South Florida Local News

By JOE YERDON

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Anton Lundell scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and A.J. Greer scored twice as the Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Monday night.

Greer’s second two-goal game of the season helped the Panthers to their second straight victory. His scored in the first period to give Florida a 2-1 lead and his empty-net goal in the third was the winner.

Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, who posted consecutive wins after opening a six-game trip with two loss. The close out the road trip with games at Carolina (Friday) and Washington (Saturday). Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves.

Jacob Bryson, Zach Benson and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres, who lost for just the second time in the past 15 games. Colten Ellis made 28 saves.

Reinhart opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 2:30 of the first period. Bryson made it 1-all at 10:19. Greer got the lead back for Florida at 15:11.

Benson made it 2-2 at 17:57 of the second period. Josh Doan’s assist on the goal extended his point streak to six games.

Lundell made it 3-2 Florida at 11:07 of the third period. Greer’s empty-net goal at 18:46 made it 4-2. Tuch’s goal a minute later cut it to 4-3.

Panthers forward Brad Marchand missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury.

Up next

Panthers: At Carolina on Friday.

For Darryl Brown, few football players stand out like Alonza Barnett III, a talent brimming with the tools for success.

Brown witnessed Barnett’s skill firsthand while serving as his coach at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C. The pair would help to lead the Whirlies to the NCHSAA Class 4A state championship in 2020, with Barnett earning MVP honors along the way.

Even five years later, the admiration for his former player can be heard in Brown’s voice.

“He’s a winner and one of the nicest, most polite young men you’ll ever meet,” Brown recently told the Sentinel. “When you put him on the field between those lines and he shuts that helmet up and it’s time to go, he’s gonna do whatever it takes to beat you. He’s the ultimate competitor.”

Barnett is bringing that competitive nature with him after signing with UCF after four seasons at James Madison. The redshirt senior quarterback is the crown jewel of the Knights’ 2026 transfer class, bringing with him the hope of improvement from a frustrating 5-7 season in 2025.

Dave Riggert has had a watchful eye on Barnett. Riggert is the radio voice of James Madison athletics and has seen the overall growth from the 22-year-old.

“The one thing that probably stood out over the course of his four years at JMU was he’s really matured into a pretty impressive young man,” said Riggert.

Riggert recalled that after Barnett redshirted his freshman season, he won the starting job out of fall camp the following season, but after struggling in the opener against Bucknell, then-coach Curt Cignetti replaced him with former USF quarterback Jordan McCloud.

“He did not handle it very well; nothing publicly like he was a bad teammate. Just internally, just with him, probably not practicing as hard as he wanted to, not watching as much film as he wanted to. He admitted it to me, so it’s fair to say he wasn’t mature enough to handle it.

“That made him grow up a ton and made him kind of become the player he’s become.”

Meet the new Knights players from transfer portal

Barnett won back the starting job at the start of the 2024 season, completing 60% of his passes for 2,598 yards with 26 touchdowns and 4 interceptions while earning a spot as an honorable mention on the All-Sun Belt Conference team.

But on the final snap of the regular-season finale against Marshall, Barnett tore his ACL in his right knee, forcing him to miss JMU’s appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl. He missed offseason workouts, spring camp and summer while rehabbing the injury.

In the meantime, coach Bob Chesney and the Dukes signed two veteran quarterbacks: Matthew Sluka (UNLV) and Camden Coleman (Richmond), preparing for the possibility that Barnett wouldn’t be available.

“Coach Chesney told me at one point that they went to Alonza during that whole process and said, ‘Hey, we’re bringing a couple of guys,’ and he welcomed it,” said Riggert. “He welcomed the competition.”

To everyone’s surprise, Barnett returned and won back the starting job for a third time.

“I’ve been around college athletics for about 20 years now and he’s one of the most focused guys that I’ve seen,” Riggert said of Barnett’s comeback. “It speaks volumes to the type of kid that he is, his work ethic, what he demands of himself and just what he thinks he can be.”

Barnett led JMU to an 11-1 regular season that was capped by winning the Sun Belt Conference championship with a 31-14 win over Troy. The win propelled the Dukes into the College Football Playoff, where they lost 51-34 at Oregon in a first-round matchup.

The redshirt junior was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after combining for 3,395 total yards and 38 total touchdowns.

“He could have sat out this year, but he fought to get back and play with his team and led them to a championship and player-of-the-year honors,” said Brown. “He graduated in December and now he’s going to take that grad transfer and play another year. He’s a guy that’s done it the right way.”

It’s a misnomer that the 5-foot-11, 216-pound Barnett is your typical dual-threat quarterback, at least according to Brown and Riggert.

“He uses his legs, but I don’t think that’s his strength,” said Riggert. “He’s more of a pocket-style quarterback who can use his legs. His arm talent is off the charts. The ball comes out of his hand differently than anybody I’ve ever seen. He can make every throw in the book. There is no doubt, and that’s what he wants to do.”

“He’ll do whatever it takes,” added Brown. “He’s good in the pocket. He’s very accurate and understands defenses extremely well. When he’s asked to run the football, he’s a powerful, physical runner. What people may be surprised by is his breakaway speed.”

Barnett has completed 58.8% of his passes throughout his college career for 5,433 yards with 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His interception-to-pass ratio (2.2) was one of the best in the country last season, behind just Hawaii’s Micah Alejado (2.1) and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia (2.1).

He’s rushed for 1,031 yards combined over the past two seasons, with 22 total touchdowns, while averaging nearly 4 yards per carry.

“They [JMU] have pushed him into being more of a runner the last couple of years,” said Riggert. “He’s led the Dukes in rushing touchdowns the last two years. When the offense got going, he started running the ball a bit and getting out of the pocket. So it’s not something that, again, he necessarily wants to do, but I think that’s the way the offense works best when he has his legs.”

With Chesney leaving to become the head coach at UCLA, it wasn’t shocking that Barnett would want to leave for his next challenge.

“UCF should be very, very happy to have him,” said Riggert. “He’s going to do great things. It didn’t surprise me that he left and I’m sad personally, but I’m happy and excited to watch him in the future.”

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

 

 

By EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States accused Russia on Monday of a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” of its nearly four-year war in Ukraine at a time when the Trump administration is trying to advance negotiations toward peace.

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U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce singled out Russia’s launch of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week close to Ukraine’s border with Poland, a NATO ally.

She told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that the United States deplores “the staggering number of casualties” in the conflict and condemns Russia’s intensifying attacks on energy and other infrastructure.

Ukraine called for the meeting after last Thursday’s overnight Russian bombardment with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including the powerful, new hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which Moscow used for only the second time in what was a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies.

The large-scale attack came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

The attack also coincided with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. And it came as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he is on board with a hard-hitting sanctions package meant to economically cripple Russia.

Moscow has given no public signal it is willing to budge from its maximalist demands on Ukraine. And Russia’s U.N. ambassador on Monday blamed the diplomatic impasse on Ukraine.

Europe’s leaders condemned the attack using the Oreshnik as “escalatory and unacceptable,” and U.S. envoy Bruce was equally tough on Monday.

“At a moment of tremendous potential, due only to President Trump’s unparalleled commitment to peace around the world, both sides should be seeking ways to de-escalate,” she said. “Yet Russia’s action risks expanding and intensifying the war.”

A residential building is seen damaged after a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Bruce reminded Russia that nearly a year ago it voted in favor of a Security Council resolution calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

“It would be nice if Russia matched their words with deeds,” she said. “In the spirit of that resolution, Russia, Ukraine and Europe must pursue peace seriously and bring this nightmare to an end.”

But Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “comes to his senses and agrees to realistic conditions for negotiations, we will continue solving the problem by military means.”

“He was warned long ago, with each passing day, each day which he squanders, the conditions for negotiations will only get worse for him,” Nebenzia said. “Similarly, each vile attack on Russian civilians will elicit a stiff response.”

Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador Andriy Melnyk countered that Russia is more vulnerable now than at any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Its economy is slowing and oil revenue is down.

“Russia wants to sell to this council and the whole U.N. family the impression that it is invincible, but this is another illusion,” he told the council. “The carefully staged image of strength is nothing but smoke and mirrors, completely detached from reality.”

By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has arrived at a delicate moment as he weighs whether to order a U.S. military response against the Iranian government as it continues a violent crackdown on protests that have left nearly 600 dead and led to the arrests of thousands across the country.

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The U.S. president has repeatedly threatened Tehran with military action if his administration found the Islamic Republic was using deadly force against antigovernment protesters. It’s a red line that Trump has said he believes Iran is “starting to cross” and has left him and his national security team weighing “very strong options.”

But the U.S. military — which Trump has warned Tehran is “locked and loaded” — appears, at least for the moment, to have been placed on standby mode as Trump ponders next steps, saying that Iranian officials want to have talks with the White House.

“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Hours later, Trump announced on social media that he would slap 25% tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran “effective immediately” — his first action aimed at penalizing Iran for the protest crackdown, and his latest example of using tariffs as a tool to force friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.

China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Brazil and Russia are among economies that do business with Tehran. The White House declined to offer further comment or details about the president’s tariff announcement.

The White House has offered scant details on Iran’s outreach for talks, but Leavitt confirmed that the president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will be a key player engaging Tehran.

Trump told reporters Sunday evening that a “meeting is being set up” with Iranian officials but cautioned that “we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting.”

“We’re watching the situation very carefully,” Trump said.

Can the protests be sustained?

Demonstrations in Iran continue, but analysts say it remains unclear just how long protesters will remain on the street.

An internet blackout imposed by Tehran makes it hard for protesters to understand just how widespread the demonstrations have become, said Vali Nasr, a State Department adviser during the early part of the Obama administration, and now professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University.

“It makes it very difficult for news from one city or pictures from one city to incense or motivate action in another city,” Nasr said. “The protests are leaderless, they’re organization-less. They are actually genuine eruptions of popular anger. And without leadership and direction and organization, such protests, not just in Iran, everywhere in the world — it’s very difficult for them to sustain themselves.”

