casino slots las vegas Gov. Wes Moore said Monday that he doesn’t see the controversial Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a proposed 70-mile high-voltage transmission line through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties, moving forward unless there’s a real process change. “I’m still not certain what the benefit is to Marylanders,” Moore said in an interview with Fox45 reporter Mikenzie Frost. “And I’m going to stand with the people on this. I’m going to stand with Marylanders. So, I’m looking forward to sitting down with PJM and PSEG. I want to hear what is the plan and I know there is nothing in front of the state right now, but I do want to be very clear unless there’s a real process change, I do not see how it moves forward.” The Public Service Enterprise Group has been contracted by PJM, the organization that operates and plans Maryland’s electric grid, to build the $424 million power line. But it’s the , the state agency that regulates public utilities, that has the authority to make the final decision on whether the project moves forward. “Unless there’s adjustments, I don’t see a plan moving forward,” Moore said. “I have grave concerns with this, and I’ve had them for a while.” Moore’s statement comes after he from residents earlier this month who said he has failed to intervene in the project. Meanwhile, the all-Republican Board of Carroll County Commissioners and Moore, a Democrat, may be from different political parties, but they have found common ground — opposition to the power line project. Both the county commissioners and the governor’s office issued separate statements Monday reaffirming their shared opposition to the controversial project and sharing that they have met on several occasions to discuss concerns. “Gov. Moore has been clear, Maryland needs sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure to ensure the reliability of the grid and build the economy of the future in the state, but the approach must be one that puts people first,” Carter Elliott IV, senior press secretary with the governor’s office, stated in an email. “The governor will continue to work with local leaders like President Ken Kiler to discuss the serious reservations about how this process has been conducted thus far, and the type of engagement he expects with our communities.” Commissioners were more specific in their statement concerning the number of times they have met with the governor. “Gov. Moore has met with Carroll County leadership numerous times regarding the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP),” the statement said. “We have been in contact with his staff on a weekly basis. The county executives from Baltimore and Frederick counties participated in the initial meeting with the governor on Aug. 16. During this meeting, the governor clearly stated that he wanted to work with the counties; he had serious concerns about the project and the process. “From that point forward, Carroll County’s communication with the governor and his staff has been continuous; in person, by phone, email, and in writing with three letters dated July 25, Aug. 20 and Sept. 30, which was jointly signed by Carroll and Baltimore counties. Most recently, the board of commissioners signed two county resolutions, one which calls for coordination with the federal government and the other which clearly states the board’s opposition to the MPRP.” The Carroll commissioners last met with the governor on Nov. 12. “His message continues to be consistent and has been communicated with all the Carroll County commissioners and senior staff,” the statement said. “We are pleased that he now makes that message to the public.”France has a new government, again. Politics and crushing debt complicate next steps

Kobe Sanders, Nevada beat Oklahoma St. for fifth place in Charleston

NO. 20 TEXAS A&M 81, RUTGERS 77

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth , Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction" amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report about allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women has said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. Fresh questions over the two nominees' pasts, and their treatment of women, arose with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his Cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far balked at the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required. While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump's nominees, it became clear after Gaetz's withdrawal that many had been harboring private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” After meeting with Hegseth, though, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. Republican senators' careful words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump's picks, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president but also some of their hopes that the confirmation process can proceed normally, with proper vetting and background checks that could potentially disqualify problematic nominees earlier. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested that it would have little bearing on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions — one at a time,” he said. As the Hegseth nomination proceeds, Republicans also appear to be betting that they won't face much backlash for publicly setting aside the allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won election after being found liable for sexual abuse last year. Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance on Thursday in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” A 22-page police report report made public late Wednesday offered the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to head off the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore has said. Wicker played down the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying that “since no charges were brought from the authorities, we only have press reports.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after his meeting with Hegseth that he "shared with him the fact that I was saddened by the attacks that are coming his way.” Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he-said, she-said thing” and called it a “shame” that they were being raised at all. The senator said attention should instead be focused on the Defense Department that Hegseth would head. It's one of the most complex parts of the federal government with more than 3 million employees, including military service members and civilians. Sexual assault has been a persistent problem in the military, though Pentagon officials have been cautiously optimistic they are seeing a decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the nominee is a strong candidate who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” Senate Republicans are under pressure to hold hearings once they take office in January and confirm nominees as soon as Trump is inaugurated, despite questions about whether Trump’s choices will be properly screened or if some, like Hegseth, have enough experience for the job. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, who will be the top Democrat on the panel next year, said the reports on Hegseth “emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the FBI on the background of all the nominees.” It takes a simple majority to approve Cabinet nominations, meaning that if Democrats all opposed a nominee, four Republican senators would also have to defect for any Trump choice to be defeated. Trump has made clear he’s willing to put maximum pressure on Senate Republicans to give him the nominees he wants – even suggesting at one point that they allow him to just appoint his nominees with no Senate votes. But senators insist, for now, that they are not giving up their constitutional power to have a say. “The president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit, but the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. In the case of Gaetz, he said, “I think there was advice offered rather than consent.” Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves And Kevin Freking, The Associated PressPatriots DL Christian Barmore tallies first sack since blood clots diagnosisThe future of a social media ban has become less clear as opposition politicians defy their leader's position and make their concerns known. or signup to continue reading A federal government proposal to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram is expected to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday. Though the world-leading proposal has received bipartisan support, and strong backing specifically from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, there is some dissent within coalition ranks. "This is a test for Peter Dutton, about his leadership," cabinet minister Amanda Rishworth told the Today Show. Nationals politicians have expressed worries over privacy issues relating to age verification with Senator Matt Canavan noting this would affect all social media users. "You're going to have to verify everyone's age and so there's huge privacy and free speech implications," he told ABC radio. The bill doesn't require social media companies to destroy information, according to Senator Canavan, and the way users provide digital consent is often a rushed process, which breeds concerns about the way people hand over their information. There are also serious questions about whether the change will keep children off social media. "Despite the good intentions behind this bill, it may be completely ineffective or worse," Senator Canavan said. "If we make clumsy hurdles for social media use, my eight-year-old will be able to get around them, but your 80-year-old grandma won't." Fellow Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie added that the use of digital ID was worrying to some, though the government had ruled out its use in age assurance. The coalition has said it would reserve its final decision on the bill until answers had been received from the government, though concerns have arisen over the legislation's rushed consultation process. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced the reform to parliament on Thursday, which she said would make the online environment better for young people. The consultation period for groups and individuals to make submissions closed a day later on Friday. A senate committee on Monday held a one-day hearing and is due to report back on Tuesday. In submissions to the inquiry, a number of groups, including social media companies, pointed to the short notice period. Snap Inc, which runs Snapchat, wrote the "the extremely compressed timeline" had allowed stakeholders little more than 24 hours to provide a response which "severely" constrained thorough analysis and informed debate. X, formerly Twitter, also criticised the "unreasonably short time-frame of one day". Meta, which owns Facebook, wrote there had been "minimal consultation or engagement" and urged the government to wait for the results of the age assurance trial before progressing with the legislation. TikTok said despite the "time-limited review" there were a range of "serious, unresolved problems" that the government must clarify to ensure there wouldn't be unintended consequences. Given the widespread support for the ban, Senator Canavan insists there is no need to rush analysis. The Greens and some independents have opposed the ban and called on the government to address social media harms through other paths like implementing a statutory duty of care on tech giants. "The problem with a ban is that you're basically letting the platforms off the hook," independent MP Zoe Daniel told ABC. "We need to get the platforms to take responsibility for what is in their environment." DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. 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What The Emerging AI Aesthetic In Film Says About UsEditorial: Common goals for health improvement take precedent in Marin CityThe Furniture Foam Global Market Forecasted To Grow With Increasing Consumer Demand And Rising Building Projects

Andrew Luck returns to Stanford as the GM of the football program

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NoneA UC Berkeley professor explores how Native arts have contributed to the land reclamation efforts of the past 50 years. An organizer and life coach offers tips on tidying up your life. And a comic book author shares little-known facts about plants with a young audience. These are a sampling of the new books written by local authors that are set here or otherwise connected to Berkeley in some way. Nonfiction Berkeley author L. John Harris describes his sixth book as a whodunnit with three whos: the artist, the subject and “the idiot who threw out the painting.” “The painting” is an unfinished portrait of a girl wearing a bright red head covering that Harris found on the streets of Paris in 2015. “The Girl in Red,” as he calls it, is unsigned and bears only a date: Jan. 12, 1935. Harris, a food writer and illustrator, began posting about his search for the portrait’s provenance on Facebook, expanding his posts into a book-length manuscript in 2017. His search lasted two years and spanned two continents, with stops in London, Paris, Stinson Beach, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Berkeley. The book’s publication comes 50 years after Harris’ first book, , in 1974. To solve the whodunnit, Harris puts up posters on the streets of Paris seeking any information on the portrait, contacts art advisors and experts and a stolen or missing art register. He heads to the Louvre, where he compares the portrait to the Mona Lisa, a task, he admits, better suited to professional critics and art historians, but which he approaches as an art history student or travel magazine stringer. He contemplates finishing the portrait himself and winds up having a companion portrait of himself in the style of “The Girl in Red” painted by the Berkeley artist Max Thill at the suggestion of Marcia Masse of Masse’s Pastries in North Berkeley. That encounter provides an opportunity for Harris to gush about her husband’s buttery almond croissants, his favorite “this side of Paris.” Such diversions are one of many Harris intersperses throughout, along with musings on fine art, found objects and the aesthetics of a perfect croque monsieur — what had led him to Paris in the first place. The publisher especially recommends this book for readers who loved Edmund de Wall’s or Michael Finkel’s The aftereffects of a war and global pandemic. Hyperinflation and economic crisis. The rise of an authoritarian leader and the so-called “crisis of historicism,” in which intellectuals felt disillusioned with the course of history and skeptical whether the historical process held any meaning or coherence at all. These are some of the crises faced by Germany’s Weimar Republic between the wars that have prompted analogies to the U.S. in the age of Trump, said Nicholas Baer, an assistant professor of German at UC Berkeley who also lives in Berkeley. “Commentators have been drawing parallels between interwar Germany and the contemporary U.S.,” Baer said. “There’s definitely a resonance between then and now. We are similarly in a moment of historical pessimism.” Baer’s first book, , examines that crisis of historicism during the Weimar era by putting its films in conversation with the philosophical critiques of historicism from that time. He then draws links with the U.S. “as we face our own political, economic, and environmental crises,” Baer said. Baer analyzes five legendary works of German silent cinema: and . In the epilogue, Baer draws links between Fritz Lang’s and Bong Joon-ho’s and by the Oakland filmmaker Boots Riley. Like , is also an allegory of capitalism, Baer said. Both contemporary films also try to visualize class stratification. “I try to extend the legacies of Weimar cinema by thinking about contemporary global cinema as well,” Baer said. Shira Gill’s latest book is different from her first two, from 2021 and from 2023. Those books illustrate how to live stylishly and simply, with Gill often using her own 1,200-square-foot Craftsman bungalow in Berkeley, which she shares with her husband, two daughters and an Australian shepherd as an example. Gill’s latest effort falls into the personal development category, in