Latest news with #Weeks
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
LSU linebackers named to prestigious defensive award watchlist
LSU linebackers named to prestigious defensive award watchlist LSU football linebackers Harold Perkins Jr. and Whit Weeks were named to the Lott Trophy watch list. The trophy is awarded annually to the nation's best defensive player for impact on and off the field. The last Tiger to take home the award was Glenn Dorsey in 2004. With Weeks and Perkins, LSU is aiming to have one of the best linebacker duos in the SEC. Perkins and Weeks are both coming off significant injuries in 2024. Perkins went down in Week Four with a knee injury, while Weeks was carted off the field in the second quarter of the Kinder's Texas Bowl after sustaining multiple lower-body injuries. Weeks led the team with 125 tackles, including 10 for loss and 3.5 sacks. He added six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Despite sitting out all spring, he will be at full strength for summer workouts. Perkins burst onto the scene as one of the SEC's top pass rushers in 2022, but Perkins moved to inside linebacker in 2023. It was an adjustment for the former five-star recruit, but he made 75 tackles, including 13 for loss, in a second-team All-SEC season as a sophomore. The New Orleans native will aim to increase his NFL Draft stock with a standout senior season. Perkins' exact role in 2025 remains to be seen. There's been talk of Perkins' playing the STAR position in Blake Baker's defense, but that slot is usually manned by a defensive back. Look for LSU to take advantage of Perkins' versatility this fall. Where Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins ranked as recruits Weeks and Perkins were both among the top linebackers in the country in their respective recruiting classes. Perkins, a member of the 2022 class, was the No. 9 overall prospect and No. 1-ranked linebacker. Weeks signed in 2023 and ranked No. 149 overall in the On3 Industry Rankings. Weeks was the No. 15-ranked linebacker in his class.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gang member sentenced to 14 years for fentanyl trafficking
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCT) — A Raleigh gang member was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for conspiring to traffic fentanyl pills in the Eastern North Carolina area. On June 7, 2024, Shakeim Weeks, age 30, was arrested when law enforcement found approximately 100,000 fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 11 kilograms, in Week's suitcase when he returned to North Carolina from a resupply trip to Arizona. Weeks pled guilty on February 27, 2025, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl. The fentanyl pills Weeks' brought to North Carolina were packaged in Lego boxes, consistent with other seizures of fentanyl pills from this drug trafficking organization. According to court documents, Weeks, a validated member of the United Blood Nation gang, was part of a drug trafficking organization that was obtaining fentanyl pills in California and Arizona and transporting them to the Raleigh area for distribution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sky News AU
23-05-2025
- General
- Sky News AU
Got a mega-milestone birthday or anniversary coming up? Here's how you can get your letter from King Charles III himself
If you or someone you love is set to celebrate their 100th birthday, or even a significant anniversary, why not celebrate with a letter from the King? Since 1917, when King George V started the tradition with a telegram, royal messages have become a staple of major life moments across the UK and the Commonwealth. During the late Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign, more than 1.3 million royal cards were sent out. Now, His Majesty the King is carrying the torch, and thanks to the digital age it's never been easier to get your hands on one. What You Can Get: If you're an Aussie, you can nab messages from the King and the Governor-General, the Honourable Sam Mostyn, to mark: • 50th wedding anniversaries (Governor-General only) • 60th (Diamond), 65th, 70th (Platinum) anniversaries- and every year thereafter • 100th, 105th birthdays- and every year thereafter. How to Apply: Get Your Docs Together: You'll need something official to prove the milestone, like a birth or marriage certificate, a passport, or a statutory declaration (available online or at the post office, or online via the Attorney-General's Department). Contact Your MP or Senator: They'll take care of getting the request in. Need help finding your rep? Just punch in your postcode here. Delivery of messages: Anniversary messages will be delivered directly to the recipient. If you require an alternative delivery arrangement, please note the circumstances on the application form. Timing Is Everything The Royal Mail doesn't move at lightning speed. Try to lodge your request at least two months in advance. If you're running late, the Governor-General's office says they'll do their best- but no promises. Missed a milestone? Good news: you can still request a message up to six months after the birthday or wedding. Or, you can always try next year! Right now, the title of Australia's oldest living person belongs to 111-year-old Kenneth 'Ken' Weeks- meaning he's racked up at least seven letters from the King so far. Born on October 5, 1913, just before the outbreak of World War I, Mr Weeks lives in an aged care facility in Grafton, New South Wales. Remarkably, he didn't move in until he was 104. A familiar face in the Grafton community for decades, Mr Weeks has always kept busy. According to Mr Weeks, he has "no regrets in life" and told The Daily Examiner "hard work" is the most important key to a long and happy life. He'll celebrate his 112th birthday this October with son Ian and his grandchildren.
Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Wendy's Canada celebrating 50th anniversary with 50-cent Frosty deal
In celebration of Wendy's 50 years in Canada, fans of the fast food chain can get 50-cent Jr. Frosty's from now until May 24. Since opening its first location in Hamilton in 1975, nearly 450 restaurants have followed across the country. A post shared by Wendy's Canada 🇨🇦 (@wendyscanada) Wendy's Jr. Frosty will be available for 50 cents in both vanilla and chocolate, fittingly for the number of years the quick-service restaurant has been around. 'For 50 years, Wendy's has been bringing Canadians together by serving fresh food and providing exceptional hospitality,' said Jaime Weeks, vice president, managing director, Wendy's Canada, in a news release. 'This milestone reflects the loyalty of our fans, the dedication of our franchise partners and restaurant teams, and the strength of the Wendy's brand,' Weeks added. While the deal is available for a limited time only, Wendy's fans wasted no time showing their appreciation on social media. 'I got 2 today - they were so cute. Thank you, Wendy's. And happy anniversary to you!' @azabrena90 on Wendy's Instagram post . 'AMAZING! I love Wendy's so much. Happy 50th!' commented @ on Instagram . 'Make that the everyday regular price,' suggested @deven_10101 on social media . The 50-cent deal can be had in-store, on the Wendy's app, and at drive-thrus across locations in Canada until Saturday, May 24.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge hears arguments in case to open Indiana executions to media
Inside the death chamber at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. (Photo provided by the Indiana Department of Correction) A federal judge will soon decide whether media should have guaranteed access to witness Indiana's next execution, which is scheduled to take place just after midnight Tuesday. During a Friday morning hearing in Evansville, in Indiana's southern district, lawyers representing five news entities — including the Indiana Capital Chronicle — argued that a state law barring press from witnessing state executions violates the First Amendment. The plaintiffs asked Judge Matthew Brookman to issue a preliminary injunction that would block the state law, for now, and ensure that journalists have access to the scheduled execution of death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, as well as future executions during the pendency of the case. News outlets seek to pause Indiana law barring journalists from witnessing executions Up for debate, as well, is a Department of Correction (DOC) policy that says press 'shall not be permitted to witness the execution.' News reporters are granted access to a designated area outside of the Indiana State Prison but are not permitted to directly witness the state's actions — unless invited by the condemned to fill one of the five spots. The Indiana Attorney General's Office pushed back, arguing that journalists have no constitutional right, or privilege, to witness executions. Jeff Garn, representing the state, emphasized that any last-minute changes to add media to the upcoming execution's witness lists would disrupt a 'highly-coordinated' process that's been rehearsed for months by DOC staff. He questioned, too, whether the state prison's two designated execution chamber witness rooms can be modified — in a matter of days — to accommodate additional capacity. The federal judge did not immediately rule on the preliminary injunction request but promised a 'timely' decision. Attorneys with the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press are representing the news entities, which include the Capital Chronicle, The Associated Press, Gannett, Circle City Broadcasting and TEGNA. Lin Weeks, on behalf of the plaintiffs, maintained Friday that public access to executions is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability as the state carries out 'the most severe' punishment it can impose. Journalists, he said, serve as surrogates of the public. 'Public access ensures executions are competently and humanely administered,' Weeks told the court, adding that details, including any 'missteps,' about such procedures 'should be known to members of the public.' 'The public,' he continued, 'needs to see justice carried out.' Weeks said media-reported information is also of importance to other condemned inmates awaiting to be put to death. Ritchie and six other men are currently on death row at Indiana State Prison. The news organizations' underlying complaint centers on an Indiana law that limits attendance at executions to: the warden, a warden's designated assistant, the prison physician, another physician, a spiritual advisor, a prison chaplain, five friends or relatives of the inmate and eight members of the victim's family. Weeks said the plaintiffs are seeking four witness spots specifically for reporters. Current law and DOC policy only allow 13 witnesses total. Those four witnesses could be included in the 13 allowed currently, or additional spots could