Simpson, 23, was waived by Charlotte after the trade deadline this month. Drafted 42nd overall by the Hornets in 2024, he played in 50 games over the last two seasons and started 17 of them, averaging 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
The 6-foot-2 guard represents additional ball-handling depth for the Nuggets as they prepare for the last third of the regular season. He won’t be eligible to play in the NBA playoffs on a two-way contract. Denver now has three guards occupying its two-way spots, with Simpson joining rookies Curtis Jones and Tamar Bates.
Simpson played 98 games during a three-year college career at Colorado. He earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors as a junior and stamped his place in program history during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, when he buried a game-winning shot against Florida to send CU to the second round.
Players on two-way contracts split their time between the NBA and G League depending on where they’re needed. Denver’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, has been without key players such as Jones, Bates and big man DaRon Holmes II for most of the last two months, with Jones and Holmes assigned to Denver and Bates injured.
The Nuggets have used Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther as complementary guards in the starting lineup over the last month while navigating injuries. They prefer to use Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench to generate an extra scoring jolt when they make substitutions, though Hardaway has also closed a number of games this season.
The Broncos were the only NFL team to place three players among the league’s top 15 in dropped passes during the regular season, per Pro-Football-Reference.com — wide receiver Courtland Sutton (eight), tight end Evan Engram (eight) and running back RJ Harvey (seven).
It’s going to be a beast to repeat if Payton and GM George Paton don’t add an experienced, proven wideout for Bo Nix in 2026. Or a big-time tight end. Better yet, both.
“I think the position that this team, the position that we’re in, (we) have a win-now mentality,” Engram said Monday at Dove Valley as the Broncos cleaned out their lockers following a 10-7 loss to New England in the AFC Championship. “And there are some things that we can work with to even make our roster even better.
“So, yeah — I have the utmost faith in the guys upstairs, all the decision-makers, the coach. They’ve done a great job since they’ve been here. They’ve built (a) championship team. Being able to add to that already, we’re in a great spot. We’ll be in a good spot for a while.”
Yeah, but you’ve got to strike now. Nix is on a rookie contract through 2027. That time is going to fly by. Like the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray and the Avs with MacKinnon and Makar, this is the window. Right here. We going for this? Or not?
“Obviously, we need some key players to come in and do what they need to do by getting points on the scoreboard,” veteran left tackle Garett Bolles noted Monday. “(We’ve) got a phenomenal defense. We have everything we need. We just need a couple more playmakers, and sky’s the limit for this team.”
Almost everything. Nix can sling it with Sam Darnold all stinking day. What do the Super-Bowl-bound Seahawks have that the Broncos don’t? A bell cow tailback (Kenneth Walker) who has averaged 15 games per season over his career. And a No. 1 wideout (Jaxson Smith-Njigba) who’s putting up seven catches and 86 receiving yards per game this postseason.
Over two playoff games in ’25-26, Sutton’s totaled seven catches and 70 yards through the air. In total.
It is to say that the man needs more help. And more outside help, especially.
Pat Bryant Jr. made strides, but you worry about all those repeated dings as of late. Troy Franklin had some amazing flashes. Yet while they might be cost-effective, neither of them has the kind of consistency of, say, a Tee Higgins. Or a Jaylen Waddle. Or a Cooper Kupp. Or a Davante Adams. Or Garrett Wilson.
Payton has it backwards. He thinks he can turn anybody into a WR1 with his system. In truth, the system needs another potential WR1 to take off.
OverTheCap says the Broncos should have $27 million in cap room for ’26. Time to go shopping. And not in the discount section, either.
Giants wideout Wan’Dale Robinson is a free agent coming off his first 1,000-yard season. His drop rate was 2.29% — 10th lowest among players with at least 90 targets. The Colts’ Alec Pierce, who’s got the kind of size (6-foot-3) that Payton craves, is also hitting the market after his first 1,000-yard campaign. The former Cincy Bearcat sported a miniscule 1.2% drop rate this past fall and a 3.4% rate for his career.
The Broncos went 13-3 in one-score games in 2025, 12-2 during the regular season. It wasn’t luck. But it’s also tough to repeat, at least at that pace. Those fine margins are only going to get finer. And more fleeting.
Ideally, you build an offense that can pile up more leads, which eases the burden on that defense. Vance Joseph’s unit seemed to carry a game for three quarters until Nix and the offense came to life in the last eight minutes. You might sustain that over a season. It’s a lot to sustain it for two. Ask the Chiefs.
Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, only the Jaguars (45) logged more drops (43) than the Broncos did during the regular season. And Denver ranked second to Jacksonville in drop rate (7.0% to the Jags’ 8.0%.)
For a coach who thinks running the ball is for squares and suckers, that’s not exactly adapting one’s philosophy to fit your personnel.
Unless, of course, you change said personnel. A year ago, Payton vowed to upgrade the inner triangle of running back/tight end/slot receiver. J.K. Dobbins was a step in the right direction in the backfield — at least before he got hurt. Engram’s impact at TE1 was erratic, though, to put it kindly.
“I can only do the most with the opportunities that I get,” Engram said Monday. “There (were) times where I had opportunities. There (were) times where they were a little slim.”
Or none. Engram logged one or zero catches four times over the course of the season and logged three or fewer targets on six different occasions.
“Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, that’s kind of out of my control,” Engram reflected. “I do think there are opportunities in this offense. I think that the tight end position can bring a lot more than it should. Even speaking for the other guys, there’s a lot more that we honestly could have helped with.”
Moving the chains, mostly. Which is why it’s time for the Broncos to put their money where Payton’s mouth is.
Denver ranked 19th in NFL cap spending on wide receivers, according to Spotrac.com. The Broncos were 28th in 2024. When it comes to wideouts, you tend to get what you pay for. Right between the hands.
One of the largest emergency shelters in Denver’s system is again offering refuge from the cold this weekend after Mayor Mike Johnston unilaterally opened the site Friday — despite the City Council rejecting a contract for it late last year.
The Aspen, formerly a DoubleTree hotel in northeast Denver, has space for up to 250 people in its ballroom and will be open as freezing temperatures pummel the Mile High City for the next few days.
Johnston’s decision came after the city’s four other emergency shelters reached capacity on Thursday, the first night of the cold snap. The temperatures, expected to fall to near-zero Friday night and early Saturday, have the potential to cause frostbite in less than 30 minutes without proper attire.
“With life-threatening cold settling over the city and people at risk of suffering serious injury or death, Mayor Johnston informed Council this morning that we will be opening the ballrooms at 4040 Quebec (St.) for temporary emergency cold weather shelter,” spokesman Jon Ewing wrote in a statement Friday.
During a meeting on Dec. 8, 11 of the council’s 13 members voted to reject a contract to use the Aspen’s large space as a cold-weather shelter. (A separate contract with another provider, Urban Alchemy, covers the Aspen’s day-to-day use as a noncongregate shelter in the city’s homelessness initiative.)
Councilwoman Shontel Lewis, whose district includes the shelter, said at the time that the mayor had promised her in 2023 that the site wouldn’t be used for the purpose of cold-weather sheltering.
“My district is already overrepresented with shelters, with eight of them,” Lewis said. “This is ridiculous.”
Only Councilmen Kevin Flynn and Darrell Watson voted to approve the contract last month.
Another council-approved contract with Bayaud Works allows the city to use the ballroom space for short-term emergencies, Ewing said, and that is how the mayor’s office was able to open it Friday.
Lewis has repeatedly asked the mayor’s administration to spread out the locations of the city’s homelessness services since she joined the council in 2023. Now, she says the mayor’s office is manufacturing an emergency to sidestep her continued protestations.
Johnston “has failed to run the city with a long-term strategy,” she said in an interview Friday.
Lewis said there shouldn’t be a cold-weather shelter at the same place as noncongregate housing. Instead, she asked for the Aspen’s ballroom to be used as a navigation center offering resources to homeless people.
But Johnston’s team said they were taken by surprise when the council rejected the contract just as the winter months were setting in and hadn’t had nearly enough time to find enough shelter space since then.
“The real emergency is that it is 5 degrees outside and people are going to die if we don’t get them inside,” Ewing said.
