and indications are that it could be another bad one. With more and more homes being built in the interface of forest/open land/wilderness, the protection of those homes becomes tougher. We took a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday and the amount of grass now visible in forested areas is worrisome.
Invasive grasses were the critical non native element in the destructive fires in Hawaii.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/21/climate/wildfire-grass-risk-west-us/index.html
CNN —
A ubiquitous, resilient and seemingly harmless plant is fueling an increase in large, fast-moving and destructive wildfires in the United States.

Grass is as plentiful as sunshine, and under the right weather conditions is like gasoline for wildfires: All it takes is a spark for it to explode.

Planet-warming emissions are wreaking havoc on temperature and precipitation, resulting in larger and more frequent fires. Those fires are fueling the vicious cycle of ecological destruction that are helping to make grass king.

Four-star TE Hollis Davidson decommitted from...

The Wells Fargo Championship, a Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule, will bring almost all the TOUR’s best to Quail Hollow Club.
While Scottie Scheffler – still awaiting baby No. 1 – is the only eligible player not scheduled to tee it up this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, the rest of the field consists of the TOUR’s top talent including those who earned their way via the Aon Next 10 and the Aon Swing 5.
We are set for another dramatic week with the 69-player field sprinting to the finish – trying to navigate the tricky "Green Mile" stretch, to boot – with the winner earning 700 FedExCup points.
With a reinvigorated Rory McIlroy going for his fourth win here and Wyndham Clark set to defend his first title, it’s set to be a great week.
Here’s everything you need to know as the TOUR returns to Charlotte.
Editor's note:Ludvig Åberg announced his withdrawal from the Wells Fargo Championship on Monday afternoon.
FIELD NOTES: McIlroy returns to a course where he’s had plenty of success, and once again with momentum. McIlroy teamed up with Shane Lowry (also in the field) to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two weeks ago and has made Quail Hollow a home away from home. It’s the only TOUR event he’s won three times… Last year’s winner, Clark, returns to the Wells Fargo Championship looking to become the first man to ever go back-to-back. Clark captured the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this season… Max Homa is looking to continue his fine form at Quail Hollow. Homa finished T8 a year ago, and he’s won two of the previous four editions of this event. Homa and McIlroy are the only multiple champions of the Wells Fargo. Homa also went 4-0-0 at the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in 2022… Viktor Hovland returns to action for the first time since missing the cut at the Masters. Hovland’s best result at Quail Hollow came in 2021 when he finished T3… Scheffler is the only eligible player electing not to tee it up at the Wells Fargo Championship as he and wife Meredith are awaiting the arrival of their first child… The latest TOUR winner, Taylor Pendrith, returns to Quail Hollow after playing in the Presidents Cup in 2022. He qualified for this week via the Aon Swing 5 after breaking through for his first TOUR title at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Quail Hollow resident Webb Simpson will tee it up at his local TOUR event. He’s finished second and fourth at this event… Gary Woodland continues his comeback after brain surgery at the end of last year. He finished 14th the last time he teed it up at Quail Hollow and had a career-high fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2015… Adam Scott has had a steady 2024 campaign with five top-25 finishes in eight starts. He finished fifth the last time he teed it up at the Wells Fargo Championship… Nine-time TOUR winner Matt Kuchar, whose career-best at Quail Hollow is a T23, rounds out the sponsor exemptions.
SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: Wells Fargo is the sixth Signature Event on the 2024 PGA TOUR schedule… Kevin Tway, who finished No. 154 on last year’s FedExCup Fall standings – meaning he'd compete on Past Champion status in 2024 – took full advantage of the chance provided by the Aon Swing 5 over the last few weeks. He finished third at the Corales Puntacana Championship (after getting in on his number), partnered with Kelly Kraft for a T11 at the Zurich Classic, and finished ninth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. He outlasted Chad Ramey, Wesley Bryan and Martin Trainer for the fifth spot… Pendrith (winner of THE CJ CUP), Ben Kohles, Billy Horschel and Alex Noren rounded out the Aon Swing 5… No player moved inside the Aon Next 10 at THE CJ CUP with Ludvig Åberg, Matthieu Pavon, Lowry, Stephan Jaeger, Will Zalatoris, Akshay Bhatia, Jake Knapp, Justin Thomas, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Austin Eckroat the qualifiers there… The next Signature Event on the TOUR schedule is the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The next round of the Aon Swing 5 kick-starts this week at the Myrtle Beach Classic, played alongside the Wells Fargo Championship.
COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: Thanks to his T4 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Byeong Hun An moved up one spot in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 to No. 8, with Pavon moving into the No. 9 spot… There was no other movement in the TOUR TOP 10 with Scheffler continuing his stranglehold on the top… Last year’s winner of the Wells Fargo Championship, Clark, remains No. 2… Pendrith’s win at THE CJ CUP saw the Canadian move to No. 34 in the standings… An and Chris Kirk remain the only players who have been in the TOUR TOP 10 every week so far this season.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 700 FedExCup points.
COURSE: Quail Hollow Club, par 71, 7,558 yards. After last year’s Wells Fargo Championship, the club closed for a few months for a renovation to prepare for this year’s TOUR event and next year’s PGA Championship. The club redid all the tees and greens, installed a new drainage system and, for the first time in 16 years, overhauled the bunkers. Laid out by George Cobb in the early 1960s, the club was re-worked by Tom Fazio as it prepared for the PGA Championship in 2017. Its "Green Mile" closing stretch (Nos. 16, 17, 18) continues to be one of the toughest on TOUR.
72-HOLE RECORD: 265, Clark (2023). McIlroy’s 21-under 267 in 2015 came when par for the course was 72.
18-HOLE RECORD: 61, McIlroy (Round 3, 2015).
LAST TIME: Clark won by four shots – and set the tournament scoring record in the process – for his maiden PGA TOUR title to kick-start an incredible run on the game’s biggest stages. Clark opened Sunday with a two-shot lead, surrendered it to Xander Schauffele after seven holes, and stormed back to play his final 11 holes in 4 under for the win. Clark finished at 19 under, four strokes clear of Schauffele. Clark was trending in the right direction heading into the week in Charlotte, having finished in the top six in three of his previous five tournaments. He would go on to win his first major, the U.S. Open, in June. Harris English and Tyrrell Hatton tied for third, with Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott sharing fifth place.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET):​

