What’s at stake for Vikings over the next few weeks? Here’s how they can make the playoffs.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

What’s at stake for Vikings over the next few weeks? Here’s how they can make the playoffs. Technically, the Vikings still control their own destiny as they work toward locking up a playoff spot.Though they can’t win the NFC North without some help, if the Vikings go 3-0 to end the regular season, they have a 100 percent chance of at least making the playoffs.Even if they go 2-1, according to a New York Times simulator, they have a 98 percent chance of making the playoffs as a wild card.Naturally, it gets much murkier if they go 1-2, with the odds evaporating completely if they go 0-3.That sets the stage for the Vikings’ home game against the NFL North-leading Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve at U.S. Bank Stadium.It will be the first matchup between the teams with the second matchup coming in a couple of weeks when the Vikings travel to play the Lions in Detroit in the season finale the first week of January.Sunday is an important game spliced in between with the Vikings playing host to the Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve at U.S. Bank Stadium.How are th...

Gophers QB Cole Kramer’s pre-wedding plan takes backseat to first start

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Gophers QB Cole Kramer’s pre-wedding plan takes backseat to first start Before tying the knot, Cole Kramer wants to put a bow on his Gophers football career.The fifth-year senior quarterback will marry Katie Miller in Rochester, Minn., in early February, but first he wants to cap his U career with a win over Bowling Green in Tuesday’s Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.Kramer’s playing days were set to end in a behind-the-scenes supportive role in late November. The backup QB notified coaches he would hang up his No. 12 jersey after the regular-season finale against Wisconsin. He took part in the pregame Senior Day festivities that day as part of a sendoff.But within days, starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and third-stringer Drew Viotto exited the program via the NCAA transfer portal.Gophers coaches had been supportive of Kramer’s decision to retire, but given the circumstances, they soon contacted him about running it back for one more month.Getting in the habit of saying vows, Kramer quickly said yes.“As a kid that grew up in Minnesota, that was my...

St. Louis man sentenced to 20 years for transporting over 31 pounds of meth

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

St. Louis man sentenced to 20 years for transporting over 31 pounds of meth ST. LOUIS -- A 56-year-old man from St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole on December 22. Cregg L. Matthews was caught with over 31 pounds of methamphetamine in his luggage at a Kansas City bus station. He was found guilty on June 6, 2023, for possessing and intending to sell drugs.Back on March 9, 2019, investigators received a tip that Matthews, traveling by bus from California, would arrive in Kansas City with a large amount of meth. The K9 unit detected drugs in Matthews' suitcase and a black bag he was carrying. St. Peters man catches state record fish from Missouri River Matthews, previously convicted for drug offenses and statutory rape, had been released from parole a year before committing this federal offense. He was also involved in a jail fight while in pre-trial custody.

Colorado real estate trends: Lower interest rates not enough to motivate buyers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Colorado real estate trends: Lower interest rates not enough to motivate buyers A slight drop in interest rates didn’t give home buyers enough incentive to overcome the traditional seasonal slowdown in November.November’s sales volume was down 14% from last year in the Denver metro and 19 percent from October, according to the monthly report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.The report also showed homes are spending more days on the market, and sellers continue to agree to price concessions as the close-price-to-list-price ratio dropped to 98.6%.At the end of November, the number of active listings hit 6,684, down 11% from October’s 7,482 properties. Average active listings for November are 13,657.The median days on the market climbed to 22 from 16 in October, and the median close price sat at $565,250, down from $581,000 in October.“The opportunity for buyers continues as we look at the close-price-to-list-price ratio,” said Libby Levinson-Katz in prepared comments with the monthly report.“What we know in the ind...

Will new federal payout formula for Tri-State send members to the exits?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Will new federal payout formula for Tri-State send members to the exits? A federal agency has issued an order in the ongoing faceoffs between the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and its members in Colorado and three other states, clearing the way for a potential reshaping of a significant chunk of the region’s energy landscape.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission adopted a formula for showing electric cooperatives what it would cost them to end their contracts with the wholesale power provider. The parties are poring over this week’s 247-page order and crunching numbers.Tri-State has until Jan. 19 to submit the amounts for all 42 member cooperatives, 17 of which are in Colorado.United Power, Tri-State’s largest member, didn’t wait to hear its exit fee before deciding to leave. The Brighton-based cooperative gave notice two years ago that it would terminate its contract May 1, 2024. The utility has signed an agreement to buy electricity from Guzman Energy, a wholesale supplier that has contracts with other for...

