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West Boca sophomore Ava Sedlacek won the girls 1-meter diving competition on Friday at the Class 4A state meet at Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training Center (FAST) in Ocala. She became the first swimmer or diver from her school to win a medal at state. (Ava Sedlacek/Courtesy)

After West Boca Raton sophomore Ava Sedlacek finished fourth in the FHSAA 1-meter diving Class 4A competition last year, she came back this season more determined, and it paid off.

Sedlacek scored 444.55 points, well ahead of runner-up Lauren McCoy, a senior at Lincoln High (379.30), and Spanish River junior Giselle Lobeto (376.15) at the FHSAA Class 4A Swimming and Diving Championship on Friday night at Florida Aquatics Swimming Training Center (FAST) in Ocala. It was the first medal earned by West Boca at a state meet.

“It was definitely a good feeling because I improved a lot,” Sedlacek said by phone. “I think that there was just more consistency. I only changed one dive from last year, but did them all better this year.

“Winning this year is really cool,” she added. “It is like getting a driver’s license. It is an accomplished feeling. Being the first diver (or swimmer) to win states is the best.”

Wellington sophomore Veronica Metz (1:47.99) was just out-touched by Riverside senior Taylor Schwenk (1:47.97) in the 200 free. Metz was also second in the 500 free (4:50.83).

“I felt amazing about all my races and being on the podium as a 15-year-old sophomore,” said Metz, whose brother Dillon won two gold medals for the boys team in the 200 and 400 free relays. “I went personal best for the 200 free and was right on my personal best time, from regionals, in the 500 free.”

“It was also a special night for me to land on the podium at my brother Dillon’s final states,” she added.

Sarasota Riverview won its fifth consecutive girls title with 395 points. Boca Raton was the highest local finisher, taking 10th (66 points), while West Broward (44) and Wellington (38) were 14th and 15th respectively.

West Broward sophomore Laila Harran was second in the 100 free (50.82), and fifth in the 200 free (1:49.76). West Broward senior teammate Carley Kaplan was sixth in the 100 free (51.44).

Harran wasn’t pleased with her prelim swims in either event, but rallied in the finals. She was seeded seventh in the 200 and finished fifth, and was seeded sixth in the 100 free after the prelims, and wound up second in the championship race.

“After my 200 free went well, I just wanted to have fun in the 100,” Harran explained. “I went in with a super good attitude and started pretty strong. My flips were tight and my tempo was pretty strong…It was a super, super close race, and when I flipped off the wall, I just gave it everything I had.”

Boca Raton senior captain Gabia Gelumbickas set a school record in the 100 backstroke (54.70) and finished third. The Eastern Michigan signee was also fifth in the 50 free (23.52).

Fort Lauderdale again finishes third in 3A

Fort Lauderdale senior Hayden Ferenc won the Class 3A diving championship with a score of 455.45, topping senior teammate Sophia Cavaretta, who was runner-up with 420.80. Fort Lauderdale senior Ginger Boardman was sixth with a score of 341.35.

“For this meet, I told myself that I just need to go out there and trust myself,” said Ferenc, who signed with FSU. “I made sure to stay calm the whole meet, but also hype myself up. I focused on one dive at a time. It has been a goal of mine since I started high school diving to win states, so winning my senior year felt really special. I am super proud of my teammates as well, and it’s always fun to have a little friendly competition.”

Said Cavaretta, a UConn signee: “It wasn’t my best meet, but I’m still proud that I got state runner up and protected my school record (520.50).”

Fort Lauderdale junior Da’Jah German finished third in the 50 free (23.98) and fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12) to help the L’s to a second straight third-place finish with 197 points, while St. Thomas Aquinas was sixth (141).

“I’m so happy,” German said by phone. “I’ve been in such a slump all season, so I’ve really been focusing on having even more fun at high school meets… Overall, I think everything was in its perfect place today.

The Fort Lauderdale 400 free relay was fourth (3:36.80), while St. Thomas Aquinas relay finished seventh (3:39.56).

“I am so excited for our team,” said Fort Lauderdale coach Adam Drucker by phone. “They are a group of exceptional athletes, students, and individuals, and they deserve their continued success.”

St. Thomas Aquinas senior Carolyn Levy-Powell took third with a school record in the 100 fly (55.46) and second in the 100 back (55.96) to pace the Raiders.

“I felt good about my swims,” said Levy-Powell, who is headed to FIU. “Earning second in the 100 back and third in the 100 fly was exciting, and I’m grateful for the support from my coaches and team. I am also very proud of our girls doing amazing on the relay.”

St. Thomas Aquinas freshman Addison Scott was fifth in the 100 breast (1:06.80). The St. Thomas Aquinas girls 200 free relay also set a school record, placing third (1:38.81), while Fort Lauderdale tied for fourth in the event with Fleming Island (1:38.85).

“Our girls rocked today,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Duffy Dillon. “We have amazing senior leadership. We had two new school records and had two finals from senior Lena Lajko and freshman Addison Scott. We well surpassed our point total from last year. I’m very proud.”

Wellington junior Andreas Da Silva won four state titles — two individual and two on the relay teams — to help the Wolverines boys team to its best finish in school history on Friday in the Class 4A state meet at Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training Center (FAST) in Ocala.

Da Silva won the 100 free (43.72) and the 100 back (48.42) and swam on the gold medal 200 (1:22.80) and 400 free relays (3:01.50) as Wellington finished fourth overall. All four races were automatic All-American times. The Wellington boys and girls teams walked away with five state champions and 10 All-American times.

“It was a great night,” Da Silva said by phone. “I was really focused on going from one thing to another, winning one thing, resetting, and going to the next event. When it was all said and done, I was really proud at the end.”

In winning the 100 freestyle, he had to take out junior teammate Julian Granison (44.96), who finished second, also with an automatic All-American time. Da Silva was ninth in last year’s 100 free at state.

“I definitely thought it was a possibility to win, and when it did, I was really happy,” Da Silva said. “There we no hard feelings with Julian. In practice, we go back and forth, and at the end of the day, we are happy that one of us won.”

“I one hundred percent knew exactly how I was going to do and I’m happy with it,” said Granison, who won the 50 free (20.11) and was also a member of the two gold medal relay teams. “My team is always number one, so I, of course, knew we would get first.”

Sarasota High captured its fourth boys title in the past five years with 231 points. Wellington had 169. Defending champion Cypress Bay was 10th with 69 points.

“They worked together toward this goal,” said veteran Wellington coach Richard Whalen, who just finished his 20th season. “Julian Granison and Andreas Da Silva set these goals after the last state meet. They originally did not think they would swim the same event (100 free), and they both wanted to win two individual events and two relays.”

Boca Raton sophomore Caleb Caperone took fourth in the 200 IM (49.93) and fifth in the 100 breast (57.06).

Spanish River sophomore Ryan Russell finished runner-up in the boys’ diving with 510.10 points. It was his state championship debut since moving here in the summer from Ohio. Spanish River junior Matthew Brisson was third (462.20) and Cypress Bay junior Jacob Drysdale was fourth (403.60).

“It was a little bit of an adjustment,” said Russell, who was 10 points behind Hagerty senior Noah Stasik (520.95). “It’s a lot different down here. It was great (competing). It was a great pool and a lot of good energy.”