Meanwhile, Trump is dealing with a series of other foreign policy emergencies around the globe.

It’s been just over a week since the U.S. military launched a successful raid to arrest Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and remove him from power. The U.S. continues to mass an unusually large number of troops in the Caribbean Sea.

Trump is also focused on trying to get Israel and Hamas onto the second phase of a peace deal in Gaza and broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the nearly four-year war in Eastern Europe.

But advocates urging Trump to take strong action against Iran say this moment offers an opportunity to further diminish the theocratic government that’s ruled the country since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

The demonstrations are the biggest Iran has seen in years — protests spurred by the collapse of Iranian currency that have morphed into a larger test of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s repressive rule.

Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, has warned that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

Trump allies want to see US back protesters

Some of Trump’s hawkish allies in Washington are calling on the president not to miss the opportunity to act decisively against a vulnerable Iranian government that they argue is reeling after last summer’s 12-day war with Israel and battered by U.S. strikes in June on key Iranian nuclear sites.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on social media Monday that the moment offers Trump the chance to show that he’s serious about enforcing red lines. Graham alluded to former Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012 setting a red line on the use of chemical weapons by Syria’s Bashar Assad against his own people — only not to follow through with U.S. military action after the then-Syrian leader crossed that line the following year.

“It is not enough to say we stand with the people of Iran,” Graham said. “The only right answer here is that we act decisively to protect protesters in the street — and that we’re not Obama — proving to them we will not tolerate their slaughter without action.”

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, another close Trump ally, said the “goal of every Western leader should be to destroy the Iranian dictatorship at this moment of its vulnerability.”

“In a few weeks either the dictatorship will be gone or the Iranian people will have been defeated and suppressed and a campaign to find the ringleaders and kill them will have begun,” Gingrich said in an X post. “There is no middle ground.”

Indeed, Iranian authorities have managed to snuff out rounds of mass protests before, including the “Green Movement” following the disputed election in 2009 and the “woman, life, freedom” protests that broke out after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody of the state’s morality police in 2022.

Trump and his national security team have already begun reviewing options for potential military action and he is expected to continue talks with his team this week.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank, said “there is a fast-diminishing value to official statements by the president promising to hold the regime accountable, but then staying on the sidelines.”

Trump, Taleblu noted, has shown a desire to maintain “maximum flexibility rooted in unpredictability” as he deals with adversaries.

“But flexibility should not bleed into a policy of locking in or bailing out an anti-American regime which is on the ropes at home and has a bounty on the president’s head abroad,” he added.

Two people were shot to death at an office building Monday in Boynton Beach, police said.

The gunman shot himself several blocks away about an hour later, Boynton Police said.

Officers were initially called about a shooting in the 2400 block of High Ridge Road about 4 p.m. They found two people dead inside the building, the police department said in a news release about 7:30 p.m.

Chief Joseph DeGiulio told reporters the shooter and victims knew each another. Their names have not been released as of Monday night.

The building houses multiple businesses, and DeGiulio did not provide information about which business the shooting happened inside.

After the initial call of the shooting, a “concerned resident” called police to report a suspicious car and person near the 500 block of Northwest Seventh Court that matched the description of the shooter’s car.

The concerned citizen reported seeing something “alarming”, DeGiulio said, but he did not have details about what information the citizen gave police. Prior to the citizen’s tip, officers were searching for the shooter in a different area about half a mile away, he said.

Officers tried to pull over the driver, but he or she did not stop. A short pursuit ensued and the driver crashed in the 100 block of Leisureville Boulevard, the news release said.

The suspected shooter was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head, DeGiulio said.

The shooting prompted lockdowns at nearby schools and business, all of which have been lifted.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — Getting married and allegedly embracing a monogamous lifestyle cannot prove the innocence of a man charged in a conspiracy with his two brothers — both luxury real estate brokers — to sexually assault dozens of women, a federal judge said Monday.

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Judge Valerie E. Caproni rejected Alon Alexander’s request to dismiss one count of the indictment he faces and use his 2019 engagement and subsequent marriage as a defense at a trial scheduled to start next week in Manhattan with jury selection.

The three brothers — Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander — are jailed without bail after pleading not guilty to conspiracy and other charges alleging that they drugged and raped women.

Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander sold high-end properties in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles before the charges were filed alleging that they used their wealth and influence to attack women from 2002 to 2021.

Alon Alexander’s lawyers argued that getting engaged and married signaled his exit from the single life and amounted to a withdrawal from any alleged conspiracy.

Caproni said he “saw an opportunity to reach for the prize” and try to win an acquittal with the argument as she denied his request and said he is also precluded from introducing evidence of his engagement and marriage at the trial.

The judge wrote that proof of Alon Alexander’s engagement and marriage is irrelevant and amounted to hearsay that could not be introduced at trial, including photographs, social media posts and home videos of his engagement announcement, along with statements from his co-defendants and a rabbi.

In a footnote, Caproni wrote that Alon Alexander’s contention that his withdrawal from “the single life” meant he abandoned any conduct that could be part of the sex abuse conspiracy “fails to adequately grapple with the nuance of the Government’s allegations or the contours of a sex trafficking conspiracy more generally.”

She said participation in the criminal conspiracy was not “comparable or akin to participation in ‘the single life.’”

“There are plenty of single men who engage in sexual activity without trafficking, drugging, or raping women and girls,” the judge said. “By the same token, the inverse of the Government’s alleged conspiracy is not, for example, ‘the engaged life’ or ‘the married life.’”

Thus, she said, there is nothing about the “mere transition from ‘single’ to ‘engaged’ that clearly indicates that Defendant withdrew himself from the conspiracy, or that he would cease helping his brothers accomplish the goals of the conspiracy — even if his participation in the scheme no longer involved him having sex (consensual or otherwise) with women that were not his fiancee.”

By SAFIYAH RIDDLE and VALERIE GONZALEZ

As the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement nationwide, a wave of high-profile arrests — many unfolding at private homes and businesses and captured on video — has pushed one legal question into the center of the national debate: When can federal immigration agents lawfully enter private property to make an arrest?

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That question has taken on new urgency in cities like Minneapolis, where thousands of federal agents are operating on the streets amid protests, confrontations and a fatal shooting, sharpening scrutiny of the legal authority immigration officers rely on when they arrive at the front door.

At the heart of the debate is a legal distinction largely unfamiliar to the public but central to immigration enforcement.

Most immigration arrests are carried out under administrative warrants, internal documents issued by immigration authorities that authorize the arrest of a specific individual but do not permit officers to forcibly enter private homes or other non-public spaces without consent. Only criminal warrants signed by judges carry that authority. Legal experts say the administration’s aggressive enforcement push, combined with public awareness of those limits, is increasingly turning door-knock encounters into flashpoints, fueling confrontations that are now playing out in cities across the country.

Here is what to know about the limitations on the warrants that authorize most immigration related arrests.

Immigration warrants typically don’t authorize entry onto private property

All law enforcement operations — including those conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — are governed by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects all people in the country from unreasonable searches and seizures. That means law enforcement is required to have a warrant before searching one’s private property or arresting someone, regardless of immigration status.

But not all warrants are the same. Typically, arrests carried out by Department of Homeland Security agencies are authorized by administrative warrants — sometimes known as immigration warrants — not judicial warrants.

Judicial warrants are issued by a court and signed by a magistrate or a state or federal judge. These warrants allow a relevant law enforcement agency to apprehend a specified individual in any context — regardless of whether the person is on public or on private property. In other words, law enforcement is legally allowed to enter and search a home or business to make the arrest without the consent of the property owner once a judge signs off on the arrest.

By contrast, the administrative warrants used in most immigration operations are sanctioned by an agency, officer or immigration judge, and don’t allow law enforcement to forcibly enter private property to detain someone.

That means people can legally refuse federal immigration agents entry into private property if the agents only have an administrative warrant.

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

There are limited exceptions, some of which include if someone is in immediate danger, an officer is actively chasing a suspect or if someone is calling for help inside the residence. But those exceptions don’t apply in routine immigration arrests, legal experts say.

John Sandweg, a former ICE acting director, said officers are trained on what circumstances legally justify forced entry. But as the scope of ICE’s work has expanded, and more Border Patrol agents have begun conducting the work of ICE officers, there is a greater chance that agents will misapply the rules, he said.

“Your risks of all of these types of incidents increase dramatically when you take officers out of their normal operating environment and ask them to do things that they have not been trained to do, because it’s not part of their core missions,” Sandweg said.

Mounting tensions in Minneapolis

The thorny legal distinction between judicial and administrative warrants came to the fore on Sunday when immigration law enforcement raided a private home to make an arrest in Minneapolis, after clashing with protesters who confronted the heavily armed agents. Documents reviewed by The Associated Press revealed that the agents only had an administrative warrant — meaning there was no judge that authorized the raid on private property.

When asked, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin didn’t provide a legal justification for the forced entry and arrest of the man, who is a Liberian national with a deportation order from 2023. She said his arrest was part of the administration’s efforts to arrest “the worst of the worst” and added that he had that a criminal history including “robbery, drug possession with the intent to sell, possession of a deadly weapon, malicious destruction and theft.”

McLaughlin didn’t specify whether he was convicted of any of those crimes, or whether his arrest was related to any criminal activity.

Vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, Heidi Altman, said she couldn’t comment on that specific raid, but said that generally an officer entering a home without consent or permission could result in serious consequences.

“That is not just an illegal arrest. It’s numerous illegal actions by the officer themselves that could open up liability, not just for being sued, but potential criminal actions under state law as well,” she explained.

But in the current political climate, Altman said, it isn’t clear if there are any realistic avenues for accountability since the federal government would be responsible for investigating such a breech.

“There are layers of federal laws and regulations and policies prohibiting this kind of behavior. But then the second layer is: Is the federal government going to impose consequences?” she said.

On top of that, immigrants have less recourse after an illegal arrest or search, since the illegally obtained evidence can still be used in immigration court. It’s called the exclusionary rule, Altman explained, and the consequences that the officer may face would not undo the immediate consequences immigrants could face if they are quickly deported.

