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Today in History: February 1, space shuttle Columbia destroyed during re-entry

South Florida Local News - 22 min 23 sec ago

Today is Sunday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2026. There are 333 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crew members: commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; payload commander Michael Anderson; mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark; and payload specialist Ilan Ramon.

Also on this date:

In 1865, abolitionist John S. Rock became the first Black lawyer admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.

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In 1943, during World War II, one of America’s most highly decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost exclusively of Japanese Americans, was activated.

In 1960, four Black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they had been refused service.

In 1979, Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (hoh-MAY’-nee) was welcomed home by millions in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.

In 1991, an arriving USAir jetliner crashed atop a commuter plane on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport, resulting in 35 deaths.

In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to racketeering for his part in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence and a $100,000 fine.

In 2002, Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl was killed by Islamist militants in Pakistan after being kidnapped nine days earlier.

In 2016, the World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which was linked to birth defects in the Americas.

In 2021, the army in Myanmar overthrew the elected government of the Southeast Asian country. (Armed resistance arose after the army used lethal force to crush nonviolent protests against its takeover, and an ensuing civil war left more than 3.6 million people displaced in the country, according to the U.N.)

Today’s birthdays:
  • Actor Garrett Morris is 89.
  • Political commentator Fred Barnes is 83.
  • Princess Stephanie of Monaco is 61.
  • Actor Sherilyn Fenn is 61.
  • U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Michelle Akers is 60.
  • Comedian-actor Pauly Shore is 58.
  • Actor Michael C. Hall is 55.
  • Rapper Big Boi (Outkast) is 51.
  • Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell is 47.
  • TV personality Lauren Conrad is 40.
  • Mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey is 39.
  • Actor Julia Garner is 32.
  • Singer-actor Harry Styles is 32.
  • Singer Jessica Baio is 24.

Westbrook pours in 22 points as St. Thomas Aquinas wins second straight boys basketball BCAA Big 8

South Florida Local News - 2 hours 26 min ago

FORT LAUDERDALE — Clarence Westbrook Jr. turned in an MVP performance as defending Class 6A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas jumped out to a 20-point halftime lead and held off a late charge to defeat Miramar 68-60 for its second straight BCAA Big 8 boys championship at Fort Lauderdale High School on Saturday night.

Westbrook finished with a game-high 22 points to lead four Raiders (21-4) in double figures. He was named the Butch Ingram MVP for his effort.

“We have been here before, and we are built for this moment,” said Westbrook, a junior combo guard, whose school was playing in its fourth Big 8 championship game and won a second straight for the first time in school history. It also won its second state championship last year, also winning in 2001.

“We held each other accountable, and that’s why we got the job done,” he continued. “We’ve got to play with confidence. Mistakes are going to happen. Nothing will be perfect. We have a lot of returning players and players who have stepped up from last year.”

Miramar’s Walter Williams opened the game with a dunk to give the Patriots (17-8) their only lead of the game at 2-0. From there, St. Thomas Aquinas hit its next five shots, including two 3-pointers by DJ Sandi, who finished the game with 15 points. The Raiders seized a 12-2 lead at that point.

“We’ve overcome adversity this season, but this just sets you up for the busy part of the postseason,” Sandi said. “I said before the tournament how this will get us ready, and I am willing to do whatever it takes for my team to win, whether it is to score, pass, rebound, or steal the ball.”

St. Thomas Aquinas boys, ranked. No. 34 in the country and No. 5 in the state, has won five straight games, and eight of their last nine, since a 73-70 loss to Pembroke Pines Charter in the regular season.

KJ Sandi scored nine points and surpassed 1,000 career points.

Zane Elliott also scored nine points to help St. Thomas Aquinas, who led 35-15 at half and held off Miramar, who closed to within 10 points twice in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders topped Coral Glades 78-68 in the semifinals after opening the Big 8 tournament with a 70-53 victory over Boyd Anderson.

St. Thomas Aquinas coach Julius Sandi said the team is coming together, especially with the way they have started the past three games. Sandi believes this momentum will be crucial as they continue through the season.

“There is still room for improvement,” Sandi said. “I am hoping to be peaking in the state championship game.”

The Raiders’ defense prevented the Patriots from getting much going, except for the hot hand of Jayson Negron, who scored 23, including five 3-pointers.

“Defense is something we stand by,” coach Sandi continued. “Our guys have bought into that. If you don’t play defense, you don’t play. You defend your blood, and that’s our motto.”

Miramar (17-8) topped Pembroke Pines Charter 56-50 in the semifinal and opened the tournament with a 62-61 win over Cardinal Gibbons. The Patriots had won seven straight since a 63-52 loss to John Curtis Christian (Louisiana).

Miramar coach Tremaine Stevens said his team needed to make the most of its opportunity and came up short.

“We were down by 20 at one point, and we cut it down, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” Stevens said. “All in all, the boys fought. I think we have an excellent nucleus, both inside and out. We can shoot, and we can run, and if we need to slow the game down, we can do that too. We have a lot of experience, and I think we are where we need to be. We just needed a little more fight tonight.”

St. Thomas Aquinas junior KJ Sandi, center, surpassed 1,000 career points as St. Thomas Aquinas won the BCAA Boys Big 8 championship with a 68-60 win over Miramar on Saturday night at Fort Lauderdale High School. He is pictured with his mom, Danielle, and his father and coach Julius Sandi. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)

Housey’s 20 points carry Nova to the BCAA girls basketball Big 8 championship

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 21:54

FORT LAUDERDALE — Nova senior Jaelynn Housey believes her team has the goods to go all the way to Jacksonville and win a state championship.

Housey delivered an outstanding performance, earning the Marcia Pinder MVP award at the BCAA Big 8 tournament. Her 20-point effort propelled Nova to a 56-52 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship game held Saturday night at Fort Lauderdale High School.

“This game gets us ready for the districts and the stretch run,” Housey said. “We just have to keep the pressure on and keep playing like this. I believe we can go all the way to Jacksonville. Definitely. We came out with intensity from the jump.”

The Raiders, ranked one spot ahead of Nova in the state poll at No. 11, are likely one of the teams standing in the way of a Class 6A state championship that will be played next month at the CSI Companies Court at UNF Arena (University of North Florida in Jacksonville).

“It’s a heartfelt moment,” Housey added. “We haven’t done this since 2018. It’s big. It’s a surreal moment, and it is especially impactful for the seniors.”

St. Thomas Aquinas (15-8) was playing in its eighth consecutive Big 8 championship game, and had won two titles in 2023 and 2022.

Nova (19-4) grabbed a 29-28 halftime edge as both teams struggled to make baskets in the paint. The Titans’ Ya’Niyah Young scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half, while Housey added eight points in the first half. J’Yan Tyrell scored 11 points, while Ke’mora Evans (10) also scored in double figures in the contest.

Senior power forward Isabella Sangha led the way for St. Thomas Aquinas with 24 points, including an 11-point outburst in the second quarter. London Thomas scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half and was held scoreless in the decisive fourth quarter.

Nova stretched the lead to double digits twice in the third quarter, but the Raiders chipped away and closed to within 53-52 as Sangha made five of six free throws in the final 3:18 of the game. Her miss came with 36.9 seconds left, and Housey ran down the rebound and was fouled, converting one of two shots from the free throw line to extend the lead to 54-52.

London Thomas had a good look to tie it, but was off the mark, and Housey forced a turnover by Sangha with 1.3 seconds left and drained both free throws to ice the game.

The Raiders had won four straight and seven of the past eight following a 59-56 loss to Grandview Prep. The St. Thomas Aquinas girls avenged last year’s Big 8 defeat to Northeast 76-29 in the opener and then topped Dillard 63-24 in the semifinals.

“We talk about slow starts all season,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Emily Williams, whose team was shorthanded with senior guard Ronneisha Thomas out with an injury. Thomas is the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. “We fell behind early, and you can’t do that against a quality opponent.”

