Santa’s Toy Shop now accepting donations

Preparations have hit high gear for Santa’s Toy Shop to return to Iola.

The Humanity House-sponsored event offers a free toy to every boy and girl who shows up to meet Santa. An average of 1,500 toys are given away each year.

Youngsters also get a book, candy cane, cup of hot cocoa, a hat and gloves (if needed) and a photo with Santa.

Owners of gently used toys are encouraged to consider donating them to the Toy Shop; or if somebody is willing to bake cookies, those would be graciously accepted as well.

This year’s Santa’s Toy Shop will be at 202 South St., and will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 19 and 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 20-22.

For more information, call (620) 380-6664, or stop by the Humanity House office at 110 East St.

Police report

Theft investigated

Iola police officers said they are investigating a report of theft from Iola Walmart.

The theft was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday.

No arrests have been reported.

Pentagon chief fires Navy secretary over SEAL controversy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Mark Esper has fired the Navy’s top official, ending a stunning clash between President Donald Trump and top military leadership over the fate of a SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq.
Esper said Sunday that he had lost confidence in Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and alleged that Spencer proposed a deal with the White House behind his back to resolve the SEAL’s case. Trump has championed the matter of Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in the stabbing death of an Islamic State militant captive but convicted of posing with the corpse while in Iraq in 2017.
Spencer’s firing was a dramatic turn in the fast-changing and politically charged controversy. It exposed fissures in Trump’s relationship with the highest ranks of the U.S. military and raised questions about the appropriate role of a commander in chief in matters of military justice.
Gallagher was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer after his conviction by a military jury. Trump, however, restored Gallagher’s rank this month.
The situation escalated again in recent days.
On Wednesday, the Navy had notified Gallagher that he would face a Navy SEAL review board to determine if he should be allowed to remain in the elite force. While Trump then tweeted that he would not allow the Navy to remove Gallagher from the SEALs by taking away his Trident Pin, which designates a SEAL member, the White House told the Navy it could proceed as planned, according to a Navy officer who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
That initially appeared to defuse the situation. The Navy SEAL review board was due to hear Gallagher’s case on Dec. 2.
Spencer, speaking Saturday at an international security forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said that he did not consider a tweet by Trump a formal order to stop the Navy review board.
“I need a formal order to act,” Spencer said. He said of Trump’s tweets, “I don’t interpret them as a formal order.”
But on Sunday, Esper said he had learned that Spencer had “privately” proposed to the White House that Gallagher be allowed to retire in his current rank and without losing his status as a SEAL. Esper said Spencer had not told him of the proposal to the White House, causing him to lose “trust and confidence.”
A spokesperson for Spencer, Navy Cmdr. Sarah Higgins, said Spencer had no immediate comment. The White House did not provide details of Spencer’s alleged private proposal regarding Gallagher.
In yet another twist, Esper also directed on Sunday that Gallagher be allowed to retire at the end of this month, and that the Navy review board that was scheduled to hear his case starting Dec. 2 be cancelled. At Esper’s direction, Gallagher will be allowed to retire as a SEAL at his current rank.
That effectively gives Trump the outcome he sought.
In a letter to Trump acknowledging “my termination,” Spencer said he had concluded that he and the president appear no longer to share the same understanding of “the key principle of good order and discipline.”
“I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took in the presence of my family, my flag and my faith to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” he wrote. He did not cite a specific order.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Esper’s position had been that the Navy’s disciplinary process should be allowed to “play itself out objectively and deliberately.”
“However, at this point, given the events of the last few days,” Esper decided that Gallagher should be allowed to retain his SEAL status, Hoffman said. He said Esper had concluded that Gallagher could not, under the circumstances, receive a fair shake from the Navy.
In the written statement, Esper said of Spencer: “I am deeply troubled by this conduct shown by a senior DOD official. Unfortunately, as a result I have determined that Secretary Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position. I wish Richard well.”
Gallagher, speaking Sunday on “Fox & Friends,” alleged the Navy was acting in retaliation.
“They could have taken my Trident at any time they wanted,” he said. “Now they’re trying to take it after the president restored my rank.”
Those who have their Trident pins removed will no longer be SEALs but could remain in the Navy. The Navy has revoked 154 Trident pins since 2011.
Spencer, 65, had served as Navy secretary since August 2017. He was a Wall Street investment banker and is a veteran of the Marine Corps. He and Esper were Pentagon peers during the period that Esper served as Army secretary, prior to being sworn in as defense secretary last July.
In a series of tweets Sunday evening, Trump said he had been unhappy with the Navy’s handling of the Gallagher case. “Likewise, large cost overruns from past administration’s contracting procedures were not addressed to my satisfaction,” Trump added without specifics.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a statement saying Spencer “did the right thing” and “should be proud of standing up to President Trump when he was wrong, something too many in this Administration and the Republican Party are scared to do. Good order, discipline, and morale among the Armed Services must transcend politics, and Secretary Spencer’s commitment to these principles with not be forgotten.”
Sen. Jim Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who chairs the Armed Services Committee, said Trump and Esper “deserve to have a leadership team who has their trust and confidence.” He also acknowledged that he and Spencer had disagreed at times over the management of specific Navy programs.
Trump said he’s nominating Kenneth Braithwaite, a retired Navy rear admiral and the current U.S. ambassador to Norway, to succeed Spencer. In a tweet, Trump called Braithwaite “a man of great achievement and success.”
 