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
• Special programming alert: 'Live on the Range,' this Wednesday: Get up close and personal with your favorite PGA TOUR stars as they dial in their game ahead of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship during PGA TOUR Live's "On the Range." Tune in this Wednesday for expert analysis, Golfbet previews, DraftKings betting insights, player interviews and more.

PGA TOUR LIVE:
PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: Combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free on PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 12-6 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.

Congratulations again to last week's winner @Bobcat07


@Mrs BFT maintains overall season lead

Good Luck to everyone this week

California increased their minimum wage (along with New York). From the article: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance...ge-woes-are-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-nation/

Some workers will benefit, but many others will see their hours cut and benefits slashed or end up losing their jobs to compensate for the higher costs. Pizza Hut restaurants across the state are already planning on eliminating more than 1,200 delivery driver positions (a number that is likely to grow) in response. And in New York City, which just raised its minimum wage to $17.96 an hour last month, companies such as Uber and DoorDash are compensating by imposing higher delivery fees, and food delivery workers are seeing fewer tips and reduced hours and scheduling flexibility.

Plus, there will also be fewer jobs in the future, so many others will never get hired in the first place — and it will now be much more difficult for low-skill workers and those new to the job market to get jobs since they now must compete against workers with skills worth $20 an hour.

Automation, such as ordering kiosks, will increase and human-provided service will decrease. Less money will be left over for other innovations or investments in the business. Businesses that are already struggling to get by will close, leading to even more job losses.

How can this be considered progress? Even if some will make more money, numbers of jobs will decrease, prices will increase and in the end businesses will close. Maybe the smart states can use this as an example of what not to do.

The spring portal was supposed to be the most...

[URL...

Today is the NFL draft. Jaden Daniels is about...

Suggs had a good visit to FSU based on his...

FSU sports information:

Florida State All-American Lottie Woad is in second place in the individual standings, and the No. 4 seeded Seminoles are in second place in the team standings after the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Las Vegas Regional Championship at the Spanish Trail Country Club. The Seminoles have two golfers (Woad and senior Alice Hodge) in the top five of the individual standings as they play to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals for the eighth consecutive year under coach Amy Bond.

The top five teams, and the top individual not on an advancing team, after three rounds of play at each of the six NCAA regional championships will advance to the NCAA Championship Finals at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. (May 17-22). The Seminoles have advanced out of the regional stage to the championship finals stage in each of the last seven years the tournament has been held.

