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NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Diontae Johnson: One bad year doesn't define me
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson was let go by four teams last year, and he had only one offer this year. Johnson signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.17 million in what might be his last chance in the NFL. 'They were the only team to hit me up,' Johnson said, via Mary Kay Cabot of In 2024, the Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers, who traded him to the Ravens, who cut him. The Texans signed him and then cut him after 22 days. He caught 33 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns in the worst season in his career. 'I don't like to speak on a lot of stuff, so I just, everybody's going to have their opinions,' Johnson said. 'At the end of the day, I'm the only one in that room that really knows what's going on. I can only go off of what I know and then try to put out my best effort. But last year is last year. I'm trying to turn and change that narrative and move the right way and just keep going.' Johnson, 28, earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021 when he caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns. Thus, he writes off 2024 as an aberration. 'One bad year,' Johnson said. 'It's one year. I had five great seasons in Pittsburgh. I had one year, that doesn't define me as a player. None of that. My character or none of that. So like I said, everybody's going to say what they want to say about me, but I know who I am as a person deep down and that's all that matters to me.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican representative sanctioned by Ohio House following sexual misconduct investigation
May 14—By Anna Staver (TNS) COLUMBUS — A Dayton area Republican has been stripped of his committee assignments following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor family member. According to records from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Rep. Rodney Creech was accused of inapproperiately touching a minor multiple times and climbing into the minor's bedwith an erection. No criminal charges were filed, and Creech characterized the release of the investigative report as a "political smear piece" meant to derail his campaign for state Senate. "These allegations have been found to be demonstrably false, and I have already begun pursuing legal action against those who are pushing this filth," Creech said in a statement. "Like President Trump, I am no stranger to false media attacks. This will not deter my important work." left a message with House Speaker Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, asking whether he plans to ask Creech to resign. Huffman removed Creech from his committee assignments Tuesday, including his chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee. "I do not think the pressure to step down from my committees is justified, but I do believe Speaker Huffman is doing what he believes to be in the best interest of the Ohio House," Creech said. The allegations against Creech were first reported to Preble County Sheriff Michael Simpson in the summer of 2023. Simpson declined to investigate, citing aconflictof interest. Creech is a former county comissioner and the two men have known each other for years. Simpson sent the caseto the Ohio Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Unit, which assigned Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll to the matter. Preble County Prosecutor Martin Votel also had a conflict of interest. During the investigation, Creech admitted to sometimes getting into bed with the minor but denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior. BCI's investigation records also showed Creech spoke with fellow Republican Rep. Phil Plummer about the investigation. Plummer, a former Montgomery County Sheriff, told investgators he found some of Creech's comments about the situation to be "disgusting, uncalled for, and appalling." Plummer lives in the same state Senate district as Creech but has yet to say whether he intends to seek the GOP nomination. In October 2024, Driscoll closed the case and wrote that while Creech's behavior was "concerning and suspicious," the evidence "falls short of the threshold needed for prosecution."
The Star
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Xbox raises prices on consoles, controllers, games
Microsoft's Xbox division on Thursday raised its recommended retail prices on consoles and controllers globally, while also confirming that some of its upcoming games will launch at a new high of US$79.99 (RM337), the company announced on its Xbox support page. The price hikes affect the Xbox Series S (both 512GB and 1TB models), Xbox Series X (including digital and the new 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition) as well as every major Xbox controller variant such as the Xbox Wireless Controller, Elite Series 2 models and special and limited editions. In the U.S. and Canada, the Xbox Stereo Headset and Wireless Headset have been hiked in price, the company said. But the most eye-catching change may be the new cost of first-party Xbox games, which jumped from the previous US$69.99 (RM295) price point, which reflects what the company calls the 'rising cost of development.' The announcement did not specify exactly which titles would carry the new price, In a statement, Xbox acknowledged the move could be 'challenging' for consumers but insisted it was made with 'careful consideration given market conditions.' To soften the blow, the company highlighted one major benefit: Games purchased through the Xbox Store will continue to support 'Xbox Play Anywhere,' allowing gamers to buy once and play on both console and PC at no extra cost. The news comes on the heels of Sony's price increase for the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, though it left the standard disc model unchanged. Sony also lowered the price of the separate PS5 disc drive in those same regions. With both major gaming giants adjusting prices amid inflation and increased manufacturing costs due to tariffs, consumers can expect to pay more for next-gen gaming. – Tribune News Service
