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Canadian company finds more gas in Taranaki's Tariki fieldEditor's note: A separate story highlighting each signee can be found online at hjnews.com . Developing high school talent has been a long-standing priority of Utah State interim head football coach Nate Dreiling. After all, Dreiling grew up in the midst of a successful high school program as his father, Randy, is one of the most decorated head coaches in the history of the state of Kansas. In fact, Randy Dreiling recently helped guide St. Thomas Aquinas to a second straight 4A state championship, which was his 10th state title as a head coach. Dreiling and his staff and USU has certainly made recruiting high school talent, especially with the Beehive State, a priority. That was very evident as 12 of the 20 athletes that finalized their commitment to the Logan-based program Wednesday are from the state of Utah. Additionally, all but three of these 20 players are current prep seniors. Wednesday was the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, which will end Friday. The traditional signing period for the recruiting class of 2025 starts on Feb. 5. “What a fun day for Utah State football and especially the state of Utah,” Dreiling said during his Wednesday press conference. “Our plan going in since July was to make sure we put a fence up around this state and get the top players to make sure they don’t leave home and (instead) they just head to Logan for their college experience, and that’s what this class is going to look like.” Getting 20 athletes to sign on Day 1 of the early period was a noteworthy accomplishment for Dreiling and his staff, inasmuch as nothing is guaranteed for these coaches in the very near future. The Aggies are expected to name a permanent replacement for former head coach Blake Anderson, who was fired in July, within the next few days, and Dreiling and company could soon be out of jobs. Regardless of what the future holds for Dreiling, he is confident Diana Sabau, USU’s athletics director, will help ensure there is a future in Logan for these 20 signees. “I had a great talk with Diana kind of midway through the year because I wanted to make sure these players were getting the right information and making sure that they were covered, regardless of the outcome of this head coaching search,” Dreiling said. “And she agreed that anybody that’s committing to this staff was not necessarily committing to Nate Dreiling, but committing and signing to Utah State. And I wanted to get that point across to players and their families, so they know, worst case scenario, that if we’re not here to develop their sons that they’ll still have a spot here that they’re guaranteed coming to this university.” The Aggies were able to sign seven athletes that had at least two scholarship offers from current Power 4 Conference or former P-5 programs in JUCO linebacker Tymere Burton, plus current high school seniors Eric Harris (cornerback), Paxton Naegle (offensive line/tight end), Tommy “Rock” Olsen (OL), Toby Mealer (OL), Ravian Larry (running back) and Charger Doty (safety). On the flip side, several of these 20 signees were under-the-radar recruits, which is just fine with Dreiling. “I wanted players that are going to play because they have so much pride for this university, as opposed to pissed off that they’re not at Texas or Oklahoma,” Dreiling said. “I think a chip on your shoulder and pride in your mind goes a long ways on the football field and that’s what this class is made of. So, hats off to this coaching staff for being persistent. It’s not easy recruiting when you have an interim tag head coach and the uncertainties behind it, but we did a great job, I feel like, of being transparent with these players and letting them know what’s going to happen here regardless (of who the head coach is). And, either way, if they come here, it’s a special place and a place that’s going to excel.” Of USU’s 17 high school signees, six are offensive linemen and all six played in the Beehive State this past season. Mealer, a former Arizona State commit, moved to Utah prior to his senior season and played for 6A state power Lone Peak. The other five O-linemen are Sam Brousseau (Murray High), Joakim Green (Cooper Hills), Naegle (Corner Canyon), Olsen (Lehi) and Fillmore Fangupo (Skyridge). This is the first year Brousseau, who stands a towering 6-foot-9, has played football. Additionally, Green (6-5, 325 pounds), Olsen (6-6, 300), the great-nephew of former Utah State legends Merlin and Phil Olsen, and Mealer (6-5, 340) will immediately provide the Aggies with considerable size and length. “The state of Utah puts out so many top talent offensive and defensive linemen, so we thought we could pretty much sign our whole O-line high school class in the state and have everyone be about an hour-and-a-half (drive away) from home,” Dreiling said. “So, I think coach (Cooper) Bassett did obviously an unbelievable job of that. It was awesome getting Rock Olsen on board right away. He helped tremendously with the recruiting process, but then the rest of them just kind of kept coming and coming in. (Utah) is a place where you can go get the guys up front, man, and that’s how you build a roster (is) with O-linemen. And if you can develop your high school O-linemen, then you have the ability to