No. 2 seeded and No. 9 ranked Arkansas was a combined total of 14 under par with 13 birdies and one eagle on last five holes and took over the team lead from the Seminoles late in the round. The Razorbacks finished with an eight under par team total of 280. Arkansas leads Florida State by three strokes and Purdue by four strokes as play is set to begin in the second round on Tuesday. Kajal Mistry of Arkansas shot a career-low 6-under par score of 66 and leads Florida State’s Woad by one stroke in the individual standings.

“Each of the girls played really good golf today,” said Bond. “They made tremendous adjustments today as the wind blew in a completely different direction than it did in our practice round yesterday. We have to continue to play one round at a time and continue to play Florida State golf for the next two days.”

Woad, who was named ACC Golfer of the Year last week, continued her All-American season as she carded a 67 – her fifth consecutive below par collegiate round. She came within two strokes of tying her career low score of 65 – a total that also ranks as the lowest round in school history. Woad as now carded three consecutive rounds in the 60’s while playing in a collegiate event this spring and is 54 strokes under par for her entire 18-tournament career at Florida State.

Woad carded six of Florida State’s 17 birdies during the round as she began her second consecutive regional with a score of 67. She began the 2023 Raleigh Regional Championship with a 67 on her way to a tied for sixth place individual finish. In Monday’s first round, she birdied her first two holes, made the turn at 3-under, and birdied two of her final nine holes including her final hole to move to 5 under par.

Including Woad’s team-leading six birdies, the Seminoles totaled 17 birdies in the first round - second to only Arkansas’ total of 19 birdies. The six birdies by Woad ranks as the most in the first round by any of the 66 golfers in the regional field.

Hodge, meanwhile, is in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings with a 2-under par score of 70. She totaled four birdies and was never above par during the round. She was one under par with one birdie and eight holes played at par on her first nine and totaled three birdies after making the turn. Following a top-20 individual finish in the ACC Championship, Hodge has carded three of her last four rounds at par or better and is total of five strokes under par in her last three events.

With four birdies, Hodge tied for the fourth-highest total of birdies in the first round of play. She was also tied for the lowest cumulative score on the 10 par 4 holes on the course.

Senior Charlotte Heath and sophomore Mirabel Ting, two Seminoles who have earned All-American honors during their careers in Tallahassee, shot identical scores of 73 and are both tied for 19th place in the individual standings.

Florida State will play with Arkansas and Purdue as the top three teams in the standings in the second round. Sophomore Kathleen Cook is the first Seminole to tee off at 11 a.m. ET.

2024 NCAA Las Vegas Regional Championship/May 6-8, 2024

Spanish Trail Country Club/Las Vegas, Nevada/Par 72

2/12., Florida State, 283

2.-Lottie Woad, 67

T4.-Alice Hodge, 70

T18.-Charlotte Heath, 73

T18.-Mirabel Ting, 73

65.-Katherine Cook.-83


2024 NCAA Las Vegas Regional Championship/May 6-8, 2024

Spanish Trail Country Club/Las Vegas, Nevada/Par 72

1.-Arkansas, 280

2.-Florida State, 283

3.-Purdue, 284

4.-UCLA, 291

5.-Baylor, 292

T6.-Arizona, 294

T6.-Oklahoma, 294

8.-Colorado State, 298

T9-.California, 301

9.-Kent State, 301

T9-.California, 301

11.-Dartmouth, 302

12.-Xavier, 310

It would seem that gone are the days of the...

[URL='https://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...

