When you think of autumn, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Pumpkin spice? Cooler weather?
For many, it’s the leaves transforming.
With most of the country past peak foliage, those leaves have likely fallen and are littering lawns and streets. It’s a great time to think about what to do with the leaves as they fall.
What You Need To Know
Fall foliage has reached peak or past peak across most of the country
Fallen leaves are biodegradable
Composting is one of the many options for decaying leaves
While stepping on a crunchy leaf is extremely satisfying, the leaves take over yards, sidewalks and streets.
Sometimes when it rains, fallen leaves clog storm drains and can be a hazard while walking. So, it’s no surprise that many want to clean up these dead leaves.
People commonly bag the fallen leaves and consider the leaves trash.
But what if there were more environmentally friendly ways to take care of these dying leaves?
(Pic by Remi Lynn)
When you bag the dried autumn leaves and put them on the curb, they end up as trash in a landfill. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, yard waste accounts for nearly 20% of all garbage generated in the United States each year. That’s over 31 million tons.
As the leaves and other yard waste sit in landfills, they produce methane, which can pollute nearby air and soil.
So what are the alternatives?
Alternatives to leaf bagging
Realistically, leaves can remain in the yard where they fall. You can chop them with a mulching mower or even a regular lawnmower.
Leaves are biodegradable, meaning that bacteria or other living organisms can decompose them. While whole leaves take a longer time to break down (about two to three years), cut-up leaves decompose faster (about one year) and can provide plenty of nutrients for the soil.
(Photo by Chris Thompson)
You can use whole and/or chopped leaves in gardens and flower beds as mulch.
If you still don’t want leaves scattered all across the lawn, composting is a great way to beautify your lawn and garden in multiple ways.
To compost decaying leaves, chop them with a mower and combine them with green material (grass clippings work great here). Keep the combination moist and well mixed. It will probably take until spring to break down, but the result is a nutrient-rich fertilizer for any plants or crops.
If DIY composting isn’t your thing, check out local groups that collect leaves for composting. Happy leaf collecting!
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into the U.S. Tennis Association Texas League for a possible violation of state law that prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports.
The probe comes as Republicans nationwide push to restrict transgender participation in female athletics, arguing it’s necessary to preserve fairness and safety in competition.
“We will defeat the radical left, which is obsessed with crushing the dreams of so many girls by allowing men to compete against women in sports,” Paxton said in a statement.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a probe into the U.S. Tennis Association Texas League for a potential violation of a state law against transgender inclusion in women’s sports.(Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Paxton’s office issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to the USTA Texas League, seeking documents and policies related to transgender athlete participation. The attorney general’s office says it wants to determine whether the organization’s practices violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other consumer protection laws.
“If USTA is allowing biological males in women’s matches and misleading players about who they are competing against, my office will take all necessary action within our power to defend Texas women and girls,” he continued.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to the UTSA Texas league to determine if it violated the state law.(Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to Paxton’s office, the CID requests details on how players are informed about “delusional men competing under the guise of calling themselves ‘transgender’ competitors.”
The USTA has sued Paxton’s office, challenging the CID and its underlying claims.
The attorney general will review whether the league’s practices violate Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other consumer protection laws.(Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Paxton sued the NCAA over its transgender eligibility policy, which allowed biological males to practice with women’s teams but not compete. He accused the association of failing to fully comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning biological men from competing in women’s sports.
Paxton’s aggressive legal campaign against transgender inclusion in women’s athletics has also targeted U.S. Masters Swimming and local school boards, part of a broader Republican effort to tighten enforcement of Texas’ gender-based athletic laws.
With roots dating to 1844, the holidays have always been special in Grapevine, dubbed the Christmas Capitol of Texas. The city was named Best Christmas Town in the U.S. by ‘Newsweek’ in 2024.
Rich Skies LLC
City of Grapevine
As far back as 1844, when Grapevine was settled as the Grape Vine Prairie, there was something special about the Christmas holidays there. In fact, the first settlers woke up to snow on their initial Christmas.
As recently as 2024 Grapevine was named the Best Christmas Town in the U.S. by “Newsweek” and it’s up for the honor again when they vote in 2026, according to city spokesperson Elizabeth Schrack.
“It all started in the late ‘90s and early 2000s when the Main Street merchants were decorating for Christmas, and it just grew each year and evolved, especially with the arrival or Gaylord Texan Resort and the beloved tradition Santa’s North Pole Express,” Schrack said.
The Gaylord Texas and its Lone Star Christmas display with 2 million lights, 15,000 ornaments, miles of garland and the always popular ICE! exhibit are once again back. This year the theme is from the movie “Elf.”
“The master artisans from Harbin, China, are sculpting the 2 million pounds of colorful ice blocks as we speak. It’s incredible,” Schrack said.
Many other activities will be back this year, including Great Wolf Lodge with Snowland, Bass Pro Shops and Santa’s Wonderland, and Meow Wolf has Phenomenomaly — a new interactive show. There is also scuba diving Santa at Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland has Holiday Bricktacular with Lego Santa.
And of course, there’s Historic Main Street, which is like going back in time.
The boutiques, cafes and winery tasting rooms all get in on the fun and are all decked out. There are photo opps up and down Main Street.
“Hometown Christmas has beautiful displays that are great for photos inside the Grapevine Tower Gallery, and new this year —– it’s expanded into the Settlement to City Museums,” Schrack said. “There you can see, in the individual historic homes that serve as museums showcasing Grapevine history, how the settlers would have celebrated Christmas.”
Several million folks make their way to Grapevine each year for the holiday events. This year, to make things even easier for visitors, the city is closing Main Street to traffic on weekends to allow more space for pedestrians to enjoy while walking around.
Also, the new Silver Line stops at DFW Airport North. Those from the northeast area can easily get there by hopping on TEXRail.
“It would be fun for couples to ride the commuter train, take it all in, visit a winery tasting room and cozy cafe before heading home,” Schrack said. “Could make for a romantic night out! Same with riding in from the west on TEXRail.”
There will also be shuttles to take visitors from the Grapevine Convention Center to Main Street.
Oh, and while you’re on Main Street — or generally around town — look for more giant decorations, always a popular touch to the festivities.
Schrack also noted that with everything going on, there’s no rush to take it all in with a single day.
