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Our (latest) radical idea for the Pac-12 football schedule: Play 10 conference games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

The pursuit of a media rights agreement and decision on expansion are the most significant issues facing the Pac-12 but hardly the only unresolved matters with long-haul implications.For instance, the football schedule for the 2024 season and beyond must be reconfigured without the Los Angeles schools but, potentially, with one or two new members.What format works best for securing multiple bids for the expanded College Football Playoff? Should the Pac-12 return to divisions? Should it plow forward with nine conference games or drop to an eight-game model?On that last topic, we believe there’s a third option.The Pac-12 should seriously consider playing 10 conference games each season.That would be a radical move, to be sure. No other major college league plays 10 intra-conference games. But the Pac-12 must think radically and act strategically as the sport undergoes unprecedented change on myriad levels, from the consumption habits of fans to the technology behind product delivery, ...

Bipartisan bill to make Big Tech pay publishers for news advances despite Meta threat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

A bipartisan California bill that would require big technology companies to pay publishers for news reports that help drive their profits passed the state Assembly, despite a threat this week from Facebook parent Meta that the law would spur it to remove news articles from its platforms.The state Assembly voted 46-6 to pass AB 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, and co-authored by Assemblymen Bill Essayli, a Riverside Republican, and Josh Lowenthal, a Democrat representing Long Beach. It now heads to the state Senate.“Free press is in our constitution, and it is at risk right now, that is what this bill is about,” Wicks told the Assembly. “Publishers deserve to be paid a journalism usage fee relative to how much their content is used on these platforms.”Wicks introduced the bill following the December collapse in Congress of proposed federal legislation with similar goals. That bill, the Journalis...

Zendesk announces it's laying off 8% of workforce

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco-based software firm Zendesk is laying off eight percent of its global workforce, the company announced Wednesday. A message sent to employees from CEO Tom Eggemeier explained the decision, calling it "difficult news to share.""I've made the decision to reduce our workforce by 8% at Zendesk," Eggemeier said.In the message, Eggemeier went on to sound a refrain that's become all-too-familiar to laid off tech employees, explaining that the company's "hiring outpaced" its "business realities" between 2020 and 2022. Meta threatens to block news in California if journalism proposal passes "When I joined at the end of November, I'd hoped a combination of improving macroeconomic conditions and streamlining costs would help us avoid this moment," Eggemeier said. "Unfortunately, macroeconomic conditions have not improved and we find ourselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace."Eggemeier's message went on to detail the severance package laid off ...

Grains mixed,Livestock higher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

Wheat for Jul. was rose 16.50 cents at $6.1075 a bushel; Jul. corn was off 1.50 cents at $5.9250 a bushel, Jul. oats was unchanged at 3.39 a bushel; while Jul. soybeans gained 29.75 cents at $13.2950 a bushel.Beef and pork were higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Jun. live cattle advanced 5.78 cent at $1.7490 a pound; Aug. feeder cattle rose 2.48 cents at $2.4165 a pound; while Jun. lean hogs was up .98 cent at $.8355 a pound.Source

Transfer portal tampering frustrates SEC coaches, but few – if any – ideas on how to stop it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer lost some key contributors from the Gamecocks’ eight-win team to the transfer portal this offseason.In a few cases, it seemed as if things moved pretty quickly.“It was strange based on conversations I’d had with guys two or three days before they went in the portal. It’s interesting how things happen,” Beamer said this week at the Southeastern Conference spring meetings.NCAA rules state schools cannot recruit athletes who are currently on another team’s roster.But with college football players freer to transfer than ever before — and name, image and likeness compensation opportunities being dangled — coaches are frustrated the recruiting starts even before the name pops up in the portal.SEC coaches all say tampering is more prevalent than ever, but there are few — if any — ways to stop it.“The chaos we’re experiencing is the result of pulling back of regulations,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said.Every school is intens...

Gausman strikes out 11, Bichette and Chapman HR, Blue Jays beat Brewers 3-1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Kevin Gausman pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season, Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman both homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Thursday.Gausman (4-3) struck out 11, giving him 100 on the season and reclaiming the AL lead from Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani (89). Gausman allowed five hits and walked two.Erik Swanson retired all four batters he faced and Jordan Romano finished for his 13th save in 16 chances.The Brewers have lost five of seven.Bichette and Chapman both connected off Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta (5-5) in a three-run first inning as Toronto opened June on a winning note after going 11-17 in May.Bichette got it started with a solo drive to center, his team-leading 12th. Three batters later, Chapman hit a two-run blast, his eighth.Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier made a sensational diving catch on the warning track for the final out of the second inning, laying o...

Dell Technologies: Fiscal Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) — ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) — Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL) on Thursday reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of $578 million.The Round Rock, Texas-based company said it had net income of 79 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and amortization costs, were $1.31 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 87 cents per share.The computer and technology services provider posted revenue of $20.92 billion in the period, also topping Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $20.15 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DELL at https://www.zacks.com/ap/DELLSource

Colorado No. 10 in US for getting by on credit cards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Coloradans are leaning more and more on credit to get by.Analysts from the financial advisor website WalletHub ranked each U.S. state based on the share of its adults who reported using credit cards for expenses in the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. The analysis included the share of adults who reported difficulty covering expenses on their regular wages, as well. ‘You’re on’: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock accepts NBA Finals wager from Miami’s mayor Coloradans appear to be more willing to put expenses on credit despite needing to less than the residents of other states.Colorado ranks No. 10 for the share of adults using credit cards for necessities. About 39.5% of Coloradans say they need to.Expensive states in the Northeast dominate the top of the list. In Connecticut, 42.5% of adults say they get by on credit, followed by Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire and Delaware.Coloradans have an easier time, however, covering expenses in the first plac...

MMA fighter wrangles with alligator found near elementary school in Jacksonville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WSVN) — Another day, another alligator for Florida man Mike Dragich.The trapper, MMA fighter and U.S. Marine wrangled a 10-foot reptile in Jacksonville last week after it was spotted near an elementary school.Dragich saw it and knew exactly what to do.“We just had to get the job done,” said Mike Dragich. “I felt like Batman, for real, you know.” The video showed Dragich surrounded by a crowd of people, where he entered the ring with the alligator one on one.Dragich dragged the gator by its tail across the grass and hooked by its neck.The reptile was maneuvering into a death roll. It took Dragich and several firefighters to restrain the gator safely“If you don’t get these animals tired, they will hurt you, if not kill you,” said Dragich. Dragich, who goes by “Blue-collar Brawler” on Instagram, posts regularly about his run-ins with reptiles. He said every experience is just another day in the office.“I am...

City: Opa-Locka Police Chief and former BSO Sheriff Scott Israel to announce retirement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:49 GMT

Opa-Locka Police Chief and former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel will announce his retirement from the force, city officials said.According to a release from the city, Israel will confirm he is retiring at a news conference scheduled for Friday morning at the city’s municipal complex.Israel’s retirement comes just over a year after he was named Opa-Locka’s chief of police.Israel was removed from leading the Broward Sheriff’s Office following the response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. He was widely criticized at the time for his handling of the massacre.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Israel from his post after being a BSO sheriff for six years.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this breaking story.