Latest news with #Whiting
USA Today
01-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State football extends official offer to 3-star TE commit Eddie Whiting
Blessed!!! @MSU_Football The Spartans have extended an official offer to one of their first verbal commits of the 2026 class. Eddie Whiting of Sioux Falls, S.D. received his official offer from Michigan State football on Friday. Whiting posted about the offer from Michigan State on his social media X account following receiving the official offer from the Spartans. August 1 is the first day for schools to extend official offers to prospects in the 2026 class. Whiting is a three-star tight end prospect in the 2026 class. He holds a recruiting rating of 87 and ranks as the No. 44 tight end in 247Sports' composite system. He is also listed as the No. 2 player from South Dakota in the class. Whiting was one of the first commitments for the Spartans in the 2026 class. He announced his commitment to Michigan State in early February, picking the Spartans over notable offers from Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA, Washington, Washington State and Wisconsin. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Hindustan Times
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
US Space Command is preparing for satellite-on-satellite combat
TOWARDS THE end of last year a pair of military satellites, one American and the other French, prepared for a delicate orbital minuet. They were about to conduct a so-called rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO)—in which one or more satellites approach another to inspect or manipulate it—near an enemy satellite. They have not said which, but it is not hard to guess. 'The French have talked about Russian manoeuvres [near French satellites] over the years,' says General Stephen Whiting, speaking at the headquarters of US Space Command in Colorado Springs. 'And so…we demonstrated that we could both manoeuvre satellites near each other and near other countries' satellites in a way that signalled our ability to operate well together.' The exercise was so successful, he says, that there are plans to repeat it later this year. It is a milestone: the first time that America has conducted an RPO like this with a country outside the Five Eyes, a spy pact whose members co-operate closely in space, and the first time it was done as a 'purpose-built' operation, rather than in response to events. It also embodies America's new, more muscular approach to space. Space Command was re-established in 2019 during Donald Trump's first term. In recent years it has focused on building its headquarters and developing staff. Now it is ready. 'We now have a combatant command focused on war fighting' in space, says General Whiting. The impetus for that is two things. The first is that the American armed forces' reliance on satellites has 'compounded exponentially', says an official, pointing obliquely to America's strike on Iran in June. 'The majority of that operation is space enabled.' The other is what the government sees as a change in the threat. Since 2015 there has been an eight-fold increase in Chinese satellite-launch activity, says the official. The People's Liberation Army has become much better at operating in space, including conducting electronic warfare in orbit, he says, with China eclipsing Russia. China, Russia and India have tested destructive anti-satellite weapons in 2007, 2021 and 2022 respectively. America also accuses Russia of developing an orbital nuclear weapon that could destroy thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) at once. A few years ago Space Command was wary of talking about its own offensive capabilities. Now it embraces the idea. 'It's time that we can clearly say that we need space fires, and we need weapon systems. We need orbital interceptors,' said General Whiting in April. 'And what do we call these? We call these weapons.' He points to Mr Trump's Golden Dome plan for a missile-defence shield, which includes space-based interceptors to destroy enemy missiles. In theory the same weapons could also target enemy satellites. 'Space to space, space to ground, ground to space' would all play a role in achieving the 'lethality that is necessary to achieve…deterrence,' says an official. America's allies are also becoming more open about this. In a defence review published this year, Britain said for the first time that it would develop anti-satellite weapons deployed on Earth and in orbit. America leads a small but tight-knit club of spacefaring allies. In Operation Olympic Defender, Space Command works with six countries—Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and New Zealand—to 'deter hostile acts in space'. In April the initiative reached 'initial operational capability', with all seven countries signing a joint campaign plan whose details will be finalised this summer. Space Command is also thinking about the tactical demands of war. While 'everything in space is moving', says General Whiting, America has thought of its satellites as 'individual forts' that sit in one place. That is because moving a satellite takes fuel, which can shorten its lifespan. There are three solutions to that, he says. One is for satellites to carry more fuel. Another is to refuel in orbit—something that China demonstrated in June. 