“It’s like being in a classic Christmas movie, you’re just immersed in the spirit of the season and seeing smiles and people making memories,” Schrack said.
Holidays in Grapevine schedule
Nov. 24
Tom T. Turkey Pardoning by Mayor Tate, Historic Cotton Belt Depot, 10 a.m.
37th Annual Carol of Lights on Historic Main Street, 4–8 p.m.
Dec 1 and Dec. 8
Fifth Annual Merry & Bright Drone Shows (400 drones) on Main Street, 7 p.m.
Dec. 4
46th Annual Parade of Lights on Main Street. Theme is storybook parade, 7 p.m.
Attractions and live entertainment
(Check websites or call for more information)
Now-Jan. 4
ICE! – at Gaylord Texan Resort, scenes from the beloved film “Elf.”
Nov. 16-Jan. 3
Cirque Frost – at Gaylord Texan Resort. Young Jack discovers his destiny as the legendary winter spirit, Jack Frost.
Nov. 24-Jan. 4
Snowland – Great Wolf Lodge, which recently underwent a $41 million dollar transformation, turns into an immersive Winter Wonderland.
Now-Dec. 24
Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops, free photos with Santa daily.
Nov. 14-Jan. 4
Phenomenomaly – Meow Wolf’s immersive play for the holiday season. Friday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (included with attraction tickets)
Dec. 4-24
Holiday Bricktacular – LEGOLAND Discovery Center, meet LEGO Santa.
Dec. 6, 13, 20
Scuba Diving Santa – SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium.
Nov. 28-Dec. 30 (closed Dec. 24-26)
Santa’s North Pole Express – Grapevine Vintage Railroad, includes Christmas singalongs, special moments with Santa and his elves onboard and visits with Mrs. Claus during boarding.
Nov. 28-Dec. 30 (closed Dec. 24-26)
Photos With Santa – 701 S. Main St. inside the Grapevine Christmas Market General Store.
Nov. 22-Jan. 6
Peace Plaza Ice Rink – Skate on the largest outdoor rink in North Texas under the glow of Grapevine’s live 60-foot-tall Christmas tree.
Nov. 21-Dec. 31
Texas Star Dinner Theater – “A Cold Hearted Christmas.” E.B. Neazer is the meanest, nastiest “grinchiest” citizen in town. He owns everything and hates everyone and on Christmas Eve he’s decided now is the time to spread his own wicked brand of Christmas cheer.
Now through Dec. 20
Historic Palace Theatre Broadway-Style Tribute Shows and Live Entertainment.
Historic Palace Theatre Movies – Enjoy classic Christmas films in the beautifully-restored art-deco style theatre.
Crafts and other family activites in Grapevine
(Check websites or call for more information)
Vetro Glassblowing Studios – Pick your colors and work with artisans at the 2,000-degree furnace.
Gingerbread House Making Classes – JudyPie experts will walk you through the process while you enjoy tasty, seasonal treats.
Ornament Making – International Porcelain Artists Museum.
Cartoons & Crafts at the Lancaster Theatre – Watch classic Christmas cartoons like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” while making a fun Christmas craft.
Dec. 5
First Friday Prairie Christmas at Historic Nash Farm – Tractor-drawn wagon rides and festive Christmas crafts. Then, sew your very own pair of mittens to take home.
Dec. 6
Nash Farm Farmstead Christmas Celebration – Share in the handmade beauty and timeless traditions of a farmstead Christmas.
Dec. 1-22
Nash Farm: A Handmade Christmas – Join the Nash Farmhands by the wood-burning stove to bake old-fashioned cookies and hand-print your own Christmas cards, vintage ornament and garland.
WASHINGTON — A federal court on Tuesday blocked Texas from moving forward with its new congressional map, hastily drawn in hopes of netting up to five additional Republican seats and securing the U.S. House for the GOP in next year’s midterm elections.
The ruling is a major political blow to the Trump administration, which set off a redistricting arms race throughout the country earlier this year by encouraging Texas lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional district boundaries mid-decade — an extraordinary move bucking traditional practice.
The three-judge federal court panel in El Paso said in a 2-1 decision that “substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map,” ordering the state to revert to the maps it had drawn in 2021.
Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, who at Trump’s behest directed GOP state lawmakers to proceed with the plan, vowed on Tuesday that the state would appeal the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court.
Californians responded to Texas’ attempted move by voting on Nov. 4 to approve a new, temporary congressional map for the state, giving Democrats the opportunity to pick up five new seats.
Initially, the proposal pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, known as Prop. 50, had trigger language that would have conditioned new California maps going into effect based on whether Texas approved its new congressional districts.
But that language was stripped out last minute, raising the possibility that Democrats enter the 2026 midterm election with a distinct advantage. The language was removed because Texas had already passed its redistricting plan, making the trigger no longer needed, said Democratic redistricting expert Paul Mitchell, who drew the maps for Prop. 50.
“Our legislature eliminated the trigger because Texas had already triggered it,” Mitchell said Tuesday.
Newsom celebrated the ruling in a statement to The Times, which he also posted on the social media site X.
“Donald Trump and Greg Abbott played with fire, got burned — and democracy won,” Newsom said. “This ruling is a win for Texas, and for every American who fights for free and fair elections.”
An aide to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who led an effort in California to enshrine nonpartisan districting practices, suggested that California’s effort could face problems going forward after it was sold to the public as a response to Texas.
“The title of the proposition said it was a response to Texas, and the voter guide mentioned Texas 13 times, so I’d imagine you will find voters who feel misled that if Texas’ gerrymander doesn’t happen, California’s still does,” said Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger.
The new Texas redistricting plan appears to have been instigated by a letter from Assistant Atty. Gen. for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who threatened Texas with legal action over three “coalition districts” that she argued were unconstitutional.
Coalition districts feature multiple minority communities, none of which comprises the majority. The newly configured districts passed by Texas redrew all three, potentially “cracking” racially diverse communities while preserving white-majority districts, legal scholars said.
“I think the decision was both very smart and very careful in following the law,” Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School and former deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, said of the 160-page opinion.
“These are judges who took the law seriously,” Levitt said, “and also judges who were — rightly — absolutely furious at DOJ for a letter starting the whole charade, where the legal ‘reasoning’ wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.”
While the Supreme Court’s rulings on redistricting have been sporadic, the justices have generally ruled that purely political redistricting is legal, but that racial gerrymandering is not — a more difficult line to draw in southern states where racial and political lines overlap.
