The WSJ published a very thorough recounting of the false stories of Haitian immigrants eating pets, which has been amplified by both JD Vance and Donald Trump.


SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—City Manager Bryan Heck fielded an unusual question at City Hall on the morning of Sept. 9, from a staff member of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance. The staffer called to ask if there was any truth to bizarre rumors about Haitian immigrants and pets in Springfield.

“He asked point-blank, ‘Are the rumors true of pets being taken and eaten?’” recalled Heck. “I told him no. There was no verifiable evidence or reports to show this was true. I told them these claims were baseless.”

By then, Vance had already posted about the rumors to his 1.9 million followers on X. Yet he kept the post up, and repeated an even more insistent version of the claim the next morning.

That night, former President Donald Trump stood on a Philadelphia debate stage and shot the rumor into the stratosphere. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” he said to 67 million viewers. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating, the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in this country.”

The city has been bombarded by bomb threats, parents keeping their children home fearing their safety, white supremacist goons roaming the streets. The father of the child killed in a bus crash driven by a Haitian immigrant has begged Republican politicians, including Vance, to stop invoking his son's death for political gain.

And JD Vance knew from the beginning that these stories about Haitian immigrants were lies, and he went with it anyway. Truly disgusting, and especially mind-boggling that he would do this to his own constituents.

Reagan Merk goes off for career-highs of 19 kills and 21 digs.

BROOKLYN – Three Pirates collected double-doubles and senior Reagan Merk (Huntington Beach, Calif.) had career-highs of 19 kills and 21 digs as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team defeated LIU, 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 13-25, 25-20), on Tuesday.

Seton Hall has now won six of its last seven matches and picks up its first true road victory of the season.

Merk had a match-high 19 kills to go with 21 digs, three assists and two aces in a career-best performance. Senior Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) tallied a team-high 27 assists, 14 digs, three kills, three blocks and two aces. Freshman Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) added 14 assists and a career-high 16 digs.

Sophomore Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) led The Hall and matched her career-high with 24 digs.

SET 1:
Although close early, Seton Hall never trailed in the opening set. Leading 12-10, The Hall scored three of the next four points and forced an early LIU timeout. Back-to-back blocks by Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkiye) put the Pirates on top, 22-16. A kill by Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) capped a 25-19 first set victory. The Hall held LIU to a .000 attack percentage in set one.

SET 2:
In set two, The Hall raced out to a 8-2 lead as LIU had trouble with its serve/receive. Four of The Hall's first eight points were on aces, three of which came from Subasili. Trailing 15-12, LIU scored five of the next six points to grab its first lead of the match, 18-16. With LIU leading, 22-20, back-to-back kills by Grace Turner (La Grange Highlands, Ill.) and Klungel tied the score at 22 and LIU took a timeout. Out of the break, The Hall scored the last three points, and a service ace by Mason Woo (Burbank, Calif.) won the second set for The Hall, 25-22.

SET 3:
Seton Hall never led in set three and had only a -.053 attack percentage. A kill by Merk cut The Hall's deficit to 15-9, but LIU responded with a 7-2 run to grab a commanding 22-11 lead. The Sharks cruised to a 25-13 victory.

