It’s a big deal because they can now focus their tests on solely Chase tracks. Sure, it feels good for the organization to have won the first two races on 1.5-mile tracks as Joey Logano won Monday at Texas Motor Speedway and Brad Keselowski won a month ago at Las Vegas. But as Keselowski was quick to point out, the team can now be more selective when deciding where to use their organization's four allotted tests at tracks they race on during the year....

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has commissioned a Future Navy Force Study from three groups—the Joint Staff, the Navy and a group from the Hudson Institute—to review how the nation’s naval fleet should look in the coming decades, according to The Defense Times. Documents related to the unreleased study suggest that the U.S. Navy should increase its fleet from its current number of 355 ships to anywhere between 480 and 534—a 35 percent increase....

On Monday, The Washington Post reported Atlas was leading calls for the U.S. to adopt the approach, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation. Atlas, a neuroradiologist who is not a specialist in infectious disease or epidemiology, was appointed by the Trump administration in August. Traditionally, herd immunity refers to the use of a vaccine to raise a population’s level of resistance to an infectious disease to the point where it can no longer spread....

That hasn’t prevented trade rumors from swirling around the talented-but-mercurial wide receiver. The Rams have come up first and foremost for a potential coast-to-coast deal, but in reality, Los Angeles should be closer to last and least on that front. LA has made trades like no other team this offseason, led by the acquisition of new starting cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. The Rams also sent former Pro Bowl edge rusher Robert Quinn to the Dolphins and signed current Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh....

In any event, this isn’t considered an unlucky day in the Middle East. But that probably won’t stop the superstitious among the foreigners here from feeling a few extra twinges of anxiety as they go about their dangerous business. Nor will it stop the continuing buzz of conspiracy theories about Western motives in Iraq. The idea that Washington’s real reason for toppling Saddam had more to do with oil than weapons of mass destruction is hardly new....

Word has finally gotten out that a few weeks ago the U.S. government put a $25 million bounty on Saddam’s head. The fellow who turned in Saddam’s sons last week, Nawaf al-Zaidan, stands to receive $30 million–$15 million per son. The man and his family are already in protective custody and have gotten an advance on the reward. “It’s important to pay these rewards quickly,” says a top Central Command official, explaining that show-me-the-money isn’t just an American concept....

This time, the ruling came in a Big 12 game between undefeated, No. 6 Oklahoma and 3-1 Kansas State. The issue was with what appeared to be a successful onside kick following a Wildcats touchdown to make the score 27-17, Oklahoma, with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter. At first glance, it looked like a perfectly executed play that could give the Wildcats some much-needed momentum: MORE: CJ Verdell injury update: Oregon RB leaves Stanford game with leg issue...

The shipment was discovered by officials on Thursday at a port in Bolívar, Colombia in a container bound for Genoa, Italy. Anti-narcotics personnel found 19,780 coconuts inside 504 canvas bags, a press release issued Thursday stated. “Upon inspection, it was established that the water in the tropical fruit had been exchanged for liquid cocaine,” the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia said in a statement. “In this sense, the coconuts were transferred to a specialized laboratory to establish the exact amount of drug....

title: “Ohio Is Talking…” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-08” author: “Ronald Hoglund”

“I won’t tolerate it, period. You shoot at the police expect us to shoot back,” Jones wrote. “I will not allow my deputies or any law enforcement officer in Butler County to take the abuse I have seen over the past several months.” In a statement titled “If you think about coming to Butler County to abuse police, think again,” the sheriff’s department said that Jones “has seen the lawlessness in the country over the last few months directed towards police....

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was at Ohio Stadium on Tuesday morning for the announcement of a soccer game and fielded some questions about the football team. Specifically, he was asked if the Buckeyes would hold spring practice in Florida — something Michigan did. “If we were jump-starting our program, I’d probably try to do that too,” he said, via Bleacher Report. MORE: Jim Harbaugh’s weirdest faces | 10 memorable Harbaugh moments...

