Latest news with #Vinton
American Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Fresh legs: Next crop of backs rotates in to carry load
Several of the area's top high school running backs graduated last season, but there are many returning starters eager to take up the mantle. Gone are five backs who picked up more than 1,500 yards, including Louisiana Mr. Football Xavier Ford, who ran for 3,467 yards and 52 touchdowns. However, the talent pool is not dry as Jaiden Briggs, J'vien Adams, Charles McFarland, Makelin Lemoine, Braylon Garrick, Dakota Strother and Dillian Green look to put up big numbers in 2025. Jaiden Briggs Briggs (5-10, 165) set Vinton's single-season rushing record at 1,734 yards on 248 carries last season after an injury-plagued sophomore season in 2023. A switch to the split-back veer offense led to Briggs scoring a career-high 21 touchdowns in 2024, and Vinton recorded its first winning season since 2014. He earned District 5-2A first team and American Press All-Southwest Louisiana Small School honors last season. 'I think a change in the offense and getting him more carries helped, and his maturity as a player,' Vinton head coach Tyler Lavergne said. 'We definitely got a lot riding on him this year. We want what he gave us last year and more, possibly.' J'vien Adams Adams (5-9, 170) was part of Iowa's big four that included Jeremiah Bushnell, Cohen Charles and Jonathan Walker Jr., threats who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the semifinals for the third time in program history. After running for 1,220 yards and 12 touchdowns on 147 carries in 2024, the senior, along with Bushnell, will have to take on an increased load. 'He needs to step up into a leadership role to help these young ones and do whatever it takes to be able to move the ball,' Iowa head coach Tommy Johns said of Adams. Braylon Garrick With Westlake's big receiving threats — Kevin Rideau and Ryan Allen — playing at McNeese State, Garrick, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior, is looking to make noise in the tough District 3-3A. Garrick ran for 881 yards and 13 touchdowns on 147 carries last season, despite being limited by injuries. Head coach John Richardson said he expects an explosive season out of him after helping the Rams reach the regional round. 'He struggled last year with a lot of injuries,' Richardson said. 'He only played about half of the snaps last year and had about 800 yards. 'If he can stay healthy this year, he is going to have a big year. He looks great right now. He stands out in practice. He is faster and in better shape.' Dillian Green Green (5-7, 150) ran for 850 yards and 12 touchdowns to help LaGrange recover from back-to-back one-win seasons. Green is part of a large senior class that looks to give the Gators their first playoff win since 2014. 'Dillian Green is going to be Dillian Green,' LaGrange head coach Idaibi Ogbanga said. 'He is one of the most elusive backs that I have seen in a while. He is just a really good athlete.' Makelin Lemoine A two-way starter who earned all-District 4-1A first-team and all-Southwest Louisiana honors last year, Lemoine, along with Tristan Leblanc (2,030 yards, 23 TDs), was part of Elton's one-two punch. He picked up 1,648 yards on 152 carries and scored 23 total touchdowns. Lemoine, a 5-10, 185-pound junior, will draw a lot of attention from opposing teams as Elton looks to build on its 8-4 season last year. Charles McFarland McFarland ran for 1,480 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter with nine consecutive games over 100 yards and looks to carry Grand Lake to its seventh consecutive winning season. Dakota Strother With East Beauregard switching back to the double-wing after a season running the spread offense, Strother, a 5-8, 165-pound senior, is poised to have a breakout year as the Trojans look to rebound from a 1-8 season. He ran for 934 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. 'We look for good things from him,' East Beauregard head coach Ronnie Simmons said. 'He was our best offense last year, right at almost a 1,000 yards rushing. He had a good offseason, so we are excited about having him back.'
