Category Archives: Ascension

The Daily Advertiser

Ascension Episcopal vs Archbishop Hanna Girls Soccer The Daily Advertiser Beverly Richard makes a head pass as Ascension Episcopal takes on Hanna. Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. and more »

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Ascension Episcopal vs Archbishop Hanna Girls Soccer - The Daily Advertiser

Firefighters are battling a huge blaze which has engulfed a church in Salford.

Flames took hold of the Church of Ascension in Lower Broughton on Sunday night.

Photographs on social media show the fire tearing through the building, which sits on Ascension Road, beside Green Grosvenor Park and near River View Primary School.

Fire crews were seen on Ascension Road shortly before midnight on Sunday.

Six fire crews were called to the Church of Ascension in Lower Broughton at 11.08pm on Sunday night.

Huge fire at Church of Ascension in Salford is visible across the city

The church, on Ascension Road beside Green Grosvenor Park, is a grade II listed building and still used as a place of worship.

Witnesses say police are also at the scene.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been confirmed by GMP or the fire service.

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LIVE: Huge fire at Church of Ascension in Salford is visible across the city - Manchester Evening News

American Alphas retain their WWE smackdown tag team champion belts at Elimination Chamber.

At the start, Rhyno hit the gore to eliminate Breezango from the tag team turmoil match. The Vaudevillains came out and were quickly acknowledged by Heath Slater who jumped on them from the top rope to the outside. Rhyno and Slater defeat the Vaudevillains and up next are the Usos.

The Usos eliminated Rhyno and Slater which sent out the American Alphas. With their new threads, the Usos almost cut into Gable with a vicious tag team move. Nonetheless, American Alpha eliminates the Usos who would not leave and continued their assault. American Alphas escaped a near fall.

What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments section.

In their quest to become synonymous with tag team excellence, SmackDown LIVE Tag Team Champions American Alpha have welcomed all challengers, and theyll get exactly that at SmackDown LIVEs next pay-per-view, WWE Elimination Chamber.

After Jason Jordan & Chad Gables open challenge resulted in an out-of-control brawl on the Jan. 31 edition of SmackDown LIVE, General Manager Daniel Bryan declared on Talking Smack that American Alpha must defend the titles in a Tag Team Turmoil Match on Sunday, Feb. 12.

Their challengers include The Usos, Heath Slater & Rhyno, Breezango, The Ascension and The Vaudevillains, a formidable field of five tandems, with no fewer than four sets being former tag team champions.

The Tag Team Turmoil Match the same type of bout that Jordan & Gable won on the Nov. 22, 2016, edition of SmackDown LIVE to move into championship contention in the first place begins with two teams. Once one team is eliminated, a new duo enters the match. This continues until one team is left standing tall.

Photo Credit: WWE

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Elimination Chamber 2017 Results: American Alphas Defeats The Ascension - Business 2 Community

Feb 11, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens reacts during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Boston won 112-104. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz Continue To Struggle Without Rodney Hood by Hayden Van de Maat

Ever since he was announced as an All-Star reserve last month, Utah Jazz wing Gordon Hayward has noted that opposing players and coaches have gone out of their way to congratulate him for the achievement. However, none have had the same perspective on his career trajectory as Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens.

Long before Hayward was the muscle-bound baller(sporting the Associations answer to the hipster haircut) and elite talent he is today, he was the skinny kid from Brownsburg, Indiana that nearly brought anNCAA title to the Butler Bulldogs on a halfcourt heave.At the time, Stevens was his coach.

Before the Jazz and Celtics did battle on Saturday, Stevens was asked abouthis former players path to stardom. Perhaps more than anyone, he understands Haywards evolution. He also understands that Hayward hada little bit of help from the Jazz

When asked about Haywards physical growth, Stevens spoke at length about how the added strength has aided him not only defensively, but on offense with his ability to drive the basketball

Want your voice heard? Join the Purple and Blues team!