France pledges millions to stop deadly domestic violence

PARIS (AP) — Under unprecedented public pressure, France’s government pledged Monday to seize firearms from abusive spouses and better train police as part of a broad national plan to reduce the number of women killed by their partners.

Such killings happen around the world, every day, so common that they go largely ignored — at least until now, French activists hope. France has among the highest domestic violence rates in Europe, which President Emmanuel Macron has described as “France’s shame.”

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe unveiled several dozen measures Monday to tackle the problem, including electronic bracelets for abusers and 1,000 new places in shelters for battered women.

Monday’s announcement marked the end of a two-month government project to correct what Philippe called “dysfunctions” in France’s response to domestic violence.

“The first success of this effort is to break this chain of silence,” Philippe said Monday.

At least 138 women have been killed by current or former partners this year in France, according to activists who track the deaths. Many had reported abuse to police.

The government will allocate $396 million next year toward implementing the new measures, which Philippe said he hopes will serve as “an electroshock in our society.”

Violence against women remains prevalent across the globe, and Monday’s announcement was timed to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. An NGO in Germany lit up buildings across the country in orange to mark the occasion, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to reopen unsolved sexual assault cases.

A 2014 EU survey of 42,000 women across all 28 member states found that 26% of French respondents said they had been abused by a partner since age 15, either physically or sexually.

That’s below the global average of 30%, according to UN Women, a branch of the United Nations focused on gender equality and female empowerment. But it’s above the EU average and the sixth highest among EU countries.

Victims and activists have charged that French authorities often leave women unprotected, and a Justice Ministry report released earlier this month acknowledged authorities’ systematic failure to intervene to prevent domestic violence killings.

French activists have waged an unusual campaign this year to pressure the government to address domestic violence. They’ve glued posters with the names of victims over French city buildings and marched through the streets at each new death. Tens of thousands descended on Paris and other French cities over the weekend to demand stronger government action.

Among other measures announced Monday, the government will create prevention programs in schools, codify “psychological violence” as a form of domestic violence, and open two centers in each region to house perpetrators so that victims can remain in their homes.

Philippe said Monday that the government would create 80 new positions throughout the country for point officers to handle domestic violence complaints.

On Friday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner and gender equality minister Marlène Schiappa unveiled a new 23-question evaluation rubric that police officers will use to assess the dangers women face.

Schiappa, who spearheaded the government project, said police training is a priority.

For some family members of victims, however, the measures announced Monday were too little, too late. Noujoud-Asia Ghemri, whose sister was allegedly killed by her husband in April, called them “a drop in the bucket.”

Ghemri said her sister, Dalila, was shot by her husband in front of their home in Vidauban in southern France shortly after a judge ruled that he could continue to enter the house for work reasons. The husband was arrested in April and handed preliminary murder charges. Preliminary charges under French law mean authorities have strong reason to believe a crime was committed but allow time for further investigation. The husband did not respond to online messages seeking comment.

Ghemri voiced disappointment that the measures did not include training for judges who handle restraining orders or specialized courts for domestic violence complaints such as those that exist in Spain.

“I think that they didn’t hear … all the women and men that cried on Saturday during all the demonstrations,” Ghemri said of the government.

