BEARS

During this time of year, more bears are on the move.

It’s that time of year where bears are out and about again, some of them making their way to local neighborhoods.

The Kansas City Chiefs awoke Monday still reveling in the glow of their second Super Bowl title in a four-year span, while the Philadelphia Eagles were left to lament how close they came to winning another Lombardi Trophy of their own.

Gonzaga has already faced a brutal schedule this season with wins over No. 19 Kentucky and No. 20 Michigan State and losses to second-ranked Texas and fifth-ranked Purdue.

There were 17.3 million brackets filled out in ESPN's Tournament Challenge this year, and the quest for a perfect one was done before the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor kept its firm hold on No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll with few changes at the top and no new teams entering the latest rankings.

Defending national champion Baylor has maintained its top spot in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll, though not without ceding a No. 1 vote to Arizona, while the six remaining unbeatens continued their rise.

James Akinjo had 16 points with seven rebounds and second-ranked Baylor defensively dominated No. 6 Villanova 57-36.

Baylor coach Scott Drew knew his sixth-ranked Bears might need time to blend a changed roster after losing four starters from a national-championship run.

LJ Cryer scored 21 points, and No. 9 Baylor took control early in the second half of an 86-48 victory over Stanford.

A warning for hikers on a popular trail: Bear activity is on the rise near McAfee Knob. Experts say it's because of trash left on the trails.

East Mont rolled to a 34-8 victory over Bland County

The Big 12 is moving quickly on an expansion plan that could have the conference at 12 schools after Texas and Oklahoma leave, with BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston as the “most intriguing” candidates.

It’s so hot out, even wildlife are trying to cool down.

The Altavista Police Department is warning people to be on the lookout for bears.

Davion Mitchell, a 46% shooter from 3 this season, went 0 for 3 from long range on a 14-point day. Jared Butler scored nine points on 1-for-9 shooting from 3, and MaCio Teague had five points without a 3. The guards did a great job of not settling and probing more.”Because of that, Baylor shot 53% in the second half, even though it made only one 3. Constantly harassing Villanova shooters who'd carved out space in the first half, Baylor held Villanova to 37.5% shooting in the second and 0 for 9 from 3. Forward Brandon Slater left the game about midway through the second half after landing awkwardly during a fight for a rebound.

San Antonio, TX - MARCH 23: {BAYLOR VS VIRGINIA TECH} during the Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Bill Greehey Arena on March 23, 2021 in San Antonio, TX. – Virginia Tech’s NCAA Tournament run came to an end on Tuesday night with a loss to Baylor, 90-48 in the Second Round of the River Walk Region. Baylor’s size and athleticism were too much for the Hokies to handle from start to finish-- forcing 16 turnovers-- and outrebounding Virginia Tech 53-23. Obviously I thought they were they were just way more physical they all powered us you know for the duration of the game,” Hokies head coach Kenny Brooks said. 2 Baylor in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, Virginia Tech trails Baylor 44-20 at halftime.

– Confidence has never been a problem for Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham. 12 Cowboys trying to rally from a second-half hole against second-ranked Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament, Cunningham calmly responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give his team the lead. Ad“You have to give Oklahoma State a lot of credit," Drew said. The Bears did get off to a quick start, but Oklahoma State answered and gradually pulled ahead. Oklahoma State split the season series with the Longhorns, losing a 77-74 nail-biter in December before winning a 75-67 double-overtime thriller early last month.

FILE - The Baeren (Bears) awards are lined up during the award ceremony for the 2020 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 29, 2020. Organizers say the annual Berlin International Film Festival is being put off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and split into two parts later in 2021. And her palette of performing qualities allowed us to feel, laugh and ask questions," the jury said in a statement. It is the first time that the Berlin Film Festival has awarded a single award for best acting regardless of gender. AdDenes Nagy of Hungary received the award for best director for his debut ‘Natural Light,’ following a Hungarian unit hunting partisans in the Soviet Union during World War II.

Baylor then had six consecutive games postponed because of COVID-19 issues in the program, and hadn't even had another full practice until Sunday. With 6-foot-8 forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua out of the Baylor lineup, Mark Vital had 15 rebounds and three blocks. “Congrats to Baylor for figuring our a way to win, that’s why they’re No. But to come away get a win and be able to perform like we did, very very pleased with that. Coming into the game second in the Big 12 averaging 17 points, Butler had three turnovers and took only one shot before halftime.

Michigan took advantage of Villanova's loss at St. John's to jump into the top three, Ohio State climbed three spots to No. The Jayhawks began their Top 25 streak on Feb. 2, 2009, when freshman guard Bryce Thompson was 6 years old. “We have plenty of games to go win and I know this team can do it,” Kansas guard Christian Braun said. 15, followed by Tennessee, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Creighton and Southern California. The Bruins dropped out, along with Kansas, Florida and Drake, whose 18-0 start was spoiled in a 74-57 loss to Valparaiso.