In the end, it was Stevens Celtics squad that got the win on Saturday. Nevertheless, Hayward served up another All-Star effort, scoring 31 points and nailing four three-pointers.

With Hayward set to enter the free agent market this summer, Stevens and the Celtics will undoubtedly look to sell him on Boston as a potential destination. For now, though, Hayward will represent the Jazz and the Western Conference in the All-Star Game on February 19 in New Orleans.

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Utah Jazz: Brad Stevens Praises Gordon Hayward's All-Star Ascension - Purple & Blues

The sounds filtering out of the East Ascension High gymnasium early Saturday morning were not unusual. There was the rhythm of multiple basketballs hitting the court and the squeak that sneakers make when a player cuts to the basket. It is music to Dennis Chandlers ears.

Stop hold up right there, the soft-spoken EAHS girls basketball coach said. The player walks toward him and Chandler says, That was a bad decision run it again.

The player nods and then executes the next three-on-three scrimmage so well that a teammate gets a layup. Then the Spartans run it again and again.

What might seem boring to some is the process that has helped East Ascension build a 23-1 record, its best in recent years for Chandler, who is now in his 19th year at the school. The Spartans will ride a 22-game winning streak into the Class 5A playoffs.

EAHS likely will be ranked No. 2 when the LHSAA releases its girls playoff pairings Monday. Working toward being No. 1 means winning a state title for most people. For Chandler and the Spartans, there is more to it.

I love this team, guard Lariah Ealy said. The most important thing weve learned from coach Chandler is to give your all. If you dont, you end up shortchanging yourself and your team. When we come to practice, we fix what we need to fix. We like the work.

The work is nothing new for the 57-year-old Chandler, who is in his 34th year of coaching. He spent 14 seasons at Tallulah-based McCall, now known as Madison Parish. His 1993 and 1994 teams won back-to-back Class 3A girls state titles.

East Ascensions deepest playoff run in recent years was a quarterfinal berth in 2009. The Spartans lost to Walker in overtime that year. This EAHS team is the product of what Chandler calls a three- to four-year process that kicked into high gear with a first-round playoff loss to a 27-1 Mandeville team last February.

We lost by double figures, but they saw it that night. The girls realized we werent that far away from those teams, Chandler said. Theyve always worked, but that game gave them confidence. And theyve worked even harder.

Post player Sharan Turner added, That game with Mandeville gave us hope. It pushed us.

Chandler will keep on pushing.

The good part about it is theres a lot of room for improvement, Chandler said. We have six seniors but we also have a group of freshmen and sophomores who are talented. Depth is important for us.

Ill tell them every day, 'You still havent met my standards.' Its about getting better. It doesnt matter who the opponent is. The goal should be to always take it to another level.

Post player Ashlyn Donaldson is a transfer from Walker who has added elements on and off the court. She has played with a partial ACL tear, displaying toughness. Donaldson also speaks to her EAHS teammates about being part of Walkers run to the 5A title game two years ago.

Our strength is our bench, Donaldson said. If we continue to work and keep our minds right, I like our chances. There are no set plays for a particular person here. This is basketball and you have to make decisions on the court.

Chandler insists that his players meet standards on and off the court. Representing the school properly is a demand, not a suggestion.

If all a child learns from me after four years is how to shoot a layup and how to run an offense and a defense, I think Ive failed them, Chandler said. There should be something they should take from this and apply to their life. The lessons are there.

The Mississippi native returns to Tallulah when he can. Chandlers former McCall players follow the Spartans by social media, sometimes sending him messages.

While the McCall teams represent a gold standard of the past, the golden opportunity that looms now also makes Chandler smile.

These kids have been resilient, Chandler said of the Spartans. There have been a couple of games where they refused to lose. It takes that. Now it goes one game at a time.

Follow Robin Fambrough on Twitter, @FambroughAdv

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Chandler, East Ascension driving toward a higher goal as postseason arrives - The Advocate

What's the story?

