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Church travel group from Salem back in US after evacuation from pilgrimage trip to Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

A church travel group from Salem with dozens of members is back home after being evacuated early from a pilgrimage trip to Israel due to the nation’s ongoing conflict with Hamas.At least 30 Americans are confirmed dead and more than 15 are still unaccounted for Sunday night as federal officials say getting American hostages back safely following Hamas’ surprise attack is a top priority.More than 30 members of Mary Queen of the Apostles Parish in Salem returned home on Sunday.The church’s pastor, the Rev. Robert Murray, said “We ran into an extraordinary amount of violence in a dangerous situation, so of course we had to change our plans.” He added, “We feel very fortunate, and very blessed that we came home, but we know that we left behind a lot of people who are suffering. A lot of people who are in the mist of the violence.”

Patriots took odd approach to pregame warmups with backup QB

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

LAS VEGAS — Undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham was the Patriots’ backup quarterback in Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, but it certainly didn’t look that way before the game.Cunningham first spent pregame warmups with kick returners catching kicks. Then he worked with wide receivers running routes. Then he caught warmup tosses from quarterback Mac Jones before handing the football back to emergency quarterback Bailey Zappe to throw back across the field. And then when the full team convened, Jones was the only quarterback to work under center while Cunningham repped at wide receiver. Cunningham did play catch with teammates earlier in warmups.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | How Patriots’ Mac Jones, DeVante Parker reacted to momentous late-game drop New England Patriots | Callahan: It’s time for the Patriots to start selling New England Patriots | Patriots can’t complete comeback, fall to Raiders ...

X-rays on Justin Fields’ hand were negative, but the Chicago Bears wait to see if he or Tyson Bagent will start next

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields wanted to return to Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, coach Matt Eberflus said.But Fields couldn’t grip the football because of the right hand injury he suffered during a third-quarter sack and was sidelined for the rest of the 19-13 Bears loss.Whether Fields will miss more time is now the major question. The X-rays on Fields’ hand were negative for any fracture, but the Bears are awaiting the results of an MRI. Fox Sports and NFL Network reported Fields dislocated his thumb.“We’ll know more information tomorrow,” Eberflus said.In a 1-5 season that has become so much about determining whether Fields is the Bears’ quarterback of the future, those test results are perhaps more crucial than the final result on the field Sunday. Eberflus said Fields’ demeanor after the game was “great.”“He goes, ‘Coach, we’ll see where it is tomorrow,’ Eber...

Mac Jones, offense cost Patriots again with late-game failures at Las Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

Before they could take their first offensive snap Sunday, the Patriots went backwards with a false start.The next time they lined up, they were lucky to stay put after a Trent Brown penalty the Raiders declined.At the end of the loss, the Pats again went backwards, this time for good.Las Vegas drove a stake into the heart of the Patriots’ season by dropping Mac Jones for a safety at the end of a 21-17 home win. The safety served as the final stroke of a masterpiece of offensive failure, another game doomed by Jones and Co..Moments earlier, Jones was flagged for a delay of game penalty. The play prior, DeVante Parker dropped a 40-yard bomb that would have put the Patriots on the doorstep of field goal range in a 2-point game. Before that, rookie left guard Atonio Mafi was whistled for holding, which negated two small gains that started the drive.That stretch captured a broken unit undone again by late-game sacks and penalties; the same story that unfolded in Weeks 1 and 2 versu...

How Patriots’ Mac Jones, DeVante Parker reacted to momentous late-game drop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

LAS VEGAS — The Patriots could have had a different result Sunday against the Raiders if only wide receiver DeVante Parker could have caught a deep pass from quarterback Mac Jones down the left sideline on second-and-11 with 1:59 left in the game.Parker got behind the Raiders coverage and got his hands on Jones’ pass but couldn’t haul it in late in the 21-17 loss.Absolutely perfect pass from Mac Jones.Drop from DeVante Parker.#Patriots pic.twitter.com/MMUDNGu8V4— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 15, 2023“Probably hit my fingertips, I think,” Parker said. “But I didn’t get a full grasp of it.”Parker was asked if he believed he could have caught Jones’ pass.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: It’s time for the Patriots to start selling New England Patriots | Patriots can’t complete comeback, fall to Raiders 21-17 after last-minute safety New England Patriots | Patriots promising rookie Keion White ru...

