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Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. ( NYSE:LAD – Free Report ) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $16,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,084,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.4% in the 1st quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $574,000 after buying an additional 1,018 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 95.9% in the 1st quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 4,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,459,000 after buying an additional 2,375 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,580,000 after buying an additional 842 shares during the period. Lithia Motors Trading Up 2.2 % Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $390.95 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $328.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $288.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $391.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.60. View Our Latest Report on Lithia Motors Insider Activity In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,698 shares of company stock valued at $13,309,244. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Lithia Motors Company Profile ( Free Report ) Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company’s Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LAD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lithia Motors, Inc. ( NYSE:LAD – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Lithia Motors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lithia Motors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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Clancy DuBos: Ginger Berrigan’s compassion and humor set her apart as a lawyer and judge

The world's most climate-imperilled nations stormed out of consultations in protest at the deadlocked UN COP29 conference Saturday, as simmering tensions over a hard-fought finance deal erupted into the open. Diplomats from small island nations threatened by rising seas and impoverished African states angrily filed out of a meeting with summit hosts Azerbaijan over a final deal being thrashed out in a Baku sports stadium. "We've just walked out. We came here to this COP for a fair deal. We feel that we haven't been heard," said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). An unpublished version of the final text circulating in Baku, and seen by AFP, proposes that rich nations raise to $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. COP29 hosts Azerbaijan intended to put a final draft before 198 nations for adoption or rejection on Saturday evening, a full day after the marathon summit officially ended. But, in a statement, AOSIS said it had "removed" itself from the climate finance discussions, demanding an "inclusive" process. "If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29," it said. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, said the draft was "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". An earlier offer from rich nations of $250 billion was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, who have demanded much higher sums to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the revised offer of $300 billion was "a significant scaling up" of the existing pledge by developed nations, which also count the United States, European Union and Japan among their ranks. At sunset, a final text still proved elusive, as harried diplomats ran to-and-fro in the stadium near the Caspian Sea searching for common ground. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," said US climate envoy John Podesta in the corridors as somebody shouted "shame" in his direction. Earlier, the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said negotiators were not out of the woods yet. "We're doing everything we can on each of the axes to build bridges and to make this into a success. But it is iffy whether we will succeed," he said. Ali Mohamed, the Kenyan chair of the African Group of Negotiators, told AFP: "No deal is better than a bad deal." South African environment minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." "What we are not up for is going backwards or standing still," he said. "We might as well just have stayed at home then." The revised offer from rich countries came with conditions in other parts of the broader climate deal under discussion in Azerbaijan. The EU in particular wants an annual review on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of global warming. This has run into opposition from Saudi Arabia, which has sought to water down a landmark pledge to transition away from oil, gas and coal made at COP28 last year. "We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the new, few rich fossil fuel emitters," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Wealthy nations counter that it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. The US earlier this month elected former president Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. A coalition of more than 300 activist groups accused historic polluters most responsible for climate change of skirting their obligation, and urged developing nations to stand firm. The draft deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. Even $300 billion would be a step up from the $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire. A group of developing countries had demanded at least $500 billion, with some saying that increases were less than met the eye due to inflation. Experts commissioned by the United Nations to assess the needs of developing countries said $250 billion was "too low" and by 2035 rich nations should be providing at least $390 billion. The US and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. China, which remains classified as a developing nation under the UN framework, provides climate assistance but wants to keep doing so on its own voluntary terms. bur-np-sct/lth/givEDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Ray'Sean Taylor had 27 points, Ring Malith scored 24 with 10 rebounds and SIU Edwardsville beat Ball State 82-69 on Sunday. Taylor went 9 of 22 from the field (7 for 15 from 3-point range) for the Cougars (6-4). Malith hit 7 of 13 shots and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line. Brian Taylor II shot 5 of 8 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line to finish with 13 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito led the way for the Cardinals (3-6) with 17 points. Ball State also got 13 points and six rebounds from Ben Hendriks. Malith scored 10 points in the first half and SIU-Edwardsville went into the break trailing 41-39. Ray'Sean Taylor scored the last seven points for SIU-Edwardsville to finish off the 13-point victory. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ACM Research, Inc. ("ACM”) (NASDAQ: ACMR), a leading supplier of wafer processing solutions for semiconductor and advanced packaging applications, today issued comments regarding recent updates to U.S. export regulations. On December 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS”) imposed additional controls on exports to, and transfers within, the People's Republic of China ("PRC”) relating to advanced integrated circuit ("IC”) products, certain IC manufacturing equipment and technology, and supercomputers associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing. As part of the new regulations, among other updates, ACM Research (Shanghai), Inc. ("ACM Shanghai”) and its operating subsidiaries in China and Korea, were added to the Entity List published by BIS. Neither ACM, nor its direct subsidiaries outside of mainland China, were added to the Entity List. ACM is a Delaware corporation founded in California in 1998 to supply capital equipment developed for the global semiconductor industry. Since 2005, ACM has conducted its business operations principally through its subsidiary, ACM Shanghai, a limited liability corporation organized in the PRC. Based on public reports, 140 entities with semiconductor operations related to mainland China were added to the Entity List, 120 of which were semiconductor capital equipment suppliers. We note that neither ACM Shanghai nor its subsidiary was notified of any specific wrongdoing that resulted in its addition to the Entity List. We are assessing the potential impacts to our business and operational plans that may result from the new regulations. We believe the impact to our supply chain and the ability of ACM Shanghai to produce tools in the PRC will be minimized and manageable as a result of having alternative sources and suppliers. We do not anticipate an impact to the ability to sell, deliver and service products to customers outside of the PRC, however the potential impact on sales to our PRC customers will depend, in part, on the effect of the new regulations on their own spending plans. Consistent with prior years, we expect to issue a press release in January with preliminary results for 2024 and our initial revenue outlook for 2025. We will continue to focus on technology innovation for the global market and operate in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. We are confident we can maintain our role as a key supplier of differentiated capital equipment to global customers and protect the interests of partners, employees, and investors as we navigate the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "plans,” "expects,” "believes,” "anticipates,” "designed,” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on ACM management's current expectations and beliefs and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by the forward-looking statements. A description of certain of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in filings ACM makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available at www.sec.gov. Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results and events may differ materially from results and events currently expected by ACM. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. ACM undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect any change in its expectations with regard to these forward-looking statements or the occurrence of unanticipated events. About ACM Research, Inc. ACM develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor process equipment spanning cleaning, electroplating, stress-free polishing, vertical furnace processes, track, PECVD, and wafer- and panel-level packaging tools, enabling advanced and semi-critical semiconductor device manufacturing. ACM is committed to delivering customized, high-performance, cost-effective process solutions that semiconductor manufacturers can use in numerous manufacturing steps to improve productivity and product yield. For more information, visit www.acmr.com. © ACM Research, Inc. The ACM Research logo is a trademark of ACM Research, Inc. For convenience, the trademark appears in this press release without TM symbols, but that practice does not mean ACM will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to such trademarks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

This Timberwolves roster is different than the one from a year ago. That much is obvious in games, as Karl-Anthony Towns’ consistent scoring and general size is missed, as is the playmaking and ball security of guys like Kyle Anderson and Jordan McLaughlin. ADVERTISEMENT But their absences have been felt in the locker room, as well. Towns was a consistent source of positivity for the team. Anderson was one of the loudest vocal leaders. The latter can be especially difficult to replace, especially because it can be uncomfortable to speak up when things are going poorly and something needs to change. That was the position Anthony Edwards has found himself in early this season. Edwards has been praised for his leadership through his first four years on Minnesota’s roster. Mostly, that all came via positivity and example. Edwards can be coached hard, which gave the greenlight for the coaches to treat everyone else the same way. Edwards was also quick to credit his teammates around him for their contributions to the cause, and was eager and willing to spend time with and talk to anyone on the roster, players No. 1-15. He’ll also stand up for any of his teammates if the occasion ever arises. That’s why he has been so beloved in the locker room and why he was viewed as such a leader, even at his young age. ADVERTISEMENT But with Anderson’s departure, Edwards was now tasked with leading even through choppy waters. And the waves have been rather large through the first quarter of the season. Minnesota’s defense has fallen off a cliff in comparison to where it was a year ago. After never even as many as three consecutive games during the 2023-24 regular season, the Wolves endured a four-game losing skid earlier this week. At that point, words were exchanged, both publicly and privately. A halftime hash out during Minnesota’s loss Wednesday to Sacramento got the conversation rolling. Mike Conley got the dialogue started, but all indications are that Edwards was a healthy participant. Edwards noted it’s difficult to know what to say in those times. “Because you look at everybody, and everybody got a different agenda. It’s like, ‘What the (heck) am I supposed to say?’ You know what I mean?” Edwards said. “I’m trying to get better in that aspect, figure out what the hell to say to get everybody on the same agenda, because everybody right now is on different agendas. I think that’s one of the main culprits of why we’re losing, because everybody out there got their own agenda. I guess their imagination of what’s supposed to be going on, and what’s really happening.” Nickeil Alexander-Walker told reporters at Friday’s shootaround that this is the most vocal Edwards has ever been. And while the intention of everyone’s messages are pure, “sometimes it’s not always worded the right way.” ADVERTISEMENT “I think we’ve crossed that line of, ‘Man, I feel like you’re not hearing the message.’ It’s tough to be called out, because you start to feel like, ‘OK, are you saying I’m the reason?’ No one wants to be at fault,” Alexander-Walker said. “But at the end of the day, I definitely think that guys are open to hearing it better. And I think it just came from a stand point of, at a point and time in the conversation, there was a comeback. It was going back and forth now, as opposed to receiving it (and saying), ‘OK, I got you.’ That’s how it’s going to be. It’s very rare that someone is just going to be able to be called out and not have anything to say. “It’s human nature to be defensive, at the end of the day. But kind of remembering what we’re here for, and if I’m being called out, chances are I’ve got to look in the mirror and be better.” It’s a delicate dance. There has to be an environment rooted in accountability, but you also have to be sure not to lose teammates, as Jimmy Butler was criticized for doing during his short stint in Minnesota a few years ago. ADVERTISEMENT And while it’s never ideal for a team to be living through a stretch of basketball the quality of which falls significantly short of the expectation, these stretches will likely lead to growth for Edwards, if not on the court, then in the locker room. You can’t steer a ship to a title if you don’t know how to navigate turbulent tides. Day by day, loss by loss, Edwards is learning how to spin the wheel. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

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Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. ( NASDAQ:WSC – Free Report ) by 1.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 369,193 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in WillScot Mobile Mini were worth $13,882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of WillScot Mobile Mini in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of WillScot Mobile Mini by 200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WillScot Mobile Mini in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of WillScot Mobile Mini in the 2nd quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of WillScot Mobile Mini by 80.3% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.81% of the company’s stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms have recently weighed in on WSC. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of WillScot Mobile Mini from $53.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of WillScot Mobile Mini from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of WillScot Mobile Mini from $54.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of WillScot Mobile Mini from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of WillScot Mobile Mini from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00. WillScot Mobile Mini Stock Up 2.4 % Shares of NASDAQ WSC opened at $36.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 330.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42. WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. has a 1 year low of $32.71 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.68 and its 200-day moving average is $38.15. WillScot Mobile Mini ( NASDAQ:WSC – Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $601.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $617.83 million. WillScot Mobile Mini had a net margin of 1.05% and a return on equity of 23.97%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Equities analysts expect that WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. will post 1.53 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Bradley Lee Soultz purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $36.38 per share, for a total transaction of $181,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 144,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,263,676.68. The trade was a 3.58 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . Also, CAO Sally J. Shanks sold 14,059 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.69, for a total transaction of $487,706.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 26,113 shares in the company, valued at $905,859.97. This represents a 35.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $728,750. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. WillScot Mobile Mini Company Profile ( Free Report ) WillScot Holdings Corporation provides workspace and portable storage solutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It operates in two segments, Modular Solutions and Storage Solutions. Its modular solutions include panelized and stackable offices, single-wide modular space units, section modulars and redi-plex, classrooms, ground level offices, blast-resistant modules, clearspan structures, and other modular space; and portable storage solutions, such as portable and cold storage containers, as well as trailers. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. ( NASDAQ:WSC – Free Report ). 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Several wounded N.Korean soldiers died after being captured by Ukraine: ZelenskyThe new, 12-team College Football Playoff brings with it a promise to be bigger, more exciting, more lucrative. Perfect or 100% fair? Well, nobody ever believed that. The first expanded playoff bracket unveiled Sunday left a presumably deserving Alabama team on the sideline in favor of an SMU squad that finished with a better record after playing a schedule that was not as difficult. It ranked undefeated Oregon first but set up a possible rematch against Ohio State, the team that came closest to beating the Ducks this year. It treated underdog Boise State like a favorite and banged-up Georgia like a world beater at No. 2. It gave Ohio State home-field advantage against Tennessee for reasons it would take a supercomputer to figure out. It gave the sport the multiweek tournament it has longed for, but also ensured there will be plenty to grouse about between now and when the trophy is handed out on Jan. 20 after what will easily be the longest college football season in history. All of it, thankfully, will be sorted out on the field starting with first-round games on campuses Dec. 20 and 21, then over three succeeding rounds that will wind their way through traditional bowl sites. Maybe Oregon coach Dan Lanning, whose undefeated Ducks are the favorite to win it all, put it best when he offered: "Winning a national championship is not supposed to be easy.” Neither, it turns out, is figuring out who should play for it. The Big Ten will lead the way with four teams in the tournament, followed by the SEC with three and the ACC with two. The lasting memory from the inaugural bracket will involve the decision that handed the ACC that second bid. Alabama of the SEC didn't play Saturday. SMU of the ACC did. The Mustangs fell behind by three touchdowns to Clemson before coming back to tie. But they ultimately lost 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal as time expired. “We were on pins and needles,” SMU coach Rhett Lashley said. “Until we saw the name ‘SMU’ up there, we were hanging on the edge. We're really, really happy and thankful to the committee for rewarding our guys for their total body of work." The Mustangs only had two losses, compared to three for the Crimson Tide. Even though SMU's schedule wasn't nearly as tough, the committee was impressed by the way the Mustangs came back against Clemson. “We just felt, in this particular case, SMU had the nod above Alabama,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, the chairman of the selection committee. “But it’s no disrespect to Alabama’s strength of schedule. We looked at the entire body of work for both teams.” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne was gracious, up to a point. “Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country,” he said on social media. He acknowledged — despite all of Alabama’s losses coming against conference opponents this season — that the Tide’s push to schedule more games against teams from other major conferences in order to improve its strength of schedule did not pay off this time. “That is not good for college football," Byrne said. Georgia, the SEC champion, was seeded second; Boise State, the Mountain West champion, earned the third seed; and Big 12 titlist Arizona State got the fourth seed and the fourth and final first-round bye. All will play in quarterfinals at bowl games on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Clemson stole a bid and the 12th seed with its crazy win over SMU, the result that ultimately cost Alabama a spot in the field. The Tigers moved to No. 16 in the rankings, but got in as the fifth-best conference winner. The conference commissioners' idea to give conference champions preferable treatment in this first iteration of the 12-team playoff could be up for reconsideration after this season. The committee actually ranked Boise State, the Mountain West Champion, at No. 9 and Big 12 champion Arizona State at No. 12, but both get to skip the first round. Another CFP guideline: There’s no reseeding of teams after each round, which means no break for Oregon. The top-seeded Ducks will face the winner of Tennessee-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 earlier this year in one of the season’s best games. No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, Dec. 21. Clemson is riding high after the SMU upset, while Texas is 0-2 against Georgia and 11-0 vs. everyone else this season. The winner faces ... Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Huh? No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Dec. 21. The biggest knock against the Mustangs was that they didn't play any big boys with that 60th-ranked strength of schedule. Well, now they get to. The winner faces ... Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Yes, SMU vs. Boise was the quarterfinal we all expected. No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, Dec. 20. Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti thought his team deserved a home game. Well, not quite but close. The winner faces ... Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs got the No. 2 seed despite a throwing-arm injury to QB Carson Beck. But what else was the committee supposed to do? No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State , Dec. 21. The Buckeyes (losses to Oregon, Michigan) got home field over the Volunteers (losses to Arkansas, Georgia) in a matchup of programs with two of the biggest stadiums in football. The winner faces ... Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Feels like that matchup should come in the semifinals or later. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta. Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU's wins over Crimson Tide's strong schedule The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field. The field was expanded from four to 12 teams this season, but that didn’t save the committee from controversy. SMU showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal in the ACC title game on Saturday. Alabama had some ups and downs in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina, but lost at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. They weren’t totally unfounded, or 100% born out. The Big Ten, not the Southeastern Conference, was the biggest winner. The ACC scored, too. The Big Ten led the initial 12-team playoff field with four making the cut, topped by a No. 1 Oregon team that was part of the Pac-12 exodus. Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Nick Saban’s championship-or-bust successor. Tamar Bates scores 29 points to help Missouri beat No. 1 Kansas 76-67 COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67. Mark Mitchell scored 17 points in Missouri’s first win over Kansas since a 74-71 victory on Feb. 4, 2012. Anthony Robinson II had 11 points and five steals for the 8-1 Tigers. Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he also committed seven turnovers. The 7-2 Jayhawks have lost two straight on the road after falling 76-63 against Creighton on Wednesday night. Scottie Scheffler ends his big year in the Bahamas with his 9th victory NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler ended his biggest year with another victory. Scheffler was coming off a two-month break and looked as good as ever. He shot 63 in the Hero World Challenge and set tournament records at Albany with a 72-hole total of 263 and a six-shot victory. Tom Kim was the runner-up and Justin Thomas finished third. Scheffler ends his year with nine victories in 21 tournaments. That includes the holiday tournament in the Bahamas and the Olympic gold medal in Paris. It's the third-highest winning percentage in the last 40 years. Tournament host Tiger Woods had two better years. Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive in ski racing return at age 40 COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive again in her ski racing return at 40 years old. Vonn is still getting her ski equipment dialed in and getting used to going full speed again on her new titanium knee. That’s why all that she's reading into being more than two seconds behind in a pair of lower-level super-G races Sunday is that she’s right there. This after nearly six years away from ski racing and an abbreviated prep period. She was 2.19 seconds behind in the first race and 2.06 in the second. Both were won by her American teammate Lauren Macuga. Plane circles MetLife Stadium with message to co-owner John Mara to fix the Giants' 'dumpster fire' EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly 90 minutes before New York was to play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, asking Giants co-owner John Mara to overhaul the team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. “Mr. Mara, enough. Please fix this dumpster fire!” the message read as it was towed behind the rear of a small plane. Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson's NFL mark in his sights PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has broken LeSean McCoy's Eagles franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Barkley has 1,623 yards. He surpassed McCoy's mark of 1,607 yards with a 9-yard run in Sunday's 22-16 win over Carolina. Barkley finished the game with 124 yards, within a yard of his season average. He has four games left and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old NFL record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set that record in a 16-game season and Barkley has one more game. Eagles fans serenaded Barkley with “MVP!” chants and McCoy congratulated him on social media. Tua Tagovailoa's TD pass to Jonnu Smith gives Dolphins 32-26 overtime win over Aaron Rodgers, Jets MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith in overtime and the Miami Dolphins overcame Aaron Rodgers’ first 300-yard passing game in nearly three years to beat the New York Jets 32-26. After Jason Sanders tied it with 7 seconds left in regulation with a 42-yard field goal, Tagovailoa quickly moved the Dolphins down the field and they beat the Jets for the ninth straight time in Miami. That came after Anders Carlson gave the struggling Jets the lead with a 42-yarder with 52 seconds remaining. New York was eliminated from playoff contention for the 14th straight year. Steelers WR George Pickens to miss first game of his career with hamstring injury PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens will have to wait to “introduce” himself to Cleveland Browns defensive back Greg Newsome II. Pickens is inactive for Pittsburgh's rematch against the Browns because of a hamstring injury. Newsome and Pickens ended Cleveland’s 24-19 win on Nov. 21 by tussling on Pittsburgh’s last-gasp desperation pass attempt. Pickens grabbed Newsome’s facemask as the two careened through the end zone and slammed into a restraining wall. Afterward, Newsome called the mercurial Pickens a “fake tough guy.” Pickens responded on Friday by feigning ignorance and saying he didn’t even know who Newsome was when asked if he would talk to Newsome before the game.Will Adam Thielen Play in Week 13? NFL Injury Status, News & Updates

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Donald Trump says Fed chair Jerome Powell's job is safeNEW YORK, Dec. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: New York, N.Y., December 8, 2024. Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of ordinary shares of ASML Holding N.V. ASML between January 24, 2024 and October 15, 2024, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important January 13, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased ASML ordinary shares during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the ASML class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31159 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for more information. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 13, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the issuers being faced by suppliers, like ASML, in the semiconductor industry were much more severe than defendants had indicated to investors; (2) the pace of recovery of sales in the semiconductor industry was much slower than defendants had publicly acknowledged; (3) defendants had created the false impression that they possessed reliable information pertaining to customer demand and anticipated growth, while also downplaying risk from macroeconomic and industry fluctuations, as well as stronger regulations restricting the export of semiconductor technology, including the products that ASML sells; and (4) as a result, defendants' statements about ASML's business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the ASML class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31159 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Climate-threatened nations stage protest at COP29 over contentious dealCollege Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta. Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU's wins over Crimson Tide's strong schedule The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field. The field was expanded from four to 12 teams this season, but that didn’t save the committee from controversy. SMU showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal in the ACC title game on Saturday. Alabama had some ups and downs in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina, but lost at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. They weren’t totally unfounded, or 100% born out. The Big Ten, not the Southeastern Conference, was the biggest winner. The ACC scored, too. The Big Ten led the initial 12-team playoff field with four making the cut, topped by a No. 1 Oregon team that was part of the Pac-12 exodus. Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Nick Saban’s championship-or-bust successor. Tamar Bates scores 29 points to help Missouri beat No. 1 Kansas 76-67 COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67. Mark Mitchell scored 17 points in Missouri’s first win over Kansas since a 74-71 victory on Feb. 4, 2012. Anthony Robinson II had 11 points and five steals for the 8-1 Tigers. Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he also committed seven turnovers. The 7-2 Jayhawks have lost two straight on the road after falling 76-63 against Creighton on Wednesday night. Scottie Scheffler ends his big year in the Bahamas with his 9th victory NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler ended his biggest year with another victory. Scheffler was coming off a two-month break and looked as good as ever. He shot 63 in the Hero World Challenge and set tournament records at Albany with a 72-hole total of 263 and a six-shot victory. Tom Kim was the runner-up and Justin Thomas finished third. Scheffler ends his year with nine victories in 21 tournaments. That includes the holiday tournament in the Bahamas and the Olympic gold medal in Paris. It's the third-highest winning percentage in the last 40 years. Tournament host Tiger Woods had two better years. Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive in ski racing return at age 40 COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive again in her ski racing return at 40 years old. Vonn is still getting her ski equipment dialed in and getting used to going full speed again on her new titanium knee. That’s why all that she's reading into being more than two seconds behind in a pair of lower-level super-G races Sunday is that she’s right there. This after nearly six years away from ski racing and an abbreviated prep period. She was 2.19 seconds behind in the first race and 2.06 in the second. Both were won by her American teammate Lauren Macuga. Plane circles MetLife Stadium with message to co-owner John Mara to fix the Giants' 'dumpster fire' EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly 90 minutes before New York was to play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, asking Giants co-owner John Mara to overhaul the team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. “Mr. Mara, enough. Please fix this dumpster fire!” the message read as it was towed behind the rear of a small plane. Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson's NFL mark in his sights PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has broken LeSean McCoy's Eagles franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Barkley has 1,623 yards. He surpassed McCoy's mark of 1,607 yards with a 9-yard run in Sunday's 22-16 win over Carolina. Barkley finished the game with 124 yards, within a yard of his season average. He has four games left and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old NFL record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set that record in a 16-game season and Barkley has one more game. Eagles fans serenaded Barkley with “MVP!” chants and McCoy congratulated him on social media. Tua Tagovailoa's TD pass to Jonnu Smith gives Dolphins 32-26 overtime win over Aaron Rodgers, Jets MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith in overtime and the Miami Dolphins overcame Aaron Rodgers’ first 300-yard passing game in nearly three years to beat the New York Jets 32-26. After Jason Sanders tied it with 7 seconds left in regulation with a 42-yard field goal, Tagovailoa quickly moved the Dolphins down the field and they beat the Jets for the ninth straight time in Miami. That came after Anders Carlson gave the struggling Jets the lead with a 42-yarder with 52 seconds remaining. New York was eliminated from playoff contention for the 14th straight year. Steelers WR George Pickens to miss first game of his career with hamstring injury PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens will have to wait to “introduce” himself to Cleveland Browns defensive back Greg Newsome II. Pickens is inactive for Pittsburgh's rematch against the Browns because of a hamstring injury. Newsome and Pickens ended Cleveland’s 24-19 win on Nov. 21 by tussling on Pittsburgh’s last-gasp desperation pass attempt. Pickens grabbed Newsome’s facemask as the two careened through the end zone and slammed into a restraining wall. Afterward, Newsome called the mercurial Pickens a “fake tough guy.” Pickens responded on Friday by feigning ignorance and saying he didn’t even know who Newsome was when asked if he would talk to Newsome before the game.