Williams called it a “learning testimony,” especially for the younger players who are new to high-pressure environments.

“We just dug ourselves a hole too early,” Williams said. “The better team won tonight.”

Nova (19-4), ranked No. 12 in the state, opened the tournament with a 68-34 win over Stoneman Douglas and followed that with a 64-39 dispatch of Blanche Ely to advance to the final. The Titans have won four straight games following back-to-back losses to Blanche Ely and Grandview Prep.

Nova coach Jason Hively said his team has been putting in the work, and this is the deepest team he’s had since the 2018 team, which won the Big 8 with a 48-42 win over Dillard. It’s the Titans’ third Big 8 title as they also won in 2014.

“We’ve been in that gym, working really hard these last couple of weeks, and this type of moment is what you look for heading into the postseason,” Hively said. “Jaelynn shows up every day, every night, and has been doing this her whole career, and she’s the reason we’re winning this tonight, obviously, along with the rest of the team.”

Nova High School won the BCAA Girls Big 8 championship with a 56-52 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday night at Fort Lauderdale High School. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)

Winderman’s view: Zero tolerance leaves Heat’s Ware spectator to brutal loss

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 20:53

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 125-118 loss to the Chicago Bulls:

– Kind of hard to avoid the elephant not in the room.

– Because Kel’el Ware rarely was there on Saturday night.

– The Heat second-year center was limited to 3:11 in this one.

– Not in a quarter.

– Or a half.

– But the entire game.

– Yes a pair of shaky defensive sequences during that lone stint.

– But arguably not nearly as much shaky play as Nikola Jovic.

– Who played more.

– True the Bulls lacked a true center amid their absences.

– Which made the matchup an issue for Ware..

– But there is something going on here.

– Even if it’s not exactly clear.

– Rotation players typically get more of a chance.

– Is Ware not even that at the moment?

– And now, the Heat won’t be playing the same team again on Sunday.

– Oh, it again will be the Bulls.

– But this time, Chicago plans to come to play.

– Unlike what they decided would be a day of rest Saturday.

– So at least Coby White and Nikola Vucevic back.

– Perhaps, but not likely, Josh Giddey, as well.

– On Saturday, those three, plus other Bulls rotation components, got the night off.

– Welcome to today’s NBA, when playing every night is now viewed as too taxing.

– “It feels like this is what the NBA is,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame. “You face a team at one point in the year, next time you play them it’ll be likely different.”

– The Bulls opened with a lineup of Patrick Williams. Matas Buzelis, Kevin Huerter, Isaac Okoro and Ayo Dosunmu.

– No, really.

– Bulls coach Billy Donovan was candid about his team’s situation going in.

– “There’ll be some lineups out there that will be a little different than I think what we’ve seen in the past,” he said.

– And yet … it worked.

– Or, more to the point, the Heat couldn’t find a way.

– The Bulls ended the first quarter with a lineup of  Yuki Kawamura, Jevon Carter, Julian Phillips, Dalen Terry, Lachlan Olbrich.

– The Chicago Bulls, mind you, not the G League Windy City Bulls.

– The Heat also were shorthanded, but not for rest or recovery reasons.

– With Norman Powell (personal reason) out as well as Davion Mitchell (shoulder) and Tyler Herro (ribs), the Heat this time opened with a lineup of Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, Kasparas Jakucionis and Myron Gardner.

– Of Herro being out with another extended absence, this time a rib issue, Spoelstra said pregame, “There’s things that sometimes happen for players and the things that you can’t control. The one thing I do know about Tyler, after spending so many years with him, is he has resolve. He has grit. He fights through and focuses on the things that he can control.”

– Spoelstra added, “Right now, it’s just getting healthy and then putting in the work to get ready.”

– With Giddey, White, Vucevic and Jalen Smith getting the night off, among others for the Bulls, it meant going against several unknown quantities for the Heat.

– As for patience?

– Donovan called a timeout 1:16 in, with his Bulls down 3-0.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. was first off the Heat bench.

– Followed together by Ware and Simone Fontecchio, with both playing ahead of Nikola Jovic.

– Jovic and Dru Smith then followed for 10 deep.

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– With Ware only getting those first-half minutes.

– It does not appear Giddey will be available for Sunday’s rematch, either.

– “They’re not going to put him back out there until the tightness is gone,” Donovan said of the medical staff’s concern with Giddey’s hamstring. “They’re going to want to see him ramp up and do some things.”

– Donovan added, “Until that tightness is completely gone, they’re going to keep holding him out and keep trying to ramp him up.”

– The game was the 17th and final in January for the Heat, the most for any month this season and ties for the most games during the month of January in franchise history (2016, 2012, 2010).

– The game opened the third of six occurrences this season when the Heat face the same opponent consecutive times, with additional instances remaining against Brooklyn (both at home, March 3 and March 5), Cleveland (both on the road, March 25  and March  27) and Toronto (both on the road, April 7 and April  9).

– The game marked the first of a home back-to-back with another game against Chicago on Sunday, the 12th of the Heat’s league-high 17 back-to-back sets.

– Additionally, it is the third and final instance with home games on consecutive days this season. The Heat  has played home games on consecutive days 44 previous times in franchise history, winning both 14 times, splitting the pair 20 times and dropping both on 10 occasions.

Bulls try to hand game to Heat, who refuse to take it in humbling 125-118 loss

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 20:47

MIAMI — The Miami Heat had been here before, when the opposition basically tried to hand a game away.

That was in November, when the Cleveland Cavaliers sat out Donovan Michell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

On that night, the Cavaliers nonetheless found their way to victory behind the unlikely likes of Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Luke Travers, and, yes, former Heat center Thomas Bryant.

This time, the Chicago Bulls felt it prudent Saturday night to hold out Josh Giddey, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith among others.

And again backups, two-way players and unknowns found a way against Erik Spoelstra’s team, with the Heat falling 125-118 Saturday night at Kaseya Center.

This time the loss came against a team that at one stage fielded a lineup of Yuki Kawamura, Jevon Carter, Julian Phillips, Dalen Terry, Lachlan Olbrich.

That humbling.

That sobering.

“It was hard to get traction,” Spoelstra said of the game played at a frenetic pace with unfamiliar faces. ”

For their part, the Heat were without Norman Powell (personal reasons), Tyler Herro (ribs) and Davion Mitchell (shoulder).

But no excuses, not in this one, even with the Heat getting 21 points and 11 rebounds from Bam Adebayo, not with the Heat committing 19 turnovers and shooting 13 of 47 on 3-pointers.

“It’s not about talent,” Adebayo said, “it’s about who wants to do the little things, the 50-50 balls, crashing the glass, getting the extra possessions. They did the little things.”

The teams meet again Sunday at Kaseya Center.

“We got another one tomorrow,” Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “So we got an opportunity to correct these mistakes and be better from it and learn.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

1. Game flow: The Heat trailed 31-26 at the end of the opening period, then moving to a 63-56 halftime lead, before the Bulls took a 91-84 lead into the fourth, with the Heat yet again coming apart in a third quarter.

From there, the Bulls went up nine early in the fourth, before the Heat finally found their legs to tie it 106-106 with 3:37 to play.

Later, an Andrew Wiggins 3-pointer tied it 116-116. It could have been a four-point play, but he missed the ensuing free throw with 1:20 to play.

Five straight Bulls points followed, leaving the Heat down 121-116 with 39.1 seconds to play, effectively ending it.

“They hit some shots they had to hit,” Heat forward Pelle Larsson said. “I don’t want to say we got complacent, but we’ve got to do a better job of sustaining.”

2. And another one: With Powell, Herro and Mitchell out, the Heat moved to their 15th lineup in their 50th game.

This time it was two-way player Myron Gardner with his first NBA start, in a lineup that also included Adebayo, Wiggins, Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis.

It  was the 29th start for Larsson and eighth for Jakucionis.

Gardner played as an energetic pest throughout, something the Heat needed amid a lethargic performance, closing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

“I love the way he competes,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not easy being thrown in that situation.”