Taravella sophomore Cole Youngblood won both the 50- and 100-yard events for swimmers with disabilities. He dropped a second in the 50 (31.60) and then 0.68 in the 100 (1:13.17). This is only Youngblood’s second year of high school swimming. He is the third local swimmer with disabilities to sweep the state championships in a week – joining Oxbridge Academy’s Gabi Farinas and Coral Springs Charter’s Faith Moberg.

“I am so excited, and this was fun,” said Youngblood, who is autistic and intellectually disabled. He started with Taravella coach Candy Allen, who teaches students with special needs. “I won two medals for the state championship. Swimming makes me happy, and I like to be part of the team.”

“He has broken through so many barriers in life, and this is just one more for so many people,” said his mother, Amy, a former three-sport athlete at FAU. “He really shows everyone what hard work is, and he doesn’t give up. Candy does so much for the community and has accepted so many athletes into her program.”

Jupiter junior and Michigan commit Charles “Bud” Howard won the 200 free (1:37.16) and was second in the 100 fly (47.00) as he lost on the touch to Sarasota senior Bogdan Zverev (46.99). Howard shaved 1.11 seconds off his previous best time in the 1.49 in the fly. Zverev beat his PR by 2.67 seconds. Howard improved on last year’s finishes of eighth in both events.

“He (Zverev) sort of came out of nowhere and losing by 100th of a second stings a little bit, but that’s just the sport,” Howard said.

Boca Raton sophomore Caleb Caponera was fourth (1:49.93) in the boys’ 200 IM, and South Broward junior Alexandru Ivanof finished third in the 100 breast (55.76). South Broward senior Tajhari Williams was fifth (51.03) in the 100 back. Williams also took seventh in the 50 free (21.22).

Pocker wins 3A boys state diving title

West Pocker walked away from the sport two years ago and came all the way back to win the Class 3A 1-meter diving championship by a large margin on Saturday morning.

The Fort Lauderdale junior scored 563.40 points to easily outdistance runner-up Donovan Lawrence from Miami Pace (407.55 points). It’s the first time Pocker has cracked the 500-point barrier. He also helped the school sweep the state diving titles, following L’s senior Hayden Ferenc winning the girls championship hours earlier.

“Last year I had just come back to diving after almost exactly one year,” said Pocker, who had dived for seven years. He finished seventh at state last season. “I kind of got started back and was getting the feel for diving again. I am more dedicated to the sport and training. … I picked a good time to get my best score, and to sweep boys and girls diving at state is really cool. It’s a first for the school.”

No Broward or Palm Beach teams finished higher than 23rd.

 

By BOB FERRANTE

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Tommy Castellanos had a pair of touchdown runs and tossed a 50-yard TD pass to Duce Robinson as Florida State scored on six straight drives to defeat Virginia Tech 34-14.

Ousmane Kromah had 59 rushing yards and Samuel Singleton Jr. added 53 as the Seminoles (5-5, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) accumulated 237 yards on 46 carries. After a scoreless first quarter, Florida State controlled the clock and put together five scoring drives of 56 yards or more.

“It wasn’t a great game in regards to our performance,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “But those guys, they continued to battle.”

Robinson caught six passes for 134 yards. The junior now has three straight 100-yard receiving games and five in 2025.

Castellanos completed 12 of 24 passes for 189 yards and also ran seven times for 45 yards. The Seminoles have had a wild ride after a 3-0 start, which included a stunning upset of Alabama in the season opener. Florida State now is a win away from being bowl-eligible.

“No quitting, keep fighting,” Castellanos said.

Marcellous Hawkins had 12 carries for 101 yards as Virginia Tech (3-7, 2-4) racked up 238 yards on the ground.

“I was proud of the way we established the run,” Virginia Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery said. “I thought we were a little bit more balanced tonight. And, you know, I was proud of how hard those guys continued to play.”

Kyron Drones had an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ayden Greene and a 4-yard TD run, but the Hokies lost for the fourth time in five games. Drones finished 10 of 18 for 125 yards.

Closing in on 1,000 yards

Robinson now has 947 receiving yards in 10 games. He has two games left to surpass the 1,000-yard mark, which hasn’t been done since Tamorrion Terry had 1,188 yards in 2019.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates, without the guys around me,” Robinson said. “That touchdown I had today, that wouldn’t have happened without our blitz pickup. Gavin (Sawchuk) picked up that closing blitzer. The line did a great job in that pickup, too. My job is pretty simple. My job is to catch the football.”

The Takeaway

Virginia Tech: Drones completed passes for 36, 31, 29 and 18 yards, but the Hokies struggled to put together drives and couldn’t convert on their two fourth-down chances in the fourth quarter.

Florida State: While the Seminoles gave up 363 yards, cornerback Jerry Wilson had an interception and defensive lineman Mandrell Desir forced a fumble to halt drives and keep the Hokies off the board.

Up next

Virginia Tech plays host to Miami on Nov. 22.

Florida State plays at North Carolina State on Friday.

——

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OXFORD, Miss. — With little left to play for, the Florida Gators tried to play spoiler.

Once again, the target was Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. This time, though, his Rebels rallied for a 34-24 come-from-behind win to keep alive their CFP hopes in what could have been his final home game in Oxford.

“They battled,” UF interim coach Billy Gonzales said of the Gators. “They’re competitors. I’m proud of them. We just came up short.”

A season after Florida upset Ole Miss to knock the Rebels out of the CFP, the Gators arrived as two-touchdown underdogs amid a head coaching search and eyeing Kiffin, who sits atop UF’s wish list to replace Billy Napier. But after his team picked up a 10th win for the third consecutive season, an Ole Miss first, Kiffin was focused on getting the Rebels to the finish line and into the 12-team playoff field.

“To even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players and what they did today,” he said of UF’s interest, not to mention his own in the Gators’ opening.

For much of Saturday night at sold-out Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, things appeared bleak for the No. 7 Rebels (10-1, 6-1 SEC).

But a 59-yard run by tailback Kewan Lacy on the final play of a scoreless third quarter set up his 1-yard run for a 27-24 lead.

The Gators (3-7, 2-5) responded behind resurgent quarterback DJ Lagway to reach the Rebels’ 30. But facing 3rd-and-5, the sophomore’s pass across his body while rolling left was tipped by edge rusher Suntarine Perkins and into the hands of safety Wydett Williams Jr.

“We were in field-goal position,” Gonzales said. “Great players and competitors always want the ball in their hands. They want to be able to make the play. But we’ve got to make great decisions.”

Leading 24-20 at halftime, Florida didn’t score again while Lagway failed to make the big plays he had earlier.

‘We didn’t play really well defensively at all in the first half, and there were big pass plays,” Kiffin said. “At halftime we said, ‘We have to keep them in front of us and just make him earn it and see if we can get him to throw a pick at some point.’ “

A week after he was benched after throwing three interceptions, Lagway had a costly one while finishing 16-of-31 for 218 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown to J. Michael Sturdivant to give UF a 21-17 lead.

With UF down 10-0 and with just 10 yards in two possession, Lagway came alive with a 10-yard run on 3rd-and-9, then followed it with a 47-yard strike to TJ Abrams and a 12-yard run to the Ole Miss 5. Two plays later, Lagway rumbled into the end zone for his first career touchdown.