In 2023, addressing a redistricting fight in Alabama over Black voter representation, the high court ruled in Allen vs. Milligan that discriminating against minority voters in gerrymandering is unconstitutional, ordering the Southern state to create a second minority-majority district.
The Justice Department is also suing California to attempt to block the use of its new maps in next year’s elections.
J. Morgan Kousser, a Caltech professor who recently testified in the ongoing case over Texas’ 2021 redistricting effort, said the potential downfall of Texas’ new map was an ironic twist for a president whose strategic goal was to give himself a leg up in the midterms.
He blamed Tuesday’s court decision — written by a Trump appointee — on the president’s gutting of legal talent at the Justice Department, arguing its legal strategy was flawed from the start.
“The California gerrymander is likely fixed in stone, because there is no evidence of ‘racial predominance’ in the California action, especially compared to the plentiful evidence of racial motives quoted carefully by the district court in Texas,” Kousser said, “and the opinion of the Texas district court is so meticulous and persuasive that the Supreme Court majority will have difficulty overturning it.”
“Purging the DOJ left no one to warn the Trump appointees that what they were about to do would likely boomerang,” Kousser added. “This is the law of unintended consequences run riot.”
Times staff writers Melody Gutierrez and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
Court blocks Texas from using new congressional map for 2026 elections – CBS News
Watch CBS News
A federal court on Tuesday blocked Texas from using a new congressional map in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. CBS News political reporter Hunter Woodall has more.
The Leonid meteor shower is one of the most famous and historically significant celestial events, occurring every November, with tons of meteors available to view.
What You Need To Know
Meteors appear to radiate from a point within the constellation Leo
Best viewing hours are between midnight and dawn
The Leonids are known to feature fast-moving meteors
We’re lucky enough to witness this celestial show from now until Nov. 20. This meteor shower is caused by Earth’s passage through the dusty trail left behind by the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. This small comet orbits the Sun roughly every 33 years, creating a river of cosmic stardust in its wake.
How to see the shower
The best time to look is typically in the hours after midnight and before dawn when the constellation Leo climbs highest in the eastern sky. The shower is active throughout this month, but its peak usually occurs around Nov. 18. Below is a forecast loop of cloud cover through early morning of the 21st.
For optimal viewing, find a location far from city lights, lie flat on your back, and simply look up, allowing about 30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark.
Science behind the shower
The Leonids are renowned for their exceptional speed, clocking in at around 158,000 mph, making them one of the fastest annual meteor showers. This high velocity directly results from the comet’s orbit, going around the Sun in the opposite direction to Earth.
Because the comet’s debris hits our atmosphere nearly head-on, the resulting flashes are typically bright and leave behind glowing trails or produce colorful fireballs. These meteors appear brighter than the brightest stars and the planet Venus.
Even in a typical year, when observers might see a modest rate of 10 to 20 meteors per hour, the sheer intensity of the Leonids ensures a captivating display.
Why this shower is so special
The Leonids are in a class of their own among other meteor showers for the sheer volume of meteors to see. While most meteor showers are consistent year over year, the Leonids are capable of bursts of activity where the rate of visible meteors skyrockets to over 1,000 per hour.
This phenomenon occurs approximately every 33 years, coinciding with the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle’s closest approach to the Sun. During these rare events, Earth passes through a particularly dense, fresh debris field. Historically, these storms have been awesome, with the 1833 and 1966 events being among the most famous, where meteors “fell like rain.”
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
The Leonid meteor shower is one of the most famous and historically significant celestial events, occurring every November, with tons of meteors available to view.
What You Need To Know
Meteors appear to radiate from a point within the constellation Leo
Best viewing hours are between midnight and dawn
The Leonids are known to feature fast-moving meteors
We’re lucky enough to witness this celestial show from now until Nov. 20. This meteor shower is caused by Earth’s passage through the dusty trail left behind by the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. This small comet orbits the Sun roughly every 33 years, creating a river of cosmic stardust in its wake.
How to see the shower
The best time to look is typically in the hours after midnight and before dawn when the constellation Leo climbs highest in the eastern sky. The shower is active throughout this month, but its peak usually occurs around Nov. 18. Below is a forecast loop of cloud cover through early morning of the 21st.
For optimal viewing, find a location far from city lights, lie flat on your back, and simply look up, allowing about 30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark.
Science behind the shower
The Leonids are renowned for their exceptional speed, clocking in at around 158,000 mph, making them one of the fastest annual meteor showers. This high velocity directly results from the comet’s orbit, going around the Sun in the opposite direction to Earth.
Because the comet’s debris hits our atmosphere nearly head-on, the resulting flashes are typically bright and leave behind glowing trails or produce colorful fireballs. These meteors appear brighter than the brightest stars and the planet Venus.
Even in a typical year, when observers might see a modest rate of 10 to 20 meteors per hour, the sheer intensity of the Leonids ensures a captivating display.
Why this shower is so special
The Leonids are in a class of their own among other meteor showers for the sheer volume of meteors to see. While most meteor showers are consistent year over year, the Leonids are capable of bursts of activity where the rate of visible meteors skyrockets to over 1,000 per hour.
This phenomenon occurs approximately every 33 years, coinciding with the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle’s closest approach to the Sun. During these rare events, Earth passes through a particularly dense, fresh debris field. Historically, these storms have been awesome, with the 1833 and 1966 events being among the most famous, where meteors “fell like rain.”
Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.
Georgia moved up one spot to No. 4 in The Associated Press poll Sunday, Oklahoma returned to the top 10 and North Texas, ranked for the first time since 1959, is among three Group of Five teams in the Top 25.
Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M were the top three teams for the fifth straight week. Georgia earned its highest ranking since the first week of September and Mississippi was back in the top five after spending three weeks there at midseason.
Oregon and Texas Tech were tied for No. 6, and Oklahoma rose three spots to No. 8 following its win at Alabama. The Sooners were last in the top 10, at No. 6, the second week of October.
Notre Dame remained No. 9 after a 22-point win at Pittsburgh and Alabama dropped six spots to No. 10 after the Sooners ended its eight-game win streak.
Georgia’s 35-10 win over Texas was its sixth straight and second over a top-10 opponent. Mississippi, which lost at Georgia a month ago, defeated Florida and is more than 100 points behind the Bulldogs at No. 5.