The Aspen made the most sense to use, he said, because it’s already set up with cots, showers and bathrooms. A site that’s well-known among the city’s homeless population, it also mostly serves people who are already in that area, he said.
“We do not just have shelter sites lying around. There are only so many spaces, and there is a likelihood we would need to hold community meetings, go through a full council process and potentially even rezone,” Ewing said.
He added that the city didn’t plan to use the Aspen for cold-weather shelter next year. A new site for emergencies hasn’t been chosen yet, in part because of the limited options.
Lewis said Friday the mayor has “had three years to figure out what cold-weather sheltering should look like.” She also said: “Of course I don’t want folks dying in our streets.”
The city’s sheltering needs have increased since 2023 because of a revised policy that now calls for opening emergency shelters when temperatures drop below 25 degrees, rather than 10 degrees back then, Ewing said.
While Denver’s weather is forecasted to be warmer on Monday, there’s no sign of thaw when it comes to the relationship between some council members and the mayor.
“It’s the mayor’s responsibility to run the city as the executive, and if he doesn’t run the city as the executive, then … we might need to switch seats,” Lewis said.
Ewing had his own retort: “It is not fair to cause a disruption and then blame us for scrambling to solve that issue.”
It’s the time of year when the Steelers roster starts to take on a new look, and that was the case today when multiple players were signed to Reserve/Future contracts.
The team signed a combination of players who were with the team in 2024 on the practice squad, as well as some new additions.
The full list is below.
Long snapper Cal Adomitis: The Steelers originally signed Adomitis to the practice squad on Dec. 19. Adomitis, who is from Pittsburgh and played at Central Catholic High School and the University of Pittsburgh, was last with the Philadelphia Eagles. He originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft, playing 49 games with them.
Defensive tackle Kyler Baugh: Baugh was originally signed by the Steelers during training camp and spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. Baugh entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the New Orleans Saints following the 2024 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the New York Giants and on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. Baugh played two seasons at the University of Minnesota, appearing in 26 games. He recorded 77 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and four sacks. He also added four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He began his college career at Houston Baptist where he appeared in 26 games, starting 18. He finished with 104 career tackles, including 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks.
Receiver Cole Burgess: Burgess was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Burgess spent the 2024 season on the Bengals practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract after the season. Burgess played college football at Division III SUNY Cortland where he earned first-team All-ECAC and All-Empire 8 honors, as well as D3football.com All-Region honors. He started all 10 games his final season, pulling in 37 receptions for 816 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Defensive end Anthony Goodlow: Goodlow, who was signed to the Steelers practice squad on Nov. 24, was originally signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Goodlow spent time on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad the last two seasons, and was elevated to the Active/Inactive roster for three games in 2025. Goodlow played college football at Oklahoma State where he played in 14 games. He recorded 42 tackles, 18 of them solo stops, seven tackles for a loss and three sacks. He began his college career at Tulsa, appearing in a total of 48 games in his college career, with 22 starts.
Defensive back Daequan Hardy: Hardy spent time on the Steelers practice squad during the 2025 season. Hardy was originally drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, spending the season on the practice squad. Hardy played college football at Penn State where he appeared in 48 games, starting five. He had 60 tackles, 40 of them solo stops, 25 passes defensed, seven and a half tackles for a loss, five interceptions, three and a half sacks, and a forced fumble. He also returned punts and kickoffs for the Nittany Lions. He finished tied for fourth in school history with two punt returns for a touchdown, both of them taking place his senior season against the University of Massachusetts.
Defensive back Jack Henderson: Henderson, who was signed to the Steelers practice squad on Oct. 6 but later released, originally signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their practice squad. Henderson spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota where he played in 26 games. He recorded 103 tackles, 61 of them solo stops, 14 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, five passes defensed, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Prior to transferring to Minnesota, he spent three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana where he played in 33 games and recorded 163 tackles, 93 of them solo stops, 12 tackles for a loss and six interceptions.
Defensive end K.J. Henry: Henry, who was signed to the Steelers practice squad on Oct. 12 but later released, was originally drafted in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders. Henry has played in 14 career games, with three starts, during his time with multiple teams including the Commanders (2023), Cincinnati Bengals (2024) and Dallas Cowboys (2024). He has 22 career tackles and two and a half sacks. Henry has spent time on the Cleveland Browns and most recently Philadelphia Eagles practice squads as well. He played college football at Clemson where he appeared in 48 games and recorded 13 sacks.
Receiver Max Hurleman: Hurleman was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following a tryout during rookie minicamp in 2025. He spent the season on the practice squad. Hurleman appeared in 51 games in five college seasons, starting 23. He had 194 carries for 814 yards and one touchdown. He also is hailed for his punt return ability, returning 49 punts for 353 yards, a 7.2-yard average. Hurleman spent his first four seasons at Colgate University before transferring to Notre Dame in 2024 where he played mainly on special teams.
Offensive guard Steven Jones: Jones was originally signed by the Steelers to a Reserve/Future contract following the 2024 season and spent the 2025 preseason with the team. He spent the entire season on the practice squad. Jones originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon where he started all 14 games his senior season at right guard for an offensive line that led the nation with just five sacks allowed for the second year in a row.
Running back Lew Nichols: Nichols spent the 2025 season on the practice squad after he was signed during training camp. Nichols was elevated for the Steelers-Colts game in Week 9, playing on special teams. Nichols was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, spending most of the season on the Reserve/Injured List. He has since spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. Nichols played college football at Central Michigan where he rushed for 1,710 yards in 2021, leading the nation. He was the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Receiver John Rhys Plumlee: Plumlee, who spent part of the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad, originally signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars. Plumlee played college football at Central Florida where he appeared in 52 career games, starting 33. At the quarterback position, Plumlee completed 464 of 760 passes for 5,838 yards and 34 touchdowns. As a receiver, he had 26 receptions for 296 yards. In 2023 he completed 161 of 256 passes for 2,271 yards and 15 touchdowns at Central Florida, after beginning his college career at Mississippi, where he played in 29 games, starting 10.
Linebacker Julius Welschof: Welschof spent the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad. Welschof was signed to a Reserve/Future contract following the 2024 season and spent the 2025 preseason with the team. Welschof was originally signed by the team as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and spent time on the practice squad during the season. He started at defensive end for Charlotte but had his 2023 season cut short due to injury, playing in four games. He began his career at Michigan where he played in 35 games. In 2022, he played in 14 games. He is from Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany.
