Embattled Rep. John Thompson defends conduct in traffic stop
A Minnesota lawmaker who's been a longtime critic of police on Tuesday defended his conduct during a traffic stop for his adult daughter that turned into a verbal confrontation between him and officers. Police said that Rep. John Thompson, of St. Paul, arrived in another vehicle Sunday after they pulled over his daughter for expired license tabs and for swerving out of her lane. St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said in a Facebook post on Monday that Thompson “jumped out and immediately began interfering by yelling and questioning the traffic stop and identifying himself” as a state legislator.
news.yahoo.comMinnesota Dem who rose after Castile death is under pressure
A Black Minnesota state lawmaker who rose to prominence after the fatal shooting of his friend Philando Castile came under increasing pressure to resign Monday, after old domestic abuse allegations surfaced as he was already dealing with fallout over an acrimonious traffic stop. Legislative Republicans threatened to file an ethics complaint against John Thompson, who became an outspoken activist on police accountability and later turned to politics after Castile was shot to death by a police officer in 2016. Thompson used his position to argue for policing changes that would shield people of color from unfair treatment.
news.yahoo.comLegendary coach John Thompson's impact on college basketball
Legendary coach John Thompson's impact on college basketball John Thompson was the first Black coach to win the NCAA championship. As the big tournament gets underway, CBS News' Dana Jacobson looks at the influence Georgetown's legendary coach had well beyond the court.
cbsnews.comEwing, Georgetown take Big East, NCAA bid with stunning rout
Georgetown is the Big East champion again, with the greatest Hoya of them all leading the way. Now he is the first person in Big East history to be the most outstanding player on a Big East Tournament champion and coach a team to a Big East Tournament title. 8 seed to win the Big East Tournament and the lowest seed since Connecticut did it as a No. That seems unlikely for these Hoyas, who entered the Big East Tournament with a losing record. UP NEXTThe Hoyas likely give the Big East four teams in the NCAA Tournament along with Creighton, Villanova and UConn.
Volunteers for Project Hope distribute food at Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit
SAN ANTONIO – With so many families in and around San Antonio dealing with difficult situations it’s inspiring to see organizations step up and help out. Volunteers for Project Hope were up early Monday morning distributing pounds and pounds of food at Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit. Vicki Nelson went from volunteer to recipient of Project Hope, a program of the San Antonio Food Bank. They’ve gone without electricity or water, so to just have some water, food dropped off to them it means the world,” Nelson said. To receive assistance you do need to be signed up for the Project Hope program and you can do that by clicking here.
From Kobe to Maradona, a year of staggering losses in sports
Not long after came a seismic jolt, the helicopter crash of Kobe Bryant in the fog-shrouded California hills that reverberated across sports and across continents. Deep into the year, a bookend to Bryant, Diego Maradona died from a heart attack in Argentina weeks after brain surgery, the waves of grief rippling across soccer. The losses, of course, came against a backdrop of a pandemic, its number of fatalities rolled out daily on TV screens. Niekro won 318 games and pitched until he was 48, his knuckleball dancing and mystifying batters across the decades. Kurt Thomas in 1978 became the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world title but lost an Olympic shot in 1980 because of the boycott.
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020
The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.
Supreme Court halts census in latest twist of 2020 count
After the Supreme Court's decision, the Census Bureau said field operations would end on Thursday. At issue was a request by the Trump administration that the Supreme Court suspend a lower court's order extending the 2020 census through the end of October following delays caused by the pandemic. “A census count delayed is justice denied," Liccardo said. The Census Bureau says it has counted 99.9% of households nationwide, though some regions of the country such as parts of Mississippi and hurricane-battered Louisiana fall well below that. “That said, the Supreme Court’s order will result in irreversible damage to the 2020 Census," Clarke said.
Sports world mourns death of John Thompson, but if not for fate, he would’ve likely died in Sept. 11 attacks
But while the world is sad over Thompson’s passing, he at least had 19 more years of living after nearly dying during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But Rome’s producer, Danny Schwartz, asked that he fly out a day later to accommodate the show’s schedule. Thompson told Schwartz that wouldn’t work and he was unhappy at the suggestion, but after Schwartz insisted, Thompson changed his flight. Ten years after that day, Thompson went on Rome’s radio show to reminisce, starting with a message Thompson’s assistant relayed to him. “Let me tell you something, if you’re ever in Washington, D.C., you look me up,” Thompson told Schwartz.