The Group of Five hadn’t had three teams in the Top 25 since four appeared in last season’s final poll.
The Sun Belt Conference’s James Madison blew out Appalachian State and moved up three spots to No. 21. North Texas is next at No. 22. The Mean Green of the American Conference clobbered UAB 53-24 on the road and have matched their best start in program history.
The last time UNT was 9-1 was in 1959, when the team then known as the Eagles was ranked two straight weeks in November, reaching No. 16. That team lost to New Mexico State in the Sun Bowl to finish 9-2. This year’s UNT team already is eligible for a second straight bowl game and is in the thick of the race for the Group of Five’s automatic CFP bid.
Mississippi running back Kewan Lacy (5) evades a tackle attempt by Florida cornerback Cormani McClain and safety Jordan Castell during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Mississippi running back Kewan Lacy (5) evades a tackle attempt by Florida cornerback Cormani McClain and safety Jordan Castell during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
In and out
— No. 22 North Texas’ first appearance in the poll in 66 years ends the longest drought by a Bowl Subdivision team.
— No. 23 Missouri returned after a one-week absence following a win over Mississippi State in which Ahmad Hardy became the first player since 2022 to rush for 300 yards.
— No. 24 Tulane has won two straight since losing to UTSA and is ranked for the first time this season.
— No. 25 Houston, fifth among teams also receiving votes last week and idle, were ranked for one week in October.
Louisville (19), Cincinnati (22), Pittsburgh (23) and South Florida (25) dropped out.
Poll points
— Voters did what the CFP selection committee did last week, jumping Miami over Georgia Tech to make the Hurricanes the highest-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team. Miami easily beat North Carolina State and moved up two spots to No. 14. Georgia Tech, which needed a field goal in the final seconds to edge one-win Boston College, slipped a spot to No. 15.
— No. 13 Utah has outscored three opponents by a combined 153-49 since losing at BYU and has its highest ranking of the season.
— No. 17 Texas took the biggest plunge, dropping seven spots.
Conference call
SEC (9): Nos. 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 17, 20, 23.
Big Ten (5): Nos. 1, 2, T-6, 16, 18.
Big 12 (4): Nos. T-6, 11, 13, 25.
ACC (3): Nos. 14, 15, 19.
American (2): Nos. 22, 24.
Sun Belt (1): No. 21.
Independent (1): No. 9.
North Texas offensive lineman Tay Yanta II (70) and North Texas linebacker Shane Whitter (7) lead the team onto the field before an NCAA college football game against South Florida Oct. 10, 2025, in Denton, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez, File)
North Texas offensive lineman Tay Yanta II (70) and North Texas linebacker Shane Whitter (7) lead the team onto the field before an NCAA college football game against South Florida Oct. 10, 2025, in Denton, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez, File)
Ranked vs. ranked
No. 16 Southern California (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 17 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (9-1, 6-1, No. 8 CFP): Winner strengthens its position for a CFP at-large bid and keeps alive slim hopes of sneaking into the Big Ten championship game.
No. 23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) at No. 8 Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2, No. 11 CFP): Sooners did wonders for their playoff resume by knocking off Alabama on the road and now go for a fifth win over a Top 25 opponent.
You don’t need a room key to see why Perseid, anchoring Bunkhouse Hotels’ gorgeous new Hotel Saint Augustine in Montrose, is something special. Chef Aaron Bludorn and crew have turned the hotel eatery into a full-on culinary escape, offering Gulf Coast–inspired bistro fare that walks the line between approachable and adventurous. Pop by for caviar service and foie gras with biscuits and jam, squash blossoms with shrimp jambalaya and Creole aioli, and a house burger gone fancy with pickled veg and duck liver mousse. And don’t miss the perfect Bloody Mary, shrimp and grits, and citrus butter pancakes at brunch.
Georgia moved up one spot to No. 4 in The Associated Press poll Sunday, Oklahoma returned to the top 10 and North Texas, ranked for the first time since 1959, is among three Group of Five teams in the Top 25.
Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M were the top three teams for the fifth straight week. Georgia earned its highest ranking since the first week of September and Mississippi was back in the top five after spending three weeks there at midseason.
Oregon and Texas Tech were tied for No. 6, and Oklahoma rose three spots to No. 8 following its win at Alabama. The Sooners were last in the top 10, at No. 6, the second week of October.
Notre Dame remained No. 9 after a 22-point win at Pittsburgh and Alabama dropped six spots to No. 10 after the Sooners ended its eight-game win streak.
Georgia’s 35-10 win over Texas was its sixth straight and second over a top-10 opponent. Mississippi, which lost at Georgia a month ago, defeated Florida and is more than 100 points behind the Bulldogs at No. 5.
The Group of Five hadn’t had three teams in the Top 25 since four appeared in last season’s final poll.
The Sun Belt Conference’s James Madison blew out Appalachian State and moved up three spots to No. 21. North Texas is next at No. 22. The Mean Green of the American Conference clobbered UAB 53-24 on the road and have matched their best start in program history.
The last time UNT was 9-1 was in 1959, when the team then known as the Eagles was ranked two straight weeks in November, reaching No. 16. That team lost to New Mexico State in the Sun Bowl to finish 9-2. This year’s UNT team already is eligible for a second straight bowl game and is in the thick of the race for the Group of Five’s automatic CFP bid.
In and out
— No. 22 North Texas’ first appearance in the poll in 66 years ends the longest drought by a Bowl Subdivision team.
— No. 23 Missouri returned after a one-week absence following a win over Mississippi State in which Ahmad Hardy became the first player since 2022 to rush for 300 yards.
— No. 24 Tulane has won two straight since losing to UTSA and is ranked for the first time this season.
— No. 25 Houston, fifth among teams also receiving votes last week and idle, were ranked for one week in October.
Louisville (19), Cincinnati (22), Pittsburgh (23) and South Florida (25) dropped out.
Poll points
— Voters did what the CFP selection committee did last week, jumping Miami over Georgia Tech to make the Hurricanes the highest-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team. Miami easily beat North Carolina State and moved up two spots to No. 14. Georgia Tech, which needed a field goal in the final seconds to edge one-win Boston College, slipped a spot to No. 15.
— No. 13 Utah has outscored three opponents by a combined 153-49 since losing at BYU and has its highest ranking of the season.
