'Thief trying to steal catalytic converter' died after Toyota Prius fell on him

Why holding an NCAA Tournament office pool is more important than ever

A company in Chicago estimates March Madness will cost U.S. businesses more than $13 billion in lost productivity because employees will be watching the basketball games instead of working.

And that company — Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., which helps people with job searches and career transitioning and produces economic research — will happily absorb its share of the financial losses.

A year after COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the 2020 men's and women's tournaments, Challenger, Gray & Christmas have encouraged their more than 400 employees to fill out brackets and get involved.

“Employers should use this positive, shared experience to build much-needed morale for their workers," said Andrew Challenger, workplace expert and senior vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. “Most work teams are battling burnout right now, and a break from the pressure in the form of the tournament may help ease that burden."

Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton suffers ruptured Achilles in NCAA Tournament bubble

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — While Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton said his team is healthier entering this week's NCAA Tournament, he's dealing with an injury of his own.

Hamilton told media members Monday morning on a conference call that he fell coming off the team bus Sunday night when he misjudged how far down the step was, took a misstep onto the curb and fell.

He originally said that he only strained his wrist and his ankle, but he said in an interview on Packer and Durham on Thursday that he is dealing with a ruptured Achilles.

"Listen, if this is the only issue I'm going to have in life, I'm going to have a great life. I've never been injured and I ruptured my Achilles. I'm fine," Hamilton said on the ACC Network show.

"I could tell you some stories about Gastonia that would make this ruptured Achilles look like Sunday school. We can move on past that, believe me."

PRESIDENTIAL BRACKET:  Former Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama makes his picks

CLOSER LOOK:  How March Madness will look contained in Indiana

Insurance stock Hartford spikes, trading halted after report of possible takeover

Shares of the Hartford Financial Services Group surged more than 8% and were halted for volatility after Bloomberg News reported that fellow insurance firm Chubb has approached the company about a possible takeover.

Chubb's approach was a preliminary move, it is possible that no deal is reached, according to the report.

Shares of Hartford last traded up nearly 9% for the session, while shares of Chubb were down slightly.

Chubb has a market cap of roughly $77 billion, nearly four times larger than Hartford.

Representatives from Hartford and Chubb did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Drew Brees: Tony Romo ‘on my list of people to talk to’ in transition to TV

Amid the whirlwind of leaving one job and diving into the next, Drew Brees hasn’t yet talked to Tony Romo.

“But he’s certainly on my list of people to talk to,” Brees said of the last quarterback who walked off the NFL field and into a major-network broadcast role.

Brees announced his retirement Sunday after 20 seasons, the last 15 with the New Orleans Saints. The 13-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion officially joined NBC Sports on Monday.

“You certainly want fans to glimpse into the way you’ve seen and processed the game but also feel your love and passion for game,” Brees said Wednesday on a phone call organized by NBC Sports. “Then the trick is to be able to articulate that in a way to where fans can not only understand it, but I want them to walk away from the game saying: 'Man, I know a lot more about the game now.’ Or, ‘Man, I know a lot more about that player, or that team. I have a new appreciation for it.’

“It’s going to be as authentic as possibly can be.”

Driving on Mars or nails on a chalkboard? ‘Very noisy’ audio of rover traversing planet released

Sounds that could be compared to nails scraping down a chalkboard are music to these NASA engineers’ ears. 

Those bangs and rattles came from 150 million miles away via NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover as it drove 90 feet around the planet’s rocky surface on March 7.

“If I heard these sounds driving my car, I’d pull over and call for a tow,” said NASA engineer Dave Gruel in a press release. “But if you take a minute to consider what you’re hearing and where it was recorded, it makes perfect sense.”The rover’s wheels are metal, said fellow NASA engineer Vandi Verma in the same release. “When you’re driving with these wheels on rocks, it’s actually very noisy.”

Nails on a chalkboard? Or the Mars Perseverance rover driving? Check out the audio below (around the 1:25 mark):

A 150-million-mile selfie stick: How NASA’s Perseverance rover overcame ‘time and space’ to capture first Mars panorama

Fact check: Mars Perseverance rover landing happened, Ingenuity helicopter can fly on Mars

Part of the reason for the rover’s trip across the Martian surface was to locate a suitable airfield for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to attempt its first flight tests, read a NASA statement. That spot has been found.

The agency will hold a briefing next week to discuss upcoming plans for the helicopter.