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A founding member of the Village People and long-time critic of Donald Trump’s use of the group’s song YMCA is changing his tune and says he would now consider performing the 70s anthem at the president-elect’s upcoming inauguration. Victor Willis told Fox & Friends First that he would also allow the president-elect to continue using the song at events. “I decided to allow the president-elect’s continued use of YMCA because he seems to genuinely, genuinely like the song, and so many other artists were stopping him from using their music,” Willis told Fox Thursday. Willis had for years demanded that Trump stop using the song, which is widely regarded as a popular gay anthem often performed by the distinctively outfitted Village People , an odd choice for a man opposed to the LGBTQ community. Willis added: “I decided to contact BMI [Broadcast Music, Inc.] and told them not to terminate his political use license because he seemed to be bringing so much joy to the American people with his use of YMCA .” Trump’s wooden dance moves to the song have gone viral across social media and even prompted responses in the world of sports. Willis sang and co-wrote the tune, and now says Trump’s use of it has contributed to it hitting the sales charts again 46 years after its initial release. The founding member of the Village People previously condemned Trump’s use of the song as well as Macho Man. He earlier said that the group would prefer the song be “kept out of politics.” But YMCA’s comeback has led some to speculate that the band may perform at Trump’s inauguration in January. “If you were to ask me today if the Village People would perform at the inauguration, I would probably say not because we’d be concerned about endorsement” of Trump, Willis told Fox. “However, because the president-elect has done so much for YMCA and brought so much joy to so many people, the song has actually gone back to number one [in sales], and it’s still number one today, so if he were to ask the Village People to perform the song live for him, we’d have to seriously consider it,” he added. He noted: “The financial benefits have been great ... YMCA is estimated to have grossed several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song. Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of YMCA ., And I thank him for choosing to use my song.” Willis has rejected the notion that the song is a gay anthem. He urged those thinking the song isn’t intended as straight to “get their minds out of the gutter.” “Come January 2025, my wife will start suing each and every news organization that falsely refers to YMCA , either in their headlines or alluded to in the base of the story, that YMCA is somehow a gay anthem because such notion is based solely on the song’s lyrics alluding to elicit [sic] activity for which it does not,” he declared on Facebook. The song’s lyrics refer to young men new in a city heading to the YMCA gym and rooming to “hang out with all the boys” and “do whatever you feel.” But Willis argued on Facebook that the line “you can hang out with all the boys” is “simply 1970s Black slang for Black guys hanging out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that,” he insisted. But, he added: “I don’t mind that gays think of YMCA as their anthem.”Three Lincoln County sheriff's deputies will be sworn in Monday morning during the Lincoln County commissioners weekly meeting. Those being sworn in are Dwayne Wilson, Wesley Throckmorton and Nathaniel Hutton. The regular weekly meeting will be at 9 a.m. at the Lincoln County Courthouse, 301 N. Jeffers St. in North Platte. The meeting can be watched at youtube.com/channel/UCHdGjLPMx3O-wSu3T3aMWlg . American Rescue Plan Act funds return to the commissioners agenda, with commissioners discussing what local nonprofits still have remaining balances and will consider authorizing the County Attorney’s office to send a letter to the Episcopal Church in regards to their unspent funds. Also returning to the agenda is the consideration of bids for four pickup trucks for the Sheriff's Office. The board had previously reviewed two bids from Bill Summers Ford, but took no action. Three reappointments to the Lincoln County Safety Committee are on the agenda. The board will consider the reappointment of Todd Herndon to a three-year term as the management representative to the committee and the reappointments of Penny Ball and Tammy White to two-year terms as employee representatives. Commissioners will consider the approval of the five-year Lincoln County Comprehensive Youth Service plan for years 2025-30 as well as the approval of the Lincoln County Community based Juvenile Services Aid grant. A resolution to establish and declare the intent of Lincoln County in regards to the International Port of the Plains, located in Hershey at 18610 U.S. Highway 30, will also be considered by the board. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