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

“As those legal challenges come and people are facing very, very quick detentions and deportations on the basis of these illegal arrests, there’s very little recourse in actual immigration court proceedings that allows people to have a judge disregard evidence or the actual arrest, even if it was done in this very violent, illegal manner,” Altman said.

‘Know-your-rights’ campaigns

ICE has long relied on “knock and talks” to make apprehensions, informally requesting residents to leave a home without giving any indication they plan to make an immigration arrest. As outlined in a 2020 lawsuit in which a federal judge found the practice illegal, officers tell their targets that they need them to step outside to answer a few questions. In one case, they told a woman that they were probation officers looking for her brother.

In response, activists, lawyers and local governments have launched “know-your-rights” campaigns around the country, attempting to educate people on the legal nuances of the extremely convoluted legal framework that is supposed to govern immigration law enforcement.

Many groups have published fact sheets and infographics on social media, while others facilitate meetings that go over constitutional protections that immigrants have — regardless of legal status — in interactions with federal agents.

Often groups will instruct immigrants to request to see a warrant before opening the door if an immigration officer knocks. The trainings also typically emphasize that an immigrant can refuse to open the door if law enforcement only has an administrative warrant.

The Miami Hurricanes boosted their defensive line via the transfer portal Monday evening.

Ohio State defensive tackle Jarquez Carter committed to Miami, announcing his decision on social media. He is the fourth transfer to commit to UM this offseason and the first defensive lineman. Carter was also considering Texas A&M.

Carter was a four-star prospect in the 2025 class out of Newberry High in north Florida.

The defensive lineman played in seven games (51 total snaps) in 2025.

The Hurricanes recruited Carter out of high school before he ultimately settled on the Buckeyes. He was high-school teammates with current UM defensive lineman Mykah Newton. UM likes Carter’s quickness, his strength at the point of attack and his ability to play violently, a Miami source said.

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle will help fill the void left by departing defensive tackles David Blay Jr., who is out of eligibility after the end of the season, and Donta Simpson, who transferred to Missouri.

General Daily Insight for January 13, 2026

When tension and healing collide, we can find wisdom amidst the chaos. Early on, the emotional Moon opposes unpredictable Uranus, bringing surprises in plans, tech, or moods to which we must adapt. By 5:33 PM EST, combative Mars squares healing Chiron, urging us to face tender spots with firm kindness, especially regarding our oldest aches. We draw the lines we aren’t willing to cross, then keep showing up for what we are willing to handle. When we choose reliability, our wounds can begin healing.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

What legacy are you building right now? Ambitious Mars squares Chiron, throwing your career drive and your personal identity into the cosmic blender. Even if you aren’t currently working or don’t strongly identify with your job, you can still build a valuable reputation. Wherever you spend most of your time, find your principles and stick to them — no matter how much others pressure you. You’re steadying the metaphorical room by choosing clarity over speed. Take the lead where it counts!

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

This afternoon favors curiosity and open minds. Your 9th House of Knowledge takes the spotlight, though it must share with your calmer 12th house. This is due to Mars and Chiron’s square, as it invites you to explore unique ideas without abandoning your emotional core. Debates can get personal quickly, so be sure to back your arguments up with facts in advance. Should quiet doubts surface, reflect upon them before making any bold statements. Opening your mind is the best way to increase your options.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Ideas swirl with restless, playful sparks. Tension between group efforts and individual sensitivities prompts careful handling of shared money, as fiery Mars in your 8th House Mutual Resources jabs at aching Chiron in your 11th House of Peers. If you go out to lunch, make sure everyone knows how the check will be split in advance to avoid arguments at the table. For your own finances, decide based on facts, not pressure. Then make your decisions known clearly so the plan lands with ease.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Having boundaries doesn’t mean you don’t care, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. With Mars in your 7th House of Links and Chiron in your 10th House of Professionality, their square could impact some business or social connections. Perhaps someone wants to be your friend after a group project, but you’re not interested in spending more time together. Make an effort to let them down gently — though you could give them a chance! This might signal the start of an enjoyable friendship.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Pressure rises, but creativity can find a path through it. Aggressive Mars squares vulnerable Chiron, energizing your 6th House of Health and your growth zone, asking you to protect your energy as you refine supportive habits. If a co-worker interrupts, feel free to request that they return later — they should understand your methods. That said, if you can help them quickly, it may be more efficient to share your knowledge first so you can get back to your original plans without future distractions.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Today is like a game of chess — even your small moves matter. Don’t worry, you can handle it! Mars and Chiron are sparring, potentially lighting some fires around creative matters and close relationships. You’re ready to refine a rough draft (literally or metaphorically) and keep the focus on quality over quantity. Also, be sure to celebrate small wins to keep your motivation high. Deeper feelings could surface with little warning, but you can share them with trusted people at a pace that feels safe.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Don’t lie to yourself in your home — it should be a safe place for truth to emerge. This is especially vital as Mars in your 4th House of Memory zaps Chiron in your sociable 7th house. If you aren’t happy with your domestic situation, it’s time to do something about it. You may need to renegotiate chores with a housemate or decide what truly matters for your peace of mind. Have patience as you figure out what’s realistic to ask of others and yourself.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

The truth isn’t always easy to handle — but today, you’ve got the strength to make sure it’s heard. Hot-headed Mars and measured Chiron are fussing over your communication style and your daily habits, which means it’s time to think about how you speak on a daily basis. How do you ask others for favors, and how do they respond? If someone dodges your requests, try asking a clarifying question to avoid hidden assumptions. Honesty clears the air and deepens mutual trust.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Confidence grows as money choices show clarity. Practical courage lifts your finances as energetic Mars squares vulnerable Chiron in your 2nd House of Accounting, guiding you to spend wisely while respecting personal values. You could cancel an impulse order or revisit a subscription, prioritizing options that have already proved their value. If fun plans from your 5th House of Creativity and Play tempt your budget, look for a lower-cost version that still feels joyful. Being choosy right now builds your overall financial freedom.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Discomfort isn’t necessarily a bad thing today. It can sharpen your focus, especially once Mars and Chiron meet up for their engaging square. They’re challenging you to respect yourself by releasing outdated self-criticism. You may reset your goals to better fit your true ambitions. If family gets in your way, you can acknowledge their demands without abandoning the future you actually want. Once they leave you be, go ahead and share your plan with someone supportive to lock in momentum.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Your resolve is stronger than ever, but it may not look like you imagined. With vigorous Mars and considerate Chiron boosting your mental capacity, progress is more likely to occur behind the scenes or in quiet moments. If you’re struggling to focus, try journaling through a knotty thought until it loosens. If a message demands attention, reply after centering yourself so your words land kindly. A short walk could also encourage an overactive mind to chill out. Protect your energy to serve what matters.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

A tender ripple can become a tidal wave of momentum. Your 11th House of Social Networks stirs as passionate Mars squares Chiron, encouraging you to lead a group effort while honoring your sensitivity. Coordinate a community meeting and set a simple frame for the outcome so everyone feels included. Look for practical ways of handling prohibitive costs, like renting tools instead of buying them or finding volunteers with the skills you need. When you work as a team, you can celebrate as one!

By CLAIRE RUSH

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The FBI said in a court document made public Monday that it had found no surveillance or other video of a Border Patrol agent shooting and wounding two people in a pickup truck during an immigration enforcement operation in Portland, Oregon, last week.

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Agents told investigators that one of their colleagues opened fire Thursday after the driver put the truck in reverse and repeatedly slammed into an unoccupied car the agents had rented, smashing its headlights and knocking off its front bumper. The agents said they feared for their own safety and that of the public, the document said.

The FBI has interviewed four of the six agents on the scene, the document said. It did not identify the agent who fired the shots.

The shooting, which came one day after a federal agent shot and killed a driver in Minneapolis, prompted protests over federal agents’ aggressive tactics during immigration enforcement operations. The Department of Homeland Security has said the two people in the truck entered the U.S. illegally and were affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

None of the six agents was recording body camera footage, and investigators have uncovered no surveillance or other video footage of the shooting, FBI Special Agent Daniel Jeffreys wrote in an affidavit supporting aggravated assault and property damage charges against the driver, Luis David Nino-Moncada.

The truck drove away after the shooting, which occurred in the parking lot of a medical office building. Nino-Moncada called 911 after arriving at an apartment complex several minutes away. He was placed in FBI custody after being treated for a gunshot wound to the arm and abdomen.

During an initial appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Portland, he wore a white sweatshirt and sweatpants and appeared to hold out his left arm gingerly at an angle. An interpreter translated the judge’s comments for him. The judge ordered that he remain in detention and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Wednesday.

The agent’s affidavit said that after being read his rights, Nino-Moncada “admitted to intentionally ramming the Border Patrol vehicle in an attempt to flee, and he stated that he knew they were immigration enforcement vehicles.”

His passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, was hospitalized after being shot in the chest and on Monday was being held at a private immigration detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, according to an online detainee locator system maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She faces a charge of illegal entry into the U.S., which federal prosecutors in Texas filed last week. The federal public defender’s office for the Western District of Texas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nino-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras are Venezuela nationals and entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and 2023, respectively, the Department of Homeland Security said. It identified Nino-Moncada as an associate of Tren de Aragua and Zambrano-Contreras as involved in a prostitution ring run by the gang.

Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

“Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday in a news release announcing charges against Nino-Moncada. “This man — an illegal alien with ties to a foreign terrorist organization — should NEVER have been in our country to begin with, and we will ensure he NEVER walks free in America again.”

Oregon Federal Public Defender Fidel Cassino-DuCloux, whose office represents Nino-Moncada, said in a statement last week that the shooting and the accusations against Nino-Moncada “follow a well-worn playbook that the government has developed to justify the dangerous and unprofessional conduct of its agents.”

Portland Police Chief Bob Day confirmed last week that the pair had “some nexus” to the gang. Day said the two came to the attention of police during an investigation of a July shooting believed to have been carried out by gang members, but they were not identified as suspects.