be a pretty dang good football team.” Several of the high school seniors that signed Wednesday come from the best programs in Utah. For starters, Corner Canyon has captured five of the last seven 6A state titles and are nationally ranked year in and year out, Lone Peak barely lost to Corner Canyon in the finals and Lehi and Skyridge both made it to the 6A semifinals. The Aggies also inked a pair of players from 5A power Orem. “You not only want to recruit unbelievable talent, you want to recruit talent that has won and has been in systems that knows what it takes to win,” Dreiling said. “... Obviously, they typically put out some talented players, but they also have a mindset and culture that comes with them knowing that they’re playing for more than themselves; they’re not playing for stats, they’re playing for outcomes, they’re playing for victories. And that’s what we need here at Utah State if we’re going to get this place rolling. It can’t just be independent contractors with players coming up here for themselves, but with the bigger picture (in mind).” The Aggies signed twice as many O-linemen Wednesday as any other position. The ’25 class is also composed so far of a trio of linebackers and tight ends, a pair of running backs and defensive tackles, plus one quarterback, safety, cornerback and wide receiver. Two of the linebackers are JUCO products in Burton, who completed his redshirt freshman season at East Mississippi Community College, and true freshman Mataira Brown of Snow College. Brown is from Pleasant Grove. The other linebacker is Orem High’s Ryker Mikkelsen. Burton, who spent his true freshman season at Charlotte, choose the Aggies over several other FBS programs. “Tyreme, in a lot of data bases, was voted as the No. 1 linebacker in the JUCO class this year out of East Mississippi,” Dreiling said. “He is a ball hawk, he’s someone that flies around the field (and) is a very smart football player. As you guys know, we graduated our top two guys (at linebacker) that were injured at the end of the season, but we needed a guy that (could) come in that’s played a lot of ball, but most importantly is extremely tough. “And that’s the one thing we wanted to make sure we hit home on this recruiting class (is) that if they were going to come in here, that means their coaches said they are the toughest kid on the team. If we can get 120 people thinking like that, man, you are going to have success.” The other junior college transfer the Aggies signed is tight end Kache Kaio, who was a freshman this past season at Snow. USU’s other just inked tight ends are Alex Faiivae, who is from American Samoa, and Logan High standout Reed Olsen. Olsen could play any number of positions, Dreiling asserted, after returning from his mission for The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mikkelsen and fellow Orem High star Feleti Longi, a running back, will also serve missions before enrolling at USU. “We signed him and we just put tight end next to him, (but) he could grow into an offensive lineman, he can play D-end, he’s athletic enough to play linebacker,” Dreiling said of Reed Olsen, who also plays baseball and basketball for the Grizzlies. “He’s a guy that you just take and you figure it out down the road. Once he gets into our weight program and a college nutrition system where he’s constantly getting calories in his body, he’s just going to blow up. And the fact that, that guy slides through the crack and comes to Utah State, doesn’t have any bigger offers just goes to show you, man, if you want to put your homework in on your (local) area kids and your in-state kids, you can get some dang good football players that in a year or two are going to be top notch.” In addition to Longi, the other tailback who finalized his commitment with the Aggies was Larry, who has rushed for 3,371 yards and 43 touchdowns during his prep career. USU’s two new defensive tackles are Layton Christian Academy’s Iverson Rapport and the 305-pound Jackson Saterfield, who is from Florida. Dalton Anderson, who is from Washington, is Utah State’s newest signal caller, while Arizona native Nikko Boncore is the newest receiver, Harris, who is from Oklahoma, the newest cornerback and Doty the newest safety. All three JUCO transfer plan on enrolling for the upcoming winter semester, as do prep seniors Harris, Mealer and Naegle.888 superph 。

NoneThe massive use of social media by Fijians, particularly during late-night hours, could soon affect the country’s productivity, according to Fiji Times Editor-in-Chief Fred Wesley. Speaking at the Cultural Heritage and Tolerance Symposium organized by the Asian Foundation in Suva yesterday, Wesley raised concerns about the growing impact of social media on the nation’s work ethic. Wesley highlighted the rising trend of people using social media well into the night, often until the early hours of the morning. He questioned the deepening influence of social media, which seems to be encroaching into the daily lives of many Fijians. The editor also expressed frustration over the lack of political will to address the issue of social media regulation and its impact. Wesley emphasized the urgency of taking action, especially given the rapid pace of online commenting as comments aren’t coming once a week as they’re coming by the minute. The three-day symposium continues today.