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3. A rough start: Not only did Adebayo open 1 of 8 from the field, including 0 for 4 on 3-pointers, but then well after draining a fourth-quarter 3-pointer, that basket was overturned during an ensuing timeout, when it the NBA’s Replay Center ruled he had stepped out of bounds, dropping him to 0 for 5 from the arc.

He came around with his first 3-point conversion with 7:36 to play, seizing his moments in the fourth quarter.

The initial struggles came in the wake of breakout play by Adebayo, who had scored 20 or more in his previous six games, as the reigning NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

He closed 7 of 18 from the field, including 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.

“The game within the game,” Adebayo said of the Bulls prioritizing double-teams against him.

4. Where’s Ware?: It was another night when second-year Heat center Kel’el Ware stood as an  afterthought in Spoelstra’s rotation, this time with just 3:11 of action, despite initially playing ahead of struggling Nikola Jovic in the rotation.

After being victimized by a pair of Bulls blow-bys in his initial stint, there was no additional stint, with Jovic instead moved up when Adebayo went out.

“This is not an indictment on Kel’el,” Spoelstra said. “This game was so fast. They were playing small forwards at center. The advantage was the speed and the quickness and all that, in my opinion. It was just not a typical game.

“That had nothing to do with Kel’el.”

Ware closed 1 of 2 from the field, with two points and one rebound.

“I mean, I can’t control it,” Ware said of Spoelstra’s decision. “I mean, it is what it is. I mean, whatever he feels like that he perceives or feels like playing, I mean, like I said, it is what it is.”

5. Jaquez again: It was the bench unit that finally got the Heat going, with Jaquez up to 14 points by the intermission. He then slowed from there.

For Jaquez it was a follow-up to his 19-point performance on Thursday night in Chicago, including a late 3-pointer.

This time he closed with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Camden scores 26 points, Manyiel Dut unlikely hero in Cal’s 86-85 win over Miami

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 17:06

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — John Camden scored a season-high 26 points and little-used Dhiaukuei Manyiel Dut had a critical block and followed that with his only basket of the game to send California to an 86-85 win over Miami on Saturday.

Justin Pippen added 17 points and eight assists. Chris Bell had 16 and Dai Dai Ames 14 for the Golden Bears (16-6, 4-5 ACC).

Malik Reneau scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half, Shelton Henderson added 16, Tre Donaldson 14 and Ernest Udeh Jr. and Dante Allen 12 each for the Hurricanes (17-5, 6-3).

The 7-foot Manyiel Dut had played a total of 26 minutes in seven games this season but was on the floor in crunch time after Cal’s other big men fouled out. He blocked Udeh’s layup and the ball, after a review reversal, went to Cal with 1:12 remaining. Fifteen seconds later he scored the game’s final points on a follow.

Donaldson then had his layup rim out but Nolan Dorsey missed two free throws to give the Hurricanes a final chance. Henderson took the ball to the hoop but missed as time expired.

The teams combined for 65 free throws separated by only one attempt. Miami shot 57% while Cal shot 49%, though it made 10 of 23 3-pointers.

The Hurricanes had the game’s largest lead of 11 with under nine minutes left.

The Hurricanes trailed 45-44 after a 9-2 run to end the half, capped by Allen’s 3-pointer.

Miami’s Tru Washington, who started 19 games and is averaging almost 12 points per game, was out for personal reasons.

 

Daily Horoscope for February 01, 2026

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 17:00
General Daily Insight for February 01, 2026

Small choices reveal big needs for balance. Initially, the emotional Moon opposes transformative Pluto, so we may swing between personal wants and collective expectations until we slow down. By the Full Moon in Leo at 5:09 pm EST, we can name what our hearts want and show it clearly and respectfully. We may need to set up some rules for continuing conversations, but creativity is still the focal point. Trying something new and being wrong is better than not having tried it at all!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Inspiration is everywhere at the moment! The Full Moon lights up your 5th House of Creativity, so your bold streak thrives when you make fun plans or show your work with heart. If you have a performance, keep it simple and joyful, since people should respond best when you invite them to laugh rather than chase unattainable perfection. If someone you care about wants attention, you can offer some time without overpromising. Anxiety can’t last long when you’re having this much fun!

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Comfort calls you back to what matters. Your 4th House of Home Support glows under the Full Moon, guiding you to settle any ruffled feathers by tending your space and honoring the rhythms that keep you grounded. If you’re struggling to focus on anything, consider an easy domestic chore. That steady effort can quickly restore calm. If money or chores feel touchy with someone at home, don’t try to fix everything at once. Start small, nurture your base, and let kindness blossom from there.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Certain conversations might demand more volume from you than usual. A debate may escalate under tonight’s Leo Full Moon, which could be equal parts engaging and stressful. As a conversation heats up, you can cool it back off by asking reasonable questions or suggesting alternate options. An uncontroversial joke could also do a lot to de-escalate potential conflict before it starts. Try not to let someone get under your skin — they probably mean well. When in doubt, ask! Arguments are opportunities for real progress.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Your financial situation potentially could use an additional check-in today. Your 2nd House of Checks steadies under the Full Moon, so you feel stronger when you align spending with security and cherish what supports your well-being. Check your cart before buying to match the purchase to your priorities, because small acts of care build safety. If a family member pushes for an expense, explain what you can cover and suggest a compromise that should keep the household balanced. Value yourself, because self-worth shapes every choice.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Your current confidence rises as you honor your heart. The Full Moon in your sign empowers your sense of identity and self-expression, so it is time to show who you are without apology. When you want to get to know someone, share a story that feels like you, then give them space to share their own tales. Not everyone will vibe with your style, but those who do are worth knowing! Lead with heart to begin gaining authentic support from your peers.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

When feelings clash, structure steadies your steps. The Moon-Pluto opposition could cause some issues, likely centering around your ongoing duties versus the need to rest. Protect your focus by setting quiet hours, because fully-fueled craftsmanship beats more scattered efforts when pressure rises. If a boss, client, or pal pushes for more, let the Full Moon bolster your capacity to say no to unreasonable demands. Name what you can deliver by tomorrow and offer a realistic update rather than pushing past your limits.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Leadership doesn’t always look like strict command structures and demands for immediate obedience. Right now, in fact, you could lead a community endeavor with grace and kindness. Your 11th House of Humanity is leveled up by tonight’s Full Moon, giving you a chance to focus a group effort on something that matters. If your instructions are misinterpreted, do your best to be patient. When others can tell that you’re prioritizing fair distributions of labor, they’ll be more inclined to work alongside you.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Intensity softens when truth gets air. The fickle Moon lights your 10th House of Prestige, opposing assertive Pluto in your 4th House of Traditions, pointing out any imbalances between your ambitions and your respect for the past. If a deadline collides with family plans, state your true capacity — it’s okay to prioritize one today and the other tomorrow. A transparent talk prevents resentment, and your honesty can encourage others to share what really matters. Share the truth early to ease pressure.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

The open road is calling your name, Sag! This is a great chance to indulge your sense of adventure — even if budget constraints mean you have to stick close to home. You could explore a local museum or book a class at your nearest library or community college. The Full Moon is blessing all journeys, literal or mental. If someone questions your direction, share the reason it excites you and consider inviting them to join for part of it without pressure.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

The universe has wisdom to share, but it might hurt to hear. Tonight’s Full Moon electrifies your 8th House of Caution, stirring strong reactions, especially around shared expenses or financial concerns that involve other people. If a split bill feels unfair, stick to the numbers and be clear on what you’re prepared to spend. Outside of money issues, it would be wise to update any older passwords to keep your information secure. Be fair to yourself and your loved ones to continue building trust.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Compromises must cut both ways by their very nature. They’re no one’s perfect solution, but they’re everyone’s functional answer. Right now, the Leo Full Moon is underlining the principles of your 7th House of Alliances. Your connections benefit when you name your needs, then listen for the needs that mirror them. Directly talking to your loved ones is the best way to take vague hopes and craft them into something you both can rely upon. Share needs plainly so collaboration can flourish.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

When pressures pull inward, compassion restores balance. The temperamental Moon activates your 6th House of Work, opposing unearthing Pluto in your 12th House of Solitude and highlighting the need to protect your energy. Let the following Full Moon empower you to turn down overbearing requests and take breaks when you need them. Setting up some gentle routines, like stretching between tasks or listening to focus music, would be wise. Such habits protect your energy, which ensures you can keep working hard.

