GREEN MAG

A grandfather and his infant granddaughter were pronounced dead after authorities in Tennessee found pitbulls mauling the 3-month-old girl, officials said.

The district attorney general's office for Tennessee's 14th Judicial District said in a news release Wednesday that authorities are still trying to determine the cause of death for James Alexander Smith, 50, and his granddaughter, and whether the mauling occurred after they were already dead.

The prosecutor's office said it isn't clear if criminal charges will be filed in the case.

The apparent attack occurred at a residential address in Tullahoma, roughly 75 miles southeast of Nashville. Responding police officers killed the dogs to stop the attack, according to the release.

"Regrettably, it was obvious that both victims were deceased," the release states.

District Attorney Craig Northcutt said the dogs stayed at the home where the mauling occurred but it wasn't clear who they belonged to.

NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville reportedthat the animals were among seven pitbulls that lived there.

A neighbor, Rebecca Adams, told the station that dogs routinely escaped from the family's yard and chased other neighborhood pets. But she said she'd never seen them be aggressive toward people, the station reported.

The district attorney general's office said investigators are examining the animals' history and "other potential issues that may have contributed to this situation."

According to the release, the other dogs in the home were taken by the local animal control agency.

INWOOD, W.Va. (AP) — The West Virginia National Guard member who survivedlast week's shooting in Washingtonis slowly healing, West Virginia's governor said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe's head wound is slowly improving and "he's beginning to 'look more like himself,'" Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement quoting Wolfe's parents.

Wolfe and Spc. Sarah Beckstromwere ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26.Beckstrom died from her injuriesthe next day.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a29-year-old Afghan nationalwho was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Wolfe's family expects he will be in acute care for another two or three weeks, the governor said. He asked that West Virginians and Americans continue to pray for Wolfe.

A vigil was scheduled to be held for him at his alma mater, Musselman High School, in Berkeley County on Friday night.

Wolfe, 24, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, about 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

He has worked as a lineman with Frontier Communications since early 2023, the company said.

Wolfe joined the National Guard in 2019, the year he graduated from high school. At Musselman, Wolfe was an engaged and high-achieving student "who embodied the Applemen spirit, contributing positively to our school community both academically and athletically," Principal Alicia Riggleman said.

Wolfe and Beckstrom were among more than 2,000 troopsdeployed to the nation's capitalas part of President Donald Trump'scrime-fighting missionthat involved taking over the local police department.

Perhaps someday, theCatholic Churchwill allow women to serve as deacons. But that time, a Vatican commission has decided, is not now.

In a letter submitted toPope Leo XIVand released this week, a Vatican group formed in 2020 underPope Francistomull the issuesaid historical and theological research "excludes the possibility" of considering allowing women to the diaconate.

"In light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and ecclesiastical teaching, this assessment is strong, although it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time," a 2022 statement shared as part of the letter said.

Deacons are ordained ministers qualified to perform a number of priestly duties such as weddings, funerals and baptisms, though they are not priests and cannot celebrate Mass. The diaconate represents the Church's third degree of holy orders, below the presbyterate, or priests, and episcopate, or bishops.

Currently, the role is only open to married men, though according to historians, women served as deacons in the early Church.

In 2016,Pope Francisindicated he would support creation of a commission to examine the possibility of female deacons, and the topic created some buzz at the Vatican'sSynod on Synodalityin 2023 and 2024. The selection of Pope Leo had spurred optimism that the Church's stance on the issue might change.

Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, president of the commission, left open the possibility of future consideration following more in-depth discussion.

"Issues relating to the ordination of women as deacons remain open to further theological and pastoral study,"he wrote.

Given that the issue has proven divisive within the Church, he said, "this approach should be supported by increasingly well-equipped, global investigations, aimed, with farsighted wisdom, at exploring these ecclesial horizons."

The Vatican's decision was excoriated by theWomen's Ordination Conference, a national group that has long advocated for women's ordination in the Church.

"The Women's Ordination Conference is appalled by the Vatican's refusal to open its doors to women, even a crack," Kate McElwee, the group's executive director, saidin a statement. "Make no mistake: this is a decision that will harm the global church."

Few will have the patience, McElwee said, to wait out the further discussion suggested by the Vatican commission. She questioned the seriousness of the group's consideration given the lack of female input and noted that only 8 of 10 members voted on the issue, "adding more doubt that this commission functioned with any deep consultation or courage to respond to the signs of the time."

