TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — A U.S. senator has called for mysterious drones spotted flying at night over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region to be “shot down, if necessary,” even as it remains unclear who owns the unmanned aircraft. “We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday, as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill. People in the New York region are also concerned that the drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines, he said, demanding more transparency from the Biden administration. The White House said Thursday that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the U.S. Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels. “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh has said they are not U.S. military drones. In a joint statement issued Thursday afternoon, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they and their federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, “continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.” The agencies said they have not corroborated any of the reported sightings with electronic detection, and that reviews of available images appear to show many of the reported drones are actually manned aircraft. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space,” according to the statement. The drones appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It’s also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once. The worry stems partly from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. In a post on the social media platform X, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use but are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey appeared to be larger than those typically used by hobbyists. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said he was frustrated by the lack of transparency, saying it could help spread fear and misinformation. “We should know what’s going on over our skies,” he said Thursday. John Duesler, president of the Pennsylvania Drone Association, said witnesses may be confused about what they are seeing, especially in the dark, and noted it’s hard to know the size of the drones or how close they might be. “There are certainly big drones, such as agricultural drones, but typically they are not the type you see flying around in urban or suburban spaces,” Duesler said Thursday. Duesler said the drones — and those flying them — likely cannot evade detection. “They will leave a radio frequency footprint, they all leave a signature," he said. "We will find out what kind of drones they were, who was flying them and where they were flying them.” Fantasia, a Morris County Republican, was among several lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the sightings from the New York City area across New Jersey and westward into parts of Pennsylvania, including over Philadelphia. It is unknown at this time whether the sightings are related. Duesler said the public wants to know what's going on. “I hope (the government agencies) will come out with more information about this to ease our fears. But this could just be the acts of rogue drone operators, it’s not an ‘invasion’ as some reports have called it,” Duesler said. “I am concerned about this it but not alarmed by it.” Associated Press reporters Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and reporter Darlene Superville and videojournalists Serkan Gurbuz and Nathan Ellgren in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.Native American patients are sent to collections for debts the government owesMailbag: Will Conor McGregor face any repercussions in the MMA world for his sexual assault verdict?

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DENVER — Bo Nix's escape from football over the bye week naturally involved more football. The Denver Broncos rookie quarterback watched his father coach in the Alabama state title game and his brothers (Caleb Nix at Clemson, Tez Johnson at Oregon) win conference championship games within moments of each other. Now, it's back to the task at hand — helping the Broncos (8-5) end a long playoff drought. They can take a big step toward that goal with a win over Indianapolis (6-7) on Sunday. Entering Week 15, Denver is in the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC, with the Colts right behind. Should the Broncos emerge victorious, they have an 89% probability of making the postseason for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. Should they lose, it dips to 47%. "It's a group that I think understands that," said Broncos coach Sean Payton, whose team has a chance to clinch a winning season for the first time since 2016. This is desperate times for the Colts, too, who would see their playoff probability drop to 7% with a loss Sunday. "This is the exact place I want to be at, at this point in the season," Indy linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "We're in December, playing a game that means something against an opponent that matters. The way I look at it, what will the narrative be after we win? What's that moment going to feel like after you overcome such a challenge? "Obviously, cameras, great team, playing great football right now and the bonus is it's a great opportunity." Franklin and the Colts defense will be looking to corral Nix, who leads all rookies in completions (277), yards passing (2,842), offensive touchdowns (22) and passing touchdowns (17). Nix stressed that his team is locked in for the stretch run. "Everybody's into it," Nix said of the playoff push. "Everybody's excited to make this run here the last four games of the regular season. I think that's a good sign of a good team when you have that edge to you. You don't really need guys telling you to lock (in). You just kind of have that mindset. (We are a) very mature, focused and competitive team right now." His QB counterpart, Anthony Richardson, is locked in, too. He's going against a formidable Broncos defense led by Pat Surtain II and pass rusher Nik Bonitto. Denver's looking for a bounce-back performance after allowing Jameis Winston to throw for a Browns-record 497 yards passing and former Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy to go for a career-best 235 yards receiving in Denver's 41-32 win just before the bye. "It's our game we have to play," Richardson said. "Go out there and execute each and every play, and just play our game." Indy has been mixing and matching its offensive line starters ever since Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly went down with a knee injury in early October. That's not expected to change this week, even if Kelly returns to the lineup. Kelly was designated for return from injured reserve Wednesday and could play Sunday. If not, rookie Tanor Bortolini, who has been cleared from the concussion protocol, could start at center. Undrafted rookie Dalton Tucker has replaced injured right guard Will Fries in the lineup, and rookie Matt Goncalves could fill in for right tackle Braden Smith, who is expected to miss his second straight game because of a personal matter. The Colts and Broncos both took last weekend off after being given the latest possible byes on the schedule. While Colts coach Shane Steichen wasn't sure about the impact of a Week 14 bye, he's found some significant benefit to a short December break. "You always wonder about it (a late bye)," he said before Wednesday's practice. "But it gives us an opportunity to get healthy. Like I said, playing football in December is huge for us and getting those guys back when you have such a late bye helps." Franklin has had a league-high 480 tackles over the past three seasons, but this week the team captain is playing a different role off the field — adviser. Franklin's experience playing in Denver — he played there in a 12-9 overtime win in 2022 — has prompted teammates to ask about the one inescapable fact of the Mile High City — the elevation. "I've given them a couple of tips here and there," Franklin said. "But everybody's body is different. Some guys may get sick. You almost don't really know how your body's going to react to it." Surtain took tremendous pride in recently being named the AFC defensive player of the month. He's the first Broncos cornerback to earn the award since Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey in October 2006. Surtain had quite a month of November, playing 140 total coverage snaps and allowing just nine receptions for 55 yards, according to NextGen Stats. "It shows the work I put in prior to that month," Surtain said. "It's something that I took a huge account in for sure." The Broncos have their hands full trying to stop Richardson's designed runs and tailback Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for 804 yards this season. "There are a number of things that can stress you," Payton said. "It presents a completely ... different challenge than weeks prior."