CTV News
6 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Perseid Meteor Shower peaks in Windsor tonight
A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower in Vinton, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP - Kevin Clifford The Perseid Meteor Shower is peaking in Windsor tonight. The show is one of the best meteor showers of the year. It will officially peak at 4 p.m. In the past, it has shown up to 40 to 50 visible meteors each hour. However, there aren't expected to be as many visible ones this year because the shower is taking place after the full moon for August. The light from the moon will make the meteors harder to see. The best times to watch are around an hour between dusk and moon rise and the last couple of hours before daybreak on Wednesday. A special watch party will take place at Point Pelee. 'Unfortunately, the moon comes up about quarter after 10 and it's going to be about 90 per cent illuminated,' said Tom Sobocan, an astronomy enthusiast. 'The best viewing time is probably between 8:30 and 10:30 tonight, even though the peak of the meteors will be in the wee hours of the morning between about 3 and 5 a.m.'
CTV News
7 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Keep your eyes on the skies: Annual Perseid meteor shower set to peak tonight
A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower in Vinton, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP - Kevin Clifford Stargazers are in for a shimmering show tonight as the annual Perseid meteor shower is set to reach its peak. NASA says the fireball shower began last month and the celestial event is expected to peak tonight and tomorrow before ending on Aug. 23. The space agency says the Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, but at times it's possible to view the streaks of colourful cosmic light as early as 10 p.m. NASA says about 50 to 100 meteors are seen per hour during the shower, with meteors shooting across the sky at about 59 kilometres per second. The U.S. space agency says every Perseid meteor is a tiny piece of the 26-kilometre-wide comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings near the sun every 133 years. NASA says the meteor shower comes after earth passes through the debris of the comet, allowing the meteors to collide with our atmosphere and create the starry streaks. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
Sunday World
21-06-2025
- Sunday World
Disgraced terror chief plans life outside Ireland after conviction for gun running
It is the latest blow in what has been the most dramatic fall from grace of any loyalist paramilitary leader. The disgraced former UVF commander has accepted it will be difficult for him to return to his previous life. And fanciful notions that he would be able to pick up where he left off and resume control of 'B' Company are now in tatters. His expulsion from the UVF put paid to any notion of a comeback and now in a fresh blow to the convicted gun runner and suspected British agent, his hopes of a new life away from Belfast have been put on hold. He now faces the prospect of his 30-month sentence being increased after the Public Prosecution Service decreed the tariff is unduly lenient. It is the latest blow in what has been the most dramatic fall from grace of any loyalist paramilitary leader. The Sunday World understands he has confided in family and friends that he will seek to make a fresh start outside Northern Ireland. Irvine has said he does not see how he can make a safe return to live in Belfast and is believed to be concerned about his personal security while in prison. John 'Bunter' Graham There had been speculation he could be moved to the wing housing sex offenders and vulnerable inmates. The Sunday World understands there are no plans as yet for that to happen. He is currently being housed on the loyalist wing and an order issued by the UVF's Shankill leadership that he is to be left alone, stands. The majority of UVF prisoners in Maghaberry no longer swear allegiance to the organisation, many of them having been stood down including the five jailed for the murder of Ian Ogle and those serving 30 years for the sectarian murder of schoolboy Thomas Devlin. Sources have told us Irvine feels 'vulnerable'. The consequences of his fall from grace continue to play out. Last week the Sunday World revealed 'Harmless' Harry Stockman is now in the firing line after going behind the back of Chief of Staff John 'Bunter' Graham in an attempt to save Winkie's skin. We now understand the man credited with compiling the internal report, senior veteran loyalist Gerry Vinton has come under suspicion by UVF members. According to sources, secretive Vinton has long been close to Graham and was tasked to compile a dossier into Irvine's behaviour during his time as B Company and commander and subsequently. Vinton has previously denied any involvement in criminality and paramilitarism. Vinton and Irvine were at loggerheads but despite allegedly being the leading architect in Irvine's downfall, there is a feeling he is Bunter's patsy under orders to get rid of a problem and save the UVF leadership from closer inspection. Well placed sources have told us that the membership will not stop at Irvine's expulsion. They want Stockman out and are now questioning the content of Vinton's report. Harry Stockman 'Irvine was thrown aside to save the command staff,' one source told us. 