The TOUR returns to Texas this week for THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch. Jason Day ended a five-year winless drought here last year. He’s back to defend, highlighting a field that also includes local favorites Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim and Will Zalatoris.
There’s a lot to play for this week at TPC Craig Ranch. It’s the last opportunity for players to qualify for the next Signature Event, the Wells Fargo Championship, via the Aon Swing 5 and Aon Next 10, and players also will be keeping an eye on the standings for the FedExCup, Olympics and Presidents Cup. With Day in the field alongside a strong contingent of Korean players who call Dallas home, the International Presidents Cup Team is gathering for another team-building dinner this week.
No matter what you’re playing for this week, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson is a perfect opportunity to make a big splash.
Here’s everything else you need to know as the TOUR returns to the Dallas metroplex.
FIELD NOTES: Jason Day returns to TPC Craig Ranch looking to go back-to-back. K.H. Lee repeated as champion in 2022-23. Day, who also won this event in 2010, has three top-10s so far this season… Jordan Spieth is the highest-ranked player in the world teeing it up at THE CJ CUP. Spieth finished runner-up here in 2022, finished T10 at the Valero Texas Open earlier this month and is hoping that a hometown event will kickstart his springtime. In his last five starts, He has three missed cuts (including at the Masters) and is coming off a wrist injury at the RBC Heritage… Tom Kim returns to action after a pair of solid results in his last two starts. He finished T30 at the Masters after shooting the low round of the day, a 66, in the final round. He also notched his second top-20 of the season at the RBC Heritage… Will Zalatoris will tee it up again as his comeback season continues after back surgery last year. Zalatoris has two top-five results in 2024, and it appears his top-tier ball striking has returned as he sits ninth in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green this season… Zalatoris and Spieth will be amongst the locals trying to break a long-standing curse, as no one Texan has won this event since Scott Verplank in 2007… Other notables to tee it up at TPC Craig Ranch include 2024 winners Jake Knapp, Nick Dunlap and Stephan Jaeger along with Adam Scott, Sungjae Im, Min Woo Lee and Byeong Hun An. An is one of just two players to be inside the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 every week so far this season.
SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Sixteen-year-old Kris Kim of England is set to make his TOUR debut. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) calls Kim “the outstanding teenage prospect in English men’s golf.” He went unbeaten in four matches at the Junior Ryder Cup last year in Rome –defeating phenom Miles Russell, 5 and 4, in Singles – and is a proven winner across the Atlantic. He is the son of former LPGA Tour player Ji-Hyun Suh… Former world No. 1 amateur Taiga Semikawa of Japan will make his fifth start on TOUR this season. Semikawa has found the weekend three times already in 2024 on TOUR. He’s a four-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour – including twice as an amateur. He also finished second on last year’s Order of Merit behind Keita Nakajima… David Nyfjall won the 2023 Byron Nelson Award from the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and Golf Coaches Association of America. The recipient, a graduating senior, is recognized for his achievement in the classroom, on the course and in his community. Nyfjall was the 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and won the 2022 Big Ten individual championship… Other sponsor exemptions were given to TOUR winners Cody Gribble, Jimmy Walker and Ryan Palmer… Kelly Kraft, Zecheng Dou and Austin Smotherman round out the sponsor invites.
SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson is the final event for players to qualify for next week’s Wells Fargo Championship, the next Signature Event on the calendar, via the Aon Swing 5 and Aon Swing 10… Fresh off his victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship, Billy Horschel remains atop the Aon Swing 5 but Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer – on the back of their playoff loss at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans – made significant moves onto the list. Trainer moved all the way from No. 65 to No. 4, while Ramey moved from No. 48 to No. 2… Wesley Bryan dropped one spot to No. 3 while Kevin Tway moved from No. 3 to No. 5… Peter Malnati was bumped from the Aon Next 10 with Shane Lowry’s victory alongside Rory McIlroy at TPC Louisiana. Lowry moved from No. 14 to No. 3 in the Aon Next 10 with the win.
COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: The whole of the TOUR TOP 10 remained the same after the Zurich Classic with Scottie Scheffler remaining on top… Lowry zipped all the way from No. 41 to No. 12 in the standings, just 60 points back of the 10th spot after his win at TPC Louisiana while McIlroy moved from No. 44 to No. 15… An and The Sentry champion Chris Kirk remain the only golfers to be inside the TOUR TOP 10 every week so far this season.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.
COURSE: TPC Craig Ranch, par 72, 7,414 yards. Boasting Zoysia fairways and bentgrass greens, golfers will have to navigate the Rowlett Creek, which crosses the course on 14 of the 18 holes, on the Tom Weiskopf (with D.A. Weibring as consultant) design. The course opened in 2004.
72-HOLE RECORD: 259, Steven Bowditch (2015 at TPC Four Seasons). Aaron Wise, Sung Kang and Jason Day’s 23-under-par 261 in 2018, 2019 and 2023, respectively, are the lowest against par; Bowditch was 18-under after heavy rain turned TPC Four Seasons into a par-69 layout for the final three rounds. Wise and Kang shot their scores at Trinity Forest, while Day did so at TPC Craig Ranch.
TPC Craig Ranch record: 261, Jason Day (2023)
18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Arron Oberholser (Round 2, 2006 at Cottonwood Valley GC), Keegan Bradley (Round 1, 2013 at TPC Four Seasons), Sebastian Munoz (Round 1, 2022 at TPC Craig Ranch), S.Y. Noh (Round 1, 2023 at TPC Craig Ranch)
LAST TIME: Day won for the first time on the PGA TOUR in five years after a 9-under 62 in the final round at TPC Craig Ranch. He topped Si Woo Kim and Austin Eckroat by one and broke a 105-event drought on TOUR. Day’s first TOUR title came at the same event in 2010. Kim made birdie on the 72nd hole to briefly tie Day, but Day had hit his third shot, a wedge from 79 yards, to just 2 feet and rolled in the birdie of his own to seal the victory. C.T. Pan, whose 62 tied Day for the low round of day, finished fourth while hometown hero Scheffler was amongst the trio tied for fifth and three shots back of Day’s 20-under winning total.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET)​