Offensive tackle Aiden Williams: Williams was originally signed by the Steelers following the 2025 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent from Minnesota-Duluth. He was released before the season and also spent time with the Carolina Panthers. He played in 40 games over four seasons, including 11 games each for the last three years. Williams was a 2023 NSIC All-Conference second team selection as well as a key part of the school leading the conference and ranked seventh in the NCAA in rushing offense. He was also named All-NSIC second team in 2022. Williams is from Anchorage, Alaska.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will be shutting down its operations with a final edition slated for May 3, the newspaper’s owner, Block Communications, announced Wednesday.”We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement states.The Post-Gazette is the largest newspaper representing the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and traces its roots to 1786, forming under its current name in 1927.Block Communications said the closure comes after losing “more than $350 million in cash operating the Post-Gazette” over the past 20 years. In addition, Pittsburghsister station WTAE reports that they cited a November decision that ruled in favor of the paper’s union, restoring the terms of its 2014-17 contract. Workers represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh had been on strike for more than three years, then the longest active strike in the country.On Wednesday morning, the Post-Gazette’s publisher asked a court to freeze an order requiring the company to change its health insurance for union workers. Shortly after they were denied, the announcement came that the newspaper would close.In the announcement on Wednesday, Block Communications said the decision would require them to work under a contract that was “outdated and inflexible operational practices unsuited for today’s local journalism.””We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement stated.The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh released a statement about the Post-Gazette shutdown, saying in part, “Instead of simply following the law, the owners chose to punish local journalists and the city of Pittsburgh.”Post-Gazette staff learned about the closure during a Zoom meeting. In the video, which Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has seen, the president of Block Communications called it extremely difficult news as she made the virtual announcement that will end nearly two centuries of the P-G in Pittsburgh.”This is a seismic change for the entire region,” said Andrew Conte, managing director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. “We often talk about the local news crisis as a problem of the media, but really, it’s a crisis for all of us. It’s a community challenge because it affects how people interact with local news and information, and when something as large as the Post-Gazette goes away, it creates a huge void.”Conte worked as a journalist in the Pittsburgh area for decades. Like many Pittsburghers, he has watched the yearslong battle between Post-Gazette journalists and Block Communications and the recent end to a three-year strike.”People have been thinking about what it would mean to lose the Post-Gazette for a long time,” he said. “But when it actually happened today, it felt like a gut punch.”The Post-Gazette started out in 1786 as a weekly called The Pittsburgh Gazette and was the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains. As one of its first major stories, the Gazette published the newly adopted Constitution of the United States.Pittsburgh is located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. County Executive Sara Innamorato called the decision to close “a major loss” for the area.”I’m deeply worried about the public’s ability to access trustworthy and fact-checked information at a time when misinformation is running rampant online,” she said in a statement.It is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States.Conte said it’s tough news for the journalists losing their jobs, as well as the community.”The real challenge is the work that journalists do that is accurate, objective, relevant to lots of people, that trained people are going out and asking these questions and finding out what’s going on and telling people, and that’s what’s being lost here is that we have fewer people doing that work,” he said.Announcement follows Supreme Court denial of bid to halt order Also on Jan. 7, 2026, the Supreme Court denied the Post-Gazette’s request to freeze a temporary injunction that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit had issued more than nine months ago. In a November 2025 decision, the appeals court held that the company had bargained in bad faith and improperly declared an impasse in the bargaining process. It ordered the company to comply with remedies ordered by the National Labor Relations Board.PG Publishing Co. filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court to stay the order in response. In the Jan. 7 decision, which vacated a Dec. 22 stay from Justice Samuel Alito’s that had paused the 3rd Circuit’s injunction, justices did not explain their reasoning, Bloomberg Law reported.Second Pittsburgh paper to announce closing in one weekBlock Communications is the same company that owned the Pittsburgh City Paper, a free alt-weekly that announced it was closing on Dec. 31, 2025, after 34 years serving the city.In a statement to sister station WTAE’s news partners at the Trib, owner Block Communications said, in part, “The City Paper business model has not reached a level of financial performance that allows Block Communications to continue operating it responsibly.”Block Communications also owns The Blade, a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio.
PITTSBURGH —
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will be shutting down its operations with a final edition slated for May 3, the newspaper’s owner, Block Communications, announced Wednesday.
“We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement states.
The Post-Gazette is the largest newspaper representing the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and traces its roots to 1786, forming under its current name in 1927.
Block Communications said the closure comes after losing “more than $350 million in cash operating the Post-Gazette” over the past 20 years. In addition, Pittsburghsister station WTAE reports that they cited a November decision that ruled in favor of the paper’s union, restoring the terms of its 2014-17 contract. Workers represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh had been on strike for more than three years, then the longest active strike in the country.
On Wednesday morning, the Post-Gazette’s publisher asked a court to freeze an order requiring the company to change its health insurance for union workers. Shortly after they were denied, the announcement came that the newspaper would close.
In the announcement on Wednesday, Block Communications said the decision would require them to work under a contract that was “outdated and inflexible operational practices unsuited for today’s local journalism.”
“We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement stated.
The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh released a statement about the Post-Gazette shutdown, saying in part, “Instead of simply following the law, the owners chose to punish local journalists and the city of Pittsburgh.”
Post-Gazette staff learned about the closure during a Zoom meeting. In the video, which Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has seen, the president of Block Communications called it extremely difficult news as she made the virtual announcement that will end nearly two centuries of the P-G in Pittsburgh.
“This is a seismic change for the entire region,” said Andrew Conte, managing director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. “We often talk about the local news crisis as a problem of the media, but really, it’s a crisis for all of us. It’s a community challenge because it affects how people interact with local news and information, and when something as large as the Post-Gazette goes away, it creates a huge void.”
Conte worked as a journalist in the Pittsburgh area for decades. Like many Pittsburghers, he has watched the yearslong battle between Post-Gazette journalists and Block Communications and the recent end to a three-year strike.
“People have been thinking about what it would mean to lose the Post-Gazette for a long time,” he said. “But when it actually happened today, it felt like a gut punch.”
The Post-Gazette started out in 1786 as a weekly called The Pittsburgh Gazette and was the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains. As one of its first major stories, the Gazette published the newly adopted Constitution of the United States.
Pittsburgh is located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. County Executive Sara Innamorato called the decision to close “a major loss” for the area.
“I’m deeply worried about the public’s ability to access trustworthy and fact-checked information at a time when misinformation is running rampant online,” she said in a statement.
It is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States.
Conte said it’s tough news for the journalists losing their jobs, as well as the community.
“The real challenge is the work that journalists do that is accurate, objective, relevant to lots of people, that trained people are going out and asking these questions and finding out what’s going on and telling people, and that’s what’s being lost here is that we have fewer people doing that work,” he said.
Announcement follows Supreme Court denial of bid to halt order
Also on Jan. 7, 2026, the Supreme Court denied the Post-Gazette’s request to freeze a temporary injunction that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit had issued more than nine months ago.
In a November 2025 decision, the appeals court held that the company had bargained in bad faith and improperly declared an impasse in the bargaining process. It ordered the company to comply with remedies ordered by the National Labor Relations Board.
PG Publishing Co. filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court to stay the order in response.
In the Jan. 7 decision, which vacated a Dec. 22 stay from Justice Samuel Alito’s that had paused the 3rd Circuit’s injunction, justices did not explain their reasoning, Bloomberg Law reported.
Second Pittsburgh paper to announce closing in one week
Block Communications is the same company that owned the Pittsburgh City Paper, a free alt-weekly that announced it was closing on Dec. 31, 2025, after 34 years serving the city.
In a statement to sister station WTAE’s news partners at the Trib, owner Block Communications said, in part, “The City Paper business model has not reached a level of financial performance that allows Block Communications to continue operating it responsibly.”
Block Communications also owns The Blade, a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio.
PHILADELPHIA — These are the stories nine Nuggets bench players and their coach will tell decades from now about a peculiar basketball game in Philadelphia.
It was a random enough game, one of 82 on a Monday in January, that it will fade from collective memory eventually. Just not from theirs. David Adelman will tell the story of “one of the best NBA wins I’ve ever been a part of in my life,” as he described it in the locker room, his stoic demeanor giving way to emotion that might’ve been verging on tears. “That was (freaking) special, man.”
He’ll reminisce about strategizing for a seemingly insurmountable matchup without seven of his usual rotation players, without his entire starting lineup, without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. He’ll tell the story of his staff’s edict to “keep five guys in the paint and try to win the ball,” because the Nuggets didn’t have a healthy center, and they were playing against one with an MVP trophy. He’ll recount how he urged them to “play fast” and hunt easy buckets to avoid the limitations of a half-court offense. How he had no choice but to use all nine available players, including two who knew only garbage time in the NBA until a few days earlier.
He’ll compare it to a February 2020 win over Utah, where the Nuggets had only seven guys at their disposal, also on the second night of a back-to-back. But one of the seven was Jokic.
“This one is different,” Adelman said. “This one is unique, because our best player didn’t play. … When they’re older, 20 years from now, they’ll probably grab a beer and talk about this game.”
Bruce Brown will tell the story of his game-winner that never actually went through the net. It was a fitting climax, first requiring the Nuggets to get a defensive stop while they were down one point with a six-second clock differential in overtime. They collapsed on 76ers rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe in the lane. Peyton Watson disrupted his driving layup. Spencer Jones blocked Joel Embiid’s tip-in attempt, tumbling over Edgecombe. While the bodies hit the floor, Brown was waiting at the free-throw line. The ball caromed to him for a one-man fast break.
Keep five guys in the paint and try to win the ball. Play fast. “I didn’t have to call a timeout,” Adelman said. Embiid tried to chase Brown down for a block, but the ball had already touched the backboard when the Nuggets’ nemesis got to it. Goaltending was called with 5.3 seconds left.
