News

By JACK MAGRUDER

DENVER — Derek Hill had three hits and the second two-homer game of his career, Kyle Stowers had three hits and four RBIs, and the Miami Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies 12-8 on Thursday to earn a split of their four-game series.

Ali Sánchez had three hits and stole home, Otto Lopez had three hits, and Connor Norby had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games for the Marlins, who had a season-high 18 hits.

“Eighteen hits, we’ll sign up for that any day of the week,” Marlins manager Skip Schumacher said. “Up and down the lineup, it was just a really good offensive day. This stadium is not easy to win at. No lead is safe.”

Hill, who also homered Wednesday, has four homers and 15 RBIs in 22 games since being acquired by the Marlins off waivers from San Francisco on Aug. 3.

Stowers had eight hits including a double, triple and homer in the series. He was acquired from Baltimore at the trade deadline.

“When he swings at strikes, he hits the ball really hard,” Schumacher said of Stowers. “He has pull-side power when he wants it. He’s a good overall hitter when he is in the strike zone. Still a young guy in this league. Still trying to figure out the league as well. The league adjusted. He adjusted.”

Stowers’ mother and saw him play in a Marlins’ uniform for the first time this series.

“I feel pretty good right now,” Stowers said. “I’ve been working really hard, so it is nice to see some results coming. Super fun series.”

Brendan Rodgers hit two home runs and Brenton Doyle had three hits, including a double and a homer, for the Rockies, who have won or split six of their last seven series at Coors Field.

Eight of the Rockies’ 12 hits went for extra bases. The Marlins, who lost five of six entering the series, had six extra-base hits.

Rodgers has two career multi-homer games, both against Miami. He had three homers and four RBIs in a 13-12 victory over the Marlins in the second game of a June 1 doubleheader at Coors Field.

The scoring started early. Hill homered and the Marlins used two infield hits, one a pop fly lost in the sun, to score another run in the third for a 2-0 lead.

Rodgers and Doyle homered in the bottom of the third to tie it at 2-2.

The Marlins used doubles by Sánchez and Stowers, a double steal with Sánchez scoring from third, a hit batter, an infield single and a fielding error by third baseman Ryan McMahon to score five runs off starter Bradley Blalock (1-1) for a 7-2 lead in the fourth. Stowers drove in two.

“He’s learning through the first couple of starts the difference between facing major league hitters and minor league hitters, and the importance of every pitch counting,” Colorado manager Bud Black said of Blalock, making his fourth major league start after being acquired at the trade deadline from Milwaukee.

The Rockies came back with four in their fourth, capped by Rodgers’ two-run homer off starter Valente Bellozo.

Hill’s two-run homer keyed a three-run fifth for an 11-6 lead. Sánchez also stole second base in the inning. He had his first two career stolen bases. Stowers singled in a run in the ninth.

Jesús Tinoco (1-0) pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for his first career victory.

NEXT UP

For the Marlins, Austin Oller (1-1, 5.23) will oppose San Francisco’s Blake Snell (2-3, 3.76) on Friday night.

(JNS) As the war in Ukraine continues into its third summer, Chabad of Poland hosted more than 200 Jewish Ukrainians, hailing from five communities, for a two-week summer experience focused on allowing children and their parents a break from life in a warzone.

R. Vilenskyi/Chabad of PolandField trips, like this one to the Mandoria Adventure Park, were part of a summer experience in Poland for 200 Jewish Ukrainians from Aug. 15-27, 2024. R. Vilenskyi/Chabad of Poland

The camp includes specialized activities and psycho-trauma counseling designed to support attendees as they navigate their challenging circumstances. Daily activities range from field trips and arts-and-crafts projects to music and baking classes, all within a spiritually enriching environment. The program is staffed by educational and recreational staff all fluent in Ukrainian.

Participants came from Kamianske, Sumy, Kremenchuk, Dniproand and Kyiv.

R. Vilenskyi/Chabad of PolandWomen and girls light candles before Shabbat as part of a summer experience in Poland for 200 Jewish Ukrainians from Aug. 15-27, 2024. R. Vilenskyi/Chabad of Poland

“Growing up, summer was our chance to escape the routine of the rest of the year, and dive into sports, fun and lasting friendships. For our children, summer offers a special opportunity to engage in informal education that emphasizes Jewish identity, heritage, values and customs in a more engaging and comprehensive way,” said Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler, director of Chabad of Poland.

One-third of this year’s program is funded by Mosaic United, a global nonprofit that supports initiatives to strengthen the connections of young Jews to their identities and Israel, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Chabad of Poland is covering the remaining two-thirds of the costs through its network of partners.

