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UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The search for a woman who is believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in western Pennsylvania shifted to a recovery effort after two treacherous days of digging through mud and rock produced no signs of life, authorities said Wednesday. Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani said during a news conference that authorities no longer believe they will find 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard alive, but the search for her remains continues. “We’ve had no signs of any form of life or anything” to make rescuers think they should “continue to try and push and rush and push the envelope, to be aggressive with the potential of risking harm to other people,” Limani said. He noted oxygen levels below ground were insufficient. Emergency crews and others have tried to locate Pollard for two days. Her relatives reported her missing early Tuesday and her vehicle with her unharmed 5-year-old granddaughter inside was found about two hours later, near the sinkhole above a long closed, crumbling mine. Rescue workers continue to search for Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have disappeared in a sinkhole while looking for her cat, Wednesday in Marguerite, Pa. “We feel like we failed,” Limani said of the decision to change the status of the effort from a rescue to a recovery. “It’s tough.” Limani praised the crews who went into the abandoned mine to help remove material in the search for Pollard in the village of Marguerite, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh.. “They would come out of there head to toe covered in mud, exhausted. And while they were getting pulled up, the next group’s getting dropped in. And there was one after the next after the next,” Limani said. Authorities said earlier that the roof of the mine collapsed in several places and was not stable. “We did get, you know, where we wanted, where we thought that she was at. We’ve been to that spot," Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha, the incident's operations officer, said earlier Wednesday. “What happened at that point, I don’t know, maybe the slurry of mud pushed her one direction. There were several different seams of that mine, shafts that all came together where this happened at.” Searchers used electronic devices and cameras as surface digging continued with the use of heavy equipment, Bacha said. In coming days, they plan to greatly widen the surface hole, with winter weather forecast in the region. Rescue workers search through the night in a sinkhole for Elizabeth Pollard, who disappeared while looking for her cat, Tuesday in Marguerite, Pa. Sinkholes occur in the area because of subsidence from coal mining activity. Rescuers used water to break down and remove clay and dirt from the mine, which has been closed since the 1950s. Crews lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole, but it detected nothing. Another camera lowered into the hole showed what could be a shoe about 30 feet below the surface, Limani said Tuesday. Searchers also deployed drones and thermal imaging equipment to no avail. Pollard's family called police about 1 a.m. Tuesday to say she had not been seen since going out at about 5 p.m. Monday to search for Pepper, her cat. The temperature dropped well below freezing that night. Limani said the searchers met with her family before announcing the shift from rescue to recovery. Pollard's son, Axel Hayes, described her as a happy woman who liked going out to have fun. She and her husband adopted Hayes and his twin brother when they were infants. She used to work at Walmart but recently was not employed. Hayes called Pollard “a great person overall, a great mother” who “never really did anybody wrong.” He said at one point Pollard had about 10 cats. “Every cat that she’s ever come in contact with, she has a close bond with them,” Hayes said. The top of a sinkhole is seen Tuesday in the village of Marguerite, Pa., where rescuers searched for a woman who disappeared. Police said they found Pollard's car parked behind Monday's Union Restaurant in Marguerite, about 20 feet from the sinkhole. Hunters and restaurant workers in the area said they had not noticed the manhole-size opening in the hours before Pollard disappeared, leading rescuers to speculate the sinkhole was new. Pollard lived in a small neighborhood across the street from where her car and granddaughter were found by state police. It's unclear what happened to the cat. In an era of rapid technological advancement and environmental change, American agriculture is undergoing a revolution that reaches far beyond the farm gate. From the food on consumer plates to the economic health of rural communities, the transformation of U.S. farming practices is reshaping the nation's landscape in ways both visible and hidden. LandTrust explores how these changes impact everyone, whether they live in the heartland or the heart of the city. The image of the small family farm, while still a reality for many, is increasingly giving way to larger, more technologically advanced operations. According to the USDA, the number of farms in the U.S. has fallen from 6.8 million in 1935 to about 2 million today, with the average farm size growing from 155 acres to 444 acres. This shift has profound