Panthers blow third-period lead, drop third in a row

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 16:49

SUNRISE — Mark Scheifele scored the go-ahead goal with 4:14 remaining, lifting the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 win over the sliding and short-handed Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Winnipeg was 1-18-2 in games where it trailed entering the third period going into the game, and was down 1-0 with 20 minutes left against the Panthers. But the Jets scored twice in a span of just over seven minutes to take command.

Cole Perfetti scored with 11:26 left to tie the game, then Scheifele got his 27th of the season for what became the game-winner.

Eric Comrie stopped 27 shots for the Jets, including one with 37.1 seconds left on a shot by Matthew Tkachuk. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett got shots to the net after that as well for the Panthers, but neither got by Comrie and the Jets prevailed for just the third time in their last nine games.

Eetu Luostarinen got the goal for Florida, which has dropped three straight and ended the game eight points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers — who have been without Aleksander Barkov all season — played Saturday without Brad Marchand, who is day to day, along with Anton Lundell and Seth Jones, among others.

It was the first time this season that Florida took a lead into the third period and failed to get at least one point out of a game. The Panthers were 17-0-1 in such situations entering Saturday, the fifth-best record in the league.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots in the Florida net.

 

Nussmeier leads two scoring drives as American beats National 17-9 in Senior Bowl

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 15:29

MOBILE, Ala. — LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led a pair of touchdown drives, including a keeper for a score, as the American team beat the National team 17-9 on Saturday in the Senior Bowl.

Nussmeier led a 12-play, 68-yard opening drive that ended with his 3-yard rush on a read-option play.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led the National team to start. After an opening 18-yard completion to NC State tight end Justin Joly, Kentucky running back Seth McGowan fumbled. Mizzouri’s Zion Young recovered the ball, handed it to Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who had it punched out by Pavia. The American defense recovered it.

After three runs for 41 yards from Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor, Oklahoma’s Jayden Ott punched in a 5-yard score. Nussmeier found Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields for a successful two-point conversion.

Nussmeier was 5 of 8 for 57 yards with an interception that went through the hands of Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and into those of Nebraska’s Deshon Singleton.

Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson was intercepted similarly later in the quarter. His pass went off the hands of Louisville receiver Caullin Lacy, and Northwestern’s Fred Davis II intercepted it for the American team.

BYU’s Will Ferrin added a 40-yard field goal with 3:02 left to make it 17-0 at the break for the American team.

Pavia re-entered the game with 6:35 to go in the third and continued into the fourth, using a 29-yard run from McGowan to set up a 52-yard field goal from Iowa’s Drew Stevens. Pavia finished 10 of 13 for 78 yards.

Michigan receiver Donaven McCulley, who accepted a late invite to the Senior Bowl on the National team, led all receivers with four catches for 50 yards. He had a 14-yard reception on the National team’s final drive to set up a 1-yard score for FAU’s Kejon Owens.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

39th annual Museum Art Festival at Mizner Park | PHOTOS

South Florida Local News - Sat, 01/31/2026 - 13:41

The Boca Raton Museum of Art hosted its 39th annual Museum Art Festival, filling Mizner Park with approximately 170 artists from across the country. The juried outdoor festival featured a wide range of media, including ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and painting. The photo gallery captures the community atmosphere and fine art displays on showcase throughout the park in downtown Boca Raton.

Show Caption1 of 10People enjoy the art at the 39th annual Museum Art Festival on Saturday, January 31, 2026.hosted by the Boca Raton Museum of Art, at Mizner Park. The festival continues on Sunday with museum admission 50% off all weekend. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Expand

Dolphins bring in two more assistant coaches, one who comes back to Miami

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 18:16

The Miami Dolphins agreed to terms with two more assistant coaches to join Jeff Hafley’s staff Friday night, and one of them is coming back to Miami after a short stint with the Dolphins four years ago.

The team is bringing back former offensive line coach Matt Applebaum as assistant offensive line coach and bringing in Chuka Ndulue as assistant defensive line coach, according to a league source.

Applebaum, 42, was with the Dolphins’ staff in 2022, former coach Mike McDaniel’s first season at the helm, but he was relieved of the duty after the lone year with the team.

The connection with Hafley is that the two were together at Boston College. Applebaum was Hafley’s offensive line coach with the Eagles in 2020 and 2021, and after his short initial Dolphins tenure, he was brought back in 2023. Applebaum remained BC’s offensive line coach after Hafley left to become Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator the past two seasons.

Before Boston College, Applebaum coached offensive linemen at Towson, Davidson, Southeastern Louisiana and Bucknell. He was also Davidson’s offensive coordinator in 2017.

It’s Applebaum’s third stop in South Florida, as he was also a Miami Hurricanes graduate assistant in 2011 and 2012. He also had smaller roles in the NFL in Washington and Jacksonville.

Applebaum will be under new offensive line coach Zach Yenser and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Miami is expected to run similar concepts it did under McDaniel, which means plenty of outside-zone run blocking for linemen.

Ndulue comes to the Dolphins after he held the same assistant defensive line coach title with the Los Angeles Chargers last season, helping former Dolphins defensive tackles in Teair Tart and Da’Shawn Hand on the defensive front.

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Ndulue had college coaching stops at Colorado State, New Mexico, Southern Illinois and Oklahoma, his alma mater as a player. He also spent time with the Broncos and Chargers as a player but did not appear in any regular-season games.

The Dolphins secured Ndulue as assistant defensive line coach but still haven’t had Hafley’s defensive line coach or defensive coordinator surface. On the defensive side, Miami has also agreed to terms with defensive backs coach Ryan Downard, cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae and linebackers coach Al Washington.

Macaulay Culkin, Meryl Streep and more pay tribute to Catherine O’Hara, who died at 71

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 18:11

By LEANNE ITALIE and MARK THIESSEN

The death of Catherine O’Hara at 71 prompted an outpouring from the actor’s co-stars and friends over the decades. O’Hara, whose legendary comic skills were on display in “Home Alone,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Beetlejuice” and much more, died Friday in Los Angeles after a brief illness.

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“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later” — the actor, who played O’Hara’s son in two “Home Alone” movies, on Instagram.

Meryl Streep

“Catherine O’Hara brought love and light to our world, through whipsmart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed…such a loss for her family and friends, and the audience she graced as friends.” — the actor, who co-starred with O’Hara in “Heartburn,” in a statement.

Michael Keaton

“We go back before the first Beetlejuice. She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her.” — the actor, on Instagram.

Seth Rogen

“Really don’t know what to say… I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.” — “The Studio” creator and star, on Instagram.

Andrea Martin

“Catherine. She is and will always be the greatest. It is an honor to have called her my friend.” — the actor, a fellow original “SCTV” cast member, in a statement.

Mark Carney

“Over 5 decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy — from SCTV to Schitt’s Creek. Canada has lost a legend. My thoughts are with her family, friends, and all.” — the Canadian prime minister, on social media.

Mike Myers

“It is a very sad day for comedy and for Canada. She was one of the greatest comedy artists in history, an inspiration for millions and above all a very elegant lady” — the comedian, in a statement.

Pedro Pascal

“Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always. Always” — the actor, who worked with O’Hara on the second season of “The Last of Us,” on Instagram.

Kevin Nealon

“Catherine O’Hara changed how so many of us understand comedy and humanity. From the chaos and heart of Home Alone to the unforgettable precision of Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, she created characters we’ll rewatch again and again.” — the comedian and actor, on social media.