To read more content visit www.jns.org

The 18-year-old high school student was ambushed in a stairwell at the Miramar apartment complex where he lived, lured there by classmates with the promise of a sexual encounter.

He was beaten in the face, a sword plunged into his chest. His body was dragged down a flight of stairs, pitched over a railing and hidden in bushes at the complex.

Then, for two days, his anxious family searched for him.

On Thursday, two of the three teenagers accused of the crime were sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of second-degree murder, evidence tampering and conspiracy to commit murder.

“In 20 days, he would have been 21,” said Madgelyn Emile, whose son, Dwight “D.J.” Grant, was brutally murdered on Oct. 17, 2021. Three of his schoolmates were charged in his death: Christie Parisien, 20, of Miramar; Jaslyn Smith, 19, of Miramar; and Andre Clements, 20, of Pembroke Pines.

Even as minors charged as adults, all three faced the possibility of a life sentence if convicted at trial. The plea agreement prosecutors reached with Parisien and Smith limits their prison time and comes with an additional 10 years of probation.

No agreement has been reached with Clements, and he is scheduled for trial in January. Both Parisien and Smith are expected to take the stand against him, and both said in court Thursday that he was the mastermind of the plot to kill Grant.

Madgelyn Emile is comforted after a Thursday plea hearing for two of the three teens accused of killing her son Dwight “DJ” Grant. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Parisien and Smith cried audibly as Emile described the heartbreak over losing her son, who she described as the kind of kid who avoided trouble and had serious conversations about quantum physics and black holes.

Emile said she spoke to Parisien after he was murdered but before his body was found.

“One of the last things she said to me was ‘I hope you find your son,'” Emile recalled. “‘I hope you find your son!’ Knowing what she did! We will never get over this.”

According to investigators, it was Parisien who lured Grant to the crime scene, a narrative she confirmed on Thursday.

Defendant Christie Parisien appears at the Broward County Courthouse for her plea hearing. The teen was sentenced to 25 years in prison and 10 years of probation. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Part of the attack on Grant was captured on surveillance video that was played in court Thursday. The actual murder was not shown.

According to records filed in the case, Clements targeted Grant because Grand had sex with an ex-girlfriend, though Clements was dating Parisien at the time. Both girls said that while Clements threatened to kill Grant in a series of text messages, they did not take him seriously enough until after the violent assault began.

Prosecutor Kristine Bradley told Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra that the victim’s family members strongly believe all three defendants deserve life sentences, but they were willing to accept the 25 years in the interest of justice.

Defendant Jaslyn Smith appears at the Broward County Courthouse for her plea hearing. The teen was sentenced to 25 years in prison and 10 years of probation. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Eulet Downer-Rose, a co-worker of Emile who showed up Thursday to support her friend, said the incident was a tragedy for four families, but especially for the victim’s.

“I don’t know how sorry they are for what they did, but it doesn’t seem like there was any remorse,” she said outside the courtroom.

Inside, the victim’s aunt, Nadine Dixon, said the defendants may never fully appreciate the seriousness of the crime they committed.

“No words can ever undo the pain that they have caused,” she said. “What can you say to undo the evil they have done? Society may forgive them, but we never will.”

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net at @rafael.olmeda.

Staff writer Angie DiMichele contributed to this report.

Today is Thursday, Aug. 29, the 242nd day of 2024. There are 124 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 29, 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain picked Sarah Palin, a maverick conservative who had been governor of Alaska for less than two years, to be his running mate.

Also on this date:

In 1814, during the War of 1812, Alexandria, Virginia, formally surrendered to British military forces, which occupied the city until September 3.

In 1825, the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro was signed by Portugal and Brazil, officially ending the Brazilian War of Independence.

In 1862, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began operations at the United States Treasury.

In 1944, 15,000 American troops of the 28th Infantry Division marched down the Champs Elysees in Paris as the French capital continued to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis.

In 1958, the U.S. Air Force Academy opened in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In 1966, the Beatles concluded their fourth American tour with their last public concert, held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

In 2004, marathoner Vanderlei de Lima was attacked by a spectator during the running of the Olympic marathon in Athens; de Lima, who was leading the race at the time, eventually finished third and received the Pierre de Coubertin medal for sportsmanship in addition to his bronze medal.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, breaching levees and spurring floods that devastated New Orleans. The costliest storm in U.S. history, Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damage.

In 2013, in a sweeping new policy statement, the Justice Department said it would not stand in the way of states that wanted to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana as long as there were effective controls to keep marijuana away from children, the black market and federal property.