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don’t think it’s going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump’s decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump’s administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions,” said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump’s initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They’re concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, “there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like,” said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary,” she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. Related Articles National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump attorney Alina Habba, a Lehigh University grad, to serve as counselor to the president National Politics | Trump isn’t back in office but he’s already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders National Politics | With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with,” said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life.BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s GOP-dominated legislature passed tax cuts on personal and corporate income on Friday in exchange for a statewide sales tax increase, a mixed bag of success for Gov. Jeff Landry, whose original tax revision plans faced mounting resistance from lawmakers and lobbyists amid hard fiscal realities . The final passage of the bulk of Landry's proposed measures winds down a special legislative session called Nov. 6 by the governor and his allies. They said their purpose was to make the state’s tax code more business friendly, bring jobs and reverse trends of outward migration from the state. It was the third special legislative session called by Landry, a Republican, since he assumed office in January. The package of legislation includes a permanent $2,000 raise for teachers and doubles standard deductions for residents aged 65 and older. It raises the state sales tax to 5%, while granting Landry’s wish for lower personal and corporate income tax rates. It repeals the 0.275% corporate franchise tax, a levy on businesses operating on the state worth more than $500 million in annual revenue. The state's new corporate income tax rate will be a flat 5.5%, reducing the highest tier from 7.5%. Landry had wanted a 3.5% flat rate. Lawmakers approved a flat 3% individual income tax rate and nearly tripled the standard deduction for individuals. Previously, the personal income tax rate had stood at 4.25% for individuals earning $50,000 or more. “What I’m very confident in is that everyone’s going to have more money in their pocket at the end of the day with the personal income tax reductions,” said Republican Rep. Julie Emerson, who spearheaded legislation to flatten the income tax rate. With the personal income tax reductions reducing annual revenue by $1.3 billion, Landry’s original plan had called for applying sales taxes to dozens of services like car-washing, dog-grooming and lobbying. He also sought to eliminate large tax incentives for the restoration of historic buildings and the film industry. Those proposals were defeated, leading to a bigger sales tax hike than Landry initially proposed. Louisiana already had the highest combined state and average local sales tax in the country at 9.56%, according to the Tax Foundation, a think tank favored by conservatives. Associated Press writer Kevin McGill contributed to this report. _____ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, took to social media Monday to criticize President Joe Biden for pardoning his own son, Hunter Biden. “No one is above the law except the Presidents nepo baby is a helluva parting message for democrats...” McCain wrote on X. The president’s son was convicted earlier this year on tax evasion and drug charges. ADVERTISEMENT Some commenters pointed out that McCain herself has enjoyed a career as a political commentator at least partly because of her father’s successful career in Washington. “You’re a nepo baby and no one would have known you were it not for your dad,” one commenter said. “Says the nepo baby,” another commenter wrote. McCain launched her career in 2008 during her father’s unsuccessful run for president with a blog about life on the campaign trail. She then worked for multiple news organizations as a columnist and commentator, including the Daily Beast, ABC News, Fox News and MSNBC. She also was a co-host of daytime talk show The View from 2017 to 2021, and famously left the program after feuding on-air with Joy Behar. Many Republicans have criticized Biden’s sweeping pardon of his son, a surprising move that happened just days before Hunter’s sentencing in separate tax and gun cases. Biden pardoned his son for all offenses he “committed or may have committed or taken part in” from January 2014 to December 2024, writing in a statement that he believed politics had infected both cases and that his son had been “treated differently” than other defendants charged with similar crimes. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Biden said.

Daily Post Nigeria NPFL: Lobi Stars pip Kwara United, Insurance win at home Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Sport NPFL: Lobi Stars pip Kwara United, Insurance win at home Published on November 30, 2024 By Mike Oyebola Lobi Stars returned to winning ways after a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Kwara United at the Lafia City Stadium on Saturday. Peter Onah’s 26th minute strike separated both teams on the night. Daniel Amokachi’s side drew one and lost two of their three previous games. Kwara United finished the game with 10-men after Junior Aimufua was sent off two minutes from time. In the day’s other matchday 15 game, Bendel Insurance pip Plateau United 2-1 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City. Seven games will be played across different venues on Sunday. Related Topics: insurance Lobi Stars.Kwara United NPFL Don't Miss Bundesliga: Boniface faces sanction for reckless driving You may like NPFL: Heartland shift attention to Nasarawa United clash after midweek disappointment NPFL: El-kanemi Warriors attacked by armed robbers NPFL: Ikorodu City must aim top three finish — Aweroro NPFL: Niger Tornadoes boss gives update on Okoro’s injury NPFL: Abia Warriors’ Megwo targets maximum points against Shooting Stars NPFL: Santo upbeat Aina will sign new contract at Nottingham Forest Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd