By JIM GOMEZ, JOEAL CALUPITAN and AARON FAVILA

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police arrested 49 people suspected of hurling rocks, bottles and fire bombs at officers and blocking heavily guarded roads and bridges leading to the presidential palace Sunday while a peaceful anti-corruption rally took place in the capital, officials and witnesses said.

Related Articles

UK charities cut ties to Sarah Ferguson after reported email describing Jeffrey Epstein as ‘friend’

Venezuelans in ‘reverse migration’ pushed to new perils in effort to return home

US bars Iran’s diplomats from shopping at Costco without permission

France recognizes Palestinian statehood at UN meeting to revive peace efforts

Defense in Vatican ‘trial of the century’ asks prosecutor to recuse himself for questionable conduct

The melee outside the country’s seat of power unfolded while more than 33,000 other protesters rallied in a historic park and a democracy monument in Manila. They expressed outrage over a corruption scandal involving lawmakers, officials and construction company owners who allegedly pocketed huge kickbacks from flood-control projects in the impoverished Southeast Asian country that is regularly buffeted by storms and typhoons.

The hourslong rampage by about 100 mostly club-wielding people, some of whom waved Philippine flags and displayed carton posters with anti-corruption slogans, wounded about 70 Manila law enforcers, according to the Manila police. Schools were canceled due to the violence.

Police said they lobbed tear gas to try to disperse the attackers, who sprayed graffiti on walls, toppled steel posts, shattered glass panels and ransacked the lobby of a budget inn along a popular road dotted with university campuses, banks and restaurants before dispersing at night.

Hours after the assault, police have yet to identify the attackers, some of whom carried black flags with the caricature of a skull and crossbones. It was also unclear if they had earlier participated in the peaceful protests before heading toward the presidential office. It was not immediately known if President Marcos Jr. was in the Malacanang presidential palace during the chaos.

Police said in a statement after the arrests that the situation was “contained” but warned that violence and vandalism would not be tolerated.

Protesting corruption

“I feel bad that we wallow in poverty and we lose our homes, our lives and our future while they rake in a big fortune from our taxes that pay for their luxury cars, foreign trips and bigger corporate transactions,” student activist Althea Trinidad told The Associated Press in Manila.

Trinidad lives in Bulacan, a flood-prone province north of Manila where officials said the most flood-control projects were being investigated either as substandard or nonexistent.

“Our purpose is not to destabilize but to strengthen our democracy,” Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said in a statement. He called on the public to demonstrate peacefully and demand accountability.

Marcos first highlighted the flood-control corruption scandal in July in his annual state of the nation speech.

He later established an independent commission to investigate what he said were anomalies in many of the 9,855 flood-control projects worth more than 545 billion pesos ($9.5 billion) that were supposed to have been undertaken since he took office in mid-2022. He called the scale of corruption “horrible” and accepted his public works secretary’s resignation.

Public outrage erupted when a wealthy couple who ran several construction companies that won lucrative flood-control project contracts showed dozens of European and American luxury cars they owned during media interviews. The fleet included a British luxury car costing 42 million pesos ($737,000) that they said they bought because it came with a free umbrella.

The Gophers men’s basketball program’s initial recruiting class under new head coach Niko Medved is off to a stronger start.

It’s still early in the cycle, but the three total recruits in the 2026 class have the U at seventh in the nation, according to 247Sports.

And there is a “possibility” for one more, Medved said Monday.

“It’s got to be the right guy,” he said. “We’ve got some guys that have visited that we really, really like, so we will see where that goes.”

One of those candidates is four-star shooting guard Joseph Hartman. The Gainesville, Fla. product visited the Gophers last week. Hartman has more than 15 offers and has posted about other recent visits to Butler and Iowa.

Quinn Costello, a four-star forward prospect from Boston, visited the U in late August, but he committed to Michigan in the last few weeks. Costello’s high school teammate, four-star guard Lucas Morillo, also visited Dinkytown and has yet to commit.