4th annual Nativity Blessing brings theme of hope, not in government, but in GodMaryam wants TFDC, five varsity campuses in Nawaz Sharif IT City Maryam says she was really sorry for inconvenience suffered by people LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed the establishment of Tier-Four Data Centre (TFDC) and campuses of five international universities in the Nawaz Sharif IT City. She approved in principle the establishment of the centre in collaboration with China. She chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress on the CBD Nawaz Sharif IT City project. The chief minister was informed that universities of China, England and other countries would establish their campuses in the Nawaz Sharif IT City. The campuses of Tang, Xurt and Baifang Institute of Vocational Education will be established. The Buckinghamshire University and Imperial College London are also willing to set up their campuses. Besides, an artificial intelligence and information technology university will be set up. The chief minister directed all stakeholders to ensure the completion of Nawaz Sharif IT City Twin Towers at the earliest. Commenting on the suffering and inconvenience suffered by people due to political events in Islamabad, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said: “I am really sorry for the suffering and inconvenience suffered by people.” She directed authorities to open the blocked roads across Punjab. She added: “People suffered due to obstacles caused by anarchists.” She directed authorities to take necessary measures to maintain the supply of food items, besides controlling the prices of essential commodities.

HPH Announces Receipt of Minimum Bid Price Notice from NasdaqA new pilot program in the River East area is helping seniors leave the house and get groceries. Kildonan-River East MLA Rachelle Schott, Transportation Options Network for Seniors (TONS), Good Neighbours, and the Senior Resource Finder in the area all joined forces to start this program that picks up seniors from their buildings and brings them to a nearby grocery store once a month. October was the first month they did it, and Wednesday was their November trip. Serena Bittner, the executive director of TONS, said the turnout has been fantastic so far and it is really helping seniors' quality of life. "We know that food security and transportation go hand-in-hand, and it's super important to have transportation that is accessible, affordable, and close to the destination," said Bittner. She said the seniors get the groceries they need, and then volunteers help load and unload the groceries once they get back to their residence. While the transportation aspect is the main focus of this pilot program, Bittner noted it also provides the participants with social interactions. "Some of these people haven't been out in six-plus years. Many of them have never used Winnipeg Transit, and it's a great learning adventure, as well as an opportunity to chat with some of the people in their buildings and neighbouring buildings. So they're really getting to meet with their neighbours and make new social connections." Julia Lim, the Seniors Resource Finder for the area, helps connect adults 55-plus to these kinds of programs. She said there is a large senior population in River East and this program is crucial for their wellbeing. Shirley Godfrey is one of the participants of the new pilot program, calling it a blessing. "We can't always get to the store we want to, because you either have to take a cab or (handi-bus), and then you're constrained by time or expense," said Godfrey. She said other options are sometimes not possible or extremely inconvenient, so to have this available is "wonderful." Bittner, Lim, and Godfrey all hope this is a program that can continue for the foreseeable future. "There are other communities that are looking to start this up as well, but funding is important to keep this going," said Bittner. "Whether that's small funding or big funding, or just community partnerships, it takes a village."NoneAs I See It: Why I really resigned from the Corvallis Planning Commission

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Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Gasoline margins end week lower“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks “ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting'”, adding: “In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire transition team are grateful for their swift action.” Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretences. The FBI said in a statement that it is “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners”. It added: “We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.” Among those targeted was Elise Stefanik, Mr Trump’s choice to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations. Her office said that she, her husband, and their three-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. “New York state, county law enforcement, and US Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism,” her office said in a statement. “We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7.” In Florida, meanwhile, the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former congressman Matt Gaetz’s supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9am this morning”. While a family member resides at the address, they said “former congressman Gaetz is not a resident”, adding: “The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results.” Mr Gaetz was Mr Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Mr Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by unusual violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The US Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Mr Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a fence while Mr Trump was playing golf.