— No. 17 Texas took the biggest plunge, dropping seven spots.
Conference call
SEC (9): Nos. 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 17, 20, 23.
Big Ten (5): Nos. 1, 2, T-6, 16, 18.
Big 12 (4): Nos. T-6, 11, 13, 25.
ACC (3): Nos. 14, 15, 19.
American (2): Nos. 22, 24.
Sun Belt (1): No. 21.
Independent (1): No. 9.
Ranked vs. ranked
No. 16 Southern California (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 17 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (9-1, 6-1, No. 8 CFP): Winner strengthens its position for a CFP at-large bid and keeps alive slim hopes of sneaking into the Big Ten championship game.
No. 23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) at No. 8 Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2, No. 11 CFP): Sooners did wonders for their playoff resume by knocking off Alabama on the road and now go for a fifth win over a Top 25 opponent.
A trip to Boot Barn turned into an unexpected situation when a man’s prosthetic leg got stuck inside a cowboy boot.
But instead of panicking, the store employee grabbed an exacto knife and made a call that probably saved everyone a whole lot of trouble—and money.
Boot Barn Worker Gets the Exacto Knife
In a viral video with more than 3.2 million views, amputee @amplife360 captured the moment a Boot Barn employee named Mike saved his leg from an unfortunate destiny.
In the video Mike is seen using a retractable exacto knife to carefully slice open the back of a brown Ariat cowboy boot. The customer’s prosthetic leg had gotten lodged inside during what was supposed to be a normal try-on session.
“I just didn’t wanna damage the prosthetic because, man, them things are [expensive],” Mike says as he frees the leg.
“That’s $30,000 right there,” @amplife360 shared.
Mike added that he’s rather count a loss on a $100 boot than risk damaging such an important medical aid.
In the caption, @amplife360 joked about the predicament: “Excuse me sir, we’re gonna have to keep ur leg, Excuse me sir, u gonna have to cut this boot OFF!!!”
He also thanked Mike for the stellar customer service.
“Big shoutout to Mike at @Boot-Barn for amputating the boot and not my leg,” he said in the caption.
Prosthetic Legs Can Cost as Much as a Car
Mike’s $30,000 estimate wasn’t an exaggeration. According to PrimeCare Prosthetics, prosthetic legs range anywhere from $3,000 to more than $120,000, depending on what kind of tech you’re dealing with. Below-the-knee prosthetics run between $3,000 and $24,000, while above-the-knee models cost $5,000 to $70,000.
OPC Centers breaks it down further: Advanced prosthetic legs for athletes or highly active people—the ones with microprocessor-controlled joints that adjust on the fly—start at $15,000 and can top $50,000. Even basic models for people who aren’t super active cost $5,000 to $7,000.
And that’s just the upfront cost. Insurance coverage is all over the place. Some plans cover most of it, others barely cover anything. If you don’t have insurance, you’re paying out of pocket. Plus, prosthetics usually need to be replaced every three to five years, and you’ve got to budget for maintenance, repairs, and physical therapy sessions that run $50 to $400 a pop.
Finding the Right Shoes Can Be Tricky
Shopping for boots when you have a prosthetic leg isn’t as simple as walking into a store and trying stuff on.
According to isBrave, getting the right fit is crucial because a boot that’s too tight can put pressure on the residual limb or, you know, trap your prosthetic inside.
The guide says low or flat-heeled boots work best for prosthetic users because they help with balance and don’t mess with your posture. High heels? Not ideal. You want boots with good cushioning around the ankle and sole, solid traction so you don’t slip, and adjustable closures or zippers that make it easier to get the prosthetic in and out.
Some brands have caught on to this. Ariat, the same company that made the boot in the video, actually makes prosthetic-friendly boots with full back zippers designed specifically for easier entry.
“this is a real employee… cares about the customer and his company,” a top comment read.
“buy the boot and have a zipper put on!” a person suggested.
“They should really shout the company out and the dude there cause this is insane level customer service dude is a legend,” another wrote.
Gee Thanks reached out to @amplife360 for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Boot Barn via email.
Stacy Fernández is a freelance writer, project manager, and communications specialist. She’s worked at the Texas Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, and run social for the Education Trust New York.
Coming off a victorious road rally against a Southeastern Conference opponent, UCF will be seeking its third straight win Monday night when it hosts Oakland in Orlando, Fla.
On Friday night in College Station, Tex., coach Johnny Dawkins’ Knights trailed by 14 points with just over a dozen minutes left in their clash with Texas A&M and new coach Bucky McMillan.
Led by Jordan Burks’ 21 total points and Carmelo Pacheco’s 15, the Knights (3-1) stormed back and earned an 86-74 win in its second game against an SEC opponent this season. They lost 105-93 to Vanderbilt on Nov. 8.
Games against the likes of the Aggies and Commodores, solid programs in the SEC, will surely help the Knights down the road against its Big 12 competition.
‘Life in the Big 12 can be tough,’ Dawkins told NBC Sports. ‘It’s very, very challenging. It’s the best basketball conference in the country. You have the best coaches in the country, the best players. It’s a situation where, every single night, I don’t care if you’re home or away, it feels like a tournament game.’
A 6-foot-5 junior guard, Pacheco (9.3 points per game) has produced consecutive strong outings, scoring a team-high 17 in 18 minutes in a win over Florida A&M before his 15 in Texas.
Riley Kugel leads with 18.0 points per game followed by Burks’ 13.5.
Oakland (1-3) finally caught a break on the schedule and drubbed Defiance 113-47 last Saturday in its home opener behind Brett White II’s 18 points and 17 apiece from Brody Robinson and Tuburu Naivalurua. Nate Deer totaled 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Golden Grizzlies led by 47 at halftime and netted 72 points in the paint.
In their first three contests, the Horizon League school lost by double figures on the road to then-No. 7 Michigan, then-No. 1 Purdue and No. 1 Houston before finally coming home to face Defiance (Ohio), an NAIA program.
‘It was good to open our season and finally play at home –it’s been a tough start with one of the toughest schedules ever played,’ coach Greg Kampe said. ‘To be able to come home, play everybody a lot of minutes, get up and down and press.’
Isaac Garrett leads with 15.2 points per game followed by Naivalurua and Ziare Wells at 13 each. Wells paces the squad with 7.2 boards.