SET 4:
In between sets, The Hall arose from its third-set funk and jumped out to a 9-3 lead in set four. A kill by Turner put the Pirates up 16-10, but the Sharks responded with four straight points and forced a Seton Hall timeout. Leading 22-19, The Hall closed out the match with three of the final four points. A kill by Senna Roberts-Navarro (Honolulu, Hawaii) provided the clincher, 25-20. Merk had six kills, no attack errors and six digs in the fourth set alone.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Merk had career-highs of 19 kills and 21 digs to go with three assists and two aces.
• Klungel had a team-high 27 assists, 14 digs, three kills and two aces.
• Adler tallied 14 assists, a career-high 16 digs and two kills.
• Nelson matched her career-best with 24 digs to go with four assists.
• Graduate student Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) had 11 kills and three digs.
• Turner notched seven kills, no attack errors, and a .467 attack percentage.
• Seton Hall recorded a .161 attack percentage for the match, while LIU attacked at .154.
• The Pirates had 52 kills, while Long Island had 41.
• The Hall recorded 94 digs, while the Sharks had 90.
• Seton Hall collected 6.0 blocks and LIU had 10.5.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The Hall improves to 6-4 on the season, while LIU drops to 1-9.
• Seton Hall is now 10-3 all-time against the Sharks.
• Despite Seton Hall's 6-4 record, the Pirates won the opening set for only the third time this season. However, The Hall is 5-1 in the fourth set this year.
• The Pirates' 13 points in set three are the fewest they've scored in a single-set this season.
• Merk's double-double is her team-leading fourth of the season.
• Klungel's double-double is her second of the season and the sixth of her career.
• Adler's double-double is the second of her career.
• Seton Hall's last five matches have all been four-set affairs (4-1).
• Nelson has now reached 20 digs in a single match four times this season.
• The Pirates are 6-0 when having a higher attack percentage.
• It's the first time this season that three Pirates have recorded double-doubles in the same match. The last time they accomplished the feat was on Aug. 26, 2023 at UC Irvine.
• Seton Hall's 94 team digs are a season-high and the most during the head coach Shannon Thompson era.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, September 21 when they make the short trip to the Bronx for a match at Fordham. Its start is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

LOS live thread. so far this isn't as bad as i expected. plenty of time left for that.

trump is more compelling because its talk about economy. harris public speaking is fine. neither of them have a plan.

funny part was trumps first answer was great until he looked up and broke script and went on a rant about illegals and mental institutions. he just has to stay on script.

South Orange, N.J. - The No. 13 ranked Seton Hall men's soccer team is seeking its first 6-0-0 start to a season since 1986 Saturday night when it hosts Harvard at Owen T. Carroll Field at 6:56 p.m.

The game is free for all to attend, and it will be broadcast on the Pirate Sports Network via FloSports, which requires a subscription. A discounted subscription is available through this link.

This is just the second all-time meeting between the two teams, who battled to a 1-1 tie last year in Boston.


MOVING UP IN THE RANKINGS

• Seton Hall took a huge leap in the Sept. 10 United Soccer Coaches top-25, going from No. 22 to No. 13. It is the largest in-season leap in the polls the Pirates have made since going from No. 24 to No. 13 in September 1998.
• In head coach Andreas Lindberg's tenure, Seton Hall appeared in the United Soccer Coaches top-25 seven times during the 2020 season, reaching as high as No. 6. Then Seton Hall spent four weeks in the national rankings during 2021.
• The Pirates are one of two BIG EAST teams in the current top-25, joining No. 25 Georgetown.

WIN OVER RUTGERS

• On Monday, the Pirates went to Piscataway and gave Rutgers the blues in a 3-1 victory over the Scarlet Knights.
• Seton Hall capitalized on Rutgers drawing a red card in the 24th minute, scoring twice before halftime. Liam Guske scored his first career goal in the 32nd minute off passes from Axel Berglund and Sam Bjork. Tim Strobeck connected on a goal in the 41st minute, assisted by Jack Kossoudji and Til Kauschke.
• After Rutgers scored off a Pirates mistake in the 73rd minute, Jared Smith helped put the game away in the 89th minute with an empty net goal off a pass from Aidan Tisony.
• It was the first time Seton Hall and Rutgers had met since 2009, and it was The Hall's first win in the series since 2007.
• This was also Seton Hall's first road win at Rutgers since Sept. 15, 2006, and the eighth all-time win in Piscataway.
• Before beating Rutgers, Seton Hall's last true road win over a Big Ten team came Sept. 8, 1995, a 2-1 victory at No. 12 Penn State.

SHARING THE WEALTH

• Seton Hall has shown outstanding depth so far in its five matches:
  • Eight different players have scored a goal
  • Eight different players have assisted on a goal
  • 14 different players have put a shot on goal
  • Both goalkeepers who have played have recorded a clean sheet
  • Five different players have earned a BIG EAST weekly honor

SELLWOOD & JENSEN HONORED

• Thomas Sellwood, who is a sophomore academically but a redshirt freshman athletically after sitting out 2023, was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal in Seton Hall's 2-0 win over Columbia. Sellwood delivered his first career goal in the 32nd minute in the 2-0 win over Columbia.
• Soren Jensen, a graduate transfer from Post University, was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week after making seven saves in the 2-0 win over Columbia. All seven of Jensen's stops came in the second half, and it gave him his first Div. I clean sheet.