Zambrano-Contreras was previously arrested for prostitution, Day said, and Nino-Moncada was present when a search warrant was served in that case.

Johnson reported from Seattle.

Today is Sunday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2026. There are 354 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Jan. 11, 2010, Mark McGwire admitted to The Associated Press that he’d used steroids and human growth hormone when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998.

Also on this date:

In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to declare its secession from the Union.

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In 1908, the Grand Canyon was established as a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. The move protected it from mining and other activities until it became a national park in 1919.

In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began what would be the first solo flight from Hawaii to California, completing the 2,400-mile flight across the Pacific to Oakland in just under 19 hours.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued “Smoking and Health,” a report that concluded that “cigarette smoking contributes substantially to mortality from certain specific diseases and to the overall death rate.”

In 2002, the first al-Qaida prisoners from Afghanistan arrived at the U.S. military’s Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

In 2021, House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” after the attack on the U.S. Capitol building five days earlier.

In 2024, U.S. and British forces bombed more than dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, in a massive retaliatory strike for the militant group’s attacks on international cargo ships and other targets in the Red Sea.

Today’s birthdays:

• Filmmaker Alfonso Arau is 94.
• Golf Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw is 74.
• Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour is 74.
• Olympic swimming gold medalist Tracy Caulkins is 63.
• Filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee is 56.
• Singer Mary J. Blige is 55.
• Actor Amanda Peet is 54.
• Actor Devin Ratray is 49.
• Actor Aja Naomi King is 41.
• Singer and former competitive swimmer Cody Simpson is 29.

It took a few days, but UCF is making a big splash in the transfer window as the Knights signed former James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III.

Barnett is the first of what should be a slew of signings over the next two weeks as the Knights look to fill out their roster for the 2026 season.

Here is a look at the transfer signings so far:

LB RASHAD HENRY

Vitals: 6-2, 230 pounds

Resume: Henry signed with UMass after spending time at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida, where he played middle linebacker and defensive end for the Raiders. He totaled 74 tackles, including 3 for a loss, a sack, 6 hurries and 2 interceptions his senior year.

Role: The Miami native appeared in 17 games (3 starts) over three seasons with the Minutemen, totaling 68 tackles.

Outlook: Henry becomes the third linebacker to sign in the 2026 transfer class, joining Tackett Curtis and Jahleel Culbreath.

RB DUKE WATSON

Vitals: 6-0, 180 pounds

Resume: Watson was a 3-star prospect from Mary Persons High School in Forsyth, Ga., when he signed with Louisville as part of its 2024 recruiting class. He rushed for 5,541 yards with 71 touchdowns while averaging 7.7 yards per carry in 40 varsity games for the Bulldogs.

Role: The Georgia native spent two seasons with the Cardinals, appearing in 19 games (1 start) while totaling 755 yards on 116 carries with 8 touchdowns.

Outlook: With the departures of Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon, the Knights needed to boost the depth at running back. Watson’s signing gives UCF a pair of veteran backs, teaming him up with Landon Chambers.

LB JAHLEEL CULBREATH

Vitals: 6-4, 222 pounds

Resume: Culbreath signed with Old Dominion out of Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Va., as part of the Monarchs’ 2022 recruiting class.

Role: Culbreath spent four seasons at ODU, the past two as the Monarchs’ starting middle linebacker. He totaled 149 tackles, including 17.5 for a loss and 3 sacks.

Outlook: The Knights continue rebuilding the linebacker unit, with starter Lewis Carter serving as the anchor. Culbreath gives UCF another veteran for the group, which was one of the defense’s strong suits last season.

DT THOMAS COLLINS

Vitals: 6-1, 275 pounds

Resume: Collins was a 3-star prospect from RIG Academy, a school specializing in American football in Sweden. He signed with Oregon State in 2023.

Role: The redshirt sophomore appeared in 24 games (16 starts) in three seasons for the Beavers, totaling 44 tackles, including 7 for loss, a sack, a pass defended and a fumble recovery.

Outlook: The return of Horace Lockett Jr. and RJ Jackson Jr. gives the Knights a solid foundation at the tackle spot, particularly with the loss of John Walker. Collins provides much-needed depth at the position.

S MATT IRWIN

Vitals: 5-11, 180 pounds

Resume: Irwin played quarterback at Owyee High School in Meridian, ID., before making the switch to safety when he signed at Idaho in 2024.

Role: Irwin appeared in 19 games in two seasons with the Vandals, starting 2 games while totaling 49 tackles, an interception, 3 passes defended and a fumble recovery.

Outlook: The Idaho native becomes the fourth safety to join the roster this transfer cycle.

DL BRUNO DALL

Vitals: 6-7, 260 pounds

Resume: Dall grew up in Hamburg, Germany, before moving to Missouri to play at St. Stanislaus in St. Louis. He recorded 81 tackles, including 16 for a loss and 5 sacks as a senior, while leading the Rock-a-Chaws to a 7-5 record.

Role: Dall signed with Akron as part of their 2023 recruiting class. He appeared in 23 games (11 starts) for the Zips, totaling 53 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss with 5 sacks, an interception, 8 passes defended and a forced fumble.

Outlook: The Knights are looking to replace starters Nyjalik Kelly and Malachi Lawrence on the edge, making the addition of Dall crucial in building the rotation for 2026.

S TY BARTRUM

Vitals: 6-1, 200 pounds

Resume: Bartrum began his high school career at Miegs High in Meigs County, Ohio, before transferring to Cherokee High in Marlton, N.J., where he appeared in 29 games for the Chiefs, totaling 256 tackles with 4 interceptions and 6 passes defended. He finished his prep career at Spring Valley High in West Virginia before signing at Harvard.

Role: Bartrum spent four seasons with the Crimson, appearing in 31 games, while totaling 244 tackles with 8 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions and 13 passes defended. He earned a spot on the first team, All-Ivy League and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Outlook: Bartrum provides another veteran to the safety spot for the Knights.

K WILL STONE

Vitals: 6-0, 195 pounds

Resume: Stone was a 2-star prospect from Regents School in Austin, Texas, where he was the 6th-overall ranked kicker in the nation for the 2022 recruiting class according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Role: Stone spent five seasons at Texas, where he was used primarily on kickoffs, averaging 63.2 yards on 300 kicks.

Outlook: The Knights ranked second in the Big 12 last season in kickoffs, thanks to Noe Ruelas. His departure left the team searching for someone to step up in his absence.

P ATTICUS BERTRAMS

Vitals: 6-3, 215 pounds

Resume: Bertrams previously studied at ProKick Australia, the same group that former UCF kicker Mitch McCarthy worked out at, before signing with Wisconsin.

Role: The junior spent three seasons with the Badgers, appearing in 37 games, while averaging 42.8 yards per kick during his career. He was on the Ray Guy Award watchlist at the start of the 2025 season.

Outlook: Bertrams joins a special teams unit that ranked 15th in the Big 12 in punting last season, averaging 40.67 yards per kick.

WR JONATHAN BIBBS

Vitals: 6-2, 170 pounds

Resume: Bibbs was a 3-star product out of Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala., who played receiver for the Jaguars. He was ranked the No. 186 overall wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Role: The Alabama native appeared in four games before redshirting his freshman season at Louisiana-Monroe. Bibbs totaled 383 yards on 26 receptions with 3 touchdowns in 11 games (3 starts) for the Warhawks.

Outlook: Bibbs arrives with multiple years of eligibility, giving the Knights another veteran to pair with a young core of receivers.

QB ALONZA BARNETT III

Vitals: 6-0, 216 pounds

Resume: Barnett was a 3-star prospect from Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C., when he signed with James Madison as part of its 2022 recruiting class. He was the No. 179 overall quarterback in the class according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Role: Barnett recently completed his fourth season with the Dukes, finishing with 5,433 passing yards and 49 touchdowns with 13 interceptions while adding 1,075 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. He was named the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year after accounting for 3,395 yards of total offense and 38 total touchdowns. He also earned first-team honors for the first time in his career.

Outlook: He’s a dual-threat option with tremendous speed and a quick-release that gives him the ability to make explosive plays in the passing game. Barnett led James Madison to a 21-6 record while also guiding the team to the College Football Playoff this season.

DB KAHMEL JOHNSON

Vitals: 6-2, 200 pounds

Resume: Johnson was a multi-sport standout at Riverside High School, having played track and field and football for the Generals. He was credited with 14 tackles, 4 passes defended with one interception and one fumble recovery in his senior season, before signing with Wayne State College in 2024.

Role: The Jacksonville native appeared in 13 games in his two seasons with the Wildcats. He totaled 37 tackles and 3 interceptions this season, earning a spot on the first team, All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Outlook: Johnson joins a secondary that is already returning starters Demari Henderson and Braeden Marshall.

• James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III (14) celebrates after a touchdown against Troy during the first half of the Sun Belt championship NCAA college football game, on Dec. 5, 2025, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Robert Simmons/Associated press)
• Former UConn offensive guard Brady Wayburn is one of the latest transfers to sign with UCF. (Jessica Hill/Special to the Courant)
• Former USC and Wisconsin linebacker Tackett Curtis has signed with UCF as part of its 2026 transfer class. Curtis reunites with current Knights defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who coach the Badgers' defense in 2024. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
• alifornia Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) throws over Oregon State Beavers defensive lineman Thomas Collins (98) during the first half of their game on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Corvallis, Ore. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen)

Show Caption1 of 4James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III (14) celebrates after a touchdown against Troy during the first half of the Sun Belt championship NCAA college football game, on Dec. 5, 2025, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Robert Simmons/Associated press) Expand RB LANDEN CHAMBERS

Vitals: 5-11, 215 pounds

Resume: Chambers was a 3-star prospect out of Fossil Ridge High School in Keller, Texas, when he signed with Central Arkansas as part of its 2024 recruiting class. He was a multi-sport athlete who also competed in track and field.