implications for rural communities and the food system as a whole. Despite these changes, diversity in farming practices is on the rise. A landmark study published in Science , involving data from over 2,000 farms across 11 countries, found that diversifying farmland simultaneously delivers environmental and social benefits. This challenges the longstanding idea that practices boosting biodiversity must come at a cost to yields and food security. The adoption of precision agriculture technologies is transforming how farmers manage their land and resources. GPS-guided tractors, drone surveillance, and AI-powered crop management systems are becoming commonplace on many farms. These technologies allow farmers to apply water, fertilizers, and pesticides with pinpoint accuracy, reducing waste and environmental impact while improving yields. However, the digital divide remains a challenge. More than 22% of rural communities lack reliable broadband internet access, hindering the widespread implementation of AI and other advanced technologies in agriculture. While technology offers new opportunities, farmers are also facing significant economic challenges. The USDA's 2024 farm income forecast projects a 4.4% decline in net farm income from 2023, following a sharp 19.5% drop from 2022 to 2023. This financial pressure is compounded by rising production costs and market volatility. Climate variability adds another layer of complexity. Extreme weather events, changing precipitation patterns, and shifting growing seasons are forcing farmers to adapt quickly. These factors could reduce agricultural productivity by up to 25% over the coming decades without significant adaptation measures. But adapting requires additional financial resources, further straining farm profitability. In the face of these challenges, many farmers are turning to diversification as a strategy for resilience and profitability. The Science study mentioned earlier found that farms integrating several diversification methods supported more biodiversity while seeing simultaneous increases in human well-being and food security. Agritourism is one popular diversification strategy. In 2022, 28,600 U.S. farms reported agritourism income, averaging gross revenue of $44,000 from these activities. Activities like farm tours, pick-your-own operations, and seasonal festivals not only provide additional income but also foster a deeper connection between consumers and agriculture. The changing face of agriculture is directly impacting consumers. The rise of farm-to-table and local food movements reflects a growing interest in where our food comes from and how it's produced. If every U.S. household spent just $10 per week on locally grown food, it would generate billions of dollars for local economies. However, the larger challenges in agriculture can also lead to price fluctuations at the grocery store. The USDA's Economic Research Service projects that food-at-home prices will increase between 1.2% and 2.2% in 2024. Looking ahead, several innovations are poised to reshape agriculture: The transformation of American agriculture affects everyone, from the food we eat to the health of our environment and rural communities. Consumers have the power to support sustainable and diverse farming practices through our purchasing decisions. As citizens, they can advocate for policies that support farmers in adopting innovative and sustainable practices. The challenges facing agriculture are complex, but they also present opportunities for innovation and positive change. By understanding and engaging with these issues, everyone can play a part in shaping a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable food system for the future. This story was produced by LandTrust and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Be the first to knowPhilippe Clement pointed to selection struggles as he responded to a question on the attacking nature of his side against Kilmarnock. Rangers ran rampant against the Ayrshire side with a flurry of goals in the second half to earn a 6-0 victory in the Scottish Premiership. Danilo started up front with Hamza Igamane also involved from the start alongside Ianis Hagi and Vaclav Cerny. Clement discussed his team selection post-match as he insisted the only reason it has taken time to adopt a more attacking system is down to player availability. Responding to a question on the starting XI "setting the tone and Rangers on the front foot", Clement said: "Yes, but how many times in this one year did I have two strikers available in the squad? That's the reality of the story also. Read more: Clement confirms Rangers 'big discussions' over transfer window "So it's major, it's important to keep everybody fit and you say now the right choices, but I'm sure if we didn't win with 6-0 that maybe you would have said, why is Connor Barron not starting today? "It's like that. It's like that, but all these players are pushing, they're working hard. I cannot say anything about that. "We need to keep it that way and then they all will have their moments to shine. They all will have their moments also to sit on the bench and to be ready for the next game because it's such an ultra marathon this season that we need this rotation and smart rotation in the squad and that's what we're going to do the next weeks and the next month. "So I'm sure maybe you're going to