SERIES HISTORY

• Seton Hall and Harvard competed on Sept. 9, 2023, and the Pirates led for just under 80 minutes of action. Andrea Borg scored in the 10th minute to put the Pirates up 1-0, but in the 90th minute, with just 29 seconds on the clock, Harvard equalized on a goal from Nik White, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
• It's the only match ever played between the two teams.
• Seton Hall is 39-26-11 (.599) all-time against members of the Ivy League.

OPENING SUCCESS

• With its win at FIU, Seton Hall has now won its season opener under head coach Andreas Lindberg for the fifth time in seven tries, and the Pirates are unbeaten in all seven (5-0-2).
• With their win over UAlbany, the Pirates are also now 5-0-2 in their home openers under Lindberg and have not lost a home opener since 2016.

By SAM LANCE


Class of 2025 prospect Lino Mark has recently completed two official visits to USC (Sept. 6-8) and Seton Hall (Sept. 9-11). He broke down both of his trips to ZAGSBLOG via text:

USC: “The USC visit was a lot of fun and a great way to communicate and feel out the team and the staff. [Eric] Musselman’s message was that he believes I fit into what he’s building at USC.

Seton Hall: “Seton Hall was a great experience to feel out the team and environment. The staff does a great job already to make it known that they want me and see me to have a very successful career there. Only great vibes from Seton Hall and much respect to the coaching staff and coach Shaheen [Holloway] for the love they gave my family and I.”

Mark — the 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from Notre Dame Sherman Oaks (CA) and the Oakland Soldiers AAU program — is currently down to eight schools. LMU, Rutgers, Seton Hall, TCU, UCSB, USC, Utah and West Virginia made the final cut.

He has taken an official visit to LMU (Aug. 25-26) and visits to all of his other finalists are set in stone. Mark’s upcoming schedule is as follows: Rutgers (Sept. 18-19), West Virginia (Sept. 20-22), Utah (Sept. 27-29), TCU (Oct. 4-6) and UCSB (Oct. 8-10).

Mark previously broke down some of those options to ZAGSBLOG at Peach Jam.

Mark is ranked the No. 123 overall prospect by 247Sports and the No. 13 player in the state of California. He attends Notre Dame Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles and will play there with 2026’s No. 1 prospect Tyran Stokes next season.

“I’m hoping we can win Peach and then win State,” Mark said at Peach Jam. “Thats a big deal.”

The Soldiers ended up falling to Nightrydas Elite, 71-62, in the Peach championship game. For the tournament, Mark averaged 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists while playing 17.1 minutes per contest.


Follow Sam Lance on Twitter

By Christian Arnold

Authorities in Connecticut have arrested and charged a 40-year-old Oregon man with stalking and harassing UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers.

Robert Cole Parmalee was served an arrest warrant Friday by UConn police while he was at Hartford Correctional Center and held on $100,000 bond after appearing in court on Monday, ESPN reported.

Parmalee was officially charged with breach of peace, electronic stalking and harassment.

UConn became aware of Parmalee in June after the school’s communications department had received “rambling” emails where he claimed he was a member of the royal family and that he wanted to marry a member of UConn’s women’s basketball team, according to UConn Police.


Robert Cole Parmalee was arrested on Friday.

Parmalee allegedly made dozens of social media posts that reference Bueckers and allegedly made posts that appeared threatening in nature to the UConn hoops star, her friends and family.

In a post on his TikTok account, according to ESPN, he threatened to kill himself along with others “if I cannot live with a woman of my choosing,” seemingly referring to Bueckers.

Other posts on social media referenced Bueckers and it seemed that Parmalee posted fake wedding invites along with a picture of a diamond engagement ring.

Parmalee had originally been arrested on Aug. 27 by Connecticut State Police while he was walking on a limited-access highway near Bradley International Airport and told officers that he was on his way to see Bueckers.

WTNH reported that a UConn Police report stated, “During this interaction, Parmelee declared that he had fathered >17K children and was going to see Paige [UCONN WBB Player Paige Bueckers].”