“Finally got over the top of people. Been waiting on that all season,” he said. “It was good to have some success. Overall, none of it really matters, though. We didn’t come out with the ‘W.’”

Lagway had a chance to be a hero after the Gators stopped Ole Miss inside the 5-yard line, trailing 27-24 with 2:42 remaining. Consecutive incompletions by Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had given the Gators the ball on their 3, the second time Ole Miss was inside the UF 5 but failed to score points.

Lagway and Co. could not dig their way out.  An incompletion on 4th-and-9 set up a 4-yard touchdown run on first down by Lacy, who finished with 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns to give him a school-record 19.

“He’s a great player, but we shot ourselves in the foot and we got to do better,” sophomore linebacker Myles Graham said. “We got to be more disciplined in our gaps, we got to make more tackles, and we got to be more physical up front.

“He’s a good player but we beat ourselves.”

Ole Miss tailback Kewan Lacy ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns as the Rebels beat Florida 34-24 Saturday night in Oxford. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Before outscoring Florida 14-0 in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss had been in peril against a team with an interim head coach and coming off a 31-point loss. The Gators also had lost 18 straight games on the road while Ole Miss had lost once in 21 games at home since the start of the 2023 season.

The Gators were not going lay down a week after it looked like they did at Kentucky.

“That’s what we signed up for,” Graham said. “We’re in the SEC; it’s going to be a dogfight every week and that’s how we want it to be. But we got to finish.”

Last November in the Swamp, Kiffin’s team couldn’t make plays at the end of a 24-17 loss against a surging Florida team playing on Senior Day in one of college football’s toughest environments. In danger of a repeat Saturday night in Oxford, the Rebels did not squander their season again.

“There was a lot there bad early on,” Kiffin said. “I just felt like, ‘OK, this is a lot of stuff to overcome, but that shows that we are potentially a really, really good team.’ “

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

MIAMI GARDENS — Transfer defensive back Keionte Scott has been a revelation for Miami’s defense this season, but the Hurricanes may have to play without him for some time.

The senior nickelback suffered a “serious” injury, UM coach Mario Cristobal said after the Hurricanes’ blowout win over N.C. State on Saturday. Scott was wearing a walking boot on his right foot when he was on the field before the game.

“You miss him,” Cristobal said. “It’s a serious injury and it’s one that’s heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching, really.”

Scott, who arrived in the summer after last playing at Auburn, has become a star in Miami’s strong defense. He has 29 tackles, three sacks and an interception this year. The interception was a pick-six against Syracuse last week.

Pro Football Focus gives Scott high marks for his performance this season. He has a 90.3 defensive grade, which was the best in the ACC among defensive backs entering this week’s games.

“He means so much to this team, and as good of a player as he is, he wants to win,” Cristobal said. “That’s all he cares about. He’s up for so many awards. And he’s a big part of the heart and soul of our team.”

In Scott’s absence, Miami started freshman Bryce Fitzgerald at nickel. Fitzgerald had two tackles and one pass breakup.

“I think having him on the sideline as a coach, as a leader, his enthusiasm, his voice was very impactful and powerful and the guys that stepped in did a really good job,” Cristobal said.

Other players in the secondary filled the gap, including safety Jakobe Thomas, who had two interceptions in the win.

“That’s a true teammate,” Thomas said. “A guy that you can lean on, on and off the field. Keionte is one of my best friends and I’ll say it every day — he’s probably the greatest teammate I’ve ever had in my life. He takes care of all those young guys. Bryce had to step in at nickel this week, and Keionte made sure that he knew every call, helped with everything. He was the most juiced on the sideline on every play. So he’s a great guy.”

SUNRISE — Jack Finley scored his first NHL goal early in the third period to break a tie and the Tampa Bay Lightning held on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Saturday night.

Emil Lilleberg and Zemgus Girgensons also scored for the Lightning. They improved to 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and 5-2-2 on the road.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots for Tampa Bay.

Brad Marchand scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season for Florida, a power-play tally midway through the second period that tied it at 1.

But Finley picked up a loose puck near the blue line and skated in alone on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for what became the go-ahead goal 4:09 into the third. Girgensons sealed it with an empty-netter with 50.3 seconds remaining.

Bobrovsky made 17 saves for Florida, which saw its two-game winning streak snapped.

It was the first game between the teams since Oct. 4, a preseason contest that saw more than 300 penalty minutes and both rosters getting depleted because so many players were sent to the locker room early because of those infractions.

And this game was chippy at times — as Lightning-Panthers games tend to be — but it was nothing like the penalty-fest from the preseason. There were only 14 penalties, 13 of them 2-minute minors and the other a 4-minute double minor against the Lightning in the third. There were some scuffles, but nothing that rose to the level of a fighting penalty or a major.

Up next

Lightning: Host Vancouver on Sunday night.

Panthers: Host Vancouver on Monday night.

___

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jake Retzlaff threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Jamauri McClure had 94 yards rushing and a TD on 10 carries, and Tulane beat Florida Atlantic 35-24 on Saturday night.

Tulane (8-2, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) is tied for second in the conference, a half-game behind Navy.

After Tulane went three-and-out, Alec Clark’s 53-yard punt was muffed by Easton Messer and recovered by the Green Wave’s Shaun Nicholas, and on the next play Jimmy Calloway ran for a 14-yard touchdown to open the scoring with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

FAU (4-6, 3-4) answered with a seven-play, 68-yard drive, but — after an illegal formation penalty nullified a Caden Veltkamp’s 2-yard TD pass to Dominique Henry on fourth-and-goal — settled for a 25-yard field goal by Garrison Smith.

On the first play of the second quarter, Retzlaff threw a fourth-and-6 pass to Bryce Bohanon for a 29-yard touchdown that gave Tulane a 14-3 lead.

Anthony Miller Jr. caught a 14-yard TD pass, McClure scored on an 8-yard run late in the third and Retzlaff’s 1-yard touchdown run capped the scoring with 4:30 to play.

Veltkamp, who finished with 375 yards passing, threw a 4-yard TD pass to Jayshon Platt on fourth-and-goal in the second quarter and Kaden Shields-Dutton capped a 17-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run on fourth-and-goal in the fourth. Veltkamp connected with Messer for a 12-yard touchdown and hit Asaad Waseem for the 2-point conversion to cap the scoring with 1:49 to play.

Tulane’s Isaiah Wadsworth intercepted a pass in the end zone with 24 seconds left in the second quarter and the Green Wave took a 21-10 lead into halftime.

Tulane safety Bailey Despanie, a team captain who had a first-quarter interception, was ejected in the third for targeting.