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill could block Ohioans from suing industrial air polluters in federal court
Apr. 27—By Sabrina Eaton (TNS) WASHINGTON, D. C. — Ohio's Republican members of Congress are pushing legislation that would rescind the Biden administration's decision to restore an Ohio policy that lets citizens bring federal nuisance lawsuits against industrial air polluters. Advocates of the legislation introduced with backing from groups including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Manufacturers' Association and the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council, say its passage will protect Ohio businesses from frivolous environmental lawsuits. The policy at issue was put in place in the 1970s as part of Ohio's plan to comply with the Clean Air Act. It empowers private citizens to sue companies for not meeting the standards if state and federal regulatory agencies fail to act. Ohio residents used it to bring cases against polluters like coal and steel plants whom they accused of endangering public health. Just after the November 2020 election, the Environmental Protection Agency under then-President Donald Trump finalized a rollback of Ohio's rule. Rather than undertaking the regular rulemaking process, the EPA sought to repeal the rule under an "error correction" provision of the Clean Air Act. When it overturned the rule in 2020, EPA contended it was approved in error nearly 50 years ago because it has "no connection" to the attainment of federal air quality standards established by the law. Environmental groups and air pollution victims who took the EPA to court over the rollback argued it unfairly blocked neighbors of major polluters from asking federal courts to mitigate pollution damage. In a 2023 decision, Circuit Judge Jane B. Stranch ruled that the lawsuit's plaintiffs had standing to challenge the decision. She noted EPA overruled the Ohio policy soon after the change was requested by the Perkins Coie law firm, which represented SunCoke Energy, a company operating a coke-making plant in Ohio that was facing a citizen lawsuit under the Clean Air Act. Her decision said that by removing the citizen lawsuit provision from Ohio's clean air state implementation plan, "EPA has wholly prevented Petitioners from using it to challenge pollution in Ohio, without regard to the hypothetical outcome of such suits. The EPA's actions are unquestionably a link in the chain of causation and redressability." Both citizens and the state have used the air nuisance rule against heavy industry. A Middletown woman named Donna Ballinger used it against an AK Steel plant she said would emit particulate deposits that would fall like rain and cover her cars, deck, windowsills, and her grandchildren's toys when left outside. Last year, the Biden-era EPA filed paperwork to reverse the agency's 2020 decision and reinstate the policy. "Upon further review, EPA is proposing to determine that its November 2020 action failed to adequately consider the role the Air Nuisance Rule plays in the enforcement of the [national ambient air quality standards] in Ohio," the agency wrote in a regulatory filing. The policy was formally reinstated shortly before Biden left office. Ohio Republicans led by U.S. Sens. Bernie Moreno of Westlake and Jon Husted of the Columbus area and U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson of Zanesville and Michael Rulli of Salem contend the 2020 EPA decision was correct. They say EPA removed similar provisions in other states, including California, Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Wyoming. Their bill would rescind the Biden administration's restoration of the policy through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval. They said the Biden Administration's reinstatement of the rule now permits litigation to take place in federal court, which lets plaintiffs' attorneys recoup fees that they would not otherwise be able to secure in state court. "President Biden's eleventh-hour effort to reinstate the air nuisance rule as part of Ohio's SIP was done solely to empower radical environmental activists as he walked out the door," said a statement from Balderson. A statement from Husted said the policy it is trying to reverse would "punish Ohio by making our businesses targets for lawsuits that the EPA has explicitly barred in other states" and do nothing to improve air quality. "We cannot allow attorneys and environmental advocacy groups to dictate federal policy at the expense of Ohio's economy and workforce," added a statement from Rulli. The legislation is co-sponsored by all Republican U.S. House of Representatives members from Ohio. Sierra Club attorney Megan Wachspress accused the GOP legislators of serving corporate interests instead of finding solutions to lower prices and improve Ohioans' quality of life. She said the air nuisance rule protects Ohioans by prohibiting polluters from creating hazardous conditions in nearby communities, and that Ohio EPA used it to crack down on toxic lead emissions. She said there's no legal basis to remove the Air Nuisance Rule from Ohio's Clean Air Act laws and no reason to believe "this transparent attempt at serving special interests will go anywhere in Congress. "The Rule was removed from Ohio's Clean Air Act state implementation plan at the behest of a law firm representing Ohio polluters, and now Ohio's elected representatives are abusing their authority to serve the same special interests," said a statement from Wachspress. "Using the Congressional Review Act to strip Ohio's Clean Air Act laws of this crucial provision is an attack on Ohio's residents, who have used this provision for decades to protect themselves."
