fishing boat fishing Trump nominates Marty Makary, a critic of some COVID-19 health measures, to lead the FDADillon Gabriel's run at Oregon harkens back to the days of another Hawaii-born QB, Marcus Mariota

Grid Talk: The Hit That Changed The GameDillon Gabriel was faced with a quandary when he arrived at Oregon this year. Gabriel had worn No. 8 at Oklahoma before transferring for his sixth season of eligibility. But in Eugene, that number had special significance because it had been worn by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. There were many similarities between the two: They were both dual-threat quarterbacks who had piled up accolades along with yards and touchdowns. Both hailed from Hawaii and were shaped by the island spirit. Mariota chose the No. 8 initially because of the number of Hawaiian islands. His helmet's facemask was formed in an 808, Hawaii's area code. So Gabriel took a leap of faith and texted Mariota to ask his permission. Mariota, now with the NFL's Washington Commanders, said yes. "You know, when you’re growing up and you have that kind of direct example, a guy from Hawaii, playing at a high level, at the DI level, and then you see him go to the NFL, it’s like you can see it, you can believe it,” Gabriel said. Gabriel has led the top-ranked Ducks (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) through an undefeated season and on to the Big Ten title game on Saturday against No. 4 Penn State (11-1, 8-1) in Indianapolis. Gabriel — who played his first three years at Central Florida before joining the Sooners — became the all-time NCAA leader for total career touchdowns along the way and now has 183, including 149 via pass, 33 via rush and one reception. He's tied with former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix — now with the Denver Broncos — with an FBS-record 61 career starts. Ever humble, Gabriel is thoughtful about the arc of his career. "I think we’re in an interesting time that’s all about results. And so many people talk about the process but aren’t patient enough. I think if you look at my body of work, I’m a guy who’s eager and wants to get better but has had that time to develop and work in that way. I think you see it over time," Gabriel said. As a Duck, Gabriel has thrown for 3,277 yards and 24 TDs in 12 games. He's rushed for seven more scores. Mariota spent his three-year college career at Oregon, throwing for 104 touchdowns and running for 29 more. He was the Ducks' quarterback in the 2014 season, the last time Oregon advanced to the national championship game. "I mean, everybody would love to run out there with the experience that we have at quarterback right now,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “And I think that experience shows up consistently every Saturday for us. More than anything, just the ability for Dillon to be calm within the chaos that exists in a football game, and being a great decision-maker and understanding the scheme.” The only other time Oregon finished the regular season 12-0 was in 2010, when the Ducks played for the BCS national championship. Among the team's victories this season was a 32-31 win at home over Ohio State and a 38-17 victory over Michigan at the Big House. The Ducks capped the season with a 49-21 victory over rival Washington , finishing 9-0 in their first Big Ten year. Gabriel threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another in that game. The Nittany Lions advanced to the conference title game with a 44-7 victory over Maryland on Saturday. They were helped by Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Michigan in Columbus. Oregon has played the Nittany Lions just one other time, in the 1995 Rose Bowl. Penn State, led by Joe Paterno, won that one, 38-20. The winner in Indianapolis this weekend can secure a first-round bye in the expanded 12-team playoffs. Both teams are assured of a playoff berth even with a loss. On Tuesday, Gabriel added another honor when he was named Big Ten offensive player of the year. "He’s earned the trust and the admiration of all his teammates and the coaches around him," Lanning said. "This guy prepares extremely hard. He is the calmest dude you’ve ever been around on the field, which is impressive, but I’m really proud of him and what he’s been able to do for this team.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballQuebec premier wants to put a stop to prayer in parks and public places

NEWARK — The East Bay’s closest Nov. 5 election race ended in dramatic fashion this week. Newark’s five-candidate contest for two council seats was so close that last month the county registrar called for a rare manual recount. Even then, the contest wasn’t over: the candidate up by four votes on Tuesday, lost by three votes on Thursday. After the election was certified Thursday, Julie Del Catancio had won by that slim margin over Jacinta Arteaga. She’ll join Terrence Grindall, the first-place finisher, as the two newest members of the Newark council. Del Catancio said in an interview that she feels “grateful” to the residents who voted for her. “I’m more energized than ever to serve and lead Newark, to lead families to a place where they feel safe, valued and supported,” Catancio said. Grindall won early on with 7,490, but Arteaga and Del Catancio had exchanged leads for the second seat. In late November, Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim DuPuis called for manually counting the ballots, which initially showed Arteaga up by four votes. But Del Catancio took the lead this week with 6,452 votes over Arteaga’s 6,449 after ballots previously uncounted because of issues with their signatures were added to the official count. Del Catancio received a law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a master’s degree in administration from the University of Kansas. She is currently a Newark planning commissioner and educator in the Newark Unified School District. Del Catancio said that, assuming her lead holds and she makes the council, her top priorities would include addressing residents’ concerns about “responsible growth and safety.” She said that she wants residents to feel safe, and she wants people of all demographics to feel comfortable supporting the city’s communities and businesses. “I really believe in the potential of Newark and the power of our community to come together to make it even a better place to grow,” Del Catancio said. “I really appreciate everyone who put their trust in me and the process of these elections. So I definitely would never take that for granted.” Arteaga did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.

Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher to set more records