'That could give them a military advantage,' he says, 'so we need that capability.' The third approach is to operate so many satellites that each one can be treated as expendable. American officials have been talking about such 'proliferated' constellations in LEO for years—think of SpaceX's Starlink. Now they are being built. America's National Reconnaissance Office, which runs classified spy satellites, has launched more than 200 since 2023, with a dozen launches scheduled for this year alone. SpaceX is also rumoured to be the front-runner to build a 450-strong constellation that will eventually relay missile-tracking and other data from sensors to interceptors and weapons. A fourth method might be added to that list: making the satellites more intelligent. General Whiting says he would love to have AI on board satellites that would allow them to detect 'nefarious' objects nearby and to move out of the way without human intervention. In time, suggests Christopher Huynh, a major in the US Space Force, AI-enabled satellites could fly in close formation, meaning they could act as 'defender satellites to protect high-value assets in orbit'. For now, the AI is mostly on the ground. In the past few months, General Whiting says, his staff has built a large language model that has been trained on all of the command's threat and planning data. Officers can quiz 'SpaceBot' on gaps in their knowledge or on how to respond to a fictional or real-world attack in space. 'What would once have taken ten people five hours of work', he suggests, 'can be done at machine speed—a space-age achievement.' Stay on top of our defence and international security coverage with The War Room, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Pierogi Fest returns to Whiting, Indiana, with food and live music this weekend
The popular Pierogi Fest, honoring Eastern European culture through food, kicks off Friday in Whiting, Indiana. This year, the weekend-long event will feature more than 75 food booths, two beer gardens, and 55 vendors. The event starts at 11 a.m. Friday with the Polka Parade wrapping up day one at 7 p.m. According to the events website, those planning to attend can find free parking around the town, but there will be six paid lots that will benefit churches and organizations, including: St. John the Baptist Church - Lincoln Ave. and 119th St. Sacred Heart Church - 1800 LaPorte Ave. St. Adalbert Church - 2106 Indianapolis Blvd. St. Mary's Byzantine Church - 2011 Clark St. St. Paul's Lutheran Church - Atchison Ave and Indianapolis Blvd. Whiting Football Parking Lot - 500 Center St. Shuttles will also run Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. Shuttles will not run during the parade. The last shuttle bus will run at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday. Shuttles are $5 or $20 for families of 5 or more. Children under 6 years old ride free. Bus services and handicap park is also available. The event will be headlined by Five For Fighting singer John Ondrasik, who will take to the main stage on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. There will be six stages with more than 50 performances scheduled, including a polka dance contest and other traditional performances. Starting as a small festival in 1993, serving just 1,200 people in its first year, Pierogi Fest now sees millions of visitors yearly. The event will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. CBS News Chicago is a proud media partner of the event.
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Business Standard
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
China's space militarisation moving 'breathtakingly fast': US Space Force
China's rapid militarisation of space is the most pressing concern to the United States, USSF Commander General Stephen Whiting said in an interview with military website Breaking Defence earlier this week. The US Space Force commander spoke on China's 'breathtakingly fast' advancement in satellite capabilities, counter-space weapons, and battlefield integration when asked about his most pressing concerns for the Indo-Pacific region. When asked about concerns raised by Brigadier General Anthony Mastalir, who last year highlighted China's use of space to 'complete the kill chain' as the most pressing threat in the region, Whiting confirmed that he shared those concerns. The term 'kill chain' refers to the sequence of steps involved in identifying, tracking and striking a target. In the space domain, this may refer to the integration of satellites, surveillance systems, communication links and weapon platforms, which would work together to detect a threat and deliver a coordinated response. "China has built a targeting system based in space to find, fix, track and target US and allied forces in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility," Whiting told Breaking Defence. US' areas of concerns Whiting highlighted three key areas of concern. First, he said China has developed a robust space-based targeting network capable of locating, tracking, and engaging American and allied assets, including aircraft carriers, with precision. These capabilities, Whiting warned, support 'over-the-horizon' strikes, effectively closing the distance between Chinese weapon systems and faraway targets. The second area of concern, Whiting said, is China's deployment of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. These include both "soft kill" methods, such as cyberattacks, jamming of satellite communications and GPS, and 'hard kill' options like high-energy lasers and direct-ascent missiles. Co-orbital ASATs, which are satellites that manoeuvre close to others in orbit to disable or destroy them, also form part of Beijing's growing arsenal. Thirdly, the general warned of China's effective integration of space technology into its armed forces, which has enhanced the precision and range of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Navy and Air Force. 'They have leveraged all the advantages of space to make their military more lethal, more precise and more far-ranging,' he said. The comments follow the recent Operation Midnight Hammer, in which US military satellites played a crucial role in strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the space-based systems provided pre-strike imagery, guided munitions, supported radio-silent missions, and tracked incoming retaliation from Tehran.
Metro
24-06-2025
- Metro
Prisoner said 'that's for Sarah Payne' after stabbing her murderer in his cell
A prisoner told child killer Roy Whiting 'that was for Sarah Payne' after stabbing him with a shank in his jail cell, a court has heard. Andrew Light, 45, is on trial accused of trying to kill Whiting, 66, with a crude wooden blade at the top security HMP Wakefield. Whiting, who is serving a life sentence for the abduction and murder of Sarah in July 2000, was targeted last February. Prison officer Alex Dyson told jurors at Leeds Crown Court Light said to Whiting as he was led away: 'See you later Roy. That was for Sarah Payne.' Giving evidence, Mr Dyson said he was on a shift on D-Wing at around 4pm on February 11 when he heard 'muffled' cries of 'boss, boss' coming from cell D240. Describing how he arrived to see Light stabbing Whiting, he said: 'My initial thought was that he was causing major injury and that Whiting's life was in immediate danger. 'I could see lots of blood on the weapon and there was blood on the floor. Whiting was trying desperately to get away and he had a grip of the cupboard at his right-hand side of the cell. 'But Light had a tight grip of him, and he could not get himself free. 'Andrew Light had his left arm around Roy Whiting's waist holding him, to stop him getting away. In his right hand he had a weapon, about six inches long, I couldn't tell at the time what it was. 'There was a lot of blood on Roy Whiting, there was a lot of blood on the floor and on the weapon, and he was stabbing him in his stomach, from behind. 'He was stabbing him around the side, around the front in the stomach quite furiously. 'He was using a lot of force. I thought at the time that he was killing him. There was a lot of blood. It looked horrific.' PO Dyson said he activated his body-cam and summoned assistance while shouting for Light to 'drop the weapon', but the inmate ignored his orders. The jury watched the clip, which showed PO Dyson brandishing a PAVA spray. When fellow prison officers arrived the cell door was shut, leaving Light and Whiting in the cell together. Whiting could be seen crawling under his bed for protection as Light resumed his attack. Though the viewing hatch, PO Dyson saw him stab Whiting under the bed 'at least a dozen times', he said. Guards then decided to enter the cell and cuff Light after he finally threw the weapon to the floor. PO Dyson told the jury that it was protocol to lock a door when they had a 'hostage situation' and that had he entered alone whilst the attack was going on 'I'd probably get stabbed'. The officer described Light using 'as much force as I think he could use'. John Elvidge KC, representing Light, challenged PO Dyson's recollection, suggesting those words were not picked up on the body cam audio. PO Dyson replied: 'I have heard it at some point because it is in my statement.' Whiting suffered multiple cuts, including a bad cut to his ear, but his injuries were not life threatening, the court heard. 'He was very lucky. He came off a lot better than he could have been,' PO Dyson said. Prison nurse Laura Mortimer-Reid was the first medical officer on the scene. The jury watched video footage of a heavily bloodstained Whiting crawling back out from under the bed, bleeding from his left ear. More Trending Mrs Mortimer-Reid said the wound to the ear was 'quite deep' and needed to be glued but other than that she described his injuries, including cuts to his hands and neck, as 'superficial' and 'not life threatening'. The jury has been told that Light has admitted possessing a bladed article in the prison and also pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Whiting. Light denies attempted murder and wounding with intent. The trial continues. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'Burglar' gets stuck in chimney trying to rescue his trapped dog MORE: Girl, 12, raped by three men after being lured from Asda 'wakes up at night screaming' MORE: 'Kardashian of Cheshire' conned friends out of £200,000 in Hermes handbag scam