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St. Thomas Aquinas High School freshman Alistair Bass swims the boys 500 freestyle event at FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) St. Thomas Aquinas High School freshman Sabina La Pietra swims the girls 500 freestyle event at FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School senior Da’Ziah German swims the girls 200 yard freestyle event at FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School senior Renato Corrales swims the boys 500 yard freestyle event at FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School senior Katherine Voet swims the girls 200 yard freestyle event at FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School sophomore Daniel Ella swims break stroke in the boys 200 yard medley relay at FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School junior West Pocker dives in the FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Pocker took the state diving championship with a score of 563.40. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School senior Sophia Cavaretta dives in the FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Cavaretta was the state championship runner-up with a score of 420.80. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale High School senior Hayden Ferenc dives during FHSAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving State Championships in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Ferenc took the state championship with a score of 455.45. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

General Daily Insight for November 16, 2025

Quiet answers arrive when we slow our pace. There aren’t any specific aspects occurring today, giving us space to integrate recent misalignments through patience and simple routines. Morning reflections may highlight where pride and vulnerability caused friction, while afternoon tasks should run smoothly after making some small adjustments. We can trust our instincts in most interactions, as long as we don’t rush through them. Genuine progress can be made when we pace ourselves and rest as needed. Our souls need time to mend themselves.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

A thoughtful pause could soften your usual drive. Be wary of defensiveness, especially if you haven’t heard all the context of a remark that offended you. It may not be easy, but having a calm talk about bills or boundaries can ease some pressure. Once you get the details, you can jump into action! Your brave sign is still highlighted by careful Chiron, reminding you to have patience with yourself and others. Steadiness and honesty turn shared spaces into safer ground for everyone.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Simple comforts in the present allow you to make decisions for the future. Even minor choices can be intimidating when you think about the opportunity cost. Thankfully, giving yourself the time and space to ponder them shouldn’t be too tough today. Taking a walk can also lessen any general anxieties, even if you don’t have a major decision coming up. You could think about renegotiating house chores as well, noticing how compassion grows when everyone’s efforts are acknowledged. Change is natural.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Loose ends could be about to tie themselves up. Still, being flexible would be wise. The stars aren’t up to much, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have guidance for you. They’re requesting you check in with those around you, especially if you’ve noticed your peers struggling with issues you’ve already overcome. A gentle chat with a co-worker about expectations can soothe work stresses. You may also enjoy organizing some tools at home or in the workplace. Whatever you do, take your time with it.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Home rhythms hum with familiar, soothing notes. Your 5th House of Creativity and 10th House of Public Roles are still feeling yesterday’s alignment of the Sun and Chiron, since there isn’t another aspect happening today. This encourages self-expression, especially if you’ve been feeling less confident as of late. Share something you made with someone you trust, and let them hype you up! You should be able to have a private place where you can let your guard down without worrying about your reputation.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Your ongoing priorities are felt even stronger than usual in the absence of specific astrological events today. Opportunities for deep growth could be around every corner, but you’ll have to keep an eye out for them. In the meantime, you could tidy up or rearrange a cluttered room. You’ll be empowered by a space that reflects your heart. A quiet evening at home spent reading, cooking, or indulging in another hobby would be a great way to finish your day with warmth.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Small details could finally click into alignment. Pay attention to your environment at this time, even parts of it you see every day. What does it inspire you to do? You could draft messages you’ve been postponing or read aloud a passage that’s always stood out to you. When deeper feelings are stirred by casual actions, think about why that happens. Ask yourself questions, and don’t shy away from the answers. Time spent pondering such things supports sincerity without draining your energy.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Balance returns through tender listening and fairness. Your 2nd House of Resources steadies, still working through the echoes of yesterday’s Sun-Chiron quincunx. It’s okay if plans that sounded good yesterday no longer work for you, but you ought to notify anyone affected by that. A peaceful check-in about shared costs or alternate options can lower the risk of social friction. Your 7th house also highlights partnership needs, so pay attention to how responsibilities shift between yourself and your loved ones. Does anything need to change?

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Center yourself, Scorpio. The planets are (metaphorically speaking) on pause, with no aspects currently peaking today. This gives you an opening to refine how you share energy while preserving your presence. You may update a profile or choose silence over speaking — something that alters the way you’d usually approach a person or problem. There’s no need to rush into anything, even when you’re excited about it. Make a point of maintaining a stable level of intensity, rather than an all-consuming obsession.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Private reflections can widen your view without strain. There’s no need to post online or shout on the street — in fact, solo time is more valued by the universe in this moment. No specific aspects are energizing the cosmos, leaving you free to ponder anything that’s currently on your mind. A journal session could also hold great value. If you can’t think of what to write, try looking for structured journal ideas online. Let your reflections unfold naturally, without pushing for conclusions.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Shared goals are in focus at the moment. Your 11th House of Friends stays engaged with your home-based 4th house, prioritizing your pals and family in equal measure. Take a second look at any house rules or deadlines for group projects, because responsibility will be easier when everyone knows their part. The mental load of such things matters too! You can contribute without overextending by setting kind limits and keeping your promises realistic. Measured collaboration supports progress without exhausting your patience.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Publicly visible aims may require some active restraint. The cosmos certainly isn’t rushing into anything — no exact aspects happen today. You might refine a proposal or rewrite an email, but don’t count on getting a response by the end of the day. Even so, precise wording will be wise when it comes to presenting innovative ideas without ruffling sensitive dynamics. Choose one clear message and deliver it calmly so your direction lands with confidence, not cockiness. Steady communication lets your strength speak for itself.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Your inner compass whispers — it doesn’t shout. You may need to match the universe’s quiet energy in order to hear its guidance. Preparation is also key at present. Before planning a trip, research your destination. Make sure you’re fully invested in something before booking a course on the topic. Imagination listens better when given thoughtful structure. Don’t splash out on tickets without making sure your daydreams are based in reality. Choose affordable steps that honor your curiosity without endangering your savings.

MIAMI GARDENS — N.C. State has made a habit of taking down the top teams in the ACC this season. The Wolfpack previously beat Virginia (in what was technically scheduled as a non-conference game) and Georgia Tech.

The No. 15 Hurricanes made sure they would not be the third upset on the Wolfpack’s resume. Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC) rolled to a 41-7 win over N.C. State at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, dominating their opponent for nearly the entire game.

“I think just collectively — offense, defense, special teams — all phases of the game really played really well, honestly,” quarterback Carson Beck said. “And that’s complimentary football. So, yeah, I would say that it’s probably  the best complementary game we’ve played.”

The Hurricanes took a lead on their opening drive, scoring on a short field goal by Carter Davis.

The defense had a strong start, forcing punts on the first two Wolfpack drives, and the unit came up strong again on the third. After the Wolfpack got the ball around midfield on a Marty Brown fumble, senior safety Jakobe Thomas picked off a pass from Chaminade-Madonna alum CJ Bailey and returned it 60 yards for the game’s first touchdown.

Thomas was not done terrorizing Bailey, picking off a bass on the following drive, as well. Thomas did not keep his feet after the interception, so he did not return the pick for his second touchdown of the game.

Miami’s offense reached the end zone for the first time after the defense forced a punt deep in N.C. State territory. The Hurricanes took over near midfield, and star freshman Malachi Toney — who played some quarterback in high school — tossed a 43-yard pass to Jojo Trader, which set up a 1-yard score by Marty Brown to give UM a 17-0 second-quarter lead.

“When they called the play, I was happy,” Toney said. “It was like a timeout break. I knew I was going to complete the pass. I just was thinking about my Cam Ward celebration.”

The Hurricanes extended their lead to 24 shortly before half, as Beck tossed a 14-yard touchdown to Toney — the freshman’s fourth touchdown of the season.

UM’s dominant effort continued into the second half. Tight end Elija Lofton caught his first touchdown of the year on a 29-yard pass from Beck, and the Hurricanes added a fourth-quarter touchdown from Beck to Toney — their second scoring connection of the game.

