777 winner December 28 - Eddie Lampkin and Donnie Freeman both turned in double-double performances as Syracuse snapped a two-game losing streak with a 75-63 win over Bucknell Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. Lampkin scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Freeman finished with 15 points and 11 boards as the Orange (6-6) improved to 11-1 all-time against the Bison (4-9). Jaquan Carlos chipped in 11 for Syracuse. Josh Bascoe was impressive in defeat, knocking down six 3-pointers and scoring 22 in all. Noah Williamson added 12 for the Bison, who dropped their seventh in a row but didn't go away quietly. Trailing 43-31 at the half, the Bison pulled within 48-43 after a dunk by Pip Ajayi with 14:13 left. That was as close as Bucknell would get, however, as it fell short in its bid for its first win over a power conference team since beating Vanderbilt 75-72 victory during the 2016-17 campaign. In the final nonleague game for both teams, Syracuse shook off a slow start with a 9-0 run ignited by a Lucas Taylor 3-pointer and capped with a layup by Freeman that put the Orange up 12-6 with 14:30 to go. The Orange led 17-12 with 11:23 to go after a 3-pointer by Elijah Moore, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Jayden Williams and Bascoe put the Bison on top 21-19 with 8:04 remaining. With Bucknell up 26-22, momentum shifted in Syracuse's favor on the strength of a 16-2 run, highlighted by Freeman's 3-pointer that gave the Orange their first double-digit lead at 38-28 with 1:49 to play in the half. Freeman hit another shot from distance with seven seconds left, shooting over a defender from well beyond the line and extending the lead to 43-31. He high-fived teammates as he came off the court. His bucket was one of six 3-pointers Syracuse connected on in the opening half while shooting 57.6 percent (17-of-30) from the field. The Orange outscored the Bison 18-3 over the final 5:39, limiting Bucknell to only one field goal. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

While the holiday season is short and sweet, oftentimes we wish we could exist in a festive world year-round. For actor Lacey Chabert, this is nearly a reality; the performer has starred in over 15 Christmas movies for the Hallmark Channel, which means she has got a lot of inspiration from sets for her own home decor. 'Not only have I got inspo [from being on set], but I may have taken a thing or two as well,' she tells us over the phone recently. 'Obviously, with permission, I haven't actually stolen anything. The set decor on the Christmas movies that I do is so incredible and gives me so many different ideas and I just love it. I love to walk in and see what these incredibly talented people have created and it changes the whole mood of the scene with your environment.' As the unofficial queen of Christmas movies, it makes sense that she has joined forces with Russell Stover Chocolates to promote a holiday sweepstakes centered around happy memories. 'I can remember back to being a kid and being at my grandparents' house and seeing that beautiful box of chocolates and so excited to take my favorite piece,' she tells us of the collaboration. 'And it's something that through the holidays, through the years, I've always given as a gift over the holidays or a stocking stuffer. And so it just felt like the perfect partnership. And I love celebrating. I love hosting. I'm really into gifting chocolate, especially during the holidays.' When asked about white lights vs. colorful lights (an eternal debate), Chabert says she actually goes for both nowadays. 'I typically go for the white lights, but now that I have trees in different rooms, I've decided to kind of do a different theme for each tree,' she explains. 'So I have ones like gold and metallics, and I do have one that has red and green and more traditional. And then I have one that has some pink and mint green, the pastel color theme. I try to mix it up. I love a real tree because I love the way it smells. But if you have artificial trees, you can obviously pull them out much sooner. So that's kind of been a bonus for us too.' Chabert tells us that when it comes to celebrating the holidays, she likes to get her family together, usually at her parents' house, though she takes decorating her own home pretty seriously. Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups. 'I'm definitely not a minimalist,' she shares. 'The more glitter, the more sparkle, the better. I have multiple Christmas trees . I keep adding to the collection every year. I just love when it feels like a winter wonderland in our home. I've decorated quite a bit already and I still have more to do. We have a really special Letters for Santa mailbox and my daughter puts her Christmas wish list to Santa in it every year ,and it magically disappears overnight. Elf on the Shelf, they come and have a lot of fun in our house as well. And I have ornaments that my grandmother made when I was a child that we still hang up and I have ornaments that my daughter's made throughout the years. I just love the special memories that those things bring up when you take them out of the box every year.' When it comes to holiday essentials, however, Chabert needs a few items on hand for a happy (and sweet holiday). 'I love a good candle,' she says. 'Obviously the typical things like garland . I have that everywhere. The more twinkly lights, the better. And then my Russell Stover chocolates, which will be going in everyone's stockings.' Shop some of her essentials below. Lively This realistic green faux garland features foliage of mixed pine branches and eucalyptus leaves for a natural-themed festive look. Scented Nothing says the holidays like a scented candle, and this one does the trick with notes of snow powder, blue spruce, cedarwood, and citrus. Realistic branches This pre-lit tree offers a minimalist look with hardly any fuss. It has 2,000 branch tips with realistic green PVC and PE pine needles for a lush, cashmere feel. Place it anywhere in the home for a chic aesthetic that's oh-so-easy to achieve. Share your Make Happy Memory with Russell Stover for the chance to win a winter getaway for you and your family.NoneLabor MP claims Dutton stopped show of unity on synagogue with speech ban

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Should a cherished children’s tradition be interrupted by the conflicts of adults? The Burlington Public Library has decided that it should not. In the month of November 2024, the Burlington Public Library announced on their website that they will be continuing their Letters to Santa program despite the nationwide Canada Post strike that has been ongoing since November 15, 2024. Each of the six library branches in Burlington has put out a special red mailbox for this purpose. Families, as an enjoyable Christmas-themed activity this holiday season, are invited to bring their children to any of the libraries to get the task of letter-writing done. Children will be offered letter templates and pens and pencils so they can write to Santa Claus at the North Pole, report on their good behaviour throughout the year, and request a special list of gifts. The Burlington Public Library has taken measures to ensure children receiving a reply doesn’t depend on Canadian national politics. “At present, we are continuing to mail the letters in the hope that an agreement will be reached, ending the strike. While less magical, we do have a backup plan in case the postal strike continues,” says Krista Schwab, marketing and communications manager at the Burlington Public Library. “BPL will offer the option for parents and caregivers to stop by a branch and pick up a non-personalized response letter so that kids can receive a reply before the holidays. We will communicate this option if we need to act on it.” A letter to Santa is children’s literature that actually comes directly from the hands of children. Since the Victorian age, with the rise of Christmas as a cultural phenomenon in the West, children have voluntarily composed letters to the jolly bearded man in red as a means for practicing their alphabet and getting their voices heard by an adult with the power to grant them what they want. It can even be argued that a letter to Santa is a budding writer’s first persuasive essay. They have to convince Santa that they’ve earned the presents they’re asking for, with a year’s worth of general good conduct. It is a treasured activity in a child’s education. “While the focus of the Letters to Santa campaign is to inspire joy and to build a sense of community, writing these letters, whether by a child or with their caregiver, supports early literacy skills by helping children recognize the sounds and meanings of letters and words,” says Schwab on how writing a letter to Santa Claus impacts a child’s developing literacy. Letter writing has become something of an obsolete skill as the educational system transitions to teaching students more digital means of communication. There are resources for parents to consider if their children are having difficulty approaching how to write a letter, and the solution itself can be digital. Parents and children can go online for instructional material or even consult YouTube tutorials on how to write a letter to Santa. The Burlington Public Library has public computers that can be accessed with a library card. Unlike the Letters to Santa program, several library services have been suspended due to the library’s inability to receive or distribute mail. Interlibrary loans, physical copies of new issues of magazines, and mailed customer notices will not be available for the duration of the strike. Letters to Santa envelopes can be dropped off at any of the following library branches: Aldershot, Alton, Brant Hills, Central, New Appleby, and Tansley Woods. Letters will be accepted until December 5, 2024.A Look Back From 2024: Answering Your Biggest AGI Questions

“That’s Across Everything I Do”: Serena Williams Replies to Ex-Coach Rennae Stubbs’ Recent ‘Grudge for Revenge’ Comment on HerHARTFORD, Conn. — It’s well known that Steve Cohen wanted a Picasso, Le Reve, badly enough to pay $139 million for it. When the seller put an elbow through the canvas, Cohen pulled his offer and waited, but once the painting was suitably restored he ponied up $155 million to get it for his Greenwich, Conn., home. Couple of things there. When Cohen wants something badly enough, for his mansion or the Mets, he will not be denied. And since Cohen didn’t go for the banana taped to the wall that recently sold for $6.2 million, it’s clear he knows the difference between trendy gimmicks and timeless art. So it was when Juan Soto, a hitter of rare beauty, hit the open market. Listen, every top free agent feels