“I was in the perfect position,” Brown said. “I knew everyone was in the paint, trying to go rebound. I was just like, I’m going. There was only one person back.”
He’ll tell the story of human nature. How it worked to Denver’s advantage. How he’s sure that a Philadelphia squad with Embiid, Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George in the lineup overlooked this game after winning four in a row. How Brown could hardly blame them because he’s been doing this long enough to know that it’s almost unavoidable in an 82-game season. He was the most experienced player available for the Nuggets. Their other eight players had combined for 94 NBA starts before Philadelphia, and only 45 before this season.
“People are expecting us to lose. We have nothing to lose, right?” Brown thought. “Go out there and hoop. We’ve been on the other side before, where other teams sit people out, and the same thing happens. So I knew they were probably gonna take us a little light. … When I’m on the other side, sometimes that happens, right? The other team just comes out playing extremely hard, and you’re like, eh, bench guys; they’re not the starters.”
Jalen Pickett will tell the story of how he quieted his older brother. “He’s my biggest critic,” the 6-foot-2 point guard said, “so I can’t wait to see what he says tonight.” They don’t get to see each other often during the NBA season. This was an exception, a reunion in Philly. Pickett, who finished his college career at Penn State, scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Nuggets. He added five rebounds and seven assists.
“He was just absolutely in control of this basketball game,” Adelman said. “With all those great players on that court, he was the guy tonight.”
Pickett’s first three years of pro hoops have been an emotional roller coaster. Drafted in the second round in 2023, he became a focal point of the tension between former general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone. Palace intrigue encroached on his confidence at times. But a 7-for-11 outside-shooting performance in Pennsylvania? Three step-back 3s over the 7-foot Embiid? It was the best Pickett has felt on a basketball court since “probably back in college, having the ball every possession.” He’ll tell the story of the Nuggets’ nickname for one night: “We were calling ourselves the Denver G League.”
Hunter Tyson will tell the story of his go-ahead 4-point play, the crux of a 14-0 fourth-quarter run after Denver trailed 98-89 with 11 minutes to go. He scored half of his 14 points during that run. Perhaps no sequence was more crucial to the momentum than his contested rebound and pull-up 3-pointer in transition, which he buried while getting fouled. “We were just a bunch of dogs tonight,” he said afterward.
He’ll tell the story of the bench’s comradery and patience. Tyson was drafted five spots after Pickett in 2023. Seven of Denver’s nine available players have suited up for the Grand Rapids Gold, a developmental G League affiliate. Eight of the nine were either drafted by the Nuggets outside of the top 20, or signed by the Nuggets out of college as undrafted free agents. Before this game, Tyson had played 50 total minutes in the first 35 contests of the season.
“He might be our hardest worker,” Pickett said.
“We’re blessed with the opportunity to be in the NBA, to be in this position. So I really try to keep a good perspective about things,” Tyson said. “And maybe even if I’m not playing as much as I want, just try and get a little better each day.”
He’ll tell the story of how that patience was a virtue on the final play of overtime, when Maxey released a potential game-winning floater. It threatened the three hours of maximum effort Denver had devoted. But it rolled off the rim as time expired, igniting a spontaneous celebration of hugs.
“Dude, I swear it sat there forever,” Tyson said, laughing. “I was really glad it didn’t go in.”
Zeke Nnaji will tell the story of Adelman’s relentless encouragement, which Nnaji says dates back months before the one game when it was most necessary. “He says that we’re so deep, we’re so talented, that on a random night, it could be anyone’s night. He’s constantly hammering that message home,” Nnaji said.
“I think it’s really DA. … He believed. And we all believed.”
Nnaji is the third-longest tenured Nugget behind Jokic and Murray, but his four-year, $32 million contract has been widely ridiculed as a waste of money on a player who mostly rides the bench. For at least one night, none of that mattered. Nnaji was Embiid’s equal, amassing 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks off the bench as Denver’s fourth-string center. He’ll tell the story of how it felt like a “normal” game, if only because the reserves are so accustomed to playing pickup together on the practice court. They need the reps.
“We play with each other so much,” he said. “Especially when everyone (in the starting lineup) is healthy, we’re always playing with each other. … Opportunities like this are so rare.”
Adelman will tell the story of Denver’s pregame shootaround someday, once he can get through it without choking up. “This morning, walking through (the plan) with nine people,” he said, “it was really special.” He had to stop himself there.
The nine also consisted of Julian Strawther, DaRon Holmes II and Curtis Jones. Others who contributed behind the scenes will also tell the story of this game, though. The team security guard who ran down the back hallway, ecstatic. The starters who sat out and cheered from the bench, including Aaron Gordon, who sat at his locker room stall perusing the box score afterward with a proud smile. The player development coaches who work closely with Denver’s reserves. As two of them walked through an empty arena toward the team bus, one declared, “Shoutout PD,” lifting the Modelo can he was carrying in a toast to themselves.
When Nnaji tells the story, he’ll always return to Pickett’s deadeye shooting. “There were a couple of times Pick hit a step-back on Embiid, and I just go crazy whenever he hits one of those,” Nnaji said.
Pickett will tell that story, too. His children and grandchildren will hear that one.
“Oh my gosh,” he said, perhaps still in some disbelief. “I’m gonna tell ‘em I was giving MVPs buckets out there.”
New York City FC re-signed midfielder Andres Perea to a contract extension through 2027-28 season when MLS switches to a summer-spring schedule.
The deal with the Tampa, Fla., native, includes an option for 2028-29.
‘The past two-and-a-half years with New York City have been incredibly good for me,’ Perea said. ‘I’ve felt so much love from the city, my teammates, the entire staff, and the fans, making me truly happy here. I’m really excited to sign a new contract with New York City.’
Perea, 25, had an assist in three games of the just-completed MLS Cup playoffs before he came away with a fractured right leg in a first-round series against Charlotte FC.
In 62 regular-season games with NYCFC over three seasons he has seven goals and three assists.
In 144 career MLS games over seven seasons with Orlando City (2020-22), the Philadelphia Union (2023) and NYCFC, Perea has 11 goals with six assists.
Registered nurses who work at 19 University of California facilities have ratified a new contract after voting concluded Saturday.
The contract will cover some 25,000 registered nurses and includes protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention through Jan. 31, 2029, according to the California Nurses Assn.
The pact includes a minimum 18.5% increase in pay, caps on healthcare increases, restrictions on UC floating RNs between facilities, improvements to meal and rest breaks and workplace violence-prevention policies, the association said.
“University of California RNs organized for and won important patient protections at the bargaining table, like curbing the rampant misuse of floating and ensuring safeguards on artificial intelligence,” said Kristan Delmarty, an RN and member of the UC bargaining team.
“As a result of the commitment of all CAN members, we won a contract that will improve outcomes for nurses and our patients,’’ said Marlene Tucay, an RN at UC Irvine and member of the bargaining team.
Under the contract, RNs were guaranteed a central role in selecting, designing and validating new technology, including AI systems, the CNA stated.
That shadow over the court was Aaron Gordon’s. Suddenly, the Nuggets felt his absence as painfully as their opponents usually feel his presence.
He would have been perfect for a crunch-time possession late Saturday night and the unenviable task of guarding DeMar DeRozan with a game on the line.
David Adelman instead asked for one stop from Spencer Jones, the eager 24-year-old wing who has prospered as a defensive specialist on a two-way contract.
He had started the game in place of the injured Gordon as well, but this was a step up in stakes. The Nuggets trailed 123-120 after a successful two-for-one bucket with 29 seconds to go, allowing them to play out a defensive possession instead of fouling. They had no margin for error, but they had a chance.
Jones does have one glaring flaw in his defensive game: He’s foul-prone. And against a savvy veteran scorer like DeRozan, discipline with hand placement is especially vital. Jones didn’t pass the assignment this time. He reached into the cookie jar, and DeRozan immediately drew the contact while burying an improbable midrange jumper. Ballgame.
Gordon and the Nuggets are seeking second opinions on the severity of his right hamstring strain before determining how much time he’ll miss, Adelman said Saturday, 24 hours after Gordon slipped on a drive to the basket in Houston and then gingerly walked off the court. The injury could result in another prolonged absence for a Nuggets starter, with Christian Braun already on the shelf for the next five weeks.
