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UCF draft tracker: No Knights picked, multiple UDFAs sign with NFL teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

No UCF football players were taken in this weekend’s NFL draft, snapping a six-year streak for the school.Although zero Knights heard their names called for the first time since 2016, multiple players from Gus Malzahn’s program are expected to sign as undrafted free agents with NFL organizations.Of the nine Knights who participated in the team’s pro day at the end of March, long snapper Alex Ward likely had the best chance of being selected despite the rarity of snappers getting picked each year.That’s because Ward was the lone long snapper at this year’s NFL Combine and also participated in the Senior Bowl.Shortly after the draft was completed Saturday night, Ward signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.In addition to Ward, former UCF offensive lineman Sam Jackson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars while offensive lineman Ryan Swoboda ended up with the Detroit Lions.Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or foll...

Boston mayor, council president: White supremacist groups are ‘not welcome here’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Ed Flynn strongly condemned a Saturday appearance by the white nationalist group, Patriot Front, which joined a faith-based protest outside a Satanic conference in Copley Square.Clad in khakis and blue hooded sweatshirts with their faces hidden behind scarves and hats, their roughly hour-long appearance was also denounced by Satanists and Christians alike, the two groups who were most at odds during SatanCon 2023.“Boston stands firmly against the hateful ideology of white supremacist groups, and their presence is not welcome here,” Wu and Flynn said in a joint statement emailed to the Herald.Unlike last summer, where authorities said they had no advance knowledge of Patriot Front’s plans to demonstrate and march through Boston streets, scanner activity late Saturday morning indicated police had a heads up that the group was on its way to Copley Square. They arrived shortly before 12:30 p.m.“I left my apartment, was walking down the...

Man seriously wounded in Upper Beaches shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

A man has been seriously injured following a shooting in the Upper Beaches. Police say they were called to a building in the area of Gerrard Street East and Coxwell Avenue just before 8 p.m. Saturday for reports someone had been shot. When they arrived they found a man inside a building suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby trauma centre in serious but non-life threatening condition. Police did not provide an age for the victim or any immediate suspect information.

Texas man kills 5 neighbors after they complained of gunfire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A Texas man went next door with a rifle and fatally shot five of his neighbors, including an 8-year-old boy, after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said Saturday.The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, remained at large more than 18 hours after the shooting and authorities warned that he might still be armed. The attack happened just before midnight Friday near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston, on a street where some residents say it is not uncommon to hear neighbors unwind by firing off guns. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Oropeza used an AR-style rifle, and as the search for him dragged into Saturday evening, authorities had widened their efforts to as far as “10 to 20 miles” from the murder scene. He said Oropeza may still have a weapon but that he believes authorities have the rifle used in the shooting. Capers said they found clothes and a phone whi...

Army identifies 3 soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Army identified on Saturday the three soldiers who were killed when two helicopters collided in Alaska while returning from a training mission.The helicopters were headed to Fort Wainwright from a mission in the Donnelly Training Area when they crashed at 1:39 p.m. Thursday, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Healy.The U.S. Army announced Friday that it has grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers died within the last month in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky. “The move grounds all Army aviators, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete the required training,” the Army said in a statement. Killed in Thursday’s crash were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Robert Eramo, 39, of Oneonta, New York; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle D. McKenna, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, 32, of North Logan, Utah.A fourth soldier was injured and was taken to Fairbanks Memor...

Berkeley church celebrates 100th anniversary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

BERKELEY, Mo. - One north St. Louis County church is officially marking its centennial this weekend.The Prince of Peace Church in Berkeley is celebrating its 100th anniversary on Saturday and Sunday. Organizers held an anniversary fellowship barbecue Saturday on church grounds. In addition to meals, there were also a few bouncy houses for children to enjoy. Trending -- Missouri morgue now a paranormal Airbnb destination Senior pastor Willie E. Kilpatrick says he impressed with the progress of the church since he started serving there. "When I came here 23 years ago, we had, approximately, 23 ministries. Now we have 33. We have boys mentoring, we have outreach that we do, community activities. That has certainly been a great beacon of light in the city of Berkley."On Sunday, the church will hold an anniversary worship service at 10 a.m.

Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex reopens, celebrates upgrades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - After a string of renovations, a major host of local sporting events has reopened.The Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday to unveil its major changes. Top story: Family of skateboarder shot execution-style pleads for gunman to come forward Among the changes, 16 turf fields have been renovated, and WiFi signals around the property have been improved. Also, the facility now has the ability to live-stream events taking place, in addition to new access gates, concession areas, and merchandise kiosks.Last year, "Perfect Game", a gigantic youth baseball, softball, and scouting service, announced a 10-year deal to hold its tournaments at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex starting this year.

Broncos coach Sean Payton: Trading for TE Adam Trautman “just as exciting” as drafting players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

Denver added to its tight end room Saturday, but not by drafting a player.Instead, the Broncos traded a sixth-round pick (No. 195 overall) to New Orleans for tight end Adam Trautman and a seventh-round pick (No. 257 overall).Trautman was originally a third-round pick of the Saints in the 2020 draft and played his first two years in the NFL under now-Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Over his first three seasons, he has 60 catches (81 targets) for 641 yards and four TDs. In 2022, he finished with 18 catches for 207 and a score.“We (compared) him to a handful of tight ends we were (considering) in this draft,” Payton said. “We felt this was one of the needs for us coming in. That was just as exciting as any part of yesterday or today.”In Denver, Trautman joins a room that’s coached by former Saints assistant Declan Doyle and came into the weekend short on bodies. The Broncos also have free agent signee Chris Manhertz, second-year man Greg Dulcich and 2020 f...

Jury convicts Fremont man of murder in case where defense argued his boss set him up to take the fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

DUBLIN — An Alameda County jury convicted an East Bay man of murder in connection with an April 2020 fatal shooting outside a Fremont shopping center.Kamalpreety Singh, 30, was convicted in April of second degree murder and a gun enhancement in the shooting death of 32-year-old Anthony Garza. Singh confessed to the murder, but at trial argued that his boss at a local trucking company had both killed Garza and set Singh up to take the fall.Garza was shot and killed April 8, 2020 at the Mowry East Shopping Center in Fremont. Prosecutors and defense attorneys both agreed the shooter was driving Signh’s green 2002 Cadillac Escalade and that Singh fled the area and was arrested in Colorado months later.But the defense argued Singh’s boss had a personal problem with Garza, had access to the car, and had threatened Singh’s family to force him to confess to the crime. Prosecutors rested the case largely on both Singh’s confession, the involvement of his car, an...

49ers’ draft capsules: A look at who was added to the roster on Day 3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:57 GMT

A look at who the 49ers drafted Saturday on Day 3 of the NFL Draft:They made three selections Friday.Round 5, No. 155: Darrell Luter Jr.Position: CornerbackSchool: South AlabamaHT/WT: 6-0, 189Comment: Played in 34 games with 23 starts at South Alabama with five interceptions, 23 passes defensed and one forced fumble. Not recruited heavily out of Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss., Luter started at Pearl River Community College and was received several scholarship offers. Good length and speed and played a lot of man-to-man coverage in college. After 2021 season, Pro Football Focus called Luter “the most underrated player in college football.”Luter says: “Honestly I’m very versatile. I play both nickel and outside corner. Of course, I have had the majority of my career outside, but have be in reintroduced inside. I will help out the team in any way I can.”Assistant GM Adam Peters says: “He was the most mature guy we met. He’s a man already....