be the first one if we don't win the game to say, why is that one not playing? But that's easy after the game with insight. So that's the difficulty about this job."On the night of December 24, Pakistani fighter jets carried out strikes inside Afghanistan, capping the tumultuous year both on the security and foreign policy front. Pakistan refrained from officially owning the strikes, something that highlighted the difficult nature of the relationship with Afghanistan. This was the last thing Pakistan wanted—strained relationship with the country that Islamabad has invested so much to advance its strategic and economic interests. Pakistan had to opt for the hard option after TTP-sponsored terrorist attacks continued to target the security forces in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Three days prior to the air strikes, TTP terrorists struck at check post in South Waziristan, leaving 16 Pakistani soldiers martyred. That was the tipping point, forcing Pakistan to go after their hideouts in Afghanistan. Pakistani action came the day when after a gap of 15 months, a high-powered delegation led by Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, Pakistan's special envoy for Afghanistan, was in Kabul, holding talks with Taliban authorities. Ambassador Sadiq's visit was part of a renewed push to find a solution to the problem that has undermined ties between the two countries. The year 2024 saw no let-up in terrorist attacks in Pakistan. In fact, the number of attacks has only gone up. The data compiled by Pakistan Institute for Conflict Studies revealed that terrorist-related fatalities in 2024 have surpassed 1,000, reaching 1,082 in the first 11 months, with 856 terrorist attacks reported so far this year, compared to 645 attacks in 2023, reflecting the worsening security situation. At least 245 people, including 68 security personnel, were killed in a series of terrorist attacks and clashes across Pakistan in November. The casualties included 127 terrorists and 50 civilians. November ranked as the second deadliest month of the year, following August, which saw 254 deaths, including 92 civilians, 108 terrorists, and 54 security personnel. In terms of security personnel casualties, November was the deadliest month of 2024, surpassing October, which saw 62 security force deaths. K-P was the hardest-hit region, with 50 terrorist attacks leading to 71 deaths and 85 injuries. The Kurram district witnessed one of the worst tribal clashes in recent history, with over 120 people killed. Further, according to the report, Balochistan also saw a surge in terrorist attacks. The series of deadly attacks in Balochistan compelled the civil and military authorities to launch a comprehensive military operation in the restive province. With tensions deepening with Afghanistan, 2025 may remain volatile. While the security situation remained challenging for Pakistan in 2024, issues of foreign policy kept Islamabad on the tenterhooks. There was no improvement in ties with Afghanistan. Hopes of any ice break in relationship with India after the February 8 polls never materialised. The year saw a testing time for Pakistan and China relationship. The "iron brothers" were confronted with a security challenge to navigate their relationship. At least 7 Chinese nationals were killed in two different terrorist attacks in 2024. The March 26 Besham attack left 5 Chinese engineers dead while October 6 terrorist incident killed 2 Chinese in Karachi. Those incidents compelled China to publicly express their concerns and warned Pakistan that without security improvement there won't be progress in the second phase of CPEC. There was an unprecedented hiccup in the relationship when the Chinese ambassador had to publicly rebuke Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at a public forum in Islamabad. That compelled the Foreign Office to issue a statement, terming the Chinese Ambassador's move not consistent with close ties between the two countries. What compounded Pakistan's problems was the Biden Administration's decision to target the country's long range ballistic missile programme. Pakistan's long range ballistic missile programme has remained on the US radar for years. But the US stepped up pressure on Pakistan in 2024. Washington imposed sanctions on several Chinese and Pakistani companies linking them to the ballistic missile programme. The bombshell development came this month when a senior Biden administration official made a stunning claim as to why Washington had concerns with Pakistan's missile programme. A day after, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on four Pakistani entities including state-owned National Defence Complex (NDC), Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer claimed nuclear-armed Pakistan was developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an "emerging threat" to the United States. "So, candidly, it's hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," Finer said. Pakistani officials termed this claim as "absurd." But the US official's public statement suggested ominous signs for Pakistan's nuclear and missile programme under President Trump's second term. But despite those challenges, the year 2024 was an active year for Pakistan's diplomacy. After a hiatus of many years, Pakistan hosted a summit of regional leaders. The meeting of the Council of Heads of