“We’re trying to make sure we get the correct answer to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Adelman said. “… Obviously, that was concerning last night with Aaron.”
And Jones was a major variable in the defensive equation of replacing Gordon during Denver’s back-to-back this weekend. He was impressive in Houston, matching up on a full range of players from Reed Sheppard to Alperen Sengun.
On Saturday, he was a minus-18.
“I’m concerned about anybody guarding DeRozan,” Adelman said when asked whether he was concerned about the foul potential of the Jones matchup. “He’ll learn from that. He got his hand in there. That’s what DeMar does. He’s always been an artist with that. He’s one of the best scorers in the modern era. A lot of it is because of that, and of course, it comes at a really key time. So Spence will learn from it. I have nothing but full confidence in him.”
Baptism by fire is the only way sometimes, in Adelman’s view. After spending weeks lauding his team’s depth, the injury bug is forcing him to use it even more.
“We’re going through this process with a couple of guys out, really three guys out,” he said, referring also to Julian Strawther’s recent back pain that has kept him inactive the last four games. “So we want to see what each guy can do. We played Jalen (Pickett) a little bit. We started him (against Indiana). Zeke started in New Orleans. We wanted to give Hunter a little bit of run.
“As we go through this time, if guys are out — and some are, as you know — we’ll try different lineups to see what we can do. … I can’t play an eight-and-a-half man rotation every night. So I’ll get creative with it as best I can.”
Denver’s three healthy starters showed out on the second night of the back-to-back. Nikola Jokic amassed 44 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Jamal Murray continued to be a steady source of offense, with 23 points and nine assists to just one turnover. Cam Johnson continued to do all the little things that prompted Adelman to defend him when he was slumping — and also went for his first 20-point game as a Nugget.
But with Peyton Watson and Jones slotted in as starters, the bench got outscored 48-20. In a home loss to the Bulls last Monday, the margin was an even uglier 66-9. That happened with Gordon in the lineup.
“I think 12-4, it’s not the real picture. I think we are not that good,” Jokic said Saturday, laying it on perhaps a little too thick. “I think we need to be much better if we want to do something big. Yes, we’ve played better. We look better. But I think we need to consistently, every night, every possession.”
“Those guys are really important to what we do. They’re very talented players, CB and AG,” Johnson added. “Very gritty guys. Contribute a lot to the game. But it’s part of the league, you know? It’s part of the game. Eighty-two games is a long season. Sometimes, things happen. I think we have the depth that we can (trust the) next man up and rally and find ways to maximize the guys available on the floor.”
If Gordon sits out an extended period that corresponds with Braun’s recovery, getting stops will be Denver’s biggest bugaboo. The team’s defensive rating when those two players share the floor is an elite 109.5 in 241 minutes. It’s 118.9 when they’re both off the floor. The Kings turned the ball over only six times on Saturday. Russell Westbrook scored 15 fourth-quarter points to fuel their win, which snapped an eight-game skid.
Not having Braun meant one more matchup adjustment that wasn’t available to Adelman as Westbrook heated up.
Then there was DeRozan, getting the best of Jones, who has done an admirable job this season but could continue to face heightened challenges if Gordon is out for a while.
“They’re both, of course, really good defensive players for us,” Jokic said. “And I think we miss CB in all the split action. … He’s setting flares or rip screens for the guys, and always finding the right spot to be and getting us easy points, getting us to the rim. AG, especially when we play against smaller lineups, he’s a really good low-post player. … He’s just putting a lot of pressure on the defense, and offense.”
SEATTLE (AP) — Whether it was teammates, coaches, kitchen crew or clubhouse managers, Josh Naylor felt abundantly comfortable across his three months with the Seattle Mariners.
And thanks to a furry friend, Naylor felt right at home. A day removed from signing a $92.5 million, five-year contract, Naylor credited Seattle’s clubhouse Labrador retriever, Tucker, for helping win him over.
“When I found out we had Tucker, he put me over the edge, man,” Naylor said with a toothy grin. “I love that little guy.”
Naylor loves Seattle, and vice versa.
The 28-year-old free agent spent 54 games with the Mariners after being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of the 2025 trade deadline and hit .299 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Naylor endeared himself to the Seattle faithful with hard-nosed play, as well as for giving away pairs of his cleats to kids.
“I always tell players, or even little kids I work with in the offseason sometimes, like, play for the little kid inside of you,” Naylor said. “Always remind that kid that it’s just a game, and you’re here to have fun, and you’re here to play hard, and you’re here to compete.”
Seattle reached Game 7 of the American League Championship Series before losing to Toronto and falling one win shy of its first World Series. After a stellar postseason in which hit .340 with three home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases, Naylor felt he had unfinished business in Seattle.
“I wanted to come back to give this fanbase and this city and my teammates and their families a World Series in the next five years,” Naylor said, “or, multiple World Series or multiple pennants.”
President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is confident Naylor can be a key cog in winning the first World Series for a franchise that started play in 1977. He described it as a “no-brainer” to bring Naylor back.
“This was about as simple a decision as we could make organizationally,” Naylor said. “After acquiring Josh midseason at the trade deadline, the way he fit into our clubhouse, the community, the way the fan base embraced him.”
Naylor didn’t feel compelled to test the open market. He felt confident in the Mariners’ core — and not facing Seattle’s starting pitchers for the foreseeable future.
Instead, Naylor will have the good fortune of hitting behind Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, who finished second and sixth in MVP voting.
Sticking in Seattle means a good deal for Naylor, who became a father for the first time this year. With a handful of family members on hand for Tuesday’s news conference, Naylor, whose younger brother, Bo, is a Cleveland catcher, discussed his desire to settle down in the Emerald City.
“I really would love to spend the rest of my career here and raise a family here,” Naylor said, “and have my family come to Seattle more often and watch baseball games and hopefully win a World Series here.”
Naylor’s greatest motivator is to win, which has been the case more often than not across his seven-year big league career.
“This isn’t done, in my opinion,” Naylor said. “We’ve got a lot more to do and it’s exciting for not only them, but for me and the whole city. The teammates that we have here, it’s going to be an awesome offseason in my opinion.”
Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher is defending how city employees use taxpayer-funded credit cards, even as an audit is now underway to review city spending practices.On Monday, Feacher pushed back against growing criticism over how city-issued P-cards are being used for expenses that range from hotel bills and restaurant tabs to birthday cakes and flowers. City records show some purchases appear to extend beyond official business.”There is still no issues that I’ve been able to see currently through my basic review,” Feacher told WESH 2 News.Feacher emphasized that city spending is already subject to oversight. “There’s always periodic audits that take place with our purchasing department,” he said. “So, it’s always someone evaluating and looking at each P-card expenditure and who’s using it.”The city’s P-card program came under scrutiny after city commissioner Stacy Cantu raised concerns. A former employee who oversaw the program did so before leaving earlier this year. That employee said in an email the city was hemorrhaging funds and that her concerns were ignored. Feacher disputed that account.”Not only was there something done,” he said. “There were follow-up meetings that took place with the employee, who decided in one of the emails that she didn’t need to meet with the CFO because she was going to leave.”When asked whether the city completed a full review after her departure, Feacher confirmed the process continued. “We reviewed all of those things, and we’ll provide you all the documents after she left our organization,” he said.City commissioners have selected an auditor to review the credit card spending.Feacher said some policies are about 20 years old and need to be updated. “Staff has been working on them for the past year,” Feacher said. “One of the top three priorities for our CFO, when she was hired about a year ago, was to look at our procurement and purchasing policy, and that’s in the works now.”We asked about some of the transactions. Records reviewed by WESH 2 News show hundreds of thousands of dollars in city spending at a local auto repair shop, raising questions about whether the contract had been rebid in recent years.”It’s not like we just went to the oil change place next door,” Feacher said. “There’s a process for that.”However, one city commissioner told WESH 2 they do not recall voting on that contract within the last five years, suggesting it may have expired and was never voted on again. Feacher also confirmed that contractors working for the city had been issued P-cards, something that raised further concern since those individuals are not city employees. The city has now suspended those cards.”Does it specifically say in their contract that they are allowed to have a credit card? No, it doesn’t,” Feacher said. “But it does not say that we are not allowed to let them use our stuff to get tax exemptions because they’re doing work we required.”Feacher said the city expects to finalize an updated draft of its spending and procurement policies in the coming weeks.”I’m very concerned that the narrative that’s been created, without reviewing the facts, could affect the people that I work with every day,” he said.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —
Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher is defending how city employees use taxpayer-funded credit cards, even as an audit is now underway to review city spending practices.
