Chicago Bears stay focused on city’s lakefront for new stadium, team president says

LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon is replacing line judges with electronic line-calling, the latest step into the modern age by the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament.

The All England Club announced Wednesday that technology will be used to give the “out” and “fault” calls at the championships from 2025, eliminating the need for human officials to make them.

Wimbledon organizers said the decision to adopt live electronic line calling was made following extensive testing at the 2024 tournament and “builds on the existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology that has been in place for many years.”

“We consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club. “For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”

The move makes the French Open the only Grand Slam tournament without some form of electronic line-calling. The Australian Open and U.S. Open already had eliminated line judges and only have chair umpires on court.

Line judges at Wimbledon were dressed in famously elegant uniforms and, for traditionalists, were part of the furniture at the All England Club.

Bolton said Wimbledon had a responsibility to “balance tradition and innovation.”

“Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at the championships for many decades,” she said, “and we recognize their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”

Line-calling technology has long been used at Wimbledon and other tennis tournaments to call whether serves are in or out.

At the U.S. Open, there has been no line judges — and only chair umpires — since 2021, with Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling used for all courts.

The All England Club also said Wednesday that the women’s and men’s singles finals will be scheduled to take place at the later time of 4 p.m. local time on the second Saturday and Sunday, respectively — and after doubles finals on those days.

Bolton said the moves have been made to ensure the day of the finals “builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience.”

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AP tennis:

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The Saskatchewan NDP appears to be continuing its focus on health-care issues during the provincial election campaign, with party candidates set to hold press conferences today outside hospitals in three communities.

The party has press conferences scheduled outside hospitals in Yorkton, Rosthern and Melville.

The NDP has been pressing the Saskatchewan Party since the election campaign began last week over the state of the province’s health-care system, including staffing shortages, long wait times and overcapacity hospitals.

NDP Leader Carla Beck promised on Tuesday that if elected on Oct. 28, her government would spend more than $1 billion on health care in a plan that would aim to reduce wait times for treatment by focusing on hiring, training, recruiting and retaining workers.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe has said his government’s health-care plan that was announced two years ago is working and more than 1,300 recent nursing graduates have been hired, though he has acknowledged more work is needed.

Moe and Beck are both set to be in Saskatoon today for campaign events.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Toronto police say a collision between a stolen vehicle and two public-transit buses has left one person in life-threatening condition.

Police say a stolen Honda was travelling at a high speed when it crashed into a Toronto Transit Commission bus just before 4:50 a.m. at Bathurst Street and Eglinton Avenue West.

Insp. Brian Maslowski says the force of the crash resulted in another TTC bus being hit and the Honda vehicle bursting into flames.

Maslowski says the Honda driver was pulled out of the vehicle in a “heroic effort” by one of the bus drivers and has since been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

He says one bus driver and two bus occupants are in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the second bus was treated at the scene.

Investigators are asking anyone with footage of the accident to contact police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.