like more than just the top free agent, more like the last great player who is ever going to be available. The very first sweepstakes, for Catfish Hunter 50 years ago this month, felt like that, as did Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield and countless others. In the last three years, Aaron Judge, who stayed with the Yankees, Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Dodgers, had that kind of cachet. And now Soto, who left the Yankees to sign a 15-year contract reportedly worth $765 million, with clauses that could bump up north of $800 million, has joined Cohen’s growing collection of stars with the Mets with the potential to realign the game. It can certainly shifts the terrain under a state so long dominated by the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. All the whys and wherefores are still to come, but safe to say that Cohen is all he was advertised to be when he bought the Mets in 2020 — aggressive, persuasive, relentless in pursuit of the championship that has eluded his favorite team since 1986. That’s Le Reve, which in English is “The Dream.” There are those who shudder at how the money he can spend will impact baseball, but so be it. He wants to win, he’s going for it. He had to have Juan Soto. Now the pressure to make this work will be enormous for all and history shows such signings do not always produce the desired results, but Cohen didn’t get where he is in the hedge-fund jungle by being risk-averse. Soto is certainly a generational game-changer, if not the first or last. He made the difference between the Yankees missing the playoffs altogether in 2023 and reaching the World Series in 2024. He is 26, younger than most free agents, and can be counted on to put up Soto stats, .419 on-base, 41 homers, 109 RBI last season, for years to come. And he has proven he can handle New York and perform in the postseason. The Yankees, who reportedly upped their offer to $750 million for 16 years, were not trying to finish a strategic second and tell their fans they gave it their best shot. Hal Steinbrenner fully understood the ramifications of this loss, and not because the other team in New York. Nope, not going down the Mets-own-New-York path. There is no such thing. The Yankees and Mets don’t have to worry about each other unless both reach the World Series, and if they do, both will profit immensely and the city will be delirious. Unlike George Steinbrenner and the previous Mets owners, Hal and Cohen get this: The team that’s more successful will be more popular in the moment, but it’s better for both when both are good. The Red Sox were in on Soto, too, and although there are skeptics in Boston, they apparently did make a competitive bid. The Yankees can at least take solace he’s out of the AL East and The Rivalry, and baseball can at least take solace in that he didn’t join all those megastars in Los Angeles. So the bomb hit Sunday night, the earth shifted, and it’s time for all the franchises we watch in Connecticut to pick up the pieces and move on, mindful that the goal line is moving. The Mets pair Soto with their MVP runner up, Francisco Lindor. The one-two punch that can really get them the title is Cohen and president of baseball operations David Steans. The Mets have a GM with experience in finding undervalued talent, developing young players and building contenders with limited resources in Milwaukee. His brainstorm to make overvalued reliever Clay Holmes into a potential bargain of a starter, is an example of his resourcefulness. Couple that with an owner willing to spend big when quality is up for auction, and that’s a hard combination to beat. That’s the Dodgers’ formula. Neither the Yankees nor Red Sox appear to have both at the moment. The Red Sox do have the deep farm system left by Chaim Bloom, though, and if current GM Craig Breslow can pry enough resources from the owners to go after a few solid veterans, they can be right back in contention. The Yankees are in a more difficult space. In years gone by, the three-quarters of a billion left behind by Soto could be used to upgrade a roster in a dozen areas. But those kind of players are not really out there, and that strategy can yield a team of mediocre, past-their-primers. GM Brian Cashman will have to sort those out now. Putting Judge back in right field where he belongs and getting a legit centerfielder could help, beefing up starting and relief pitching will help, there are many holes that were covered up by the historic productivity of Soto and Judge in 2024 that must now be addressed starting at the Winter Meetings. To get back to the World Series, the Yankees will have to get past a number of AL teams loaded with young talent. In the NL, they face the Mets, Dodgers and Padres, teams with multiple high-end stars, where they have only Judge still at that level. To be sure, pinstripe prestige took a major blow Sunday night, but they still have resources to repair it to full value, like that Picasso. The overarching fact Monday is that the way we watch and perceive baseball will be different now. The Greenwich art collector is throwing his billions around as promised (and feared), and has turned baseball on its head. It should be quite a summer around here. ©2024 Hartford Courant. Visit courant.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’

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