'Devastating': sailors killed in Sydney to Hobart race after boom accidentsLil Wayne, GloRilla, Camila Cabello to perform at College Football National ChampionshipTimeless Health Tips David B. Reuben, MD , geriatrician “Most of what people can do to have a healthy 2025 is not much different than what they could do to have a healthy 2024: exercise; don’t smoke; drink alcohol in moderation, if at all; stay engaged; and keep your mind stimulated. Be decent in every interaction and seek optimism every day. You may not find something to rejoice about but you may find something meaningful that may help others and yourself.” Energy Check-In Elizabeth Ko, MD , medical director of the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative “Check in with your internal energy just like you approach your phone battery: How charged are you? Do you start the day at 100%? What depletes you and what energizes you? Lean into the energizing practices and minimize the depleting ones. Tuning into how you moderate your energy permits you to make better choices about how you move through your day. Take pauses and slow down. Life tends to feel loud and fast. Give yourself permission to dial down the volume and speed. Plant-based diet Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, RD , dietitian “Eat a whole-food, plant-based diet as much as possible. The more whole, plant-based foods a person can eat, the healthier they are likely to be because of the high fiber content, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory components and compounds in the foods, along with lower calorie intake and increased satiety. Holistic Health Valentina Ogaryan, PhD , clinical director of the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology “To me, healthy refers to body, spirit and mind. For the body, it’s best to eat whole foods and incorporate some type of physical activity on a routine basis. It’s also about giving yourself permission to indulge, in moderation, foods that bring you joy. With the mind, it’s making sure to increase awareness of helpful versus unhelpful thoughts, to have access to social support and to give the mind some rest by unplugging from social media and becoming intentional about focusing on present-moment interactions. With the spirit and heart, it is finding and connecting to people, activities, hobbies, interests that nourish the soul – anything that brings connection and can foster meaning. It can be spending time with loved ones; connection through music, literature and art; prayer, meditation and connecting to spirituality; or community-based activities.” Stress Management Marissa Vasquez, MD , lead team physician for the LA Dodgers “To have a healthy 2025, individuals should focus on managing stress through mindfulness practices, quality sleep, and strong social connections which can significantly enhance mental health and resilience. This is in addition to maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise, of course. When it comes to sports and athletics, focus on injury prevention, mix up workouts with cross-training, and support the body with proper nutrition and hydration.” Mindful Rest Diana Winston, director of UCLA Mindful “Make time for rest. This means unplugging from time to time and just being rather than constantly doing. Practice gratitude. Even brief moments of recalling things you are grateful for can shift your day from resentment and overwhelm to a sense of peace and appreciation. And savor the joyful moments. In addition to gratitude, there are many moments in the day when we experience joy or pleasure. Don't skip over them. Take a moment to really savor the experience, even for a few seconds. We need to build up our joy resources. When you’re stressed out, remember STOP: Stop; Take a breath or two; Observe how you’re feeling inside; and Proceed with a bit more awareness and calm.” Move and Connect Jesse Mills, MD , director of the Men’s Clinic at UCLA Health “Why wait for 2025? Put down your iPad, stand up and move. Whatever you did yesterday — if it was walking a block, walk two today, four tomorrow; if it was a mile, walk two today, three tomorrow and so on. Humans are great at building endurance — it’s in our DNA — be true to your genes and move! Don’t add sugar to anything this year. Your body developed a taste for sugar, so you can unlearn that. If you add sweetener to your coffee, add half as much and try to cut it out entirely in two weeks. In the same vein, avoid any food you can’t grow or hunt. The more processing the food you eat goes through, the less well your body does. Processed foods tend to add sugar, fat and salt to make the taste better, but it messes up your brain chemistry to see unnatural combinations of fat and sugar. Be purposeful. Outside of your job, find something to do that matters: volunteer, learn a new language, put down your news and social media feeds and pick up an instrument and learn to play.” Relax with Reflexology Lawrence Taw, MD , director of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, Torrance “Give yourself a foot massage. It’s a simple, easy thing anyone can do – very low cost, low investment and high yield. Our feet take a pounding every day, but most of us don’t take care of our feet. There is a whole body of knowledge about reflexology, which is really acupressure points, and you stimulate a lot of these points when you massage your feet. Get a simple golf ball or a roller, and just roll each foot over it. It can be relaxing, especially if you combine it with closing your eyes and deep breathing. I usually tell patients to massage their feet daily, but the best time to do it is at night before you go to bed.”