governments of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) saw several leaders including from China and Russia visiting Islamabad in October. Indian External Affairs Minister S J Shankar was also in attendance, raising some hopes of a thaw between the two countries. The Foreign Office listed visits from several leaders including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, China, Egypt, Gambia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, the UAE, Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom. It said such high level exchanges helped develop important understandings with these countries. This year, we witnessed major transformations and far-reaching developments in our region and around the world. Political changes in Africa, South Asia, Middle East, Europe, and East Asia meant foreign policy adaptations and adjustments by countries around the world including Pakistan. Against this backdrop and with Trump all set to step into the White House, there will be a lot more in store in the year 2025. COMMENTS Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see ourwin999 spin ph 。

ATLANTA — On the very last play of the first half of the SEC Championship game between Georgia and Texas, Bulldog quarterback Carson Beck took a hard hit while attempting a Hail Mary throw. Beck stayed down on the field while trainers tended to him. He got up after about a minute and trotted off the field into the locker room. Before heading into the locker room, ESPN's Holly Rowe asked Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart if Beck would be able to play in the second half, to which he replied, "He should be. I don't know. We've got to go look at him." However, at the start of the second half, Rowe passed along the message that Beck would not be playing the rest of the game. So, who will be taking snaps? Who is Georgia's backup quarterback? Georgia's backup QB is sophomore Gunner Stockton. Stockton has seen limited action in his two seasons with the Bulldogs but he's no stranger to game. In 2023, he completed 12 passes for 148 yards across his four separate appearances. So far this season, Stockton has only appeared in two games: against Tennessee Tech and Umass. This second half of the SEC Championship game will be the most the young QB has played and it's in the biggest moment of Georgia's season thus far.Lions host Packers on Thursday night, hoping to push winning streak to franchise-record 11 straightA U.S. appeals court has halted enforcement of an anti-money laundering law that requires corporate entities to disclose the identities of their real beneficial owners to the U.S. Treasury Department ahead of a deadline for most companies to do so. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Thursday reinstated a nationwide injunction that had been issued earlier this month by a federal judge in Texas who had concluded the Corporate Transparency Act was unconstitutional. The order marked a change of course for the court. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit at the urging of the U.S. Department of Justice put the injunction on hold while the government appealed the Texas judge's decision. But a different panel will ultimately decide whether to uphold the judge's ruling, and in Thursday's order, the court said it decided to keep enforcement of the law paused "to preserve the constitutional status quo while the merits panel considers the parties' weighty substantive arguments." Most companies had before Thursday's order faced a Jan. 13 deadline to submit their initial reports to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Invest wisely: Best online brokers The injunction had been obtained by the National Federation of Independent Business, which along with several small businesses challenged the law through lawyers at the conservative Center for Individual Rights. Holiday week stocks: The stock market is slumping today. Why is the 'Santa rally' over? "Given that we have established that the CTA is likely unconstitutional, this intrusive form of government surveillance should be halted until the law's fate is finally resolved," Todd Gaziano, the Center for Individual Rights' president, said in a statement. FinCEN did not respond to requests for comment. Under the law, which was enacted in 2021, corporations and LLCs were required to report information concerning their beneficial owners to FinCEN, which collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat money laundering and other crimes. The measure's supporters said it was designed to address the country's growing popularity as a venue for criminals to launder illicit funds by setting up entities like limited liability companies under state laws without disclosing their involvement. U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant in Sherman, Texas, on Dec. 3 ruled Congress had no authority under its powers to regulate commerce, taxes and foreign affairs to adopt the "quasi-Orwellian statute" and that it likely violated states' rights under the U.S. Constitution's Tenth Amendment. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

