Category Archives: WPTF News

Chris Pollard hired as Virginia’s baseball coach after 13 seasons at Duke

Chris Pollard hired as Virginia’s baseball coach after 13 seasons at Duke

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Chris Pollard has been hired as Virginia’s baseball coach after spending the past 13 seasons at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke. Pollard succeeds Brian O’Connor, who left June 1 for Mississippi State. Pollard was 420-296 and led the Blue Devils to seven NCAA regionals, four super regionals and two ACC Tournament championships. Duke hosted a super regional this season, losing in three games to Murray State. Pollard takes over a Virginia program that went to 18 NCAA regionals, nine super regionals and seven College World Series in 22 years under O’Connor. The 2015 team won the national championship.… Continue Reading

Judge denies NC State cornerback Corey Coley Jr.’s request for fifth year of eligibility

Judge denies NC State cornerback Corey Coley Jr.’s request for fifth year of eligibility

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled against cornerback Corey Coley Jr.’s request that he be granted a fifth year of eligibility to play football at N.C. State and earn name, image and likeness money. Coley is one of several players suing the NCAA over its rule that college athletes may play only four seasons within a five-year period. He sought an injunction that would allow him to play this fall, but U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III denied the request. Coley played three seasons at Maryland before transferring to N.C. State, where he played six games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury.… Continue Reading

Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick’s first college team

Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick’s first college team

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s football players are working in a new world since the arrival of NFL coaching great Bill Belichick to take over the Tar Heels program. Belichick won six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots. UNC receiver Jordan Shipp described his first reaction to Belichick’s hiring as realizing the man he called the “greatest coach of all time” was about to be his coach. Shipp and defensive back Will Hardy said Belichick’s sense of humor caught them off guard amid his all-business demeanor.… Continue Reading

Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage

Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage

DALLAS (AP) — Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed banning same-sex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 10-year-old precedent legalizing it nationwide. They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The votes came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. A proposed resolution says legislators have a duty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.”… Continue Reading

Bills sign former Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, coming off 2 injury-shortened seasons

Bills sign former Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, coming off 2 injury-shortened seasons

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills signed Shaq Thompson to a one-year contract in providing the veteran linebacker an opportunity to continue his career after two injury-shortened seasons. Thompson was not re-signed by Carolina in March after spending his first 10 seasons with the Panthers. He joins the Bills, where he’s reunited with coach Sean McDermott, who was Carolina’s defensive coordinator during Thompson’s first two seasons with the team. Thompson was a first-round draft pick in 2015 and a starter in Carolina from his rookie season, before being slowed by injuries. He appeared in just six games over the past two years after breaking his ankle in 2023 and then tearing his Achilles tendon the following year.… Continue Reading

Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army

Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg as he defended deploying the military on those protesting his immigration enforcement. Trump on Tuesday used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters in Los Angeles while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander-in-chief, former President Joe Biden. Trump has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California’s governor.… Continue Reading

Poll shows broad support for vaccines, rising concern over decline in childhood immunizations

Poll shows broad support for vaccines, rising concern over decline in childhood immunizations

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – A new national poll from the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease reveals strong bipartisan support for FDA-approved vaccines, even as concerns grow over declining childhood immunization rates. Despite lingering mistrust fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, most Americans still trust their personal healthcare providers and back continued vaccine development. Experts like Candace DeMatteis say states like North Carolina play a key role in medical innovation—and maintaining public trust and access is essential to protecting public health.
… Continue Reading

Invasive Alabama bass threaten native fish and tournaments across North Carolina

Invasive Alabama bass threaten native fish and tournaments across North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — North Carolina wildlife officials are sounding the alarm about the rapid spread of Alabama bass, an invasive species now disrupting ecosystems and bass fishing tournaments across the state. First found near the Georgia border, the fish has since spread from Lake Norman to rivers and reservoirs statewide—often through illegal introductions by anglers. Biologists warn the species poses a serious threat to native largemouth and smallmouth bass populations, with potential economic impacts for competitive sport fishing. The Wildlife Resources Commission is urging the public not to move fish between lakes and to report sightings as they work to slow the invasion.… Continue Reading

Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service. Disney said in 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu’s guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Disney said in the filing on Monday that its appraiser arrived at a valuation below the guaranteed floor value during the initial phase of the appraisal process, while NBCUniversal’s appraiser arrived at a valuation substantially in excess of the guaranteed floor value. A third appraiser was brought in and concluded that The Walt Disney Co. will pay $438.7 million for the Hulu stake.… Continue Reading

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