OTTAWA — A company formerly co-owned by embattled ex-Liberal minister Randy Boissonnault has been temporarily barred from any government contracts amid several lawsuits, a fraud investigation by police, and reports it attempted to get access to contracts by falsely claiming Indigenous ownership. Public Services and Procurement Canada announced Tuesday it has suspended Global Health Imports (GHI) from bidding or doing work on government contracts for 90 days as it investigates the company’s eligibility. Catherine Poulin, an assistant deputy minister in the Department of Public Works and Government Services, told MPs at a parliamentary committee the decision was made because the company faces accusations of improper business practices. “We have gone through multiple sources of information, including lawsuits, both civil and criminal, and the information that has been brought to our attention recently concerning an Edmonton Police Service investigation, kind of put us at the right level of threshold to take action under the policy,” she told the government operations and estimates committee. Pressed by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis over whether the company’s claim to be Indigenous-owned was a factor in the suspension, Poulin said the “representation has been part of the cases that we have looked at, and will form one of the factors that will be looked at by the determination team while finalizing the assessment of GHI.” She said GHI was never given any contracts based on claims of Indigenous identity and the company is not on the government’s list of Indigenous businesses. GHI’s only contract with the federal government was awarded by Elections Canada. No payments have been made on the contract, the announcement said. The suspension comes after Boissonnault last week to “focus on clearing the allegations made against him,” including that he had wrongly claimed Indigenous identity. Boissonnault came under intense scrutiny after Global News reported in May that GHI, which he co-founded in 2020, was embroiled in lawsuits over its business practices while Boissonnault was listed as a director for the company and serving in Trudeau’s cabinet. He is not named in any of the lawsuits detailed by Global News. The Edmonton Police Service confirmed to the Star last week that it was investigating a complaint of “a fraud involving a local medical supply company.” It did not provide an update when asked on Tuesday. Boissonnault gave up his 50-per-cent share in the company in June. He has maintained he’s had no role in the company or awareness of its contracts since his election in 2021. Reports in the National Post have since raised questions about Boissonnault’s of Indigenous identity, which reignited calls for him to resign. The controversy over GHI’s claims of Indigenous identity comes as MPs probe the federal government’s Indigenous procurement system amid calls to overhaul it. The federal government targets that five per cent of its contracts go to Indigenous-owned companies, but critics including the Assembly of First Nations have charged that the majority of those companies only have loose connections to Indigenous people. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told MPs last week that 1,100 organizations were removed from its INone

Broncos cornerback Riley Moss is set to return after missing a month with knee injury, /PRNewswire/ -- E911 has achieved a significant milestone in November as the first in to implement revolutionary EDGETM platform, seamlessly integrated with Next Generation Core Services (NGCS). This partnership marks a leap forward in delivering agile, reliable, and community-focused emergency response capabilities. This deployment is a groundbreaking achievement for , one of smaller Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) with two positions. It is also INdigital's third live NGCS customer in , underscoring the company's growing presence and commitment to advancing public safety infrastructure across the state. As the NGCS provider for , INdigital ensured the seamless delivery of 911 calls and integrated Ryzyliant's EDGETM platform into the Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet). This integration, combined with Ryzyliant's hybrid cloud-hosted solution with local survivability, provides unmatched resilience, efficiency, and security. Ryzyliant's EDGETM platform simplifies emergency call handling with integrated features such as NG9-1-1 call taking, mapping, and computer-aided dispatch (CAD). Powered by INdigital's reliable NGCS circuits, the