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When baseball historian Bill Humber first heard about the golden at-bat idea that Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred floated on a recent podcast, he was a little taken aback. "I kind of laughed, actually," Humber said Wednesday. "I thought it was one of the stupidest ideas I'd ever heard." MLB has seen its share of change of late, but the thought of a team using one at-bat each game to send any hitter it wants to the plate — even if it's not their turn in the batting order — was quite a curveball. "This can’t be real," former Blue Jays pitcher and seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens posted on social media. Wild-card playoff tinkering, pitch clocks, shift rules and automatic runners are some of the more significant changes to the game in recent years. All had varying levels of detractors and the golden at-bat discussion is no different. Critics are eyeing it like a meatball thrown across the middle of the plate. "It doesn't really fit within the logic of the game in my mind," said Humber, a Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer. "I look upon it quite askance to be honest with you. I don't see the point of it in a way. "I mean to some extent, the magic of baseball is those unheralded batters who arrive at a situation that one wouldn't have thought that they would ever have been in, and allowing them to bat in place." Humber cited a number of grand baseball moments that might not have happened if a golden at-bat rule were in effect. "One can imagine when Bobby Thomson hit his famous home run against the (Brooklyn) Dodgers in 1951, Willie Mays was on deck," he said of the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' that gave the New York Giants the National League pennant. "What if they had a golden at-bat and put Mays at bat, maybe he would have struck out or popped up or hit into a double-play or who knows what. There's lots of situations like that." What about the two famous World Series-winning walkoffs? Would the skippers have used a golden at-bat to get their best pure hitter to the plate? Bill Mazeroski went deep to give Pittsburgh the Fall Classic in 1960 and Joe Carter's walkoff blast in 1993 gave the Blue Jays their second straight World Series title. Mazeroski's power numbers were middling while Carter, who led the Blue Jays in homers and RBIs that year, had a mediocre batting average. "I think the magic of the game are those moments that are unpredictable and yet kind of create some of the joy of the game in our memories," Humber said. " I think this kind of runs afoul of that tradition. "I'm not a fan, let me say that. But that's not to say it won't happen." Manfred first mentioned the golden at-bat idea publicly in an interview with John Ourand on Puck's "The Varsity" podcast. The commissioner said the subject came up at a recent owners' meeting. Retired sportswriter Dave Perkins, who covered the Blue Jays for years over his long career at the Toronto Star, said use of a golden at-bat would be "a travesty." "On the surface I say it's absolutely stupid and ridiculous," he said. "But a lot of other things I thought were stupid and ridiculous worked their way into the games and they're even OK with me now." The subject of potential rule changes like the golden at-bat came up when Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins met with the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America earlier this week. "It's interesting to me because we went through so much change over the last couple of years," he said. "Getting to that change was a scratch and a claw and a climb. And then once the change happened, everyone — for the most part — thought, 'OK, that went OK and it seems like there's a better product on the field.' "So now the dialogue around change is with a much more open mind whether it be players, staff, the exchanges, the ideas, even if they seem very difficult to wrap your head around. They're not getting stiff-armed as much as they were the first go-round." Scott Crawford, operations director of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said he prefers a traditional setup where any player can be a hero at any time. "I like the team aspect of the game where you get your shot," he said. "You can be a No. 8 hitter and you can come up with a big hit and win a World Series and (a superstar like Shohei) Ohtani can strike out." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2024. Follow @GregoryStrongCP on X. Gregory Strong, The Canadian PressNEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's targeted fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc for 20 years and run the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO, Thompson led a firm that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at PwC and had little name recognition beyond the health care industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. When Thompson did occasionally draw attention, it was because of his role in shaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them once sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson, who lived in a Minneapolis suburb and was the married father of two sons in high school, was set to speak at an investor meeting in a midtown New York hotel. He was on his own and about to enter the building when he was shot in the back by a masked assailant who fled on foot before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporters Michael R. Sisak and Steve Karnowski contributed to this report. Murphy reported from Indianapolis. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.

