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‘Not our friends’: Ukraine warning to AussiesKitchens will lead Tar Heels in Fenway Bowl against UConn. Another ex-Browns coach is standing byEarly in the fall of 2024, a new novel from bestselling author Neal Stephenson – he of the historical sagas, tech fables, and doorstop tomes – galloped onto bookstore shelves and e-reader screens. “Polostan,” a swashbuckling mashup of spies, science, politics, and polo, unfolds in the 1920s and ’30s against a backdrop of souring U.S.-Soviet relations and rising rivalries. At the story’s center is a Russian American girl straddling the worlds of her Ukraine-born Bolshevik father, who calls her Aurora, and her Montana-raised cowgirl mother, to whom she is Dawn. It’s a bold and captivating look at power, loyalty, and the sustaining impulse to chart one’s own path. Mr. Stephenson recently discussed “Polostan,” the first in a planned series, via a video call with The Monitor. The interview has been edited and condensed. You’ve described “Polostan” as a passion project. Which elements of the story first grabbed you? I like writing historical fiction. Of all the projects I’ve worked on in my career, the ones that I have the fondest memories for tend to be the historical books. Even some of my science fiction-y books have historical content in them. So I wanted to go back to writing historical fiction on a big scale. My secret sauce is anything to do with science and technology. [“Polostan” features] a hugely important era in the history of the modern world, but one of the things that makes it interesting and important is what was happening, unbeknownst to most people, in the world of science at that time. The Dawn/Aurora character is a classic outsider – a bit adrift, never quite at home in either the U.S. or the Soviet Union. Has she been fun to write? Oh, very fun. One of the things that I enjoy doing is taking established tropes from literature or film and trying to come at them from a new angle. So there’s an established trope of the femme fatale Russian female agent. I thought, If somebody like that really existed during the era that I’m covering here, the ’30s and ’40s, then how could such a person have come into existence? How could you have somebody who’s equally conversant in both the English and Russian languages to the point where native speakers of those languages would assume she was born and raised in their country? It turned out it was actually pretty easy to tell that story in a realistic way because there was this era right after the Russian Revolution in the late teens and early 1920s, when there was a lot of back and forth between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was before we had the Cold War and before we had this state of hostility that’s existed between the two countries more recently. A lot of Americans with leftist sympathies went over there because they thought it was the future. And so it was pretty easy to find accounts of those kinds of people. It didn’t take long for them to sour on the whole thing and to see some of the negative aspects of what was going on. But for a few years people were going back and forth like this all the time. Why polo of all things? The more I learned about the sport, the more I became aware that the way we think of it now isn’t the way people thought of it a hundred years ago. Now, it’s probably the most upper-crust sport you can do. But a hundred years ago, it was also a sport that was played routinely by cavalry units all over the world as a training exercise. So in the Soviet Union, they played polo there because they had horse cavalry. And then I became aware that there were polo-pony ranches in eastern Wyoming around Gillette, where these ponies were bred, raised, trained, and sold to the international market. The people who worked on those ranches who were cowboys, cowgirls – white, Native American, Hispanic, Black – they played polo because it was part of their job. You can’t train one of these ponies without using it to play the sport. So my idea of what polo was changed to something that cut through all strata of society. And that gave me the idea that connections could be made between characters who normally wouldn’t have had anything to do with each other. This is such an interesting time to publish a story about U.S.-Russian spy games. How has the more recent history of the two countries shaped your thinking about the series? The big change that occurred since I started working on it about 10 years ago was the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Then, I may have been more inclined to see Russia and Ukraine as kind of more sibling countries and capable of somehow relating to each other in a more friendly way. Since the invasion, I started to educate myself a little bit and learned about the famine, the Holodomor, that wiped out millions of Ukrainians in 1933. Until I learned a little bit more about it, I was inclined to accept the view “Oh yeah, it’s too bad, the harvest failed; bad things happen, what a shame.” But when you actually read about what happened, you can see it was a sort of deliberate act of genocide that was carried out by decisions made in Moscow. It was a way of crushing Ukraine, and absorbing it more completely in the system that they wanted to build. It shouldn’t have been news to me, but it was. Is the series all mapped out? It’ll certainly be at least three [books]. Beyond that, never say never. The book is shorter and thinner than a lot of my books. That’s by design. My editor and I made the decision to bring them out as they’re ready, so publication will be spread out over a few years.
NPP Parliamentary Candidates Seek Court Order to Compel EC to Declare Results
NoneTeam Chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt is a beloved sports figure whose loyalty to her team, Loyola Chicago, has earned her a place of prestige and respect both in Chicago and throughout the world of college basketball—or so we thought. The Loyola of Chicago Ramblers notched their seventh win of the young season after handing Eastern Michigan a 76-54 defeat, bringing their record to 7-0. However, social media users became enraged mere moments after the game ended as cameras captured Ramblers players making their way off the court and completely ignored Sister Jean, who sat in her wheelchair with her hand extended to congratulate them. Reaction to the snubbery flowed in fast on X. It appears that only the final two players declined to bump fists with Sister Jean. However, even one missed fist bump is too much. Sister Jean began working at Loyola Chicago in 1991 as an academic advisor. Only three years later, she took over the role for which she is best known: team chaplain for the Ramblers. Sister Jean turned 105 in August and shows no signs of quitting.Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Saturday COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN) Noon: BTN — Md.