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USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Wimbledon: Starodubtseva [67th] vs. Jones [125th] Prediction, Odds and Match Preview
In the Round of 128 at Wimbledon on Monday, Francesca Jones (ranked No. 125) faces Yuliia Starodubtseva (No. 67). Jones is the favorite (-130) in this match compared to the underdog Starodubtseva (+100). ESPN will air this match and have coverage throughout Wimbledon, you can watch it there from June 23 - July 12. Tennis odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Friday at 10:38 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Yuliia Starodubtseva vs. Francesca Jones matchup info Watch the Tennis Channel and more sports on Fubo! Starodubtseva vs. Jones Prediction Based on the implied probility from the moneyline, Starodubtseva has a 56.5% to win. Starodubtseva vs. Jones Betting Odds Starodubtseva vs. Jones matchup performance & stats
South Wales Argus
5 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Caerphilly borough councillors on council and Bedwas coal tip
In a recent statement, the leader claims the council does *not* know the proposal's precise nature. This is remarkable, as ERI, the company involved, states it met senior councillors and officers multiple times to explain plans. FOI requests confirm CCBC-ERI correspondence since 2017. More concerning, ERI's proposals were discussed at cabinet meetings on March 28, 2018, and July 12, 2023, yet minutes remain sealed. If nothing to hide, why the secrecy? A site meeting was organised to ERI's Six Bells 'reclamation' site, for council officers and Bedwas ward members, but as neighbouring Ynysddu ward councillors, we were excluded. For a project of this scale and environmental impact, such selective involvement is deeply troubling. The council's 'Declaration of Interests' reveals the former Ynysddu councillor—and former CCBC leader—knew of the project in 2018, but said nothing to residents, despite being chair of the local community partnership. Whether a lapse or deliberate omission, the public was left in the dark. Despite years of meetings, lease discussions, planning consultations, and ongoing communication between ERI and CCBC, we're now told the council can't recall project details. Is this genuine institutional forgetfulness, or convenient selective memory? The truth is, Caerphilly Council is actively negotiating a lease for ERI to access publicly owned Bedwas Tips for rent. It also participated in the Pre-Application Consultation (PAC), outlining plans to extract coal using heavy machinery from two out of four Category D tips. Under Section 19, Schedule 1 of The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Wales) Regulations 2017, this proposal clearly fits the legal definition of opencast mining. Our community banner referring to an "opencast mine" in Sirhowy Valley Country Park was accurate, not alarmist. The public deserves straight answers, not blurred language. The council may prefer softer terms like 'reclamation' (even though only 8 per cent of the tip, the coal content, will be removed) and 'rewilding' - (despite 92 per cent of the contaminated spoil being dumped on top of the Site of Importance for Nature Conservation at Mynydd y Grug). But let's be clear: this is a major industrial development near a cherished community green space. The stakes are too high for half-truths and secret records. It's time for full transparency, genuine public consultation, and honest communication. The people of Caerphilly are watching—and they deserve better than a council with a conveniently failing memory when it matters most. Thank you, Cllrs Reed and Jones
UPI
12 hours ago
- UPI
Four charged in 'largest ever' COVID-19 tax fraud scheme
1 of 4 | Federal officials have charged four people from California with what they call the largest COVID-19 tax credit fraud scheme ever identified in the United States, amounting to more than $90 million in payouts. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 27 (UPI) -- Federal officials have charged four people from California with what they call the largest COVID-19 tax credit fraud scheme ever identified in the United States, amounting to more than $90 million in payouts. Two of the defendants are also facing attempted murder charges for shooting one of their co-conspirators, the FBI's Los Angeles field office confirmed in a release. Kristerpher Turner, Toriano Knox, Kenya Jones and Joyce Johnson are all facing federal conspiracy to commit mail fraud; mail fraud; and conspiracy to submit false claims charges. Jones and Knox are also facing gun and attempted murder charges for shooting Turner in 2023, in an attempt to prevent him from speaking to authorities. A federal indictment was unsealed earlier this month against all four. Officials allege Turner operated the fraud ring that invoiced close to $250 million in COVID-19 relief payments to the federal government. "In total, from approximately June 2020 and December 2024, the defendants and their co-conspirators submitted and caused the submission of fraudulent forms for at least 148 companies, seeking a total of approximately $247,956,938 in tax refunds to which they were not entitled," the FBI statement reads. The group ultimately received at least $93 million in Treasury checks from the IRS. According to authorities, while Turner ran the scheme, Knox, Jones and Johnson served as recruiters, even luring friends and family members aboard and obtaining their personal or business information to submit false benefits claims. "At some point during the scheme, the now-defendants learned that the IRS and others were making inquiries about their fraudulent activity," the FBI statement reads, alleging Knox and Jones of carrying out a shooting to prevent him from acting as a witness. Turner was shot in August of 2023 and is now paralyzed. The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation section and office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration were involved in the joint investigation. All four defendants are facing maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud charge if convicted. Knox and Jones are also facing 30-year sentences if convicted of attempted murder charges, while the gun charges carry maximum penalties of life in prison. The case is not the first multi-million-dollar fraud committed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, a June Chicago laboratory owner received a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted of falsifying COVID-19 test results. Authorities contend the fraud scheme generated $14 million.