One-half of The Ascension, Viktor, has responded to a video posted by WWE of a match that included them from a few years ago, however, the team are not featured in the clip whatsoever. The response came just a few minutes after SmackDown Live GM Daniel Bryan also commented on their exclusion through Twitter.

You can read both Bryan and Viktors tweetbelow:

In case you didn't know...

Over the last few weeks, Daniel Bryan has been progressively mentioning The Ascension more and more, starting off on Talking Smack following their victory on SmackDown Live last week. Bryan, who is now retired, actually teamed up with Viktor on the independent scene andwere together called "Double Meat".

The heart of the matter

As you can see in the tweet above, Bryan attempts to draw attention to the fact that The Ascension were involved in a match where the former WWE Champion teamed up with Roman Reigns.

Viktor responded, continuing to buildthe idea that the company doesnt really care all too much about the tag team, despite their improved booking in recent weeks.

What's next?

The Elimination Chamber may have been a sign that the former NXT Tag Team Champions are going to be taken more seriously going forward. Given the lack of quality in that division on the blue brand, it makes sense, and you could build the two men as a legitimate threat heading into WrestleMania 33if they are given that long awaited push.

Sportskeeda's take

It really has been a shame to see what The Ascension have become over the last few years. To this day they are still the longest reigning champions in the history of NXT, and they deserved better than what they got when they were called up to the main roster.

We hope that WWE soon sees the error of their ways because pretty soon it could be too late to revive them. Obviously, Konnor's suspension didn't help a while back, but just look at where Roman Reigns is now following his first violation.

Send us news tips atfightclub@sportskeeda.com

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WWE News: The Ascension's Viktor responds to WWE excluding them in a video - Sportskeeda

GONZALES More than a year after the outgoing Ascension Parish Council decided to explore a public-private partnership to build a $500 million regional sewer system, the plan appears all but dead.

The parish agreed in November 2015 to try to work out a deal with Ascension Environmental, SCS Management, GSA and others to move the sewer project forward after years of false starts.

Last week, though, a key council committee recommended killing the effort to create a municipal-style sewer system through a public-private partnership, as has Parish President Kenny Matassa. Once a final council vote happens on the partnership Feb. 23, the parish faces starting all over again on sewer plans, officials say.

The parish has grappled for years with how to finance the sewer program without new taxes or high user fees, even as regulatory pressure has intensified to improve water quality in area bayous. Some parish officials have argued a public-private partnership was the solution.

Under such a partnership, the parish would get expertise and access to hundreds of millions in capital to build out a system that will discharge in the Mississippi River. The trade-off is paying a premium to the partners and granting them a long-term concession to recoup their investment.

Some estimates of the current partnership plan suggested the overall cost of the 30-year deal approached $2 billion.

In calling for an end to the deal, Matassa cited the same concerns Tuesday that the Council Utilities Committee noted late last month before members, at Councilman Daniel "Doc" Satterlee's urging, agreed to a last-ditch meeting the save the proposal.

The parish president noted the structure of the proposal from the public-private partnership, known as a "P3," had changed.

Meanwhile, a critical $60 million low-interest loan the parish got from the state Department of Environmental Quality a few years ago is in jeopardy after delays in the sewer work.

Finally, Matassa said, the parish may have other options it could pursue and preserve the loan, but those can't be considered with the current proposal in play.

"Therefore, the administration recommends abandoning the current P3 proposal and moving to consider other options," Matassa said.

Matassa got little argument, even though the planned last-chance meeting with the partnership Satterlee suggested never even occurred.

Satterlee asked David Einsel, senior project manager with GSA, a P3 partner, what happened.

Einsel responded that GSA was comfortable with the recommendation to end the deal based on the "changes in the structure of our overall team."

Satterlee said he thought both parties could have done more to try to make the private-partnership deal work.