Feminist activist Caroline de Haas, who helped organize Saturday’s action, called the government effort “a disappointment” in a statement Monday and said funding fell short of expectations. Activists had urged the state to dedicate at least a billion euros to the cause.

The European Parliament planned to observe a moment of silence for domestic violence victims and on Monday evening was to read aloud the 138 names of French women killed.

 

Jayhawks headline Maui tourney

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Michigan State opened the season with a loss to Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. Kansas had a similar start on the same bill, losing to Duke.

Three weeks later, the third-ranked Spartans and fourth-ranked Jayhawks are in paradise, headlining another strong Maui Invitational field in a test to see how far they’ve come from those opening losses.

“This tournament lends itself to allowing teams to come much closer and experience these three games over here,” Kansas coach Bill Self said Sunday as waves from the Pacific Ocean crashed behind the tournament’s eight coaches.

The 2018 tournament had an epic finale, with Gonzaga holding off a late charge by Duke and Zion Williamson in a raucous atmosphere that shook the bleachers.

The tiny Lahaina Civic Center will host another three-day display of high-level basketball starting Monday with a field that also includes UCLA, Georgia, Virginia Tech, BYU, Dayton and Chaminade.

Michigan State and Kansas, the teams with the Hall of Fame coaches, top the marquee.

The Spartans were the preseason No. 1 but suffered a setback before their first game, losing guard Joshua Langford to a foot injury until at least January. Then, on Nov. 9, star guard Cassius Winston’s brother, Zachary, was hit by a train and killed.

Michigan State followed the loss to Kentucky with three straight wins, including an impressive road victory over No. 12 Seton Hall. The Spartans open against Virginia Tech in their fifth Maui appearance.

“It’s been an interesting year for us so far,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “Losing what I consider maybe our best two-way player in Josh Langford and then the tragedy with Cassius, we’re trying to figure out where we are, when we can practice.”

Kansas started to figure things out after the two-point loss to Duke. The Jayhawks have won their past three games by double digits, including a 112-57 blowout of Monmouth last week. The Jayhawks open against host Chaminade.

“We didn’t get off to a great start, have been a little bit better since then, but I like our guys,” Self said. “We have a good blend of veteran experience and youthful experience, so to speak.”

 

FIRST-YEAR COACHES

This year’s Maui bracket will include three teams in their first season under new coaches.

Two will meet in the opening round.

After a successful run at Cincinnati, Mick Cronin took over at UCLA this year, hoping to turn around a program that missed the NCAA Tournament last season after Steve Alford was fired. The Bruins opened with four straight wins but suffered an upset in their last game, losing 88-78 to Hofstra at home.

UCLA faces BYU and first-year coach Mark Pope.

Pope was an assistant under Dave Rose, became the head coach at Utah Valley and returned to Provo when Rose retired after last season. The Cougars have wins over Houston and Cal State Fullerton but lost tight games against San Diego State and Boise State.

Mike Young was hired as Virginia Tech’s coach this year after Buzz Williams left for Texas A&M. Young took Wofford to the NCAA Tournament five times in his final 10 seasons there and has led to Hokies to five straight wins.

 

STAR PLAYERS

Among the players in Maui, Winston got the most preseason attention, earning preseason All-American honors and player of the year hype.

Two other players in Maui also may generate some buzz on the national stage.

Tom Crean made a huge impact at Georgia quickly, landing one of the nation’s top recruits in Anthony Edwards this year.

A 6-foot-5 guard, Edwards is a dynamic player who can shoot from distance, get in the lane and finish at the rim. He scored 29 points against The Citadel and is averaging 19.3 points per game.

Obi Toppin may not get the recognition he deserves playing at Dayton, but that could change in Maui. The 6-9 sophomore is one of the nation’s top power forwards, averaging 23.7 points and 9.7 rebounds this season.

 

SILVERSWORDS RETURN

Chaminade was not part of the main bracket last year after a format change. The Division II Silverswords are back in the main draw this year. Keep an eye on them.

Though usually undersized against DI opponents, they can shoot and have a knack for knocking off a bigger team in Maui every few years.

49ers top Packers on Sunday night

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rashaad Penny ran for a career-best 129 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, Russell Wilson threw one TD pass and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 Sunday.

Missing their top three wide receivers, leading rusher and two Pro Bowl offensive linemen, the Eagles (5-6) couldn’t do much on offense and hurt themselves with three turnovers inside Seattle territory and another near midfield.