In 2021, Hurricane Ida blasted ashore in Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., knocking out power to all of New Orleans, blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Elliott Gould is 86.
• Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin is 86.
• Olympic gold medal sprinter Wyomia Tyus is 79.
• Olympic gold medal long jumper Bob Beamon is 78.
• Animal behaviorist and autism educator Temple Grandin is 77.
• Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is 69.
• Dancer-choreographer Mark Morris is 68.
• Actor Rebecca De Mornay is 65.
• Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is 57.
• Singer Me’Shell NdegeOcello (n-DAY’-gay-OH’-chehl-oh) is 56.
• Actor Carla Gugino is 53.
• Actor-singer Lea Michele is 38.
• MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard (SIHN’-dur-gahrd) is 32.
• Rock singer Liam Payne (One Direction) is 31.

General Daily Insight for August 29, 2024

Making productive agreements is now plausible. Relational Venus enters balanced Libra at 9:23 am EDT and trines insightful Pluto shortly thereafter, guiding us toward the heart of what each party is looking for in any negotiation or disagreement we encounter. We may understand that a few compromises are necessary, even if we aren’t totally thrilled about them, as the sensitive Cancer Moon trines logical Saturn and squares moody Chiron. Things should balance out in the end — and we’ll likely see that!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

You may be ready to start getting to know someone who has been hiding in plain sight. As affable Venus moves into your partnership sector, you’re in a good position to put your best foot forward in any type of relationship. Plus, you don’t necessarily have to go outside your usual network to find fresh connections. Shared surroundings can make it easier to chat up a passing acquaintance. Still, the process won’t always be easy — don’t take awkward moments too hard.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Learning how to work smarter could be key today. With relaxed Venus entering your productive 6th house, you’re probably not in the mood to push yourself too close to the point of discomfort. As feeling good becomes a higher priority than normal, you might reach important insights concerning which tasks are truly relevant to your larger goals. Some activities that take up a lot of time may not have much to show for themselves in the end. Stay focused on your purpose.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Pleasure is likely to be especially important to you now — and all the better if it’s not shallow. While fortunate Venus in your playful 5th house intrigues brooding Pluto in your philosophy zone, digging into a juicy mystery should hit the spot. Although this line of inquiry could eventually lead to financial or professional gain, that doesn’t have to be your top priority at this point. Drop the desire to justify how you spend your time to the people around you.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Your efforts to improve your home environment are likely to be successful at this time. While harmony-craving Venus in your domestic 4th house aligns with penetrating Pluto in your 8th House of Entanglement, you may want to look closely at any existing arrangements surrounding the sharing of resources. You don’t need to completely toss out whatever structure you have, but a few adjustments could make everyone more comfortable. On the other hand, don’t throw your weight around just because you can — think things through.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

A complicated relationship dynamic could probably benefit from a simple solution at present. When beautiful Venus glides into your 3rd House of Communication, you’re equipped to be your most pleasant self in your routine conversations. In particular, if you’ve gotten into a rut of negative interactions with a particular person, this might be exactly what you need to snap out of it. Perhaps you’ll wind up learning something that challenges your preconceived notions. Stay in the moment instead of trying to draw major conclusions.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Feeling more financially abundant than usual is presently possible. While luxurious Venus in your money zone reaches out to entrenched Pluto in your 6th House of Daily Routines, you might need to make some decisions about what you’d do differently if you thought you could afford it. Sometimes comfort and ease are worth a little investment! Your choices won’t necessarily satisfy everyone, but you can find satisfaction in acknowledging the valid limits of your authority and working with any objections that are truly legitimate.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Beauty is more than skin-deep today. When aesthetic Venus in your identity sector harmonizes with profound Pluto in your 5th House of Self-Expression, you have an opportunity to update your appearance in a way that communicates something personally meaningful. Your message is prepared to be seen and understood — people will probably get your point, whether they like it or not! Once this change becomes routine, however, even your detractors should eventually grow accustomed to it. Make an effort to be patient.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Seeking out peace and calm should serve you well today. While the intuitive Moon in your research sector complements focused Saturn in your 5th House of Pleasure, you might seize the chance to learn about a subject you find personally interesting. Results worth reporting to others aren’t guaranteed to come immediately, and that’s the nature of the process. Work for your personal gratification for as long as possible, and let any other benefits flow to you at the universe’s natural pace.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