Bailey got the Wolfpack’s first points of the game with a rushing touchdown in the final minutes, but it was against many of UM’s backups who had come in to relieve the starters.

Five takeaways 1. The Hurricanes’ defense keeps dominating

Punt. Punt. Interception. Interception. Punt. Punt. Punt. End of half.

That’s how the Wolfpack’s first-half drives concluded. They ended the first half with just 82 yards and four first downs. The Hurricanes’ defense dominated from the first snap of the game, and they did it without one of the nation’s top defensive players, nickelback Keionte Scott (who missed the game with an injury).

N.C. State entered the game as a top-50 offense, but it ended the game with just 149 yards — the third-lowest total by a UM opponent this season. The Wolfpack did not cross into Hurricanes territory until there was about 5:30 left in the game, well after Miami had secured the win. N.C. State did not score until the game’s final three minutes. I

2. Jakobe Thomas shows out

Thomas had a comical interception against Syracuse where he did not realize he caught a live ball and hesitated before running.

He had no hesitation this week. The senior had two interceptions in the first quarter, taking the first to the end zone for the Hurricanes’ second pick-six in as many games.

Thomas said it was the first time he has notched two interceptions in one quarter.

It felt pretty good,” Thomas said. “Just right play, right call. Pressure by D-line allowed him to throw something he probably shouldn’t have thrown. And it just fell in my hands.”

3. Happy Senior Day Saturday was Miami seniors’ last game at Hard Rock Stadium (at least in the regular season). They led the way in the win. Beck had a strong performance, completing 21 of 27 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas had his two interceptions. Defensive end Akheem Mesidor had two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Wide receiver Keelan Marion was UM’s leading wide receiver with 96 receiving yards. 

“It always feels great to dominate, especially at home,” Mesidor said. “But for the seniors, this is our last regular season game at the Hard Rock, so it means everything to us. And then I think it meant a lot of young guys, too, to send us off with a bang.”

4. Girard Pringle Jr. adds juice to the offense

The Hurricanes got a jolt on offense from speedy freshman running back Girard Pringle Jr.

Pringle, a Tampa native, made his first start and notched his first collegiate 100-yard game. Pringle had 116 yards on 17 carries in the win.

5. UM gets some style points

With the Hurricanes likely needing an at-large bid to make the College Football Playoff, they need to impress the selection committee.

Although UM was facing an unranked opponent, the manner in which it dispatched the Wolfpack should earn the Hurricanes some style points. The defense excelled, the offense put up points and there were several highlight plays. Now Miami has to hope the committee takes notice.

“I think the way you play the game — it screams loudly,” Cristobal said.

A Home Inspector Showed TikTok Viewers The Many Problems He Found At A $1.4 Million House  TwistedSifter

A Fernandina Beach couple found $70K in damages after buying a home. They blame the home inspector  News4JAX

Today is Thursday, Nov. 13, the 317th day of 2025. There are 48 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 13,1909, 259 men and boys were killed when fire erupted inside a coal mine in Cherry, Illinois.

Also on this date:

In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, American troops captured Montreal under the command of Continental Army Gen. Richard Montgomery.

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In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling which found Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal.

In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet.

In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a volcanic mudslide buried the city.

In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters in Afghanistan entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital city.

In 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II.

In 2022, four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in their off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho. A suspect, Bryan Kohberger, would plead guilty to the murders in 2025 in a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty and was handed four life sentences without parole.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Joe Mantegna is 78.
• Hockey Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault is 75.
• Actor Frances Conroy is 73.
• Actor Chris Noth is 71.
• Actor-comedian Whoopi Goldberg is 70.
• Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is 61.
• Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is 58.
• Actor Steve Zahn is 58.
• Actor Gerard Butler is 56.
• Olympic swimming gold medalist Dana Vollmer is 38.
• Actor Devon Bostick is 34.
• Tennis player Emma Raducanu is 23.

MIAMI – Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 130-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

– The Cavaliers had the right to be cavalier.

– They have shown an ability to get to the top of the standings with their roster.

– As they did last season.

– The Heat have not.

– And that’s why no matter who played for Cleveland (or in this case did not), this was a big game for the Heat.

– Because every game, at any point of the season, against any roster combination, is a big game for a team trying to avoid a fourth consecutive trip to the play-in round.

– Can’t take anyone lightly.

– As coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame, “We’re not one of those teams that can overlook anybody. We haven’t proven anything yet.”

– With each of the last three years showing the slightest of margins between playoffs and play-in.

– Yes, the Heat were without Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

– But there could be times this season when they are down even more.

– Or when they will have to make their own lineup  decisions when it comes to back-to-back sets of their own.

– What the Heat needed Wednesday night was to seize the moment.

– After a 37-45 season, leave no gift unturned.

– Instead, a regrettable, lamentable loss.

– Too many turnovers.

– Too many fouls.

–  Seemingly too much indifference that it still isn’t easy.

– So, instead, a humbling, humbling moment.

– A bad loss.

– Very bad.

– Borderline unacceptable.

– With Adebayo missing a fourth consecutive game with his toe sprain, the Heat for the fourth consecutive game opened with Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, Davion Mitchell and Norman Powell.

– Larsson’s nine starts now is one more than he had as a rookie last season.

– Inactive again for the Heat were Adebayo, Herro (ankle), Terry Rozier (not with team), Jahmir Young (G League) and Myron Gardner (G League).

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– Amid resting Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, and with Darius Garland out, the Cavaliers opened with Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade, De’Andre Hunter, Lonzo Ball and Sam Merrill.

– Spoelstra downplayed the shorthanded opponent.

– “We’re trying to establish ourselves, establish our identity, find consistency in our game. It’s really not about the other team,” he said.

– It was Jaime Jaquez Jr. again as Heat sixth man.

– Immediately scoring on a one-on-three transition drive.

– With five points in his first two minutes.

– Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio followed together next off the Heat bench.

– And then Dru Smith for the now-usual nine deep amid the absences of Adebayo and Herro.

– Beyond last season’s playoff sweep by the Cavaliers, the Heat entered having won four of five in the regular season from Cleveland.

– The next time the teams meet, it also will be in consecutive games, on March 25 and March 27 in Cleveland.

– Before the game, lifelong Dodgers fan Jaquez exchanged jerseys with World Series hero Miguel Rojas.

MIAMI — Commit enough turnovers and fouls and sometimes it doesn’t matter who you are playing.

It is a hard reality the Miami Heat learned in Wednesday night’s 130-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Kaseya Center.

As in a Cavaliers team that gave the night off to Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley and had lost Darius Garland to injury two nights before.

No matter, on a night the Heat too often fouled instead of defended, too often turned the ball over instead of turned up the offense.

“That is a recipe for defeat right there,” Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. said, “a lot of fouls, a lot of turnovers.”

And, with that, much of the edge taken from Monday night’s dramatic overtime victory over the Cavaliers, as the Heat fell at home for the first time in six games at Kaseya Center.

“We didn’t have our normal pop and energy offensively,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We didn’t have our normal energy. There were pockets of the game where you saw the energy, but it was more of a grind.”

Yes, the Heat remained without Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, but by Wednesday had shown they could thrive in such absences.

And then, against a largely anonymous and unknown opposing roster, came a crashing thud after building and squandering double-digit leads in the second and third quarter.

“And this will be a lesson,” Spoelstra said, “having that maturity to be on edge, to really treat it with the same urgency as the other night.”