The Seahawks (9-2) remain undefeated on the road in six games.

The Eagles didn’t have wideouts DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, running back Jordan Howard and right tackle Lane Johnson from the start. Right guard Brandon Brooks left in the first quarter. First-round pick Andre Dillard made his first career start at right tackle after playing the left side all season and was benched at halftime.

The Seahawks were without star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Philadelphia’s defense did its best to keep it close, sacking Wilson six times.

But Carson Wentz struggled again and the offense was awful. Wentz was 33 of 45 for 256 yards, one TD, two interceptions and lost two fumbles, including one on a handoff exchange.

Wilson was 13 of 25 for 200 yards, one TD and one pick.

 

SAINTS 34, PANTHERS 31

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Wil Lutz kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the Saints took a four-game lead in the NFC South with five games left.

Drew Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, and led New Orleans from its 14-yard line with 1:51 left to the Carolina 15 with 3 seconds remaining to set up the winning kick. That capped a contest filled with late momentum shifts and critical errors — none bigger than Carolina kicker Joey Slye’s missed field goal from 28 yards with 2 minutes left.

New Orleans scored on the game’s opening possession and led until 9:23 remained in the fourth quarter, when D.J. Moore reached up with his right hand to corral a fourth-and-goal pass in the back of the end zone to tie it at 31.

Soon after, Panthers safety Eric Reid stuffed Alvin Kamara on a run to the right side on fourth-and-1 from the New Orleans 45. That set up a dramatic sequence in which Carolina coach Ron Rivera successfully challenged officials’ decision not to call pass interference on a third-down incomplete pass, setting up a first-and-goal at the 3 with 2:21 to go.

Carolina squandered its opportunity, however, after Christian McCaffrey’s run was stuffed and Kyle Allen threw incomplete on second down and was sacked on third down by Marcus Davenport, setting up the end of a difficult day for Slye, who’d also missed two extra-point kicks.

Michael Thomas had 10 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown for New Orleans (9-2), including receptions of 14 and 24 yards on the winning drive.

Allen passed for 256 yards and three TDs for Carolina (5-6), which saw its playoff hopes pushed to the brink. McCaffrey had 133 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage on a balance of runs and receptions.

 

PATRIOTS 13, COWBOYS 9

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Patriots held the Cowboys’ top-ranked offense without a TD for the first time this season as New England got its 18th straight regular-season victory at home.

Dallas (6-5) had a chance to take the lead late. But facing fourth-and-11 on its 25 with 1:50 left, Dak Prescott’s 20-yard apparent completion to Amari Cooper was nullified after an official review.

The Patriots (10-1), who struggled to move the ball in their win over Philadelphia last week, played without two key receivers after Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett were ruled out with injuries. Tom Brady made the most of what he had, tossing a first-quarter touchdown pass to rookie N’Keal Harry and completing a 32-yard pass to rookie Jakobi Meyers.

Brady finished 17 of 37 for 190 yards. Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 93 yards.

Dallas struggled to move the ball for most of the game. Ezekiel Elliott rushed 21 times or 86 yards, but the Cowboys were 2 of 13 on third down.

 

49ERS 37, PACKERS 8

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo threw two long touchdown passes and the San Francisco harassed Aaron Rodgers all night, helping the 49ers rout Green Bay.

Garoppolo connected on a 42-yard touchdown strike to Deebo Samuel in the second quarter and a 61-yarder to George Kittle in the third to get San Francisco (10-1) off to a resounding start to a grueling three-game stretch.

Following the game against the first-place Packers (8-3), the Niners will travel to Baltimore (8-2) and New Orleans (9-2) the next two weeks in a stretch that will go a long way to determining whether San Francisco will be able to hold off Seattle (9-2) in a tight NFC West race.

Rodgers lost a fumble on the opening drive one of the five sacks he took and failed to convert a single third down on 13 tries before getting pulled late in the fourth quarter. He finished 20 for 33 for 104 yards and Green Bay averaged an anemic 1.7 yards per pass play when he was in the game.

Garoppolo put it away with the two long touchdowns, part of a day when he went 14 for 20 for 253 yards and most importantly committed no turnovers. He was helped by the return of Kittle, who had six catches for 129 yards in his first game back after missing the past two contests with injuries to his knee and ankle.