The deep conversations you crave are within your grasp at the moment. That said, missteps are still dangerous. While the vulnerable Moon in your intimacy zone clashes with touchy Chiron in your 5th House of Self-Expression, try not to take any friction you encounter too personally. Others have sore spots that aren’t necessarily about you! Even a really close connection usually has boundaries somewhere, so you haven’t failed if you don’t manage to uncover every piece of information available regarding your companion.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Recognition now has the potential to bring you financial gain. While beneficial Venus in your visible 10th house encourages magnetic Pluto in your money zone, you could be acknowledged for the work you’ve been quietly putting in. Unfortunately, limiting beliefs you’ve been carrying for a long time might block you from getting the most out of this opportunity. Make a point to avoid confiding in people who are likely to echo your most negative viewpoints — seek out wise but optimistic counsel instead.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Finding the transformative experiences that you long for might require leaving your typical turf. With helpful Venus sashaying into your 9th House of Travel, setting out on a trip is likely to go as well as possible. No matter how much you’re drawn to depth and seriousness, it’s okay to have fun too while you’re at it. To minimize the risk of bickering on the road, be sure to leave room for whatever you need to feel comfortable on a daily basis!

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Confiding in a current companion is likely to be comfortable. Maybe you find disclosure intimidating under other circumstances, but you’re set up to identify a way to share that works for you as social Venus enters your 8th House of Deep Sharing. Shedding an all-or-nothing approach will probably be key. You may decide to merely hint at some touchy issues instead of delving into them directly. That should still leave you feeling more understood than saying nothing at all — embrace reasonable compromise!

By DENNIS GEORGATOS

DENVER (AP) — Kyle Freeland went six innings, Aaron Schunk hit his first major league home run and the Rockies took advantage of four Marlins errors to beat Miami 8-2 on Wednesday night.

Nolan Jones hit a pair of RBI singles and Drew Romo added two hits and an RBI for Colorado. Ezequiel Tovar added a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth.

Derek Hill homered for Miami, which fell to 6-15 in its last 21 games.

Freeland (4-6) allowed two runs on six hits and he struck out five with a walk in his 200th career appearance. After surrendering a homer to Hill in the second, he fanned Hill in the fourth for his third of the night and 800th of his career, ranking fourth in franchise history.

Freeland also earned his 59th career win, snapping a tie with Jason Jennings for fifth most in club history.

With the scored tied at 2-all going into the bottom of the fifth, Schunk connected on the first pitch he saw from Max Meyer, sending it 429 feet into the left-field bleachers.

Colorado scored three more in the sixth, with an assist from the third of Miami’s four errors. Jones hit his second RBI single in the inning then came around to score when shortstop Otto Lopez threw wide of catcher Nick Fortes and the ball rolled to the backstop.

Meyer (3-4) went five-plus innings and allowed five hits and five runs, three earned. He walked four and struck out six.

The teams traded runs over the first four innings, including an unearned run by Colorado that came around due to a pair of errors. Cristian Pache mishandled Romo’s third-inning single to center, allowing Romo to advance to second. He scored when Meyer’s errant pickoff throw careened into right-center field.

Hill connected for a home run leading off the second.

ROSTER MOVES

Marlins: A day after lasting a career-low 1 1/3 innings in Miami’s 9-8 win, RHP Roddery Muñoz was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Also optioned to Jacksonville was LHP Jonathan Bermúdez. RHP Xzavion Curry and LHP Austin Kitchen were recalled from Jacksonville to fill the roster vacancies. Baltimore claimed OF Forrest Wall off waivers from Miami.

UP NEXT

Marlins RHP Valente Bellozo (2-2, 3.35 ERA) is set to make his eighth career start in Thursday’s series finale. The Rockies counter with Bradley Blaylock (1-0, 3.06 ERA), who earned his first career win in his last outing at the New York Yankees.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

GAINESVILLE — Florida will have veteran tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. back in the lineup to challenge Miami’s talented defensive front when the Gators host the No. 19 Hurricanes Saturday in the Swamp.

Johnson underwent minor knee surgery during the first week of fall camp, jeopardizing the start of his senior season. But the team’s leading rusher in 2022 and 2023 has been taking practice reps and sits atop the team’s depth chart released Wednesday.

“He’s ready to go,” coach Billy Napier said.

The Gators’ depth at tailback provides options, but the 5-foot-11 ¼ 216-pound Johnson offers superior experience and an impressive track record. The New Orleans native, who followed Napier to UF from Louisiana after the 2021 season, has 2,496 career rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in three seasons, including 1,658 and 15 touchdowns at Florida.

Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. speaks during July 17 during SEC media days in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

“This will be his fourth year with us in the system, and obviously he’s been very productive,” Napier said. “Montrell’s a smart player. He’s got poise. He has composure. He’s one of the best practice players that we have, and he has character.

“The players respect him; he has voice on our team.”

