Taylor Swift reportedly “feels horrible” for her close friend Blake Lively after the actress filed a legal complaint last week accusing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Sources tell The Daily Mail that the “Shake it Off” singer was “startled” by the revelations contained in Lively’s lawsuit. “Taylor is startled by the revelations surrounding the Blake Lively takedown and she is encouraging Blake to get to the bottom of it,” the source said. “She supports Blake and feels horrible that she had to go through all of this.” Lively and Swift have been close friends for years, and the pop star is even the godmother to her three daughters James, Inez, and Betty. Lively’s children, whom she welcomed with husband Ryan Reynolds , are also named in one of Swift’s tracks “Betty” off her 2020 album Folklore . In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and his public relations team for engineering a smear campaign against her over the summer. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, called the claims “outrageous” and told the Associated Press in a statement, “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.” Universal Pictures put the speculation to rest on Monday, announcing that director Christopher Nolan’s next film will be The Odyssey , based on Homer’s epic poem and a central story of Greek mythology. “Christopher Nolan’s next film ‘The Odyssey’ is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology,” the studio posted on X. “The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.” No specific casting has been announced, but the film is expected to star real-life couple and former Spider-Man co-stars Tom Holland and Zendaya along with Matt Damon ( Oppenheimer ), Anne Hathaway ( Interstellar ), Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. As recently as last week, Holland was being coy about the details of the film, saying in a podcast interview , “To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know what it’s about. I’m super excited, but it’s been pretty quiet about the project. I met with [Nolan] and it was awesome. He kind of loosely pitched what it is, and I’m sure when he’s ready he’ll announce what it’s about.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Martin Scorsese. Bill and Hillary. Martha Steward. These are just some of the people we are unlikely to meet in person, but at least we can get up close and personal with them by taking their MasterClass online courses —and at a major discount for a limited time. The expert-led platform has a robust library of educational classes on far-ranging topics: science , music, arts , personal empowerment, and more. The classes are taught by industry experts and household names, including Gordon Ramsey, Mariah Carey, David Lynch, Jeff Koons, and many more. Right now, you can score up to 50 percent off on MasterClass subscriptions just in time for last-minute holiday gifting. You do have to take a short quiz to get to the deal, but honestly, it’s worth the 60 seconds. Honestly, whether you waited until the last minute or not, you’ll be gifting the dad in your life with intelligent, cultured content and giving them the opportunity to learn something new from someone famous. A U.S. Navy fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea on Saturday in an apparent friendly fire incident, authorities have said. Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely after it was “mistakenly fired” upon by the USS Gettysburg in a non-specified location, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. One of the pilots sustained minor injuries and authorities said a full investigation is underway. The F/A-18, was operating from the USS Harry S. Truman, when the guided-missile cruiser—part of the Truman carrier strike group—fired during a refueling operation. The incident happened a day after U.S. forces hit Houthi structural targets in Yemen. The rebel group appeared to try and take credit for the incident Sunday, but it has a reputation for false claims. The U.S. has a presence in the area due to the Iran-backed Houthi campaign of targeting ships in the busy waterway. Kieran Culkin made his film debut at age 8 opposite his real-life brother Macaulay Culkin in the holiday classic Home Alone . Before that, his child acting career got off to an unfortunate start, he revealed in a new episode of the Smartless podcast , when he was cast as a learning disabled kid in a commercial at 6-years-old. “The concept was I’m standing in front of a chalkboard with chalk in my hand and I don’t know how to solve the easy thing in front of me,” Culkin recalled. “And the kids in the class are supposed to be calling me a dummy and stupid, all that.” But when the director, who he declined to name, called action, he started shouting at the young Culkin, “‘Dummy. Idiot. Stupid.’” The unusual approach led the actor to think to himself, “I get it. I’m 6. Stand here and look sad. I’m not f---ing method. I’m 6. What’s wrong with you?” As a child, Culkin went on to star in films like Only the Lonely and Father of the Bride. More recently, he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Roman Roy on HBO’s Succession and is a frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actor trophy at the upcoming Academy Awards for his role in the film A Real Pain . Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Every winter, my skin gets chapped, irritated, and downright pissed at me, thanks to the shorter days, colder temperatures, layers of clothes, heaters on full-blast everywhere, and lack of moisture in the air. Usually, I don’t feel the need to reach for a designated ‘night cream’ since the regular moisturizer that I use during the day works just fine, but during the past few weeks, my skin has been screaming for a little extra TLC and hydration. When it comes to any category of skincare , I always look for clinically-proven and medical-grade formulas, if possible, including the most basic creams and moisturizers. While there are a few Korean beauty (K-beauty to the initiated) products I’ve loved for years, the holy grail snail mucin serum I once used religiously has disappeared from my daily routine, as has my former collection of sheet and lip masks. On my quest for a thirst-quenching night cream with added anti-aging benefits, I discovered the luxury medical-grade skincare line, Dr. Rossi DERM MD . The brand’s formulas borrow wisdom from Korean skincare traditions and each of the formulas is powered by Dr. Rossi’s proprietary Bio-Theriac Complex , combining biomimetic sea anemone peptides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid in an optimized ratio to combat premature aging caused by skin sensitization. Its bestselling, skin-repairing Night Synthesis Cream sounded like exactly what my skin needed (it also doesn’t hurt that the enviably ageless Martha Stewart is reportedly a fan of the concentrated cream.) Without being overly heavy or greasy—two skincare formula characteristics that are absolute dealbreakers as far as I’m concerned—the night cream is still rich, emollient, and brimming with science-backed ingredients that not only keep their complexion-enhancing properties but also rejuvenate lackluster skin fast. When I say this cream is dense, I’m really not joking—when you turn the jar upside down, the formula stays put like a Dairy Queen Blizzard turned upside down. Despite its density and viscosity, I’ve been wearing it under makeup during the day, and the formula absorbs quickly enough that there’s no oil slick of residue lingering, which is another requirement of mine. Within just a week of using the cream , the dehydration-induced fine lines around my crow’s feet and under my eyes have diminished significantly. My skin appears firmer, brighter, and more luminous upon waking. Plus, the broken capillaries, redness, and skin peeling (also likely due to my retinoid use) have almost vanished despite the arid climate and rampant seasonal cedar allergies. Coming in at just under $200, this luxury night cream is definitely an investment but one that is well worth it if your skin, like mine, is crying out for reprieve from these drier winter months. Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos visited Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week, according to reports, just the latest in a procession of business elites suddenly seeking face-time with the president-elect. The 60-year-old has previously donated to Democrats including President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to Reuters . Sarandos is also married to Nicole Avant, who was Obama’s United States Ambassador to the Bahamas between 2009 and 2011. A dizzying array of high-powered business moguls have tried to curry favor with Trump since his election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Last week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos joined Trump for a dinner at Mar-a-Lago that was also attended by Trump’s outspoken cheerleader and Twitter owner, Elon Musk . Fellow social media mogul Mark Zuckerberg also paid a visit to the president-elect’s Palm Beach club last month, while Apple CEO Tim Cook made his visit earlier in December. Zuckerberg’s Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund after his house call, a move that Amazon is also reportedly considering . Trump seems to be thrilled with his newfound popularity, posting last week: “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND.” Michael Schumacher, the famed F1 star, is going to be a granddad. The news comes after his daughter, 27-year-old Gina, announced her pregnancy. The sports icon’s daughter was just married three months ago, with her dad speculated to have attended the wedding. Gina made an Instagram post, featuring a photo of pink western items, including a pony, with the caption: “Impatiently awaiting the arrival of our little girl.” She tagged her newly-wedded husband, Iain. Schumacher, 55, has not been seen publicly since a skiing accident in 2013, where he sustained a severe head injury. Known to keep his life private, no mobile phones were allowed at the wedding. Jean Todt, a friend of Schumacher, said in the past that he “is no longer the Michael we knew,” according to The Sun . Beside Gina, Schumacher has a son named Mick, who also races. He commented on his sister’s announcement post, writing: “So excited.” Japanese car manufacturers Honda and Nissan have announced a merger, leaving drivers wondering what the phoenix brand will be