system ensures rapid response times and full compliance with evolving NG9-1-1 standards. "This partnership represents the future of public safety technology," said , Vice President of INdigital. "By combining INdigital's robust NGCS infrastructure with Ryzyliant's cutting-edge EDGE platform, we're ensuring that every 911 call is delivered and answered with precision, no matter the circumstances." INdigital's local backup capabilities and proven expertise in NGCS projects were instrumental in this deployment. The company also provided database services and implemented Texty, enabling text-to-911 functionality for the county. These services ensure that E911 is prepared to respond to the community's needs with the most reliable tools available. "Delivering 9-1-1 calls is INdigital's mission, and with Ryzyliant's innovative platform, now has the tools to handle and respond to calls seamlessly," said , Vice President of Market Management at INdigital. "This collaboration exemplifies our shared commitment to enhancing public safety operations nationwide." The successful implementation in highlights the synergy between INdigital and Ryzyliant, setting a new standard for NG9-1-1 solutions. As public safety agencies across the country transition to next-generation systems, this collaboration demonstrates how advanced technology and reliable infrastructure can work hand in hand to serve communities effectively. specializes in delivering Next Generation 9-1-1 services, focusing on agile, reliable, and resilient core services tailored to individual PSAP needs. With a mission to ensure every 9-1-1 call is delivered, INdigital partners with agencies nationwide to support their unique public safety requirements. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE INdigital

Village People founder has change of heart, is considering performing YMCA at Trump inauguration

New York can be a magical place for museumgoers. It also can be overwhelming and overcrowded at times, especially at the biggest, most famous museums. Luckily, the city has scores of great museums to choose from: Everything from small and quirky, to elegant gems housed in historic mansions, to preserved Lower East Side tenement apartments and hands-on experiences that might surprise even longtime New Yorkers. “Going to the Museum of Modern Art or the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the American Museum of Natural History is fantastic. But they can be like a big super-sized coffee drink, while we’re more like a cup of espresso,” says Alex Kalman, director of two of the city’s tiniest museums, Mmuseumm1 and Mmuseumm2. One is built into an old elevator shaft in a downtown alleyway. At other small museums you’ll find a cozy, Viennese-style coffee shop; kosher Jewish comfort food; and edgy gift shops. You could view the chair that George Washington sat in before giving his inaugural address to Congress. Or you might make seltzer or solve math puzzles. Here’s some of what’s happening at NYC’s “other” museums: 1048 5th Ave. This museum, housed in a 1914 Gilded Age mansion that was once home to society doyenne Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III, focuses on art and design from Austria and Germany. Its Cafe Sabarsky is a destination of its own, with 1912 upholstery, period decor, and a grand piano in the corner used for cabaret, chamber and classical music performances. On view now is “Egon Schiele: Living Landscapes” and “Austrian Masterworks from the Neue Galerie.” 227 W 27th St. Tucked inside the Fashion Institute of Technology, behind the big sculpture in front, is the city’s only museum solely devoted to fashion. And it’s free. Opening in February is “Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities,” exploring connections between cabinets of curiosities and fashion. 1109 5th Ave. at 92nd St. On view now are “Illit Azouley: Mere Things,” the first solo exhibit in a U.S. museum dedicated to the Berlin-based artist, and “Engaging with History: Works from the Collection.” Other displays include the “Tel Dan Stele,” a 9th century BCE stone monument fragment containing the earliest mention of the royal House of David outside of the Bible. The gift shop features an impressive array of specialty gifts, including works by artist Oded Halahmy. There’s a cafe with updated takes on traditional bagels, blintzes, herring and house-cured salmon. 