Champaign, IL

Columbus, OH

Experts and analysts at 247Sports submit their ballots for the nation's top teams ahead of the 2024 season. The race to college football's expanded playoff begins. That's right — the 2024 season finally arrives and with it comes updated preseason top 25 rankings. National analysts each submitted new ballots with notable changes from previous post-spring polls.

College football rankings: Preseason top-25 poll arrives ahead of training camp

Los Angeles, CA

247Sports

We got our first look at USC's brand new turf field early Friday morning during the opening periods of Trojan football fall camp practice No. 1. Here are the sights and sounds from the open portion of practice, showing the team waï¿½

Sights and Sounds from USC fall practice No. 1

Chicago, IL

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Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

Alabama State

Durham, NC

Former Alabama walk-on cornerback Terrance Howard, who was part of the Tide's 2023 team, died Thursday from injuries sustained in a car accident last month. Howard played high school football in Missouri City, Texas and spent last season as a freshman walk-on at Alabama. He entered the transfer portal in April and committed in May to transfer to North Carolina Central University.

Former Alabama walk-on cornerback dies in North Carolina days after car accident

South Carolina State

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Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

Swift Ford

Team USA has been struggling to dominate the Paris Olympics, with a slow start on day three. After claiming two gold medals and seven overall on Sunday, the US failed to capture any gold medals on Monday, dropping them down in the standings. Team USA captured six bronze medals and two silver medals - eight overall, but no golds.

Team USA fails to win a single gold medal on day three at Paris Olympics.

Illinois State

MOD Pizza has over 500 locations across the country with 22 restaurants in Illinois. The Washington-based chain offers fast-casual fare known for its customized, artisan-style pizzas. Customers can choose from over 40 toppings and 8 sauces to create their own masterpiece.

Bankruptcy Looms for Major Pizza Chain With Chicago Suburban Locations

Kentucky State

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Northern Kentucky Tribune

The Kentucky Secretary of State on Friday announced 14,502 Kentuckians registered to vote in July. “Kentuckians are signing up to vote in big numbers, because they trust the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary of State Michael Adams.

Kentucky voter registrations increased by more than 14,500 in July, the most since 2022

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, General Manager Player Personnel Mark Pantoni, and the Ohio State staff are continuing to work hard on their 2025 recruiting class. They currently have 24 class of 2025 commitments for a class that is the country's No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

A rundown on uncommitted Ohio State 2025 recruits and flip targets

Montana State

Mililani, HI

Mililani (Hawaii) receiver Onosa'i Salanoa has four offers. Salanoa has offers from Air Force, Army, Nevada and Washington State. But two of those offers stand out to him. "The offers that stand out to me are Nevada and Army," said Salanoa. "Army and Nevada are schools that are recruiting me hard."

Quartet of schools being eyed by WR Onosa’i Salanoa

Missouri State

CJ Coombs

Denny's was once a staple of the American diner landscape. In recent years, it has had its ups and downs, especially post-pandemic. The dining habits of people also change. Some customers have a more discerning taste.

Denny's: a legacy of serving customers for over 65 years including 27 locations in Missouri

Tennessee State

Nashville, TN

Nothing in the recruiting process truly becomes official until National Signing Day — or at least the first day of the Early Signing Period — when recruits are allowed to sign binding National Letters of Intent with the schools of their choice. As of Thursday, though, college football teams now are able to put their scholarship offers to Class of 2025 prospects in writing.

Tennessee football targets, commitments show off official offers from Vols

Town Talks

With the removal of hemp from North Carolina's controlled substances list in June 2022, many residents have turned to legal hemp-based CBD and delta-8 THC products for various treatments.

Is it legal to bring cannabis products from another state to North Carolina? Here's what the law say

Georgia State

Tallahassee, FL

Daily Coffee Press

The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a now 13-year-old girl who went missing from Florida last year and has ties to Georgia and Tennessee. A $15,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that can lead to her location.

FBI Investigating Disappearance of 12-Year-Old Girl Who Has Ties to Georgia

Florida State

Akeena

Wow, that's a tough situation for UKG employees in Florida. Imagine gearing up for a holiday weekend and then getting blindsided with news of massive layoffs. It's not just the number—2,200 employees, which is 14% of their workforce—but also how abruptly it was done, right before the Fourth of July.

Thousands of workers in Florida laid off by a major company

Austin, TX

The Texas Longhorns returned to Frank Denius Fields on Wednesday afternoon for the first fall camp practice of the 2024 season. Coming off a College Football Playoff berth in 2023, it's been over a decade since expectations have been this high around the football program in Austin, and for good reason. The Longhorns return their star quarterback Quinn Ewers, who returns behind four offensive line starters from last year's team. The Longhorns also signed one of the top Transfer Portal classes in the nation, bringing in experienced difference makers in Isaiah Bond, Trey Moore, Matthew Golden, Silas Bolden, Bill Norton, and Andrew Mukuba amongst others.

Photos: Texas football fall camp practice No. 1 & 2

Lubbock, TX

Texas Tech picked up a commitment from 2025 three-star defensive back Braylan McDonald, who was originally pledged to Washington State. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound defensive back out of Lancaster (TX) decommitted from Washington State on Thursday and then announced his pledge to the Red Raiders a day later. The Red Raiders...

Commit! 2025 DB Braylan McDonald commits to Texas Tech

Denver, CO

David Heitz

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Urbana, IL

Savoy, IL

Bondville, IL

Philo, IL

Tolono, IL

Thomasboro, IL

Seymour, IL

Mahomet, IL

Sidney, IL

Sadorus, IL

Pesotum, IL

Dewey, IL

Fisher, IL

Ogden, IL

Rantoul, IL

White Heath, IL

Royal, IL

Ivesdale, IL

NewsBreak

Illini secondary aims to bounce back from disappointing 2023: 'I think they've got a chip on their shoulder'

CHAMPAIGN — After a disappointing defensive season, Illinois football used the transfer portal this offseason to improve both the talent and experience in its secondary, the...

Illini secondary aims to bounce back from disappointing 2023: 'I think they've got a chip on their shoulder'

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