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio professors submit 4,500 signatures to repeal controversial higher ed bill
Apr. 21—By Laura Hancock (TNS) COLUMBUS — Youngstown State University professors working to repeal a controversial higher education law submitted their petition and about 4,500 signatures to state officials Monday afternoon — kickstarting a long and expensive process of getting a referendum on the ballot. The group collected 4,500 signatures in about 10 days, said Mark Vopat, president of the Youngstown State Education Association. (The Columbus-headquartered Ohio Education Association is not involved in the referendum effort.) The professors needed at least 1,000 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters. They're aiming to get the referendum on ballots for the Nov. 4 General Election. Those initial 1,000 signatures are just the first hurdle in the process of adding the referendum to the ballot. The proposal will go through several administrative reviews before organizers can begin collecting hundreds of thousands of additional signatures they will need to put the question before voters. The group wants to repeal Senate Bill 1, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed March 28 and which goes into effect June 23. The new law bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public colleges and universities, prohibits professors from striking, states professors can't "indoctrinate" students and requires all viewpoints to be considered during class discussion, among dozens of other requirements. Many Ohio faculty and students opposed the bill during legislative testimony and in demonstrations around the Statehouse, citing labor union changes to the potential of students with extremist views derailing a class discussion. Vopat said that before the group's website went live, people throughout the state were asking if they could gather petitioners, which he believes is a sign of how deeply unpopular SB 1 is. Many Ohioans link the Ohio legislature's desire to control higher education to President Donald Trump, Vopat said. This could give the referendum a boost. "It's almost a state version of what's going on in the federal government," he said, noting that Youngstown State recently lost 14 international students because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revoked their visas. State Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Lake County Republican who sponsored the bill, has defended it in recent public appearances, saying state funding for public colleges and universities will be tied to compliance with the new law. "We are not kidding around. This law will not be ignored. It will be welcomed, and it will be implemented at our universities and community colleges," Cirino said last week at the City Club of Cleveland. Money could be a challenge for the group. A successful referendum campaign can cost millions just to get on the ballot, and then millions more for digital and broadcast advertising. The professors at this point don't have any well-heeled groups backing them, Vopat said. For referenda, petitioners have to submit the petition and signatures to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose in downtown Columbus. Within one day of that submission, the petitioners must submit a copy of SB 1 and their petition summary to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, also in downtown Columbus, according to an explanation of the process by the AG's office. Within the next 10 business days of receiving the petition, the Secretary of State's office must verify the petition signers are registered voters and their addresses on the petition matches that of their voter registrations, according to the Secretary of State's office. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also gets 10 days to review the petition and certify whether he believes the summary to be a fair and truthful statement of the law to be repealed. In recent ballot initiatives, Yost has rejected summaries and petition titles. Then the Ohio Ballot Board, a group of elected and appointed officials, meets within 10 days to determine whether the referendum contains one repeal or more than one. After the Ballot Board meetings, the second round of signature-gathering can begin. The group would need just under 250,000 valid signatures statewide from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. They would have to submit the signatures by the end of June to qualify for the November ballot. Many successful petition and referendum campaigns use paid signature-gatherers for this stretch of the campaign. That may not be the case for the professors. "That would be really nice if we had money to hire petition gatherers," Vopat said. "Right now, there's no plan to hire anyone." If those signatures are gathered and submitted, LaRose will work with local election officials to verify them. If enough valid signatures have been submitted, the referendum can proceed to the ballot. "When we started it, the whole idea to show everyone — other unions, the OEA, the (American Association of University Professors — Ohio chapter,) all the groups across Ohio, whether they're academic or not, that there is a groundswell of support for this," Vopat said. "That if we can start it, then other groups, other individuals will jump on board."
