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Analysis: NFL playoff race defines parity, though competition doesn’t always equal quality football

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.___The NFL playoff race defines parity.Thirty teams entered Week 15 still alive for a Super Bowl run. Of course, several of those teams had astronomical odds and a few more know they’re not going anywhere. But, it’s been five years since only two teams were mathematically eliminated this late in the season.Close scores and competitive games don’t always translate into quality football — just ask Tom Brady — but the NFL takes pride in balance.They’ve sure got it in 2023.There are 24 teams in or within one game of a playoff spot. Seven of eight division races are within two games, including four that are within one or tied.Eleven AFC teams have a winning record. Since the 1970 merger, that’s only happened three times previously through 14 weeks. Five NFC teams that are 6-7 are tied for the final wild-card spot. Three 6-7 teams are tied for the top spot in the NFC South.Three ...

AI is a danger to the financial system, regulators warn for the first time

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

New York (CNN) — Top federal regulators are warning for the first time that the use of artificial intelligence poses a risk to the financial system.The Financial Stability Oversight Council, a team of leading regulators across the US government, formally classified AI on Thursday as an “emerging vulnerability.”Sophisticated AI models have exploded in popularity in recent years, even as many prominent names within the field say the nascent technology could have disastrous effects if it grows out of control.“AI has the potential to spur innovation and drive efficiency, but its use in financial services requires thoughtful implementation and supervision to manage potential risks,” FSOC warned in its annual report Thursday.FSOC, created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and led by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, cautioned that AI can “introduce certain risks,” including cybersecurity concerns, compliance risks and privacy issues.Regulators also expressed c...

Mysterious fast radio bursts in space keep getting stranger

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

(CNN) — Fast radio bursts, or bright, millisecond-long flashes of radio waves in space, are one of the most enduring mysteries of the cosmos — and they just became a little stranger.The first fast radio burst, or FRB, was discovered in 2007, and since then, hundreds of these quick, intense events have been detected coming from distant points across the universe. In a thousandth of a second, the bursts can generate as much energy as the sun creates in one year or more, according to previous research.But astronomers don’t understand what causes them.Now, scientists have noticed a never-before-seen quirky pattern in a newly spotted repeating fast radio burst called FRB 20220912A. A study published Wednesday in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society details the discovery, which provides valuable clues to researchers aiming to identify the phenomenon’s source while introducing new enigmas to unravel.Astronomers detected the burst using the California-based SETI Instit...

Fatal train-pedestrian collision in Pompano Beach under investigation

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

Authorities are investigating an area of Pompano Beach after a train-pedestrian collision.Around 5:15 a.m., a train struck a pedestrian in the area of Northwest 15th Street and Northwest 13th Avenue Officials said when emergency crews arrived, they found a person that had been hit by the train. Deputies confirmed the pedestrian did not survive the impact and was pronounced dead on the scene.The Broward Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating to determine the details of how the collision occurred. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Thousands gather in Waltham for funeral for fallen officer Paul Tracey 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

WALTHAM, Mass. (WHDH) – Thousands of people gathered in Waltham Friday to part in a somber salute to fallen police officer Paul Tracey as part of funeral services. Services are set to begin at 10 a.m. at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted church. By 9:30 a.m., the funeral procession was underway and people were beginning to arrive at the church.“Our hearts are broken for the Tracey family and we’re just here to support them,” one funeral attendee said. Friday’s funeral comes nine days after Tracey and National Grid worker Roderick Jackson were killed on Dec. 6 in a crash on Totten Pond Road in Waltham. The funeral, in turn, comes a day after large crowds gathered Thursday for Tracey’s wake. The community has been grieving Tracey since his death, mourning a man who served Waltham’s police department for nearly three decades. “He was a great, just an overall great person,” said Tracey’s cousin, John Kabey on Thursday. “Tragic for the family, tragic for ...

LIVE COVERAGE: Funeral procession underway as community mourns police officer killed in crash

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

The funeral procession for fallen Waltham police officer Paul Tracey was underway as of around 9:30 a.m. Friday ahead of Tracey’s funeral at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted church. Thousands have gathered for the funeral itself, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. 7NEWS has live team coverage throughout the day. —RELATED: Thousands gather in Waltham for funeral for fallen officer Paul Tracey 

Snake stolen from Westford Petco, investigation ongoing

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

Police are trying to identify three people who they believe stole a snake from the Westford Petco store. According to Westford Police, a male individual removed the snake, a Colombian Red Tailed Boa, from a display habitat at the pet store around noon on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Authorities believe the male suspect was working in conjunction with two female accomplices who were actively distracting an employee while he purloined the predator.“We are aware of and shaken by the theft of a reptile from our Westford, Mass. location, and are cooperating with authorities on their investigation,” Petco said in a statement.Anyone with information on the theft or the identities of the individuals is asked to contact Westford Police at 978-399-2345.

Former Boston Herald reporter to detail the life and times of Marvelous Marvin Hagler in an upcoming book

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

Brockton-born New York Times bestselling author and former Boston Herald reporter Dave Wedge will pen the definitive tale of middleweight boxing champ Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a new book for Hamilcar Publications titled Blood & Hate: The Untold Story of Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s Battle for Glory.“Dave is one of the premier nonfiction storytellers in America today, whether he is writing about the Boston Marathon bombings, Deflategate, the Whitey Bulger saga, or his most recent bestseller about biker subculture, Riding with Evil,” said Hamilcar publisher Kyle Sarofeen. “His unrivaled journalistic skills and passionate writing style, coupled with the fact that he grew up in Brockton during the Hagler era, will ensure that this book is the definitive story of one of the all-time greats not only in boxing, but in sports history. It’s a perfect fit for Hamilcar and we look forward to sharing this incredible, never-before-told story.”BLOOD & HATE will, for the first time, tell th...

Police standoff ends in arrest after woman reportedly held hostage

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A three-hour standoff in Clairemont ended in an arrest after a woman was allegedly held against her will, authorities said.The incident occurred just after 1 a.m. Friday at an apartment complex at 5255 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. The San Diego Police Department said a call came in reporting a woman was being threatened and held hostage. This La Jolla restaurant just earned Michelin Guide status Responding officers found there was, in fact, a man and woman inside one of the units. Police in tactical gear arrived to the scene, and SDPD said the man refused to come out of the apartment. Three hours later, the woman exited the unit unharmed. Around 4 a.m., the suspect finally surrendered to police and the standoff ended peacefully. According to authorities, this situation may have started from an domestic violence incident."That suspect has been identified as Brandon Grosso. He's being arrested for false imprisonment among other charges," said San Diego Police Department Lt. Ad...

International court rules against Guatemala in landmark Indigenous and environmental rights case

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:21 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Guatemala violated Indigenous rights by permitting a huge nickel mine on tribal land almost two decades ago, according to a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Friday.The landmark verdict marks a monumental step in a four-decade struggle for Indigenous land rights and a long, bitter legal battle which has at times spilled into the streets of northern Guatemala.It also comes at the close of the United Nations climate summit COP28, which stressed the importance of renewables and energy transition minerals like nickel more than ever.According to a verdict read from Costa Rica in the early hours of the morning, the Guatemalan government violated the rights of the Indigenous Q’eqchi’ people to property and consultation, by permitting mining on land where members of the community have lived at least since the 1800s.Guatemala will have six months to begin the process of awarding a land title to the community, and was ordered to set up a development fund....