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Michael "Griff" Griffin , Houston's perennial candidate for City Council, admitted the unspeakable over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. The Don Quixote of local politics recognized that he probably would lose his 10th campaign. If that really did happen, he said after pressing the flesh during a pasta lunch a few weeks ago, he would return to his day job as a private investigator and abandon any hope of ever winning political office. Tuesday night, Griffin's gloomy prediction came true. In a field of 10 candidates, he came in sixth. Election Day 2011 was Griff's last run. "It's my fault," Griffin said. "They say you're a joke if you don't spend at least $100,000. I only spent $12,000 - $10,000 of my own and another $2,000 from supporters. I just don't like to ask for money." Griffin watched the election returns from his usual spot, Griff's, the Montrose pub and sports bar that he used to own. He and a few loyal pals kept tabs on his particular race - At Large Position … [Read more...] about Griff’s last run: Perennial candidate loses 10th and final time

Listen to this article The eight-time world champion produced a dominant performance on the Monte Carlo’s famous asphalt roads to take a comfortable 18.8s victory from reigning world champion and Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera. Ogier’s triumph makes him the most successful driver in the famous event’s history, as the 39-year-old pulled one victory clear of nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb’s record at the rally. It was also the first WRC win for Ogier’s new co-driver Vincent Landais . "It's huge,” said Ogier when asked to explain what the victory means. "I love this rally. It's the one which gave me the dream right at the beginning and I am so happy for Vincent [Landais]. "For me it's nice, but for him it's a dream to take his first win. "We still need to enjoy these moments and that's why we are still here [in the WRC], to catch some victories like this. To win a famous one like Monte has no price. “It means a lot. This rally is the rally for me. For … [Read more...] about Ogier: Priceless record Monte Carlo WRC win will take time to sink in

(BPT) - On January 28, countries worldwide observe Data Privacy Day, to raise awareness and promote data privacy and best practices. As people across the globe increasingly use online accounts as part of their everyday life, data privacy and security is more important than ever. Ring, known for its Video Doorbell and other smart home security devices, has tips to help protect your personal devices, accounts and information. 1. Create unique passwords — Use unique passwords for your various online accounts. Do not reuse username and passwords across multiple accounts. 2. Use a password manager — Consider using a password manager to help you safely store all your passwords. Password managers are available as standalone apps and as extensions to popular browsers like Safari or Chrome. 3. Take advantage of two-step verification — Though it may add a little time to your login process, this additional layer of verification provides enhanced security to your online … [Read more...] about 5 ways to help protect your online information and accounts

Listen to this article As is traditional, let’s start with those who didn’t make our Top 10. In this IndyCar era of preposterously fine margins and compact seasons, it’s all too easy for teams to take wrong turns down development avenues and run out of time – and test days – to reverse, reset, restore their former competitiveness, and haul in good helpings of points. That’s what made Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda’s midseason 180 so impressive. Suddenly Graham Rahal was contending for top fives instead of top 10s, and rookie Christian Lundgaard was qualifying in the top six, and able to claim a runner-up finish in the IMS road course’s second race. As in the first half of the year, Lundgaard made a couple more mistakes than his veteran teammate, largely due to inexperience, so while he earned IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year award, he didn’t make the top 10 in the championship, nor does he quite make our Top 10. Interestingly, however, at the very last race of the … [Read more...] about Ranked! Top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2022

Listen to this article Gasly signed for Alpine in the wake of Fernando Alonso ’s exit to Aston Martin and the team’s failure to secure Oscar Piastri ’s services following a ruling by F1’s Contract Recognition Board. It marked the first F1 move outside of the Red Bull umbrella for Gasly, who has spent the entirety of his F1 career with AlphaTauri and its predecessor, Toro Rosso, with the exception of a 12-race stint for the senior Red Bull team in early 2019. Gasly led the team to only the second victory in its history at Monza in 2020 before helping it secure its biggest F1 points haul to date the following year. The Frenchman has previously spoken of the comfort he felt within the small, family atmosphere at Faenza, and conceded that it was “for sure” one of the hardest things to give up. “Looking at a career, you need to be quite pragmatic,” Gasly told Motorsport.com. “I know where I want to go, I know what I want to achieve in Formula 1. You’ve got to … [Read more...] about Gasly had to “put emotions aside” in decision to leave AlphaTauri F1

In the F1 news this week there are fresh concerns over the banning of traction control this year. Plus more reviews of 2007 and more debate over who was the best driver of the year – which invariably boils down to a discussion about two drivers: Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. All this and more in the weekly round-up of the F1 news. Drivers move to quell wet weather fears – Concerns over racing in the wet following the ban on traction control. Heidfeld: TC ban to make races ‘more thrilling’ – But Nick Heidfeld is positive about the traction control ban . Schumacher turned down Ferrari role – Michael Schumacher spurned the chance to become sporting director at Ferrari late last year. Chinese GP executive jailed – One of the men behind the Shanghai International Circuit is imprisoned for embezzlement. Mercedes slammed for driver policy – Michael Bartels criticises Mercedes for failing to promote German talent. Thoughts as the new year beckons – … [Read more...] about F1 news review: Traction control debate · RaceFans

Houston Texans fans hoping the team will take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick should be feeling good after some notable NFL draft news emerged Monday morning. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud —a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist who threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions over the last two years—announced via social media that he is declaring for the NFL draft. Stroud, along with Alabama's Bryce Young , is largely viewed as one of the top two quarterback prospects in this year's class. Proverbs 3:5,6 pic.twitter.com/FdA2ftqQFJ — CJ Stroud (@CJ7STROUD) January 16, 2023 Stroud's decision came on the final day for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft, allowing the quarterback-hungry segment of the Texans faithful to breathe a sigh of relief. With Houston falling out of the top pick on the final day of the regular season, there is understandable concern that a team will trade up to take a signal-caller with the Chicago … [Read more...] about What C.J. Stroud declaring for NFL draft means for Houston Texans

Listen to this article On the positive side, its revamped Renault E-Tech RE22 power unit locked in both a decent step forward in horsepower, but also a compact design that helped with the packaging of the A522 car to help improve its aerodynamics. But the quest to make aggressive gains was not without its downsides. Too many times Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon would find points opportunities evaporate thanks to engine failures. By the end of the year, it was no surprise to find Alonso especially unhappy about just how much trouble he had faced and the price he had paid personally for it. "I think it was around minus 50 [points], so now we have another eight," he said after the heartbreak of his exit from the Mexican GP. "So it's minus 58 points or minus 60 in a year, which is really unacceptable on my car." But despite the difficult moments that at times made it look like Renault had got things badly wrong, the truth of its situation was instead one of … [Read more...] about Why Alpine felt risk of extreme F1 engine push was worth it

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 At a time of rising, record-high energy costs in Connecticut, Republican minority leaders in the General Assembly on Tuesday proposed several new laws aimed at cutting consumer bills, providing more oversight of utility companies, and planning for the future. During an afternoon news conference in the Legislative Office Building, the GOP lawmakers said they want to remove as many as 15 consumer fees and taxes that had been enacted through legislative policies. Under the plans, those costs, totally $280 million a year would revert to the state budget, saving the average family about $210 a year at a time when the average monthly bill is about $173. "The question is, can we do better?" said Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, detailing the hardship being felt by the elderly, single-parent families and others. "These are essential services families need just to get by." … [Read more...] about CT legislators pitching relief plans as energy costs soar: ‘The question is, can we do better?’