Broncos scouting report: How Denver matches up against Patriots and predictions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Broncos scouting report: How Denver matches up against Patriots and predictions Patriots (3-11) at Broncos (7-7)When: 6:15 p.m. MT, SundayWhere: Empower Field at Mile HighRadio/TV: 850 AM, 94.1 FM/KMGH-7, NFL NetworkBroncos-Patriots series: The Broncos are 27-22 in 49 regular-season games dating back to 1960; Denver won 18-12 in the last meeting, on Oct. 18, 2020, in New England, but has lost two of the last three matchups to the Patriots.In the spotlightRookie Riley Moss took advantage of the moment.As a gunner for Denver’s punting unit against the Lions, Moss didn’t allow Kalif Raymond to gain a single yard, as the Broncos rookie cornerback bolted down the field before he wrapped up Detroit’s returner by the ankles for a tackle in the first quarter.For Moss, it’s been a grind to get playing time. The Iowa product missed all of training camp with a core muscle injury. He was inactive for the first two games of the season, and when Moss has played, he’s been limited to special teams work (204 snaps) and minimal appearances on defense (13 snaps).But he has impre...

An advocate for Latino students, this teen is being honored as an emerging leader in Colorado

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

An advocate for Latino students, this teen is being honored as an emerging leader in Colorado When Osvaldo Garcia Barron started high school, he was often the only student of color in his advanced classes. He struggled to speak up and wondered if he had anything to contribute.The start of the pandemic interrupted his freshman year of high school.But instead of coming out of it feeling isolated, Garcia Barron came back to school determined. He followed his older sister Paola’s lead in participating in some leadership programs and continued taking advanced classes.Related ArticlesEducation | Colorado universities grapple with retention of faculty of color amid staff departures, allegations of racism Education | Lucille Ruibal Rivera, health care leader and Chicana artist, was victim in Northglenn murder-suicide When he still struggled to feel a sense of belonging, he realized he probably wasn’t the only one.Read more at Chalkbeat Colorado.Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.Get more Colorado news by s...

Charlie Sheen attacked at Malibu home by neighbor: LASD

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Charlie Sheen attacked at Malibu home by neighbor: LASD The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested a woman accused of attacking actor Charlie Sheen at his Malibu home on Wednesday afternoon.Deputies with the Malibu/Lost Hills Station responded to a battery call at around 1:00 p.m. on Cavalleri Road, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed.Investigators contacted the parties involved and identified Sheen as the victim of the assault. The Sheriff's Department also identified the suspect as a woman named Electra Schrock. Thieves steal thousands of dollars worth of music equipment from L.A. band According to TMZ, the suspect forced her way into Sheen's home. When Sheen opened the door, she attacked him by attempting to strangle him and ripped his shirt. Schrock then retreated to her own home.Sources told the outlet that paramedics arrived at the scene but the "Two and a Half Men" star was not taken to the hospital.The suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, force likely to create great bodily injury a...

Man suspected of raping woman behind Orange County business arrested

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Man suspected of raping woman behind Orange County business arrested A sexual assault suspect is behind bars more than a year after he allegedly kidnapped and raped a woman in Santa Ana, police said Thursday.On July 5, 2022, the victim was walking home in the 300 block of South Harbor Boulevard around 9 p.m. when the suspect approached and began speaking to her, the Santa Ana Police Department posted on its Instagram page.The 23-year-old victim told police the suspect, later identified as 57-year-old Ignacio Segura Lemus of Santa Ana, asked her to hang out but she refused and tried to walk away. "The suspect then followed the victim, knocked her down, dragged her behind a business, where he sexually assaulted her," The Police Department stated.The victim called police after the suspect fled the scene and detectives began their investigation. On Thursday, Lemus was arrested and booked on several sexual assault-related charges, the Police Department said. Bail for Lemus was set at $1 million.Investigators believe Lemus may have been involved in additio...

Will mail be delivered on Christmas or New Year's Day?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Will mail be delivered on Christmas or New Year's Day? Americans shouldn’t expect mail to be delivered on Christmas or New Year’s Day.The United States Postal Service announced that facilities will be closed in observance of the federal holidays. No mail will be delivered to residential areas or businesses.Normal delivery and collection schedules will resume on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, 2024, respectively. These restaurants will be open on Christmas Day in Southern California Local post offices will also be closed on Dec. 24. Regular mail won't be delivered and mail dropped off at blue collection boxes won't be picked up. Priority Mail Express mail will be delivered, according to the agency's website. UPS locations will also be closed and delivery service will be unavailable except for Express Critical. FedEx offices and services are also closed, except for FedEx Custom Critical.Amazon delivery services will also be suspended on Christmas and New Year’s Day.Customers needing USPS services can visit the agency’s website to access “most posta...