Instead, 27 points from Norman Powell and not much else of substance.

“That’s a very bad loss,” Powell said. “When they’re sitting their starters, that’s when we’ve got to put our stamp on the game.”

The Heat also got 15 points and 13 rebounds from center Kel’el Ware and 17 points from forward Andrew Wiggins.

Jarrett Allen, one of the few regulars in action for Cleveland, led the Cavaliers with 30 points.

The Heat committed 21 turnovers that led to 29 Cavaliers points, outscored 26-11 from the foul line.

“They did a great job of pressuring,” Spoelstra said. “The fouling potentially could have been a matter of just, not fatigue, but from the other night. And here we were just like a step slow.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday  night’s game:

1. Closing time: The Heat led 38-29 after the first period and, after going up 12 in the second period, 69-66 at halftime.

It was a similar story in the third period, with the Heat going up 14 in the quarter, only to see the lead reduced to 97-93 going into the fourth.

Foul trouble then continued to be an issue for the Heat, with Cleveland in the bonus with 10:20 remaining, the Cavaliers seven seconds later taking their first lead.

“I think we took our foot off the gas . . . and we gave them life.” Powell said.

Powell then returned with 7:47 left and the Heat down 104-100, with the Cavaliers pushing their lead into double digits from there.

“They took over,” Spoelstra said. “You do have to credit them. Those guys were playing aggressive. And we couldn’t contain it at that point.”

2. Off night: With the game opening a back-to-back set for Cleveland that concludes Thursday night at home against the Toronto Raptors, the Cavaliers had pre-scheduled nights off for Mitchell and Mobley.

That approach did not change even with Darius Garland sidelined with a toe injury and Max Strus still out.

The planning with Mitchell was such that he was back at Louisville on Tuesday night for his former school’s rivalry game against Kentucky.

Instead, Cleveland’s rotation in this one included the likes of Luke Travers, Tyrese Proctor and even former Heat center Thomas Bryant.

“No matter who’s out there, you’ve got to put your best foot forward,” Jaquez said of the Heat not doing that.

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3. Powell again: Powell remained hot with his 3-point shooting, as well as his scoring, continuing to provide offensive consistency amid the absence of Herro.

In addition to now having  made at least one 3-pointer in 23 consecutive games, dating to last season with the Clippers, Powell also now has scored 20 or more in seven in a row, four games shy of the longest such streak of his career.

He closed 10 of 18 from the field and 5 of 10 on 3-pointers.

“We’ve got to be better,” Powell said, “and play our brand of basketball no matter who we’re lining up against.”

4. Tall order: Amid Jaquez’s breakout season and revival from his sophomore slump, the Cavaliers offered up a new twist defensively – by countering with size.

At times, that had 6-11 Jarrett Allen defensively against Jaquez, and at other times 6-10 Bryant.

At times, Jaquez countered with deft ball movement, including passing out of a double-team for a first-half Powell 3-pointer.

Still, it largely was an effective approach, one that figures to be emulated as opponents get a deeper dive into the new Heat approach.

Jaquez closed with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

“I felt like I got some good looks,” Jaquez said. “Just take it to the film room and continue to learn.”

5. And another two: Having completed the two-game Monday-Wednesday set against the Cavaliers, it’s next two games in a row against the New York Knicks.

Friday night’s game at Madison Square Garden will be an NBA Cup game, the second of four in the first round of the in-season tournament for the Heat, available only streamed on Amazon Prime.

“We’ve got to turn the page quickly,” Powell said.

The teams then will meet again Monday at Kaseya Center, in the second and final Knicks visit of the season.

By MATTHEW BROWN and GRAHAM LEE BREWER of The Associated Press and AMELIA SCHAFER of ICT

WOLF POINT, Mont. (AP) — On the open plains of the Fort Peck Reservation, Robert Magnan leaned out the window of his truck, set a rifle against the door frame and then “pop!” — a bison tumbled dead in its tracks.

Magnan and a co-worker shot two more bison, also known as buffalo, and quickly field dressed the animals before carting them off for processing into ground beef and cuts of meat for distribution to members of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in northern Montana.

Buffalo graze at the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes Buffalo Ranch near Wolf Point, Mont., on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)

As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., plodded toward resolving the record government shutdown that interrupted food aid for tens of millions of people, tribal leaders on rural reservations across the Great Plains were culling their cherished bison herds to help fill the gap.

About one-third of Fort Peck’s tribal members on the reservation depend on monthly benefit checks, Chairman Floyd Azure said. That’s almost triple the rate for the U.S. as a whole. They’ve received only partial payments in November after President Donald Trump’s administration choked off funds to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the shutdown.

Fort Peck officials say they anticipated such a moment years ago, when they were bolstering their herd with animals from Yellowstone National Park over objections from cattle ranchers worried about animal disease.

“We were bringing it up with the tribal council: What would happen if the government went bankrupt? How would we feed the people?” said Magnan, the longtime steward of Fort Peck’s bison herds. “It shows we still need buffalo.”

Treaty obligations

In October, the tribal government authorized killing 30 bison — about 12,000 pounds of meat. Half had been shot by Tuesday. A pending deal to end the shutdown comes too late for the rest, Magnan said. With Montana among the states that dispersed only partial SNAP payments, Azure said Fort Peck will keep handing out buffalo meat for the time being.

Tribes including the Blackfeet, the Lower Brule Sioux, the Cheyenne River Sioux and the Crow have done the same in response to Washington’s dysfunction: feeding thousands of people with bison from herds restored over recent decades after the animals were hunted to near extinction in the 1800s.

Carrie Shawl, center, and Natalie Cooper, left, show their SNAP documents at a food distribution site in Frazer, Mont., on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)

Food and nutrition assistance programs are part of the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities — its legal and moral obligations to fund tribes’ health and well-being in exchange for land and resources the U.S. took from tribes.

“It’s the obligation they incurred when they took our lands, when they stole our lands, when they cheated us out of our lands,” said Mark Macarro, president of the National Congress of American Indians. “It lacks humanity to do this with SNAP, with food.”

Fort Peck tribal members Miki Astogo and Dillon Jackson-Fisher, who are unemployed, said they borrowed food from Jackson-Fisher’s mother in recent weeks after SNAP payments didn’t come through. On Sunday they got a partial payment — about $196 instead of the usual $298 per month — Agosto said.

With four children to feed, the couple said the money won’t last. So they walked 4 miles into town on Monday to pick up a box of food from the tribes that included 2 pounds of bison.

“Our vehicle’s in the shop, but we have to put food on the table before we pay for the car, you know?” Jackson-Fisher said.

Moose in Maine, deer in Oklahoma

Native American communities elsewhere in the U.S. also are tapping into natural resources to make up for lost federal aid. Members of the Mi’kmaq Nation in Maine stocked a food bank with trout from their hatchery and locally hunted moose meat. In southeastern Oklahoma, the Comanche Nation is accepting deer meat for food banks. And in the southwestern part of the state, the Choctaw Nation set up three meat processing facilities.

A box of food includes buffalo meat, harvested from the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes Buffalo Ranch, at a food distribution site in Frazer, Mont., on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)

Another program that provides food to eligible Native American households, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, has continued through the shutdown.