Surveillance video shows Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed driving a Lamborghini Urus at a suburban Dallas dealership and nearby gas station minutes before two men allege that shots were fired at them from that vehicle last December.
Sneed, 28, was indicted Tuesday by a Dallas County grand jury on a misdemeanor charge of failing to report felony aggravated assault to law enforcement. The indictment does not include details of the alleged incident on Dec. 6.
In the video, Sneed can be seen getting out of the Lamborghini, then using crutches to walk past the men and up stairs into the dealership at 3:22 p.m. on that date. Sneed walks out about a minute later in the video, which was shared Thursday with The Associated Press by attorney Levi McCathern, who represents the two men in a civil lawsuit against Sneed over the shooting.
The Titans cornerback, who was on injured reserve, also can be seen in separate surveillance video at a gas station at the same time as the two men. In the video, Sneed walks in from a gas pump, goes to a register and then walks back to the same car when Christian Nshimiyimana and Avi Ahmed were inside.
Minutes later, Nshimiyimana and Ahmed say in their lawsuit that they were shot at while sitting in a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon at the dealership. The surveillance video shows a vehicle driving past with four loud pops heard and an arm out the passenger side window at 3:42 p.m. That vehicle then speeds off.
A probable cause affidavit from the Carrollton Police Department dated Dec. 11 said Ahmed asked employees about two men he had seen earlier and that Sneed was identified as one of those men. The dealership also provided Sneed’s phone number.
Detectives also confirmed Sneed’s identity from surveillance video from several locations.
“It was apparent that Sneed was the only person they had seen getting out of and into the driver seat of the Lamborghini. He also was the last person seen getting into the driver seat at the RaceTrac (gas station) approximately eight minutes before the shooting,” according to the affidavit.
The police affidavit also noted: “Combined with the rapid acceleration away from the scene proved that Sneed knew what he was doing when assisted the shooter in fleeing the scene.”
Nshimiyimana and Ahmed allege that Sneed and another man, Tekonzae Williams, were inside the Lamborghini when the shots were fired. Williams was indicted Tuesday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court records did not list an attorney for Williams.
McCathern, of McCathern Law, said Thursday his clients were pleased that Sneed and his associate were indicted.
“Hopefully, this will be the beginning of getting justice for my clients,” McCathern said. “As the video clearly shows, they are very lucky to be alive after Mr. Sneed’s actions.”
Sneed’s attorney, Michael J. Todd, did not return a message left by the AP on Thursday. Sneed’s agent had no comment Wednesday.
No people were hit by bullets, though the lawsuit says bullets did hit the Mercedes-Benz as well as a building at the car lot. The lawsuit against Sneed and Williams seeks at least $1 million in damages.
The Titans said in a statement they were aware of the “legal matter” with Sneed and are in contact with NFL security per league protocol. The statement says the team had no further comment.
Sneed was placed on injured reserve last month with a quadriceps injury, and he was in the Titans’ locker room Thursday. Players on injured reserve do not talk to reporters.
This is the second straight season the Titans have put him on injured reserve. He played only five games in 2024 after Tennessee traded with Kansas City for him, giving Sneed a contract that made him the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid cornerback at the time.
Sneed was drafted from Louisiana Tech in the fourth round in 2020 by Kansas City. He won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Chiefs in 2022 and 2023.
___
Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — A Texas trooper who had an altercation with South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor after his touchdown on Saturday was sent home from the game, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
Harbor scored on an 80-yard reception in the second quarter and ran into the tunnel limping following the score. As he and three other players were walking back to the field, the trooper walked in between Harbor and another player and bumped into them as they passed each other.
The trooper and Harbor turned around and the trooper pointed at Harbor with both hands and said something to him. Harbor was quickly pushed away by his teammate and they continued to the field.
The public safety department issued a statement saying the trooper was sent home.
“Our Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also aware of the incident and will be further looking into the matter. No additional information will be released at this time,” the statement reads.
The video was widely shared on social media with many commenting on it, including Lakers star LeBron James.
Google is getting ready to spend $40 billion to increase its data center footprint in Texas. In an announcement posted on its website, Google said it’s planning to build more infrastructure for its cloud and artificial intelligence operations in the state. The plans call for three new data centers, one in Armstrong County and two in Haskell County, according to Google.
According to a press release from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, this is Google’s largest investment in any US state. The tech giant’s investment in the Lone Star State dates back to 2019, when it built a data center in Midlothian, Texas. Google later expanded its presence in the state with the development of another data center in Red Oak, bringing the company’s total investment into Texas to $2.7 billion. According to Google, the latest $40 billion investment will be made through 2027.
Google isn’t the only major tech company developing more AI infrastructure in the US. Earlier this year, NVIDIA announced plans to build manufacturing space for AI supercomputers in Houston and Dallas. More recently, Meta said it would invest $600 billion to build AI data centers across the US without specifying which states.
For three weeks, the top five teams of the AP Top 25 college football rankings have remained unchanged, with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia at the top of the heap.
That’s set to shift when the latest poll drops at 2 p.m. ET.
The upset crushed not only the Crimson Tide’s eight-game winning streak, but also narrowed its path to the Southeastern Conference championship game and the College Football Playoff.
No. 3 Texas A&M nearly faced the same fate as the Tide. The Aggies had to pull off their biggest comeback in program history to beat South Carolina 31-30 and stay on track to play in the SEC title game.
Still solid are No. 1 Ohio State, which breezed through a victory over UCLA, and a still-undefeated No. 2 Indiana.
Where will the others fall?
Follow live updates from The Associated Press below for poll projections, game recaps and exclusive voter insight, all in one place.
Stock down: Alabama, Texas, Louisville, Iowa, Cincinnati, South Florida, Pitt.
Who votes in the poll, and how does it work?
No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, since 1936.
AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.
There is a 1-to-25 point system, with a team voted No. 1 receiving 25 points down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote. After that, it’s simple: The poll lists the teams with the most points from 1 to 25, and others receiving votes are also noted.
Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The forecasts are eye-popping: utilities saying they’ll need two or three times more electricity within a few years to power massive new data centers that are feeding a fast-growing AI economy.
But the challenges — some say the impossibility — of building new power plants to meet that demand so quickly has set off alarm bells for lawmakers, policymakers and regulators who wonder if those utility forecasts can be trusted.