-Eastern Shore at Maryland, CW — E. Kentucky at Louisville, FS1 — Coppin St. at Georgetown; 2 p.m.: ACCN — Alabama A&M at Georgia Tech, CBS — NC Central at NC A&T, CW — Bucknell at Syracuse, ESPN2 — Mississippi at Memphis, FS1 — Loyola (Md.) at DePaul; 4 p.m.: ACCN — Fairleigh Dickinson at Boston College, CBS — Howard at Hampton, FOX — UCLA vs. Gonzaga, Los Angeles, SECN — Abilene Christian at Texas A 6 p.m.: FOX — Utah St. at San Diego St., FS1 — Delaware at St. John’s COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN) 1:30 p.m.: FOX — Creighton at St. John’s; 2 p.m.: BTN — Wisconsin at Indiana; 4 p.m.: BTN — Penn St. at Minnesota, ESPN2 — Oregon St. at Gonzaga COLLEGE FOOTBALL 11 a.m.: ESPN — The Wasabi Fenway Bowl: UConn vs. North Carolina, Boston; Noon: ABC — The Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College vs. Nebraska, New York; 2:15 p.m.: ESPN — The Isleta New Mexico Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. TCU, Albuquerque, N.M.; 3:30 p.m.: ABC — The Pop-Tarts Bowl: Iowa St. vs. Miami, Orlando, Fla.; 4:15 p.m.: CW — The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Colorado St., Tucson, Ariz.; 5:45 p.m.: ESPN — The Go Bowling Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. NC State, Annapolis, Md.; 7:30 p.m.: ABC — The Valero Alamo Bowl: BYU vs. Colorado, San Antonio; 9:15 p.m.: ESPN — The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Army, Shreveport, La. HORSE RACING 3 p.m.: FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races; 4 p.m.: FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races IIHF HOCKEY (MEN) 1 p.m.: NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Kazakhstan vs. Czechia, Group B, Toronto; 3:30 p.m.: NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Latvia vs. U.S., Group A, Ottawa, Ontario LACROSSE (MEN) 6:30 p.m.: ESPN2 — NLL: Rochester at Buffalo NBA BASKETBALL 3 p.m.: NBATV — Miami at Atlanta; 6 p.m.: NBATV — Oklahoma City at Charlotte; 8:30 p.m.: NBATV — Phoenix at Golden State NFL FOOTBALL 1 p.m.: NFLN — L.A. Chargers at New England; 4:30 p.m.: NFLN — Denver at Cincinnati; 8 p.m.: NFLN — Arizona at L.A. Rams NHL HOCKEY 7 p.m.: NHLN — Washington at Toronto SOCCER (MEN) 9 a.m.: CBSSN — Serie A: Monza at Parma TENNIS 4 a.m.: TENNIS — United Cup: USA v. Canada; 6 a.m.: TENNIS — United Cup: Greece v. Spain; 6:30 p.m.: TENNIS — United Cup: Norway v. Czech Rep.; Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds; 6 a.m. (Sunday): TENNIS — Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds Sunday COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN) Noon: BTN — Indiana St. at Ohio St.; 1 p.m.: PEACOCK — Penn at Penn St.; 1:30 p.m.: PEACOCK — Northeastern at Northwestern; 2 p.m.: BTN — Chicago St. at Illinois, PEACOCK — Morgan St. at Minnesota; 3 p.m.: ESPNU — Buffalo at Temple, PEACOCK — NJIT at Washington; 4 p.m.: BTN — Winthrop at Indiana; 6 p.m.: BTN — Toledo at Purdue; 8 p.m.: ACCN — Campbell at North Carolina, BTN — W. Kentucky at Michigan COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN) Noon: ACCN — Virginia at Notre Dame, SECN — Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt; 1 p.m.: ESPN2 — South Florida at Rice; 2 p.m.: ACCN — Louisville at Boston College, SECN — Wofford at South Carolina; 4 p.m.: ACCN — North Carolina at Miami, SECN — Texas Rio Grande Valley at Texas; 6 p.m.: ACCN — Clemson at NC State; 10 p.m.: BTN — Michigan at Southern Cal HORSE RACING 3 p.m.: FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races IIHF HOCKEY (MEN) Noon: NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Switzerland vs. Sweden, Group B, Toronto; 2:30 p.m.: NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: U.S. vs. Finland, Group A, Ottawa, Ontario; 5 p.m.: NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Czechia vs. Slovakia, Group B, Toronto; 7:30 p.m.: NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Canada vs. Germany, Group A, Ottawa, Ontario NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL 2 p.m.: NBATV — Osceola at Raptors 905 NFL FOOTBALL 1 p.m.: FOX — Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants; 4:05 p.m.: CBS — Miami at Cleveland; 4:25 p.m.: FOX — Green Bay at Minnesota; 8:20 p.m.: NBC — Atlanta at Washington, PEACOCK — Atlanta at Washington NHL HOCKEY 8:30 p.m.: ESPN — Dallas at Chicago SOCCER (MEN) 10 a.m.: USA — Premier League: Nottingham Forest at Everton; 12:15 p.m.: USA — Premier League: Liverpool at West Ham United; 12:40 p.m.: CBSSN — English League Championship: Leeds United at Derby County TENNIS 6 a.m.: TENNIS — Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds; 6:30 p.m.: TENNIS — United Cup: Britain v. Argentina; Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds; Hong Kong-ATP, Auckland-WTA Early Rounds; 6 a.m. (Monday): TENNIS — Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
Playing high-level basketball is nothing unusual for the Milton Eagles. That is for good reason. Milton is located just 30 miles from the basketball hotbed of Atlanta. “Most nights you are going to see a college kid or more,” Milton head coach Allen Whitehart said. “We played Norcross High School last weekend and there were probably overall 8 to 10 Division I kids on the floor.” There will be a few of those this week when the Eagles take part in The Classic at Tennessee High (formerly the Arby’s Classic) at Viking Hall. Whitehart, in his eighth season at Milton, first learned of the tournament from the late-Dale Burns and current director Richard Ensor followed up. “We are just grateful to have the chance and the opportunity to be there,” said Whitehart, in his 21st season as a head coach, having gotten into education after a stint in the Marines. “You can invite any team throughout America and we are one of the blessed teams to have the opportunity to get invited. We are grateful to Mr. Ensor for his hospitality and thinking of us and letting us come to his tournament so we are grateful for that.” Milton (7-1), which finished 20-11 last season, losing in the state semifinals to national powerhouse Grayson, has one loss this year, that also coming to Grayson, which is currently the fourth-ranked team in America according to MaxPreps.com . “We are a pro-set system. We run a lot pro-sets,” Whitehart said. “Mainly man-to-man defensive team, we like to play with tempo, we like to share the ball. We really like to share it, we have got some really good kids.” Leading the way are several talented seniors, led by 6-foot-1 guard Josh Dixon, who tallied 23.4 points and five rebounds a game last season. There is also 6-8 Daniel Ogunyemi (16 ppg, 9 reb), who has committed to Yale, 6-2 Jaydon Cole (19 ppg) and Braxton Gielser, who will play at Young Harris in Conference Carolinas. That is far from all. Nathan Earl, a 6-2 junior, who tallied 17 points a game last year, has received offers from California, Central Florida and Auburn, while 6-foot junior Grant McDuffie has an offer from Alabama State. Don’t forget about 6-8 sophomore Solomon Bratton, who Whitehart said will eventually be a top-100 kid in the nation. “We have got some depth,” Whitehart said. “We have got kids that have played at a pretty high level and are going to be able to help us not just this year, but next year as well.” Whitehart went looking for another calling after his stint in the Marines and found it as a coach and teacher. “I think it is just impacting young men really, helping them,” he said. “They want to achieve on the court dreams and goals, but I think more importantly I am having an impact on them helping them just figure out life.” Part of that development are tournaments like The Classic and the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions next month in Springfield, Mo. Milton has traveled the nation, even as far as Hawaii, to play the best teams they can find. “I think it is good to go on these trips because it gives us a chance to bond, spend some time together where we are together 24/7 over the week that we are there,” Whitehart said. “Just some team bonding and then find out a little bit about who we are by playing people outside of our area. Finding the different styles in different areas, it just gives us a chance to really lock into basketball and have a growth period over the holiday break. “It gives us a chance to essentially learn more about each other as a team because roles change every year so we are still trying to figure that out early in the season. Really it is just about bonding and being able to compete at a high level.” Up first for Milton on Thursday will be Greeneville, which has its own highly-touted prospect in 6-8 junior Trey Thompson, along with 6-3 senior Isaac McGill. “They have got the big boy and then they have got the guard. We have got our work cut out for us, no doubt,” said Whitehart, who explained how teams prepare for schools they haven’t seen before. “You have got to track what their success is, track who they are playing and what they are playing and then you try to request film just so you can get an understanding of how they play and who their key players are. Hopefully you don’t get wrong.” More often than not, the Eagles get it right. “We are blessed to have some longevity and success,” he said.