called. Japan’s second and third biggest automakers, behind Toyota, are pairing up to fight back against the rising threat of Chinese dominance in the electric vehicle market. The two companies signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding in March, committing to collaboration on EVs, and on Monday confirmed the plans to fully merge—alongside Nissan-controlled Mitsubishi. But after the press conference in Tokyo, attention shifted to what the overall holding company might be called when the merger is finished, perhaps as early as late January. “Nissonda or Hondissan?” one X user asked , while another added : “Can’t wait to drive a Nishonda.” One person took a different view, saying : “Hondissan this, Nissonda that. No. Nonda. Or, the objectively more evil Nisson.” A Cathay Pacific flight destined for Boston diverted to Japan because of an unruly passenger who allegedly assaulted people during a midair meltdown. Passengers endured a 15-hour delay and a forced stopover at Tokyo Haneda after flight CX812, which originated in Hong Kong , descended into chaos. The disruptive individual was banned from future flights with the airline, Hong Kong’s flag carrier. Reports suggest the person, who was arrested upon touchdown, assaulted others onboard. Passengers initially departed Hong Kong International Airport 7:40 p.m. local time on Saturday, but after the incident, the were loaded onto a new plane, which departed at 10:45 a.m. and reached Boston at 12:26 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday. They were compensated with meal vouchers and lounge access, while the airline also apologized. Hong Kong’s Aviation Security Ordinance has strict penalties for unruly behavior, including fines of up to around $6,500 and imprisonment for up to five years. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. As any true audiophile already knows, Amazon Music Unlimited has long been a reliable destination for an elevated listening experience. With millions of high-quality songs and an unparalleled collection of top ad-free podcasts, the platform’s catalog is curated to capture both your attention and your imagination. Now, Amazon is raising the bar with an exciting update: Audible is officially joining Amazon Music Unlimited, cementing the brand’s status as an all-in-one audio hub . Audible’s industry-leading catalog of audiobooks features an expansive selection of can’t-miss bestsellers, hot-off-the-press exclusives, and timeless classics to immerse yourself in. As an Amazon Music Unlimited subscriber, you’ll be free to select one book each month (of any length) and listen to it directly in the Amazon Music app . Whether you’re a fiction buff ready to dive into a thrilling new adventure or a non-fiction enthusiast looking to expand your horizons, Audible’s expansive collection is sure to have the right title that matches your tastes. Plus, when you’re ready to take a break from the book, you can seamlessly swap back to your favorite tunes and podcast episodes —all without having to leave the app. It’s all the audio that you’ll ever need, all in one place! Best of all, this game-changing update is arriving just in time for the holiday season: start a new subscription , and enjoy your first three months of Amazon Music Unlimited, completely for free. Audio art, conversation, and storytelling—all in one place. What’s not to love? Sign up today and get lost in the sound . The governor of Nebraska, Jim Pillen , is facing Christmas in hospital after he was bucked off a horse. The Republican state leader, who turns 69 next week, was out riding with family members when the horse, which was described as new, sent him flying. His office said he “is alert and is in continuous touch with his team,” after the incident Sunday. However, it added that he was expected to remain in hospital “for several days.” This means Pillen could spend Christmas Day in the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he was transported “out of an abundance of caution” after initial treatment at Columbus Community Hospital, according to his office. “Gov. Pillen and his family are very appreciative of the thoughts and prayers given to them by Nebraskans and they wish all Nebraskans a very merry Christmas,” his office added in the statement. More than 170 skiers and snowboarders experienced the stuff of nightmares over the weekend when they were left stranded for several hours on a ski lift whose structure had cracked, the Colorado Sun reported. A gondola lift at Winter Park Resort—located about 70 miles west of Denver , Colorado —was halted on Saturday just after noon after technicians discovered the crack. Over the course of about five hours, ski patrollers climbed into each gondola and lowered the riders’ equipment to the ground. They then used swinging ropes with seats attached to them to lower the 174 riders. No injuries were reported during the evacuation, which wrapped up around 6 p.m. Videos posted to social media showed the surreal rescues, which apparently used a belay system similar to the kind used in rock climbing. Officials were still investigating on Sunday to try to determine what had caused the structure to crack. The ski lift’s system detected the malfunction and automatically stopped, according to the resort. In the meantime, the resort’s other 21 lifts remained open. COLORADO: A cracked ski lift at Colorado's Winter Park Resort left 174 skiers stranded. Riders were lowered by ropes over 5 hours after the lift auto-stopped. The cause is under investigation. pic.twitter.com/QY1knqxwm5By BEN FINLEY The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Related Articles National News | Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights National News | Prosecutors withdraw appeal of dismissed case against Alec Baldwin in fatal movie set shooting National News | Today in History: December 24, former defense secretary pardoned in Iran-Contra scandal National News | Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional National News | Bill Clinton is hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages , from English to Japanese. On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats , such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon . But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” “There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer. Sommers often says on the call that everyone must be asleep before Santa arrives, prompting parents to say, “Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early.” NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War , predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics . The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the one in 2018 , and this year . Here’s how it began and why the phones keep ringing. It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called. But he reached the Continental Air Defense Command, now NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to spot potential enemy attacks. Tensions were growing with the Soviet Union, along with anxieties about nuclear war. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. “He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999. Realizing an explanation would be lost on the youngster, Shoup summoned a deep, jolly voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he learned from the boy’s mother that Sears mistakenly printed the top-secret number. He hung up, but the phone soon rang again with a young girl reciting her Christmas list. Fifty calls a day followed, he said. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80 foot (18-by-24 meter) plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole. The tradition was born. “Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a likely reference to the Soviets, the article noted that Santa was guarded against possible attack from “those who do not believe in Christmas.” Some grinchy journalists have nitpicked Shoup’s story, questioning whether a misprint or a misdial prompted the boy’s call. In 2014, tech news site Gizmodo cited an International News Service story from Dec. 1, 1955, about a child’s call to Shoup. Published in the Pasadena Independent, the article said the child reversed two digits in the Sears number. “When a childish voice asked COC commander Col. Harry Shoup, if there was a Santa Claus at the North Pole, he answered much more roughly than he should — considering the season: ‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,’” Shoup said in the brief piece. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, while noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations. Phone calls aside, Shoup was indeed media savvy. In 1986, he told the Scripps Howard News Service that he recognized an opportunity when a staff member drew Santa on the glass map in 1955. A lieutenant colonel promised to have it erased. But Shoup said, “You leave it right there,” and summoned public affairs. Shoup wanted to boost morale for the troops and public alike. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said. Shoup died in 2009. His children told the StoryCorps podcast in 2014 that it was a misprinted Sears ad that prompted the phone calls. “And later in life he got letters from all over the world,” said Terri Van Keuren, a daughter. “People saying ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having, you know, this sense of humor.’” NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010. Ad campaigns or movies try to “kidnap” Santa for commercial purposes, said Bowler, who wrote “Santa Claus: A Biography.” NORAD, by contrast, takes an essential element of Santa’s story and views it through a technological lens. In a recent interview with the AP, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD radars in Alaska and Canada —- known as the northern warning system — are the first to detect Santa. He leaves the North Pole and typically heads for the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. From there he moves west, following the night. “That’s when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in,” Cunningham said. “A probably little-known fact is that Rudolph’s nose that glows red emanates a lot of heat. And so those satellites track (Santa) through that heat source.” NORAD has an app and website, www.noradsanta.org , that will track Santa on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight, mountain standard time. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight, mountain time.