Otago Daily Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Minister not impressed with council
Resources Minister Shane Jones has challenged the West Coast Regional Council to explain why it exists if it cannot approve mining consents in a reasonable timeframe. He also repeated his warning to Local Democracy Reporting that the country's regional councils are on borrowed time under the coalition government. West Coast goldminers have appealed to the minister over long delays as consent applications are processed by environmental consultants in the North Island. Some miners — including a regional councillor — have waited for more than a year for the go-ahead, and the council recently shut down a gold mine that had been bulk-sampling and waiting 17 months for consent to mine. Prominent mining adviser Glenys Perkins this week told the minister that her family has put off expanding the gold mine on their farm and hiring two more workers because a consultant wants a drain monitored for a year before granting consent. Mr Jones told LDR he was not impressed with the council's performance. "If the council cannot perform this core role, of issuing resource consents in a timely fashion, what is its purpose? "What other role does it have down there?" It was distressing to hear of obstacles being placed in the way of miners when the government was trying to grow exports and the West Coast was "riddled" with all sorts of mining opportunities. "I feel I've acted with a great deal of credibility and supported the Coast, so why can't local government on the West Coast support me? "Why are local bureaucrats importing people from other parts of New Zealand to protract, delay and undermine the agenda of our government?" That agenda was to promote growth in the regions, boost economic resilience, generate jobs and dig the country out of the post-Covid fiscal hole, Mr Jones said. Regional council chief executive Darryl Lew defended the council's record, saying consents staff have been under pressure with high numbers of consent applications including complex ones leading to hearings that were taking up large amounts of staff time. External consultants have been hired to ease the workload, but he now believed it was time to hire more staff, he said. Shane Jones said he did not know the fine details of the council's hiring practices, but he judged politicians on their results and outcomes. "And the politicians and bureaucrats of the West Coast Regional Council, they owe a high level of duty to that element of the community that's ready to risk their money and take their equity into these enterprises." Processing resource consents and enabling the economy were core business for regional councils, Mr Jones said. "But regional councils in my view have reached a very low ebb." Regional councils had been invented to administer the Resource Management Act, and with the abolition of that Act, he believed they did not have a future, Mr Jones said. "Which is why after the next election there will be local-government rationalisation and the very strong stance we're taking is that there is no longer a purpose for regional councils and I am happy that the prime minister sees that such a development should be a priority, if not for this government then the next." With the RMA split into two new Acts, people working for regional councils would no doubt end up playing some kind of role in a reformed level of regional governance, the minister said. There were already examples of regional and district councils being fused together (in unitary authorities) and after the election there would be a host of options. Councils would need critical mass and a capital base to cope with changing weather, and higher expectations from the community about how to adapt to climatic challenges, the minister said. "I accept a lot of council leaders may be reluctant to openly identify options that might spell their demise, but I just want them to know after next election, we'll do that on their behalf." — Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter — LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees' outfield prospect continues home run barrage in Double-A
Spencer Jones might be the most perplexing prospect in the Yankees' organization, as his high strikeout rates raise massive alarm bells, but unlike last year, he's generating tons of home run power. The contact rates are as bad as last year, but Jones is hitting the ball in the air and making better swing decisions, resulting in a monstrous .974 OPS in an Eastern League that's been more pitcher-friendly in 2025. Advertisement Hitters in the Eastern League have a .365 SLG% and .679 OPS on average, and yet Jones is dominating in terms of results. Launching his 14th home run of the season, he's just three away from matching his 2024 total despite playing in just 44 games so far. It raises some interesting questions about whether Jones can make it in the big leagues or not, and whether his abnormal combination of raw tools can result in a productive everyday regular. Why Spencer Jones' HR Barrage Could Catch the Yankees' Attention Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports It can feel impossible to predict who will or won't have success at the next level, and that's why anomalies exist in this league. Advertisement Oneil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz have displayed that highly questionable hit tools can be overlooked for elite-level raw power and athleticism, but Jones pushes that to the brink with his strikeout rates. He has a 34.2% K%, and while the K% in the Eastern League (24.7%) is higher than in the Major Leagues (22.0%), you have to imagine those contact numbers will only get worse as he moves up the professional ladder. I tried to find hitters with the outlier traits that Jones has, a K% above 34% and a ISO above .300, and the only two hitters to pop up (min. 200 PA) at the Double-A level since 2021 are Moises Gomez and Drew Lugbauer. Neither player reached the Major Leagues, but it should be noted that neither played centerfield primarily, a position that the Yankees' 2022 first-round pick handles extremely well. Advertisement READ MORE: Yankees' infielder is quietly dominating — and no one's noticing Hudson Valley Renegades outfielder Spencer Jones during media day on April 5, 2023. Renegades Media Day I tried to expend this search, looking for hitters with at least 130 plate appearances, and the only other hitter who popped up besides Spencer Jones was Trey Cabbage. Cabbage reached the Major Leagues but his time there was brief, and he's currently playing in the NPB as he hit .209 with a 58 wRC+ in 67 games. He struck out in 40.8% of his plate appearances, and it's safe to say that if Jones does that in the Major Leagues his time would also be pretty brief. History would tell us that hitters of Jones' mold do not end up making it or sticking at baseball's highest level, but none of these examples have had teams consider their defensive and baserunning abilities. Advertisement While all three of the players I mentioned projected to be below-average in both regards, you can reasonably expect Spencer Jones to be a plus (or double plus) in those categories. Very quietly, Spencer Jones is stealing at a pace that would result in 34 stolen bases at an 83.3% success clip over 150 games. He does an excellent job getting downhill and using his long legs to make massive strides, and the Yankees have allowed him to be an aggressive runner. The arm is unreal, the range is good because of his aforementioned speed, and his tall frame allows him to bring down liners and flyballs that would sail over the heads of most outfielders. Advertisement We could be looking at a good defender at a premium position who also steals 20-30 bases a season efficiently. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Add on the fact that he has 14 home runs in just 184 plate appearances in one of the most run-depressed leagues in the Minor League circuit, and you have someone who could provide MLB value. I find it utterly fascinating that Steamer projects him for a 36.9% strikeout rate as well; if he ran that strikeout rate he likely wouldn't be a good hitter, but could he be league average with the power and patience he has? Sure, pitchers wouldn't be scared to death of going after him in the zone, but the home run power has to create some level of deterrence. Advertisement This is one of the weirdest prospects I've evaluated not just in the Yankees' organization, but really in all of baseball. His combination of whiffs and game power alone are unique, and none of his loose comparisons have the speed or defense he has. With Jones cutting his groundball rate by 12.3% from last season, he's hitting the ball in the air and on a line at a much higher rate than last season, and he has so much power that it almost always results in damage. There's no one like him in professional baseball, and that can allow him to challenge the expectations and projections we'd normally have for someone with his profile. Advertisement Maybe he ends up flaming out the way Moises Gomez, Trey Cabbage, and Drew Lugbauer did after leaving the Double-A level, or maybe his athletic tools allow him to contribute without the bat, giving him time to acclimate and hit bombs in the Bronx. Related Headlines