which she also has expertise. In addition to being a professional organizer, Gill happens to be a certified life coach and applies her less-is-more approach to one’s health, wellness and career and relationships, as well as one’s home and environment. Like her previous books, this one includes images from her own white-washed, minimalist residence and four others in the Bay Area. The book’s biggest message, she said, is the “power of less” and setting boundaries so you’ll have time to focus on the things that matter most to you, which Gill helps you determine. “We’ve reached this tipping point where we keep adding more, but without subtracting we’re doomed to being completely overwhelmed,” she said. Simone O. Elias said that she did not write her first book, with college applications in mind. Now 15, a freshman at Eldorado High School in Placerville began pursuing her passion for classic films two years earlier when she created with a friend the podcast “ .” “I was thinking about my own personal creative fulfillment,” said Elias, who is also “a writer of everything you can possibly think of,” as she puts it in the preface, from songs to movies, TV pilots and essays. Elias is the daughter of Jessica Carew Kraft, a forager and author of . Like her mother, Elias divides her time between the Berkeley Hills and Placerville. Elias will be discussing her book at and at The book is a Gen Zer’s take on the golden age of films, which she defines as the beginning of the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. She argues that members of her generation would learn a lot about American history and popular culture by watching old movies and demonstrates how they foreshadowed, influenced and continue to shape pop culture. Watching a full-length film, she writes, also provides an antidote to her generation’s limited attention span. Though her first exposure to film began with the 1957 musical , Elias began working her way back and found herself falling in love with films of the 1930s. In particular, she finds the wise-cracking, fast-talking women played by the likes of Clara Bow, Ginger Rogers and Barbara Stanwyck to be, well, dope. “They played strong female characters who were ahead of their time. I found so much joy watching them. I don’t see women acting this way even today,” she said. “Back then they were very strong.” In the spring of 2021, the Native artist Nicholas Galanin created an installation in the desert near Palm Springs with the words “Native Land” in 45-foot high white letters, recalling the iconic Hollywood sign overlooking Los Angeles. The Hollywood sign had served as a real-estate advertisement for the new, whites-only communities in Los Angeles, writes Shari M. Huhndorf, a professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley. Such land was “a commodity for purchase while promoting racial segregation” and “an act of erasure, obscuring the long histories of the Gabrielino Tongva people.” Huhndorf begins her latest book with the story of the “Native Lands” sign because it best represents its subject matter: the ties between Indigenous arts and Native land reclamation movements that have taken place over the past 50 years. “Native artists, filmmakers and writers have used their work to represent Indigenous histories and meanings of land in ways that support Indigenous territorial claims,” she writes. Such “radical political imagery” challenges the authority of the U.S. and Canada, “refutes extractive colonialism on Native lands and envisions a future that draws together territorial reclamation with social justice, including gender justice, for Native people.” Huhndorf’s previous books on Native culture include and Kids Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s on a hill near Claremont’s Star Grocery, the children’s book author Elizabeth Partridge saw the Golden Gate Bridge on a daily basis. Nevertheless, the bridge still represented a magical place to her because it also formed the basis of a family myth. The myth was that her godmother, Dorothea Lange, the Depression-era photographer, had selected the color of the bridge, a half-truth spread by Lange’s first husband, the artist Maynard Dixon. “It turned out that when bridge officials met with local artists, chose the color of the bridge,” Partridge said. “So, yes, my godmother helped choose the color of the bridge, but didn’t choose it all by herself.” With illustrations by Ellen Heck, (for ages 5 to 8) is dubbed “a love story to the bridge and its creation.” It chronicles the planning and construction of the bridge from the point of view of the nearby lighthouse keeper’s children. The children watch as trucks and crews arrive and the steel towers are primed in the color called International Orange and rise above the tempestuous water of the Golden Gate, where the ocean meets the bay. When the bridge opened on May 27, 1937, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Partridge now lives in North Berkeley, where she no longer has bridge views, but glimpses them each night when she walks her two dogs in the hills. “Every day I say, ‘Hello bridge, how are you doing?’” she said. “I love watching the fog roll in and out of the bay.” Andy Warner pays attention — close attention. An observer of the overlooked, the nonfiction comic book author turned his curiosity to everyday objects and the result was his 2016 book, a New York Times bestseller Because the book was a hit with kids and librarians, when Little Brown approached him