Autodesk appoints Janesh Moorjani as chief financial officerLiberty gains 419 on the ground with 4 touchdowns in a 38-21 victory over Western Kentucky

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Quinton Cooley rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, Billy Lucas added 131 yards and a score, and Liberty gained 419 on the ground with four touchdowns in a 38-21 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday. Liberty (8-2, 5-2 Conference USA) has won eight-plus games for the sixth consecutive season to keep alive hopes of a second straight trip to the conference championship game. The Flames play Sam Houston (8-3, 5-2) on Friday.

Ottawa firefighters extinguished a fire that started at the top of 22-storey apartment building in Overbrook on Monday afternoon. Ottawa Fire Services say in a news release they received multiple 911 calls with reports of smoke and flames coming from a structure in the 200 block of Donald Street shortly before 12:10 p.m. Crews on scene confirmed the flames were coming from a unit on the top floor and began a "fast attack" on the fire inside. One they located the burning unit, they had to force entry. "Upon entry, the apartment was full of smoke causing zero visibility conditions," Ottawa fire said. Firefighters began searching for any occupants, but two full searches of the unit found no one inside. An Ottawa paramedics spokesperson reported no injuries. The fire was declared under control shortly before 1:25 p.m. Fire crews ventilated the building and checked the air quality before allowing residents to return to their homes. An Ottawa fire investigator has been dispatched to determine the cause. Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. Editor's Picks 10 Family Calendars And Planners That'll Help You Keep Track Of Everything In The New Year Our Guide To The Best Winter Boots You Can Get In Canada 16 Cozy Home Essentials That Cost Less Than $100 Home Our Guide To The Best Snow Shovels In Canada In 2024 (And Where To Get Them) 14 Of The Best Home Security Devices You Can Find Online Right Now (And They've Got The Reviews To Prove It) 13 Of The Best Fidget Toys For Adults Gifts The Clock Is Ticking — Shop These 25 Last-Minute Amazon Prime Gifts Now If You Have An Amazon Prime Account, These 70+ Crowd-Pleasing Gifts Will Still Arrive Before Christmas If You Have An Amazon Prime Account, These 50 Brilliant Stocking Stuffers Will Still Arrive Before Christmas Beauty 20 Products Your Dry, Dehydrated Skin Will Thank You For Ordering 14 Hydrating Face Masks That’ll Save Your Skin This December 12 Budget-Friendly Products To Add To Your Winter Skincare Routine Deals PSA: The Michael Kors Boxing Week Sale Is Happening Right Now The Silk & Snow End Of Year Sale Is Officially On — Here's What To Add To Your Cart The Best Early Boxing Day Deals On Amazon Canada For 2024 Ottawa Top Stories NEW | Ottawa mayor speaks on transit funding, federal turmoil in year-end interview SNOWFALL WARNING | Pre-Christmas storm forecasted in Ottawa with up to 20 cm of snow tonight Man handed 5th distracted driving charge for using cellphone on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa No injuries in Overbrook fire inside 22-storey apartment building Brockville, Ont. cafe giving hundreds of Christmas dinners to people in need What's open and closed in Ottawa over the holidays The Papery returns to historic home in Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood after fire Municipality of The Nation, Ont. to increase taxes by 9.5 per cent CTVNews.ca Top Stories Quebec fugitive killed in Mexican resort town, RCMP say RCMP are confirming that a fugitive, Mathieu Belanger, wanted by Quebec provincial police has died in Mexico, in what local media are calling a murder. Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office. Canada regulator sues Rogers for alleged misleading claims about data offering Canada's antitrust regulator said on Monday it was suing Rogers Communications Inc, for allegedly misleading consumers about offering unlimited data under some phone plans. Multiple OnlyFans accounts featured suspected child sex abuse, investigator reports An experienced child exploitation investigator told Reuters he reported 26 accounts on the popular adults-only website OnlyFans to authorities, saying they appeared to contain sexual content featuring underage teen girls. King Charles ends royal warrants for Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever and Cadbury chocolatiers King Charles III has ended royal warrants for Cadbury and Unilever, which owns brands including Marmite and Ben & Jerry’s, in a blow to the household names. Man faces murder charges in death of woman who was lit on fire in New York City subway A man is facing murder charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday. 'Serious safety issues': Edmonton building where security guard was killed evacuated An apartment building where a security guard was killed earlier this month is being evacuated. Santa Claus cleared for travel in Canadian airspace Santa's sleigh has been cleared for travel in Canadian airspace, the federal government announced on Monday just ahead of the busy holiday season. Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26. Atlantic No need to dream, White Christmas all but assured in the Maritimes An early nor'easter followed by a low-pressure system moving into the region all but ensure a Maritime White Christmas Santa Claus cleared for travel in Canadian airspace Santa's sleigh has been cleared for travel in Canadian airspace, the federal government announced on Monday just ahead of the busy holiday season. Court of appeal certifies class action lawsuit against health authority, former nurse A New Brunswick mother who is the lead plaintiff in a court case has received an early Christmas gift after the province’s top court certified her class action law suit. Toronto LIVE UPDATES | Parts of Ontario under snowfall warning Monday as holiday travellers hit the road Holiday travellers and commuters could be in for a messy drive on Monday morning as a significant round of snowfall moves into the region. Here are live updates on the situation in Toronto. Doug Ford dresses up like Santa to grant wishes in Christmas video In a video posted on social media on Monday morning, Ford is seen dressed up in a bright red Santa suit performing a personalized rendition of the famous 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." 3 suspects wanted after alleged armed robbery at Vaughan commercial business York Regional Police (YRP) police are searching for three people after an alleged armed robbery in Vaughan, the latest in a series of violent commercial robberies happening around the Greater Toronto Area. Montreal Quebec fugitive killed in Mexican resort town, RCMP say RCMP are confirming that a fugitive, Mathieu Belanger, wanted by Quebec provincial police has died in Mexico, in what local media are calling a murder. Snow on the way as Montreal is put under weather advisory A weather advisory has been initiated for the Greater Montreal area, with 10 to 15 cm of snow expected to hit the ground. Judge rejects lawsuit tied to controversial 2017 Montreal Formula E car race An entrepreneur who sued the City of Montreal for not considering his bid to organize a 2017 electric car race has failed in his effort to obtain more than $3 million in compensation. Northern Ontario Fatal snowmobile crash in northern Ont. near Parry Sound A 30-year-old has died following a snowmobile crash near Parry Sound on Sunday. Teen passed out at coffee shop with bottle of booze on the table, northern Ont. police say A 19-year-old from Blind River is facing several charges following incidents at a coffee shop and in jail. Man charged with damaging downtown Sudbury eatery A man free on probation has been charged with causing significant damage to a restaurant on Elgin Street in downtown Sudbury over the weekend. Windsor City of Windsor reviewing other H4 properties, no longer pursuing Wellington Avenue The City of Windsor has announced it is no longer pursuing land at 700 Wellington Avenue and is looking at other properties for the new Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4). Parvovirus found in Belle River A local groomer has confirmed a positive case of parvovirus, found in Belle River. Santa Claus cleared for travel in Canadian airspace Santa's sleigh has been cleared for travel in Canadian airspace, the federal government announced on Monday just ahead of the busy holiday season. London Anonymous $2 million donation given to St. Joseph’s Health Care St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation has received an anonymous $2 million donation from a local community member. Police issue holiday reminders following pair of break and enters Two break and enters in the north end of Sarnia within two kilometers of one another has prompted Sarnia police to issue an alert to residents. Next chapter for St. Thomas Elevated Park as it joins forces with Railworks Coalition Canada’s only Elevated Park is joining forces with other railway entities in St. Thomas. Kitchener Parts of southern Ontario under travel advisory Anyone planning to travel today is being urged to be prepared as 5 to 15 cm of snow could hit a large portion of southern Ontario. Beloved bookstore in Uptown Waterloo forced to close for months following fire A beloved bookstore in Uptown Waterloo is bearing the brunt of some holiday misfortune. Must-see moments of 2024: A superstar surprise, roundabout resident and CKCO studios come down From a WWE surprise for a Guelph superfan, to the recovery of a lost aviation artifact, to a reporter getting the story right from the goose's mouth, here are some of our can’t-miss moments from 2024. Barrie Several collisions reported along Highway 11 as driving conditions deteriorate Highway 11 was closed briefly in Oro-Medonte on Monday afternoon as driving conditions deteriorated, causing multiple collisions. Firearms seized after 'violent threats' made against secondary school: YRP Police say officers found several firearms during a search at a teen’s home after he allegedly made violent threats against a secondary school. Single-vehicle crash in Springwater Twp. One woman was taken to the hospital following a single-vehicle crash in Springwater Township. Winnipeg Manitoba government to make permanent cut to gas tax Manitobans can expect to see a permanent change at the gas pump as early as next week Snowmobile crash leaves 10-year-old dead: RCMP A 10-year-old boy is dead following a snowmobile crash near Rosebank, Man., on Sunday. Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office. Calgary Taxpayers Federation unveils its annual spending 'Naughty and Nice List' A media president and the Prime Minister have topped the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s annual 'Taxpayer Naughty List' for 2024. Serious crash closes part of Highway 1 near Bassano, Alta. RCMP responded to a serious crash on Highway 1 near Bassano, Alta., on Monday morning. The collision occurred approximately two kilometres east of Highway 56. 2 Alberta men charged with sex crimes involving children in separate investigations Two registered sex offenders are facing charges after separate investigations in northern Alberta. Edmonton 'Serious safety issues': Edmonton building where security guard was killed evacuated An apartment building where a security guard was killed earlier this month is being evacuated. City of Edmonton to lift Phase 1 parking ban Monday evening The City of Edmonton will lift the Phase 1 parking ban on Monday at 5 p.m. 2 Alberta men charged with sex crimes involving children in separate investigations Two registered sex offenders are facing charges after separate investigations in northern Alberta. Regina Estevan police officer arrested following SIRT investigation An officer of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) is facing several charges following an investigation by the province’s police oversight agency. Heavy fog descends over Regina, most of Saskatchewan Dense fog is being reported across much of the province to begin the week of Christmas, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Riders acquire quarterback Jake Maier in trade with Stampeders The Green and White finalized some Christmas shopping ahead of the holidays, acquiring quarterback Jake Maier in a trade with Calgary on Monday. Saskatoon 'There are lines': In year-end interview, NDP leader says Moe went too far in election campaign Saskatchewan’s two main political leaders had agreed before October's provincial election not to target the families of candidates during the campaign, says Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck. Sask. RCMP on the scene of rollover on Highway 40 The Saskatchewan RCMP said Highway 40 was closed Monday afternoon following a rollover just west of Hafford, a village just under 100 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Saskatoon woman arrested following machete attack A 55-year-old woman was arrested following a stabbing with a machete early Monday morning. Vancouver Cleanup underway after rockslide derails train in B.C. No injuries were reported after a rockslide derailed a freight train, sending railcars into British Columbia's Fraser River, on Sunday night. Union for striking aviation fuel workers in Vancouver says aging pipeline poses risk A union representing striking aviation fuel workers in British Columbia is warning that diversion of the fuel to get around the industrial action could pose an environmental hazard. Chilliwack farmer facing multiple charges after crashing tractor into police vehicle A Chilliwack man has been charged with multiple criminal counts in connection to an incident involving a tractor being driven dangerously during a protest last year. Vancouver Island Cleanup underway after rockslide derails train in B.C. No injuries were reported after a rockslide derailed a freight train, sending railcars into British Columbia's Fraser River, on Sunday night. More than 280M trees planted in 2024 in B.C., focus on fire-damaged areas British Columbia's forests ministry says more than 280 million trees were planted in the province this year. Several storms in store for B.C.’s south coast over Christmas A series of storms are expected to bring heavy winds and wet weather to B.C’s south coast over the festive period. Kelowna Forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse in Kelowna, B.C., sold to the city A former Hells Angels clubhouse that was seized by the British Columbia government in 2023 after years of fighting in court has been sold to the City of Kelowna. Death of woman found in Kelowna's Waterfront Park in June deemed 'non-criminal in nature': RCMP Police in Kelowna say a death they began investigating back in June has now been confirmed as "non-criminal in nature." B.C. man sentenced for 'execution-style' murder of bystander in drug trade conflict A B.C. man convicted of the "intentional and ruthless killing of a bystander" while acting as an enforcer in the drug trade has been sentenced for a second time in the slaying. Stay ConnectedIn the end, neither Jharkhand nor Maharashtra saw the kind of close contest in their respective assembly polls that experts and opinion polls suggested they would. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA bloc won Jharkhand comfortably (56 of the 81 assembly seats); and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance swept Maharashtra, winning/leading in 236 of the 288 seats (as of 7.30 pm on Saturday). In Jharkhand, the JMM’s tribal vote clearly remains intact (it contested 21 of the 28 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes and won 20; its allies won another 7). And in Maharashtra, the Congress’s performance (a strike rate of 15%) suggests that it is back to its losing ways against the BJP (it lost 57 of the 66 seats where it took the party on); and voters would appear to have settled the question of who the real Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena are. In 34 head-to-head contests, the NCP under Ajit Pawar won/led in 28 and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) in six; and in 39 head-to-head contests, the Shiv Sena under Eknath Shinde won/led in 27 and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in 12. Beyond these, and beyond the national impact of these elections — if the win in Haryana energised the BJP, one can only imagine what the sweep in Maharashtra will do — there are two broader takeaways from the results. One, welfare works — with cash in hand being worth two cheques in the mail. The incumbents in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand announced, ahead of the polls, a cash handout scheme targeting women. In both states, women turned up in huge numbers to vote. It will be difficult to pinpoint this as the single factor that made a difference, but, in both states, it was definitely one of them. The second has to do with why everyone, everywhere (around the world, actually, and not just in India), has been reading elections wrong — and for a while. There may be two possible explanations for this. One, no one really seems to be speaking to (or polling) the average voter anymore. Consequently, they do not really have a sense of how the vote will go. Two, the ranks of the swing voters have swelled. Between the Lok Sabha and now, the Mahayuti has increased its vote share at the assembly constituency level by eight percentage points. The two factors aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, which means they can work together (and likely did). It’s the kind of thing analysts and pollsters would do well to remember while reading the next election. .Suder scores 16 as Miami (Ohio) downs Mercer 75-72By LISA MASCARO and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee’s long-awaited report on Matt Gaetz documents a trove of salacious allegations , including sex with an underage girl, that tanked the Florida Republican’s bid to lead the Justice Department . Related Articles National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl National Politics | Trump wants mass deportations. For the agents removing immigrants, it’s a painstaking process National Politics | Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them Citing text messages, travel receipts, online payments and testimony, the bipartisan committee paints a picture of a lifestyle in which Gaetz and others connected with younger women for drug-fueled parties, events or trips, with the expectation the women would be paid for their participation. The former congressman, who filed a last-minute lawsuit to try to block the report’s release on Monday, slammed the committee’s findings. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted he never had sex with a minor. And a Justice Department investigation into the allegations ended without any criminal charges filed against him. “Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” Gaetz wrote in one post on Monday. “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.” Here’s a look at some of the committee’s key findings: The committee found that between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.” He paid the women using through online services such as PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp and with cash or check, the committee said. The committee said it found evidence that Gaetz understood the “transactional nature” of his relationships with the women. The report points to one text exchange in which Gaetz balked at a woman’s request that he send her money, “claiming she only gave him a ‘drive by.’” Women interviewed by the committee said there was a “general expectation of sex,” the report said. One woman who received more than $5,000 from Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 said that “99 percent of the time” that when she hung out with Gaetz “there was sex involved.” However, Gaetz was in a long-term relationship with one of the women he paid, so “some of the payments may have been of a legitimate nature,” the committee said. Text messages obtained by the committee also show that Gaetz would ask the women to bring drugs to their “rendezvous,” the report said. While most of his encounters with the women were in Florida, the committee said Gaetz also traveled “on several occasions” with women whom he paid for sex. The report includes text message exchanges in which Gaetz appears to be inviting various women to events, getaways or parties, and arranging airplane travel and lodging. Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in 2021, initially connected with women through an online service. In one text with a 20-year-old woman, Greenberg suggested if she has a friend, the four of them could meet up. The woman responded that she usually does “$400 per meet.” Greenberg replied: “He understands the deal,” along with a smiley face emoji. Greenberg asks if they are old enough to drink alcohol, and sent the woman a picture of Gaetz. The woman responded that her friend found him “really cute.” “Well, he’s down here for only for the day, we work hard and play hard,” Greenberg replied. The report details a party in July 2017 in which Gaetz is accused of having sex with “multiple women, including the 17-year-old, for which they were paid.” The committee pointed to “credible testimony” from the now-woman herself as well as “multiple individuals” who corroborated the allegation. The then-17-year-old — who had just completed her junior year in high school — told the committee that Gaetz paid her $400 in cash that night, “which she understood to be payment for sex,” according to the report. The woman acknowledged that she had taken ecstasy the night of the party, but told the committee that she was “certain” of her sexual encounters with the then-congressman. There’s no evidence that Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her, the committee said. The woman told the committee she didn’t tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he didn’t how old she was. Rather, the committee said Gaetz learned she was a minor more than a month after the party. But he stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for “commercial sex” again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee. In sum, the committee said it authorized 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony, reviewed nearly 14,000 documents and contacted more than two dozen witnesses. But when the committee subpoenaed Gaetz for his testimony, he failed to comply. “Gaetz pointed to evidence that would ‘exonerate’ him yet failed to produce any such materials,” the committee said. Gaetz “continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed.” The report details a months-long process that dragged into a year as it sought information from Gaetz that he decried as “nosey” and a “weaponization” of government against him. In one notable exchange, investigators were seeking information about the expenses for a 2018 get-away with multiple women to the Bahamas. Gaetz ultimately offered up his plane ticket receipt “to” the destination, but declined to share his return “from” the Bahamas. The report said his return on a private plane and other expenses paid by an associate were in violation of House gift rules. In another Gaetz told the committee he would “welcome” the opportunity to respond to written questions. Yet, after it sent a list of 16 questions, Gaetz said publicly he would “no longer” voluntarily cooperate. He called the investigation “frivolous,” adding: “Every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.” The report said that while Gaetz’s obstruction of the investigation does not rise to a criminal violation it is inconsistent with the requirement that all members of Congress “act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House.” The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021 and deferred its work in response to a Justice Department request. It renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had ended a sex trafficking investigation without filing any charges against him. The committee sought records from the Justice Department about the probe, but the agency refused, saying it doesn’t disclose information about investigations that don’t result in charges. The committee then subpoenaed the Justice Department, but after a back-and-forth between officials and the committee, the department handed over “publicly reported information about the testimony of a deceased individual,” according to the report. “To date, DOJ has provided no meaningful evidence or information to the Committee or cited any lawful basis for its responses,” the committee said. Many of the women who the committee spoke to had already given statements to the Justice Department and didn’t want to “relive their experience,” the committee said. “They were particularly concerned with providing additional testimony about a sitting congressman in light of DOJ’s lack of action on their prior testimony,” the report said. The Justice Department, however, never handed over the women’s statements. The agency’s lack of cooperation — along with its request that the committee pause its investigation — significantly delayed the committee’s probe, lawmakers said.

Best I can tell, he’s staying put. For 2025, and maybe beyond. To his angry fan base and incredulous pockets of the New England Patriots’ media corps, remember Mayo’s future doesn’t hinge on winning this season. It’s not about what you want, or what I think. It’s about the Krafts, who hand-picked Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick four and a half years before he actually did, believing in him, and finding reasons to maintain that belief. In the eyes of someone who wants to believe, Sunday supplied enough reason. The Patriots led at halftime, then lost by three as 14-point underdogs. They became the first team since mid-October to hold the Bills under 30 points. Drake Maye outplayed the next MVP of the league for most of the game and took another step toward his destiny as a franchise quarterback, If that sounds like a low bar, that’s because it is. Such is life in Year 1 of a rebuild, a multi-year process ownership has committed to seeing through to the end with their organizational pillars now in place: Mayo, Maye and de facto GM Eliot Wolf. As frustrating as this 3-12 campaign has been, there are always nuggets of optimism amid the rubble of a losing season; particularly if you want to find them. The Krafts do, and so does Maye, who loves his head coach, by the way; calling questions about Mayo’s job security “BS.” “We’ve got his back,” Maye said post-game. Maye’s voice matters. Certainly more than any number of fans or media members. Ever since media-fueled speculation that Mayo could get canned at the end of his first season began rising, the caveat has always been the same: if, a Gillette Stadium-sized “if,” the Patriots bomb atomically down the stretch, ownership could pull the plug on Mayo. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport became the latest to join that chorus Sunday with this pregame report: “The Krafts want to keep Jerod Mayo,” he said. “They believe he is the leader for the organization for the future, and they knew it would be a multi-year process to get this thing right. Now if things go off the rails, if they really start to struggle and he loses the locker room the last couple games of the season, we’ve seen this thing turn. “But as of now, the Patriots believe Jerod Mayo is their leader for the future.” Well, Mayo hasn’t lost the locker room. That’s a fact. To a man, both in public and from those I’ve spoken to in private, Patriots players believe in their head coach. Mayo might be a players’ coach, yes, in the best and worst senses. But the Patriots were a few plays away Sunday from pulling off their largest upset since Super Bowl XXXVI. “I think we’re building something good,” Maye said. The Patriots also played their best half of football this season against their toughest opponent yet. Another fact. Now, to the frustrated, I am with you. To the shocked, I understand. But to the trigger-happy, lay down your arms. Mayo, by all accounts, is returning in 2025. Alex Van Pelt, however, is another story. In the same vein that the Krafts could have viewed Sunday’s performance as a reason to save Mayo — despite his pathetic punt at midfield, down 10 with just eight and a half minutes left — they could have convinced themselves their offensive coordinator is the real problem. After all, team president Jonathan Kraft was visibly exasperated over Van Pelt’s play-calling during the Pats’ loss at Arizona a week earlier. Four days later, Van Pelt told reporters he had yet to hear from his boss. Well, that time may be coming. Trailing by three in the fourth quarter Sunday, Van Pelt called a pass that resulted in an unnecessary lateral and game-winning touchdown for Buffalo. His offense later operated like it was taking a Sunday drive with the game on the line, using up 3:16 of the final 4:19 en route to its final touchdown. Van Pelt, finally, weaponized Maye’s legs in critical situations, something that arguably should have been done weeks ago. Not to mention, Van Pelt’s top running back can’t stop fumbling, and the offensive line remains a hot mess. Call him Alex Van Fall Guy. Because Van Pelt’s offense, for the first time in a while, under-performed relative to Mayo’s defense. On merit, he deserves to stay; a case that’s harder to make for defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. But it’s not about merit this season. It’s not about what you want. It’s not about what I think. It’s about the Krafts; what they see, what they want, what they believe. Even in defeat. ____By CLAIRE RUSH President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North America’s tallest mountain — Alaska’s Denali — to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called. Related Articles National Politics | Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl National Politics | Trump wants mass deportations. For the agents removing immigrants, it’s a painstaking process Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people. “Denali” is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one” or “the great one.” A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley’s home state of Ohio. Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama’s action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska’s senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday. “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said Sunday. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.” Once again, Trump’s suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska. “Uh. Nope. It’s Denali,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own. “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski wrote on X. Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years. McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it. Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.County fairs win awards for donating 286K pounds of food to Ohio food banks