Third-year linebacker Shemar James, who along with Johnson and quarterback Graham Mertz represented UF at SEC Media Days, flashed a big smile when discussing Johnson’s recovery and return.

“He’s my guy,” James said. “Just practicing against him each and every day makes me better.We appreciate him as a defensive unit.”

The Gators will need Johnson to earn the respect of Miami’s defense — a unit led by a high-caliber front seven featuring sophomore end Rueben Bain Jr. and senior middle linebacker Francis Mauigoa.

“They’re a pretty talented group throughout,” sophomore left guard Knijeah Harris said. “Their interior guys are very talented. I’m just excited to compete.”

Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. led the Gators in rushing the past two seasons and has 2,496 career rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in three college seasons. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Harris will make just his second career start for an offensive line looking for the right combination after taking a step back in 2023. UF averaged 1.24 yards fewer per carry than 2022.

Coaches also are banking on Kam Waites to emerge at right tackle. The 6-foot-8, 343-pound redshirt junior has started just three games, including the final two of 2023, but earned the starting nod over veteran San Diego State transfer Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson who arrived with 37 career starts.

Waites, like Johnson, transferred to join Napier from Louisiana after he accepted the Florida job. Waites, however, has taken a long and winding road to reach this point.

Waites made his first start, at right guard, during a 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the 2022 Las Vegas. He then suffered a torn Achilles tendon during January of 2023 in offseason workouts.

But Waites stayed the course to validate Napier’s decision to sign him in 2021, even though he was a high school basketball player with a size-20 shoe and little-to-no football experience.

Florida head coach Billy Napier directs the Gators during practice on the UF campus in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

“We took a chance on him,” Napier said. “He’s proved us right. He’s had of bumps in the road with injuries. But big men like that are hard to find.

“I’m hopeful that Kam will have a heck of a year here.”

Napier has high hopes for the Gators despite consecutive losing seasons. The embattled coach — 11-14 at UF — believes veterans like Johnson and Mertz, promising young players like Harris and unique talents like Waites position Florida for a turnaround.

“I’m excited to watch this team,” Napier said. “I have a lot of belief in this group. We’ve been working for a long time.

“It’s time to go play; there’s not much more to talk about.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Miami at UF

When: Saturday, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 3:30 p.m.

TV: ABC

 

A Boca Raton man was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot where he joined a mob in “one of the most violent areas” on the U.S. Capitol grounds, according to federal authorities.

Richard Cook, 38, was found guilty of several felony and misdemeanor charges after a jury trial in May. Evidence at trial showed that Cook joined a mob that “relentlessly attacked” officers in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. He entered the tunnel twice that afternoon and joined “a collective push” against officers.

“At the front of the tunnel, rioters used stolen police shields to push against and hit officers, sprayed chemical irritants and threw projectiles at the line of officers guarding the doors, and coordinated group pushes into the officers while chanting ‘HEAVE HO!’ and yelling ‘PUSH!’ Almost immediately upon entering the tunnel, Cook joined the collective efforts to push into the police line,” according to a statement of facts in Cook’s court case.

Cook participated in the collective pushing with the mob of rioters, and “one police officer screamed in pain as the weight of the rioters’ pushes pinned him between a shield and a door,” the DOJ said.

Boca Raton man who joined mob in tunnel at U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 found guilty

Officers pushed Cook and other rioters out of the tunnel eventually, the DOJ said, but he stayed near the tunnel’s entrance to watch and cheer on other rioters who were attacking officers inside for several hours.

Nearly 1,500 people have been charged across the country, in almost every state, since the Jan. 6 riot. At least 17 people were arrested in South Florida according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office’s database.

Also on Wednesday, Orlando Proud Boy Arthur Jackman, who is married to an Orange County deputy sheriff, pleaded guilty for his role in the riot.

He followed the crowd of thousands of rioters who pushed past police barricades into the Capitol and entered the Senate gallery, where he and another rioter stole an American flag, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigated Jackman’s wife and determined she did not know about her husband’s involvement before and during the riot.

Federal authorities are still trying to identify other rioters who were seen in photos and videos from that day. Cook was one of those identified through be-on-the-lookout photos. The FBI arrested him in March 2023 in Florida, the DOJ said.

Cook will be on supervised release for three years after his prison sentence. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton also ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

Cybersecurity specialist CrowdStrike Holdings on Wednesday estimated it absorbed a roughly $60 million blow to its sales pipeline last month after its botched handling of a software update triggered a technology meltdown that stranded thousands of people in airports in addition to other exasperating disruptions.