Referee David Coote will not appeal against termination of contract
Two of the biggest challenges facing our city are domestic violence and the decades-long struggles to improve student achievement in Fresno Unified School District. Fortunately, we have Marjaree Mason Center CEO Nicole Linder leading the charge to educate the community about domestic violence and provide life-saving services for victims. We are equally fortunate to have School Board Trustee Susan Wittrup sticking her neck out and fighting the Fresno Unified bureaucracy to make the necessary changes so that all students graduate prepared to succeed in the workforce or in college. For these accomplishments, Linder and Wittrup are the GV Wire/Unfiltered Difference Makers of the Year. In 2024, Linder and her Marjaree Mason team capped off a $21 million fundraising drive to complete renovations and open a campus in northwest Fresno. The new center will house an around-the-clock drop-in center, programs supporting domestic violence survivors, and the nonprofit’s administrative offices. “It’s been, quite honestly, nothing short of a miracle. I’m definitely a person of faith, and I believe there’s been so much coordination to make all of this happen,” said Linder of the fundraising effort and praising her team. “The goal is to say this is a critical community investment, to say we’re not going to stand for this anymore.” We’re not going to stand for this anymore is Wittrup’s mantra, too. A majority of the School Board sent a message to the community that it would be business-as-usual after Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson announced his retirement. Those trustees wanted to limit the search for his successor to in-house candidates. Seeking the best for students and realizing that more of the same wouldn’t move the needle, Wittrup rallied the community in protest. And, in the face of the responding public outcry, she flipped the board majority to require a national search for Nelson’s replacement. In addition, interim Superintendent Misty Herr — a candidate to take over the top spot — appears focused on improving literacy, attendance, and learning. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is given that past superintendents spent more time excusing Fresno Unified’s woeful performance and cheerleading for the accomplishments of the districts’ top students than they did changing the system so that it works for those who need the most support. For that, we can thank Wittrup, who spent her professional career as a Fresno Unified psychologist. “We’re doing really important work now with transforming Fresno Unified,” says Wittrup. “My heart is in this work and I will continue to persist.” Many readers will recognize some of the names on our 2024 Difference Makers list. However, we hope that many will come as a surprise because I asked the GV Wire staff to go beyond the names that regularly appear in Fresno media. The list is by no means complete. While Fresno and the greater Valley have big challenges, we’re blessed with legions of residents who go out of their way to help others succeed and communities sparkle. Stan and Carrie Zulewski: Fresno’s Unforgettable Charity Christmas Light Show Have you heard of Fresno’s hidden gem during the holiday season? It is without a doubt the North Winchester Light Show in northwest Fresno. Stan Zulewski and his wife, Carrie, are the creators of the 15,000 LED Christmas light show at 6047 N. Winchester Ave. The rockin’ free lightshow has been open to the public for 17 years. What makes this 20-minute experience unique is that people can drive up to the house, tune into a radio frequency posted in the yard, and hear the accompanying music in the comfort of their car. The Zulewskis’ generosity extends to lifting up Fresno. There’s a donation box in the center of their yard and all the proceeds go to a local charity. The couple chooses a different nonprofit every year. This year, it’s Fresno Mission’s City Center. The light show runs nightly until Dec. 26. Hours are dark to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. To learn more about the show and its history, Related Story: Nick Richardson: Political Novice Shocks the Establishment A political novice, Nick Richardson ran for an open seat to represent northeast Fresno on the city council. In the primary, he battled against a prominent attorney, a banker who served on the planning commission, and nonprofit fundraiser. Richardson, a Marine reservist and safety consultant in his civilian life, finished a distant second — but that was enough to force a runoff against Roger Bonakdar, the attorney who represented Bitwise Industries employees owed money by the bankrupt company. Despite being outraised 8-to-1 and not having nearly the prominent endorsement list as Bonakdar, Richardson won the election and will take his seat on the dais next month. Election watchers call this one of the biggest upsets in Fresno election history. How did he do it? Hard work for one. Richardson established a reputation of walking and knocking, and holding decently-attended community meetings in parks. He was willing to communicate with groups that he may not politically agree with — like a pro-Palestinian group and LGBT advocates. Filling out an LGBT’s group survey may have cost Richardson the local Republican endorsement. Nevertheless, he is set to become the new District 6 councilmember. Kuma Family: Embracing One and All While Preserving Polynesian Culture When the Kuma family came to Fresno, they wanted a way to preserve their Polynesian roots. Despite their Tongan roots, they wanted a group for all Polynesians. And now, that has turned into an award-winning dance club with more than 300 members of all ages and backgrounds. All of the dances performed at the Polynesian Club of Fresno tell a story, says Linda Kuma, wife of the group’s founder. In fact, the group’s performance in 2023 earned them the top prize at a worldwide competition in San Jose. “They heard we were from Fresno and they’re trying to figure out what island was near Fresno,” Kuma said. “We had a great laugh about that.” The group has classes for every generation. One family has four generations dancing, from a great-granddaughter to a great-grandmother. Beyond dancing, the group also has drumming and fire knife classes. Kuma makes costumes for every dancer, representative of the different cultures within the Polynesian sphere. Samoan dress has subtle differences from that of Tahitian or Hawaiian, and vice versa. “I love this group, and that’s probably the reason that at 75, I still am here working because I love what I’m able to do and what’s able to happen for the people in this group,” Kuma said. “Not only the children, but the adults.” There’s not much that will compel most teenagers to get up before the crack of dawn, but Roosevelt High teacher Mike Spencer has found the key — and it’s fishing. Spencer, who has taught English at the southeast Fresno high school for 22 years, is the adviser for the school’s fishing club. Club members do more than fish — they volunteer for a variety of community service activities such as a Halloween trunk or treats event, clean-up opportunities with Beautify Fresno, and dropping old Christmas trees into lakes for fish habitats. But the main fun event is fishing, and that includes tournaments at Millerton Lake and overnight camping trips at places like San Luis Reservoir. Roosevelt’s fishing club members joins with other high schoolers in the region to participate in the Big Valley High School Anglers, a high school tournament bass fishing group that operates as part of the California High School Anglers Tournament Trail and hosts sanctioned tournaments. The core group of Roosevelt’s club is about 16 students, more juniors and seniors and more girls than boys this year, Spencer says. The fishing outings depend on an army of adult volunteers, including boat captains who take students out onto the water. “When I started, some people told me I was crazy, that bass fishermen would never let a kid on their boat like what I was asking for, which is basically, ‘Hey, I need two kids to be on your boat for seven hours. I don’t know how much experience they have. Would you do it?’ “Fresno Bass Club was my first call, a guy by the name of Ron Armstrong. And I’ll be honest, had he said no, it probably would have died right there. But he said yes. And he got his friends, the Fresno Bass Club guys, to be a part of it.” Members of other area fishing groups subsequently signed on, he says. “It’s almost humbling to be able to make one phone call and have five boats show up to take kids. But that’s sort of the beauty of what we’ve been able to do, is bring a lot of different people together, all for one purpose — to share the value of outdoor recreation with kids. The kids love it, and the adults love it. It’s been fantastic.” Fishing is in Spencer’s blood — like his father, he’s a longtime fly fisherman (ironically, neither of them cares much for eating fish). Before his teaching career began Spencer was a guide in Alaska and Montana after he graduated from Fresno State. Roosevelt had previously had a fishing club that had “fizzled out,” he says. While watching ESPN coverage of college fishing that included a Fresno State team, Spencer saw coverage of high school teams and realized that Roosevelt’s team could be reborn. It got off to a rocky start. About 80 students showed up at the first meeting. After he announced that members would have to pay a $25 fee to cover costs such as liability insurance, only a half dozen showed up for the next meeting. “And I realized immediately that, OK, I have to figure out ways to do this that doesn’t cost money. Or if the kids don’t have it, we can supplement. That’s been one of the biggest challenges, obviously, is how it gets funded.” The club’s community service requirement is a way for students to give back in appreciation of the support their club receives, Spencer says. “I don’t believe that you give people things for free. Like, there has to be some skin in the game, and it’s not the kids’ fault that they don’t have money. But if they can show up to fish, they can show up to do community service. And so that’s the price that most of them pay. If you want this, then you’ll show up for these things that we’re giving back. And that’s been really, I think, one of the best parts of the club, is getting the kids out there.” In addition to fishing at Millerton and Pine Lakes, the Roosevelt anglers get some out-of-town camping trips, including the central