Role: Chambers appeared in 8 games for the Bears as a freshman, rushing for 176 yards with a touchdown. This past season, he led the team in rushing with 1,313 yards on 242 carries with 10 rushing touchdowns. He was also fourth on the team in receiving with 238 yards on 27 catches.

Outlook: The departures of Myles Montgomery, Jaden Nixon and Stacey Gage left the backfield thin on experience. Chambers gives the Knights a legitimate starter to couple with Taevion Swint and Agyeman Addae.

OL COOPER TERPSTRA

Vitals: 6-4, 313 pounds

Resume: Terpstra signed with Michigan State in 2023 as a 2-star prospect out of West Ottawa High School in Holland, Michigan.

Role: He played sparingly in 2024 and 2025, taking part in nearly 190 offensive snaps, mainly on special teams.

Outlook: New offensive line coach AJ Blazek didn’t stray far from his roots in the Big Ten to find his first offensive lineman. Terpstra brings multiple years of eligibility and can help add depth to the unit.

OL BRADY WAYBURN

Vitals: 6-5, 300 pounds

Resume: Wayburn spent his early years in North Carolina before relocating to Windsor, Connecticut, to attend The Loomis Chaffee School. There, he excelled in multiple sports, particularly in track and field and football.

Role: Wayburn spent the past four seasons at UConn, but didn’t see any real playing time until the 2024 campaign, when he appeared in 8 games. He appeared in 12 games in 2025, starting four games at right guard.

Outlook: Wayburn brings more than 740 offensive snaps to a roster that needs to replace a handful of starters in Paul Rubelt, Jabari Brooks and Carter Miller.

S CALEB FLAGG

Vitals: 5-10, 202 pounds

Resume: Flagg kicked off his career at North Shore High School in Houston before making his mark at Houston Christian, where he earned letters for two years. Over the span of 21 games, he racked up 101 tackles, snatched 2 interceptions, and defended 11 passes. In 2024, he decided to transfer to Missouri to continue his journey.

Role: The junior appeared in 14 games in two seasons with the Tigers, recording 24 tackles with 2 passes defended and a forced fumble.

Outlook: Flagg joins a secondary that already features returning starters Demari Henderson and Braeden Marshall.

OL TYLER GIBSON

Vitals: 6-5, 310 pounds

Resume: Gibson was a 3-star prospect from Johns Creek High School in Alpharetta, Ga., who helped lead the team to more than 4,500 yards his senior season. He signed with Georgia Tech in 2022 and spent two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, appearing in 4 games, before transferring to Charlotte.

Role: The Georgia native appeared in all 16 games for the 49ers, starting five times at the right tackle spot. He took part in 484 offensive snaps during his time in Charlotte.

Outlook: Gibson’s presence helps strengthen the Knights’ offensive line, providing the group with an experienced veteran.

LB TACKETT CURTIS

Vitals: 6-2, 235 pounds

Resume: Curtis was a 4-star prospect out of Many (La.) High School, where he helped guide the Tigers to a state championship, earning MVP honors. He was also named the 2022 MaxPreps Louisiana High School Player of the Year before signing with USC. Curtis spent one season with the Trojans, starting 8 games before transferring to Wisconsin.

Role: The Louisiana native spent two seasons with the Badgers, briefly working with current UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch in 2024. The junior appeared in 24 games over two seasons, totaling 56 tackles with 2.5 for a loss, one sack and 3 passes defended.

Outlook: Curtis, who reunites with Grinch, helps fill a significant void for the Knights, who need to replace starters Cole Kozlowski and Keli Lawson.

OL HENRY TABANSI

Vitals: 6-5, 310 pounds

Resume: Tabansi was a three-year starter at Moore Catholic High School on Staten Island, earning an all-state selection before signing with Buffalo in 2023.

Role: The New York native was a two-starter at left tackle for the Bulls, participating in more than 1,600 offensive snaps for a team that totaled 4,330 yards of total offense in 2025.

Outlook: The redshirt sophomore is the latest player to join new offensive line coach AJ Blazek at UCF.

CB JAILEN DUFFIE

Vitals: 5-11, 175 pounds

Resume: Duffie was a 3-star recruit at Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Ill., where he earned first-team all-conference honors while playing both cornerback and wide receiver for the Blue Devils. He finished with 47 tackles and 5 interceptions in 20 games before signing with North Dakota State as part of its 2023 recruiting class.

Role: The sophomore appeared in 25 games at NDSU, totaling 42 tackles and 5 passes defended with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Outlook: A three-year starter, Duffie is reunited with new UCF defensive backs coach Will Johnson, who coached him with the Bisons. He’ll step into a cornerbacks group that returns starters Antione Jackson and Jayden Bellamy.

WR JOSH DERRY

Vitals: 5-9, 180 pounds

Resume: Derry was a two-way standout at Concordia Prep School in Towson, Md., where he played wide receiver and defensive back for the Saints. He accounted for 883 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns in 16 varsity games over three seasons before signing with Monmouth University, a Division I school in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Role: Derry spent three seasons with the Hawks, appearing in 30 games, with 12 career starts, while totaling 2,076 receiving yards on 139 catches with 19 touchdowns.

Outlook: The senior gives UCF another experienced receiver to add to a young group that includes Day Day Farmer and Duane Thomas Jr.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and the Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Saturday night.

Evan Rodrigues also scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky had 18 saves. Florida snapped a two-game skid and got its second win in six games (2-3-1).

Fabian Zetterlund and Claude Giroux scored for Ottawa, which has lost four straight. Leevi Merilainen finished with 18 saves while allowing three goals for the fourth straight game.

The Panthers took a 3-1 lead at 3:43 of the third when Forsling stepped into the faceoff circle and wired a shot high glove side.

Giroux pulled the Senators back within one as he scored from a sharp angle with 1:42 remaining. Ottawa couldn’t beat Bobrovsky again.

Ottawa opened the scoring 4:03 into the game when Zetterlund took the puck behind the net, curled and put a shot on Bobrovsky from a sharp angle. The puck bounced off his blocker and rolled down his back across the goal line.

The Panthers answered with a power-play goal with 8:26 remaining in the first. Rodrigues took advantage of a poor defensive play by Tim Stutzle and beat Merilainen far side.

Both teams had a number of chances in the second period, but the Panthers eventually got the go-ahead goal.

Florida’s power play capitalized with Verhaeghe using Nick Jensen, who had fallen, as a screen to beat Merilainen glove side with 6:47 remaining.

Verhaeghe then earned the ire of fans late in the second for pushing Artem Zub from behind into the boards. The initial call on the play was a five-minute major but upon review reduced to a minor for boarding.

Sandis Vilmanis made his NHL debut for the Panthers.

Up next

Panthers: Visit Buffalo on Monday night.

Senators: Host Vancouver on Tuesday night.

___

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

GAINESVILLE — New Gators coach Jon Sumrall inherited a four-win team with a roster in need of a massive overhaul.

The transfer portal, which opened Friday, allows programs to accelerate the rebuilding process and replace departing players — more than 20 in Florida’s case.

After signing a 2026 recruiting class ranked 16th nationally while he still coached the Green Wave to a CFP berth, Sumrall and his staff turned their attention to the 15-day transfer portal window Jan. 2-16.

Here’s a look at whom the Gators have signed:

WR Eric Singleton, Auburn (committed Jan. 10)

Vitals: 5-10, 180 pounds

Resumé: Singleton was a 3-star prospect out of Alexander in Douglasville, Georgia, rated the nation’s No. 73 wide receiver in the 2023 class. He had 65 catches for 1,115 yards and 12 scores as a senior in 2022 before signing at Georgia Tech.

Role: Singleton produced immediately for the Yellow Jackets. He had 48 catches for 714 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman, followed by 56 grabs for 754 yards and three scores as a sophomore before transferring to Auburn. Paired with elite sophomore receiver Cam Coleman and catching passes from Jackson Arnold, the SEC’s lowest-rated quarterback, Singleton produced 58 receptions for 534 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.

Outlook: The Gators have vast potential on the perimeter. Leading receiver Vernell Brown III and 6-foot-3, 213-pound Dallas Wilson return for their sophomore season while redshirt sophomore TJ Abrams looks build on a his November contributions (nine catches, 105 yards). The Gators also welcome Davian Groce, rated the nation’s No. 4 “athlete” and No. 47 overall recruit, out of Frisco, Texas.

C Harrison Moore, Georgia Tech (Jan. 9)

Vitals: 6-5, 300 pounds

Resumé: Moore was a 3-star prospect rated the nation’s No. 83 interior offensive line prospect in the 2024 class.

Role: Moore did not allow a sack on 866 snaps during two seasons and 21 appearances, including 10 starts (nine in 2025).

Outlook: The Gators’ offensive line must replace 2024 All-America center Jake Slaughter, left tackle Austin Barber and right guard Damion George after they completed their eligibility. The trio, which combined for 102 starts at UF, was expected to anchor one of the nation’s top O-lines. UF will return three players with starting experience: left guard Knijeah Harris, who started 25 games the past two seasons, right tackle Caden Jones, who started 10 games in 2025, and five-game starter Bryce Lovett.

OL Emeka Ugorji, Stanford (Jan. 9)

Vitals: 6-5, 300 pounds

Resumé: Ugorji was a 3-star prospect out of South Oak Cliff in Dallas rated the nation’s No. 71 offensive line prospect in the 2025 class.

Role: Ugorji stepped in as a true freshman to appear in 10 games, including eight starts — seven of them at right guard. He led the ACC in offensive guard snaps with 523 while committing just two penalties.

Outlook: Ugorji is a promising young player who could step in and challenge for a starting role at a position in flux during a massive overhaul up front. Harris, who started 25 games the past two seasons, should handle the left side, but George’s departure leaves a hole at right guard. Ugorji also can play right tackle, where Jones was a solid performer and Lovett struggled.

RB London Montgomery, East Carolina (Jan. 8)

Vitals: 5-11, 197 pounds

Resumé: Montgomery was a 3-star prospect out of Scranton (Pennsylvania) Prep rated the nation’s No. 35 running back in the 2023 class by 247Sports who signed with Penn State out of high school. 