2 East 91st St. One of the city’s two Smithsonian museums, the Cooper Hewitt focuses on innovative design. Its gift shop rivals MoMA’s, and there’s a private garden and small restaurant. The museum is housed in the former home of industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie. Completed in 1902, the mansion was the first in the U.S. to have a structural steel frame, and one of the first in the city to have a passenger elevator and central heating. It is now LEED-certified and features other cutting-edge technologies. A major exhibit on now, “Making Home: Smithsonian Design Triennial,” explores design’s role in shaping concepts of home, physically and emotionally. It sprawls over the entire mansion and will be on view through Aug. 10. 1 Bowling Green The other Smithsonian in town, it’s at the lower end of Manhattan inside the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, now a city landmark. Admission is free, and current exhibitions include “Jeffrey Veregge: Of Gods and Heroes,” “Native New York” and “Infinity of Nations.” The gift shop features authentic Native American art, crafts, apparel and jewelry from a wide representation of groups, in addition to books by and about Native Americans. 103 Orchard St. With something for all ages, the Tenement Museum is housed in two preserved tenement buildings, one from 1863 and the other from 1888. Each apartment is a kind of time capsule, telling the story of a different immigrant or migrant family who lived there. The museum also offers walking tours of the neighborhood. “What is most unique about the Tenement Museum is that it shines the spotlight on ‘ordinary people’ — working-class families who never imagined they’d one day be the subject of a museum,” says Tenement Museum President Annie Polland. 170 Central Park West A great way to learn more about the city’s history, including the fact that Washington was inaugurated here. A permanent gallery on the fourth floor features a detailed recreation of the White House Oval Office in Washington, D.C., where presidents have worked since 1909. The Meet the Presidents Gallery traces, through artwork and objects, the evolution of the presidency and executive branch. Also on view is the chair from Washington’s inauguration at Federal Hall, on Wall Street, the only presidential inauguration held in New York City. Other current exhibits include “Pets and the City,” “Fred W. McDarrah: Pride and Protest.” There’s a permanent “Gallery of Tiffany Lamps.” 225 Fifth Ave. A hands-on museum with all kinds of math-oriented puzzles and thought-inspiring curiosities, like a tricycle with square wheels that rides smoothly on a zigzagged surface. In an exhibit called “Human Tree,” visitors can make successively smaller images of themselves that combine to make a “fractal tree” that sways in response to their movements. 474 Hemlock St, Brooklyn An interactive museum and factory tour run in partnership with the city’s oldest seltzer works, a family business now in its fourth generation. The museum, inside Brooklyn Seltzer Boys’ active factory, is “dedicated to preserving and promoting the effervescent history of seltzer water,” and celebrates “the manufacturing of seltzer, the science of seltzer, and seltzer as a cultural force in New York City and the world beyond.” Not to mention, guests can spritz each other with seltzer. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler's staff in 2020, becoming the majors' first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt — the AL Manager of the Year. With Cleveland, the 34-year-old Nakken will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Her exact duties are still being determined. "We thank Alyssa Nakken for her incredible contributions to the San Francisco Giants and for trailblazing a path for women in sports,” the Giants said in a statement on Friday. "Her leadership, dedication, and passion for the game have inspired countless individuals, and her impact has been truly transformative for the Giants organization and the baseball community. “As she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career, we have no doubt that she’ll continue to inspire and achieve great things. We wish her and her family nothing but the best.” Nakken is the second on-field female coach hired by the Guardians. In 2023, the club brought in Amanda Kamekona as their hitting development coach for their year-round training academy in Goodyear, Arizona. Last season, she was an assistant hitting coach at Double-A Akron. Kamekona was twice a third-team All-American at UCLA after transferring from Cal State Fullerton. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbSmart Transportation Surge: USD 97.81B in 2022 to USD 293.84B by 2031, 13% CAGR.