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Eli Manning and Derek Jeter Are Investing in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s Indoor Golf LeagueOverhauls of 'heritage brands' raise the question: How important are our products to our identities?Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams

So, what worked for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA grouping in the just concluded assembly election in Jharkhand? A trend emerges if one looks at the polls in the state in conjunction with those in Maharashtra (just concluded) and Haryana (in October) — pro-poor welfare policies are reshaping the form and content of democracy in the country. Due to the impact of these social welfare policies, a voter segment of beneficiaries (labharthi) has emerged that is choosing parties that launched/implemented such policies successfully, beyond caste and religious boundaries. Among these beneficiaries, women constitute a cohesive and organised sub-group, possibly given their resilience in the face of hardships in the everyday life of households. So, social welfare policies such as Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh, Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana in Maharashtra, and Maiya Samman Yojana in Jharkhand, which provide monthly financial support to women, have paid rich dividends and mobilised women beneficiaries in favour of political parties that conceptualised, launched and implemented these. A factor behind the victory of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand is undoubtedly the impact of this and the other popular social support schemes launched and implemented by the Hemant Soren government. Policies such as Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana for young girls, Abua Awas Yojana, Birsa Harit Gram Yojana evolved a class of beneficiaries who likely voted for the JMM and its alliance partners in these elections. Democratic electoral politics is also about economics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision places significant importance on such schemes helping empower the poor who then evolve into a homogeneous beneficiary “caste”. This beneficiary “caste” will then tend to favour the political parties that disseminate benefits to the needy. Hemant Soren and the JMM also cultivated sympathy over the former’s imprisonment, projecting him as a victim of retributive politics. Slogans such as “jail ke badle vote” ( vote as the answer to jailing leaders) worked well in favour of the JMM and the INDIA grouping. Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren’s campaign in tribal areas strengthened the narrative of victimisation. Tribal communities constitute around 28% of the state’s population. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried hard to mobilise tribal voters through a narrative of pro-tribal governance policies and a focus on upholding and celebrating “tribal pride”. The party and its allies do have many tribal faces but, Hemant Soren retained the edge when it came to the trust of tribal communities — tribals have consistently remained the base vote for the JMM in certain parts of Jharkhand since a long time. Tribal identity politics remains strong in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. The poll results show that the JMM has a stronger connect with this identity, as asserted by the tribal communities in the state. The party’s emphasis on the implementation of a Sarna (a dominant tribal belief system in the state) Code intensified the identity assertion of many tribal communities. The BJP tried to stoke fears of “outsider” intrusion (through not-so-subtle claims of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas being allowed to settle in the state). The narrative failed to penetrate the tribal zones in the state. Another big factor in the polls was the INDIA bloc’s projection of a single chief ministerial face (Hemant Soren) versus the poorly veiled factionalism within the BJP (with widely discussed contenders being Arjun Munda, Babulal Marandi, Raghubar Das, and even Champai Soren, who joined the BJP from the JMM after a short stint as chief minister). The confusion over the leadership question in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cost it dearly. The JMM/INDIA grouping’s victory is the outcome of several strong factors, as discussed here (a strong victimisation narrative, social welfare schemes, and the politics of tribal selfhood). The last, of course, was potent to the extent it defeated the BJP’s competing narrative of tribal pride. And, as far as spinning welfare schemes as vote magnets is concerned, while the BJP has repeatedly played a strong hand by parading the reach and superior implementation of such schemes designed by the Centre, it was the local schemes that mattered more in this election when it came to establishing beneficiary connect and seeking votes. Therein lies the message for the political class and democracy at large. Badri Narayan is director, GB Pant Social Science Institute. The views expressed are personal

Overhauls of 'heritage brands' raise the question: How important are our products to our identities?Get essential daily news for Fort Worth area Sign up to receive insightful, in-depth local stories today. 📩 The Fort Worth Community Arts Center will close its doors to the public at the end of the month, but that doesn’t mean the end of the nonprofit that manages the space. Arts Fort Worth, which managed the facility at 1300 Gendy St. for 22 years, will continue to manage the city’s public art and grant programs as well as serve as a resource for artists and other arts organizations within the community. The building was first constructed in 1954 with new additions in 1966 and 1976. “We’ve been able to do a lot of really meaningful things through this physical space,” said Wesley Gentle, executive director and president of Arts Fort Worth. “Those things have been tied to this physical space, and so much of the next step for us is taking that same energy ... (and) motivation for our community and doing it in a way that isn’t rooted in one spot.” Arts Fort Worth announced it would vacate the building in July, shortly after one of its anchor subtenants, KWC Performing Arts, abruptly announced its closure . The city-owned building is in need of roughly $30 million in repairs , which Arts Fort Worth would be responsible for, according to its lease agreement. Continuing operations there would not be financially sustainable, Gentle said last summer. City officials have explored different options for redeveloping the building. After issuing a request for proposals, hosting public presentations and announcing two finalists, the city ultimately decided not to move forward with either plan in May. The future of the building is still uncertain, but Mayor Mattie Parker assured residents at a 2023 City Council meeting that the location would continue to serve the arts community. Several artists and longtime Fort Worth residents paid homage to the center during a Dec. 6 open house event hosted by Arts Fort Worth. Artist Val Hunnicutt hopes that the building, which once housed the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, can be preserved. “It’s hard to think about not having it here,” she said. The mixed media artist said she always looked forward to Historic Fort Worth Inc.’s annual show when it was still hosted in the space, often creating new work for the occasion. Likewise, professional pianist and art collector Cynthia Ann Miller has fond memories of the space. “I don’t think I missed any of their shows when they had the whole place filled with art, and you could walk in for free and enjoy yourself,” she said. Miller has reverence for all of the wonderful things that happened there, she continued, but she wants people to look at this change as an opportunity. “It will not be the same,” she said. “It will be better. We will learn and we will grow.” During a presentation to attendees, Gentle shared how Arts Fort Worth is planning to better serve residents across the sprawling city. By hosting an arts summit at Texas Wesleyan University in March, Arts Fort Worth hopes to reach more people from the Poly neighborhood while also highlighting the resources that recently opened on the Eastside like Easyside , TUBMAN Gallery and Kinfolk House . “We do want to see you continue to pop up in other parts of town because then we have a different audience and it’s, you know, usually you have some people that’ll travel to find the resources they need, but oftentimes for any number of reasons, right?” Gentle said. “You just physically can’t get there. The time of day doesn’t work. When we move around, it’s easier to meet people where they are.” The space is one where many artists made their stage debut or participated in their first gallery show, and it has many meaningful memories for Gentle as well, he said. He remains hopeful that Arts Fort Worth will continue to make an impact moving forward. “It’s going to be a process, and I’m excited for the process. I hope more people get excited to join us and be a part of it because it’s only as good as the team that we’re working with, the partners you’re working with,” Gentle said. Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Marcheta Fornoff, Fort Worth Report December 7, 2024Crackdown to drive crooked cabbies out of the industry

Overhauls of 'heritage brands' raise the question: How important are our products to our identities?