One burning question is whether the forecasts are based on data center projects that may never get built — eliciting concern that regular ratepayers could be stuck with the bill to build unnecessary power plants and grid infrastructure at a cost of billions of dollars.
Meanwhile, consumer advocates are finding that ratepayers in some areas — such as the mid-Atlantic electricity grid, which encompasses all or parts of 13 states stretching from New Jersey to Illinois, as well as Washington, D.C. — are already underwriting the cost to supply power to data centers, some of them built, some not.
“There’s speculation in there,” said Joe Bowring, who heads Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog in the mid-Atlantic grid territory. “Nobody really knows. Nobody has been looking carefully enough at the forecast to know what’s speculative, what’s double-counting, what’s real, what’s not.”
Suspicions about skyrocketing demand
There is no standard practice across grids or for utilities to vet such massive projects, and figuring out a solution has become a hot topic, utilities and grid operators say.
Uncertainty around forecasts is typically traced to a couple of things.
One concerns developers seeking a grid connection, but whose plans aren’t set in stone or lack the heft — clients, financing or otherwise — to bring the project to completion, industry and regulatory officials say.
Another is data center developers submitting grid connection requests in various separate utility territories, PJM Interconnection, which operates the mid-Atlantic grid, and Texas lawmakers have found.
Often, developers, for competitive reasons, won’t tell utilities if or where they’ve submitted other requests for electricity, PJM said. That means a single project could inflate the energy forecasts of multiple utilities.
The effort to improve forecasts got a high-profile boost in September, when a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member asked the nation’s grid operators for information on how they determine that a project is not only viable, but will use the electricity it says it needs.
“Better data, better decision-making, better and faster decisions mean we can get all these projects, all this infrastructure built,” the commissioner, David Rosner, said in an interview.
The Edison Electric Institute, a trade association of for-profit electric utilities, said it welcomed efforts to improve demand forecasting.
Real, speculative, or ‘somewhere in between’
The Data Center Coalition, which represents tech giants like Google and Meta and data center developers, has urged regulators to request more information from utilities on their forecasts and to develop a set of best practices to determine the commercial viability of a data center project.
The coalition’s vice president of energy, Aaron Tinjum, said improving the accuracy and transparency of forecasts is a “fundamental first step of really meeting this moment” of energy growth.
“Wherever we go, the question is, ‘Is the (energy) growth real? How can we be so sure?’” Tinjum said. “And we really view commercial readiness verification as one of those important kind of low-hanging opportunities for us to be adopting at this moment.”
Igal Feibush, the CEO of Pennsylvania Data Center Partners, a data center developer, said utilities are in a “fire drill” as they try to vet a deluge of data center projects all seeking electricity.
The vast majority, he said, will fall off because many project backers are new to the concept and don’t know what it takes to get a data center built.
States also are trying to do more to find out what’s in utility forecasts and weed out speculative or duplicative projects.
In Texas, which is attracting large data center projects, lawmakers still haunted by a blackout during a deadly 2021 winter storm were shocked when told in 2024 by the grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, that its peak demand could nearly double by 2030.
They found that state utility regulators lacked the tools to determine whether that was realistic.
Texas state Sen. Phil King told a hearing earlier this year that the grid operator, utility regulators and utilities weren’t sure if the power requests “are real or just speculative or somewhere in between.”
Lawmakers passed legislation sponsored by King, now law, that requires data center developers to disclose whether they have requests for electricity elsewhere in Texas and to set standards for developers to show that they have a substantial financial commitment to a site.
Electricity bills are rising, too
PPL Electric Utilities, which delivers power to 1.5 million customers across central and eastern Pennsylvania, projects that data centers will more than triple its peak electricity demand by 2030.
Vincent Sorgi, president and CEO of PPL Corp., told analysts on an earnings call this month that the data center projects “are real, they are coming fast and furious” and that the “near-term risk of overbuilding generation simply does not exist.”
The data center projects counted in the forecast are backed by contracts with financial commitments often reaching tens of millions of dollars, PPL said.
Still, PPL’s projections helped spur a state lawmaker, Rep. Danilo Burgos, to introduce a bill to bolster the authority of state utility regulators to inspect how utilities assemble their energy demand forecasts.
Ratepayers in Burgos’ Philadelphia district just absorbed an increase in their electricity bills — attributed by the utility, PECO, to the rising cost of wholesale electricity in the mid-Atlantic grid driven primarily by data center demand.
That’s why ratepayers need more protection to ensure they are benefiting from the higher cost, Burgos said.
“Once they make their buck, whatever company,” Burgos said, “you don’t see no empathy towards the ratepayers.”
As America’s aging roads fall further behind on much-needed repairs, cities and states are turning to artificial intelligence to spot the worst hazards and decide which fixes should come first.
Hawaii officials, for example, are giving away 1,000 dashboard cameras as they try to reverse a recent spike in traffic fatalities. The cameras will use AI to automate inspections of guardrails, road signs and pavement markings, instantly discerning between minor problems and emergencies that warrant sending a maintenance crew.
“This is not something where it’s looked at once a month and then they sit down and figure out where they’re going to put their vans,” said Richard Browning, chief commercial officer at Nextbase, which developed the dashcams and imagery platform for Hawaii.
After San Jose, California, started mounting cameras on street sweepers, city staff confirmed the system correctly identified potholes 97% of the time. Now they’re expanding the effort to parking enforcement vehicles.
Texas, where there are more roadway lane miles than the next two states combined, is less than a year into a massive AI plan that uses cameras as well as cellphone data from drivers who enroll to improve safety.
Other states use the technology to inspect street signs or build annual reports about road congestion.
Every guardrail, every day
Hawaii drivers over the next few weeks will be able to sign up for a free dashcam valued at $499 under the “Eyes on the Road” campaign, which was piloted on service vehicles in 2021 before being paused due to wildfires.
Roger Chen, a University of Hawaii associate professor of engineering who is helping facilitate the program, said the state faces unique challenges in maintaining its outdated roadway infrastructure.
“Equipment has to be shipped to the island,” Chen said. “There’s a space constraint and a topography constraint they have to deal with, so it’s not an easy problem.”
Although the program also monitors such things as street debris and faded paint on lane lines, the companies behind the technology particularly tout its ability to detect damaged guardrails.