Role: Montgomery transferred after one season to East Carolina, where he rushed for 1,001 yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons, including a team-leading 742 yards and seven scores on 156 carries in 2005.

Outlook: Montgomery joins Cincinnati transfer Evan Pryor to provide returning 1,000-yard rusher Jadan Baugh experienced, proven backups, while Duke Clark and Byron Louis will push for bigger roles as redshirt freshmen in 2026.

S Cam Dooley, Kentucky (Jan. 8)

Vitals: 6-2, 208 pounds

Resumé: Dooley was a 4-star prospect rated as the nation’s No. 8 athlete and No. 195 overall recruiting in the 2024 class.

Role: Playing for Florida’s new safeties coach Chris Collins, Dooley recorded 30 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble as a sophomore in 2025.

Outlook: Dooley would play safety or move to the nickel position after Sharif Denson’s departure for Ole Miss and Aaron Gates entered in the portal. Lagonza Hayward saw some action there as a true freshman. At safety, the Gators lost three-year starter Jordan Castell but will return senior Bryce Thornton and sophomore Drake Stubbs of Jacksonville. UF signed 2025 Under Armour All-American Kaiden “KD” Hall of Milton, on the Florida Panhandle, and Dylan Purter of Alabama, who flipped his commitment from LSU.

Long snapper Carter Milliron, Louisiana (Jan. 8)

Vitals: 6-0, 257 pounds

Resumé: Milliron was an unranked prospect out of Hoover, Alabama, but established himself at the 2022 Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp, where he had the ninth-highest score among 200 snappers.  

Role: Milliron appeared in 44 games for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Outlook: Milliron will replace Rocco Underwood, who appeared in 49 games in four seasons. A former Lake Mary standout, Underwood won the 2024 Mannelly Award for the nation’s top long snapper. In 2025, he was a semifinalist for the award and named third-team All-SEC.

S Elijah Owens, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Jan. 7)

Vitals: 6-3, 210 pounds

Resumé: Owens was unrated out of Citronelle High on the northern border of Mobile, Alabama, where he recorded 84 tackles, four interceptions and three forced fumbles during the 2023-24 seasons.

Role: Owens spent 2025 at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, tallying 65 tackles, an interception and three passes defended last season..

Outlook: Owens will provide much-needed depth at safety, where Thornton is the only veteran, Owens will vie with Stubbs, Hall and Purter for snaps.

WR Micah Mays Jr., Wake Forest (Jan. 7)

Vitals: 6-2, 196 pounds

Resumé: Mays was a 4-star from The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach rated the nation’s No. 25 receiver and No. 177 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

Role: recorded Mays caught 34 passes for 520 yards and four sscores during 22 games the past two seasons with the Demon Deacons.

Outlook: Mays will push to carve out a role as the Gators’ receiving corps continues to improve with Singleton’s signing, the return of Brown, Wilson and TJ Abrams, and the addition of Groce.

QB Aaron Philo, Georgia Tech (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 6-2, 220 pounds

Resumé: Philo was a 3-star prospect out of Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia, rated the nation’s No. 47 quarterback in the 2024 class by 247Sports. Philo threw for a state record 13,922 passing yards to break Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s mark. As a senior in 2023, Philo passed for a single-season state-record 56 touchdowns.

Role: Philo served as backup to Haynes King in 2024 and 2025, while appearing in eight games. During his only start for the Yellow Jackets, Philo was 21-of-28 for 373 yards, with a touchdown and interception Sept. 6 against Gardner Webb. Overall, Philo completed 59 of 102 throws (57.8%) for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He rushed for 95 yards and a score on 16 carries.

Outlook: Philo arrives to help new Gators’ offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to replace DJ Lagway. Lagway started 19 games in two seasons but transferred after a disappointing sophomore season featuring an SEC-leading 14 interceptions and 16 touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr., a 19-year-old former 4-star prospect from Jacksonville who appeared in two games at UF in 2025. Also in the mix is true freshman Will Griffin, a 4-star prospect who set records at Tampa Jesuit.

DE Emmanuel Oyebadejo, Jacksonville State (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 6-7, 295 pounds

Resumé: Oyebadejo was an unrated prospect out of Loreto College Manchester, England, who in 2024 landed at Jacksonville State, an FCS school in Alabama.

Role: Oyebadejo recorded 41 tackles, including 6.5 for loss (4.5 sacks), in 2025. He also had six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Outlook: The Gators re-signed edge rusher Kam James of Orlando for his senior season after he recorded 44 tackles, including 4.5 sacks, in 2025 and overshadowed fifth-year senior Tyreak Sapp (34 tackles, one sack). Veteran George Gumbs Jr. (31 tackles, 2.5 sacks) also was disappointing off the edge. Meanwhile, promising true freshman Jayden Woods (28 stops, 3.5 sacks) was a top target for Sumrall.

G TJ Shanahan Jr., Penn State (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 6-4, 330 pounds

Resumé: Shanahan, the cousin of former Gators’ guard Jon Halapio, was a 4-star prospect out of Austin (Texas) Westlake High rated the nation’s No. 21 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 class by 247Sports.

Role: Shanahan appeared in five games in 13 appearances after he transferred from Texas A&M, where he started five games and played 419 snaps during 10 appearances in 2024.

Outlook: Sumrall aimed to overhauls a Gators’ offensive line expected to be one of the nation’s best, but too often was inconsistent. Slaughter and Barber are the key losses, but Shanahan, Boyer, Moore and Ugorji offer plenty of options while Harris, Jones and Lovett return with a combined 40 starts. Keep an eye on 6-foot-5, 321-pound redshirt freshman Jahari Medlock, and 2024 USC transfer center Jason Zandamela, a redshirt sophomore.

OT Eagan Boyer, Penn State (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 6-8, 302 pounds

Resumé: Boyer was a 3-star prospect rated the nation’s No. 49 offensive tackle prospect in the 2024 class.

Role: Boyer appeared in 12 games during two seasons at Penn State, including eight in 2025. His only starter was  during the Nittany Lions’ 22-10 win against Clemson Dec. 27 in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Outlook: Boyer built himself from a 240-pound prospect to become a solid rotational player at Penn State. He’ll have to continue to develop to earn a key role on a unit that has been a focal point in the portal.

RB Evan Pryor, Cincinnati (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 5-9, 195 pounds

Resumé: Pryor was a 4-star prospect at Hough High School in Cornelius, N.C., who signed at Ohio State as the nation’s No. 7 running back in the 2021 class. He played two seasons and appeared in eight games during seasons in Columbus (2021-22).

Role: Pryor rushed for 522 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and scored three times for 2025 the Bearcats after totaling 418 yards and six scores on 56 carries in 2024.

Outlook: Jadan Baugh’s 266-yard day during UF’s 40-21 season-ending win against FSU made him the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 and cemented the sophomore’s place the Gators’ key offensive weapon entering 2026. The departures of veterans Ja’Kobi Jackson, who played just four games because of injury, and Treyaun Webb, who did not play in 2025, put redshirt freshman Duke Clark and Byron Louis behind Baugh. Clark produced 58 yards on 14 carries, along with two catches for 14 yards in four appearances. Louis is a former Plantation American Heritage standout and a 4-star prospect in 2025 who did not appeared last season, but rushed 2,943 yards and 34 scores during his final two high school seasons.

K Patrick Durkin, Tulane (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 5-10, 175 pounds

Resumé: Durkin, native of Plainfield, Illinois, played at Joliet Catholic Academy where he was considered a developmental player at the college level needing to increase leg strength and explosiveness.

Role: Durkin put to rest any doubts in 2025. He was named the American Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Year after making 25-of-28 field goals attempt, with a long of 52 yards. As a redshirt freshman, Durkin tied second nationally in made field goals while also he ranked fifth with 66 touchbacks (on 77 kicks).

Outlook: Record-setter Trey Smack’s graduation and redshirt freshman Evan Noel’s departure leave the Gators in search of a kicker. Noel was rated the No. 1 kicker in the 2025 class by 247Sports.

P Alec Clark, Tulane (Jan. 6)

Vitals: 6-foot-1, 184 pounds

Resumé: Clark hails from Swan View, Australia, where he wasn’t rated among those in the 2023 class.

Role: Clark led the AAC with an average of 46.5 yards on 48 attempts, including 16 inside the 20-yard line. Clark followed new special teams coach Johathan Galante from Marshall and has two seasons of remaining eligibility. In 2024, Clark 42.4 yards on 55 punts.

Outlook: Redshirt freshman Hayden Craig, rated the No. 5 punter in the 2025 class, moved on despite Michigan transfer Tommy Doman leaving after he was a serviceable replacement for Jeremy Crawshaw, who averaged a school-record 46.4 yards per punt, including the single-season mark of 48.9 in 2023.

WR Bailey Stockton, Georgia Tech (Jan. 5)

Vitals: 5-11, 185 pounds

Resumé: Stockton was a 3-star prospect in the 2023 class who attened the Prince Avenue Christian School with Philo.

Role: Stockton 38 receptions for 439 yards and a touchdown in two seasons, including 21 catches for 233 yards during 11 appearances in 2025.

Outlook: Stockton and Mays will supplement of receiving corps built around Brown, Wilson and Singleton, Stockton’s former teammate at Georgia Tech. Groce will be a wild card as a first-year freshman.

DT DK Kalu, Baylor (Jan. 5)

Vitals: 6-4, 309 pounds

Resumé: Kala was a 3-star prospect out of Fort Bend Ridge Point in Missouri City, Texas, rated the nation’s No. 99 defensive tackle prospects in the 2023 class.

Role: Kalu recorded 11 tackles, including .5 for loss, and a quarterback hurry during nine games as a redshirt sophomore in 2025.

