13 Dec 2023

Elijah Hawkins sets Gophers single-game assist record in win over IUPUI

by admin | posted in: News | 0

Only one piece of drama remained in the Gophers’ 101-65 blowout win over IUPUI on Tuesday at Williams Arena.

Would Elijah Hawkins get one final assist?

With the game well in hand, the starting point guard remained on the floor with four back-ups, but was stuck on a program-record-tying 16 for nearly six minutes.

Then Hawkins’ bounce pass was finished by with a lay-up form walk-on Erick Reader with under three minutes left. Fans at The Barn roared when Hawkins passed Arriel McDonald’s previous mark set against Wisconsin in 1994. The public-address announcer notes the record and coach Ben Johnson subbed him out of the game.

Hawkins, a transfer from Howard, had only one turnover in 32 minutes played Tuesday. His two points didn’t matter much with how much his teammates made shots.

Over the last three games, Hawkins has 39 total assists, after putting up 11 against Nebraska and Florida Gulf Coast last week. It is also believed to be the first time a player has had double-digit assists in three consecutive games.

Slow starts had hindered the Gophers men’s basketball team at times this season. Not Tuesday against IUPUI — one of the worst teams in the country.

Minnesota led from the opening possession, were up 14 within seven minutes, 30 at the half and 41 in second half in an easy victory.

Minnesota (8-3) was a 23.5-point favorite against skidding Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (3-8), which has lost eight straight games to Division I teams.

The U came into game at 115 in NET ranking, while IUPUI was 352 out of 362 in NET ranking. Minnesota did what they should have abasing a lowly-regarded team.

The Gophers were without Dawson Garcia (ankle), Braeden Carrington (personal reasons) and Jack Wilson (hip). Pharrel Payne (groin) started but was able to be rested and played only 12 minutes.

Carrington said before the game he was stepping away from the program to address his mental health. Mike Mitchell came off the bench to make his first start for the U.

Minnesota led 57-27 at the half, which was just outside the five highest-scoring halves in program history. Ola-Joseph led way with 14 points and Hawkins had 11 assists and no turnovers.

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13 Dec 2023

Moms for Liberty cofounder refuses to resign from Sarasota school board

by admin | posted in: Politics | 0

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A cofounder of the conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, Bridget Ziegler, refused to resign from the Sarasota school board Tuesday night despite intense pressure from the board and dozens of community members to step down.

All four board members besides Ziegler — including two who were endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis — passed a resolution calling for her to vacate her position amid revelations surrounding her personal life that emerged as her husband, Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler, is investigated for an alleged rape. Yet Bridget Ziegler remained defiant in the face of the public admonishment from the board, which has no legal authority to remove her.

“I am disappointed. I serve on another public board and this issue did not come up and we were able to forge ahead with business of the board,” Bridget Ziegler said at the meeting, referencing her position on the board that manages Walt Disney Co.’s special land district.

During the course of the rape and sexual battery investigation into her husband, Bridget Ziegler told police that she, her husband and the woman leveling the sexual assault claims had sex together a year ago. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Christian Ziegler and the victim had known each other for more than 20 years. On the day of the alleged incident, Christian Ziegler and Bridget Ziegler has attempted to arrange a tryst with the victim, who backed out after she learned Bridget Ziegler couldn’t attend.

Although Bridget Ziegler is not alleged to have done anything illegal, her critics have denounced her as a hypocrite since she is a outspoken supporter of traditional family values and a Florida law that bans teachers from leading classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, known by opponents as “Don’t Say Gay.”

As a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, Ziegler has risen to national prominence and was endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2022 school board election. DeSantis also appointed her to the Florida board that oversees Disney’s park in central Florida.

Outside of the resolution, the Ziegler investigation is already having ramifications. Earlier this month, a Moms for Liberty chapter in Pennsylvania split from the national group, with its chair telling a local news outlet that “It’s hard to advocate for parental rights when the co-founder is caught up in the scandal.”

And Bridget Ziegler last week resigned as vice president of school board programs at the nonprofit Leadership Institute dedicated to aiding conservatives running for office.

The board meeting in Sarasota was tense from the start, with dozens of protestors lined up outside demanding Ziegler’s resignation in the afternoon. One person held a sign reading “Don’t say 3-way.”

The student representative on the board was asked not to attend the meeting and student performances that typically take place were canceled due to the board addressing a resolution of an adult nature.

One board member, Tom Edwards — the lone Democrat of the group — pushed for Bridget Ziegler to resign for causing the “distraction du jour in long list of distractions” drawing unwanted attention to the school district.

“For me, as chair of the school board, it’s not about the left, it’s not about the right — it’s about students,” said board chair Karen Rose, who introduced the resolution condemning Bridget Ziegler.

Bridget Ziegler spoke only briefly at the meeting, attempting to draw attention to how the board over recent years have passed few resolutions, many of which were tied to political motives. She also noted how the resolution is non-binding — powerless to trigger her resignation.

“This does not have any teeth, is that correct?” Ziegler asked the board’s attorney in what were her first public comments since the investigation became public.