FILE – Former cast members of SCTV, from left, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, foreground, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Martin Short, pose at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival on March 6, 1999, in Aspen, Colo. (AP Photo/E Pablo Kosmicki, File) Craig Mazin

“I think she would prefer that we keep laughing somehow, or at the very least not cry. Not possible at the moment. As brutal as this feels for anyone who knew or worked with her, I know it is far more painful for her husband and sons and close family. I’m thinking about them right now too. It all hurts terribly. Goodbye, you legend… you wonderful, brilliant, kind, beautiful human being. We were lucky to have had you at all.” — the “The Last of Us” showrunner, on Instagram.

Christopher Guest

“I am devastated. We have lost one of the comic giants of our age. I send my love to her family.” — the actor and director, who collaborated with O’Hara on four films, in a statement.

Sarah Polley

“She was the kindest and the classiest. How could she also have been the funniest person in the world? And she was at the very top of her game. There won’t be another like her.” – The Canadian director and actor, on Instagram.

Ron Howard

“This is shattering news. What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator. I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year. My heart goes out to Bo & family.” — the actor and director, on X.

Ike Barinholtz

“I never in a million years thought I would get to work with Catherine O’Hara let alone become friends with her. So profoundly sad she’s somewhere else now, So incredibly grateful I got to spend the time I did with her. Thank you Catherine I love you.” — the actor, a co-star in “The Studio,” on Instagram.

Rita Wilson

“Catherine O’Hara — a woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did. You saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family. Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal. — the actor, director and producer, on Instagram.

Alec Baldwin

“Catherine O’Hara was one of the greatest comic talents in the movie business. She had a quality that was all her own and my sympathy goes out to Bo and their family.” — the actor, her “Beetlejuice” co-star, in a statement.

The Westminster dog show is turning 150. Here’s what has — and hasn’t — changed over time

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 17:58

By JENNIFER PELTZ

NEW YORK (AP) — When some Gilded Age gentleman hunters organized a New York event to compare their dogs, could they have imagined that people would someday call it the World Series of dogdom or the Super Bowl of dog shows?

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Of course they couldn’t. The World Series and the Super Bowl didn’t exist. Nor, for that matter, did the Brooklyn Bridge or the Statue of Liberty.

But the Westminster Kennel Club’s dog show did, and still does. With the 150th annual show set to start Saturday, here’s a then-and-now look at the United States’ most famous canine competition.

“The trappings, the window dressing, you know, changes over time. But what’s at the core, what’s the heart of it, which is the love of dogs … that has been the same,” says club President Donald Sturz.

The name

It comes from the Westminster Hotel, where the show’s founders liked to belly up to the bar and brag about their dogs. The hotel is long gone. The moniker stuck.

The dogs

The club’s “First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs,” in 1877, was no small thing. It featured about 1,200 dogs of a few dozen breeds, ranging from pugs to mastiffs. They included an English setter valued at $5,000, at a time when an average laborer in New York made about $1.30 a day. The Associated Press reported that “the bulldogs are represented by a number of noticeable delegates,” and a family of “Japanese spaniels” was “highly amusing.”

It wasn’t the first U.S. dog show, but it wowed and endured. Among U.S. sporting events, only the Kentucky Derby has a longer history of being held every year.

This year’s Westminster show boasts 2,500 dogs, representing as many as 212 breeds and 10 “varieties” (subsets of breeds, such as smooth vs. wirehaired dachshunds). Some likely hadn’t made it to the U.S. in 1877. Others didn’t exist yet anywhere.

FILE – Four Russian wolfhounds arrive by limousine with chauffeur Jim Colby at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 13, 1956. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)

But many are much the same as they were in Westminster’s early days, Sturz says. Some details — the length of muzzles, the thickness of coats — have shifted in this breed or that, and better canine nutrition may have led to “a little bit more size, or a little more bone” in some, he said.

Today, all the canines have champion rankings in a formalized sport with a complicated point system and official “standards” for judging each breed. They compete for best in show, a trophy that Westminster added in 1907. Earlier shows had no overall prize.

Hundreds of other dogs now vie for separate titles in agility and other sports, which kick off this year’s show on Saturday.

The vibe

When Westminster started, the dogs weren’t the only ones with a pedigreed air.

“Everybody was fashionably dressed and wore an air of good breeding,” The New York Times said of the 1877 show — and the paper was talking about the spectators, not the animals. Not to be outdone, some canines also were gussied up in lace collars and ribbons.

FILE – Guemart Limited Edition, a Yorkshire Terrier from Mexico City, is groomed by Jesus Guerrero backstage prior to competition in the 131st Westminster dog show Monday Feb.12, 2007 at Madison Square Garden in New York.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Over the years, the event drew entries from foreign royals, American tycoons and modern-day celebrities including Martha Stewart and Tim McGraw. A decades-long list of pro athletes have cheered on their animals, from baseball’s Lou Gehrig and Barry Bonds to the NFL’s Morgan Fox.

Westminster has carried a whiff of bygone, clubby gentility into the 21st century — handlers wear suits and dresses, upper-round judges black tie — and the competition is hardly casual. Many top contenders come in with hired professional handlers and a show record built on near-constant travel, with buzz built through dog-magazine ad campaigns.

Still, many people handle their own dogs and work or are retired from policing, medicine, the military, corporate jobs or other fields. Some of the animals also have jobs, including bomb-sniffing and search-and-rescue.

“It’s an elite event, but it’s one that we want everyone to feel that they can access and be a part of,” says Sturz, a clinical psychologist and retired school district superintendent.

The venue

Westminster debuted at Gilmore’s Garden, a precursor to today’s Madison Square Garden. Nearly every subsequent show has been in some iteration of the building, even after part of it collapsed and killed four people, including a Westminster official, shortly before the 1880 show. Next week’s semifinals and best-in-show finals, set for late Tuesday, will be held in the present-day Garden.

FILE – Kirby, a male Papillon, and his owner John Oulton react after winning best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club 1999 Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York Tuesday, Feb. 9, 1999. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

From the start, the show has drawn thousands of spectators in person — and many more on TV since the late 1940s, with still more via streaming.

Of course, that’s not the only way Westminster has been portrayed on-screen.

The movie

Yes, we’re talking about “Best in Show,” director-writer-actor Christopher Guest’s cult-classic 2000 mockumentary about obsessives and oddballs competing at the fictional “Mayflower” dog show in Philadelphia. Guest attended Westminster during his extensive research for the film.

Is it really like that? As with any satire: sort of. Circulate at Westminster, and you’ll certainly see some wound-up people primping and presenting animals, but you’ll also see some competitors cheering for each other, sharing expertise and playing with cherished pets.

Show folk had mixed feelings about the movie. But it helped expand Westminster’s audience, says David Frei, who hosted the show broadcast from 1990 to 2016.

“They didn’t make fun of the dogs,” Frei said. “They just made fun of the people.”

The protests

As Westminster’s prominence grew, it became a magnet for complaints that dog breeding puts looks ahead of health. As far back as 1937, some show-goers questioned whether collies’ narrow heads and long noses were healthy, according to an AP story at the time.

FILE – A security worker wraps up a protester during the best in show competition at the 148th Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

In recent years, animal welfare activists have sometimes infiltrated the ring or demonstrated on the sidelines. This year, PETA has put up billboards near the venues about the breathing problems of flat-faced dogs, and oxygen-tank-carrying supporters plan to demonstrate outside.

“Westminster has had countless opportunities to evolve, yet it clings to an outdated obsession with aesthetics,” a PETA staff writer said in a recent op-ed distributed by the Tribune Content Agency.

Sturz said the club “has a longstanding history of showing its commitment to dog welfare.”

He notes that the organization has donated to veterinary scholarships, pet-friendly domestic violence shelters, rescue groups and other canine causes. Those ties go all the way back to 1877, when some proceeds from the first Westminster show helped the nation’s oldest humane society, the ASPCA, build its first shelter.

Huge cache of Epstein documents includes emails financier exchanged with wealthy and powerful

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 17:52

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge new tranche of files on millionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released Friday revealed details of his communications with the wealthy and powerful, some not long before he died by suicide in 2019.

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The Justice Department said it was disclosing more than 3 million pages of documents, as well as thousands of videos and photos, as required by a law passed by Congress. By Friday evening, more than 600,000 documents had been published online. Millions of files that prosecutors had identified as potentially subject to release under the law remain under wraps, however, drawing criticism from Democrats.

Here’s what we know so far about the files now being reviewed by a team of Associated Press reporters:

Epstein talked politics with Steve Bannon, ex-Obama official

The documents show Epstein exchanged hundreds of friendly texts with Steve Bannon, a top advisor to President Donald Trump, some months before Epstein’s death.

They discussed politics, travel and a documentary Bannon was said to be planning that would help salvage Epstein’s reputation.

In March 2019, Bannon asked Epstein if he could supply his plane to pick him up in Rome.

A couple of months later, Epstein messaged to Bannon: “Now you can understand why trump wakes up in the middle of the night sweating when he hears you and I are friends.”

The context is unclear from the documents, which were released with many redactions and little clear organization.

Another 2018 exchange focused on Trump’s threats at the time to oust Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom he had named to the post just the year prior.

Around the same time, Epstein also communicated with Kathy Ruemmler, a lawyer and former Obama White House official. In a typo-filled email, he warned that Democrats should stop demonizing Trump as a Mafia-type figure even as he derided the president as a “maniac.”

Bannon did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comment. Ruemmler said through a spokesperson she was associated with Epstein professionally during her time as a lawyer in private practice and now “regrets ever knowing him.”

He also chatted with Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick about island visits

Billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk emailed Epstein in 2012 and 2013 about visiting his infamous island compound, the scene of many allegations of sexual abuse.

Epstein inquired in an email about how many people Musk would like flown by helicopter, and Musk responded it would likely be just him as his partner at the time. “What day/night will be the wildest party on our island?” he wrote, according to the Justice Department records.

It’s not immediately clear if the island visits took place. Spokespersons for Musk’s companies, Tesla and X, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

Musk has maintained that he repeatedly turned down the disgraced financier’s overtures. “Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED,” he posted on X in 2025

Epstein also invited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to the island in Dec. 2012. Lutnick’s wife enthusiastically accepted the invitation and said they would arrive on a yacht with their children. The two also had drinks on another occasion in 2011, according to a schedule. Six years later, they emailed about the construction of a building across the street from both of their homes.

Lutnick has distanced himself from Epstein, calling him “gross” and saying in 2025 that he cut ties decades ago. He didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment on Friday afternoon.

The records also have new details on Epstein’s incarceration and suicide

Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019, and found dead in his cell just over a month later.

The latest batch of documents includes emails between investigators about Epstein’s death, including an investigator’s observation that his final communication doesn’t look like a suicide note. Multiple investigations have determined that Epstein’s death was a suicide.

The records also detail a trick that jail staffers used to fool the media gathered outside while Epstein’s body was removed: they used boxes and sheets to create what appeared to be a body and loaded it into a white van labeled as belonging to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The reporters followed the van when it left the jail, not knowing that Epstein’s actual body was loaded into a black vehicle, which departed “unnoticed,” according to the interview notes.

Associated Press reporters across the country contributed to this story, including Michael R. Sisak and Philip Marcelo in New York, Cal Woodward in Washington, Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, and Meg Kinnard in South Carolina.

Trump administration approves new arms sales to Israel worth $6.67 billion

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 17:37

By MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has approved a massive new arms sales package to Israel totaling $6.67 billion, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and related equipment and weapons, as well as 3,250 light tactical vehicles.

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The State Department announced the four separate sales to Israel late Friday amid rising tensions in the Middle East over the possibility of U.S. military strikes in Iran.

The sales also were announced as President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his ceasefire plan for Gaza that is intended to end the Israel-Hamas conflict and reconstruct and redevelop the Palestinian territory after two years of war left it devastated, with tens of thousands dead.

The Apache helicopters, which will be equipped with rocket launchers and advanced targeting gear, are the biggest part of the total package, coming to $3.8 billion, according to the State Department, which notified Congress of its approval of the sales on Friday.

The next largest portion is the light tactical vehicles, which will be used to move personnel and logistics “to extend lines of communication” for the Israel Defense Forces and will cost $1.98 billion, it said.

Israel will spend an additional $740 million on power packs for armored personnel carriers it has had in service since 2008, the department said. The remaining $150 million will be spent on a small but unreported number of light utility helicopters to complement similar equipment it already has, it said.

In separate but nearly identical statements, the department said none of the new sales would affect the military balance in the region and that all of them would “enhance Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving its ability to defend Israel’s borders, vital infrastructure, and population centers.”

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the statements said.

Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman who helped save Washington’s army, is honored on $1 coin

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 17:28

By SAVANNAH PETERS

EDGEWOOD, N.M. (AP) — The reverse side of the U.S. Mint’s 2026 Sacagawea $1 coin will feature Polly Cooper, a woman from the Oneida tribe known for helping George Washington’s Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

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The release of the coin this week coincides with celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It recognizes Cooper’s role in a 1778 relief expedition from Oneida territory in what is now central New York to the rebel troops’ winter encampment in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where they were facing a food and supply crisis.

“Polly Cooper symbolizes courage that is not just found on the battlefield but in compassion and willingness to help others, which is just a part of Oneida culture and hospitality,” said Ray Halbritter, a representative of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York.

Cooper and a delegation of 47 Oneida warriors carried bushels of white corn on the long, cold trek to feed the starving soldiers. According to Oneida oral tradition, Cooper intervened to prevent Washington’s hungry soldiers from eating the white corn raw, which would have made them sick. She taught them how to prepare hulled corn soup.

The coin features Cooper offering a basket of corn to Washington, a design that Halbritter said his community worked on closely with the U.S. Mint. The other side depicts Sacagawea, a young Native American woman who was a crucial guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

It’s the latest release under the Native American $1 Coin Program, established by a 2007 act of Congress to commemorate individual Native Americans and tribes.

Past coins have featured Osage prima ballerina Maria Tallchief; Jim Thorpe of the Sac and Fox Nation who was an Olympic champion and multi-sport professional athlete; and landmark historical events like the signing of the 1778 treaty with the Delaware, the first of over 400 treaties negotiated between the United States and Native nations, although not all were ratified.

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, said the program highlights those who helped establish a country grounded in freedom and self-determination.

Meanwhile, some coin designs previously authorized in anticipation of the 250th anniversary have been scrapped by President Donald Trump’s administration, including coins that would have featured suffragettes who pushed to give women the right to vote and civil rights icon Ruby Bridges.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury, which oversees the U.S. Mint, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Oneida Indian Nation of New York calls itself “America’s first ally.” It broke with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in allying with the Continental Army “at great sacrifice,” Halbritter said. The alliance made the Oneida a target for retaliation by the British and other Haudenosaunee nations. By the end of the Revolution, as much as a third of the tribe’s population had perished.

“In the long run, the Oneida don’t fare any better than tribes that sided with the British,” said Dartmouth College professor Colin Calloway, an expert on Indigenous history during the revolutionary era.

Calloway said a desire to separate Native people from their land was one force that “catapulted” Americans into revolution, and that millions of acres (hectares) of Oneida territory were seized by the state of New York and private land speculators in the decades following the war. This eventually led to the displacement of many Oneida to reservations in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada.

Like popular historical narratives around Sacagawea and the first encounters between Wampanoag people and the pilgrims, Calloway said Cooper’s story could be co-opted to signify a “benign, reciprocal relationship” that never truly existed between American settlers and Indigenous people.

Still, the coin commemorates what Oneidas consider their pivotal role in the nation’s struggle for independence.

“The whole country reaps the benefit of Polly Cooper’s conduct because we won the conflict and the United States was born,” Halbritter said.