NEW YORK, Dec. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of securities of ASP Isotopes Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPI) between October 30, 2024 and November 26, 2024, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025. SO WHAT: If you purchased ASP Isotopes securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32062 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) ASP Isotopes overstated the potential effectiveness of its enrichment technology; (2) ASP Isotopes overstated the development potential of its high assay low-enriched uranium facility; (3) ASP Isotopes overstated the Company’s nuclear fuels operating segment results; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants’ positive statements about the ASP Isotope’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32062 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com

It’s as good a time as any to take a broader look at the Philadelphia Flyers , who hit the 20-game mark (10 at home, 10 on the road) with a somewhat disappointing 8-10-2 record and in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, which has already seemed to separate itself into four teams that can contend for a Stanley Cup, and four that are either rebuilding or have real issues. Advertisement Let’s get right to it. The two longtime pals have simply been the Flyers’ two best players this season. Travis Sanheim has anchored the defense group, which has endured a number of early-season injuries, while Travis Konecny has been the most consistent and dangerous forward. Sanheim is probably the Flyers’ MVP at the quarter point, contributing at both ends of the ice and playing the best hockey of his career. He’s a plus-2 on a team that’s been outscored by 17 at five-on-five. He’s third in the league in ice time with 25:33 per game, despite getting hardly any power-play time. Prior to Wednesday’s game, Sanheim eclipsed 30 minutes in three of the Flyers’ previous five games as the team continues to wait for others to get back into the lineup. All 12 of Sanheim’s points have come at even strength, putting him just one behind league co-leaders Alex Pietrangelo, Cale Makar and Owen Power. It was notable that when Rod Brind’Amour was asked before Wednesday’s game what the Flyers were doing differently from the last time they faced the Hurricanes just two weeks ago, he told reporters: “Sanheim is in the rush every play, like an old Bobby Orr back there from back in the day, which is fun to watch. ... So, we’ve got to be aware of that guy.” Konecny remains the heartbeat of the team and is on a path toward his best season yet. He’s averaging more than a point per game (23 in 20 games), is on pace for 45 goals (11 so far), and is the Flyers’ team leader with five power-play goals. We’ll see how his eight-year contract that kicks in next season ages over time, but Konecny sure isn’t slowing down. Just the opposite. While Konecny is pulling his weight, and Matvei Michkov is still producing through some inevitable rookie growing pains, every one of the other scoring forwards has been disappointing so far. Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink, four young wingers with upside that the organization was hoping would take another step, have just 14 goals in a combined 76 games. Advertisement There have been some signs that they’re all working their way out of early season slumps: Three of Tippett’s four goals have come this month and he’s had the puck on his stick more often, Farabee has had a number of scoring chances lately and has been on the receiving end of some compliments from John Tortorella, and Foerster is starting to get back to playing hard along the wall and winning his battles, which he wasn’t doing much of earlier (a demotion to the fourth line seems to have gotten his attention). But the overall consistency from this group hasn’t been there. Yes, the power play has hit a bit of a snag lately, going just 2-for-20 in the last seven games. But losing both quarterbacks in Jamie Drysdale and Emil Andrae has predictably thrown it off course, while other players have been shuffled in and out of the two units lately, too. The Flyers sit 20th in the NHL in power-play percentage (16.9 percent), which is still more than three percentage points higher than they averaged from 2021-22 through last season. Once they get all their pieces back, and assuming Michkov becomes a more dangerous threat offensively as the season moves along, they could very well end up in the top half of the league. The penalty kill has simply picked up where it left off last season, sitting in fourth place in the league at 86.6 percent. The Flyers have just one short-handed goal, but are still getting chances the other way: According to Natural Stat Trick, they are generating 9.69 scoring chances per 60 minutes on the penalty kill, third in the league. The good news on Wednesday is that Ryan Poehling’s shot from distance beat Pyotr Kochetkov in the second period, tying the game at 1-1. It was Poehling’s first goal of the season, and just the second from a Flyers center since Oct. 26 (Morgan Frost had the other on Nov. 5). Advertisement The bad news is that Poehling’s turnover later in the game helped to generate what turned out to be the game-winning goal, while Scott Laughton’s misplay early in the first period that Carolina also capitalized on earned the alternate captain some lengthy time on the bench. The Flyers just don’t have a high-end, play-driving center on the roster, while the guy that has the best chance to develop into one, Frost, has been a healthy scratch for four of the last five games. Is it time yet for general manager Daniel Briere to get a little aggressive to try and find one? Is it worth circling back to the Ducks to gauge interest in