ESPN’s Brett McMurphy points out a slight difference in the class schedule. Oregon’s 2015 quarter began on Monday this week while Ohio State’s doesn’t start until next Monday. Because of this, Oregon players are limited on how long they are able to practice. Ohio State is not. The difference in practice hours likely won’t be the key difference when the two teams face each other Monday. In fact, Urban Meyer said he didn’t want to push his players too much before the big game....

Coach Ryan Day said on 97.1 The Fan that C.J. Stroud will sit out for the game as he continues to rest a shoulder injury, with Jack Miller and Kyle McCord getting the bulk of the playing time against the Zips. Day said Stroud would be available only on an “emergency” basis. MORE: Where is ‘College Gameday’ this week? With Stroud sitting out, Ohio State will have a new quarterback for the second time in 2021....

Will No. 5 Oklahoma or No. 6 Ohio State take the last spot in the four-team Playoff? MORE: Sporting News Week 14 Power Rankings Of course, that jumps to a conclusion. No. 5 Oklahoma meets No. 9 Texas in the Big 12 championship at noon ET on Saturday. The Buckeyes play No. 21 Northwestern in the Big Ten championship game at 8 p.m. that night. This scenario assumes No. 1 Alabama knocks off No....

Members of the NHLPA, made of up players in the NHL, released their annual player poll Tuesday, and it comes as little surprise that Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was voted by his peers as the best forward in the league today. It’s the second-straight year McDavid has topped the voting. MORE: Marchand’s memorable chirps as Bruins star voted NHL’s best & worst trash-talker — again McDavid garnered a whopping 68....

But at Oklahoma, elite quarterbacks could only go so far. Despite the efforts of all-timers like Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray behind center, the best the Sooners could do in 2017 and 2018 was win the Big 12 Conference and make it to the Playoff semifinals — but no further. MORE: Big 12 championship highlights, scores, updates This Oklahoma team, however, looks decidedly different. On Saturday, while the Sooner offense scrapped for inches, settled for field goals and struggled to hold onto the football against a talented Baylor defense, it was the Oklahoma defense that rose up time after time to get a stop....

Jones is scheduled to be executed on Friday for the 1999 carjacking and killing of businessman Paul Howell. However, Jones insists he is innocent, claiming he was framed by his high school friend Christopher Jordan. Jordan was a co-defendant who testified against Jones. He served 15 years in prison and is free today. According to the Innocence Project, Jordan claims he was only the “getaway driver.” The Associated Press reported that Jones’ mother, Madeline Davis-Jones, met with House Democrats at the Capitol before walking over to Stitt’s office....

On Sunday, the No. 3 seed Sooners (24-10) held onto a 72-66 win over No. 11 seed Dayton (27-9) in their Round of 32 game of the NCAA Tournament East Region. MORE: UNC putting it all together | For Duke, ’eight is enough’ | Atkins critical of UVA Despite having a much-shorter road trip to in-state Columbus, the Flyers couldn’t pull off back-to-back weekend upsets. Oklahoma vigorously carried the torch for the Big 12, which has had a disappointing run so far in the NCAA Tournament....

That’s the nightmare phone call for any child of a frail parent. While tussling with your job, your children or both, you can’t shake the fear that your parent needs more help. A fortunate few can dial an eldercare hot line, like Work/ Family Directions in Boston, Mass., or the Partnership Group in Lansdale, Pa. These firms contract with employers to help employees get the health and homemaker help that their aging parents need....

Little, a 6-6, 305-pound mountain of an 18-year-old man from Allen, Texas, says he’s always wanted to play in the SEC. MORE: SN All-Freshman team | All-Americans | Latest recruiting news “My dad always says the best conference is the SEC, so I want to play in the SEC,” Little told The Associated Press in October. Allen originally planned to stay in the Lone Star state and committed to Texas A&M to protect former high school teammate Kyler Murray, but withdrew his commitment in July....