State police arrested Parmalee after it came back that he was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Oregon and he was facing extradition back to the state when UConn learned that the state had planned to dismiss the charges, according to ESPN.

Judge Rick Rubino issued a protective order against Parmalee during Monday’s court appearance.

“You cannot assault, threaten, abuse, harass, follow, interfere with or stalk that person,” Rubino told Parmalee in court.

Parmalee will be due back in court on Oct. 22.

He was represented by public defender Katie Mallach, who told the court that UConn had officially trespassed Parmalee and that he would follow the order.

She did take exception to the electronic stalking charge, telling the court that it requires an intent to kill, injure, harass or intimidate a person, and I don’t see any of that in the warrant or in the police report.”

Bueckers had told authorities, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant application, that Parmalee had started sending her videos on Instagram in February and the UConn women’s basketball star told university police that she worried about the safety for herself, her teammates and family.

I didn't see the source of the report that was done mentioned.... It's based on “A 2014 academic journal found that 6.4% of noncitizens voted in 2008" ..... But....who is OK with any illegals voting?
We need voter registration rules that help to protect the integrity of our elections.

Pete Thamel, ESPN


Air Force has emerged as a serious target to be added to the American Athletic Conference, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Air Force had been referenced in conversations as a potential AAC add in recent months, prior to the Pac-12 taking four Mountain West Conference schools last week.

The AAC released a statement Monday night saying the league "is a pioneering brand, firmly grounded in grit and hard work, with powerful and prestigious member institutions. In the past five months, we have prioritized seizing every opportunity that enhances value for our member institutions and student-athletes."

"Whether through private capital, naming rights, innovative partnerships, or realignment, we have proactively assessed each opportunity, and are prepared to collaboratively take action-steps, to be at the forefront of success and sustainability," the statement read.

The AAC has 14 football schools this season, including Army and Navy. The league does not have any programs in this week's AP Top 25, but 3-0 Memphis, which defeated Florida State on Saturday, received the most votes (77) of all unranked teams.

Associated Press

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said the newly rebuilt Pac-12 will look to add at least two more schools for 2026 as quickly as possible.

"I think John Wooden said it, 'Let's be quick but don't hurry,'" Barnes said Saturday. "Get it right, but it's in our best interest to move as quickly as we can."

The Conference of Champions, which collapsed with the departure of 10 of its teams, announced Thursday a new incarnation with four teams from the Mountain West joining Oregon State and Washington.

The revived Pac-12, with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State, will launch in 2026. But the league needs to have at least eight teams to qualify for automatic inclusion into NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff.

Asked whether the conference had seen any teams express interest in joining in the 48 hours after the realignment announcement, Barnes stated simply: "Bunches."

Barnes spoke before the rivalry game between Oregon State and former conference foe Oregon, which jumped to the Big Ten this season. He said the league could potentially add more than just the two schools needed to reach the NCAA and CFP thresholds.

"It's a lot like the processes we used to bring these foundational members in, in that the criteria will be very similar. We've already started in earnest with our first meeting yesterday to look at the landscape. There is great interest in this very early stage," Barnes said.

"I would love to see this wrapped up as soon as possible," he added. "But certainly we want to get it right. These are long-term, historic decisions that we're making, and we'll take enough time to make sure we've got the right new members. But the sooner we can move forward the better."

With just two active schools, the Pac-12 is taking advantage of NCAA rules that allow for a two-year grace period. Currently, the Beavers and the Cougars have a football scheduling agreement in place for this season with the Mountain West, giving them six opponents each from the league to fill out their schedule. The agreement does not extend beyond this season.

Part of that deal included millions of dollars in additional fees for the Pac-12 if it poached Mountain West schools. All told, the Mountain West Conference could reap $110 million because of the shake-up.

Bethlehem, Pa. - The Seton Hall women's tennis team kicked off Fall 2024 with a bang, notching wins over host Lehigh and Army West Point over the weekend at the Lehigh Hidden Duals, conducted at the Lewis Indoor Tennis Center.

On Saturday, the Pirates bested Lehigh in doubles and Army West Point in singles and then on Sunday defeated Lehigh in singles and dropped doubles to the Black Knights.