 

TITANS 42, JAGUARS 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Titans scored four touchdowns over six offensive plays in the third quarter for their second straight victory to keep themselves firmly in the AFC playoff hunt.

Ryan Tannehill ran for two TDs and threw two TDs to improve to 4-1 as Tennessee’s starter. Derrick Henry ran for two TDs just 16 seconds apart, and rookie receiver A.J. Brown capped the scoring spurt with a 65-yard TD catch that made it 35-3 with 6:57 left in the third quarter.

The Titans (6-5) are tied with Indianapolis and Oakland just outside the AFC’s final wild-card spot; those are their next two opponents, both on the road.

Jacksonville (4-7) lost its third straight, the past two since Nick Foles returned to the lineup.

The Jaguars had nine sacks in beating the Titans 20-7 in September with Marcus Mariota at quarterback for Tennessee. They sacked Tannehill only once, though they forced a pair of fumbles by Tennessee. Ranked 29th in the NFL against the run, the Jaguars gave up 219 yards as the Titans had a 471-369 edge in total offense.

Leonard Fournette had a pair of 1-yard TD runs and finished with 97 yards.

 

JETS 34, RAIDERS 3

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score for the Jets’ first three-game winning streak in over two years.

Brian Poole returned an interception 15 yards for a TD and the rest of the Jets defense made things miserable for Derek Carr, who was pulled by coach Jon Gruden with just under two minutes left in the third quarter.

The Raiders (6-5) came into a rain-soaked MetLife Stadium on a three-game winning streak with an eye on a possible AFC West first-place showdown at Kansas City next week. Instead, they got outplayed by a suddenly resurgent Jets (4-7) team that pulled away in the second half.

Darnold was 20 of 29 for 315 yards — the fourth 300-yard game of his career — with TDs to Robby Anderson and Ryan Griffin in another efficient outing that helped New York to its first three-game winning streak since Weeks 3-5 of the 2017 season. The Jets didn’t punt until the 2-minute mark of the third quarter.

Carr fell to 2-9 in his career in games that started with the temperature below 50 degrees. The temperature at kickoff at the Meadowlands was 43 degrees.

 

BILLS 20, BRONCOS 3

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdowns passing and Shaq Lawson had two of Buffalo’s four sacks. The Bills have their best record through 11 games in 23 years.

Buffalo improved to 8-3, to match its best start since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s final season in 1996, while keeping the Bills firmly in position to secure their second playoff berth in three years.

John Brown made a diving 34-yard touchdown catch, and Cole Beasley scored on an 18-yard reception. Allen finished 15 of 25 for 185 yards and threw his first interception in 172 attempts.

Frank Gore had 65 yards rushing to up his total to 15,289 and move ahead of boyhood idol Barry Sanders into third on the NFL career list. The 15-year veteran also increased his total to 19,154 yards from scrimmage to pass Marshall Faulk for fourth on the list.

Rookie Ed Oliver and Star Lotulelei had a sack apiece, while cornerback Tre’Davious White snuffed out a potential scoring drive by intercepting Brandon Allen at the Buffalo 8 in the final minute of the first half.

The Broncos dropped to 3-8 in Vic Fangio’s first season as coach.

 

BROWNS 42, DOLPHINS 24

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jarvis Landry caught two touchdown passes against his former team and the Browns won their third straight in their first game since losing star defensive end Myles Garrett to a season-ending suspension.

Landry couldn’t wait to get back at the Dolphins (2-9), who had him for four seasons before they decided not to give him a long-term contract extension and traded him to Cleveland in 2018. He got his revenge, finishing with 10 catches for 148 yards.

Baker Mayfield had 327 yards passing and hit a TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr., and Joe Schobert had two interceptions as the Browns (5-6) continued their climb back into the AFC playoff hunt.

The lopsided win capped an emotionally complicated week for the Browns in the aftermath of Garrett being banned by the NFL for pulling off Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and hitting him over the head with it. That touched off a wild brawl in the final seconds of Cleveland’s 21-7 win over the Steelers on Nov. 14.

Garrett’s appeal was denied this week in New York, where he told the league Rudolph used a racial slur, something the league said it didn’t find any evidence of.

On Saturday, the league fined Garrett and 32 other players from Pittsburgh and Cleveland for their roles in the ugly melee between the bitter rivals, who will meet against next Sunday at Heinz Field.