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Gregg Wallace ghostwriter claims he sexually harassed her after making her sign NDA - The TelegraphMaryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals’ dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.”Morgan Rogers’ fourth goal of the season, an Ollie Watkins penalty and Matty Cash’s finish put Villa 3-0 up after 34 minutes. Mikkel Damsgaard pulled one back for Brentford in the second half but the damage had been done as Villa ended their eight-match winless run in all competitions. Emery was relieved to end the unwanted streak but quickly turned his attention to the next fixture against Southampton on Saturday. “We broke a spell of bad results we were having,” the Villa boss said. “We started the first five or 10 minutes not in control of the game but then progressively we controlled. “Today we achieved those three points and it has given us confidence again but even like that it’s not enough. We have to keep going and think about the next match against Southampton on Saturday. “The message was try to focus on each match, try to forget the table. How we can recover confidence and feel comfortable at home. Today was a fantastic match.” Tyrone Mings returned to the starting line-up in the Premier League for the first time since August 2023. Emery admitted it has been a long road back for the 31-year-old and is pleased to have him back. He added: “Mings played in the Champions league but it’s the first time in the league for a year and three months. “I think he played fantastic – he might be tired tomorrow but will be ready for Saturday again. “It was very, very long, the injury he had. His comeback is fantastic for him and everybody, for the doctor and physio and now he’s training everyday.” Brentford fell to a sixth away defeat from seven games and have picked up only a solitary point on the road this season. They have the best home record in the league, with 19 points from seven matches, but they have the joint worst away record. Bees boss Thomas Frank is confident form will improve on the road. He said: “On numbers we can’t argue we are better at home than away, but on numbers it’s a coincidence. I think two of the seven away games have been bad. “The other games we performed well in big spells. I’m confident at the end of the season we will have some wins away from home.” Frank felt Villa should not have been given a penalty when Ethan Pinnock brought Watkins down. He added: “I want to argue the penalty. I don’t think it is (one). I think Ollie kicked back and hit Ethan, yes there is an arm on the shoulder but threshold and all that – but that’s not the reason we lost.”Road weariness preceded the holiday break for the Kings and now their rest will come to an abrupt close as they hit the ice for a rare pair of consecutive home games in which they’ll host their arch nemeses Saturday and a fellow “Expansion Six” franchise Sunday. First up, it’ll be the Edmonton Oilers, who took the crown of the hottest team in the NHL from the Kings as they vaulted from fifth to second in the Pacific Division in two and a half weeks’ time. Then, the Kings will welcome the Philadelphia Flyers, who still play on Broad Street but have been decidedly less bullyish of late, having dropped four of their past five decisions to slip back into the mushy middle of the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers most recently lost to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins by a 7-3 score, the same count that the Kings beat them by on Dec. 19 in Philly. For the Kings’ part, they wrapped up their second seven-game road trip of the season Sunday, finishing with the same 3-2-2 mark they did on their season-opening swing. They rallied for a point in Nashville and then endured a regulation defeat in Washington after what Capitals goalie Logan Thompson described as a “playoff-style game” concluded the Kings’ journey with losses on back-to-back dates. “I thought (the trip) wasn’t bad. We battled back in Nashville to get a point, which was good to get a point after coming into the third [period] down two,” defenseman Mikey Anderson told reporters. “Overall, you’re proud of the effort. All in all, it wasn’t a terrible road trip.” Phillip Danault missed that finale but participated fully in Friday’s practice, per Hockey Royalty’s Russell Morgan, who also reported that Trevor Moore and Trevor Lewis skated in red non-contact jerseys. Danault missed just one game while Moore has been out for the past five. Already missing top defender Drew Doughty, the Kings will need every healthy hand on deck this weekend. While Philly’s Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov will present challenges Sunday, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid entered Friday’s slate of games tied for the second-longest active scoring streak (nine games) while having the two most prolific surges. Draisaitl’s 20 points and McDavid’s 18 over the past nine games have helped the Oilers to an 8-1-0 record in those outings as part of an 11-2-0 display that’s propelled them above the Kings as well as the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers have allowed three or fewer goals in 12 of their past 13 games, falling 6-5 to the Florida Panthers in a rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup Final after their only other loss in that span came 1-0 to Pacific-topping Vegas. Both McDavid and Draisaitl have turned in a