"I'm incredibly pleased with how our girls played in our first invitational of the season," said head coach James Enzler. "We came out Saturday focused and played incredibly from start to finish. Everyone contributed in one way or another, which is all we look to do every match. I was really happy to see Stage [Anastasia Sereda] pick up right where she left off at the end of last year. Her boost in confidence from last year to this year is very apparent on the court, and I believe played a larger part in her success this weekend. I was also very impressed with how Ellie [Coe] played in her first collegiate competition; she hit incredibly well and looked very comfortable on the court."

Seton Hall swept doubles against Lehigh for a great start. Anastasia Sereda and Isabelle Einess notched a win at No. 1, 7-6(7), over Hamsa Javagal and Alina Shyani. Rachel Benoualid and Isabelle May teamed up at No. 2 to score a 6-3 win over Allyce Gaborik and Hannah Letzer. Ellie Coe and Niamh Campbell were partners at No. 3 and secured a 7-5 victory over Ronit Khromchenko and Skye Yonehara. Imogen Brooker and Arabella Moen topped Bella Peters and Giselle Vlassis at No. 4, 6-0.

Seton Hall's top four singles players all beat their Army West Point foes to secure a win. Sereda battled back from a one-set deficit to win a third-set tiebreaker at No. 1, defeating Cooper Jackson, 3-6, 6-2, 1-0(5). Brooker topped Jenna Sabile in straight sets at No. 2, 6-2, 6-3. Einess, was dominant at No. 3 against Julia Kelly, 6-1, 6-2. And Ellie Coe was strong against Madison Smith at No. 4, winning 6-4, 7-5. Both Einess and Coe were making their collegiate debuts.

Sereda and Coe both defeated their Lehigh foes on Sunday, with Sereda knocking off Maggie Forkner at No. 1, 6-3, 6-1, and Coe taking down Gaborik, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 4.

May defeated Khromchenko at No. 6, 6-4, 6-2, while Benoualid defeated Letzer, 6-0, 6-0, and Campbell won over Peters, 6-0, 6-0.

Seton Hall is back in action Sept. 27-29 at the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Md.

I always appreciate when someone posts an obituary about a Pirate diehard. This one is my godfather, who graduated in 1966. Maybe some here knew him. Great guy, lived a full life, and was ecstatic about the NIT championship this past season.

I did not have him and I can’t say I knew him but he taught at the Hall and has an obituary all of us would be proud to have written about us. I came across this on another site

There is no school on the table to join the Pac-12 that would bring more positive feedback and a bigger boost than the Bulldogs​

Butler is targeting Pacers assistant Connor McCaffery to fill Oden's rather large shoes​

https://www.cbssports.com/writers/kyle-boone/
By Kyle Boone

Butler assistant coach Greg Oden, a former No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, told The Indianapolis Star he is leaving the Bulldogs. Oden was one of the first hires made by Thad Matta, Oden's coach when he played at Ohio State, after he took over the Bulldogs in 2022.

It's not yet clear where Oden will be headed, but Butler is reportedly targeting a familiar name to fill his position in Connor McCaffery, who is an assistant coach with the local Indiana Pacers. McCaffery's current gig with the Pacers is roughly a 20-minute drive from Hinkle Fieldhouse.

McCaffery has been with the Pacers for just over one year after spending six years playing at Iowa under his father, Fran McCaffery. Should he leave for the Bulldogs, he'd have the opportunity to coach his younger brother, Patrick, who is entering his first year with the program after transferring from Iowa, and also have a chance to stay close to girlfriend Caitlin Clark, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.

The McCaffery's youngest brother, Jack, is also committed to Butler as a 2025 recruit. He's ranked inside the top 150 players in his class and chose the Bulldogs early this year over options that included Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Oden was originally hired to Matta's staff in April 2022 as the director of basketball operations before being elevated into an assistant coaching role in conjunction with the NCAA's expansion of on-court instructors. He also has previous experience at his alma mater, Ohio State, where he served as graduate assistant during the 2021-22 season under then-coach Chris Holtmann.

Oden was selected No. 1 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft before a series of knee injuries ultimately cut short his promising career. He was the Naismith Player of the Year for the Buckeyes in his one-and-done season, where he averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and helped lead the team to the national championship game.