President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America's tallest peakScott Saxberg is a hockey guy, a pick-up game grinder whose childhood dream of achieving NHL glory as a player did not pan out, but worked out nonetheless when he and a bunch of Alberta business tycoons bought the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013 for US$225 million. They sold the Coyotes four years later for US$300 million in what at the time was regarded as a financial win. But that is not how Saxberg, who made his money in the oilpatch as co-founder of Calgary-based Crescent Point Energy Corp . (now Veren Inc.), which he left in 2018 with an $18-million severance package, views the transaction. More than the dollars and cents, what itches at him most in hindsight are the bad business bounces that preceded the team’s sale. For example, a new arena on the campus of Arizona State University was proposed, but did not get built under the Albertans’ regime, and then there was the 2015 NHL draft lottery when Connor McDavid became an Edmonton Oiler, not a Coyote. With a dash of luck and a new arena, Saxberg believes he would still be an NHL owner. As it is, he has plenty of money, but not the billionaire sums required to buy into the big leagues these days. “Don’t tell my wife, but I still wish I owned the Coyotes,” he said. “It is every kid’s dream.” But like a good grinder, Saxberg kept digging, and he discovered there are lots of other opportunities and other teams on the lookout for reasonably wealthy individuals who possess a love of sport, an appetite for alternative investments and, importantly, a capacity to write big cheques, such as the one the Calgary oilman scratched off this past July when he plunked down $500,000 to become a minority part-owner of SC Preussen Münster. Never heard of them? It’s a German second division soccer club, whose chief executive, Markus Sass, happens to be a Detroit Red Wings fan, not to mention a fan of North Americans with deep pockets. “I am a hockey guy,” Saxberg said. “The only real insight I have in relation to the soccer team is that you need to score more goals than the other team to win.” For most ordinary folks who are scraping to save enough nickels for some far-off retirement date, the thought of dipping into, say, your registered retirement savings plan to buy into a professional soccer team in Germany, or any team in any league anywhere, is a non-starter. The archetypal sports owner is someone who isn’t like you. Instead, they inhabit the rarefied air of a private box, crammed with a bunch of yes-men and a celebrity or two, all circulating in close proximity to an almighty wealthy individual who owns the team. Some team owners are faceless, soulless, but not clueless corporate entities that are invested in the belief that franchise valuations across the five North American big leagues seem on a skies-the-limit valuation trajectory. Case in point: the Coyotes that the Albertans bought for US$225 million are now the Utah Hockey Club and cost the team’s current owner, technology baron Ryan Smith, US$1.2 billion to acquire. In short, there is a perception of supreme exclusivity attached to sports ownership and there is also money to be made, but what may be surprising is that depending on the club, an investor does not necessarily need to be a billionaire to get in on the game. “There’s a lot of North Americans looking for sports investment opportunities overseas,” Bob Malandro, the founder of Whitecap Sports Group, a Florida-based sports investment banking firm, said. The New Yorker’s elevator pitch is that his firm, which has been around since 2016, buys and sells sports teams and percentages thereof. These deals happen all the time, according to Malandro, and they typically fly beneath the radar and are bound by non-disclosure agreements unless a celebrity is involved and a franchise sees value in making a splashy announcement. His typical client is a high-net-worth individual or family office in the market for an alternative asset to round out their portfolio. “In many cases, there’s a little more risk involved with these types of investments, but there’s certainly more reward — potentially,” he said. “The ideal scenario is the investor has some fun with the asset. You know, they feel like they are involved in the club, even if they’re a small minority stakeholder, and they get to enjoy it on different levels, and not just financially.” Shelling out several hundred thousand dollars for Amazon.com Inc. stock may be a fairly safe bet to make, but tracking the ebbs and flows of the stock market doesn’t quite hold the same appeal as having a few beers while watching your investment drub a hated opponent. Once upon a golden age, Münster, which is majority owned by the community, delivered plenty of thrills to its fans. Founded in 1906, the club stood alongside the glitterati of German soccer and captured the 1951 national championship before gradually sliding into competitive irrelevance. That long narrative of decline has lately shifted to one of renewed hope, both on and off the field, as Münster has played its way up the ranks from Germany’s fourth tier to a place in the second division. The novel twist in a regional feel-good story — given the tradition-governed landscape of German professional sports in which the idea, briefly floated, of auctioning off a slice of soccer’s broadcasting rights to a foreign equity firm sparked national protests — is that a group of 16 North Americans, which includes CEOs, Wall Street wheelers and dealers, a dentist and a former oilman, now own 30 per cent of a second-tier soccer club in a picturesque German university city that 99.9 per cent of their family members had never heard of prior to them making the investment. “Like most good ideas, investing in the club was a plan hatched over a beer in my German cousin’s backyard,” Nick Semaca, a former director of McKinsey and Co. and now part-owner of Münster, said. He retired in his 50s to do what he really wanted to do: buy a minor league baseball team. The Joliet Slammers were a money loser that the 66-year-old turned into a money-maker and recently sold for a “comfortable” return. (The new owners also include funnyman Bill Murray). Semaca turned his attention to German soccer in 2022, and with the help of his German cousin, Ulrich Linnebank, who is a lawyer and a University of Münster alum, they did what due diligence they could prior to him emailing the club’s chief financial officer to discuss the possibility of investing. “Why us?” the CFO replied. The hottest sports properties among North American investors in 2024 have been North American soccer teams generally and women’s sports specifically, according to Malandro. The 2026 World Cup is coming to the continent soon, while the WNBA has Caitlin Clark, a once-in-a-millennium talent, to help sell its game as well as a new franchise in Toronto bankrolled by billionaire Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment Ltd. fame to look forward to in 2026. But Europe is a different and arguably more attractive beast for those with a little surplus cash. Even soccer clubs that have fallen on hard times have a history that is often reflected in the present day by a strong community connection and a rabidly loyal fan base. For example, Münster’s fans prefer standing at games over sitting. Win or lose, they start singing before kick-off and don’t stop until the final whistle. Contrast Münster to the good old hockey game, where fans rise for the singing of the national anthems, but may or not join in with the scoreboard prompt to kick up a round of Stompin’ Tom’s The Hockey Song. European clubs are also located in, well, Europe, in cities such as Münster, which is a pretty enough spot, but also less than three hours from Amsterdam, a not-insignificant geographic selling point that may resonate more to an investor than buying a piece of a C-list North American expansion soccer team playing in a D-list league in a run-of-the-mill faceless American suburb. Münster plays one step below the Bundesliga, home to global soccer giants such as FC Bayern Munich. Clubs in the second division can wind up competing against the big guns if they play their way up the ladder as well as in league-wide tournaments. However remote, reaching the big leagues is an intoxicating possibility, but that’s not the reason the North Americans bet on Münster. The city of 300,000 is cut through with bike paths; the streets are devoid of litter; the pedestrian-only town square appears pulled from the glossy pages of a travel brochure, with cobblestones underfoot and soaring church steeples towering above; unemployment rates are low and personal incomes are high; and, as self-reported by the locals, people are happier here than the national average. That sunniness shines through in conversation with Markus Sass, Münster football club’s 42-year-old managing director. He loves his