be added to one or both rooms that provide visibility into the execution chamber, Weeks told the judge. He said the Capital Chronicle and other news outlets have requested spots on Ritchie's witness list but have so far been denied. Reporters from all five news entities have covered portions of the case and The Associated Press regularly covers executions nationwide. Indiana is one of 27 states with the death penalty, but one of only two states — along with Wyoming — that doesn't include media witnesses at executions. Senior Reporter Casey Smith witnessed December's state execution of Joseph Corcoran — via the inmate's guest list. Weeks also held that Indiana's law treats the press more harshly than other members of the public. While victims' families and a condemned person's friends or clergy may attend, the media is explicitly barred unless a journalist is handpicked by the inmate. He additionally pointed out that up to 10 journalists are allowed to observe federal executions conducted at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute. Closed-circuit television has also been available in the past for federal prison executions to be viewed outside the designated witness areas. Garn, however, argued that executions are not public events and that media have no inherent right to witness them. 'They do not have a right to observe the execution,' Garn said, maintaining that executions differ from criminal trials, for example. 'This is not a (public) proceeding. This is an operation, carrying out a sentence of an incarcerated person.' He said it's 'unclear' how DOC staff would accommodate media if a short-notice injunction is granted. 'This case was brought too late for the execution scheduled on Tuesday,' Garn reiterated. He emphasized that chairs in the execution chamber's two witness rooms 'are literally bolted to the floor,' leaving limited flexibility for additional observers. He said the plaintiffs filed their primary injunction request 'too late,' noting that the state requested an execution date for Ritchie in September, and a challenge to state law 'should have been filed earlier.' The Indiana Supreme Court set the execution date April 15. Indiana State Prison Warden Ron Neal, one of the defendants — and the only person to provide witness testimony before the court at the Friday hearing — also raised concerns about the confidentiality of execution team members. 'If the identities of those involved are not protected, I wouldn't have a team,' the warden said. Neal presided over Corcoran's execution in December. Before that, he was involved in the 2009 state execution of Eric Wrinkles — the last death sentence to be carried out before Indiana's 15-year execution hiatus. He said the execution room for the condemned holding five witnesses is 'tight' and 'very limited.' His court declaration said it was 10-by-10 feet. Online descriptions of a 10-by-10 foot-storage unit say it is equivalent to a small bedroom or half of a one-car-garage. The Capital Chronicle's experience at the December execution found there were four chairs in the condemned witness room bolted to the two-levels of the riser. In addition, there were three empty chairs elsewhere in the room. Two guards also were in the room. After an execution date is set, Neal said DOC staff practice the process at least once each week ahead of the execution date. Communication between the prison and offices of the governor and the attorney general are tested. An intravenous line is inserted 'into a live (volunteer) every time' a training is held. Staff are also taught the precise steps taken to escort witnesses to and from the execution chamber. Neal conceded, though, that 'there's always a possibility that folks don't show up, and we plan accordingly.' We take it very seriously … we don't want to make any mistakes. – Indiana State Prison Warden Ron Neal All DOC employees involved in the process then participate in a full, step-by-step 'dress rehearsal' the day before a scheduled execution, Neal said. 'We go to great lengths … just as we would on the day of an execution,' he told the court. 'We take it very seriously … we don't want to make any mistakes.' Garn suggested the case could be more appropriately litigated after the current execution, and even mentioned a possible future settlement conference. Weeks, referencing Neal's testimony, argued that DOC staff are trained 'to handle flexibility in the number of people' who attend as witnesses. The media attorney argued that DOC staff have accommodated changes to witness lists before — even in the days preceding an execution — and could still do so before Tuesday. Gov. Mike Braun rejected a clemency plea from Ritchie on Wednesday, one day after the Indiana Parole Board recommended that the death row inmate's upcoming execution proceed as scheduled. Ritchie, who fatally shot Beech Grove law enforcement officer William Toney during a police pursuit on Sept. 29, 2000, had petitioned the board to commute his death sentence to life without parole. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