Baylor coach Scott Drew, right, argues a call during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Austin, Texas. 2 Baylor has had its season interrupted again because of COVID-19 protocols, with the Big 12 Conference postponing the Bears’ next two scheduled games. Their next scheduled game is now at home Feb. 13 against No. AdCoach Scott Drew missed the first two games of Baylor's reshuffled scheduled after testing positive for COVID-19 in November. The Big 12 said it would work with Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma to reschedule the remaining postponed games.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)WACO, Texas – This Baylor win was for Davion Mitchell, and the junior guard did his part against his former team. Mitchell swished a 3-pointer after losing a shoe and finished with 13 points and seven assists, helping the Bears stay undefeated with an 84-72 win over Auburn in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. “And that’s OK, because Butler, and Teague and Davion Mitchell and Flagler are all really good,” Pearl said. "That conversation down the court, that was pretty cool.”AHEAD TO STAYButler made two free throws with 4:50 left in the first half for a 23-22 Baylor lead. Baylor: Baylor is 7-1 in Big 12/SEC Challenge games, the best record by any team in either league in the annual showdown.

(AP Photo/Steve Dykes)Gonzaga and Baylor were the top two teams in The Associated Press preseason men’s college basketball poll. Villanova, Texas and Iowa rounded out a top 5 that remained the same from last week. Gonzaga and Baylor split most of the first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Zags have become the clear-cut No. Gonzaga, which had five games canceled due to COVID-19 issues last month, has won 16 straight dating to last season. The Huskies won the national championship in 2014 but went to the NCAA Tournament only one more time before Hurley was lured from Rhode Island.

The first tripleheader of NFL wild-card games saw Tom Brady extend his postseason record for victories to 31 with a 31-23 win for Tampa Bay at Washington on Saturday. After a quarter-century, the Bills got one of those triumphs that Brady collects — and they even figured out how to stop a Hail Mary. The previous playoff win was over Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. And it came in the Bills’ first home playoff game in 24 years, with a limited number of fans in attendance (6,700) for the first time this season. The Ravens averaged an NFL-best 191.9 yards rushing per game and their 3,071 yards rushing were third highest in NFL history.

FILE - The Baeren (Bears) awards are lined up during the award ceremony for the 2020 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 29, 2020. Organizers say the annual Berlin International Film Festival is being put off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and split into two parts later in 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)BERLIN – The annual Berlin International Film Festival is being put off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and split into two parts later in 2021, organizers said Friday. Then in June, organizers are scheduling a summer event with numerous film screenings for the public in theaters and the open air. “The division makes it possible to maintain the two supporting pillars: film market and festival,” organizers said.

The second-ranked Bears had seven first-place votes to remain 1-2 with Gonzaga in each of the season's four polls so far. Yet the Zags haven't played since beating West Virginia on Dec. 2 due to COVID-19 protocols, with five straight games canceled or postponed, including a matchup with Baylor on Dec. 5. Houston, Villanova, West Virginia, Creighton and Tennessee rounded out the top 10, with the Mountaineers rising three spots and the Volunteers climbing two. 13 Illini dropped seven spots to fall out of the top 10 after losing to Missouri, while the No. CONFERENCE WATCHThe Big Ten has a national-best seven teams in the Top 25, with No.

Gonzaga was scheduled to play Baylor but the game was cancelled due to COVID. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Coaches Mark Few of Gonzaga and Scott Drew of Baylor scheduled Saturday's game for all the right seasons. "They (the Bears) are good, really, really good. Just really, really good." And whenever they do play, Drew knows one thing — people will be watching.

JUNEAU, Alaska – A larger than normal number of young bears and dwindling natural food supply for them are forcing the animals to head for Juneau's garbage with unusual frequency, a wildlife official said. A poor berry crop and lackluster salmon runs this year mean more bears are looking for food among the city's trash, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported. Conditions have made bears desperate to fatten themselves before they hibernate for the winter, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said. Abby McAllister, a wildlife education and outreach specialist with the agency, said more bears are competing for the smaller amount of available food. Those young bears have recently been kicked out by their mothers and need to fend for themselves, but are still inexperienced, McAllister said.

ROANOKE, Va. – Some bear cubs are receiving help thanks to a local wildlife center. The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center spent all Monday night caring for three cubs brought in from Willis, Virginia, after a woman found them in a cooler a man was carrying as he walked down the road. On Tuesday morning, the trio was transferred to the wildlife center in Waynesboro where they’ll stay until they’re ready to be released. They had to have subcutaneous fluids," SWVA Wildlife Rescue Center Executive Director Sabrina Garvin said. "They were already warm because I think she had put rice socks in there, so they were nice and warm.

(CNN) - Famed running back Cedric Benson, who racked up awards in his collegiate and NFL careers, died Saturday night. Austin police said a minivan was trying to cross an intersection when it ran into a motorcycle, CNN affiliate KXAN reported. Both Benson and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene. "Our condolences to the friends and family of former Bears running back Cedric Benson, our 4th overall Draft pick in 2005 and member of the 2006 NFC Champions team," the Bears tweeted Sunday. He won the Doak Walker Award and earned All-American honors in 2004, finishing as the second-leading rusher in Texas history.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. - The lights will stay off and the stands will remain empty this fall in Rocky Gap. The Bland County High School football team is the latest example of the effects of the nationwide drop in interest in the sport. It was a very social event, Bland County School Board Vice Chair Gerry Schepers said. Interest in football nationwide is declining so it's not just a Bland County thing, Eastep said. Bland County is the third Virginia high school to cancel its varsity football season in the last two years.