Mi’kmaq is among the tribes that don’t have the program, though the tribe is eligible. The Mi’kmaq also get funding for food pantries through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program, but that money, too, was tied up by the shutdown, tribal Chief Sheila McCormack said.

Roughly 80% of Mi’kmaq tribal members in Aroostook County are SNAP recipients, said Kandi Sock, the tribe’s community services director.

“We have reached out for some extra donations; our farm came through with that, but it will not last long,” Sock said.

The demise of bison, onset of starvation

Buffalo played a central role for Plains tribes for centuries, providing meat for food and hides for clothing and shelter.

That came to an abrupt end when white “hide hunters” arrived in 1879 in the Upper Missouri River basin around Fort Peck, which had some of the last vestiges of herds that once numbered millions of animals, Assiniboine historian Dennis Smith said. By 1883 the animals were virtually exterminated, said Smith, a retired University of Nebraska-Omaha history professor.

Buffalo manager Robert Magnan, center, field dresses a bison at the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes Buffalo Ranch near Wolf Point, Mont., on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)

With no way to feed themselves and the government denying them food, the buffalo’s demise heralded a time of starvation for the Assiniboine, he said. Many other Plains tribes also suffered hardship.

Hundreds of miles to the west of Fort Peck, the Blackfeet Nation killed 18 buffalo from its herd and held a special elk harvest to distribute meat to tribal members. The tribe already gave out buffalo meat periodically to elders, the sick and for ceremonies and social functions. But it’s never killed so many of the 700 animals at once.

“We can’t do that many all the time. We don’t want to deplete the resource,” said Ervin Carlson, who runs the Blackfeet buffalo program.

In South Dakota, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has distributed meat from about 20 of its buffalo. The tribe worked to build its capacity to feed people since experiencing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. It now has a meat processing plant that can handle 25 to 30 animals a week, said Jayme Murray with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Buffalo Authority Corp. Tribes from Minnesota to Montana have asked to use the plant, but they’ve had to turn some down, Murray said.

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A former ‘food desert’ leans on its own herds

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in central South Dakota recently got its first full-fledged grocery store, ending its decades-long status as a “food desert” where people had to drive 100 miles round trip for groceries. The interruption to SNAP benefits stoked panic, tribal treasurer and secretary Marty Jandreau said.

Benefits for November were reduced to 65% of the usual amount.

But the Lower Brule have buffalo, cattle and elk in abundance across more than 9 square miles. On Sunday, the tribe gave away more than 400 pounds of meat to more than 100 tribal members, council members said.

“It makes me feel very proud that we have things we can give back,” tribal council member Marlo Langdeau said.

Schafer reported from Lower Brule, South Dakota, and Brewer from Oklahoma City.

The Associated Press receives financial support for coverage of Indigenous communities from the Hopper-Dean Family Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at  ap.org.

By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press

The federal government is reopening, but there’s still uncertainty about when one of the most far-reaching impacts of the closure will be resolved and all 42 million Americans who receive SNAP food aid will have access to their full November benefits.

President Donald Trump signed the reopening measure Wednesday.

One provision calls for restarting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but it doesn’t resolve when the benefits will be loaded onto the debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” The department didn’t immediately answer questions about where it might take longer — or whether the 24-hour timeline applies to when money would be available to states or loaded onto debit cards used by beneficiaries.

There has been a series of court battles over the fate of the largest government food program, which serves about 1 in 8 Americans.

Here are things to know about how it could go.

When SNAP funds become available could vary by state

Seesawing court rulings and messages from the USDA have meant that beneficiaries in some states already have received their full monthly allocations while in others they have received nothing. Some states have issued partial payments.

States say it’s faster to provide full benefits than it is to do the calculations and computer programming required for partial amounts.

At least 19 states plus the District of Columbia issued full benefits to at least some recipients last week, an Associated Press tally found. Many of them managed to do it in a day or so, in the narrow window between the Nov. 6 court ruling that required the federal government to make full payments and one Nov. 7 by the U.S. Supreme Court that stopped it.

Jessica Garon, a spokesperson for the American Public Human Services Association, said she anticipates most states will be able to issue full benefits within three days after they’re given the go-ahead, but that it might take a week for others.

Experts say the states that have sent no November benefits already, such as South Carolina and West Virginia, will likely be the quickest.

But there’s a complication. Sixteen states have loaded the EBT cards used in SNAP with partial benefits. Carolyn Vega, a policy analyst with the advocacy group Share Our Strength said some of those states might run into technical hurdles to issue the remaining amount.

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Delays in benefits can be a problem for recipients

E

Even if there’s some clarity that benefits are on the way, exactly when they arrive will matter to millions of Americans.

About 42 million lower-income Americans receive SNAP benefits, on average about $190 monthly per person. Many say the benefits don’t and aren’t intended to cover the full cost of groceries in a regular month, even with careful budgeting.

It’s worse when benefits are delayed.

Doretha Washington, 41, of St. Louis, and her husband have themselves and six children to feed and not enough money to cover that cost. Her husband works servicing heating and cooling systems, but the family still needs SNAP to get by. They had received nothing in November, although Missouri said Tuesday that partial benefits would be issued.

“Now it’s making things difficult because we can’t pay our bills in full and keep food in here,” Washington said this week. “I’m down to three days of food and trying to figure out what to do.”

She has been rationing what they have.

Other people have turned to food charities but are sometimes finding long lines and low supplies.

Cutting off funds left state governments scrambling

The USDA told states Oct. 24 that it would not fund the program for November if the shutdown continued. That left states scrambling. Most Democratic-led states sued to have the funding restored.

Some Democratic and Republican-led states launched efforts to pay for SNAP benefits using state money, boost food banks and deploy the National Guard to help with food distribution. Another group of states used their money allotted for SNAP benefits only after a judge ordered the Trump administration to cover the full cost for the month.

The legislation to reopen the government passed by the Senate on Monday calls for states to be reimbursed for spending their funds to run programs usually paid for by the federal government.

It’s not immediately clear, though, which situations might qualify in the case of SNAP.

In the meantime, the USDA told states Tuesday that it would reimburse them for paying out partial SNAP benefits under a system where recipients get up to 65% of their regular allocations — and even states that paid the full amount can receive partial reimbursements. It also said it would not reduce the amount on cards for recipients in states that paid full amounts.

Democratic-led states that sued for benefits to be made available said in a filing Wednesday that the late-arriving information “illustrates the chaos and confusion occasioned by USDA’s multiple, conflicting guidance documents.”

Associated Press reporters Margery A. Beck and David A. Lieb contributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Flight reductions at 40 major U.S. airports will remain at 6% instead of rising to 10% by the end of the week because more air traffic controllers are coming to work, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday.

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• US airlines’ daily cancellations exceed 2,700 as shutdown impact extends

The agencies said the decision follows recommendations from the FAA’s safety team, after a “rapid decline” in controller callouts. The flight disruptions were implemented during the government shutdown, the longest in history.

The 6% limit will stay in place while officials assess whether the air traffic system can safely return to normal operations, the agencies said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said safety remains their top priority and that all decisions will be guided by data.

Since Friday the restrictions took effect last Friday, more than 10,100 flights have been canceled, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. The FAA originally planned to ramp up flight cuts from 4% to 10% of flights at the 40 airports.