“They’re analyzing all guardrails in their state, every single day,” said Mark Pittman, CEO of Blyncsy, which combines the dashboard feeds with mapping software to analyze road conditions.
Hawaii transportation officials are well aware of the risks that can stem from broken guardrails. Last year, the state reached a $3.9 million settlement with the family of a driver who was killed in 2020 after slamming into a guardrail that had been damaged in a crash 18 months earlier but never repaired.
In October, Hawaii recorded its 106th traffic fatality of 2025 — more than all of 2024. It’s unclear how many of the deaths were related to road problems, but Chen said the grim trend underscores the timeliness of the dashboard program.
Building a larger AI database
San Jose has reported strong early success in identifying potholes and road debris just by mounting cameras on a few street sweepers and parking enforcement vehicles.
But Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat who founded two tech startups before entering politics, said the effort will be much more effective if cities contribute their images to a shared AI database. The system can recognize a road problem that it has seen before — even if it happened somewhere else, Mahan said.
“It sees, ‘Oh, that actually is a cardboard box wedged between those two parked vehicles, and that counts as debris on a roadway,’” Mahan said. “We could wait five years for that to happen here, or maybe we have it at our fingertips.”
San Jose officials helped establish the GovAI Coalition, which went public in March 2024 for governments to share best practices and eventually data. Other local governments in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas and Washington, as well as the state of Colorado, are members.
Some solutions are simple
Not all AI approaches to improving road safety require cameras.
Massachusetts-based Cambridge Mobile Telematics launched a system called StreetVision that uses cellphone data to identify risky driving behavior. The company works with state transportation departments to pinpoint where specific road conditions are fueling those dangers.
Ryan McMahon, the company’s senior vice president of strategy & corporate development, was attending a conference in Washington, D.C., when he noticed the StreetVision software was showing a massive number of vehicles braking aggressively on a nearby road.
The reason: a bush was obstructing a stop sign, which drivers weren’t seeing until the last second.
“What we’re looking at is the accumulation of events,” McMahon said. “That brought me to an infrastructure problem, and the solution to the infrastructure problem was a pair of garden shears.”
Texas officials have been using StreetVision and various other AI tools to address safety concerns. The approach was particularly helpful recently when they scanned 250,000 lane miles (402,000 kilometers) to identify old street signs long overdue for replacement.
“If something was installed 10 or 15 years ago and the work order was on paper, God help you trying to find that in the digits somewhere,” said Jim Markham, who deals with crash data for the Texas Department of Transportation. “Having AI that can go through and screen for that is a force multiplier that basically allows us to look wider and further much faster than we could just driving stuff around.”
Autonomous vehicles are next
Experts in AI-based road safety techniques say what’s being done now is largely just a stepping stone for a time when a large proportion of vehicles on the road will be driverless.
Pittman, the Blyncsy CEO who has worked on the Hawaii dashcam program, predicts that within eight years almost every new vehicle — with or without a driver — will come with a camera.
“How do we see our roadways today from the perspective of grandma in a Buick but also Elon and his Tesla?” Pittman said. “This is really important nuance for departments of transportation and city agencies. They’re now building infrastructure for humans and automated drivers alike, and they need to start bridging that divide.”
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M announced that coach Mike Elko received a new six-year contract on Saturday, hours after the third-ranked Aggies mounted the biggest comeback in school history to remain undefeated.
Elko’s new deal replaces the six-year contract he signed when joining the Aggies before last season after Jimbo Fisher was fired. It runs from 2026-2031.
The Aggies trailed 30-3 at halftime before rallying to beat South Carolina 31-30 on Saturday to improve to 10-0 and 7-0 in Southeastern Conference play as they aim for their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. It’s their first 10-0 start since 1992.
“(Elko) has not only elevated our on-field performance over the last two seasons, but he has also begun building this program for a strong and sustainable future in the modern world of college athletics,” Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said in a release. “We’ve made a programmatic decision to enhance our program in every way possible, and coach Elko continues to embody discipline and values at the highest standard. His vision aligns perfectly with what we believe Texas A&M should represent, and I’m thrilled to continue this journey with him as he leads Aggie football into an incredibly bright future.”
Elko’s previous contract paid him $7 million a year and included incentives that could push that number much higher. The new contract is reported to give Elko a big raise, but the school did not immediately release details of his financial compensation. Texas A&M said the contract “enhances Elko’s base salary and includes escalators tied to College Football Playoff appearances.”
It added that the contract also includes an escalating model for assistant coaches and support staff that will provide increases to salary pools and incentives.
“Texas A&M has the potential to be one of the nation’s premier football brands and a consistent contender for championships,” Elko said in a statement. “This commitment of resources allows us to continue elevating our program toward that goal. From day one, our mission has been to establish a standard of excellence that reflects the passion and pride of the 12th Man, and this support moves us even further along that path.”
Texas A&M is 7-0 in SEC play for the first time and has a 7-0 league record for the first time since coach R.C. Slocum led the Aggies to three straight undefeated seasons in the Southwest Conference from 1991-93. It’s the Aggies’ first 10-win season since 2012 under Kevin Sumlin, when they went 11-2 in Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy-winning season.
The 48-year-old Elko was the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year at Duke in his final season at Duke in 2022. He improved to 18-5 in two seasons at Texas A&M with Saturday’s win.
Elko spent four years as A&M’s defensive coordinator before leaving to become Duke’s coach after the 2021 season. He went 16-9 in two seasons with the Blue Devils after they had won just 10 games combined the three previous years.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ROSHARON, Texas (AP) — Former NBA guard Patrick Beverley was arrested and charged with felony assault in what police in Texas called a “family violence” incident.
Beverley, 37, was arrested early Friday at a home in Rosharon, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said. Bail was set at $40,000.
Via social media, Beverley asked that people “don’t believe everything you see on the internet.”
He also reposted an unsigned statement saying he had unexpectedly found his sister, a minor, alone with an 18-year-old man.
“He was understandably concerned, as any brother would be about his sister. However, we don’t believe what followed happened the way it’s been described and we look forward to the opportunity to address that in court,” the statement said.
Beverley last played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024. He previously was with the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Clippers and several other teams over his 12-year career.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
.jpg "With roots dating to 1844, the holidays have always been special in Grapevine, dubbed the Christmas Capitol of Texas. The city was named Best Christmas Town in the U.S. by ‘Newsweek’ in 2024.")