"I firmly believe there were problems on both sides," he said.

One big change in the plan was the loss of Ascension Wastewater Treatment, a private sewer provider with thousands of customers. However, that company may turn out to be an option for the future if, as expected, the P3 deal is killed later this month.

According to letters last fall between Tim Hardy, the parish's legal adviser, and SCS Management, Ascension Wastewater wants to make the parish an offer directly.

Council Chairman Bill Dawson said some officials may be interested, but said the parish needs to take a broader view, given tougher water quality standards on Bayou Manchac.

"I would say we just want to look at all the other options," Dawson said.

One idea is revisiting some version of an older, more localized plan in the Prairieville area along La. 42, La. 73 and Airline Highway, where the parish is already installing sewer infrastructure as part of state highway expansions.

Dawson said the parish needs to bring a plan soon to DEQ to secure the loan, and the Prairieville-based proposal could include less detailed options for sewer for the rest of east Ascension.

An analysis two years ago of the Prairieville plan showed it would generate only 2,041 customers and leave the system in annual, multimillion dollar shortfalls and with a $60 million loan to repay. That study helped build the case for the current public-private partnership.

Ascension's long-elusive goal of regional sewage treatment has foundered before on failed partnerships most recently in the spring of 2011, when Ascension Wastewater also pulled out of that deal. But the pressure to act in some way on sewer may be starting to ratchet up.

In addition to an approaching expiration date on the DEQ loan, tighter water quality rules on Bayou Manchac are constraining, though not eliminating, subdivision developers' options on sewer service, regulators say.

Manchac, which, for years, has ended up as the receiving bayou for treated effluent from much of fast-growing Prairieville, has been deemed to be maxed out for certain kinds of new pollution from treated sewage.

Since 2010, this finding has resulted in tighter requirements on what sewer systems can discharge. The limits have gradually been rolling into effect as five-year DEQ sewer permits are renewed, DEQ officials said.

Kimberly Corts, permit and biomonitoring supervisor at DEQ, said brand new plants must avoid discharging into Manchac through detention ponds or land application of effluent.

If they do discharge into the bayou, they must meet a much tougher, more expensive treatment standard and, at the same time, take in older plants that now treat to a lesser standard so no additional pollution ends up in the waterway, she explained.

Some parish officials see these rules as growing leverage in any potential negotiations with Ascension Wastewater.

Thomas Pertuit, owner of the company, declined on Friday to discuss what he wants to offer the parish but insisted the water quality rules won't prevent his company from continuing to provide sewer for new homes and businesses in Ascension.

"There are ways for us to deal with that," Pertuit said.

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Regional sewer plans in Ascension appear headed for another set back - The Advocate

The World Wrestling Network is in Ybor City, Florida tonight at 7PM Eastern to finish out their weekend with FIP Ascension 2017. As always in the wild west of pro wrestling, we only have a small sampling of the card announced to start, but you can bet there's gonna be some crazy stuff going down. So fire up FloSlam and follow along with all the action in the thread, and we'll provide running results updates right here for your convenience.

Drennen & Parrow over ??? & ??? by pinfall with a maneuver.

Connor Braxton over Alex Taylor, Eddie Machete, Jackson Kelly, and Xander Killen by pinfall with a spinning brainbuster.

Dan Barry over Billy Barboza by pinfall with a wrist-clutch driver.

Caleb Konley over Jason Cade by pinfall with an avalanche firemans carry Michinoku Driver.

Aria Blake over Dynamite DiDi by pinfall with an inverted DDT.

Anthony Henry over Dan Barry by pinfall with a Vertebreaker ($10,000 Bounty on Anthony Henrys Head)

Martin Stone (c) over Jon Davis by pinfall with a schoolboy pin under the ropes to retain the FIP Florida Heritage Championship.

Fred Yehi (c) over Brian Cage by submission with a Koji Clutch in the ropes to retain the FIP World Heavyweight Championship.