Petrocchi's letter noted that the commission had been equally divided on a statement advanced for consideration that said "the masculinity of Christ, and therefore the masculinity of those who receive Holy Orders, is not accidental, but is an integral part of the sacramental identity, preserving the divine order of salvation in Christ."

That the commission had even pondered such a statement, McElwee said, "is a deep, and theologically unsound, insult."

"For many women, this will be the final straw," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Catholic Church won't let women serve as deacons

The Los Angeles Lakers announced LeBron James is out for Friday night's game against the Boston Celtics. Luka Dončić and Marcus Smart were also ruled out.

James' injury designation is right sciatica and left arthritis, while Smart is dealing with a left lumbar muscle strain. Dončić has been away from the team for the birth of his second child in Slovenia.

James is coming off a notable performance Thursday night, when hisincredible 10-point streak — which has stood since 2007 — ended in thrilling fashion. With eight points on the stat sheet, James had the ball in the waning seconds of a tie game against the Raptors, but opted to pass to Rui Hachimura, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer.

James has played in just six of the Lakers' 21 games this season because of sciatica, and his 14.0 average points per game are easily the fewest of his career. His next-lowest total was in his rookie year in 2003-04, when he averaged 20.9 points in 79 games.

Still, the Lakers (16-5) are good for second in the Western Conference behind theone-loss Oklahoma City Thunder.

DETROIT (AP) — TheDetroit Lionsare getting a brief break.

Detroit earned a desperately needed44-30 winover the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, going 2-1 in a three-game stretch of home games over 12 days.

"We handled our business," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "Now, we get a little breather. We get a couple of days here to catch our breath and then we get ready for the Rams."

The Lions (8-5) would not be in the playoffs if they started next week, but the two-time defending NFC North champions have a chance to play their way in.

It won't be easy, especially after Pro Bowl safetyBrian Branchtore his left Achilles tendon against Dallas.

Detroit'splayoff probabilityis 54%, according to the NFL, with four games left in the regular season.

The banged-up Lions will have the weekend off before reporting to the team's training facility on Monday to begin preparing to face former Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams on the road Dec. 14.

Detroit plays the Pittsburgh Steelers in its home finale on Dec. 21 before visiting Minnesota on Christmas Day and closing the regular season at Chicago — potentially with a lot at stake.

"We want to kind of be on this up ramp by the time we hit the playoffs, where we're this dangerous team who can kind of go toe to toe with anybody," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. "That's what you want and we're right there."

What's working

Jahmyr Gibbs had 120 yards of offense and three scores in his latest sensational performance. He joined Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson and Earl Campbell as the four players in NFL history with 4,500 yards from scrimmage and 45 touchdowns during the first three seasons of a career.

What needs help

Detroit didn't adequately replace veteran guardKevin Zeitlerwhen he left in free agency to sign with Tennessee and that has become a glaring problem.

Christian Mahogany had the first opportunity to fill the role before breaking his leg last month. Against Dallas, the Lions rotated 27-year-old Trystan Colon and fifth-round pick Miles Frazier into the game and they had mixed results.

"There were some mistakes certainly that want to be cleaned up, but for the most part did a good job," Campbell said.

Jameson Williams is coming off the most productive games of his career, matching a career high with seven catches for 96 yards against the Cowboys a week after setting career highs with seven receptions and 144 yards along with a touchdown in a loss to Green Bay.

Injuries in the secondary are piling up. Branch tore his left Achilles tendon, according to a person familiar with the situation. Tests revealed the significant injury on Friday, the person told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the results were not announced.

Free safety Thomas Harper, filling in for injured All-Pro Kerby Joseph, suffered a concussion in the first quarter against the Cowboys. Cornerback Terrion Arnold was put on injured reserve earlier this week.

Branch's injury is a big blow for a team that counts on the hard-hitting defensive back with coverage skills. Receiver and punt returner Kalif Raymond has missed two straight games. Brock Wright, filling in for injured tight end Sam LaPorta, was put on injured reserve on Thursday.

58 — The Lions will play their 58th game without losing back-to-back regular-season games at Los Angeles, the league's longest run since San Francisco's 60-game run without dropping consecutive games from 1995 to 1999, according to Sportradar. The Rams have the second-longest active streak, going 24 games without losing two in a row in the regular season.

Rest from a grueling, three-game stretch and recover from injuries to get healthy for the final part of the season.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl