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Western Wisconsin football: River Falls is young, inexperienced and ready to build off recent success

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

Five sophomores are expected to see significant action when River Falls opens its 2023 high school football season at home Thursday against Wisconsin Rapids.That’s the most 10th-grade participation Wildcats coach Ryan Scherz can recall since 2017, when the current staff took over the program. That’s partially a product of the quality of the program’s young talent. This year’s senior class is also unusually small. The offensive line endured a heavy reconstruction.Take all those factors into consideration, and it would be more than acceptable to call this fall a rebuilding one for more programs. That simply is not the case in River Falls.River Falls senior quarterback Jacob Range throws a pass during prep football practice on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. The Wildcats are looking to build off a 10-win season from a year ago. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)The Western Wisconsin juggernaut — a word that would have been an antonym for the Wildcats as recently as five years ago — no longer d...

Vikings, Titans get meaningful work done at joint practice despite some chippiness

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

Maybe veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks didn’t mean anything by it.Talking to reporters about the Vikings hosting the Tennessee Titans for a pair of joint practices at TCO Performance Center this week, Hicks provided the typical cliche about how nice it was to compete against somebody else. He followed up that response with what some might consider a veiled shot when asked if Day 1 of joint practices was respectful.“It was,” Hicks said. “At least on our side.”In the same breath, Hicks credited the Vikings and Titans with ultimately keeping it clean amid the competitiveness, which allowed both teams to get meaningful work done. That’s exactly what Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and Titans head coach Mike Vrabel were looking for when they scheduled the joint practices in the lead-up to Saturday’s preseason game between the two teams.“I think we’ve been getting a lot of really good work in against ourselves,” Vrabel sa...

New charges against 'ChiefsAholic' in string of bank robberies, money laundering

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More charges are coming in for the 29-year-old Chiefs fan known as "ChiefsAholic."Xaviar Michael Babudar was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for multiple bank robberies and money laundering the proceeds through area casinos. Babudar was charged in a 19-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City.Wednesday’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Babudar on May 24 and includes additional charges, according to the Department of Justice. Court documents say Babudar, who lived a nomadic existence at various locations around the Kansas City area, was known on social media as Kansas City Chiefs superfan Twitter user @ChiefsAholic, attending most games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs gear. According to the indictment, Babudar perpetrated a string of bank and credit union robberies throughout 2022 to attend Chiefs games.Investigators say Babudar laundered money he robbed through area casinos, attending Chiefs ho...

Freshmen 'Move-In Day' at SIUE

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – It’s a big day at the campus of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. More than a thousand first-year students arrive on Wednesday and Thursday, and returning students make their way back to campus living on Friday.“Our first-year students live in three communities,” said SIUE Director of Housing Mallory Sidarous. “That’s Bluff, Prairie, and Woodland Hall. They are the same as far as layout and structure, so that makes it easy for students. And we do have general assignment or focused-interest communities, so they could be living with folks in the same major as them or general assignment.”Bluff Hall was a beehive of activity Wednesday afternoon as first-year students and families tried to get settled in for all that awaits when classes begin Monday.“Went to the check in and saw my friend from school; that was exciting,” said Erin Mansfield, a freshman nursing student. “We got in here and had two girls help us out; put all our stuff in. Got it all done in an...

Kiszla: Is Javonte Williams strong enough to carry Russell Wilson and Broncos back to respectability?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is more full of corn syrup than a box of Lucky Charms.Where you or I might regard the Denver offense as marshmallow soft, Wilson looks around the huddle and sees talent that’s magically delicious: Stalwart O-lineman. Dangerous playmakers. Give it time and look out, NFL world.“It takes time to paint a beautiful picture,” Wilson said Wednesday, preaching patience for the offense’s development under new coach Sean Payton.Well, I might not know much about football or art, but even my untrained eyes could see it wasn’t a Monet in the opening preseason game against the Cardinals.Working against backup defenders on a bad Arizona team, DangeRuss and the Denver offense huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow the doors off the Cards, scoring one touchdown in four drives before calling it a night in the desert.No matter how Wilson might try to sugarcoat the problems, the Broncos often looked like the same boring team that has missed the playoffs for seven straigh...