Uncle Johns Friends (AR Fox, Darby Allin, & Sami Callihan) over Austin Theory, Sammy Guevara, & Tracer X by pinfall with an assisted Fox Catcher from Fox on Theory.

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FIP Ascension 2017 live results thread: Yehi vs. Cage - Cageside ... - Cageside Seats (blog)

The score was football-like in the early going, and some of the action resembled football when Dutchtown hosted East Ascension in a District 5-5A battle on Friday, so it was only fitting that two EAHS football stars played key roles as their team held off the Griffins for a 55-42 win.

Baylor football signee Justin Harris and junior defensive tackle Cameron Wire combined for 23 points, six rebounds and two blocks, and speedy guard Jimel London contributed 13 points as the Spartans broke open a close game in the final five minutes, stretching a 42-38 lead to 53-39 and coasting to the win.

The Griffins went cold during that time, the EA defense got some key turnovers and Dutchtown wouldnt threaten again.

The win moves EA to 23-6, 8-0 in the district, while Dutchtown fell to 16-11 3-5.

It was a pretty rough game out there in the first quarter, EA coach Barry Whittington said. We got going a little better in the second quarter, but I didnt think we ever did get in a good offensive flow. Credit Dutchtown for that. Their defense did a real good job of shutting down the passing lanes in the first half.

We didnt seem to have any energy. We couldnt make any shots, and we didnt do a very good job taking care of the ball, he said.

Dutchtown had a 9-4 run to start the second quarter before the Spartans came back to tie it at 20, and the dogfight was on, though the Griffins would never reclaim the lead.

Both teams had players wearing No. 21 come off the bench to inject a offensive spark in the second quarter. Dutchtowns Ryan Brumfield scored eight of the Griffins 12 points in the quarter. Harris equaled that and added a block and a rebound for the visitors.

The third quarter was close. Nicholas Caldwells late 3-pointer pulled the Griffins within four at 38-34, but they could manage only eight points the rest of the way.

East Ascension has that spurtability, " Dutchtown coach Patrick Hill said. Regardless of what personnel they have on the floor, they can regroup and hit you with that second or third gear. They definitely know the game is 32 minutes.

And whats intriguing about (Harris and Wire) is that they can make those soft passes around the goal. Theyre a tough matchup for us. You just hope they might miss and you can get a rebound.

The dapper Whittington was sporting a jacket and open-collar plaid shirt, which he said was a change for him.

I usually wear a tie on game night, but I didnt tonight. Maybe thats why we couldnt get going tonight, he said. Im already thinking it will be a light day tomorrow, and then we need to start getting ready for McKinley on Tuesday.

LeAaron Cain also reached double figures for the Spartans with 10 points. Shedrick Smith had their two 3-pointers and finished with eight.

Neil Caldwell and Brumfield led the Griffins with eight apiece.

The rest is here:

Boys basketball: East Ascension takes physical game against ... - The Advocate

With Strange now picking out office furniture in Washington, D.C., Bentley has the privilege of selecting a new attorney general, a development that has Alabama reporters and political junkies whipped up into a fury. Columnist Kyle Whitmire wrote that the move set a new benchmark for Alabama corruption, adding: Its so nakedly political that someone should charge them with indecent exposure. Cartoonist J.D. Crowe drew a caricature of Strange and Bentley in the nude, with the governor reaching around to cup the new senators chest, a reference to an infamous clandestine recording of Bentley cooing about how much he loves to squeeze the breasts of his mistress Rebekah Mason.

Even some Republicans are saying the optics are bad. After all, Strange, a former D.C. lobbyist, has made a name for himself as a force against corruption. He came into office in 2010 as part of the GOPs historic takeover of all branches of state government, which had been dominated by Democrats since Reconstruction. Central to the campaign was a vow to fight corruption, and once in office Strange reconstituted the states special prosecution unit. One of its earliest targets was Mike Hubbard, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and mastermind of the Republican takeover. Strange recused himself from the case, citing his use of Hubbards printing company during his campaign. But after it ended with 12 felony convictions, Strange announced, This is a good day for the rule of law in our state. He added, This should send a clear message that in Alabama we hold public officials accountable for their actions.