'Vinton was Bunter's eyes and ears, he knew everything and in turn everything Irvine did Bunter and Stockman knew about it because it was lining their pockets. 'If they think getting rid of Irvine is where it ends they've another thing coming. There was nothing independent or objective about this so called report, his mission was to heap it all on Irvine.' The disquiet in UVF ranks could lead to the biggest shake up at the top for years. A vote of no confidence in Stockman has been proposed and question marks hang over the future of Chief of Staff Graham. Alleged Shankill commander Sam Austin is the preferred choice of the rank and file to take the reigns, although others are advocating an Army Council style leadership. Meanwhile this week the PPS have recommended that the sentence handed down to Irvine should be extended. Irvine, 49, from Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, was given a two-and-a-half year sentence last month after admitting to firearm and ammunition offences. The sentence was half the minimum recommended term, with the judge citing 'exceptional circumstances'. The PPS said it will now appeal the sentence. Irvine's sentence – half of which is to be served on licence – was below the minimum sentence of five years and attracted criticism from some politicians. A spokesperson for the PPS told the BBC: 'After careful consideration of the sentence handed down in the case of Winston Irvine, including with the benefit of advices from independent Senior Counsel, we have determined that there is a sufficient legal basis to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.' The PPS referral has now been lodged with the Court of Appeal. The sentence must not just be lenient, but must be unduly lenient. During sentencing Judge Gordon Kerr KC said despite Irvine's guilty plea, he had declined to give any explanation to the police or the court for having the guns and bullets in the boot of his car. However, the judge said he did not consider the crimes to be connected to terrorism. The judge cited Irvine's 'character and long-term commitment to peace building in Northern Ireland' among exceptional circumstances relating to the case. The court was told he had worked at the highest levels of government and had 'devoted most of his adult life to peace'. The PPS said it would not be appealing the five year jail term handed to co-accused Robin Workman. The pair were arrested in June 2022 after police intercepted Irvine and their search of his car uncovered a cache of guns and ammunition.
Fox News
18-06-2025
- Fox News
Louisiana racetrack ICE raid nets more than 80 illegal migrants during worksite enforcement operation
FIRST ON FOX: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and several other federal law enforcement agencies worked together to arrest more than 80 illegal migrants, including several with criminal records, during a worksite enforcement operation at a Louisiana racetrack. The joint operation — which was carried out on June 17th — was conducted after a brief pause on immigration arrests at farms, hotels and restaurants was lifted. Authorities received intelligence that businesses operating out of the stables at the Delta Downs Racetrack in Vinton, Louisiana, were employing unauthorized workers, according to sources at ICE. "ICE Homeland Security Investigations is working closely with our federal and state partners to review each case of unauthorized employment at the racetrack to identify any other criminal activities that were taking place in addition to labor exploitation and immigration violations," said ICE HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. While most of the arrests at the racetrack were related to immigration violations, several criminal migrants were also identified. Among the arrested was Enrique Gonzalez Moreno, 36, who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico four times. While in the country illegally, Moreno was convicted twice for driving under the influence and once for cocaine possession and illegal reentry, according to ICE. Authorities are continuing to process the illegal migrants. "Oftentimes, when we're conducting these worksite enforcement operations, we uncover other forms of criminal conduct, such as document and benefit fraud, money laundering and human trafficking," DeLaune said. "As a result, we're able to bolster public safety in the local community by eliminating that criminal activity and removing any dangerous criminal aliens, transnational gang members or other egregious immigration offenders who illegally entered the country and are working at the business without authorization." Worksite enforcement investigations focus on identifying businesses involved in hiring unauthorized workers. They aim to reduce illegal employment and hold employers accountable, according to the ICE website. The joint operation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol, Louisiana State Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The arrests follow a week of anti-ICE protests that have taken place in major cities across the U.S., with some turning into violent riots in areas like LA and Portland. Delta Downs Racetrack, Hotel & Casino did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