For U.S. Amateur history-maker Blades Brown, golf is a show of love for dad. Basketball is for mom.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE — Blades Brown isn’t afraid to name-drop the greats. His ultimate dream would be for his own name, which is already rather extraordinary, to someday belong in the same stratosphere.Speaking at practically a word per millisecond, and even briefly mistaking the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship for something a little bigger — “Augusta … er, not Augusta,” he called it at one point — Brown was still brimming with enthusiasm Wednesday after three and a half hours of match play at Cherry Hills County Club.With good reason: Brown is only 16. Makes sense that he would wield outsized ambition with a bright future in front of him, especially after he made history Tuesday on the biggest stage of his budding career. Brown is the youngest co-medalist at stroke play in U.S. Amateur history, breaking a 103-year-old record previously held by Bob Jones. He was 18.Up three at the halfway point of his Round of 64 matchup, then suddenly tied after 16 hol...

Southwest flight attendants say “backroom” deal has stripped them of Colorado’s new sick leave protections

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

A flight attendants union is suing Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado’s labor department and Southwest Airlines for agreeing to a settlement that drastically reduced a $1.3 million fine and carved the airline’s unionized workers out of the state’s sick-leave law.The suit, filed in Denver court Monday, seeks to unwind a deal that ended a months-long legal battle waged by Southwest against the state’s sick-leave law. State investigators had previously determined that the airline had violated “dozens of Colorado labor laws,” including the sick-leave statute, and they hit the company with a hefty fine. But the settlement reduces that fine from more than $1.3 million to $133,140, and it includes an agreement that the state won’t investigate further sick-leave complaints from Southwest’s unionized workers in Colorado.“The message I feel like this sends is that the workers can do anything and everything to stand up for our rights, 100% follow t...

Boulder police searching for driver that struck cyclist riding with child

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

Boulder police are searching for a driver who clipped a cyclist who was riding with a child on Wednesday.According to a tweet, a woman riding an e-bike with her child northbound on Lehigh Street in south Boulder at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.As the woman was turning left onto Cragmoor Road, a vehicle behind her passed on the right and clipped the bike’s rear tire. The vehicle reportedly did not stop.The contact caused the bike to fall over and the woman suffered minor injuries that required stitches. Her 3-year-old child was not injured.Based on video footage, the vehicle is believed to be a Subaru Outback, possibly silver, gold or champagne-colored, with rear tinted windows and a roof rack.Anyone with any information about this crash is asked to contact Boulder police Accident Report Specialist Frank Leyhe at 720-305-7554 or [email protected] Police Searching for Vehicle That Struck Cyclist with a Child; Mom Suffered Minor Injuries, Child Uninjured Traffic officers are as...

Woman accused of vehicular manslaughter in Apple Valley crash that killed elderly man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

An arrest has been made in a fatal Apple Valley crash that occurred early this year, officials announced Wednesday.Ashely Aline Marty, 25, was arrested on Aug. 12 and has been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with the Jan. 22 crash.The crash occurred along Highway 18 at the intersection of Flathead Road, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.An investigation revealed that a Dodge Challenger heading west on the highway and a Kia Sorento heading north on Flathead Road crashed when one of the vehicles failed to stop at a red light.The driver of the Sorento, 86-year-old Byron Weekly, was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, authorities said.The driver of the Challenger was also taken to a hospital with minor injuries.After a completed investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Marty and she was taken into custody. Her bail was set at $400,000 officials said.

Bears are climbing Yosemite's Half Dome

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

Yosemite National Park rangers recently discovered evidence of a black bear's presence on the summit of Half Dome, KTLA sister station KSEE/KGPE reports.The National Park made the announcement on Tuesday, noting that "Yosemite bears are excellent climbers and can easily tackle the 46-degree angle- no cables needed!"With their announcement, rangers advise hikers in Yosemite National Park to be "bear aware" and keep all smelly objects, from food to sunscreen, locked in a bear locker or bear canister. "Whether at camp or on the trail, always keep backpacks and scented items within arm's reach- bears and other animals (like the Half Dome ground squirrels) will approach unattended bags quickly and are likely to create a few new holes before you notice them!" park rangers said.California's Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates between 30,000 and 40,000 wild black bears live in the Golden State. While bear attacks on humans are extremely rare, officials warn the potential for dangers d...