coast and San Luis Reservoir. Many have never set up tents or cooked on grills. But they soon get the hang of it, and they also learn from Spencer about the importance of cleaning up their campsite before they depart. “I don’t care if we didn’t put it there. It’s coming out, because you want to leave things better than you found it. I’m a ‘see a problem, solve a problem’ kind of person. And so I try to instill that in the kids. And I think it lands, for the most part.” The students also learn other lessons, such as the importance of expressing gratitude. After each expedition, the fishing club members write thank-you notes to their boat captains. Their appreciation is genuine, Spencer says: “The other great thing about my kids versus a lot of other kids who have access to boats and good fishing all the time is, my kids are used to fishing from the bank when they go fishing, which means they’re used to not catching anything because that’s usually what happens when you fish from the bank. So you put them in a boat, they catch a couple of fish, they think it was a fantastic day, while everybody else is complaining that they only got a couple of fish.” Demetrius Porter: Basketball Star Turned Mentor and Vintner In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Demetrius “Dee” Porter was making three-pointers and dishing assists for the Fresno State men’s basketball team. Now, he’s in the wine game while also mentoring Valley youth. Porter owns Center Cork Wine, where his goal is to “bring a representation of success, resilience, courage, and prestige to the Valley” via the wine brand. He was inspired to pursue wine while playing pro basketball in France. Fittingly, his wine line includes “Corkside,” ‘‘Pre-Game,” “Crossover,” “Tip-Off,” and “One and Done.” It wasn’t an easy road for the Washington Union graduate. Less than 1% of the 11,000 U.S. wineries are Black owned. In the industry “typicity” means the degree in which a wine tastes like the region where it was grown. He wants the world to know about local wine. Profits from the business support the nonprofit Exposure Sports, which puts on basketball scrimmages, camps and clinics for local boys and girls. “I focus on teaching high-level game skills and instilling the mindset of an elite athlete, emphasizing how hard work on the court can translate to success off the court,” said Porter. He hosts the annual The Heart of California Basketball Classic where the best players from the Central Valley scrimmage against top talent from across the country at the Save Mart Center. His organization has helped send 70 athletes to Division 1 schools. Four players have made it to the NBA: Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial, Houston Rockets), Jaime Jaquez and Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat), and AJ Johnson (Fresno native/2024 Milwaukee Bucks first-round draft pick). He has a pipeline to the UNLV women’s program as four of them have either played, are playing, or will play for the Rebels: Meadow Roland and Macie James (SJM), Rodjane Wade (Edison), and Alexis Willis (Clovis West). Savannah Tucker from Clovis North is playing at Long Beach State. Whether if it’s sending talent to college and the pros or becoming the first local wine company to be featured in Safeway, Porter does it by “thinking outside the box, defying naysayers, and inspiring youth to believe that anything is possible.” Related Story: Marie Slater: 40 Years as a Fresno Chaffee Zoo Docent Most Sunday mornings you’ll find Marie Slater hanging round the flamingo habitat at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. She loves the birds, and she also loves talking to visitors about them and other birds who live at the zoo. And she’s been doing it for a long time. Slater has been a docent for 40 years, the zoo’s longest-serving docent. She’s also served on the zoo board, twice as president. “My class of docents was the first one, in 1984,” she said. “They evidently had a group of docents in the early’ 70s, but they somehow disbanded. So my class was the first class after that. And it just has grown from there, obviously.” When she first started volunteering, the zoo was mostly small enclosures and a lot of concrete, Slater recalls. “It was still a nice little zoo, but probably not attractive,” she says. ”And now it’s a wonderful place for animals.” The passage of Measure Z by Fresno County voters, first in 2004 and then again in 2014 and 2023, has enabled the zoo inside Roeding Park to convert the concrete and small enclosures into habitats, including Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and Kingdoms of Asia. Slater has a hard time when she’s asked about her favorite animals, but she confesses that the big cats and elephants — and their babies — are at the top of her list. She “inherited” the bird cart after another longtime docent passed away. “She was always the bird person. So I sort of ventured out and thought, ‘Well, I can’t let her down. Let’s see what I can do here.’ So that’s when I started working at the bird cart.” Slater makes sure that there will be plenty of future generations of docents by helping to run the annual docent-training class each January. Why did she decide to become a docent 40 years ago? “I was a retired teacher and had time. My kids no longer wanted to come to the zoo, but I wanted to come to the zoo,” she says. “I love the zoo. It’s a peaceful place. It just worked for me.” Rodney Casillas: Guiding Youth and Fathers to Better Futures Rodney Casillas, an Easton resident, has dedicated the past 20 years of his life to guiding at-risk youth and young adults as they navigate challenges in entering the workforce. His journey began when he was hired at Workforce Connection, located at Shaw and Marks avenues, where he discovered his true passion for helping others. Casillas faced similar struggles during his youth, experiencing difficulties with no one to turn to for guidance. This personal connection fuels his drive to support others who find themselves in similar situations. As a special grants supervisor, Casillas, along with his team, works to secure grants and run workshops aimed at providing essential resources to those in need. What keeps Casillas motivated is the impact he has on people’s lives, helping them achieve success. One particular moment stands out for Casillas: During a workshop he facilitated, a couple participated and benefited from the tools and resources provided. Eighteen years later, they returned to the center with their child, specifically requesting Casillas. “I’ve been blessed in that way to help others and to see my own participants over the years and their successes that they’ve had and the families they’ve created and how well they are doing,” Casillas said. “That’s my thanks, and I’m grateful and thankful to be connected to that.” Last year, Casillas and his team secured a grant with a five-year lifespan, resulting in $1.1 million being distributed and impacting 397 young adults. Judge Raj Singh Badhesha has a heavy caseload, burning through more than 100 misdemeanor cases on a day following a holiday break. For one case, he orders a petty theft suspect to write a one- page essay on why crime does not pay. The new jurist is working his way up at the Fresno County Superior Court. Literally. His courtroom is two floors below the main entrance. “It’s kind of cool to be in Department 1 and to be able to someday be in a different department and to literally say I worked my way up,” Badhesha joked. Badhesha is a trailblazer as the first Sikh in the county to be named and the first turban-wearing judge ever in the state after Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated him to the bench earlier this year. The community celebrated his enrobing ceremony this past July at Fresno City Hall. “Members of (the Sikh) community are also very happy to see somebody that looks like them on the bench. But regardless of what I look like, I try to do a good job,” Badhesha said. “I do get a lot of smiles from people who look like me, who sometimes appear in court. They’re not always here for the best reasons. But I think that part of the benefit of having such a diverse judicial structure is that the judiciary doesn’t look like any single person,” Badhesha said. Diversity also comes from having previously worked in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office. He believes he is the first city attorney office worker to join the bench in four decades. “In my prior role at the city of Fresno, we were in a very fast-paced environment. And so I think from from that perspective, having that experience, I definitely was able to have benefited from that, coming into a misdemeanor department,” Badhesha said. Moving from City Hall contracts and public meetings to criminal law meant more learning and training. Badhesha said he also seeks help from fellow judges and the attorneys he interacts with. Stephen Vogt: From Player to AL Manger of the Year in Two Seasons Few gave the Cleveland Guardians and their new manager, Stephen Vogt, a chance. the 20th best team in Spring Training. had them as a fourth-place team. That didn’t matter to Visalia-native Vogt. Defying expectations, Vogt led the Guardians to a American League Central division title, and battled the Yankees for the AL pennant. Baseball writers rewarded Vogt, naming him the AL Manager of the Year. “I got way more excited when any one of our guys hit a home run then I ever did myself or a big play or a strikeout,” said Vogt, who starred in baseball at Central Valley Christian High School. “I think that’s the beauty of this role and this job — it’s not about you. It’s about your players and it’s about their successes.” During an interview at a Guardians game in August, Vogt told GV Wire his local roots still run deep. “Growing up in Visalia really gives you the perspective that you have to work hard for everything that you want. It’s a hard-working area. A lot of my friends grew up on dairy farms and going out and working the fields with them, working the cows and things like that, you just learn ... the dedication of hard work,” Vogt said. “And, to me, it’s a tough area. You have to be tough. I don’t really put my thumb on it, but I just feel like growing up where I did it really helped mold me into the competitor that I am.” Brett and Deborah Bayley were new transplants to Fresno looking for ways to get to know the community while helping to make it a better place. The Bayleys moved to Fresno from San Diego in 2017 to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Their daughter later uprooted and moved north, and “we’re all right in the in the same ‘box,’ in the same block of houses here in Fresno. And it’s worked out perfectly. This will be where we spend the rest of our days,” Brett says. Soon after moving here, the Bayleys began looking for things to do. Brett, a retired real estate broker, and Deborah, a retired teacher, were drawn to the Beautify Fresno campaign that Mayor Jerry Dyer started as a community cleanup opportunity during his first campaign for mayor in 2020. “It was an opportunity for us to just give back. And we felt that we had the time, and we wanted to do it,” Brett says. The first event they signed up for was a litter removal project along the San Joaquin River. Picking up litter goes to Brett and Deborah’s roots. “We hate litter with a passion,” Brett says. “Deborah and I are in our 70s, and we go back to one of the first public relations campaigns that the country ever put on, which was ‘Don’t Be a Litter Bug’. And from our grade school years and on, our parents — both sets of parents really — drilled it in us that ‘hey, don’t be a litter bug.’ So we kind of grew up with that.” After that event, “we kind of got kind of got the bug and said, well, this will be a great opportunity for us to do a little something to give back. We call it doing our bit, you know, just doing our bit,” he says. They sign up often for Beautify Fresno events, which not only satisfies their desire to “do their bit” but also has introduced them to people they might not have met and neighborhoods they might not have visited otherwise. “I started keeping a list because I wanted to remember everybody’s names, so I’d carry around a piece of paper and, you know, just jot down, ‘starting a trucking company with his brothers,’ so I could remember the names and a little bit of background, and that paper’s grown into five sheets now on either side,” Deborah says. In addition to being steady Fresno beautifiers, the Bayleys also volunteer on Mondays to help out at the Fresno Animal Center, where they take care of behind-the-scenes chores like doing laundry and washing dishes. Brett says he and Deborah attended an open house at the center in its early days and after taking a tour, “it’s like a little light bulb going off where we want to do what we can to help you.” Volunteering gives them a chance to get to know the center’s staffers, most of whom are “considerably younger,” Brett says. “We think the relationship works both ways. They get to talk to some old dogs like us who’ve been around the block once or twice. And in turn, we keep in touch with younger people and some of the issues that they’re facing. And we’ve been able to help some of them over the couple of years. We’ve been there with just some advice and counsel and, you know, in a very small way more direct assistance. And so it’s been really, really good for us.” Ryan Indart: Keeping the Valley’s Sheep Industry Alive There was a time when there were more than 300,000 sheep in Fresno County, says rancher Ryan Indart. A majority of the 10,000 remaining sheep belong to him, a third-generation Basque sheep rancher. Making a living from selling lamb and wool can be difficult for many ranchers, he said. Several years of drought from 2009 to 2018 almost bankrupted him. But it was a phone call in 2018 from a solar developer that opened his eyes to a new market opportunity. The developer needed overgrown grass cleared out on his solar development in western Fresno County, Indart said. He wanted sheep to do the work. “My jaw dropped. That’s one of those quintessential light bulb moments and that has since been a really game changing moment for us,” Indart said. With the dramatic growth of solar throughout the San Joaquin Valley, Indart has likewise grown a list of clientele who need the same services. “We built our business and we went from like 2,000 acres to now we’re grazing almost 25,000 acres between two states,” Indart said. Overgrown vegetation can be a major fire hazard, threatening solar assets worth well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Sheep present a more environmentally friendly way to clear out brush, often getting to areas a mower can’t reach. A good sheepherder can get 85% of the vegetation in an area, Indart said. Basque sheepherders were a critical piece of the sheep industry in the western U.S. Now, Australia and New Zealand have taken a significant portion of market share. In addition to trade imbalances, Indart says the association of lamb meat to the tough mutton U.S. soldiers got during World War II turned them off in the years following the war. But clearing out brush opens new opportunities for Indart’s business, and one he says can sustain them into the future. Lilia Chavez: Champion of Local Arts Fresno art lovers have 9.4 million new reasons to love Lilia Gonzales-Chávez. Long considered a leader in the Fresno art scene, Gonzales-Chávez took on a new role this year — dispensing millions of dollars in art grants. As the city of Fresno collected sales tax from Measure P — the sales tax dedicated to parks and arts — the Fresno Arts Council had the task of dispensing grant money. Chavez, president of the Fresno Arts Council, recommended which nonprofits should receive a share of $9.4 million. At a ceremony in September, Chavez proudly dispensed awards to 112 organizations — museums, artists, instructors and more. “We know that the arts are cathartic and just by participating in the arts we do improve our overall wellness. We know that with the arts we strengthen economic vitality,” Chavez was by the Munro Review — a grant recipient itself. Last year, in an interview for an article in , Gonzales-Chávez harkened back to the moment that the arts made a difference in her life. She was in third grade and her teacher announced that three in her third-grade class would be in the school’s talent show. Gonzales-Chávez did a quick calculation and deduced that a classmate who took ballet lessons and another who was taking piano lessons had been chosen. “But then the teacher said I was going to be in the talent show,” said Gonzales-Chávez. “And I didn’t know what talent I had!” Her teacher told her that voice was her talent and she would sing “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music. “We often don’t know what talents we have until someone points them out for us,” she said. In 1987, Gonzales-Chávez co-founded the Latino cultural arts center, , and served as executive director for 10 years. “When I looked around our community, there weren’t a lot of places for Latino children to see beautiful images of themselves. We had two major art institutions at that time: the Fresno Metropolitan Museum and the Fresno Art Museum. But they maybe did an annual exhibition that would touch on the Mexican community in Fresno County. “When I go to Arte Américas, I see people from all walks of life present.” Helen Attarian: Blood Bank Volunteer and 15 Gallon Donor If you’ve spent any time at the Jenny Eller Blood Donation Center on Herndon Avenue, you’ve probably bumped into Helen Attarian, a longtime volunteer and an even longer-time blood donor. Helen, 83, has been giving up pints of her O+ blood for decades. She’s up to 122 pints, or more than 15 gallons. As much as she’s glad to roll up her sleeve for a blood donation, she’s equally happy to roll up her sleeves and help out the blood center as a volunteer on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, and some Saturdays, and anytime there is a big blood drive at an area high school or other location. Why does she do it? “I love people and watching over and taking care of the donors and making sure they’re well and healthy and helping them when they’re not. That’s my favorite part (of volunteering),” she says. Her duties include keeping the canteen stocked with snacks. It’s probably no surprise that Helen is a people person — before she retired she worked in sales, selling everything from cars to eyeglass frames. She finally retired during the COVID pandemic when her job doing food demos at stores was curtailed. By then she was already spending part of her week at the blood bank as a volunteer. Donating blood is a family thing: two of her daughters donate, and her grandson began when he turned 16 (he’s now in his late 20s and living in Georgia). Helen says she had thought for years while donating about volunteering. It looked like fun, and she’d get to spend time doing her favorite thing — talking with and helping people. But it wasn’t until one of her daughters started a job there that Helen agreed to come along and speak with the volunteer coordinator. Her tasks include the aforementioned canteen time, making sure that donors are doing well and getting a snack. But she takes on other tasks, such as stapling the coupon books that each donor received or helping out the marketing team with its work. Helen’s also a kind of walking billboard for the blood center. She wears the many T-shirts that donors receive while out in the community and frequently gets recognized by donors. “So I have that on all the time. I’m always advertising the blood bank, and when I talk to people they tell me ‘oh, I saw you at the blood bank.’ ” Allysun Walker: Advancing Homeownership in Southwest Fresno Advancing historically neglected southwest Fresno is a major goal for city officials, numerous nonprofits, and many concerned citizens. Allysunn Walker, CEO of the Southwest Fresno Development Corporation pushes for responsible home ownership. As the area gets developed with new homes and businesses, she wants residents to be a part of that growth. She and her organization do that through ongoing classes to help people understand finances, fix their credit, and in some cases, when they’re ready, helping them make the leap to homeownership. “After two years, we’ve served over 650 people, and we’ve repaired credit for a couple hundred families. We’ve gotten housing counseling for several hundred families, and we’ve got 10 people who are new homeowners. We just closed last week,” Walker said. “It takes that volume of people. Homeownership is a long process, especially for people who’ve never done it before.” The organization’s work is now expanding. With help from the Westside Church of God, Southwest Development Corp. is building 12 tiny homes behind the church’s property. Those homes will go to seniors who live below the poverty line. Walker is also negotiating with Mechanics Bank to secure financing to buy distressed homes in the area. The group can then rehabilitate those homes and sell them below market value, helping increase access to affordable housing. A similar program in Richmond from Mechanics Bank brought 30 homes onto the market over nine years. A couple million dollars can turn over two-to-three times, Walker said. The key to revitalization, Walker says, is slow, steady progress. “My hope is that (the community sees) a partner in southwest Frenso, that they see someone who is committed to the mission of building community wealth and power through homeownership, through supporting entrepreneurs, through creating affordable rental housing, and through community revitalization,” Walker said. Kelsie Igasan: Suicide Survivor to Mental Health Advocate In 2017, Kelsie Igasan attempted suicide. She survived and restarted her life with a newfound purpose. Through her advocacy and speaking service, “The Butterfly Inside,” she specializes in trauma and mental health education, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention. The mission: “There is a butterfly inside of us all waiting to emerge from the darkness trauma can leave us in. Your life is worth saving. You are worth it.” She also uses her platform to raise awareness on youth concussions in sports, including cheerleading. And, at Clovis Hills Church, she educates students (grades 9-12) on recovery through the power of faith. It’s a twelve-step program for those struggling with mental health, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, and depression. “Being in the church, working with the youth, them being the same age I was when I struggled, in the same community, has been life changing,” said Igasan. The wife and mother of four was a former cheerleader at Buchanan High School in the mid 2000s. The traumatic brain injuries and undiagnosed concussions she sustained in the sport kickstarted a downward spiral. Turning to drugs, becoming a juvenile delinquent, and a full addict. After a stint in rehab and juvenile hall, she got sober, became a mother, and sought therapy. In 2017 a concussion she suffered from a minor car accident amongst other events led to a relapse. That’s when she tried to take her life. After healing in the Trauma Facility Community Regional Medical Center, her recovery and career journey started when she was named the Ambassador for the Central Valley Concussion Consortium. As a trauma peer visitor, she conversed with patients to encourage them to pursue life. From that point, she became one of the leading go-to advocates in the Central Valley to do speaking engagements on those subjects. She’s shared her story on multiple media platforms even getting national attention on “Inside Edition.” Igasan credits her faith for recovering and her pursuit to help people. “That mentorship is the most special. When I was a teenager struggling, I didn’t have a young person in my life to help me,” said Igasan. “It was lonely for me, so it’s been a gift from God to be able to be one-on-one with an adolescent girl and provide encouragement to show they’re not alone.” Perry and Ree Coy have been familiar faces around the Clovis Botanical Garden for nearly 20 years and have played a large part in its present-day appearance. Ree is a retired teacher and Perry a retired state biologist who previously worked for the Department of Fish and Game, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health Services and Vector Control, and finally Caltrans. Anne Clemons, president of the Botanical Garden nonprofit, jokes that Perry takes on those jobs that no one else wants to do. Perry says he’s used to it: “We have other people that are here earlier in the week and they say, ‘Uh-oh, the tree fell down.’ Great. Well, I know what I’ll be doing, tree-trimming, or I’ll have a massive irrigation leak that the contractor ran over. And then I usually make a tour of the garden when I get here (on Tuesdays).” Working with plants is in his blood — his grandparents owned a nursery in Ventura where Perry spent a fair amount of time as a kid growing up and where he learned all about landscaping and propagation. So his background gives him the perfect set of skills to make sure all the plants at the Botanical Garden— trees, grasses, cacti, etc. — are getting the loving care they need to stay healthy. Clovis Botanical Garden specializes in low-water vegetation, with a variety of garden scenarios that homeowners can use as inspiration for their own gardens as well as enjoying a stroll throughout all the garden’s habitats. The plants are chosen because they will grow well in the Valley’s climates — blazing hot in summer, cold in winter. On a recent tour, Perry points out some of the garden’s distinctions, including how the crape myrtles are not “stubbed,” as many crape myrtles are at Fresno and Clovis homes. “You won’t see many crape myrtles like this. These are all trimmed for their high wildlife value,” he says. “We’re a national wildlife-friendly garden.” Ree is a volunteer supervisor on Thursdays, working with a crew that works as hard as they socialize. Volunteer Kitty is in charge of the cookies — her specialty is the apricot almond bar. The couple started volunteering at the botanical garden after Ree retired as a Fresno Unified elementary school teacher. She clutches a handful of books as she heads to the little lending library, a colorful box on a post near the site of the new visitor center that’s now under construction. That’s one of her favorite spots in the Botanical Garden. Perry’s favorite is the Children’s Garden that the couple sponsors, with mosaic-tile hopscotch squares and other kid-friendly features like a large snail that kids can hop onto. Getting the snail and other critters in place took some effort, Perry recalls. “My grandfather had a degree in horticulture, but he also was a Swiss engineer. And he taught me how to move stuff for landscaping. So I got to move all these little rascals in place.” Ree says she’s gotten an education in horticulture and has passed along some key tips to her volunteers, such as, if you think it’s a weed but you’re not sure, don’t pull it up. Ree says she’s applied that rule at home as well. “I even had a plant that grew up in my backyard. And I went and looked at it and I went, ‘I don’t know what you are. You look kind of weedy,’ but it was about this big, it was tiny. ... It turned out to be a forget-me-not.” Dora Westerlund: Helping Small Businesses and Growing the Economy When a small business opens in the Central Valley, chances are that Dora Westerlund, president and CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, had a hand in it. The organization is the most experienced small-business technical assistance provider for Hispanic and minority communities in the San Joaquin Valley. It provides one-on-one consulting, financial education workshops, and small-business financing. Those businesses include mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, food trucks, and street vendors. “I am passionate about fostering entrepreneurship to drive economic growth in our region, strengthening the ecosystem, and positioning the San Joaquin Valley as a beacon for small businesses across the state,” said Westerlund. This year alone, the foundation has served over 4,000 small businesses and delivered more than 5,000 hours of one-on-one technical assistance in business planning, licenses/permits, and procurement. They also hosted 119 workshops and webinars. FAHF also deployed over $1 million in capital to small businesses, supported 17 rural communities, and provided more than $3.1 million in grants to small businesses in Fresno County. All this was made possible through collaborations with the city and county of Fresno, and the involvement of corporate and nonprofit partners. They go above and beyond for their clients like facilitating ribbon cutting opening ceremonies for their businesses. One highlight: “The Night of Champions” gala at Table Mountain Casino with boxing superstar Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez as the guest speaker. “The most rewarding part of my work is witnessing how the entrepreneurs we serve are able to provide better opportunities for their families and build generational wealth,” said Westerlund. “Ultimately, we’re not just helping small businesses start or grow — we’re helping people achieve dreams of business ownership, create stability for their families, and give back to their communities.” Now in his 80s, Ephraim Hadjis still fights for the issues important to the Jewish community. Officially, Hadjis is 81. But, because his birth records were lost in World War II-torn Greece, he believes he is 84. A Holocaust survivor and Vietnam veteran, Hadjis of Madera serves as president of Congregation Beth Jacob. When the Kerman City Council debated about calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hadjis spoke up. Hamas held several Israeli and American hostages in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Israel responded by bombing Gaza, killing more than 45,000 Palestinians and displacing 80% of the population. Kerman became the second Central Valley city to approve a proclamation supported by pro-Palestinian groups. Madera was the first. Several in the Jewish community, including Hadjis and Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel, opposed, calling the proclamation one-sided. “I am a veteran and my main concern is Americans are being held hostage. Before we could talk about anything about a release or a peace or anything, the veterans of the Americans have to come home. That’s all. We are taught a basic training that you leave no American behind,” Hadjis said on March 13. Andrew Zonneveld: His Rare Baseball Card Will Pay for College Andrew Zonneveld found a hobby he could enjoy with his father — collect sports cards. One particular card will help pay for his college education. Inspired by the Olympic basketball team, eight-year-old Andrew and his father Andy Zonneveld ordered custom-made cards from Topps. One of those cards included a “1 of 1” featuring legends Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The sports card world buzzed at the rare find for the Zonnevelds, who farm in Laton. The $50 pack of cards yielded more than $50,000 at an auction. What does the Zonneveld family plan to do with the proceeds? Save for college for Andrew and his siblings for one. Buy more cards of course! How does finding a rare sports card qualify someone to be called a difference-maker? The Zonnevelds provide us all with a reminder that family activities provide a lifetime of good memories and lessons learned.
