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Alan Williams remains away from Bears; Eberflus won’t say if he’s still defensive coordinator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams remained away from the team Wednesday after missing a game for personal reasons, and coach Matt Eberflus would not say if he still has his job.“I don’t have any update right now,” Eberflus said.He gave similar answers when asked if he anticipates Williams returning this season and if the two have spoken. Williams, in his second season as Chicago’s defensive coordinator, missed last week’s game at Tampa Bay after working the opener against the Green Bay Packers. Eberflus, a former defensive coordinator with Indianapolis, called plays against the Buccaneers and plans to do so “at this time” when the Bears (0-2) visit Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.Eberflus said the Bears can get by without a defensive coordinator and doesn’t see it becoming problematic because of the experience of his staff.“I think with the experience that we have on defense, I don’t think that’s an issu...

John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and more authors sue OpenAI for copyright infringement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and George R.R. Martin are among 17 authors suing OpenAI for “systematic theft on a mass scale,” the latest in a wave of legal action by writers concerned that artificial intelligence programs are using their copyrighted works without permission. In papers filed Tuesday in federal court in New York, the authors alleged “flagrant and harmful infringements of plaintiffs’ registered copyrights” and called the ChatGPT program a “massive commercial enterprise” that is reliant upon “systematic theft on a mass scale.” The suit was organized by the Authors Guild and also includes David Baldacci, Sylvia Day, Jonathan Franzen and Elin Hilderbrand among others. “It is imperative that we stop this theft in its tracks or we will destroy our incredible literary culture, which feeds many other creative industries in the U.S.,” Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger said in a statement. “Great books are generally written by those who spend their careers ...

Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Houston on injured reserve, testing depth against Falcons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions lost more than a game against Seattle, placing defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive end James Houston on injured reserve.Gardner-Johnson’s torn pectoral muscle and Houston’s broken ankle will potentially keep them out for the season, coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday.The Lions (1-1) will have their depth on both sides of the ball tested against Atlanta (2-0) on Sunday at home.Lions running back David Montgomery may miss at least one game with a bruised thigh, giving rookie Jahmyr Gibbs an opportunity to have more carries and catches.Detroit’s banged-up secondary will lean on sixth-year pro Tracy Walker and rookie Brian Branch to play larger roles against the Falcons. Veteran defensive ends Charles Harris, John Cominsky and Romeo Okwara will likely get more snaps with Houston out of the lineup.Gardner-Johnson signed an $8 million, one-year deal with the Lions, who spent a lot to improve their secondary in the offseas...

Woman rescued from outhouse toilet in northern Michigan after dropping Apple Watch, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

BAGLEY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A woman was rescued Tuesday from an outhouse toilet in northern Michigan while trying to retrieve her Apple WatchThe woman, whose name was not released, lowered herself inside the toilet after dropping the watch at the Department of Natural Resources boat launch at Dixon Lake in Otsego County’s Bagley Township, state police said Wednesday in a release.First responders were called when the woman was heard yelling for help. The toilet was removed and a strap was used to haul the woman out.“If you lose an item in an outhouse toilet, do not attempt to venture inside the containment area. Serious injury may occur,” state police said in the release.Bagley Township is about 240 miles (386 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.Source

Judge dismisses two suits filed by man whose work as informant inspired the movie ‘White Boy Rick’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Two lawsuits filed by a Detroit-area man whose decades in prison for drug dealing and work as an informant inspired the movie “White Boy Rick” have been dismissed by a federal judge who found he waited too long to file them.U.S. District Court Judge Judge F. Kay Behm on Monday dismissed the pair of lawsuits Richard Wershe Jr., 54, had filed, including one filed in 2021 that sought $100 million and claimed Wershe was coerced into assisting police while just a helpless teenager, The Detroit News reported.Behm’s ruling sided with multiple federal and local government defendants who argued for the dismissal of the cases based on the statute of limitations.“The court has considered all of the arguments presented in the written motions, supplemental briefs, and oral argument, and finds that plaintiff’s claims were untimely and barred by the relevant statutes of limitations,” Behm said in the written ruling. “…Defendants’ motions to dismiss are granted.”Wershe’s ...