The Gophers current recruiting class includes four-star wing Nolen Anderson (Wayzata), three-star point guard Cedric Tomes (East Ridge) and three-star center Chadrick Mpoyi (Irvine, Calif.)

Schedule buzz

Medved didn’t have to look far for a breakdown of the Gophers’ newly released Big Ten schedule; he heard about it at a family function on Sunday.

“They know it better than I do,” Medved said Monday with a laugh. “Honestly, (I) just kind of focus on today.”

Scouting of the U’s upcoming conference opponents will come later. On Monday, Medved led his debut team in its first official practice at William Arena.

Medved knows the Gophers open up against Indiana — and new Hoosiers head coach Darian DeVries — at The Barn on Dec. 3 and then travel to powerhouse Purdue on Dec. 10. He is also aware of another highlight: rivals Iowa and Wisconsin are part of a three-game stretch (along with Southern Cal) at The Barn in early January.

“They were laying out all this stuff, who we go to and who comes here,” Medved said of his family. “… That just seems so far down the horizon right now.”

The Gophers have less than a month to prepare for their two exhibition games against North Dakota State (Oct. 16) and North Dakota (Oct. 25). The season opener against Gardner-Webb is at Williams Arena on Nov. 3.

Injury news

B.J. Omot, a transfer wing from the University of California, has been fully cleared to practice, Medved said. Omot, a Mankato native, missed summer workouts to have surgery for a stress fracture in his shin.

“He’s been building up, but getting him back out there has been great for us,” Medved said. “That gives us another player that we are really really excited about.”

Chance Stephens, a transfer from Maryland, is dealing with illness and has been sidelined. And Max Gizzi, a transfer from Huntington, broke his foot, had surgery and is out for an estimated six weeks.

Related Articles

Q&A: Gophers AD Mark Coyle on budget deficit, revenue sharing and Big Ten expansion

Gophers men’s basketball lands bruising big man recruit from California

A top boys basketball prospect to visit Gophers this week

With Niko Medved a fan, will Gophers finally commemorate Clem Haskins?

Gophers men’s basketball pick up high-rising Wayzata recruit Nolen Anderson

The Lynx trailed Phoenix by seven at halftime in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinal series on Sunday in Minneapolis. Everything changed over the final two frames, largely thanks to the play of Minnesota’s floor general.

Courtney Williams exploded for 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in the second half as Minnesota proceeded to run the Mercury off the floor in an 82-69 victory in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals at Target Center.

Minnesota won the minutes that Williams player by 18 points after the intermission.

“Court was terrific,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Yeah, player of the game for us.”

Williams was asked what seems to cause her to crank it up in the second halves of games. Frankly, the guard wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I think it’s just that I want to win, so it may look like that. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, because I should bring the same energy for 40 minutes,” she said. “Maybe it’s just a different perspective for you, because it’s go time.”

The stats suggest Williams is strong at all stages of games. But what is consistent is that as she goes, so do the Lynx.

Williams sported Minnesota’s second-highest net rating — trailing only Napheesa Collier — among the major contributors this season, with the Lynx outscoring opponents by 13 points per 100 possessions with Williams on the court.

When she’s rolling, the Lynx are nearly impossible to contain. Her positive energy permeates through her team and, when the games are at Target Center — as will be the case again for Game 2 on Tuesday — the entire building.

“I always have confidence in Courtney. But between her and (reserve guard Natisha Hiedeman), their pace, it’s a 40-minute game,” Lynx guard Kayla McBride said. “So, when we’re able to have spurts of that in transition, her getting to her pullup, things like that, it gives us energy as a group when we get out in transition.

“That’s our bread and butter. So, when she’s out there hooping and confident, it’s contagious. It just becomes a lot of fun out there playing the game within the game.”

