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24+ min ago (484+ words) The bronze sculpture will take centre stage at the Florence museum Italian Ministry of Culture, National Archaeological Museum of Florence It is as fierce as it is fearsome. The mythic Chimaera was as captivating to the Etruscans who crafted the beast in bronze over 2,400 years ago as it was to the Tuscans who unearthed the sculpture in 1553. Its fire-breathing furor was matched only by its monstrous composition'a lion's face and frame, a goat's head protruding from the back, and a snake in place of the tail. Etruscan artisans cast the 4ft-by-2.5ft bronze with a prickly mane and a defiant stance in the face of blood-spurting injuries. An inscription to the god Tinia and clay residues inside the work hint at its meaning and suggest its origins are around 400BC. Its rediscovery in Arezzo, around 50km south-east of Florence, under the reign of…...

1+ hour, 31+ min ago (405+ words) College football has been through the wringer with so many drastic changes " from NIL to conference realignment " that seemingly even Kirk Herbstreit is losing faith. It's safe to say that the sport we recognized even just a half-decade ago is completely different from the one fans see today. For the College Football Playoff, the committee that decides seeding has long been accused of not weighing strength of schedule evenly, and instead, simply looks at end-of-year wins and losses, completely discounting the context of difficult seasons. As a result, challenging non-conference games could be the next casualty. Take the Texas Longhorns, who are entering conference title game weekend at 9-3 with no real path to the playoff " after they lost two SEC games following their narrow week one road defeat against Ohio State. Had Texas simply scheduled an FCS or Group of…...

2+ hour, 3+ min ago (678+ words) Montgomery is very much a new-look team this year. The Vikings have a new head coach in alumni Troy Stevenson, who is leading a varsity team of just 10 players that features only two seniors and four sophomores. But so far, their new faces have kept up the winning ways of one of the most consistently successful programs in the North Bay. On Thursday, the Vikings moved to 4-0 on the early going with a 50-35 win over Woodside in the opening round of their Russ Peterich Viking Tip-Off Classic. The win set up a date with St. Bernard's-Eureka in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Friday. "We had four games in five days," Stevenson said after Friday's win. "We're calling it the NBA schedule. We're just trying to come into practices with focus and take care of business, and the guys have been doing everything…...

2+ hour, 45+ min ago (293+ words) Flags on the Alabama State Capitol grounds and in Mobile County are at half-mast all day Friday in honor of former State Senator Ann Bedsole. She died December 1st at age 95. Services for Bedsole are Friday, December 5th at 2 p.m. at Mobile's Dauphin Way United Methodist Church followed by a visitation there. Despite overcast weather, a diverse congregation is expected, to include: Political leaders who knew Ann Bedsole as the first Republican woman serving in the State House and the first woman in the State Senate. Former students, educators and parents who knew Ann as the envisioner and founder of the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science. Alabama's best and brightest will continue shining brighter due to Ann Bedsole's founding of a world-class residential high school for the gifted. Business leaders who knew Ann through her forestry, property and other business success. The…...

2+ hour, 54+ min ago (477+ words) Federal prosecutors have charged two Birmingham residents in connection with the fire set inside the Walmart Supercenter on Lakeshore Parkway in Homewood, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama. The indictment marks the latest development in a months-long investigation involving federal and local law enforcement. A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Lillian Jayne Colburn, 26, and Mercutio Terrell Southall, 41, charging both individuals with arson and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists in relation to the August 2025 fire at the Homewood Walmart. The incident, identified in the federal filing as occurring on August 25, 2025, prompted a coordinated investigation by the FBI, the Homewood Police Department and the Irondale Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Lee Gilmer assigned to prosecute the case. According to an earlier press release from the Homewood Police Department, the…...

3+ hour, 7+ min ago (125+ words) Students across Dothan City Schools collected more than 6,000 canned goods and nonperishable food items leading up to the beginning of fall break to support families in need throughout the Wiregrass. Houston County Schools earned an "A" overall with a 92 percent score on the state report card." These area students were recently inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at Wallace. These area students have been named to the Troy University "The 87" list. "This is more than a canned food drive. It's a reflection of the heart of Wallace. When there is a need, our community rises, and we do it together." Dothan City Schools earned a "B" on this year's state report card, up from last year's grade....

3+ hour, 44+ min ago (425+ words) We have made it to college football's conference championship weekend. Let's make some betting predictions. Each week, I've been sharing picks against the spread. Lines are courtesy of FanDuel and DraftKings as of Thursday night. Last week, we went 6-2 to bring our season-long record to 34-40-1. Troy at No. 25 James Madison (-23.5) Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN James Madison has a chance at reaching the CFP. If Duke beats Virginia and the Dukes take down Troy, James Madison, with the winner of the American, should be in the field. But Bob Chesney and Co. will want to leave no doubt. The pick: James Madison -23.5 No. 24 North Texas at No. 20 Tulane (over/under 66.5) Friday, 8 p.m., ABC It's a big number. But North Texas is the No. 1 scoring offense in the FBS while averaging 53.7 points per game the last three weeks. Tulane has scored 35 points or more in…...

4+ hour, 29+ min ago (248+ words) 7. Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer firmly dismissed rumors linking him to the Penn State job opening, declaring, "We are extremely happy at Alabama " There's never been any link, any conversation, any interest either way. I'm glad we can put that to bed right now." 6. Vanderbilt quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Diego Pavia begged President Donald Trump to issue an executive order expanding the College Football Playoff to 16 teams, which would not be binding, lamenting the 10-2 team's No. 14 ranking and exclusion from the 12-team field. 5. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Motor Carrier Safety Unit joined forces with ICE as part of a national crackdown on trucking violations, detaining 82 individuals during commercial motor vehicle inspections primarily on rural interstates, referring 242 for immigration status checks, and identifying 12 unlicensed drivers. 3. The FBI arrested 30-year-old Virginia resident Brian Cole Jr. for planting two non-detonating pipe…...

4+ hour, 54+ min ago (178+ words) Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025Game Time: 4:00 PM ETTV: ABCLocation: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA@PeteFiutak- Bowl Projections & CFP Predictions- CFN Expert Picks For Every Game - Heisman Trophy Contenders The third down conversions haven't been there lately against the better defenses, but Georgia isn't a rock when it comes to getting off the field. Even so, it's usually dominant in the time of possession battle, and Simpson has to take that away by, once again, making the plays that are there. It'll come out firing a bit more than normal, and it'll take the fight to the Tide from the start, but this will be Simpson's game. The late heroics against Auburn will be a sort of breakthrough moment, even this late in the season, and Alabama's hold on Georgia - winning six of the last seven - will continue with - what else? - another thriller. Alabama…...

5+ hour, 44+ min ago (444+ words) On "Dog Days Are Over, Florence And The Machine found inspiration in an ancient phrase that was displayed in vivid color by a Swiss artist. Florence Welch, the band's singer, co-wrote the song with keyboardist Isabella Summers. Together, they turned a piece of inspirational art into a folk, pop, and indie rock hit. A work by the artist Ugo Rondinone inspired "Dog Days Are Over. His giant text art, featuring the song's title in rainbow letters, appeared on the side of London's Hayward Gallery when it got the singer's attention. Welch said she rode past it on her bike every day while it hung in the South Bank. Written in a rainbow arc: DOG DAYS ARE OVER. She said, "It's a reference to the dog star, Sirius. When it was closest to the Earth, all the animals would get languid…...