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Chicago Bears draft USC’s Caleb Williams No. 1 in NFL Draft
DETROIT (CBS) — The Chicago Bears made it official and drafted USC’s Caleb Williams first overall on Thursday night in the opening round of the NFL Draft, a move that many hope will finally deliver the team’s quarterback of the future.
It’s a decision that has been widely seen as a virtual lock, especially after the Bears traded away Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick after three frustrating years in Chicago. It’s just the fourth time the Bears have drafted a Heisman Trophy winner.
Williams has drawn comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes due to his ability to make all sorts of throws at a myriad of angles.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
“He’s a good decisionmaker overall,” said Charles Davis, a CBS NFL Analyst. “That Notre Dame game, I think, was an aberration this year, but boy, accurate with the football, goes in the right places. There’s just a maturity about him on the field.”
While Williams has been a foregone conclusion as the first overall pick, the Bears also owned the ninth overall pick going into Thursday night.
Several mock drafts predicted the Bears would pick Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, or possibly a player to bolster the defensive line. Trading the pick is also an option, as the Bears only own four draft picks.
After the first round, the Bears won’t be picking again until the third round at pick No. 75 and then pick No. 122 in the fourth round. General manager Ryan Poles said he’s OK with only having four picks entering this draft because he feels the Bears have a roster that doesn’t have a lot of holes.
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Other draft news and notes
Michigan quarterback and Nazareth Academy alum J.J. McCarthy also had a shot at being picked in the first round on Thursday. McCarthy led the Wolverines to an undefeated season that ended with a national championship with a 34-13 win over the Washington Huskies. He finished his career in Ann Arbor with a 27-1 record as a starter.
McCarthy’s championship experience didn’t start at Michigan. He made three state championship appearances at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park and won the IHSA Class 7A title as a sophomore in 2018. He finished up his high school career in Florida at IMG Academy.
His former coaches have praised his abilities and potential to succeed at the next level.
“He’s just so mature – I mean, you saw like, he does his mental focus and all the things that he does before the game. I mean, he reads books on Navy SEALs and meditation,” said Greg Holcomb, McCarthy’s longtime personal quarterbacks coach. “I think he is the best quarterback to come through Michigan, and I think you know, he’s got a ton of potential in front of him.”
Police are giving an update Tuesday on the school shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, that left a teenage student and a teacher dead.
Five students and one teacher were also wounded in the shooting Monday at Abundant Life Christian School, police said. The injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening.
The student and the teacher who were killed have not been identified publicly, and will not be until their families are notified, police said. The shooter, who police identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, was found dead.
“Our community is really reeling from what happened last night and we’re really trying to put the pieces together to bring some answers to our community,” Madison Chief of Police Shon F. Barnes said Tuesday on “CBS Mornings.”
Rupnow, who went by Samantha, was a student at the school, Barnes said Monday. She appears to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Barnes said, and was pronounced dead while being taken to an area hospital. Police did not fire their weapons, police said. A motive is not yet known. Police are investigating how Rupnow obtained a gun, Barnes said, and Rupnow’s family is cooperating with the investigation.
How to watch the Wisconsin school shooting update
- What: Police give an update on the school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
- Time: 1:15 p.m. local time; 2:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
- Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above or on your mobile or streaming device.
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change.
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Walmart said it’s testing body cameras on some store employees, a move that comes after some of its locations have experienced shootings and other violent incidents.
A Walmart associate checking receipts in a store in Denton, Texas, was spotted wearing a recording device earlier this month, according to CNBC, which cited a photo shared by a shopper. Walmart on Tuesday confirmed with CBS MoneyWatch that it is piloting the use of body cameras.
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry. This is a pilot we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer-term decisions,” a Walmart spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.
In 2023, there were more than 200 violent incidents at Walmart stores, according to United for Respect, a worker rights group, while in 2019, a gunman killed 23 people inside a Walmart in El Paso. Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart operates 4,700 stores and clubs across the country, and employs 1.6 million people in the U.S.
The body cameras are “for the safety and security of workers — it’s not designed for anti-theft measures,” a person close to the situation told CBS.
Body cameras at other retailers
Walmart is not alone in looking at body cameras, with more than a third of retailers reporting having researched the option in a survey released last year by the National Retail Federation. “No retailer reported being fully operational, but 11% are either piloting or testing the solution,” according to the NRF’s findings.
“Retailers are making every effort to ensure the safety and well-being of their customers, associates and communities. The use of body cameras is still a newer technology being used in retail and individual retailers are finding how this technology best works within their environments,” David Johnston, the NRF’s vice president of asset protection and retail operations, said Tuesday.
According to the trade group’s latest study, “The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2024,” about 91% of those surveyed say that shoplifters are exhibiting more violence and aggression compared with 2019, “highlighting why retailers are continuously looking at measures to reduce the threat of violence,” Johnson said.
TJX, which operates TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, began outfitting security workers with police-type body cameras at some of its locations over the past year, the company said this summer.
When somebody walks in, “It’s almost like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something when they’re being videotaped,” chief financial officer John Klinger told Wall Street analysts in late May.
“We hope that these body cameras will help us de-escalate incidents, deter crime and demonstrate to our associates and customers that we take safety in our stores seriously,” a TJX spokesperson stated in June.