Denver 2024 budget: What's Mayor Johnston spending $1.74B on?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- On Sept. 14, Mayor Mike Johnston released a budget letter with his plans for the 2024 budget of $1.74 billion. If you don't want to read through almost 800 pages worth of the Mayor's 2024 Budget, here's what you need to know as outlined in the letter:The 2024 budget increased by 3.7% from 2023's revised budget of $1.68 billion.In the 2024 budget, the mayor said he is focusing on five priorities which include: affordable Denver, safe neighborhoods, a vibrant and revitalized downtown, a greener Denver, and housing for all.Affordable housingJohnston said he wants to make Denver an affordable city to live in. Here's what he plans to spend it on:Develop 3,000 affordable homes in 2024Add 25,000 units of permanently affordable housing over the next eight yearsAllocated amount: Up to $100 millionAdd three full-time inspection positions to the Affordable Housing Review TeamLaunch a reform study of building and zoning codes with procedures that will make the process quickerAl...

Colorado senator undergoes surgery after bike crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Assistant Majority Leader and Democratic Colorado Sen. Faith Winter underwent surgery after crashing while on her bike.According to a post on her X, formerly known as Twitter, account, the crash happened on Tuesday afternoon. Winter was riding her bike to the Capitol when she crashed into a curb while trying to avoid being hit by a large truck.Winter's team said the senator was wearing a helmet but she did sustain injuries to her head. She was taken to UCHealth where she underwent surgery to remove pressure on her brain. Medina Alert: Dodge truck wanted in hit-and-run The surgery was successful and Winter is now recovering with what her team called a "good prognosis.""We can't express enough gratitude to her incredible care team and the hospital staff at UC Health. Please use this as a reminder to always wear a helmet and share the road with bicyclists," said Winter's team on X.Senate President Steve Fenberg released the following statement on behalf of the Colorad...

Man arrested in deadly double shooting on Welton Street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — One month after two people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting on Welton Street, police have made an arrest.DPD said 24-year-old Tyrell Braxton was arrested and is being held for investigation of first-degree murder and first-degree assault thanks to anonymous tips from the community and the work of investigators.On Aug. 19, Denver police responded to a shooting at 28th and Welton Street just before 4 a.m. According to the arrest warrant, Braxton got into a verbal altercation with 25-year-old Gulian Musiwa. During the altercation, Braxton pulled out a handgun and fired at Musiwa. Two other victims who were around Musiwa were also hit by the gunfire and injured. 4 suspects wanted in deadly carjacking After the altercation, 23-year-old Lumumba Sayers fired his handgun toward Braxton, but Braxton returned fire and injured Sayers, according to the arrest warrant.Musiwa and Sayers were both pronounced dead. The two other victims who were struck were ta...

Speaker McCarthy says there’s still time to prevent a government shutdown as others look at options

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With no clear strategy, no sure support and not much time left to prevent a government shutdown, Speaker Kevin McCarthy nevertheless vowed on Wednesday he would not give up trying to convince his colleagues to pass a temporary funding bill through the House.But lawmakers watching and waiting for the beleaguered leader to deliver are looking at other options.The Republican speaker insisted as he arrived at the Capitol for another grueling day of negotiations that he still had time to win over hard-line conservatives and keep the government funded before money runs out before the end of the month.“It’s not September 30 — the game is not over,” McCarthy told reporters.But even if McCarthy is able to accomplish the seemingly impossible and unite his all-but-ungovernable House Republican majority around a conservative spending plan, the victory would be short-lived. The hard-right bill, with steep 8% cuts to many services, would be rejected by the Senate, where Democrat...

Fed keeps rates unchanged but signals likelihood of another hike this year to fight inflation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the second time in its past three meetings, a sign that it’s moderating its fight against inflation as price pressures have eased. But Fed officials also signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year.Consumer inflation has dropped from a year-over-year peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.7%. Yet it’s still well above the Fed’s 2% target, and its policymakers made clear Wednesday that they aren’t close to declaring victory over the worst bout of inflation in 40 years. The Fed’s latest decision left its benchmark rate at about 5.4%, the result of 11 rate hikes it unleashed beginning in March 2022.The Fed’s hikes have significantly raised the costs of consumer and business loans. In fine-tuning its rate policies, the central bank is trying to guide the U.S. economy toward a tricky “soft landing” of cooling inflation without triggering a deep recession.Besides forecasting another hik...