On Monday, Feacher pushed back against growing criticism over how city-issued P-cards are being used for expenses that range from hotel bills and restaurant tabs to birthday cakes and flowers. City records show some purchases appear to extend beyond official business.
“There is still no issues that I’ve been able to see currently through my basic review,” Feacher told WESH 2 News.
Feacher emphasized that city spending is already subject to oversight. “There’s always periodic audits that take place with our purchasing department,” he said. “So, it’s always someone evaluating and looking at each P-card expenditure and who’s using it.”
The city’s P-card program came under scrutiny after city commissioner Stacy Cantu raised concerns.
A former employee who oversaw the program did so before leaving earlier this year. That employee said in an email the city was hemorrhaging funds and that her concerns were ignored. Feacher disputed that account.
“Not only was there something done,” he said. “There were follow-up meetings that took place with the employee, who decided in one of the emails that she didn’t need to meet with the CFO because she was going to leave.”
When asked whether the city completed a full review after her departure, Feacher confirmed the process continued. “We reviewed all of those things, and we’ll provide you all the documents after she left our organization,” he said.
City commissioners have selected an auditor to review the credit card spending.
Feacher said some policies are about 20 years old and need to be updated.
“Staff has been working on them for the past year,” Feacher said. “One of the top three priorities for our CFO, when she was hired about a year ago, was to look at our procurement and purchasing policy, and that’s in the works now.”
We asked about some of the transactions. Records reviewed by WESH 2 News show hundreds of thousands of dollars in city spending at a local auto repair shop, raising questions about whether the contract had been rebid in recent years.
“It’s not like we just went to the oil change place next door,” Feacher said. “There’s a process for that.”
However, one city commissioner told WESH 2 they do not recall voting on that contract within the last five years, suggesting it may have expired and was never voted on again.
Feacher also confirmed that contractors working for the city had been issued P-cards, something that raised further concern since those individuals are not city employees. The city has now suspended those cards.
“Does it specifically say in their contract that they are allowed to have a credit card? No, it doesn’t,” Feacher said. “But it does not say that we are not allowed to let them use our stuff to get tax exemptions because they’re doing work we required.”
Feacher said the city expects to finalize an updated draft of its spending and procurement policies in the coming weeks.
“I’m very concerned that the narrative that’s been created, without reviewing the facts, could affect the people that I work with every day,” he said.
Altitude might be regaining its status as a safe haven for the Nuggets.
Obliging Miami’s invitation to play fast-paced, somewhat chaotic basketball, Denver held off the Heat for a 122-112 win Wednesday and improved to 4-0 this season at Ball Arena. They were a lackluster 26-15 at home last year.
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double by the end of a bizarre and experimental third quarter, en route to 33 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists. He and his teammates benefitted from the departure of Heat star Bam Adebayo, who suffered a foot injury early in the game. With Kel’el Ware and Keshad Johnson splitting minutes at center, Denver out-rebounded Miami 68-44 for a 22-8 advantage in second-chance points and 62-42 edge in the paint.
That and the tempo at which Miami plays helped the Nuggets (5-2) pile on 68 first-half points despite shooting only 43% from the floor and 6 for 23 outside the arc. They also added 12 points in the first minute and 46 seconds of the third quarter, briefly flirting with a 150-point pace.
But every time the Nuggets threatened to blow the game open, they started to get messy. Miami shaved a 17-point deficit back to 10 with seven minutes to go, causing David Adelman to call timeout and retrieve his security blanket from the bench. On a sloppier night for the Jamal Murray-led second unit, Jokic steadied the ship. Denver won his minutes by 18 and lost those without him by eight.
Murray struggled to make his shots for the second consecutive game, going 4 of 15. But he accepted a pick-me-up from Aaron Gordon, who scored 24 points and was on the emphatic receiving end of a few Jokic dimes. Tim Hardaway Jr. also added 18 points on a 4-for-9 night from 3-point range, continuing his hot start to the season.
The 33-year-old guard, who signed a veteran minimum contract with the Nuggets, is shooting 44.7% from three after seven games. He’s playing more minutes than anybody else off Denver’s bench.
The Nuggets have now won nine consecutive regular-season home games against Miami. Other than Game 2 of the NBA Finals in 2023, their last home loss to the Heat was Nov. 30, 2016.
Miami did, however, hand the Nuggets their first deficit at Ball Arena this season when Norman Powell buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key against their zone on the first possession of the game. He went for a team-leading 23 points, but the Heat did most of their leading in the first quarter. Denver trailed by more than seven and never trailed after halftime.
The injury to Adebayo played a major role in that. Ware couldn’t hold his own on the glass, and when he wasn’t on the floor, Jokic was in full attack mode. He bullied Johnson and Jaime Jaquez for back-to-back buckets in the post during the second quarter, prompting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to get Ware back on the floor shortly after. Without Adebayo, he had no available solutions.
Peyton Watson registered a career-high 10 rebounds in the win. Christian Braun didn’t score efficiently but made his share of dirty-work plays, amassing 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
The Nuggets will host Golden State on Friday in their second NBA Cup group stage game after losing to Portland last week.
Three-time reigning NBA slam dunk contest champion Mac McClung is joining the Indiana Pacers on a multi-year deal, ESPN reported on Monday.
McClung, 26, who played in six NBA games from 2021-25, landed his first standard contract with the league, though it’s a nonguaranteed contract. In those six games with the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, McClung averaged 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 12.7 minutes.
Per the report, former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman will be waived by Indiana to open a roster spot for McClung.
Wiseman, 24, made his season debut on Saturday and scored four points in 20 minutes in a 128-103 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He missed all but the season opener last season due to an Achilles tear.
McClung, a shooting guard and point guard, will provide backcourt depth with guards Bennedict Mathurin (foot) and Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) listed as day-to-day. Forward Obi Toppin (leg) is also day-to-day.
Indiana is also without point guard T.J. McConnell (hamstring), who is rehabbing from the injury he sustained before the season. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) will miss the season.
CONCERNING HER FIRING. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED IT’S PLANNING TO BUILD NEW SECTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN BORDER WALL. THE NEW BARRIERS WOULD EXTEND NEARLY TEN MILES ALONG THE SAN DIEGO MEXICO BORDER. KCRA 3’S ANDREA FLORES HAS BEEN COVERING THE SOUTHERN BORDER FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS. UNDER THE BIDEN AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. SHE JOINS US WITH WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BORDER SAFETY AND HOW IT’S GETTING FUNDED. SO THE NEW WALL SYSTEM IS BEING FUNDED BY THE SO-CALLED BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, AND IT GIVES CBP MORE THAN $46 BILLION THROUGH 2029 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. SO THIS IS VIDEO FROM KCRA 3’S TIME AT THE BORDER. THIS WAS BACK IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR WHEN THOUSANDS OF MILITARY TROOPS WERE SENT TO THE AREA TO ASSIST CBP WITH SURVEILLANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE. NOW, THE PROPOSED BARRIERS WOULD BE BUILT NEAR THE TECATE AND OTAY MESA PORTS OF ENTRY. CBP SAYS IT PLANS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN NEARLY TEN MILES OF BORDER WALL. IT ALSO PLANS TO ADD NEARLY 52 MILES OF IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG EXISTING BARRIERS, INCLUDING SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, ACCESS PATROL ROADS AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS. BUT IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES LIKE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE, WHO WE SPOKE WITH BACK IN APRIL, OPPOSES THE PLAN, SAYING THIS WOULD DIVERT MIGRATION FLOWS INTO MORE DANGEROUS AREAS WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES. U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAYS APPREHENSIONS ARE DOWN IN THE SAN DIEGO SECTOR. LAST MONTH, THEY RECORDED 715 ENCOUNTERS. THAT’S A 95% DECREASE FROM AUGUST OF 2024. WE DID REACH OUT TO CBP FOR AN INTERVIEW ON WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS NEW AREA OF THE BORDER WALL WOULD BEGIN
Nearly $1.1B to be spent on ‘Smart Wall’ at California border under ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for Smart Wall construction along the southwest border.At least 10 new construction contracts will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to secure the border.(Video Above: Trump administration announces plans to build new sections of southern border wall)“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This president changed that,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”The Smart Wall is a border security system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology to give Border Patrol agents the best tools in the world to stop illegal traffic. The technology additions will further secure the existing wall in areas where the Biden administration’s policies canceled contracts to do so, according to a joint statement by DHS and CBP.The 10 contracts, awarded between Sept. 15 and 30, are the very first to be funded by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. They also include minimal prior year funding from fiscal year 2021 wall appropriations. That funding was on hold during the Biden administration, according to the release.To expedite the construction of the Smart Wall, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also issued two new waivers for approximately nine miles of Smart Wall in CBP’s San Diego sector and approximately 30 miles of new Smart Wall in New Mexico within the El Paso sector.Contracts in California include:San Diego 1 Project – Awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for $483,486,600 for the construction of approximately nine miles of new Smart Wall and approximately 52 miles of system attributes in USBP’s San Diego Sector in California.El Centro 1 Project – Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $574,000,000 for the construction of approximately eight miles of new primary Smart Wall and the installation of approximately 63 miles of system attributes in USBP’s El Centro and San Diego Sectors in California.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for Smart Wall construction along the southwest border.