Hugh Grant ‘s career has entered what the actor himself coined the “freak show stage” of his career. From the oh-so-tiny Oompa Loompa in Wonka to the short-lived Edward Keplinger in The Regime , the seasoned British actor has departed from his romantic lead typecast. For his most recent leading role as Mr. Reed in Heretic , Grant traps two young Mormon missionaries in his basement game of faith and horror. Green-haired, dancing orange man aside, Mr. Reed is his most extreme role to date. Playing a man who traps women in cages is as large a departure as he can take, especially when his origins are largely rooted as charming leads in romantic comedies. And not just any romantic leads. Grant has starred in some of the most iconic romantic comedies: Edward Farris in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility , William Thacker in Richard Curtis ‘ Notting Hill , Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral (the first of his three films with the famed romance director), David the Prime Minister in Curtis’ Love Actually . Essential to each of these roles, Grant’s charming smile and self-effacing mumble made him a heartthrob of the ’90s and ’00s. But a heartthrob is not exempt from their red flags. Like a wolf in a beloved Englishman’s clothing, Grant’s characters have always been more villainous than they appear. The actor’s breakthrough role as Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral marked him as good-looking and disarmingly likable. Charles flipped a leading man’s role on his head, appearing as non-threatening and passive, his true motives often taking a backseat to politeness. However, for the friend who forgets rings, arrives late, pursues a woman in a relationship, and abandons his fiancée at the altar, suave and shy are not necessarily the first words that come to mind. Perhaps his most cardinal sin of all was committed in Notting Hill . How did he allow Julia Roberts walk out the door to be ambushed by the paparazzi?! Without her pants?! On multiple occasions, when given the opportunity to profess his feelings to his own heartthrob Anna (played by the real-life movie star Roberts), William chose silence and inaction. He even rejected Anna’s own proposal to pursue the relationship legitimately after he had spent an entire year forlorn about what could have been. Never establishing a backbone to communicate properly with the women he truly loves has perhaps been a throughline of Grant’s romantic career. Even his casting as Edward Farris in the 1995 Sense and Sensibility fits the bill, the price of his inactions and omissions being paid by the woman who loved him most. 11 Mr. Darcy Characters From Movies & TV, Ranked His most meaningful encounter in the film, in my opinion, came far too late. In the final act, Elinor Dashwood ( Emma Thompson ) realized that Farris had been engaged to and then married a woman of higher society. This was the engagement that Farris had failed to mention during the entirety of their courtship. The man was shelling out his monogrammed kerchiefs left and right. Unforgivable! Lastly, Curtis’ 2003 holiday rom-com Love Actually follows the love stories of 10 different individuals and those in their lives. “Love” is used liberally as Grant is one of the many male characters engaging in inappropriate romantic relationships with his own employees. Grant plays David, the Prime Minister, who initially resists the urge to act on his attraction to a junior member of staff, Natalie ( Martine McCutcheon ). While he presents himself as a moral politician, looking down on the U.S. President ( Billy Bob Thornton ) for making his own advances on Natalie, David acts on his attraction in the end nonetheless. While the pair ends up in a public, seemingly unproblematic relationship (for now) by the end of the film, we can’t overlook their checkered origins. Looking back, Grant has actually always played the villain. We just weren’t looking hard enough. More Headlines: ‘Interior Chinatown’: Taika Waititi & Jimmy O. Yang Talk Training for Kung Fu Scenes & More (VIDEO) Hallmark Fave Andrew Walker Goes Inside His Skincare Line and Shares Holiday Plans (VIDEO) ‘The View’ Cohosts Slam Trump Case Dismissals: ‘No Such Thing as Karma’ (VIDEO) When Will ‘The Talk’ Final Episode Air? All the Details on Its Last Week of Live Shows Wendy Williams’ Legal Guardian Shares Heartbreaking Health UpdateFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A seismic change is coming for Miami Hurricanes basketball, as longtime coach Jim Larrañaga is stepping down after more than 13 seasons at the helm in Coral Gables, the veteran coach announced Thursday. Bill Courtney, Larrañaga’s associate head coach, is expected to take over as the team’s interim coach, the school announced. Larrañaga, 75, has been Miami’s head coach since 2011-12 and led the team to its best performance in the NCAA Tournament in 2023. But this year’s team is off to a disastrous 4-8 start, including disappointing home losses to Charleston Southern and Mount St. Mary’s. “I love the game,” Larrañaga said. “I’ve loved coaching it. I love practice every day. I love working with the players. But because I love the game and I love the university that much, I felt like, OK, there’s one thing you’ve got to constantly ask yourself: Are you going to give everything you have, the commitment that it deserves, 100 