and maybe even take a chance on Trevor Zegras, perhaps? Zegras is only signed through next season, so even if the Flyers acquired him they wouldn’t be committed to him long term. It just feels like it’s time for Briere to try something different here. It was unfortunate timing for Andrae when he got hurt late in last Saturday’s win over the Sabres , as he was earning big minutes and showing that he might be ready to stick around the NHL full-time. Fortunately for him and the team, Andrae was on the ice on Wednesday, suggesting he could be back soon. He’s second on the Flyers in expected-goals share (55.6 percent), but just watching him (and speaking with him) it was becoming evident that he has a growing confidence with and without the puck. Frankly, Andrae is turning into the player that the Flyers were hoping Drysdale (1 goal, 2 assists in 15 games) would become. It’s much, much too early to write off Drysdale, who it seems was rushed into the NHL by the Ducks which may have stunted his development. But he’s going to be under the microscope when he returns from his upper-body injury, because the Flyers may not want to dress all of Andrae, York and Drysdale in the same games for fear of being too small on their back end (for his part, Tortorella said he’s not afraid of doing this, when asked a week ago. We’ll see.) Don’t blame Ersson for the Flyers being fourth from the bottom of the league in goals-against average (3.50) through Wednesday’s games. The Flyers’ No. 1 goalie has been generally solid all season, with a 2.70 GAA and .902 save percentage in 11 games. He just seemed to be hitting his stride, too, before coming out of the lineup with what’s believed to be a groin injury : in his last five appearances, Ersson stopped 109 of 116 shots for a .940 save percentage in 257 minutes, with a 3-0-1 mark. Both Ersson and Tortorella mentioned early in the season when the goalie’s stat line wasn’t so hot that they believed he was playing better than the numbers suggested. That proved to be the case, because when the Flyers finally got some structure back in their game, Ersson was outstanding. Advertisement The 25-year-old still has an outside chance to make Team Sweden for the upcoming 4 Nations tournament, although Minnesota ’s Filip Gustavsson is probably the odds-on favorite to be the No. 3 there behind Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark. But, considering his injury has occurred twice in a short period of time, he may be better off sitting it out anyway. The Flyers need him healthy if they’re going to have any chance at hanging around the playoff race due to their mishandling of the backup goalie position (see below). Yes, they’ve been a bit better lately, but there’s still a tremendous amount of uncertainty with both Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. It’s not a stretch to suggest that neither of them would be on any other NHL team’s roster at the moment. Their combined numbers are awful: 3-8-0, with an .874 save percentage and 3.70 goals-against average. Their numbers are nearly identical (Fedotov’s .875 save percentage is slightly better than Kolosov’s .872, while his GAA of 3.69 is also just a tad better than Kolosov’s 3.71). Cal Petersen seems to be an afterthought in the organization at the moment, but he would have done better than that. If there’s reason for hope it probably lies more with Fedotov, who won three straight starts and looked to be settling in before he allowed a backbreaking soft third-period goal on Wednesday in the Flyers’ 4-1 loss to Carolina. He made some decent saves before that — his stop on Jack Roslovic in the first period on a two-on-none break seemed to give the Flyers energy at the time — but his overall body of work this season has still been subpar. Kolosov should return to the AHL when Ersson recovers. It’s not fair to Fedotov to have to share the net with him, and it’s not a good message to other players currently on the Phantoms who are working hard to make the leap, either. If he doesn’t want to play in Lehigh Valley, the Flyers should simply cut ties with him. (Top photo of Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said people should stay off the ice this weekend. Changing temperatures are enough to create unsafe and unpredictable conditions. The warning from officials comes after a woman in Massachusetts was found dead in a lake this week. It is believed she fell into the freezing water while walking her dog and couldn't get herself out. Fish and Game officials want people to know some of the ice we're seeing on area ponds and lakes is not guaranteed to stick around. Officials said in general, ice is never going to be fully safe to be on, no matter how cold it gets. Officials said the ice needs to be 6 inches thick for people to safely be on it, and 8 to 10 inches thick for snowmobiles or other utility vehicles. People venturing out onto the ice will need to have proper gear, including ice picks, a safety vest and a rescue rope. Officials said people who fall through ice should try to stand up to see how deep the water is. Then, people in this situation should do everything they can to get their arms up on the ice and try to shimmy their way up and out of the water. Sometimes if it's cold enough, the open water will connect to the ice and someone in a predicament will be able to pull themselves up, officials said. There are also things to know if people see someone else falling through ice. "If they are close to shore and you can reach out to them with a stick or throw them something to keep them above the water until the fire department or first responders get there, that's the best recommendation we can make," Capt. Michael Eastman, of New Hampshire Fish and Game, said. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play