At least 10 new construction contracts will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to secure the border.
“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This president changed that,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”
The Smart Wall is a border security system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology to give Border Patrol agents the best tools in the world to stop illegal traffic. The technology additions will further secure the existing wall in areas where the Biden administration’s policies canceled contracts to do so, according to a joint statement by DHS and CBP.
The 10 contracts, awarded between Sept. 15 and 30, are the very first to be funded by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. They also include minimal prior year funding from fiscal year 2021 wall appropriations. That funding was on hold during the Biden administration, according to the release.
To expedite the construction of the Smart Wall, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also issued two new waivers for approximately nine miles of Smart Wall in CBP’s San Diego sector and approximately 30 miles of new Smart Wall in New Mexico within the El Paso sector.
Contracts in California include:
San Diego 1 Project – Awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for $483,486,600 for the construction of approximately nine miles of new Smart Wall and approximately 52 miles of system attributes in USBP’s San Diego Sector in California.
El Centro 1 Project – Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $574,000,000 for the construction of approximately eight miles of new primary Smart Wall and the installation of approximately 63 miles of system attributes in USBP’s El Centro and San Diego Sectors in California.
Sacramento city leaders announce Maraskeshia Smith as next city manager
So good morning and thank you all for being here today. So standing before you today, I am filled with deep gratitude and humility as I accept the honor of serving as the next city manager for the city of Sacramento. This moment marks not only *** milestone in my professional career, but *** commitment in city leadership built on countless hours of engagement, collaboration, placemaking, and innovation. I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to Mayor McCarthy, Council member Jennings, chair of the personnel Committee, and every member of this esteemed council. Your selection for me in this role reflects tremendous trust, and I am truly moved by your confidence in my ability to serve this community. Please know that your faith in me is not taken lightly. I pledge to honor it with integrity, transparency, and unwavering dedication. I also want to extend my appreciation to interim city manager Lanny Milstein. Laney, your leadership during this transitional period has been exemplary. You answered the call to serve with grace, fortitude, and purpose, guiding the organization through change and uncertainty. Your steady hand and commitment preserve the city’s focus and unity. And you laid the foundation for *** smooth transition and I just wanna say thank you. Most importantly, I want to recognize the phenomenal employees of the city. You are the heartbeat of the city of Sacramento. Every day through your hard work, creativity and passion, you make it possible to deliver exceptional services to our residents, whether it’s repairing roads, supporting families, ensuring public safety, or nurturing our parks and green spaces. Your efforts are the foundation on which the city is built, and I look forward to working alongside you. To our residents, business owners, and volunteers, your commitment to Sacramento is the driving force behind the city. You inspire us to seek better solutions, more inclusive policies, and *** stronger sense of community. I am deeply committed to improving the lives of our residents and the prosperity of the entire community. Your voice matters. Your engagement is essential to the success of our city. To our community members and regional partners, I offer my full commitment to collaboration. Challenges such as homelessness, housing, economic development, and transportation do not exist in isolation. They demand that we come together, pooling our resources, strengths, knowledge to amplify *** greater impact. I promised to break down silos, build bridges between departments across neighborhoods and with neighboring jurisdictions. Only through true partnership can we unlock the full potential of the Sacramento region. Up on my official start date, the city manager’s office in close coordination with this governing body, we will begin scheduling *** series of listening sessions. These gatherings will be designed for you, our residents, business owners, and community members so I can listen and learn and connect with you directly. I wanna hear your priorities, your concerns, and your aspirations for Sacramento. City employees, you will receive that same invitation. I want to understand your remarkable work and how you’re laying the foundation to drive innovation, solve complex problems, and deliver essential services. Please know that your insights are invaluable. So in closing, I just wanna be clear, this is not just *** job for me. This is *** calling. I step into this role with humility, honor, and *** deep sense of responsibility. I am ready to serve this community, steward its resources and help guide its future. This is *** moment of opportunity, *** chance for us to all come together, dream boldly and continue to build *** city that reflects the best of who we are. Thank you, counsel.
Sacramento city leaders announce Maraskeshia Smith as next city manager
Maraskeshia Smith will become Sacramento’s new city manager after a months-long nationwide search. She will become the first Black woman to serve in the role. Mayor Kevin McCarty and city council members announced Smith’s appointment at a news conference Tuesday at the SAFE Credit Union and Convention Center, saying she’ll begin her job on Jan. 5. Smith most recently served as the city manager of Santa Rosa, and also has experience working as Deputy Director and Director of Public Works in Cincinnati, Assistant City Administrator in Oakland, and Deputy City Manager in Stockton.”This is not just a job for me,” Smith said. “This is a calling.”City officials launched a search for a new city manager position after deciding not to extend Howard Chan’s contract. However, he took on a role as assistant city manager a day before his contract was set to expire.In January, the city council appointed Leyne Milstein as interim city manager as it continued its search for a permanent position. Milstein will now return as assistant city manager. While Sacramento has a mayor as an elected official, the city manager oversees more of the daily operations and is appointed by the city council. When Chan was city manager, he had a take-home salary of $400,000, one of the highest salaries for the role in the state of California. However, the State Controller’s Office in 2023 reported he earned nearly $600,000 with a vacation payout.Under the role he assumed as assistant city manager, Chan’s salary is nearly $341,000 a year, the highest posted salary for that position.Milstein’s salary as interim was $352,000. The city states that nearly 100 people applied for city manager, and the final interviews were held earlier in September. McCarty and Councilmembers Karina Talamantes and Rick Jennings described Smith as the top candidate among those who were interviewed. Prior to the news conference, the city council will held a closed-door session where the new city manager was officially “considered,” according to a news release from the city. Officials also planned to hold a “priority and goal setting workshop” following the end of the news conference.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Maraskeshia Smith will become Sacramento’s new city manager after a months-long nationwide search. She will become the first Black woman to serve in the role.
Mayor Kevin McCarty and city council members announced Smith’s appointment at a news conference Tuesday at the SAFE Credit Union and Convention Center, saying she’ll begin her job on Jan. 5.
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Smith most recently served as the city manager of Santa Rosa, and also has experience working as Deputy Director and Director of Public Works in Cincinnati, Assistant City Administrator in Oakland, and Deputy City Manager in Stockton.
“This is not just a job for me,” Smith said. “This is a calling.”
City officials launched a search for a new city manager position after deciding not to extend Howard Chan’s contract. However, he took on a role as assistant city manager a day before his contract was set to expire.
In January, the city council appointed Leyne Milstein as interim city manager as it continued its search for a permanent position. Milstein will now return as assistant city manager.