percent of yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? “And quite frankly, I’ve tried to do that throughout my life an throughout my time here, but I’m exhausted.” Larrañaga was under contract through the 2026-27 season, but he cited the challenge of coaching in college basketball’s changing environment as the reason why he ultimately decided he had enough. Athletic director Dan Radakovich said Larrañaga informed him of his decision on Sunday, and Radakovich tried to persuade him to stay. On Monday, Larrañaga informed Radakovich of his final decision. The UM AD said the decision was purely Larrañaga’s, and the athletic department is going to work with Larrañaga to keep him involved with the program. “Of course, my admiration for Jim and our basketball program, I certainly asked him to reconsider, talked through a number of items,” Radakovich said. “But as I was going through my little spiel, I could tell that maybe this mind was already made up. But I felt like I had to do it, and it was important for me to do that. But certainly respecting the decision that he made and allowing us to be in the position that we are, the great history that he’s brought here to the University of Miami lays a great foundation for us to move forward.” Larrañaga is the winningest coach in the program’s history, putting together a 274-174 record at UM. He took the Hurricanes to the Final Four for the first time in 2023 after an Elite Eight run in 2022. He took Miami to the NCAA Tournament six times in his 14-year tenure. But Larrañaga said after the Hurricanes’ run to the Final Four, eight players came to him and told him they intended to transfer to seek more money elsewhere. “What shocked me beyond belief was after we made it to the Final Four, just 18 months ago, the very first time I met with the players, eight of them decided they were going to put their name in the portal and leave,” Larrañaga said. “I said, ‘Don’t you like it here?’ (They said), ‘No, I love it. I love Miami. It’s great.’ “But the opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself, as a coach, what is this all about? And the answer is it’s become professional.” Another ACC coaching legend, former Virginia coach Tony Bennett, gave a similar reason for stepping down in October. “I talk to a lot of my friends, and they’re having all the same problems I’m having,” Larrañaga said. ‘How long they will last is anybody’s guess.” The Hurricanes struggled massively at the end of the 2023-24 season, losing their final 10 games. This season started out promising with three straight wins, but a group built around promising freshmen and transfers has lost eight of its last nine games. “We should be competing for an ACC championship or even a national championship on a fairly consistent basis, and I thought we were doing that and we were moving closer and closer to being able to do it, and then this happened,” Larrañaga said. “Going into this year, I just felt like, ‘OK, we need to get back to where we were.’ I’ve got a great group of kids. It’s not their problem. It’s the system now, or the lack of a system. I didn’t know how to navigate through this. ... I’m all for transferring, but what the portal created is transferring every year.” Larrañaga’s Hurricanes teams produced multiple NBA players, including Bruce Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker, Shane Larkin, Jordan Miller, Davon Reed, Isaiah Wong, Dewan Hernandez and, most recently, Kyshawn George. “Thank you,” former Miami basketball player Anthony Walker wrote on social media. “You have molded me into not only the basketball player I wanted to be but a person, as well. The lessons you have taught me throughout the years will never be forgotten. (You are) a living legend, coach L. Glad that it gets to end on your terms. I love you.” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips released a statement, congratulating Larrañaga for his career. “Jim Larrañaga is a tremendous man who has left a mark as not only the most accomplished coach in Miami basketball history, but as one of the premier coaches in ACC history,” Phillips said. “His coaching record speaks for itself with over 700 career wins, but he always has led his program with the utmost integrity and class. He elevated the Miami program to new levels during his tenure, including a Final Four, and made lifelong impacts on his student-athletes through his lessons on the court and in life outside of the game. Our league has been better because of him and we will miss his presence and voice. We wish Jim, his wife Liz, and their family all the best in their next endeavor.” Larrañaga has a career record of 744-507 over a 41-year college career that also included coaching stints at American International, George Mason and Bowling Green. He led George Mason to the 2006 Final Four. “I just didn’t feel like that I could successfully navigate this whole new world that I was dealing with because my conversations were ridiculous,” Larrañaga said. “With an agent saying to me, ‘Well you can get involved if you’re willing to go to a million-one (dollars). I’m like,’ What? A million dollars?’ And that be the norm. That was the norm. You’re talking to people that expect a million dollars for playing college basketball.” Radakovich said UM will have a “national” search for the next men’s basketball coach. “It’s a difficult atmosphere out there,” Radakovich said. “The lack of what Jim was just talking about — no collective bargaining, no limited antitrust exemption, all the things that you talk about and hear about in intercollegiate athletics has led to the symptoms that Jim just talked about. That has to be the longer-term view of what we need to have happen. Will that occur before we need to move forward and conduct a national search? I highly doubt it. “So we’re going to be looking at the attributes that the University of Miami can provide to a potential coach, looking at obviously, playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is an incredible basketball league, and making sure we put our best foot forward to get someone that can come in, be a part of the community, part of the university but at the same time feel like they have the ability to navigate this world and the changing world that we’re in.” ©2024 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Visit sun-sentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 26, 2024-- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or the "Company") (NYSE: SDRL) today announced that it has completed the sale of the jack-up rig West Prospero for cash proceeds of $45 million. “With the sale of the West Prospero , we have monetized a non-core asset that has been stacked since 2016 and successfully executed on our strategy to exit the benign jack-up market,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Simon Johnson. About Seadrill Seadrill is setting the standard in deepwater oil and gas drilling. With its modern fleet, experienced crews, and advanced technologies, Seadrill safely, efficiently, and responsibly unlocks oil and gas resources for national, integrated, and independent oil companies. For further information, visit www.seadrill.com . Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company’s plans, strategies, business prospects and rig activity, including with respect to backlog and contract commencement dates and durations, impact on earnings and free cash flow and changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates, are forward-looking statements. These statements may include words such as “assumes”, “projects”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “plans”, “intends”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “would”, “can”, “could”, “should” or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. These statements are based on management’s current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: those described under Item 3D “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 27, 2024, offshore drilling market conditions, including supply and demand, day rates, customer drilling programs and effects of new or reactivated rigs on the market, fluctuations in the international price of oil, international financial market conditions, inflation, changes in governmental regulations that affect the Company or the operations of the Company’s fleet, the review of competition authorities, the impact of global economic conditions and global health threats, pandemics and epidemics, political and other uncertainties, including those related to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and any related sanctions, fluctuations in interest rates or exchange rates and currency devaluations relating to foreign or U.S. monetary policy, tax matters, changes in tax laws, treaties and regulations, legal and regulatory matters in the jurisdictions in which we operate, customs and environmental matters, the potential impacts on our business resulting from decarbonization and emissions legislation and regulations, the impact on our business from climate-change generally, the occurrence of cybersecurity incidents, attacks or other breaches to our information technology systems, including our rig operating systems, and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed or furnished by us with the SEC. The foregoing risks and uncertainties are beyond our ability to control, and in many cases, we cannot predict the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or to persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. We expressly disclaim any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations or beliefs with regard to the statement or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any forward-looking statement is based, except as required by law. Investors should note that we announce material financial information in SEC filings, press releases and public conference calls. Based on guidance from the SEC, we may use the Investors section of our website ( www.seadrill.com ) to communicate with investors. It is possible that the financial and other information posted there could be deemed to be material information. The information on our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this news release. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241227268598/en/ CONTACT: Kevin Smith Vice President – Corporate Finance and Investor Relations ir@seadrill.com KEYWORD: BERMUDA CARIBBEAN INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS ENERGY SOURCE: Seadrill Limited Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/26/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/26/2024 04:06 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241227268598/en