Only DeSantis can remove a school board member and it’s unclear if the Republican governor is considering action against Bridget Ziegler. DeSantis, however, has suggested that Christian Ziegler should step down as GOP chair with the rape investigation pending.

Supporters of Bridget Ziegler who attended the meeting called the board’s move against her a “political charade.” One called out the Republican members of the school board for joining the “woke mob” against Ziegler, saying “Et tu, Brute?”

“This meeting is devoted to a motion that has no more authority than if would if I stood out in the street,” said Martin Hyde, a local Republican dubbed the mini-Donald Trump of Sarasota.

Yet others turned up at the meeting seeking a “pound of flesh” from Ziegler over her past support of policies LGBTQ+ advocates say are harmful to students and make them feel ostracized and shamed.

“Participation in same-sex activity is not shameful,” Nick Machuca with Equality Florida, an LQBTQ+ advocacy group, said to a crowd outside ahead of the meeting.

“However, Bridget Ziegler has done this while simultaneously denigrating our community and working overtime to instill policies that directly marginalize us. That hypocrisy is unacceptable.”

13 Dec 2023

Chicago Bulls announce the creation of a Ring of Honor and will celebrate the inaugural 13-person class in January

by admin | posted in: News | 0

Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and 11 other legendary Chicago Bulls players, coaches and executives will be honored in January as the team celebrates its history with the creation of a Ring of Honor.

The Bulls announced the inaugural class Tuesday. In addition to Jordan and Jackson, it includes Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Toni Kukoč, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winter.

The entire 1995-96 team — which went 72-10 on its way to the NBA championship, the Bulls’ fourth of six titles in an eight-year span — also will be inducted into the Ring of Honor. That includes players Jordan, Kukoč, Pippen, Rodman, Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, John Salley, Dickey Simpkins and Bill Wennington; coaches Jackson, Winter, Jim Cleamons, Erik Helland, John Paxson and Jimmy Rodgers; and front-office members Krause, Ivica Dukan, Clarence Gaines Jr., John Ligmanowski, Chip Schaefer, Jim Stack and Al Vermeil.

The inaugural class will be celebrated at a private gala at the United Center on Jan. 11 and during halftime of the Jan. 12 game against the Golden State Warriors. The team will have Ring of Honor memorabilia and other experiences in the UC atrium from Jan. 10 to 12.

“The Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor will be a first-of-its-kind celebration honoring many of the legends who have helped shape our organization over the past 57 years,” Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “They have deep connections to our fans and community and represent a spirit of competition, hard work and toughness. This January, we look forward to cementing their legacy in Bulls history and inspiring the future of our organization.”

The Bulls will add to the Ring of Honor every two years. Each class will include a group of individuals and a team. Future player honorees must be retired for at least three years and must have played at least three seasons with the Bulls.

Every player selected to the inaugural class either is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame or has had his jersey retired by the Bulls.

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13 Dec 2023

Mahtomedi man robbed of casino winnings in home driveway, charges say

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A casino winner was assaulted and robbed of more than $38,000 in cash outside his house in Mahtomedi early Sunday morning, according to court documents.

The 67-year-old man told police he returned home from Treasure Island Resort & Casino with about $38,100 in cash about 2:15 a.m. Sunday when a red pickup pulled up to his residence in the 700 block of Griffin Court.

“Two black male occupants exited the motor vehicle, physically assaulted him, took the cash from him, and left in the red pickup,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Washington County District Court.

While the man was being punched and kicked by the men, two women relatives came out of the man’s house, according to the complaint. The men threatened that they “were going to kill the girls,” and one pointed a gun at one of the women and said, “You (expletive) better go inside or we will kill you.”

The men fled the scene, and the man who had been robbed took after them in his own vehicle, the complaint states.

Deangelo Romaine Jacox, Shawn Eric Lewis and Tristin Tyler Jacox Mann (Courtesy of the Washington County sheriff’s office)

Law enforcement eventually stopped the suspects’ red pickup near the intersection of Minnesota 36 and White Bear Avenue in Maplewood. The driver was identified as Deangelo Romaine Jacox, 32, of Coon Rapids. The two other men were identified as Shawn Eric Lewis, 35, of Bloomington, and Tristin Tyler Jacox Mann, 32, of Golden Valley.

All three men were charged with first-degree aiding and abetting aggravated robbery; second-degree aiding and abetting aggravated robbery, and aiding and abetting threats of violence-reckless disregard risk.

Jacox, the driver, faces an additional felony charge of fleeing a police officer, according to the complaint.

Lewis and Jacox Mann appeared in Washington County District Court on Tuesday morning. Lewis’s bond was set at $250,000 without conditions; Jacox Mann’s bond was set at $150,000 without conditions.

Jacox did not appear in court on Tuesday. The criminal complaint was not signed by a judge before the expiration hold expired at 3:13 a.m., authorities said, so he was released from custody.

Jacox was arrested on a warrant Tuesday night at his home in Coon Rapids, said Laura Perkins, a spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday morning.

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