Salem church group recounts harrowing exit from Israel as war broke out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

More than 30 travelers from the Mary Queen of the Apostles Parish in Salem have returned home safely after a trip to Holy Land left them uncertainly close to the outbreak of violence last week.“We feel very blessed that we that we were able to get out and get out,” said Fr. Robert Murray, the church pastor who led the group. “We’re very mindful the fact that we left behind people who are in the middle of a war or destruction and death suffering.”On Oct. 7 — the day Hamas terrorists launched attacks on hundreds of Israeli civilians — 32 members of the church began a “spiritual pilgrimage” in Jerusalem.That day, parishioners said, they heard bombs and sirens but were told not to worry, “‘This is what goes on.'”“But we could hear and see it right away,” said Murray. “And so the next day was Sunday, and that’s when it really became quite evident that it wasn’t stopping. And then it was ...

Biden considering trip to Israel, source

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days but no travel has been finalized, a senior administration official said Sunday.Biden has staunchly proclaimed his support for Israel, and a trip there would be the firmest signal yet but would come amid heightening fears that a looming Israeli move into Gaza could spark a wider war with devastating humanitarian consequences.The official could not publicly discuss internal deliberations about the potential presidential travel and spoke on condition of anonymity. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already been traveling around the Mideast this past week trying to prevent the war with Hamas from igniting a broader regional conflict.But Biden also made his strongest public effort yet to restrain Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,300 people including at least 30 U.S. citizens, warning in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes that aired Sunday that Israel should not reocc...

San Diego Wave FC clinches NWSL Shield for best season record in second year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Wave FC closed out their second regular season by securing the National Women's Soccer League Shield on Sunday after a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville at Snapdragon Stadium.The shield, which is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, marks the first regular season title for San Diego and the second consecutive season where the winner was decided in the final weekend of play.The Wave topped this year's standings with a 11-7-4 record and is entering the playoffs in the No. 1 overall seed.On Sunday, veteran striker Alex Morgan and 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw made the goals that helped secure the club's victory. Morgan led the Wave in scoring with seven goals and four assists throughout the season. Shaw came close behind with six goals during regular play, setting a league record for the most goals by a teenager.Meanwhile, goalkeeper Kailen Sheriden had a league-leading nine clean sheets to keep San Diego's total goals allowed at 22 for the season -- a...

Man arrested after machete attack, SWAT standoff in Oceanside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A man was arrested by Oceanside police in connection to a machete attack early Sunday morning that led to a SWAT standoff.Around 12:50 a.m., authorities were alerted to the stabbing that occurred outside a home on Leon Street near East Parker Street, the Oceanside Police Department said. When units arrived on scene, officers discovered an adult man with an apparent machete wound. According to OPD, he also had multiple cuts on his hand, back of the head and abdomen.The man was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. His injuries are not considered to be life-threatening at this time, police said. Ex-SDPD officer behind bars for years-long illicit massage business scheme Shortly after, officers determined that the incident was an escalation of a conflict between two neighbors over the last few days. Authorities then tried to contact the suspect, which prompted the SWAT standoff.After several hours, the suspect, identified as a 51-year-old man, safely sur...

Daniel Noboa, heir to banana fortune, seems likely winner in Ecuador’s presidential runoff election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Daniel Noboa, an inexperienced politician and an heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, seemed headed to victory in Ecuador’s presidential runoff election Sunday.With 93% of the votes counted, electoral officials said Noboa held a 4 1/2-point lead over Luisa González, a leftist lawyer and ally of exiled former President Rafael Correa. González conceded defeat during a speech before supporters Sunday night and said she planned to call Noboa to congratulate him.The new president will lead Ecuador during a period marked by unprecedented violence that even claimed the life of a presidential candidate. Throughout the campaign, Ecuadorians, who now have to continuously watch their backs and limit how often they leave home, had a universal demand — safety.The nationwide uneasiness began when violence erupted about three years ago, but it reached an unthinkable level when Fernando Villavicencio was killed Aug. 9 as he left a campaign rally. Noboa’s political care...