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PANAMA CITY/COPENHAGEN: Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday dismissed recent threats made by US President-elect Donald Trump to retake control of the Panama Canal over complaints of “unfair” treatment of American ships. “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama,” Mulino said in a video posted to X. Meanwhile, Greenland on Monday stressed that it was not for sale, after Trump again suggested he wanted the United States to take control of the strategic island that holds major mineral and oil reserves. Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede quickly sought to quash any chance of a deal. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Mute Egede said in a statement. Mulino’s public comments, though never mentioning Trump by name, come a day after the president-elect complained about the canal on his Truth Social platform. “Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous,” he said. Trump also complained of China’s growing influence around the canal, a worrying trend for American interests as US businesses depend on the channel to move goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!” “Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal?” Trump said at AmericaFest, an annual event organized by Turning Point, an allied conservative group. “Because we’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else.” After the event, he posted an image on Truth Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: “Welcome to the United States Canal!” The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under a 1977 deal signed by Democratic president Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control in 1999. Trump said that if Panama could not ensure “the secure, efficient and reliable operation” of the channel, “then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question.” Mulino rejected Trump’s claims in his video message, though he also said he hopes to have “a good and respectful relationship” with the incoming administration. “The canal has no direct or indirect control from China, nor the European Union, nor the United States or any other power,” Mulino said. “As a Panamanian, I reject any manifestation that misrepresents this reality.” Later on Sunday, Trump responded to Mulino’s dismissal, writing on Truth Social: “We’ll see about that!” China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the canal’s Caribbean and Pacific entrances. Trump offered to buy the vast Danish territory of Greenland during his first term in office — receiving an abrupt refusal — and he revived his push over the weekend when naming his ambassador to Copenhagen for his incoming administration. Greenland, the world’s largest island, is an autonomous Danish territory with its own parliament, about 55,000 inhabitants, and a small pro-independence movement. It relies on Denmark to fund more than half of its public budget. Trump on Sunday posted that “for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” As president, he canceled a state trip to Denmark in 2019 after the country said Greenland was not for sale. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the time labelled Trump’s offer as “absurd”, leading him to term her dismissal of the idea as “nasty”. Frederiksen remains in her role of Danish prime minister. Under President Joe Biden, the United States said it did not want a purchase but instead sought to strengthen ties. The Danish government must state in clear terms that control over Greenland is not up for discussion or negotiation, member of parliament Rasmus Jarlov of the opposition Conservative Party said on social media platform X. “To the extent that US activities aim to take control of Danish territory, it must be prohibited and countered. Then they can’t be there at all,” said Jarlov, who heads parliament’s defense committee. The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth. But development has been slow, leaving its economy reliant on fishing and annual subsidies from Denmark. With its Pituffik air base, Greenland is strategically important for the US military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island. Since 2009 Greenland has held the right to declare independence from Denmark. The island of some 56,000 inhabitants, which relies on significant budget transfers from Copenhagen each year, has so far refrained from doing so. This is not the first time Trump has openly considered territorial expansion. In recent weeks, he has repeatedly mused about turning Canada into a US state, though it is unclear how serious he is about the matter. – AgenciesBy Curt Rallo The Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s defense set a dominating tone early in its College Football Playoff opener against Indiana . The Fighting Irish stuffed the highest-scoring team in the CFP field for a 14-3 halftime lead, but then Notre Dame suffered a gut punch. Defensive lineman Rylie Mills sacked Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke on the first play of the second half, and had to be helped off the field with a knee injury. Heading into its CFP quarterfinal game against second-seeded Georgia, the Fighting Irish are determined to make sure the setback doesn’t turn into a letdown. The Fighting Irish (12-1) finished with a 27-17 victory against Indiana, giving up two touchdowns in the final two minutes after building a 27-3 lead. Now Notre Dame has to replace Mills, its sack leader this season, for the game against Georgia (11-2). Kickoff for the Sugar Bowl is scheduled for Wednesday at the Superdome in New Orleans. “So we feel badly for (Mills), but at the same time ... we just don’t flinch,” Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “We move forward. It’s time for somebody else to have an opportunity, and I know they’ll be ready.” After a shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in the second game of the season, Notre Dame’s defense led the charge for an 11-game winning streak that lifted the Fighting Irish when the offense struggled to find its footing. And the defense has done it while being forced to replace a series of key players. Mills was a force on Notre Dame’s defense, which is ranked first in the nation in team passing efficiency defense (96.94), first in turnovers gained (29), first in defensive touchdowns (6) and third in scoring defense (13.8). Notre Dame’s defense punished opponents this season despite losing four starters to season-ending injuries — linemen Mills, Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore (all knee injuries), and cornerback Benjamin Morrison (hip). Freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (knee injury) hasn’t played since he was hurt in the Army game. Jason Onye, a defensive tackle, hasn’t played since the fifth game because of a personal issue. Seventh-seeded Notre Dame needs the defense to come up big once more against powerful Georgia and a quarterback it knows little about. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is counting on Gabe Rubio and Donovan Hinish to step up and take turns filling in for Mills. “You don’t prepare them in a week,” Freeman said of players stepping up to replace starters. “They’ve been preparing every single day all season long. “That’s why every rep you do in a practice matters and is evaluated,” Freeman said. “You don’t know when that rep is going to be thrust against Georgia. You have to prepare in a way in practice that you’re improving, but you’re ready if your number is called.” Howard Cross III, a defensive lineman who has teamed up with Mills to be the leaders of an imposing defensive front, had just returned to the Fighting Irish lineup for the playoffs after missing three games with an ankle injury. “It was heartbreaking,” Cross said of seeing Mills go down. Cross said it’s been an unusual season with the injuries, but facing a 14th game, everybody is dealing with pain. “The whole thing is no one’s healthy, no matter what position you are, no matter what you’re doing,” Cross said. “Your hamstring could be sore, like somebody’s hurt in some way, shape or form. Some worse than others. “It is kind of a testament to the mental toughness of this team,” Cross said of the defense always being ready. “The whole thing for us is like, God forbid you go down, the next guy up has to know exactly what they’re doing. We are expecting the next guy up to have the same or better production than the guy that’s starting right now.” Notre Dame’s defense faces the challenge of replacing Mills and getting ready for a Georgia offense led by Gunner Stockton, who replaces injured starter Carson Beck. “You evaluate, obviously, schematically, what they’ve done all season,” Freeman said of preparing a different look from the Bulldogs. “Then you have a separate tape of what Stockton, the new quarterback, has done. I think we have 80-something plays of him playing quarterback. He can run their offense. He does some things a little bit differently. He can extend plays with his legs. He’s a good athlete. “The thing I probably notice more than anything, in watching those 80 plays, is he’s an ultra-competitive individual,” Freeman said of Stockton. “You can just tell by the way he celebrates, by the way he goes and finishes plays. He’s a competitor. I don’t see it being tremendously different than what they’ve done all season, but we’ll prepare for anything.” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart doesn’t anticipate a diminished Notre Dame defense despite the personnel issues. “They play great defense and great pass rush,” Smart said. “They’re physical up front. They affect the pass rush with how hard they play, and they got really good defensive backs. They play man-to-man. They get up on you, put their hands on you.”Virtual landscapes just got more immersive! With the rise of advanced gaming graphics and rendering technologies, the concept of “distant horizons 설정” is captivating gamers and developers around the world. This new setting promises to redefine how virtual worlds are constructed and perceived, integrating breathtaking vistas with seamless realism. What is Distant Horizons 설정? In the simplest terms, this setting allows game developers to dramatically extend the visible range of game worlds. Instead of relying on fog or low-resolution backdrops to mask the limits of game maps, advanced rendering engines now provide crisp, detailed environments that stretch into seemingly infinite expanses. This breakthrough potentially transforms any in-game journey, enhancing exploration and discovery. Breaking the Limits of Imagination : The introduction of distant horizons 설정 capitalizes on advancements in hardware capabilities, like ray-tracing graphics cards, and innovative software algorithms. This setting permits not just further visual distance but also greater complexity in landscape design, blending distant terrains into stunningly realistic skylines. A Glimpse into the Future : As open-world games grow increasingly popular, the ability to present vast, unrestricted visuals will redefine player expectations and overall gaming experiences. Worlds will no longer just invite players to explore; they’ll beckon them from afar, promising adventures just beyond the horizon. Conclusion : With “distant horizons 설정,” the boundaries that once confined virtual landscapes are dissolving. Gamers, prepare for a revolution in visual immersion—one that transforms the essence of exploring digital realms. The Future of Gaming: How Distant Horizons Are Revolutionizing Virtual Worlds The gaming industry is on the brink of a visual and experiential transformation with the advent of “distant horizons 설정.” This innovative setting is not only enhancing the beauty of virtual landscapes but is also reshaping gamers’ expectations and experiences with open-world environments. As we delve into this groundbreaking development, let’s explore its various aspects, including its technical features, potential controversies, and market impact. The distant horizons 설정 leverages state-of-the-art rendering technologies and ray-tracing graphics to extend the visible distance in game worlds dramatically. These advanced techniques allow for the depiction of highly detailed environments that stretch far beyond previous limitations, eliminating the need for fog or low-res backgrounds. This technology requires robust hardware, ensuring a smooth and immersive experience even in the most expansive virtual realms. Pros: – Immersive Experience : Players can enjoy breathtaking views and a more immersive exploration of game worlds. – Increased Realism : Realistic skylines and landscapes enhance the authenticity of virtual environments. – Enhanced Exploration : Encourages gamers to discover new areas and embark on adventures with visible distant goals. Cons: – Hardware Requirements : High-performance graphics cards and systems are necessary, potentially limiting accessibility for some players. – Development Complexity : Game developers may face increased challenges in creating and optimizing these expansive environments. As games become more open-world-centric, the demand for technologies like distant horizons 설정 is expected to grow. Developers and companies investing in this technology are likely positioning themselves strategically for future successes. The trend towards more immersive and expansive game worlds is poised to redefine the competitive landscape of the gaming industry. While distant horizons 설정 represents a leap forward, it may also spark debates in the gaming community. Concerns about the accessibility of cutting-edge graphics due to hardware constraints could become a focal point of discussion, drawing attention to the digital divide among gamers. Looking ahead, it’s predicted that distant horizons 설정 will become a standard feature in AAA games, setting new benchmarks for visual quality and player engagement. As technology continues to advance, we may see even greater enhancements in how games render expansive landscapes, leading to an unprecedented evolution in gaming experiences. For further insights into emerging gaming technologies and future trends, visit Game Revolution . In conclusion, the introduction of distant horizons 설정 is shaping the future of gaming by pushing the boundaries of visual immersion and environmental realism. As this technology evolves, gamers can look forward to more captivating digital adventures that promise to transform the way we interact with virtual worlds.
Referee David Coote will not appeal against termination of contract
Aaron Rodgers Reveals the Issue He Has With His Family
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay's surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. The Buccaneers will need help to repeat in the NFC South , but only if they first and foremost give themselves a chance. That means winning their remaining games at home against Carolina and New Orleans, while the Atlanta Falcons lose at least once in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Bucs (8-7) and Falcons share the best record in the division, however Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams. Tampa Bay, which has won three consecutive division titles, is the only NFC team that has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons. “We’ve got to take care of business or else we’ve got no shot,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said after a 26-24 loss at Dallas cost the Bucs control of the NFC South race. “This one, we've got to take it on the chin,” Mayfield added. “It's a short week. It's Christmas week. We've got to focus on Carolina and figure out a way to win.” If Atlanta is able to maintain its lead, Tampa Bay could make the postseason as a wild card if the Bucs win out and the Commanders lose twice. Coach Todd Bowles sounds confident that his players understand the challenge ahead and will clean up mistakes that contributed to the end of their four-game win streak. “We’ve got to win a ballgame (this week). If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance,” Bowles said Monday. “We have to focus on us like we’ve been doing,” the coach added. “We have to correct the mistakes, and we have to go out and win Sunday, and we’ve got to win the next week, and then we’ll see what happens after that.” What's working The offense, which ranks third in the NFL at 389.8 yards per game, isn't a fluke. Despite losing to the Cowboys, Tampa Bay finished with 410 yards total offense. It was the team's fifth straight game — as well as an NFL-high ninth overall — with 400-plus yards. The Bucs are seventh in rushing (143.7 yards per game) after ranking 32nd each of the past two seasons. What needs helps The defense yielded 292 yards passing against the Cowboys, 226 of it in the first half when Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bowles said shoddy tackling was the biggest issue — not poor coverage. Lamb had one reception for 5 yards after halftime. Stock up Mayfield's chemistry with rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who has 27 receptions for 336 yards and five TDs, continues to grow. McMillan had five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown — his fourth in the past three games — against Dallas. He was also the intended receiver on Mayfield's deep throw that CB Jourdan Lewis intercepted in the end zone to help the Cowboys hold off the Bucs in the closing minutes. Stock down Turnovers were costly against Dallas. The end-zone interception stopped the Bucs from cutting into a 26-17 deficit with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rachaad White's fumble with 1:31 left ended any hope for a last-minute victory. On both plays, defenders ripped the ball out of the grasp of the offensive player. “We knew they were going to rake at the ball going into the ballgame," Bowles said. "We just have to have two hands on the ball, and we have to fight for it. We have to take better care of the football. That’s priority No. 1.” Injuries Bowles said it's too early to project the status of several starters for coming games, including S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee), who has missed the past two games. TE Cade Otton (knee) and LB K.J. Britt (ankle) were inactive against the Cowboys, while reserve WR Sterling Shepard left during the game with a hamstring injury. Key number 80. Bucky Irving leads all NFL rookie RBs with 920 yards rushing. He needs 80 over the next two games to reach 1,000. He scored his seventh rushing touchdown against Dallas. That tied Errict Rhett and Lars Tate for the second-most rushing TDs by a rookie running back in franchise history. Doug Martin set the record of 11 in 2012. Next up Host Carolina on Sunday. ___ NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Fred Goodall, The Associated PressAENT Stock Soars to 52-Week High, Hits $4.99 Amidst 393% Annual SurgeCanada's Economy Is Picking Up Steam Lifted By Oil & Gas Extraction
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