Although the massive outage spooked customers that had been expected to close deals totaling $60 million during the final few weeks of CrowdStrike’s fiscal second quarter, executives running the Austin, Texas, company predicted it will still be able to cinch those contracts before its fiscal year ends in January 2025 because customers still have faith in its cybersecurity products despite the July 19 gaffe that froze up machines running on Windows software.

“Our mission is alive and well, and I know that CrowdStrike’s very best days are ahead of us,” CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz told analysts during a conference call covering the company’s April-July period. He also apologized for the company’s role in an outage that he said “will never be lost on me, and my commitment is to make sure this never happens again. The days following the incident were among the most challenging in my career because I deeply felt what our customers experienced.”

Kurtz’s reassuring comments, coupled with quarterly earnings that exceeded analysts’ projections, seemed to reassure investors who have been buying up CrowdStrike’s stock in recent weeks after initially dumping the shares in the wake of the havoc that the company blamed on a computer bug. The shares rose slightly in Wednesday’s extended trading, leaving the stock price 13% below its level before the tech outage — a loss of about $10 billion in market value. Earlier this month, CrowdStrike’s shares plunged nearly 25%, knocking off more than $20 billion in market value.

Even if the $60 million in deals that CrowdStrike expected to close before the tech meltdown never happen, that will be a minor price to pay compared to the massive bills those affected by the outage are facing.

Delta Air Lines, for instance, has estimated that it may owe its customers $380 million after the CrowdStrike-induced outage fouled up its computer systems so horribly that it had to cancel about 7,000 flights. Delta has threatened to sue CrowdStrike, which has insisted that the airline is using the tech outage as an excuse for its own bungling.

CrowdStrike didn’t provide an estimate of legal expenses it may face from the outage, but indicated the bills probably won’t be too burdensome.

“Our customer agreements contain provisions limiting our liability, and we maintain insurance policies intended to mitigate the potential impact of certain claims,” Burt Podbere, CrowdStrike’s chief financial officer, said during Wednesday’s conference call.

They were the sun-and-fun team.

That was the reputation the UCF Knights brought with them during their inaugural season in the Big 12 a year ago.

The Knights were perceived as a laid-back team from the sun-soaked beaches and palm trees of Florida; a team that strolls into practice in flip-flops and is worried more about time spent lounging in a seaside hammock than pumping iron in a sweat-soaked weight room.

A team that crumbles like a sand castle whenever it is hit in the mouth.

UCF lived up to that stereotype, finishing last in the conference and 125th in the country in rushing defense, getting steamrolled by conference opponents Kansas (399 rushing yards), West Virginia (286) and Kansas State (281).

“We weren’t really a hard-nosed, physical edge team like I’ve had in the past,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn says. “We’re developing that. It’s a process. It can’t be one or two of us. It’s got to be who we are as a group.”

In other words, UCF needs to be stronger, tougher and meaner, especially on the defensive side of the ball where the Knights were softer than a microwaved marshmallow. To that end, Malzahn went and hired old-school, gravelly voiced defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

Roof is a throwback coach who preaches rugged, physical, swarming, slobber-knocking defense. When asked early in fall drills how he plans to train UCF’s players on how to better stop the run, he offered a Lombardi-like explanation on tenacity and fortitude.

UCF RJ Harvey, breaking a tackle against Houston defensive back Brian George last season, had a stellar 2023. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

How do you practice stopping the run, coach?

“You rep it over and over and over and over again,” Roof growled. “You rep it when you don’t feel like repping it anymore. You make them thud up when they don’t feel like thudding up. You understand about the constriction of gaps. Space is our enemy. We want to eliminate the space. We do that by constricting gaps, by disengaging and defeating blockers, and by tackling and by hitting.

“When [the opponent] puts our tape on, here’s what I want them to say about us: ‘They are freaking championship strain. They play physically. They hit you. And they don’t bust.’”

It’s one thing to talk tough. It’s another thing to play tough. Then again, Malzahn and UCF’s returning players, after going through the rigors of their inaugural Big 12 season, know that strengthening their mettle and hardening their edge is something that must be done.

Last year was mostly about the giddiness of just going into the Big 12. This year it’s about the willingness to do what it takes to compete in the Big 12. I firmly believe there was a mindset among UCF players, coaches and fans that the Knights would simply step into a Power 5 league (now Power 4) and be immediately competitive.

The Knights quickly got a reality check and rapidly realized they weren’t in the American Athletic Conference anymore. It’s no secret that UCF’s success there was built on outscoring teams, not outmuscling them. In UCF’s back-to-back unbeaten seasons from 2017-18, the offense was top five in each while the defense was barely in the top 100.

The Knights found out from the get-go that the Big 12 was a different beast altogether. The athletes were better, the coaching was better, the level of competition was higher. UCF had its memorable moments, but mostly it was a season filled with teaching moments. The main lesson they learned can be summed up in the old three-word truism: Might makes right.

None of this should have been a surprise. There is always going to be growing pains when you start competing against programs with more money, bigger recruiting budgets, better facilities and more tradition. Don’t forget, TCU was 11-2, 12-1, 13-0 and 11-2 in the four seasons prior to entering the Big 12 more than a decade ago, but then finished 7-6 and 4-8 in its first two seasons in the league.

As Oprah Winfrey once said, “You must turn your wounds into wisdom.”

Or, in UCF’s case, you must turn your bruises into building blocks. There’s no doubt that the physical beating UCF took was a wake-up call for the program, and it became clear that if the Knights expect to compete with the big boys they must toughen up.

The days of being the sun-and-fun team are over.

It’s time for UCF to trade in those flip-flops for some steel-toed work boots and start stomping their way through the Big 12.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

 

Two Broward Sheriff’s deputies are on administrative assignment after a shootout Tuesday night in Pompano Beach with a man who had previous run-ins with law enforcement.

Scott Simonelli, 51, of Pompano Beach, survived after being shot three times by the two deputies, Sheriff Gregory Tony said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. He was hospitalized and is expected to recover.

A neighbor in Simonelli’s apartment complex, near the 700 block of Northwest Fifth Avenue, called 911 about 9:30 p.m. and said a neighbor was “firing gunshots up into the ceiling and in through the windows” of that family’s apartment, Tony said. Simonelli first tried to shoot through the roof inside his own apartment before shooting through the windows, the sheriff said.

A deputy who was not at the scene heard about the call and told the responding deputies over radio that he knew of Simonelli and that he was violent and had guns, Tony said.

“We’ve had encounters with him in the past related to Baker Acts and other instability issues and threats of violence within the community. So he was known to us,” Tony said.

Deputies arrived within four minutes, and everything was quiet, Tony said. They did not know immediately where the shooter was.

As deputies were assessing the scene, a light on one of the deputy’s guns flickered, which “gave away” where the deputies were positioned, Tony said. Simonelli, who was hiding behind trash cans, shot about 20 rounds from a semi-automatic rifle at four of the deputies. Two deputies shot back.

Body-worn camera video played at the news conference Wednesday showed Simonelli throw his gun out from his hiding place behind a row of trash cans on the side of the apartment building after the shootout with deputies. They then treated Simonelli until Pompano Beach Fire Rescue arrived and took him to a hospital.

Simonelli had not been booked into jail as of Wednesday night.

Simonelli was arrested in November 2023 on counts of aggravated assault, improper exhibition of a firearm and using a firearm under the influence of alcohol after an argument with his neighbor who lived in the apartment above him because he heard the neighbor’s child crying, according to a probable cause affidavit. Simonelli was pacing in the apartment complex’s common area, yelling about his neighbors being “bad neighbors” while holding a gun, the affidavit said. Prosecutors did not pursue the charges, Broward court records show.

Tony said Simonelli had been admitted to a hospital under the Baker Act in November 2023.

Simonelli faces one count of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer and two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer in connection with the shootout Tuesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the deputies’ use of force.

The two deputies who shot at Simonelli are now on administrative assignment, as is customary.

FDLE is investigating at least three other instances so far this year where BSO deputies fatally shot someone. In March, three deputies shot and killed Rafael A. Molina, a Broward County Transit employee, who authorities said minutes earlier had shot his colleague Warren Chambers to death.

In February, a deputy shot and killed a man in Weston after he got out of a car while armed with a weapon and “charged” at the deputies, the Sheriff’s Office said at the time. The man, Mario Bonilla, had recently been reported missing.

In January, a man wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident was shot and killed by deputies in Oakland Park during a standoff and “confrontation,” the Sheriff’s Office said previously.

MIAMI GARDENS — You can pick your here-we-go-again moment. For me, it was Chris Grier admitting he signed an injured Odell Beckham Jr. that said some hefty problems inside the Miami Dolphins weren’t solved again this season.

They’re being repeated.

You had other options to consider. You could go with the Dolphins general manager chuckling at media for questioning a questionable offensive line.

You could also wonder how he reduced their 1-6 record and 92-point deficit against playoff teams last season to a dropped pass against Philadelphia, a pass-interference penalty against Kansas City in Germany …

“Situational football,’’ he said.

But I’m going with this odd Beckham Jr., news that Grier signed him despite knowing he’d miss the start of the season for this franchise tripling down on issues that got this team in trouble the past two years.

It continues this team’s rigid pursuit of fragile players. It underlines the lack of vision in a GM job demanding X-ray vision. It suggests a general-manager-for-life comfort level in a season that demands a win-or-else line across it.

This five-year rebuild enters its sixth season with little to show for it. There’s no building left, too. Grier has constructed the league’s oldest roster. The Dolphins’ average player was 26.94 years old when rosters were set Tuesday afternoon.

Green Bay, the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay and Kansas City — all playoff teams last year — are the four youngest teams entering this season. Young, healthy and talented. That’s how to win in the NFL.

The Dolphins are one-for-three in that department. They’re talented in the sixth year of their five-year rebuild. They need that top-end talent to carry them, too, because their window is closing, as reminded by the losses of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and guard Rob Hunt.

The bottom-line is their lines aren’t as talented this year. You can hide that for a while. But Grier grew up with Bill Parcells as his mentor. If he knows one thing, it should be the lesson of strong lines especially when seasons turn late and cold.

But back to the signing of Beckham Jr. Sure, as coach Mike McDaniel says, “100 percent of the players get injured,” in football. But that doesn’t mean you run after them like an ambulance chaser — needing an actual ambulance in many cases.

Tackle Terron Armstead can’t practice due to annual injuries. Guard Isaiah Wynn was re-signed despite not practicing this summer and getting hurt as usual last season. One star edge rusher, Bradley Chubb (knee), won’t start the season and the other, Jaelan Phillips (Achilles), is trying to make the opener.

Now Beckham Jr. is hurt to start the year. He’s a third receiver, so the continued philosophy is the issue here. He’s 31. He’s playing on a twice-rebuilt knee. He’s missed almost half the games (33 of 68) in the past four years is the larger question.

And in a win-or-else season you sign him knowing he’ll miss the opening four games to more injury?

“We’re playing the long game,’’ Grier said.

He’s on a one-year contract. There is no long game. And it wouldn’t much matter, but the Dolphins have the same issues through their receiving corps.

The Dolphins kept four receivers on their roster, because they were the only healthy ones. It’s an issue behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle because this offense uses three receivers the majority of the time.

De’Vone Achane lined up as receiver plenty last year as a rookie and probably stretched that idea in offseason work. Erik Ezukanma is back on the practice squad and can be elevated. But can he stay healthy?

The overriding question about Grier isn’t if he can scout (he can) or run a draft (his are generally fine). It’s the vision as this issue shows. It’s the big picture. It’s also standing for something, anything, when this franchise needed the football guy to stand up since the start of the Tank Era.

Brian Flores is back in the news for his dictator ways that extracted every possible win from an awful team in 2019. He was exact coach you shouldn’t hire when your one goal is the top draft pick. Grier either hired him or, worse, didn’t stand up to stop it.

That was just the start of ways the Dolphins needed a football voice to help in ways Grier evidently didn’t. Not signing Ryan Fitzpatrick or just playing Josh Rosen to get the No. 1 pick? Why damage the Dolphins brand by chasing quarterback Deshaun Watson despite his sexual-assault issues?

Watching owner Steve Ross demand that Flores lose? The entire Sean Payton-Tom Brady debacle? Where was Grier in preventing any of this?

Mike McDaniel is a fun hire. He has yet to prove he can win as this era promised, though — as Grier’s job in this rebuild demanded. So here we go into another season where there’s talent on this roster.

There’s also age like no other team.

And injury already.

And so, here we go again, crossing your fingers is part of this team’s plan.

An appeals court is scheduled Tuesday to take up a state challenge to the dismissal of a perjury indictment against former Broward County Superintendent of Schools Robert Runcie.

A panel of the 4th District Court of Appeals will hear arguments about whether a statewide grand jury had the authority to indict Runcie for alleged perjury involving testimony about a technology contract.

The statewide grand jury was impaneled in 2019 to investigate school safety issues after the February 2018 mass shooting at Broward County’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.

Related Articles

• Local News | Perjury charge dropped against former Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie

A circuit judge ruled that the statewide grand jury did not have authority to indict Runcie because the alleged perjury occurred in only one judicial circuit, where crimes are handled by local prosecutors or grand juries.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office appealed, raising a series of arguments, including that statewide grand jury members were drawn from multiple circuits.

But Runcie’s attorneys argued in a brief this year that the dismissal should be upheld, saying, in part, that the “indictment charged Mr. Runcie with perjury premised on testimony that occurred exclusively in one judicial circuit.”

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN

Home inspector says he’s ‘more impressed [by] fifth grade gingerbread houses’ than some of the problematic new builds in Carolina. Here’s how to make sure you don’t buy a money pit  MSN