four-point performance during their active scoring sprees. Zach Hyman has returned to form, piling up 10 of his 13 goals this season in his past nine games. Former Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Ottawa, which marked his third game back from a lower-body injury. Related Articles Edmonton has eliminated the Kings from three straight postseasons, with special teams taking on an outsized role, particularly last spring when the Oilers were all but automatic on the power play and were perfect on the penalty kill. The Kings entered the finale of their road trip in an 0-for-10 funk but converted on the power play for their only goal against Washington, while the Oilers have had a top-five power play since Dec. 1, cranking at a 30.8% clip with the extra man. When: 1 p.m. Saturday Where: Crypto.com Arena How to watch: FDSNW When: 6 p.m. Sunday Where: Crypto.com Arena How to watch: FDSNW

When baseball historian Bill Humber first heard about the golden at-bat idea that Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred floated on a recent podcast, he was a little taken aback. "I kind of laughed, actually," Humber said Wednesday. "I thought it was one of the stupidest ideas I'd ever heard." MLB has seen its share of change of late, but the thought of a team using one at-bat each game to send any hitter it wants to the plate — even if it's not their turn in the batting order — was quite a curveball. "This can’t be real," former Blue Jays pitcher and seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens posted on social media. Wild-card playoff tinkering, pitch clocks, shift rules and automatic runners are some of the more significant changes to the game in recent years. All had varying levels of detractors and the golden at-bat discussion is no different. Critics are eyeing it like a meatball thrown across the middle of the plate. "It doesn't really fit within the logic of the game in my mind," said Humber, a Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer. "I look upon it quite askance to be honest with you. I don't see the point of it in a way. "I mean to some extent, the magic of baseball is those unheralded batters who arrive at a situation that one wouldn't have thought that they would ever have been in, and allowing them to bat in place." Humber cited a number of grand baseball moments that might not have happened if a golden at-bat rule were in effect. "One can imagine when Bobby Thomson hit his famous home run against the (Brooklyn) Dodgers in 1951, Willie Mays was on deck," he said of the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' that gave the New York Giants the National League pennant. "What if they had a golden at-bat and put Mays at bat, maybe he would have struck out or popped up or hit into a double-play or who knows what. There's lots of situations like that." What about the two famous World Series-winning walkoffs? Would the skippers have used a golden at-bat to get their best pure hitter to the plate? Bill Mazeroski went deep to give Pittsburgh the Fall Classic in 1960 and Joe Carter's walkoff blast in 1993 gave the Blue Jays their second straight World Series title. Mazeroski's power numbers were middling while Carter, who led the Blue Jays in homers and RBIs that year, had a mediocre batting average. "I think the magic of the game are those moments that are unpredictable and yet kind of create some of the joy of the game in our memories," Humber said. " I think this kind of runs afoul of that tradition. "I'm not a fan, let me say that. But that's not to say it won't happen." Manfred first mentioned the golden at-bat idea publicly in an interview with John Ourand on Puck's "The Varsity" podcast. The commissioner said the subject came up at a recent owners' meeting. Retired sportswriter Dave Perkins, who covered the Blue Jays for years over his long career at the Toronto Star, said use of a golden at-bat would be "a travesty." "On the surface I say it's absolutely stupid and ridiculous," he said. "But a lot of other things I thought were stupid and ridiculous worked their way into the games and they're even OK with me now." The subject of potential rule changes like the golden at-bat came up when Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins met with the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America earlier this week. "It's interesting to me because we went through so much change over the last couple of years," he said. "Getting to that change was a scratch and a claw and a climb. And then once the change happened, everyone — for the most part — thought, 'OK, that went OK and it seems like there's a better product on the field.' "So now the dialogue around change is with a much more open mind whether it be players, staff, the exchanges, the ideas, even if they seem very difficult to wrap your head around. They're not getting stiff-armed as much as they were the first go-round." Scott Crawford, operations director of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said he prefers a traditional setup where any player can be a hero at any time. "I like the team aspect of the game where you get your shot," he said. "You can be a No. 8 hitter and you can come up with a big hit and win a World Series and (a superstar like Shohei) Ohtani can strike out." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2024. Follow @GregoryStrongCP on X. Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press10 Things We Loved in 2024