to do a series for ages 6 and up, he jumped at the chance. The result: Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories series. The first book in the series, (2021), is about the animals — domesticated or not — that are successful because of humans. The second book in the series, came out Nov. 5. It explores the ways people use the plants around us and follows domesticated plants, trends and technologies to find the connective stories between places and cultures. “Did you know that a pepper blockade led to the Age of Exploration? How about that huge wheat barges once kept Rome running with free bread? Or that whole wars were fought over Tea?” These are a few of the many questions Warner answers in a way that “makes learning fun,” according to the publisher. Though he continues to create work for an adult audience, Warner has personal experience with the younger audience. His 7-year-old twins go to Malcolm X Elementary School, where he recently did a presentation for their class about being a cartoonist. “Making work they’re interested in is definitely a fun part of the job,” he said. Anne Nesbet is an associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures and film and media at UC Berkeley whose side hustle is writing children’s books. Lots of them. Her eighth, , is a wilderness adventure for readers ages 8 to 12. The plot involves three cousins who get cut off from their parents after getting permission to camp for one night at a lake . A major earthquake makes it impossible to return the way they came, so they must chart a different path. Along the way, they encounter a wide range of obstacles, from wild animals to raging rivers and treacherous mountain passes. Their hardest challenges, however, are the psychological ones they carry along with their backpacks. Vivian’s afraid of starting middle school and of “changes she can’t control,” while Own still suffers from the emotional scars of a car accident and Amy wishes to live another life rather than her own boring one. seeks to explain to 7 to 11 year olds the importance of voting and the ongoing fight for voting rights. Berkeley children’s book author Laura Atkins shares the byline with two veteran civil rights activists: Edward A. Hailes, a former civil rights attorney and Baptist minister, and Jennifer Lai-Peterson, a civil rights attorney and former union organizer. Srimalie Bassani illustrated the book. “We’ve written a book to help kids understand why it’s important to vote, how people have fought for this right and the tools to know their rights,” says Atkins. Passionate about social justice, Atkins co-wrote with Stan Yogi and with Arisa White, both part of the Fighting for Justice Series. She is also the author of the picture book an editor and coach. " " indicates required fields Send a private note to the editors. See an error that needs correcting? Have a tip, question or suggestion? Drop us a line. Embed URL To remove this article -Pep Guardiola has pledged to step aside if he fails to turn around Manchester City’s poor run of form. The City boss is enduring the worst run of his glittering managerial career after a six-game winless streak featuring five successive defeats and a calamitous 3-3 draw in a match his side had led 3-0. The 53-year-old, who has won 18 trophies since taking charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, signed a contract extension through to the summer of 2027 just over a week ago. Yet, despite his remarkable successes, he still considers himself vulnerable to the sack and has pleaded with the club to keep faith. “I don’t want to stay in the place if I feel like I’m a problem,” said the Spaniard, who watched in obvious frustration as City conceded three times in the last 15 minutes in a dramatic capitulation against Feyenoord in midweek. “I don’t want to stay here just because the contract is there. “My chairman knows it. I said to him, ‘Give me the chance to try come back’, and especially when everybody comes back (from injury) and see what happens. “After, if I’m not able to do it, we have to change because, of course, (the past) nine years are dead. “More than ever I ask to my hierarchy, give me the chance. “Will it be easy for me now? No. I have the feeling that still I have a job to do and I want to do it.” City have been hampered by a raft of injuries this term, most pertinently to midfield talisman and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. The Euro 2024 winner is expected to miss the remainder of the season and his absence has been keenly felt over the past two months. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has also not started a match since September. The pressure continues to build with champions City facing a crucial trip to title rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Defeat would leave City trailing Arne Slot’s side by 11 points. “I don’t enjoy it at all, I don’t like it,” said Guardiola of his side’s current situation. “I sleep not as good as I slept when I won every game. “The sound, the smell, the perfume is not good enough right now. “But I’m the same person who won the four Premier Leagues in a row. I was happier because I ate better, lived better, but I was not thinking differently from who I am.” Guardiola is confident his side will not stop battling as they bid to get back on track. He said: “The people say, ‘Yeah, it’s the end of that’. Maybe, but we are in November. We will see what happens until the end. “What can you do? Cry for that? You don’t stay long – many, many years without fighting. That is what you try to look for, this is the best (way). “Why should we not believe? Why should it not happen with us?”None