soccer, yet, unlike most Germans, the game that hooked him in as a kid was hockey, a passion that stirred a childhood fascination with Canada that he pursued by spending an eight-month stint as a student at Western University in London, Ont. “I became a fan of the Red Wings because I liked the team’s crest so much, but I don’t really have time to follow hockey anymore,” he said. He has been too busy with other things, including becoming a new father and finding North Americans to invest in Münster, an idea he credits Semaca for bringing forward and helping to execute. Following his initial query note to the team’s CFO and the bemused reply, the New Jersey native explained that his interest in the club wasn’t entirely out of left field. His German cousin was also keen to invest and his mother had been born in a nearby town. Being a good McKinsey alum, he had also done some homework before any money changed hands. “People look at sports investments and they will say, ‘Oh, is it your hobby, is it something to do for fun?'” he said. “Look, if I wanted to do something for fun, I could just buy a damn season ticket, OK? And so I look at it as a business, because unless you are from the royal family of Qatar or the Saudi private investment fund, looking at it otherwise just doesn’t make sense, and I would argue if you don’t run a sustainable business, eventually, something bad is going to happen.” His point? There is a lot of potential business on the horizon in Münster. The city is building the team a new, $130-million stadium to replace the relic that is there now and increase the seating capacity to 20,000 from 12,000. The new building will feature premium seats, plenty of standing room for the diehards and tasty grub, and offer advertisers more opportunities to interact with fans, both in-game and digitally, while generating substantially greater revenues than the current building. “Our stadium today is really, really uncozy; it is like an antique,” Sass said. “And this is why we cannot compete budget-wise with clubs with more modern stadiums, because they make, like, five to six million euros more than us just in gate money.” Money is king in German professional soccer since money allows a team to buy better players. There is no salary cap. The higher a team finishes, the greater the payout percentage from broadcasting deals, and the greater the odds that the team’s valuation increases. Münster is currently worth about $20 million. Teams at the top of the second tier have values closer to $90 million. Having a team on the rise, a community-funded stadium coming in 2028, a loyal fan base, 120 years of history, an affluent local population, a major anchor sponsor that is also a major local employer, and a surrounding region where Münster is the only professional soccer game in town — and a cousin nearby to keep an eye on the proverbial store — was enough to sell Semaca on an initial buy-in. He has since upped his ownership stake in the club and started planning more trips to Europe from his Chicago home. “It has been a lot of fun so far,” he said. “None of us have gone in there and been writing million-dollar cheques; it has been more like, ‘Let’s dip a toe in the water, and let’s see what happens with this thing.'” The perks also flow in both directions. Sass said the injection of North American capital was necessary to help modernize the team’s operations, invest in digital infrastructure, recruit best-in-class employees and have some spare cash on hand to spend on players as the team entered its first season of division two play. Along with the money has been the added brainpower the investors bring to the mix. Sass is mid-career, while both Semaca and Saxberg have been there and successfully done that in business and the business of sport. In other words, they know some things, their ideas and input are welcome, and Sass said he is beyond grateful for the mentorship. But the beauty in the arrangement for the Germans is that the ideas, good, bad or otherwise, that the investors float forth can be adopted or completely ignored if they don’t resonate for whatever reason. Under German soccer’s so-called 50 per cent plus one vote rule, a club’s members, a.k.a., the thousands of regulars who pay an annual due of around $200 and elect a board to run the team, which operates as a non-profit with a for-profit business arm, have the final say over any decisions. “Culturally, there have been no issues because no one single investor can come in and change the direction of the club, completely change the club’s identity or relocate it to another city, and all those things that you occasionally see happen in North American sports, that can’t happen here,” Sass said. “People have been very relaxed about the foreign investors coming in because they have no say, but they do bring money, and that’s the best combination possible. It is win, win, win, as long as we can keep our promise and develop the club further.” Malandro enjoys telling the story about what a club’s development can mean for the patient investor. All leagues, even the NFL, were, at some point, startups with no guarantees, he said. He has one client who bought a $250,000 minority stake in a major North American professional sports franchise some 40 years ago or so, when player salaries were more in line with senior executives than with Hollywood movie stars. This client was a fan at heart and enjoyed the perks of going to games for years, celebrating wins and losses alongside other bigwigs, while being in close proximity to professional athletes. Eventually, the client relocated to a warmer clime and stopped going to games, so he called Malandro, who went to the market, found a buyer and came back to the seller to congratulate them on a US$40-million return on their US$250,000 initial investment. “There are myriad reasons why people decide to sell,” he said. “The most common is that they have simply held the asset for quite a while, have enjoyed it to capacity and feel like the time is right to exit, given current market values. Sometimes they relocate and don’t attend games any longer or feel the same connectivity to the team. This could also be impacted by their age, and the fact that they are considering estate planning strategies.” Back in Calgary, Saxberg is more into near-term planning. He is in his early 50s, has three young kids with a fourth on the way at home, and two adult sons from a previous marriage. Having sold the Coyotes and been priced out of the NHL, he enlisted his eldest, Graeme, to help find the next ownership opportunity in sports. The search led to Malandro’s firm and several intriguing possibilities the Saxbergs took a pass on — a Swiss hockey team, a Major League Soccer franchise, a professional pickleball league — before Münster appeared on the radar. Saxberg is an active mentor in the startup space and an investor in an array of small companies. He has staked renewable energy outfits, a design company specializing in health and wellness, an artificial intelligence play in the food-and-beverage industry, a maker of women’s tights and 30-plus other startups, with seed capital funding in amounts ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million. Any one of those investments, and hopefully more than one, could grow up to be big deals, or they could go bust. “We look at Münster almost like a startup,” he said. “The team has just moved up leagues, they are learning how to manage a larger group of investors, and they are well run and they are serious.” Further enhancing the team’s value proposition in Saxberg’s view is the networking possibilities that being an investor affords. He is gregarious, a fan of European business culture and a networker who sees the business of soccer as potentially leading to other business. “The team’s main sponsor is a logistics company with a venture capital arm and they invest in new technologies, so there’s a natural relationship there that, ‘Hey, I can help connect them with companies that I’m mentoring,’ because you just never know.” What Saxberg does know is that a few years down the road, once the kids are a bit older, he wants to move the family to Münster, not full time, but for just enough time for them to gain an enriching experience and for the minority owner to catch a bunch of Münster games in the club’s new stadium, which is preferable to getting up at 5:30 a.m. in Calgary to watch them online as he does now. “I’m learning German; it might take me five years to be able to speak a sentence, but I’m trying,” he said. “I view the investment as a long-term commitment, and the biggest thing for me is meeting and experiencing new people, and, at the end of the day, it is Europe, so what’s not to love?” • Email: joconnor@postmedia.com Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the business news you need to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here .Suder scores 16 as Miami (Ohio) downs Mercer 75-72