemed in accordance with the applicable procedures. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption under the articles supplementary governing the shares. Following redemption of the Series G Preferred Shares, the Fund will have outstanding shares of 7.00% Series D Term Preferred Stock due 2029 (NYSE: PRIF PRD), 6.625% Series F Term Preferred Stock due 2027 (NYSE: PRIF PRF), 6.000% Series H Term Preferred Stock due 2026 (NYSE: PRIF PRH), 6.125% Series I Term Preferred Stock due 2028 (NYSE: PRIF PRI), 6.000% Series J Term Preferred Stock due 2028 (NYSE: PRIF PRJ), 7.000% Series K Cumulative Preferred Stock (NYSE: PRIF PRK), and 6.375% Series L Term Preferred Stock due 2029 (NYSE: PRIF PRL). About Priority Income Fund Priority Income Fund, Inc. is a registered closed-end fund that was created to acquire and grow an investment portfolio primarily consisting of senior secured loans or pools of senior secured loans known as collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"). Such loans will generally have a floating interest rate and include a first lien on the assets of the respective borrowers, which typically are private and public companies based in the United States. The Fund is managed by Priority Senior Secured Income Management, LLC, which is led by a team of investment professionals from the investment and operations team of Prospect Capital Management L.P. (“Prospect”). For more information, visit https://www.priorityincomefund.com. About Prospect Capital Management L.P. Prospect is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in New York City that, along with its predecessors and affiliates, has 37-years of investing in and managing high-yielding debt and equity investments using both private partnerships and publicly traded closed-end structures. Prospect and its affiliates employ a team of over 150 professionals who focus on credit-oriented investments yielding attractive current income. Prospect, together with its affiliates, has $8.7 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2024. Prospect is the investment adviser to Prospect Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: PSEC). Additional Information Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the future performance of Priority Income Fund, Inc. Words such as “believes," "expects," "projects," and “future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are highly likely to be affected by unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under the control of Priority Income Fund, Inc. and that Priority Income Fund, Inc. mayor may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from any forward-looking statements. Such statements speak only as of the time when made, and Priority Income Fund, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

NoneTrump’s pick for top Hill liaison brings strong conservative ties to a difficult role

Trump aims to appoint son-in-law’s father as US ambassador to FranceStarmer vows to put Ukraine ‘in strongest possible position for negotiations’ with Russia

Pa.‘s political elite head to NYC for annual event. Here’s what the buzz is about.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joey Porter Jr. thrives on the pressure. Wants it. Invites it. Needs it. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin first noticed it more than a decade ago, when Porter was just a kid running around the team facility while his father, Joey Porter Sr., served as an assistant coach. There was something about the way the younger Porter carried himself, a swagger, that made him stand out and served as a precursor to the professional life that was ahead for the second-year cornerback. Tomlin described it as a “serial killer's mentality,” though Tomlin's description of what that actually means isn't as chilling as it sounds. "He’s not running from the fight, he’s running to the fight," Tomlin said. "You better have a short memory at that position, and he’s always had it. He was probably nine or 10 when I met him, and he had it then." It's one of the reasons the Steelers practically sprinted to the podium to take Porter with the first pick of the second round in the 2023 draft, a full-circle moment for a Pittsburgh native well-versed in the franchise's history of excellence at one of the most demanding positions on the field. Porter has not been shy about wanting to become known as an elite defender and is unafraid to ask for the toughest assignments, only too aware that things won't always go his way. Good thing, because of late, they haven't. Porter has found himself being targeted frequently by opposing quarterbacks, looking to use the 24-year-old's innate aggressiveness against him. The results have been a steady stream of flags and the referee finishing his call with “No. 24, defense.” Porter found himself on the wrong side of a call four times in last Sunday's 44-38 victory over Cincinnati as he ping-ponged in between Bengals stars Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Twice he was flagged for holding. Twice he was cited for pass interference. It wasn't ideal, to be clear. It also wasn't the end of the world. Porter stood at his locker in the aftermath and answered every question, then did the same on Wednesday. Tomlin made it a point to say the issues with Porter are technical, not mental. It's one of the reasons neither Porter nor his coach seem concerned about one shaky performance bleeding into another, something the first-place Steelers (9-3) can't afford when Jameis Winston and pass-happy Cleveland (3-9) visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. “I've just got to keep playing my game and don’t let (the penalties) affect me,” Porter said. Asked if that was easier said than done, Porter nodded. “Definitely,” he said. "Playing DB is a hard position, but you got to have that mentality anyways. That’s the world we live in and I feel like I’m capable of doing that." In some ways, Porter didn't really have a choice. Not with his father — one of the most prolific and productive trash-talkers in the NFL during a 13-year career as a linebacker that included four Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring he earned with the Steelers in 2005. He preached the virtues of not letting one play, one moment, one game chip away at the confidence necessary to survive in a pass-happy game. “He’d been telling me that since I was a young kid,” Porter said. "I know what I got to do to be great, look good, and to help this team win." It's telling that for all the flags against him — Porter has been penalized nine times, tops on the Steelers and tied for second in the league among defensive players — he has yet to allow a touchdown pass in coverage. It's a tradeoff the Steelers can live with in general. Porter's 6-foot-2 frame is one of the reasons he was among the most coveted cornerbacks in his draft class. His size is unusual for his position, and necessary given some of the matchups he draws, such as the 6-foot-4 Higgins. “You have to match the physicality of these big people, and sometimes you do so at risk," Tomlin said. “And that’s just a tightrope that I and he are willing to walk in an effort to be competitive." There are certain tendencies Porter has noticed on film that he needs to clean up, particularly around the line of scrimmage. The hiccups that have popped up recently are correctable. The problems that could crop up if Porter started doubting his own ability are another matter. He insists that's hardly the case. “Things happen, you know that,” he said. “I like to bounce back and prove myself again. So that’s what I got to do this upcoming Sunday.” He likely won't lack for opportunities. Winston is coming off a 497-yard performance in a loss to Denver, and the Steelers had trouble keeping Joe Burrow in check in Cincinnati. Winston is not afraid to test opposing cornerbacks. Porter is not afraid to be tested. “I’m trying to be great,” he said. “And I know to do that, I got to clean up with the stuff I’ve been doing. So I just face it and keep working.” NOTES: LB Alex Highsmith (ankle) was limited in practice on Wednesday and is nearing a return after missing the past three games. ... WR Calvin Austin III (concussion) was limited. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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