Williams can be Minnesota’s barometer, but she also has a strong gauge for what’s required for the team to be successful. At halftime Sunday, after the Lynx defense was gouged for 20 minutes, Reeve noted Williams played a role in the decision to tinker with the defensive coverage to help slow Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas-led attack.

“She was like, ‘Can we try this? Can we do this?’ ”  Reeve said. “She kind of put her money where her mouth was and tried to change things for us and make things a little more difficult (for Phoenix).”

Reeve said Williams led Minnesota in deflections, while also recording a career-high five steals.

“If I see a moment, just instinctually, I go,” Williams said. “Sometimes it don’t always work out, but it worked out tonight. I just follow my instincts.”

Just as the Lynx follow Williams, frequently to success.

Related Articles

Lynx defense brings home Game 1 victory over Phoenix

Lynx vs. Mercury: Keys to the WNBA semifinal series

Alanna Smith lifted herself to defensive honor, Lynx to title contenders

WNBA playoffs: Lynx rally from 17-point deficit to sweep Golden State

Lynx pull away to easy Game 1 victory over Golden State

AFSCME union members representing Ramsey County workers are opposing the county’s proposal to close its Detox and Withdrawal Management Program.

In a statement last week the AFSCME Council 5, AFSCME Local 8 and AFSCME Local 151 called on the county to reconsider the closure in order “to prioritize community health and safety over short-term budgetary decisions.”

“Our members at Ramsey County have dedicated themselves to helping people in crisis — guiding them through some of the darkest and most dangerous moments of their lives,” said Bart Andersen, executive director of AFSCME Council 5 in the statement. “Closing this program down is not just a loss of jobs; it will be a betrayal of our community. It means fewer people will get the essential care they need, and more families will face the heartbreak of losing a loved one. This is wrong and preventable, and we will not be silent about the harm it will undoubtedly cause.”

County officials earlier this month shared their proposed budget for 2026 and 2027 which includes closing the program on Dec. 31 if the budget is approved. The proposed budget also includes the reduction of 43 staff positions, most of whom work for the program.

Those services would then transition to community providers, according to county officials.

“This service has underperformed expected financial targets year-over-year and has had significant deficits for several years. Transitioning to a community-based model aligns with best practices of other counties and is anticipated to reduce county costs by at least $2 million annually,” county officials said in a statement Thursday.

They also noted that Ramsey is one of two counties in the state running their own detox and withdrawal management service management service. “Our facility averages approximately 10 clients a day when we have the operational capacity to serve 50.”

County officials said the decision to propose closing the program came after ensuring that other metro area substance use disorder treatment resources are available with other community providers.

“Our most strategic role is to build the capacity of other agencies who have experience providing substance use disorder treatment, by enhancing and expanding their services,” county officials said in the statement. “We will be offering capacity building grants this fall as part of our transition plan.”

Union officials said in their statement that the closure will displace frontline workers and strip critical resources from the community.

“We also have serious concerns surrounding the potential privatizing of these services to organizations with questionable ethical ties to county leadership staff and hired analysts who were contracted to study the public program’s effectiveness,” union officials said.

County service teams are holding budget presentations throughout this month. Community members will be able to provide feedback on the proposed budget during public hearings Monday and Dec. 11 before its expected approval on Dec. 16.

Union officials said affected workers and others will attend the next public hearing which will take place at 5 p.m. in the council chambers of the Ramsey County Courthouse on Monday.

For more information on the public hearings on the proposed county budget and tax levy, visit ramseycounty.us/your-government/leadership/board-commissioners/board-meetings-information/public-hearings-notices.

To learn more about the proposed budget, go to ramseycounty.us/your-government/budget-finance.

Related Articles

St. Paul man sentenced in 2023 shootout at White Bear Lake bar

Woman charged in Maplewood crash that killed her 1-year-old, injured 2 other sons

Community backs Borchert’s Meat Market in Maplewood as it struggles with tax payments

Child killed in Maplewood rollover crash; investigators believe alcohol involved

What do the MCA test scores mean and how should parents interpret them?