I’ve been doing a lot of in-depth analysis of players recently, so we’re going to go a little broader this week. Dynasty rankings shouldn’t be volatile because they’re based on long-term projections. A short stretch of success shouldn’t dramatically impact a player’s dynasty ranking, but there are scenarios where that can happen. We’re over a month into the season, which makes this a great time to evaluate preseason dynasty rankings and provide context as to why my evaluation of these players has changed. There aren’t new rankings on the way, but whenever that happens, here are 10 players that will be ranked higher. These aren’t the only ten players that will move up, but they likely will be the biggest risers up the board. They’re ordered by their previous rank, so that doesn’t mean that this would be the order if they were ranked. Jalen Johnson (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 26) I was high on Johnson after last season, but I considered that his breakout year. I knew there was more room to grow, but I didn’t expect him to take another leap like this. He has averaged 19.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.6 threes per game, all of which are career-highs. The turnovers have gone up, which was to be expected with Dejounte Murray gone. Johnson became the team’s secondary playmaker, which has inflated everything. Despite taking 37% of his shots in the restricted area, Johnson has only taken 3.2 free throws per game, which is surprising and frustrating. However, it shows that there is still plenty of room for growth, which is scary. Jalen Williams Preseason Dynasty Rank: (27) JDub has been an excellent 9-cat option since his rookie year, but he has ascended into fantasy superstardom this season. Typically, older prospects aren’t as exciting to draft because they may not have the same upside, even if they produce early on. However, Williams has been an exception to that rule. He has averaged career-highs of 22.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.1 threes per game. His usage has gone up, which can partially be attributed to Chet Holmgren’s absence, but his efficiency has only taken a small hit. JDub is the truth and will be a dominant dynasty player for a long, long time. Tari Eason (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 79) Eason’s second year in the league was plagued by injuries, which resulted in him sliding down my rankings a bit. However, he has reminded us of how good he can be in limited minutes. Eason has been a top-50 player this year with averages of 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.0 block and 0.9 threes in just 22.9 minutes per game. The stocks have carried his value, but those numbers are sustainable for one of the best young defenders in the league. Eason and Amen Thompson have formed quite the bench duo, and it’s going to be difficult to keep them out of the starting unit for long. Walker Kessler (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 98) Utah’s unwillingness to make Kessler a full-time starter in year two was discouraging and begged the question of how highly they valued him. In year three, they have given him the job, and the fantasy production has been as good as we expected. He has averaged a double-double with three blocks per game while shooting 73.1% from the floor. His impact is dependent on three categories, but there aren’t many players in the league that can provide that level of dominance, especially at 23 years old. Jalen Suggs (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 100) This one may not be universally accepted, but I believe Suggs has taken a step forward this year. I think the next few weeks may be a good indication of how he should be valued. Suggs has shot the ball terribly this year after taking a massive shooting leap last season. That should improve, but with both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner sidelined, we’ll get to see what he’s all about until Banchero returns. He’s averaging 16.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.3 threes per game, with everything aside from the assists being career-highs. He has also shot a career-high 92.1% from the free throw line, which should give us confidence that the deep-range shooting will get back to what it was last year. Cam Thomas (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 113) Thomas will absolutely move up my rankings, but I’m not sure how high he climbs. He’s been awesome this year, but I still have so many questions. He’s been a streaky shooter, so can he produce like this for a full season? Is he good enough to do this on a playoff team, or is he just a product of a situation that is begging him to provide offense? Will he always be on a lottery team or will he accept a reduced role in order to be on a winning team? He’s been sidelined for the last couple of weeks, but over the course of the year, he has averaged career-highs of 24.7 points, 3.4 assists and 2.9 threes while shooting 46.1% from the floor. Thomas won’t ever be a reliable contributor of defensive numbers, but a 23-year-old that is scoring almost 25 points per game is difficult to ignore. Dyson Daniels Preseason Dynasty Rank: (133) I wanted to avoid players that I’ve already done a dynasty breakdown for, but Daniels is impossible to leave off this list. That column was written before his streak of games with at least six steals, and he has also had some incredible offensive performances during that time. His value has mostly come from his steals, but he has been one of the most impactful defenders in the league this year. Barring a drop in production, Daniels will make the first All-Defensive Team of his career. His leap this year after being stuck on the Pelicans’ bench for the first two years of his career should be encouraging for how we value players like Eason, who are in a similar situation. Gradey Dick (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 163) Dick has tailed off a bit after a hot start, but he has been impressive in year two. He has averaged 17.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.5 threes in 32.5 minutes per game. Most of his value will come from points and 3-pointers, but he has solidified his place in the starting unit for this team. There is room for growth in other areas, but at 21 years old, he can also still improve in the areas that he is already strong in. Dick is the type of player that is at his best when he has talent around him, but Toronto has dealt with so many injuries this year. If we get to see this team at full strength, Dick will thrive. Payton Pritchard (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 168) Boston re-signed Pritchard to a team-friendly deal this summer, and it is going to be one of the best bargains in the league for a long time. Pritchard has taken a huge step forward this year without an unsustainable role increase. He has averaged 16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steal and 3.7 threes in 28.2 minutes per game while shooting 48.7% from the floor. Aside from the assists, those are all career-highs. Situations can change quickly in the NBA, and even though it seems like Boston’s team is locked in for the next few years, that may not be the case. However, Pritchard has provided fifth-round value so far, which is way better than every other season of his career. Norman Powell (Preseason Dynasty Rank: 245) He’s on the wrong side of 30, so his dynasty value won’t rise too much, but he has been too good to be ranked this low. Powell has thrived with Kawhi Leonard injured and Paul George now in Philly, which has allowed him to have the best season of his career. He is averaging career-highs of 23.6 points, 2.5 assists and 3.8 threes per game, which have resulted in top-50 production in 9-cat leagues. He is shooting 48.6% from beyond the arc this year, which may regress a bit, but still, I was far too low on Powell heading into this year. Even if he can only do this for a couple more years, that is enough to make him incredibly valuable for win-now teams.Share this Story : Ottawa LRT to shut down Saturday for software testing on Stage 2 extension Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News Ottawa LRT to shut down Saturday for software testing on Stage 2 extension R1 and shuttle bus service will be provided for transit users on Dec. 14. Author of the article: Sadeen Mohsen, Special to the Citizen Published Dec 10, 2024 • Last updated 57 minutes ago • 1 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. A Nov. 7 file photo of the uOttawa Station on Line 1. Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia Article content Ottawa’s Line 1 LRT system will be fully shut down for planned testing and service adjustment on Dec. 14. Article content Article content The closure is required for “system integration testing of train control software” on the Stage 2 O-Train eastern extension, Transit General Manager Renée Amilcar wrote in a memo to the mayor and city councillors on Tuesday. Amilcar’s memo said the goal was to create “seamless travel on the extended line from Blair Station to Trim Station as part of the O-Train East extension.” Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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Activate your Online Access Now Article content Construction on the 12.5-kilometre Stage 2 eastern extension construction began in 2021. When completed, it will connect Blair Station with five new stations further along in Ottawa’s east end: Montreal; Jeanne d’Arc; Orléans Boulevard; Place d’Orléans; and Trim. The eastern extension will not be available for service until sometime in 2025. Meanwhile, the north-south Trillium Line extension is set to open on Jan. 6 — more than two years after its original target date — following months of testing. “We understand that this service adjustment is disruptive and thank our customers for their ongoing patience,” Amilcar said. During Saturday’s shutdown of Line 1, also known as the Confederation Line, R1 bus service will operate between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. In addition, shuttle buses will run between St-Laurent and Cyrville stations in the east end and between Lees Station and Mackenzie King Bridge in central Ottawa, Amilcar’s memo said. Regular service for Line 1 is planned to resume on Dec. 15, the memo added. Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Recommended from Editorial Ottawa police search for suspect in alleged LRT sexual assault Ottawa's Trillium Line LRT to open Jan. 6 Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Ottawa LRT to shut down Saturday for software testing on Stage 2 extension Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. 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