Daily Horoscope for January 31, 2026

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 17:00
General Daily Insight for January 31, 2026

Minor adjustments can bring surprising ease and clarity. Today’s main event is another quincunx, this one between thoughtful Venus and blustery Jupiter at 4:39 AM EST. We may notice a mismatch between desire and opportunity that asks for gentle edits in different corners of life. Rather than forcing results, we can revise our approaches a little bit at a time to avoid frustration. By afternoon, the emotional Moon trines disciplined Saturn, which steadies our conversations and guides us toward results that actually function.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

What support would make teamwork easier now? Your 11th House of Community brightens as connection-focused Venus quincunxes Jupiter, urging flexible expectations with your wider circle. If a group project bumps into a family errand, simplifying your plans could avoid further clashes. Check the basics first, especially team logistics, then take point so others can follow your pace without friction. Even as home priorities tug, warmth and patience keep everyone on your side through this shift. Wherever you’re at, flexibility earns lasting trust.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Keep putting one foot in front of the other — you’ll get there! Venus and Jupiter are involved in a rough quincunx that could put you in the spotlight with little warning. A supervisor or client may request a late change, or a neighbor could have a sudden issue with an outdoor project of yours. Be open about your plans and the logic behind them. Small edits or explanations to outsiders could gain you fresh allies while safeguarding the progress you’ve already made.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Progress arrives through flexible thinking and conversation. Exploration calls as pleasure-seeking Venus forms a quincunx to jovial Jupiter, activating your 9th House of Learning with a nudge to adjust expensive plans. A course or trip plan may strain your savings, but doing some price comparisons or hunting down discounts can ease the strain. Your quick mind thrives when you trade ideas with a trusted guide — you never know when casual chats will reveal smarter routes. Invest wisely, because learning grows lifelong freedom.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Your instincts can currently inform smart money moves. Compassionate Venus angles off auspicious Jupiter, spotlighting your 8th House of Generous Intimacy, which could signal adjustments around trust and money. Someone close may suggest pooling expenses, which could have many benefits. Even so, be sure to check that the terms respect everyone’s comfort levels. Because you feel everything deeply, write down your needs before the talk, then keep your tone warm to reduce defensiveness. Straightforward questions strengthen closeness and keep trust steady.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

When desires misalign with growth, choose grace. Partnerships deserve thoughtfulness as romantic Venus pokes jolly Jupiter, activating your 7th House of Connections and your 12th House of Karma. If a loved one wants quiet while you crave attention, propose a cozy check-in over your favorite snacks at home, then plan playtime for tomorrow. Your natural warmth glows when you listen deeply, then share your creative ideas without pressure, so the moment stays light. Lead with heart — that’s what keeps love playful.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

What’s your most recent habit? Once you’ve identified that, it’s time to think about whether or not it serves your life goals. With today’s Venus-Jupiter quincunx, you might notice the cost of those extra five minutes in bed each morning over time. Little delays add up! At work, a co-worker might invite you to lunch just as a deadline tightens, so you may need to reschedule to protect your flow. Resetting your workspace with some quick tidying could also improve your focus.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

You can be honest with them — whoever “they” are in your life. Venus and Jupiter are angling off each other from your playful 5th house and your business zone, which could draw your attention to the boundaries between fun and work. If work demands spill into game night or studio time, make an effort to protect an hour for self-expression. Your diplomacy shines when you acknowledge life’s disparate needs, propose a fair middle path, and keep smiling as you ensure that path actually works.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Certain aspects of your soul are ready to surface. Needy Venus snubs Jupiter, activating your homey 4th house and your idealistic 9th house. This is an invitation to reset your space, inside and out. If your home is set up for a past version of yourself, this is the day to change that. How does the person you want to become move about their domicile? There’s probably at least one thing you can update, and if there isn’t, some home tidying should be equally satisfying.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Social tension doesn’t have to be a bad thing right now — you can actually utilize it quite well. As stubborn Venus corroborates over-the-top Jupiter, you could be fielding some overly pointed questions. Conversely, you could be asking some questions that may not be in your wheelhouse! Any chats about delicate topics may feel awkward, so begin with appreciation and keep questions open to invite honest replies. Make an effort to accept the truth for what it is, whether or not you like hearing it.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Your comfort zone may not be able to contain your latest commitments. The cautious quincunx between Venus and Jupiter today impacts your resource zone and your partnership arena, which means that your needs might not match up with those of your peers. Some practical, respectful adjustments could be necessary throughout the day. Whether it involves a partner, client, or friend, you can find success by walking them through your budget’s benefits and downsides. You’re choosing the path that supports long‑term goals while preserving goodwill.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Every day is a fresh beginning — today, more than most. Darling Venus in your sign is adapting to Jupiter in your practical 6th house, allowing you another chance to adapt to your ever-changing world. Be wary of work situations that restrict your self-expression even when off the clock. If you need to work in a very controlled environment for the moment, don’t let it get you down. You can uphold your values, even if you can’t express yourself as much as you’d prefer.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Certain people can’t be trusted with your tender core at this time. Quiet healing calls as compassionate Venus redirects lucky Jupiter, guiding your 12th House of Solitude to coexist with your 5th House of Parties. If you’ve planned a bit too much to do today, it’s okay to cancel something to give yourself room to breathe. You can journal for a while, then take a slow walk, then return ready to jump in with both feet! Give yourself enough space to recharge.

Moira Rose, Delia Deetz, Cookie Fleck and Kevin’s mom: Catherine O’Hara’s memorable roles

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 16:55

By JOCELYN NOVECK

Now is certainly not the time for pettifogging. But can we confabulate about the comic brilliance of Catherine O’Hara?

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These radically arcane words, like so many others, dripped off the gifted comedian’s tongue so silkily as Moira, her singularly eccentric matriarch in “Schitt’s Creek,” that you laughed well before you wondered what the heck they meant. (For the record: “pettifogging” means to emphasize petty details, and “confabulate” simply means to talk.)

But conversely, O’Hara, who died Friday at 71, could make a ho-hum phrase utterly hilarious. As when she desperately declared, trying a bit of line-cutting in the crowded “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” afterlife waiting room: “I have global entry!”

And for something even more concise, how about her simple, one-word line reading of “KEVIN!!!” — the child she kept leaving behind in the “Home Alone” movies?

In any case, as Moira would say, don’t be a dewdropper (a lazybones.) Here are some indelible O’Hara roles to catch up on:

Moira in “Schitt’s Creek” (2015-2020)

The commercial that Moira Rose films for local vintner Herb Ertlinger’s fruit wine starts out reasonably well. Until she tries to pronounce the product’s name.

“Herb Ervlinger. Erv Herblinger. Bing Liveheinger,” she intones, inebriated, in a virtuosic scene that recalls Lucille Ball in her Vitameatavegamin ad.

Moira, a career-capping (and Emmy-winning) role in the comedy created by Eugene and son Dan Levy, brought O’Hara legions of new fans — and elevated a new vocabulary. She discovered much of it in obscure word books, she said.

This image released by Pop TV shows, from left, Annie Murphy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Dan Levy from the series “Schitt’s Creek.” (Pop TV via AP)

O’Hara told The Associated Press she’d created the character by thinking of women married to wealthy men — women who wanted to be seen as special, in their own right. Her unique look included a series of eccentric wigs. “I knew a woman who would have dinner parties at her house and she would keep disappearing and coming back with different wigs. And she would appear like, ‘Tada’” — Whatever Moira was feeling on a particular day would dictate what kind of wig she would wear.”

“Schitt’s Creek” is available to rent on various platforms.

Delia in “Beetlejuice” (1988) and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (2024)

Thirty-six years after the first “Beetlejuice,” Tim Burton retuned with a 2024 sequel. Why, you ask? Well, here’s one really good reason: O’Hara.

Her Delia Deetz, the narcissistic artist stepmom of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz, was a supporting character who stole the whole show.

Catherine O’Hara as Delia in the movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” (Warner Bros./TNS)

To sample her comic timing, just take the quick scene where Delia, mounting a gallery show where she herself is the canvas, notifies Lydia: “You father has left me.”

