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NFL aims to provide valuable resources to former players through its Legends Community

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

John Randle was skeptical going into a meeting with NFL officials about an initiative for former players.Ten years later, Randle plays a major role in the program.The Hall of Fame defensive linemen is one of five directors for the NFL Legends Community, an organization launched in 2013 that provides valuable resources for more than 20,000 former players.“I didn’t think this was going to succeed because there were multiple programs people wanted to do for former players,” Randle said.But this was different. It was a vision of Troy Vincent, a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback who leads the NFL’s football operations department, and league executive Tracy Pearlman. They wanted to celebrate former players, to help them stay connected with their teams and to provide them with assistance in many areas from understanding which benefits are available to them to handling life after football. Calling them “legends” instead of former players was part of honoring their contributions to the game.“It ...

Fighting in disputed Kashmir kills 5 Indian soldiers and 2 suspected militants

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Five Indian soldiers were killed in gunbattles with rebels fighting against New Delhi’s rule in disputed Kashmir, officials said Thursday. The Indian army said two suspected militants were also killed.The fighting started Wednesday, days after Indian troops started searching for militants in dense forests based on information that at least two rebels were hiding there, a military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with official policy.Intermittent firing continued at regular intervals all day Wednesday, the official said, killing four soldiers and injured at least two other soldiers.The army wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that rebels were also injured in the gunbattle and were surrounded by Indian troops. It did not specify how many militants were in the battle.Troops continued their search, resulting in a fresh exchange of gunfire Thursday in the mountainous and forested area of the southern Rajouri district, near the highly militariz...

DC-area residents share some funny and strange Thanksgiving memories

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Scott Gelman spoke to some D.C.-area residents to figure out what funny or bizarre moments make their list of Thanksgiving memories. $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); if( typeof gtag === "function" ){ gtag('event', 'post_audio', { 'play': audio_filename, 'permalink': window.location.href }); } }); }); Thanksgiving isn’t just a time for turkey, stuffing...

The Heights food hall in Chevy Chase to officially open on Dec. 11

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

The Heights food hall in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is located across the street from the Friendship Heights Metro station. (Courtesy John Rorapaugh via LeadingDC) The Heights food hall in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is located across the street from the Friendship Heights Metro station. (Courtesy John Rorapaugh via LeadingDC) Since July, those who live and work in Chevy Chase, Maryland, have waited with bated breath for the opening of The Heights, a brand new food hall.Initially, the goal was to open The Heights in late August or early September, according to Chad Sparrow, the managing partner of Common Plate Hospitality. In an interview with WTOP, Sparrow said the opening date is now officially Dec. 11.What caused the lo...

Barcelona and Real Madrid return to action after injuries to Gavi, Vinícius and Camavinga

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and Real Madrid will be without three of their top young players when the Spanish league returns this weekend, after they were injured during the international break.Barcelona lost 19-year-old Gavi for the rest of the season when the all-terrain midfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and damaged his lateral meniscus during Spain’s final European Championship qualifier. Spain was already qualified for next year’s tournament in Germany before it beat Georgia 3-1 on Sunday.National team coach Luis de la Fuente has come under criticism in Spain’s sports media for not substituting Gavi when his knee buckled inward during a collision with an opponent. He played on for a few minutes only to collapse in tears before limping off. He will now undergo surgery that will most likely also rule him out for Spain at Euro 2024.Gavi, despite his age, has emerged as a key player for Spain and for his club. He is Barcelona’s best tackler in mi...

Restaurant review: Panam Kebab

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

Place Fernand Cocq 14What’s good? Panam kebab’s motto is “fast food good” — quick meals that leave you feeling healthy, rather than bloated. You pick between a döner bread or a platter — filled with your choice of falafel, chicken or halloumi. Most of their food is homemade, such as their marinated cucumber, white and red cabbage, and pickled onions. The hand-cut fries are thin and crispy, making them extra crunchy after being double-fried, and they come with a handful of sauces to pick from. You can also kick your caffeine levels up with the popular Club-Mate drink inspired by Argentina’s famous national tea.What’s not? The platter was delicious, but it was perhaps a little light on halloumi and grilled veggies.Vibe: The restaurant’s logo is a man with a mullet and sunglasses cutting a döner — and the posters inside the restaurant mirror the funky vibe. The interior design is modern and hip: You order from the open kitche...

Former Boy Scout leader pleads guilty to sexually assaulting New Hampshire boy decades ago

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A former Boy Scout leader and camp counselor in New Hampshire has been sentenced to a year in jail for sexually assaulting a boy in his troop decades ago.Michael Brady, 44, pleaded guilty Nov. 14 to engaging in a pattern of aggravated felonious sexual assault and to endangering the welfare of a child, the Rockingham County attorney’s office said Wednesday. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 12 months in jail, plus a six- to 15-year prison sentence that will remain suspended if he pays restitution to the victim and meets other conditions.Prosecutors said the assaults took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Kingston while Brady was the victim’s Boy Scout master and camp counselor. County Attorney Patricia Conway praised the “bravery and integrity” of the now-adult victim, saying he “stood strong and determined to do the right thing in the face of adversity.”Conway said the sentence reflects that the case presented challenges giv...

US warship shoots down attack drones over the Red Sea

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

(CNN) — A US warship shot down “multiple one-way attack drones” launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Thursday morning local time, according to the United States Central Command.In a statement, CENTCOM said the USS Thomas Hudner shot the drones down while it was on patrol in the Red Sea, adding that there had been no damage to the ship or injuries sustained by the crew.Tensions have increased in the Red Sea region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claiming to have fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel.On Sunday, the Galaxy Leader cargo ship was hijacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea with about 25 crew members on board.The United States demands “the immediate release” of the cargo ship and crew seized by the Houthis in the Red Sea, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday.

Thanksgiving: A time for football, awkward conversations at dinner table

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

Thanksgiving and football are joined at the hip.Or is it the wing?Unless you’re Lions coach Dan Campbell.An unabashed ham, Campbell is an unapologetically a ham fan. He’ll force down fried turkey. But he’ll throw your dressing/stuffing to the dogs, along with that cranberry sauce.Celtics star Jayson Tatum is also a ham guy.“Candied yams, dressing, and ham” to be more specific.Tatum’s teammate, Jaylen Brown, is a fan of “dressing” and “mac and cheese.”I mean, who isn’t?Bill Belichick is traditionalist when it comes to both football and Thanksgiving. The Hoodie is a big fan of both turkey and high school games on Turkey Day. Belichick was raised in Maryland, which shares a similar high school football-Thanksgiving Day lineage to that found in New England.Of course, no state does high school and Thanksgiving Day football like the Commonwealth.As it should be, since the first Thanksgiving occurred in Plymouth 402 years ago.Thanksgiving Day football can be traced back t...

Madagascar president on course for reelection as supporters claim they were promised money to vote

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:42 GMT

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina is on course for reelection in a vote boycotted by most opposition candidates, while supporters of his party claimed they had been promised money in return for backing him.Rajoelina had received 60% of the votes after 68% of polling stations declared their results by late Wednesday, according to the national electoral commission. It put him on course for a third term as leader of the Indian Ocean island of 28 million.Rajoelina, a former DJ and mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, was president of a provisional government in Madagascar in 2009-2014 after a coup. He was elected president in 2019 and gained a degree of notoriety during the coronavirus pandemic by promoting a herbal drink as a cure for COVID-19.The leadup to last Thursday’s election was marked by protests against Rajoelina led by opposition candidates. Security forces fired tear gas grenades at the demonstrators and two opposition candidates susta...