Reaction to the death of Hall of Fame coach John Thompson
FILE - In this April 2, 1984, file photo, Georgetown head coach John Thompson, left, gives a happy pat to the most valuable player Patrick Ewing, after Georgetown defeated Houston 84-75 in Seattle. He was a great coach but an even better person and his legacy is everlasting. Patrick Ewing, former Georgetown star and current coach. Coach Thompson, saved my life ... continuously motivating and molding me into the man that I am today. former Georgetown star Alonzo Mourning. He was a great coach, but he was also a role model for a lot of coaches white coaches and Black coaches. ___Last night, we lost a towering figure in coach John Thompson, whose shoulders many of us stand on.
Texas universities are shelving SAT and ACT requirements as coronavirus scrambles admissions process
In response, many Texas universities are becoming test-optional through 2021, waiving the traditional requirement for test scores to gain admission. Baylor University, Texas Tech University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University and St. Edward's University have all temporarily scrapped their testing requirements through 2021. And some universities that were doubting the value of test scores even before the pandemic see an opportunity to change the admissions process altogether. In the absence of scores, school performance will disproportionately count towards an application, he said. My goal is to get him to college, however that happens.Disclosure: Baylor University, Texas Tech University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
Elon Musk urges US military to prioritize space innovation and industry competition, or risk falling behind
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, speaks with US Air Force Lieutenant General John Thompson, commander Space and Missile Systems Center commander at Space Pitch Day in San Francisco, California. ORLANDO, Fla. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk urged the Air Force to prioritize innovation and encourage industry competition as the service seeks to create the nation's newest military branch the Space Force. In a conversation with the top U.S. Air Force officer on space research and acquisition at the Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando last week, Musk said the commercial space industry must try harder to develop reusable rockets. "Creating a fully reusable system and having that be in volume production and volume launch that's super, super hard," Musk told Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, adding that designing one-use rockets was "quite easy." "The vehicle we are working on right now, which is quite difficult, is Starship and that has the potential for full reusability," Musk said Friday, adding that the program was doing well.
cnbc.comElon Musk approves of the US Space Force, eyes 'Star Trek' potential
The Space Force has Elon Musk's seal of approval. "I think it's actually cool that the creation of the Space Force is happening," Musk said Friday (Feb. 28) during a "fireside chat" at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. Related: What is the Space Force? This is the sort of radical innovation that would keep the United States on top in space, Musk implied Friday. "We gotta make Starfleet happen," Musk said, referring to the United Federation of Planets' space force in the "Star Trek" universe.
space.comElon Musk tells a room full of Air Force pilots: 'The fighter jet era has passed'
"The fighter jet era has passed," Musk said during a fireside chat with U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson at the Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. Musk also said that Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet, which is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons system, should have a competitor. "The Joint Strike Fighter, there should be a competitor ... that's a controversial subject but I don't think it's good to have one provider," Musk said. He later elaborated on Twitter that the F-35 competitor should be a drone. "The competitor should be a drone fighter plane that's remote-controlled by a human, but with its maneuvers augmented by autonomy.
cnbc.com'It's a fine target': Census bureau to fight misinformation
"It's a fine target," former U.S. Census Bureau director John Thompson said of the form, which is sent every decade to households in America to count the population. Already, false and inaccurate social media posts about the census have begun to appear online, where they have been viewed thousands of times. The online hoax left Census Bureau officials scrambling to get the post removed from Facebook , concerned that census workers who were knocking doors to verify addresses could face trouble. That's when Census Bureau leaders began to wonder if the 2020 census could be the next target, Thompson said. "Send this on your neighborhood group chat," claimed the posts, which the Census Bureau believes are fabricated.
chicagotribune.comWedding ring missing for 70 years returned to owner's family
Wedding ring missing for 70 years returned to owner's family Flight Sergeant John Thompson's plane went down during WWII and he was wearing a wedding ring with the inscription "Joyce and John." The ring has now been returned to Thompson's sister.
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