 

STEELERS 16, BENGALS 10

CINCINNATI (AP) — Devlin “Duck” Hodges took over for struggling Mason Rudolph and threw a 79-yard touchdown pass, sparking the depleted Steelers and keeping the Bengals the only winless team in the NFL.

Hodges connected with James Washington on the game-turning play in the third quarter, leaving Pittsburgh (6-5) with a quarterback decision as it moves forward without Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers defense has steadied them through the transition, and it had a major impact in Pittsburgh’s 10th straight win over the hapless Bengals (0-11), who set franchise records for worst start and longest losing streak.

Tyler Boyd made a catch and was stripped by Devin Bush at the Steelers 8-yard line in the fourth quarter, preserving the lead. Bud Dupree sacked Ryan Finley and forced a fumble that he recovered with 2:38 left, closing it out.

What’s left of the Steelers offense — hollowed out by injuries and a suspension — struggled in the first half and prompted coach Mike Tomlin to switch from Rudolph to Hodges, who provided an immediate boost. His touchdown pass to Washington gave the Steelers a 10-7 lead and got thousands of Terrible Towels twirling at Paul Brown Stadium.

Hodges filled in for one game after Rudolph suffered a concussion and directed a 24-17 win over the Chargers on Oct. 13. Tomlin went back to Rudolph as soon as he was healthy.

Now, he’s got a big decision as the Steelers try to stay in the playoff chase.

 

BUCCANEERS 35, FALCONS 22

ATLANTA (AP) — Massive defensive lineman Vita Vea turned receiver to haul in his first career touchdown, one of three scoring throws by Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay escaped last place in the NFC South.

Winston shook off two more interceptions to post his sixth straight 300-yard passing game, leading the Buccaneers (4-7) to just their second victory in the last seven games.

Atlanta (3-8) had pulled even with Tampa Bay at the bottom of the division standings with a modest two-game winning streak. But the Falcons couldn’t keep the momentum going, dropping to 1-4 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in what has become a lost season for a team that reached the Super Bowl just three years ago.

Winston has been picked off an NFL-high 20 times but completed 18 of 28 for 313 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes to Chris Godwin. Yet the scoring play everyone will remember was a little 1-yard pass in the final minute of the first half to Vea, a 6-foot-4, 347-pound defensive lineman.

With the Bucs facing second-and-goal, Vea checked into the game — apparently to provide an extra blocker. After lining up at fullback, he slipped into the flat on play-action by Winston, going completely uncovered as he gobbled up the short pass for his first career reception.

 

BEARS 19, GIANTS 14

CHICAGO (AP) — Khalil Mack set up a touchdown with a strip-sack and Allen Robinson had a season-high 131 yards receiving for Chicago.

Trying to salvage something from a disappointing season, the Bears (5-6) bounced back from a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Giants (2-9) dropped their seventh straight and clinched their third losing season in a row.

Mack broke through in the third quarter for just his second sack in seven games. Held without a tackle at Los Angeles, the three-time All-Pro nailed Jones deep in New York territory, and Chicago’s Nick Williams recovered at the 3. That led to a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to make it 19-7.

New York cut the lead to five with 4:10 left in the game when Golden Tate hauled in a 23-yard pass on fourth-and-18. The Bears then went three-and-out before Pat O’Donnell pinned the Giants at the 6 with a 61-yard punt, and Chicago hung on.

Trubisky threw for a season-high 278 yards, including a touchdown to Robinson, and two interceptions after missing the final drive the previous week because of a right hip pointer. Robinson had six catches.

 

REDSKINS 19, LIONS 16

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Quinton Dunbar intercepted Jeff Driskel in the final minute, Dustin Hopkins hit the go-ahead field goal from 39 yards with 16 seconds left as Washington snapped a four-game losing streak.

Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins picked up his first NFL win after leading Washington (2-9) into field goal range following Dunbar’s interception. Haskins finished 13 of 29 for 156 yards and an interception but made a couple fewer mistakes than Driskel, who was picked off three times as the Lions (3-7-1) lost their fourth in a row and third since starter Matthew Stafford went out with injury.

For long stretches, the game was a comedy of errors with neither team looking like it wanted to win. Haskins fumbled on third down on Washington’s first possession; Detroit turned the ball over on consecutive offensive plays; Lions kicker Matt Prater missed a 39-yard field goal; and his teammates were baffled on Steven Sims’ 91-yard kickoff return for a Redskins touchdown — after muffing the catch.