While Sacramento has a mayor as an elected official, the city manager oversees more of the daily operations and is appointed by the city council. When Chan was city manager, he had a take-home salary of $400,000, one of the highest salaries for the role in the state of California. However, the State Controller’s Office in 2023 reported he earned nearly $600,000 with a vacation payout.
Under the role he assumed as assistant city manager, Chan’s salary is nearly $341,000 a year, the highest posted salary for that position.
Milstein’s salary as interim was $352,000.
The city states that nearly 100 people applied for city manager, and the final interviews were held earlier in September.
McCarty and Councilmembers Karina Talamantes and Rick Jennings described Smith as the top candidate among those who were interviewed.
Prior to the news conference, the city council will held a closed-door session where the new city manager was officially “considered,” according to a news release from the city. Officials also planned to hold a “priority and goal setting workshop” following the end of the news conference.
The Sacramento City Unified School District is facing a $43 million budget deficit, leading to a spending freeze starting Oct. 1.Administrators said the freeze is necessary to cover payroll and maintain operations. The district received the grim news about the massive budget shortfall at its Thursday meeting from the chief business and operations officer, Janea Marking. She showed a photo of a city about to be consumed by a large tsunami wave. “SCUSD, no one in particular, it’s in our DNA, has a bad, bad habit of uncontrolled, unbudgeted, unexpected expenses,” she said.The district is scrambling to find ways to come up with $43 million after unexpected budget items, including late payroll payments, unexpected invoices, and unauthorized contract payments. Managers say there were $62 million in unauthorized contracts last year, most for special education programs. “A contract that has not been authorized by the school district, but they provided a service ahead of time because they needed to provide services to students immediately,” Assistant Superintendent Cindy Tao explained.The spending freeze will affect non-classroom hiring, new contracts, travel, and non-emergency overtime, but not teachers’ contracts. “Stretched thin already, and we’ve just accomplished a lot of additional supports for our students that have been long needed and long deserved by our students,” said the president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, Nikki Davis Melevsky.The SCTA wants the district to be accountable for why and how this happened.”They need to look into who signed these contracts, who authorized them, and why did they not go through the appropriate procedures so that the Budget Office would have been aware that they were out there and that they were needing to be paid?” asked Davis Melevsky.District spokesperson Alexander Goldberg discussed the spending freeze in a statement: “Those measures alone will not fix our problems. There will be many other budgetary sacrifices to make in the coming months to get the district back on a path to solvency before the end of the fiscal year. In reaching that goal, it is our every intention to avoid major disruption to student opportunities, programs, and the day-to-day educational experience.”School Board President Jasjit Singh said in an email, “The board is committed to ensuring our district is financially sound while maintaining the services crucial to student success. School district budgets are in a constant state of fluctuation. We are confident in our staff’s efforts to help cut costs and implement saving ideas.”The board is expected to get an update in December on where they stand financially after a couple of months of a spending freeze.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The Sacramento City Unified School District is facing a $43 million budget deficit, leading to a spending freeze starting Oct. 1.
Administrators said the freeze is necessary to cover payroll and maintain operations.
The district received the grim news about the massive budget shortfall at its Thursday meeting from the chief business and operations officer, Janea Marking. She showed a photo of a city about to be consumed by a large tsunami wave.
“SCUSD, no one in particular, it’s in our DNA, has a bad, bad habit of uncontrolled, unbudgeted, unexpected expenses,” she said.
The district is scrambling to find ways to come up with $43 million after unexpected budget items, including late payroll payments, unexpected invoices, and unauthorized contract payments. Managers say there were $62 million in unauthorized contracts last year, most for special education programs.
“A contract that has not been authorized by the school district, but they provided a service ahead of time because they needed to provide services to students immediately,” Assistant Superintendent Cindy Tao explained.
The spending freeze will affect non-classroom hiring, new contracts, travel, and non-emergency overtime, but not teachers’ contracts.
“Stretched thin already, and we’ve just accomplished a lot of additional supports for our students that have been long needed and long deserved by our students,” said the president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, Nikki Davis Melevsky.
The SCTA wants the district to be accountable for why and how this happened.
“They need to look into who signed these contracts, who authorized them, and why did they not go through the appropriate procedures so that the Budget Office would have been aware that they were out there and that they were needing to be paid?” asked Davis Melevsky.
District spokesperson Alexander Goldberg discussed the spending freeze in a statement: “Those measures alone will not fix our problems. There will be many other budgetary sacrifices to make in the coming months to get the district back on a path to solvency before the end of the fiscal year. In reaching that goal, it is our every intention to avoid major disruption to student opportunities, programs, and the day-to-day educational experience.”
School Board President Jasjit Singh said in an email, “The board is committed to ensuring our district is financially sound while maintaining the services crucial to student success. School district budgets are in a constant state of fluctuation. We are confident in our staff’s efforts to help cut costs and implement saving ideas.”
The board is expected to get an update in December on where they stand financially after a couple of months of a spending freeze.
METHUEN — School officials defended the separation of school and city legal services Monday night in opposition to efforts by some to consolidate resources.
The City Council has been discussing a tabled measure that would affirm City Solicitor Paul O’Neill is in charge of all legal services for Methuen, including its schools.
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NEW ORLEANS — John Franklin-Myers may not be thrilled, but he’s ready for regular-season football.
The Broncos defensive tackle is entering the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract he signed after getting traded to Denver last spring.
There’s been little sign of movement toward a deal, and sources told The Denver Post the sides did not negotiate this summer. That stands in contrast to veterans Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million) and Zach Allen (four years, $102 million), who landed major long-term agreements. Fourth-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto doesn’t have a new deal yet, but he said recently his team and the Broncos have had productive talks and that he thinks a deal “will get done.”
Not so for Franklin-Myers, though he said any feelings he may have about his current status are now sidelined for the next several months.
“We all just want to feel wanted, and I think when it’s time to play football, obviously money and stuff aside, I’m under contract,” Franklin-Myers said after Denver’s preseason finale. “So football is football. Obviously, we all want what we’re worth, but until then, shoot, I’m going to play football. It is what it is.”
Franklin-Myers’ addition last year helped turn what was one of the NFL’s worst defensive fronts in 2023 into one of its best in 2024. His ability to rush the passer not only gave offenses fits, but it also kept them from being able to turn double teams toward Allen on a regular basis.
Allen broke out with an 8.5-sack season and led all NFL defensive tackles with 67 pressures and 40 hits.
“Zach’s my dawg. I said it from the jump,” Franklin-Myers said. “Man, (Jets defensive lineman) Quinnen Williams was a good friend of mine, played with him for a long time, and I was happier when he got paid than when I got paid. Zach Allen is no different. You talk about somebody who shows up every day. He earned the money.
“He makes me better, makes the team better. He deserves his money. I’m all for it, and Zach deserves all of it.”
Now, Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach appear poised to enter Week 1 without contractual security beyond this year. Roach laid out a straightforward approach earlier in camp in saying that if everybody plays well, everybody’s going to get paid. It’s just a matter of whether that’s in Denver or elsewhere.
In the meantime, the defensive line has big goals.
“We lost in the playoffs (last year) and my ultimate goal is to help this team win the Super Bowl,” Franklin-Myers said. “That’s what I’ll continue to do this year.”
In the process, the veteran defensive lineman can make himself a lot of money. He logged a career-best seven sacks last year and notched 40-plus pressures for the fifth straight season. His 12.6% pressure rate was just a tick off his career-high of 12.7% the year prior for the Jets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“Much like anything, you’re only as strong as the weakest link,” Franklin-Myers said. “We pride ourselves on not exactly having a weakest link. We understand it’s a business more than anything, and all the theatrics don’t matter to me. I’m here to play football whether they pay me or not. If not, then I’ll be a free agent this offseason, and my time is going to come.
“Whether it’s this year or next year or in five years, my time is going to come.”
There are still no new negotiation sessions planned as the Teamsters Local 25 strike moves into its 25th day.
Officials in Peabody, Gloucester, Danvers, Beverly, Canton and Malden also still awaited a decision in their lawsuit against Republic on Thursday afternoon, after filing a joint request for a preliminary injunction last week that would force Republic to carry out all contracted services, if accepted. They appeared in court over the matter Tuesday afternoon.
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