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE
PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: Combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free on PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.

Congrats again to last weeks winners @DFSNOLE and @RancheroNole


@Mrs BFT maintains the overall season lead



Good luck to everyone this week

Anyone seeing them?

@BrainVision I saw UCLA has an "encampment."

Recently spoke to Cunningham who is a top...

and is likely the largest ever to an HBCU. $237 million
He is not Florida man, but steps up big with hemp money. Florida Ag & Mechanical, with Ag given as part of the reasoning…

What will the money be used for?​

About $100 million will go toward FAMU Athletics and will be used for initiatives including student-athlete endowment funds and a $24 million Galimore-Powell Athletic Fieldhouse project, which will expand the space to have club-level suites for corporate partnership meetings.


“This is really a monument when you think about the impact it will have on FAMU Athletics,” FAMU Vice President and Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes said Saturday.

The $237 million donation will also help FAMU in providing student scholarships while also recruiting top students and faculty.

In addition to the university’s leadership team, FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper was also present at the news conference, where she held back tears as she pondered on the difference the financial gift will make in the lives of thousands of students.

“This is transformative, and it’s almost unbelievable. I have to pinch myself just hearing about this and thinking about how it will help the students FAMU serves,” Harper said.

FSU sports information:

The No. 4 Florida State (31-8) beach volleyball team suffered a 3-1 loss to No. 5 Cal Poly (31-6) in the quarterfinal of the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles and Mustangs matched evenly on three courts in the first set, extending beyond 21 points to decide the winner.

Cal Poly struck first with a win on court three (11-21, 11-21) and added another point on court two (17-21, 12-21), for the 2-0 lead.

Maddie Anderson, who finishes her FSU career ranked second in wins in program history at 123-39, took the win on court one in straight sets alongside Alexis Durish, 22-20, 21-19.

Caitlin Moon and Kaileigh Truslow battled on court five in a tight first set (20-22), but the Mustangs took the match in straight sets (20-22, 12-21) and the duel, 3-1.

Morgan Chacon and Skyler Germann controlled court four, taking the first set 21-19 and were leading 17-14 when the match was called.

#5 Cal Poly 3, #4 Florida State 1

1. Maddie Anderson/Alexis Durish (FSU) def. Ella Connor/Izzy Martinez (CP) 22-20, 21-19
2. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskepp (CP) def. Alli Hansen/Anna Long (FSU) 21-17, 21-12
3. Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) def. Raelyn White/Audrey Koenig (FSU) 21-11, 21-11
4. Morgan Chacon/Skyler Germann (FSU) vs. Piper Naess/Logan Walter (CP) 21-19, 17-14, unf.
5. Abbey Reinard/Madison Nichols (CP) def. Caitlin Moon/Kaileigh Truslow (FSU) 22-20, 21-12

The following is an updated list of prospects...

FSU is at No. 5 by Baseball America, unchanged...

Florida State (41-13, 19-5 ACC) will be the No. 2 seed in this week's ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. The softball tournament begins with first-round games on Wednesday, but the Seminoles earned a bye into the quarterfinals.

The Seminoles will play on Thursday at 5 p.m. (ACC Network) against the North Carolina-Notre Dame winner. Those teams will play Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

No. 7 FSU beats NC State 8-1 to split the...

Former starting G Jalen Warley just committed...

Here's the Osceola's projection for FSU's...

For the first time this season, the Florida...