Driskel finished 20 of 32 for 207 yards, with a touchdown pass and the three interceptions.

College Basketball: Hall of fame inductees announced

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — In 1998, Shane Battier was cut by coach Rick Majerus’ Goodwill USA Team.

On Sunday, both were inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

That happened right after the Duke standout’s freshman season and he used that as motivation throughout the rest of his college career.

“It was the first time I’ve ever been cut from a team,” Battier said. “I was pretty heated and after that I worked my tail off. I had one goal and that was I wanted my coach to be sweating every second when I was on the bench.”

Following that, Battier won three NABC Defensive Player of the Year honors, National Player of the Year award, Final Four Outstanding Player and a National Title in the final three years of college.

“That propelled me to come back stronger and hungrier,” he said. “I think that was the motivation I needed.”

Majerus passed away in 2012, but his coaching career stretched 25 years and he won 517 games with four teams. With Utah, he won 10 conference titles in 13 years and led the Utes to two Sweet 16’s and an Elite Eight.

“I know we focus so much on the NCAA Tournament because of the magnitude, but really the conference titles are special,” Steve Lavin, host of the event, said.

Battier had another connection with a fellow inductee, coach Lute Olson. These two met as competitors in the 2001 national championship game when Battier’s Blue Devils edged Olsen’s Arizona Wildcats 82-72. This after Olson helped the Wildcats win their first national title in 1997. Olson was unable to attend the hall of fame weekend due to a stroke he had in February.

“All the actors in my career are here today it seems,” Battier said. “He is 100% class and he was the first one in line to shake all of our hands. I’ll always have respect for coach Olson.”

For inductee Homer Drew, the weekend ended a coaching career that went full circle. Drew started his career as a coach at Lee’s Summit High School in Missouri and ended at the Hall of Fame in Kansas City.

“It’s been a wonderful circle for me to come back and feel very humbled and honored,” Drew said.

Drew’s career is most known for his time at Valparaiso, where his teams reached the NCAA Tournament seven times including a Sweet 16 appearance in 1998. His son Bryce, who was in attendance for the ceremony, hit an iconic buzzer-beater to upset Ole Miss that year to carry the Crusaders into the second round.

“A reason why a coach is here is because of so many good players,” he said. “What makes my heart happy is when my players graduated so they all had something to fall back on after their playing days.”

Calbert Cheane also was inducted with Larry Johnson, Terry Dischinger, Ernie DiGregorio and Todd Lichti.

Letter to the editor

Dear editor,

I am praying and working for uniting our country. I want to visit with others who see things as I do, but mostly I want to talk with others who do not see things as I do. I welcome both to search me out for such conversations that will help our country heal. I believe these are chaotic times. It seems black is white and white is black. A poison of lies, fiction, and falsehoods has contaminated the fresh waters of truthfulness, sincerity, accuracy and authenticity within our body politic.

As a youth I was surrounded by cousins, uncles, aunts and my parents who valued a principled life, ethics, truth and character. I wanted to be like them.

Here I am in my ninth decade and I want to do something that will help our country. My roots come from a Hessian soldier in revolutionary times. I observed my family as people of faith. They were patriotic and I am glad for that.

I welcome and I will be glad for those who plan to seek me out. Peace to all my countrymen and my fellow Americans.

Respectfully,

John Wesley Skillings,

417-833-7255,

520 S. Washington,

Iola, Kan.

MV trick-or-treaters assist Hope Unlimited

MORAN — While Halloween is a distant memory, a group of Marmaton Valley High School students were still in the mood for some trick-or-treating.

The Marmaton Valley Kansas Association of Youth (KAY) chapter held its third annual “Trick or Treat so They Can Eat” event in Moran on Nov. 15.

Twenty-five students, along with four volunteer drivers, spent 45 minutes traveling within town to seek non-perishable food items to benefit Hope Unlimited’s food pantry.

The students were required to get back to the starting point within the 45-minute window, or be disqualified. All returned, the last with 73 seconds to spare, sponsor Kelci Botts said.

The students collected more than 500 items and $133 in cash donations.

“I am super proud of the kids and of our community for being so willing to help others,” Botts said. “That’s what living in a small community is all about — doing for others. We have a saying in KAY ‘work made fun gets done’ and that’s just what these students did.”