The FAA said that worrisome safety data showed flight reductions were needed to ease pressure on the aviation system and help manage worsening staffing shortages at its air traffic control facilities as the shutdown entered its second month and flight disruptions began to pile up.

Unpaid for more than a month, some air traffic controllers have begun calling out of work, citing stress and the need to take on second jobs — leaving more control towers and facilities short-staffed.

The FAA’s list of 40 airports spans more than two dozen states and includes large hubs such as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago. The order requires all commercial airlines to make cuts at those airports.

By JOSH FUNK

California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given to immigrants after the Trump administration raised concerns about people in the country illegally improperly receiving licenses to drive a semitruck or a bus. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said that isn’t the reason.

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Newsom said the revocations are for violations of state law, but he didn’t provide specifics.

Both the Democratic governor’s office and the Republican Trump Administration’s Transportation Department agreed that these licenses violated the existing standard that were in place before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently tightened the rules following a nationwide commercial driver’s license audit launched after a driver in the country illegally made a U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people.

Fatal truck crashes in Texas and Alabama earlier this year also highlight questions about these licenses. A fiery California crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver last month that killed three more people only added to the concerns.

California state transportation officials didn’t immediately respond to questions seeking more details about why these licenses are being revoked.

Duffy said Wednesday that California’s action to revoke these licenses is an admission that the state had acted improperly even though the state had previously defended its licensing standards. California launched its review of commercial driver’s licenses the state had issued after Duffy raised concerns.

Duffy previously imposed new restrictions on which immigrants can qualify for one of these commercial driver’s licenses. He said earlier this fall that California and five other states had improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens, but California is the only state Duffy has taken action against because it was the first one where an audit was completed. The reviews in the other states have been delayed by the government shutdown, but the Transportation Department is urging all of them to tighten up their standards.

Duffy revoked $40 million in federal funding because he said California isn’t enforcing English language requirements for truckers, and he reiterated Wednesday that he will take another $160 million from the state over these improperly issued licenses if they don’t invalidate every illegal license and address all the concerns. But revoking these licenses is part of the state’s effort to comply.

″After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” Duffy said. ”This is just the tip of iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”

Newsom’s office said that every one of the drivers whose licenses are being revoked had valid work authorizations from the federal government.

“Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” Newsom’s spokesman Brandon Richards said.

The new rules for commercial driver’s licenses that Duffy announced in September make getting commercial driver’s licenses extremely hard for immigrants because only three specific classes of visa holders will be eligible. States will also have to verify an applicant’s immigration status in a federal database. These licenses will be valid for up to one year unless the applicant’s visa expires sooner than that.

Under the new rules, only 10,000 of the 200,000 noncitizens who have commercial licenses would qualify for them, which would only be available to drivers who have an H-2a, H-2b or E-2 visa. H-2a is for temporary agricultural workers while H-2B is for temporary nonagricultural workers, and E-2 is for people who make substantial investments in a U.S. business. But the rules won’t be enforced retroactively, so those 190,000 drivers will be allowed to keep their commercial licenses at least until they come up for renewal.

Those new requirements were not in place at the time these 17,000 licenses were issued. But these drivers were given notices that their licenses will expire in 60 days.

Duffy said in September that investigators found that one quarter of the 145 licenses they reviewed in California shouldn’t have been issued. He cited four California licenses that remained valid after the driver’s work permit expired — sometimes years after.

Newsom’s office said the state followed guidance it received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about issuing these licenses to noncitizens.

Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed to this report from Sacramento, California.

By TIFFANY STANLEY

U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to make official a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender patients at Catholic hospitals. The step formalizes a yearslong process for the U.S. church to address transgender health care.

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From a Baltimore hotel ballroom, the bishops overwhelmingly approved revisions to their ethical and religious directives that guide the nation’s thousands of Catholic health care institutions and providers.

More than one in seven patients in the U.S. are treated each day at Catholic hospitals, according to the Catholic Health Association. Catholic hospitals are the only medical center in some communities.

Major medical groups and health organizations support gender-affirming care for transgender patients.

Most Catholic health care institutions have taken a conservative approach and not offered gender-affirming care, which may involve hormonal, psychological and surgical treatments. The new directives will formalize that mandate. Bishops will have autonomy in making the directives into law for their dioceses.

“With regard to the gender ideology, I think it’s very important the church makes a strong statement here,” said Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota’s Winona-Rochester diocese during the public discussion of the revised directives.

The Catholic Health Association thanked the bishops for incorporating much of the organization’s feedback into the directives. It said in a statement, “Catholic providers will continue to welcome those who seek medical care from us and identify as transgender. We will continue to treat these individuals with dignity and respect, which is consistent with Catholic social teaching and our moral obligation to serve everyone, particularly those who are marginalized.”

The new guidelines incorporate earlier documents on gender identity from the Vatican in 2024 and the U.S. bishops in 2023.

In the 2023 doctrinal note, titled “Moral Limits to the Technological Manipulation of the Human Body,” the bishops specified: “Catholic health care services must not perform interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex, or take part in the development of such procedures.”

Progressive religious voices respond

The Catholic Church is not monolithic when it comes to transgender rights. Some parishes and priests welcome trans Catholics into the fold, while others are not as accepting.

“Catholic teaching upholds the invaluable dignity of every human life, and for many trans people, gender-affirming care is what makes life livable,” said Michael Sennett, a trans man who is active in his Massachusetts parish.

Sennett serves on the board of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church. In 2024, the group arranged a meeting with Pope Francis to discuss the need for gender-affirming care.

New Ways Ministry’s executive director, Francis DeBernardo, said that for many transgender Catholics he knows, “the transition process was not just a biological necessity, but a spiritual imperative. That if they were going to be living as authentic people in the way that they believe God made them, then transition becomes a necessary thing.”

On the same day that U.S. Catholic bishops were discussing gender identity, the heads of several major progressive religious denominations issued a statement in support of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people, at a time when many state legislatures and the Trump administration are curtailing their rights.

The 10 signers included the heads of the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Episcopal Church, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

“During a time when our country is placing their lives under increasingly serious threat, there is a disgraceful misconception that all people of faith do not affirm the full spectrum of gender – a great many of us do. Let it be known instead that our beloveds are created in the image of God – Holy and whole,” the religious leaders said in a statement.

U.S. bishops united in their concern for immigrants

The Catholic bishops, wrapping up their conference in Baltimore, overwhelmingly approved a “special message” on immigration Wednesday. Such pastoral statements are rare; the last was in 2013 in response to the Obama administration’s mandate for insurers to provide contraception coverage.

Catholic leaders individually have criticized the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Fear of immigration enforcement has suppressed Mass attendance at some parishes. Local clerics are fighting to administer sacraments to detained immigrants.

“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the bishops’ statement reads. “We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care.”

In a show of unity, multiple bishops stood up to speak in favor of the statement during the final afternoon discussion, including Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, the newly elected president of the conference.

“I’m strongly in support of it for the good of our immigrant brothers and sisters, but also to find a nice balance,” Coakley said, noting that they call “upon our lawmakers and our administration to offer us a meaningful path of reform of our immigration system.”

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich walked to the microphone to recommend stronger language around mass deportation. “That seems to be the central issue we are facing with our people at this time,” he said.

His brother bishops agreed. The updated text now states that U.S. Catholic bishops “oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.