During his two terms in office, Strange has presented himself as a tough enforcer of laws and constitutional rights, especially those that interest conservatives. As a leader in the Republican Attorney General Association (at the time of his Senate appointment he was chairman-elect) he helped spearhead legal opposition to the Obama administrations policies on immigration, environmental protection, health care, and LGBT rights. And hes made a big show of cracking down on violations of Alabamas gun laws, ordering libraries and community centers across the state to remove signs prohibiting fire arms.

But he has also been accused of politicizing the justice system, using the states anti-gambling laws to target casinos in predominantly black counties for alleged violations that his office has allowed at Indian-owned casinos. In 2013, the state seized electronic bingo machines and cash from VictoryLand Casino in Macon County, claiming that they were actually slot machines, which are illegal in the state. A circuit court later ordered Stranges office to return the machines, accusing him of cherry picking his enforcement of the law, because casinos owned by the Poarch Creek Indians are allowed to operate identical machines.

Strange has also brought suit against the tribe, but critics question the sincerity of these efforts. His case was absolutely based on the wrong question, says Bobby Singleton, a Democratic state senator from Greensboro. He knew he had no standing on it.

After the states raid, state Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) wrote then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to investigate possible violations of voting rights. The citizens of Greene County in 2003 overwhelmingly voted in favor of state constitutional amendment 743 to authorize electronic bingo in the county, she wrote. The people of Greene County have been repeatedly targeted by the State in politically motivated raids in violation of their constitutional rights.

Strange appears to have benefited from this favoritism. Last March, Robbie McGee, the Poarch Creeks lobbyist, told Global Gaming Business Magazine that the tribe has a definitely more amenable relationship with Strange. At the time, the attorney general was eyeing the race for governor in 2018, and the magazine reported sources contend the Poarch Band has agreed to contribute millions of dollars to the effort.

Its unclear whether this arrangement will remain in place when Strange instead campaigns that year to retain his Senate seat. And now that hes accepted an appointment from a man his office is investigating, his race runs the risk of being an ugly one, especially if the investigation permanently stalls, just as many Alabama political insiders and journalists assume it will.

But while Strange has clearly gotten what he wanted, things might not be so easy for the embattled governor. State lawmakers are hurriedly resuscitating their impeachment hearings, and rumors of an ongoing federal investigation have not abated. And the states case against Bentley isnt dead yet. That investigation is in the hands of Matt Hart, head of the Special Prosecution Unit. A tenacious lawyer, Hart spearheaded the Mike Hubbard case, and a source close to the inquiry said, If Bentley thinks for one minute he can stop Hart by giving Luther his dream job, hes a bigger fool than I thought, according to Alabama Political Reporter.

On Thursday Bentley named as acting attorney general Alice Martin, a former U.S. attorney who, with Hart as her top assistant, won numerous legendary convictions against corrupt Alabama politicians in the early 2000s. Whether Bentley ultimately appoints her or someone else, the new attorney general will be diving into dangerous waters if they quash the investigation of the governor, according to Pamela Pierson, professor at the University of Alabamas law school. Theyre going to ruin their reputation if they do, she says. It could ruin their career.

Anyone associated with a grand jury case could file a complaint with the states bar association, Pierson explains, which could then launch an investigation and ultimately revoke the attorney generals license. Federal prosecutors could also conduct a conflict of interest investigation.

But then again, this is Alabama, where a politicized justice system is the norm. And the man wholl serve as boss to all federal prosecutors is an Alabamian, too. That man, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, reportedly lobbied hard for Big Luther to take his place in the Senate.

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The Shady Ascension of Luther Strange - New Republic