“He’s divorcing you? Lydia asks. “What a horrible thought!” replies a shocked Delia. (Beat). “No, he’s dead.”

The “Beetlejuice” movies are available to rent on various platforms.

Kate McAllister in “Home Alone” (1990) and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992)

OK, motherhood is chaotic. It’s hard to keep track of everything. Things can mistakenly be left at home. A child, even.

Once.

But, twice? That’s iconic.

Catherine O’Hara, left, and Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone.” Culkin mourned his “Home Alone” co-star O’Hara after her death Friday at age 71. (IFA Film/ZUMA Press Wire/TNS)

On the plane in that first “Home Alone” movie, Kate tells her husband she has a terrible feeling she forgot something. “Did I turn off the coffee?” “Did you lock up?” And then, the awful realization: “KEVIN!”

Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport. This time, O’Hara’s “KEVIN!” was squealed at a high pitch — accompanied by her falling backwards, unconscious.

Those moments allowed O’Hara, in a mostly straight role, to add bits of signature zaniness. But the reunion scenes with Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) were heartwarming, and it was hard to not tear up when she apologized and said: “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

“Mama, I thought we had time,” Culkin said on Instagram Friday, alongside an image from “Home Alone.”

The “Home Alone” movies are available on Disney+ and can be rented on various platforms.

Cookie in “Best In Show” (2000)

We have 80 episodes of “Schitt’s Creek” to see the brilliant synergy between O’Hara and Eugene Levy, but If you want to see their early magic, look no further than Cookie and Gerry Fleck, the married dogowners in Christopher Guest’s classic mockumentary “Best In Show.”

370100 06: Eugene Levy, left, and Catherine O”Hara star in Castle Rock Entertainment’s film, “Best In Show.” (Photo by Wren Maloney/Online USA)

For example, when Cookie and Gerry sing an ode to their beloved Norwich Terrier.

O’Hara, for one, sings in a musical key that sounds too high to actually exist on this planet.

“God loves a terrier, yes he does” they sing. “God didn’t miss a stitch, Be a dog or be a bitch. When he made the Norwich merrier with its cute little derriere; Yes, God loves a terrier.”

“Best in Show” is available to rent on various platforms.

Judge calls Justice Department’s statements on slavery exhibit display ‘dangerous’ and ‘horrifying’

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 16:49

By MARYCLAIRE DALE

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge warned Justice Department lawyers on Friday that they were making “dangerous” and “horrifying” statements when they said the Trump Administration can decide what part of American history to display at National Park Service sites.

The sharp exchange erupted during a hearing in Philadelphia over the abrupt removal of an exhibit on the history of slavery at the site of the former President’s House on Independence Mall.

The city, which worked in tandem with the park service on the exhibit two decades ago, was stunned to find workers this month using crowbars to remove outdoor plaques, panels and other materials that told the stories of the nine people who had been enslaved there. Some of the history had only been unearthed in the past quarter-century.

“You can’t erase history once you’ve learned it. It doesn’t work that way,” said Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, an appointee of President George W. Bush.

Show Caption1 of 4A person moves to photograph the location of the now removed explanatory panels that were part of an exhibit on slavery at President’s House Site in Philadelphia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Expand

The removal followed President Donald Trump’s executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. In Philadelphia, the materials were put in a pickup truck and then into storage, leading Rufe to voice concerns about whether they were damaged.

“Although many people feel strongly about this (exhibit) one way, other people may disagree or feel strongly another way,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken.

“Ultimately,” he said, “the government gets to choose the message it wants to convey.”

Rufe swiftly cut him off.

“That is a dangerous statement you are making. It is horrifying to listen to,” she said. “It changes on the whims of someone in charge? I’m sorry, that is not what we elected anybody for.”

Rufe heard hours of testimony Friday from former city officials who had helped plan the exhibit, and said the city had kicked in $1.5 million toward the project. She plans to visit both the storage area and the site before ruling on the city’s request to have the exhibit restored. But she asked the Justice Department lawyers to ensure that nothing else is disturbed.

In den Berken said the Park Service routinely changes its exhibits and tours, and argued that the government cannot be forced to tell a certain story. But lawyers for the city and other advocates said the park service does not have “carte blanche” to interpret the nation’s history as it sees fit.

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The exhibit includes biographical details about the nine people enslaved by George and Martha Washington at the presidential mansion. Now, only their names — Austin, Paris, Hercules, Christopher Sheels, Richmond, Giles, Oney Judge, Moll and Joe — remain engraved into a cement wall.

Michael Coard, an attorney representing one of the advocacy groups supporting the exhibit, said the president was ignoring the power held by Congress, the judiciary and the American people.

“It’s one thing to whisper that type of dictatorial power. But to send lawyers into a public courtroom to make that argument is absolutely frightening,” he said. “I’m really worried about the state of America.”

Rufe said she planned to rule quickly, noting the surge of visitors expected to visit the nation’s birthplace this year to mark its 250th anniversary of being founded.

Residents who have visited the site have shed tears, left flowers and left a handmade sign that said “Slavery was real.”

Young people are protesting ICE and reenacting immigration raids in online gaming platform Roblox

South Florida Local News - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 16:36

By KAITLYN HUAMANI

Roblox, the online gaming platform wildly popular with children and teenagers, is the “ultimate virtual universe” where users can “be anything you can imagine,” according to the platform’s website. Recently, some young users have been imagining themselves as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

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Some users have donned ICE gear and carried out “raids” on a popular roleplaying game within Roblox. Other young people on the platform have taken to the virtual streets with signs in their avatar’s hands in protest, expressing sentiments like “We hate ICE” (all signs are free of expletives, of course, which are banned on Roblox).

A TikTok account sharing videos of such raid reenactments and protests has racked up millions of views in recent weeks. Much of the gameplay involving raids appears to be taking place on a private server within the Brookhaven roleplaying game, which is one of Roblox’s most popular and widely played games.

Protests against ICE and immigration raid reenactments within the vast world of Roblox are not new. Video clips of such behavior on the gaming platform cropped up on social media last summer when “No Kings” protests were being held across the country, largely in response to increased immigration enforcement. But the resurgence of such content on social media and within the game suggests young people are responding to the government’s immigration operation in Minnesota and the strong resistance they’ve been met with by protesters.

This behavior, particularly the digital protests, could be a healthy way for children and teens to cope with news they’re seeing about immigration enforcement, according to Giovanni Ramos, an assistant professor of clinical science at the University of California, Berkeley. But roleplaying the raids could be more worrisome — and they go against Roblox’s own rules.

A Roblox spokesperson said Friday that the reenactments of immigration raids are in violation of the platform’s community standards and said the company takes “swift action against users found to be violating” those policies. The user guidelines state that Roblox prohibits content that “recreates specific real-world sensitive events, mocks the victims of such events, supports, glorifies, or promotes the perpetrators or outcome of such events or capitalizes on these events for commercial purposes.”

Roblox uses a multi-layered approach in enforcing community standards, with a combination of human moderators, user reports and advanced AI models. The company encouraged users in its statement to report any behavior or content that goes against our community standards so it can “investigate and take immediate action.”

“No system is perfect, but we work to strengthen our user protections every day,” the spokesperson said.

Ramos said these virtual raid reenactments could “minimize the emotional impact that immigrant youth are experiencing by being exposed to this chronic stressor,” and they may be invalidating the emotions of kids who are especially impacted if the raids are seen as fodder for jokes.

Still, he thinks in many cases, those taking on the role of immigration officers on the platform and carrying out raids could just be doing so out of curiosity. “It could be youth exploring what they’re seeing in the news or what they hear adults talking about at home and trying to make sense of those experiences,” Ramos said.

The protests and demonstrations on Roblox could also be a way children are seeking out social support, Ramos added. They are “creating community and connecting with people who actually are going through similar things, who might understand their emotional experiences,” he said.

That kind of connection is valuable and shouldn’t be dismissed, Ramos said. “That can really be a lifeline.”

 
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