Outlook: The Gators lost Caleb Banks to the NFL and nose tackle Michai Boireau to the transfer portal. Baylor transfer Brendan Bett stepped in to produce (40 tackles, three sacks), while the emergence of true freshman Jeremiah McCloud (13 tackles) and Joseph Mbatchou (11) offer the Gators interior defenders to build around. UF also signed Kendall Guervil, a 4-star prospect out of Fort Myers, where he tallied 88 stops, including 12 for loss, in 2024.

TE Lacota Dippre, James Madison (Jan. 5)

Vitals: 6-3, 252 pounds

Resumé: Dippre was an unrated prospect out of Lakeland High in Jermyn, Pennsylvania, who spent 2023-24 at Charlotte, his final season on the defensive line.

Role: Dippre caught 17 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 during 13 appearances with a CFP qualifier.

Outlook: The departure of two-year starter Hayden Hansen leaves UF with only two experienced scholarship tight ends, senior Tony Livingston and redshirt sophomore Amir Jackson, who decided not to enter the portal. True freshman tight end Micah Jones, out of Madison, Miss., returns, but 3-star 2025 signee Cameron Kossman transferred. UF has yet to sign a tight end for the 2026 class. Kekua Aumua of Hawaii changed his commitment to Washington during the early signing period.

S DJ Coleman, Baylor (Jan. 4)

Vitals: 6-1, 210 pounds

Resumé: Coleman was a 3-star prospect out of Mesquite (Texas) Horn High School rated the nation’s No. 88 safety in the 2023 class.

Role: Coleman recorded 46 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups and two quarterbacks hurries during 12 games in 2025. He had 89 tackles and 13 pass breakups during 35 games in three seasons with the Bears.

Outlook: The Gators lost Castell but re-signed Thornton and return Stubbs, a Jacksonville native rated the nation’s No. 6 safety prospect in the 2025 class who managed just three tackles in eight appearances at Florida in 2025. Hall and Purter are a pair 4-star safeties in the 2026 class looking to get in the mix.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

INDIANAPOLIS – In theory, this should have been the best version of the Miami Heat.

It was anything but.

With Erik Spoelstra’s primary rotation whole for just the fourth time this season, what set up as a welcomed reunion became anything but.

Instead, a 123-99 loss Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to the NBA-worst Indiana Pacers.

With Spoelstra moving to a starting lineup seemingly as talented as any started by the team this season, the response was an early 25-point deficit and a rally that fell short to the degree that the bench was emptied with eight minutes remaining and the Heat down 25.

And this was supposed to be the easy part, with the Heat’s next four games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and then Thunder again.

So make it two losses and a postponed game to start this trip, Thursday night’s two-hour delay before postponement at Chicago United Center no longer the most annoying aspect of the week away from Kaseya Center.

“It felt like emotionally, mentally, physically, we were really ramped up and ready to play in Chicago,” Spoelstra said. “Tonight, I don’t know if I had that feeling, particularly to start this game. And they made us pay for it.”

Tuesday night’s trip-opening loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was one thing; the Timberwolves are contenders. The only thing the Pacers are contending for is the No. 1 pick in June’s draft.

“Everybody else is trying to figure out the consistency,” Spoelstra said of such a bad loss. “And we’re in that boat, too. We’re trying to figure it out.”

Tyler Herro led the Heat with 21 points in his return to the starting lineup, but there were just 13 points from Bam Adebayo and only six from Norman Powell, whose career-best streak of double-figure games ended at 35.

“I just think we didn’t come out fully ready to play,” Powell said, “and then just started snowballing after that.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

1. Game flow: The Heat went down 24 early and trailed 36-18 after the first period, their second fewest points in a period this season. The deficit then stood at 61-45 at halftime.

“It started out with turnover, score, turnover, and then foul, foul, foul,” Spoelstra said of the outset. ” And then we were playing from behind and in the mud, you know, the rest of the way.”

The Heat then climbed within seven early in the third quarter, before it quickly went south again, falling behind  by 29 in the quarter and going into the fourth down 99-72.

In many ways the tone was set at the outset, when Herro and Adebayo each airballed 3-point attempts.

As starting unit we had to come out with a better disposition, (0:19) better focus to get this team off to a good start.

“It’s unacceptable for all of us to be down 20 before the first time out,” Herro said.

2. Full house: With a full complement of rotation players, it led to adjustments beyond the starting lineup.

With Herro returning to the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 9 after dealing with a toe contusion, a move into the starting lineup that was supposed to come in Thursday night’s postponed game in Chicago, Spoelstra rounded out his starting lineup with Powell, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell.

Spoelstra then went with a bench cast of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic and Kel’el Ware.

The approach shuffled Dru Smith out of the mix until garbage time and left Kasparas Jakucionis and Simone Fontecchio out of the mix until the waning stages, as well.

“Forget about the starting lineup,” Spoelstra said. “It wasn’t like it got better when we went into the second unit. We were just on our heels the entire night.”

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• Winderman’s view: Heat whole but wholly unacceptable in loss to Pacers
• Erik Spoelstra confirms Heat moving forward with Tyler Herro as starter, Kel’el Ware as reserve
• Ira Winderman: With Trae, Terry, Giannis and Ja, a week that got real for Heat
• ASK IRA: Time for Heat’s Spoelstra to facilitate a better Bam?
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3. Drought from deep: The Heat opened 0 for 11 on 3-pointers, with their breakthrough from behind the arc not coming until Powell converted the Heat’s first 3-pointer with 10.3 seconds left in the half, ironically his 100th 3-pointer of the season.

That also was Powell’s first basket, after he opened 0 for 8 from the field. Powell was 1 of 6 on 3-pointers in the first half, Herro 0 for 3.

From there, bad went to worse. At one point midway through the third period, the Heat stood 2 of 19 on 3-pointers, while, at the same time, former Heat summer-league and G League prospect Micah Potter was 3 for 3 from beyond the arc.

“We got great looks,” Adebayo said. “We just missed them.”

Powell closed 2 of 12 from the field, 1 of 7 on 3-pointers, the Heat 4 of 30 as a team.

“Some of those were makeable shots,” Spoelstra said. “But guys were not in rhythm for sure. And then it just snowballed from there.”

4. Herro ball: Herro had his moments offensively, up to 19 points by the end of the third period. But that also included 1-of-7 3-point shooting to that stage.

He closed 8 of 19 from the field, including 1 of 8 on 3-pointers, although he did add seven rebounds and four assists.

The Heat were outscored by 14 during his minutes.

“I think we just got to keep working at it,” Herro said of the lineup change that got him back in the first unit. “It’s only our third or fourth game, I believe, as a full unit. We all want to make it work, we just got to make it work.”

5. Lots of Thunder: The Heat not only get the unenviable task of having to play the second night of this back-to-back set on Sunday against the rested Thunder, but it will be one of two games this week against the defending NBA champions.

In addition to Sunday’s game at Paycom Center against the league-leading 32-7 Thunder, the Heat will host the Thunder on Saturday night at Kaseya Center.

The Heat have been swept 2-0 by the Thunder each of the past two seasons.

While the Thunder sat reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) and emerging big man Chet Holmgren (shin) in Friday night’s 117-116 victory in Memphis, neither is on Oklahoma City’s injury report for Sunday, with only center Isaiah Hartenstein (leg), among rotation players, listed as out.

“Hopefully we can stay healthy and get through this bump and get back to winning some games,” Adebayo said.

INDIANAPOLIS — Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 123-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers:

– Based on Saturday night’s start, the debate remains whether your best lineup means starting your best players.

– An early 25-point deficit will do that.

– No, it did not look good.

– And it was about more than the early 3-point misses.

– It was about how off Norman Powell was.

– As in the leading scorer who had kept the Heat afloat amid Tyler Herro’s absences.

– Erik Spoelstra often talks about how you have to make the opposition play your game.

– But with Kel’el Ware out of the Heat first five, it allowed the Pacers to comfortably play small.

– Including playing Pascal Siakam defensively against Bam Adebayo.

– No, the Adebayo-Ware pairing was not optimal.

– And, yes, this got more Heat talent on the court at the outset.

– But we’re approaching midseason this week.

– Getting to what works has to be sooner rather than later.

– With Saturday’s starters looking better at the start of the second half.

– Briefly.

– So good enough against what is to follow this coming week?

– As in the Thunder, Suns, Celtics and Thunder?

– So here we sit in January.

– Wondering what works for the Heat.

– And if it ultimately adds up to play-in.

– Again.

– For the fifth time this season, Heat opened with a lineup of Powell, Herro, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell.

– That unit entered 2-2.

– So it was Ware to the second unit, his 11th bench appearance of the season.

– The game was Wiggins’ 800th regular-season NBA appearance.

– Adebayo is now three games from 600 career Heat regular-season appearances.

– With the Heat going smaller, the Pacers opened with a lineup of Andrew Nembhard, Quenton Jackson, Aaron Nesmith, Johnny Furphy and Pascal Siakam.

– With Mitchell called for his second foul with 7:22 left in the opening period, Jaime Jaquez Jr. entered earlier than usual.

– Jaquez had been listed as questionable earlier in the day with a stomach illness.

– With Wiggins then called for his second foul with 6:17 left in the opening period, Pelle Larsson followed as the Heat’s second reserve.

– Nikola Jovic followed.

– Then Ware as ninth man.

– Leaving Dru Smith out of that mix.

– Smith did not enter for the first time until 11:43 remained, when the Heat were down 28.

– By the time Smith entered, Myron Gardner already was on the court for the Heat.

– With depth in the backcourt to the degree that Kasparas Jakucionis soon could be headed to the G League for playing time.

– And Simone Fontecchio now buried deep on the bench.

– With Jaquez cleared just prior to the game from the stomach illness that had him questionable earlier in the day, it left the Heat with their primary rotation for only the fourth time this season.

– “Injuries, missed games really are part of this league right now,” Spoelstra said. “So we’re no different than anybody else. So we actually probably have had less of it.”

– That, of course, was prior to a game against a team that in last season’s playoffs lost Tyrese Haliburton with an Achilles tear.

– Haliburton watched in street clothes from Indiana’s bench.

– In addition, the Pacers also were without Benedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin.

– On the return of Jaquez from a two-game absence with an ankle sprain, Spoelstra was asked how it could spark the second unit.

– “Yeah, not just for the second unit, but particularly how we play right now,” Spoelstra said. “We really do need his attacking nature, his ability to get into the paint. When he’s not there, our paint numbers went way down. And that’s not a coincidence. But he’s really improved a lot of the aspects of his game.”

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– Spoelstra added, “But more so than just like the specifics of the game, it’s his competitive spirit and nature and toughness that just fits right in with us.”

– At the morning shootaround, Spoelstra reflected on the scheduled Thursday game in Chicago that was postponed due to condensation on the court at the United Center.

– “It was an unfortunate situation,” Spoelstra said. “Our guys had really prepared and I felt like emotionally we were geared up and ready to compete. Everybody’s really looking forward to it and it’s just an odd situation to be in like that and then there’s no game and you’re trying to wind down. We were back at the hotel and you normally have some kind of emotion, either a win or a loss, and there was no emotion.”

– Adebayo said he agreed with the postponement in Chicago, rather than attempting to gear back up to game readiness after such a lengthy delay.

– “After an hour of just sitting there, it kind of starts to die down,” he said of the preparedness. “So, I’m glad they rescheduled it.”

– With his first steal, Herro tied Sherman Douglas for 20th on the Heat all-time regular-season list.

By ANDREW DALTON

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 78.

Weir’s death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

Weir joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He’d spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.

Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.”

In the decades since he kept playing with other projects including Dead and Company.

“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the Instagram statement said. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”

Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.

Dead and Company played a series of concert’s for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Born in San Francisco and raised in nearby Atherton, Weir was the Dead’s youngest member and looked like a fresh-faced high-schooler in its early years. He was generally less shaggy than the rest of the band, but had a long beard like Garcia’s in later years.

The band would survive long past the hippie moment of its birth, with its fans known as Deadheads often following them on the road in a virtually non-stop tour.

“Longevity was never a major concern of ours,” Weir said when the Dead got the Grammys’ Musicares Person of the Year honor last year. “Spreading joy through the music was all we ever really had in mind and we got plenty of that done.”

General Daily Insight for January 11, 2026

Don’t jump to conclusions! As romantic Venus squares tender Chiron at 11:13 AM EST, we’re braced to navigate friction between comfort and growth. Honest discussions of sensitive topics may pinch before they heal. We can name our sore spots and protect trust with gentle boundaries, because doing these small repairs prevents bigger hurts down the line. Later, the emotional Moon squares transformative Pluto, which invites us to breathe through power struggles and rebuild care. Gentle honesty strengthens bonds and protects our tender hearts.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Aries, your focus sharpens around meaningful goals. Values-driven Venus squares wounded healer Chiron in your 10th House of Career and your very own sign, bringing a test in recognition or pay that asks for courage over defensiveness. While you could feel somewhat over-exposed, you can handle feedback like a pro by setting clear limits and proposing workable next steps. If someone attempts to rush you, stand firm! You know what you can handle, and you can avoid stress by being honest about your capacity.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

This morning invites a wider look around. Your 9th House of Higher Learning awakens as Venus squares vulnerable Chiron, with Chiron in your subtler 12th house. This asks you to challenge a limiting belief, which could come through in discussions of educational plans or travel budgets. Whatever you’re talking about, it deserves cautious patience — not rushed judgments. You can potentially gain supporters of your opinions by sharing your thought process clearly. Ask questions kindly, because curiosity opens doors and hearts.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Read your message drafts twice before clicking send. In particular, any talks about money or shared secrets deserve thoughtful responses — especially as loving Venus squares healing Chiron across your vulnerable 8th house and your 11th House of Friendship. For instance, someone might not be coming through on their half of a shared subscription, but you can ask them about it kindly rather than accusingly. Right now, open discussions of everyone’s expectations are the best way to stop conflict before it starts.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Understanding grows as you ask for the care you need. Partnership conversations shift as Venus (in your 7th House of Collaborations) nudges aching Chiron, encouraging clear requests and brave listening across family or professional bonds. If a companion delays plans, state what works for you and propose a simple solution that respects both sides. Even as Chiron in your 10th House of Status brings public pressure, grace can strengthen the bridge between needs and duties. Ask gently yet clearly, because knowledge nourishes affection.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Watch out — complications ahead! It’s likely time to tap the brakes, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop completely. When planets collide, patience protects your progress. Your 6th House of Health is entangled with your lofty 9th house as beauty-focused Venus squares moody Chiron, nudging you to adjust schedules and self-care routines with steady compassion. At this time, lasting progress is more attainable through small wins and tidy follow-through. Steady pacing should build beautiful results that actually last.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Quiet confidence arrives as you make thoughtful choices throughout the day. Venus is in your upbeat 5th house, where she’ll square therapeutic Chiron in your committed 8th house. Perfection isn’t possible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t strive to improve every day. The universe values lifelong learners, and the best way to be one is to stay curious. You’re allowed to make mistakes — it’s a natural part of refining your process. Favor small improvements, because consistent work supports personal confidence and social connections.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Libra, grace emerges through honest answers. Home dynamics ask for care as harmony-seeking Venus squares pensive Chiron, with Venus in your 4th House of Family and Chiron in your 7th House of Alliances. This is a reminder to value clear structure around chores or privacy. If a roommate leaves dishes for days, you’re allowed to point that out! Just do so calmly, or they might avoid the issue even more. Clear, polite requests should make home life smoother and kinder for all.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Deeper feelings are shaping even casual conversations. Your 3rd House of Communication comes forward as desire-driven Venus squares clumsy Chiron, encouraging you to use simple language and slow pacing to ensure everyone can keep up. If a sibling or long-time friend pushes your buttons, do your best to avoid snapping back (unless that’s the kind of playful banter you enjoy having). In more serious discussions, be willing to ask follow-up questions, even if they slow things down. Rushing ahead is a fast path to drama!

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

The truth can be complicated — today, though, it’s more likely to simplify things. Money-minded Venus is squaring curative Chiron, pushing you to match your spending habits with your values (without shaming yourself or others). This may look like turning down an outing you could technically afford, but it would inhibit the rest of the month’s budget. Stay strong! Little treats aren’t worth an empty bank account. Thoughtful spending can’t solve everything, but it’s one of the easiest ways to support your financial freedom.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Self-respect rises when you speak plainly. Encouraging Venus squares ruminative Chiron, highlighting your sense of identity and asking you to honor needs without apology — especially regarding how you act and present yourself. If a colleague doubts your timeline on a deliverable, you hold firm and keep it respectful while staying open to feedback. Personal issues could impede your plans as well, but you can weather any storm with patience. Aggression isn’t necessary to stand up for yourself. Trust your soul to anchor your choices.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

When tenderness meets truth, healing begins. Your 12th House of Closure asks for quiet as connection-focused Venus squares edgy Chiron, encouraging rest, journaling, or other ways of communicating with your inner self. Old thoughts may swirl, especially during otherwise mindless activities, like driving or doing the dishes. That might not be the time to ponder such things! You might need to step back or even pull over if you can’t get past aches off your mind. It’s okay to need a break now and then.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Soft encouragement helps friendships feel safe again. Compassionate Venus squares cosmic medic Chiron, involving your 11th House of Connections and your 2nd House of Manifestation. Your groups are the universe’s focus, whether they’re professional or personal, online or off. Try to be aware of how much time and money you spend with different circles. You may need to suggest a less expensive method of hanging out together! Don’t worry — with a little creative collaboration, you should be able to honor everyone’s desires and budgets.

Well, the Miami Dolphins did it. They really did it. They started their latest rebuild under owner Steve Ross  — Makeover V? VI? — and gave everyone hope this time could be different.

That’s because it’s actually begun differently. Properly. Ross simultaneously cleaned out the coaching and the personnel offices for once. Every previous rebuild involved a general manager and coach on uneven timetables with no concern over which job was more important. Not this time.

The talent evaluator was given top billing in this rebuild. That’s how it should be. The Dolphins’ search committee stuck to the conviction of their work by momentarily ignoring the popular name of fired coach John Harbaugh. Some (raising my hand) thought Harbaugh could solve all their problems. And maybe he could..

But the committee was sold on former Green Bay assistant Jon-Eric Sullivan, to whom two NFL executives gave thumbs-up on Saturday. Sullivan doesn’t just come from a blue-ribbon franchise where he rose under respected mentors.

He instantly becomes the central figure in this rebuild. He’s going to draft his way out of this roster’s problems, if they ever get out of them, assuming his Green Bay roots are followed.

Talent evaluating has been the Dolphins central problem for these lost two decades. They pass on quarterbacks. Their drafts are pedestrian. And it’s not because of where they draft or what they need. Just look at the either-or decisions fired general manager Chris Grier made with his first picks on recent draft days:

2020: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth pick or Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert sixth.

2021: Receiver Jaylen Waddle sixth or three-time All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell seventh.

2022: Linebacker Channing Tindall 102nd or two-year Super Bowl starter Leo Chenal at 103rd.

Do I need to go on about Sullivan’s importance? Because I can with Grier’s drafts:

2024: Either edge rusher Chop Robinson 21st or All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell 22nd.

Sure, the coach matters. And the Dolphins’ attention has swung that way by interviewing Seattle offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak on Saturday and setting up interviews for Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Robert Saleh and Chris Shula.

That’s right. There’s a next-generation Shula in the mix. This offseason is full of fresh hope, right?

Ross hasn’t decided just how to structure his new management of Sullivan, vice president of salary cap Brandon Shore and the new coach. Will they be equals reporting to Ross or an intermediary like team president Tom Garfinkel? Will Sullivan run the show?

The structure isn’t as important as the people making it work, NFL insiders say. But the new culture starts with some decisions Sullivan will make regarding the roster.

*Does he reward running back De’Von Achane with a new contract or make him play out his rookie deal? No one deserves a new contract more than Achane. But his position and the Dolphins’ previous penchant for unnecessarily reworking all contracts might cause a quick pause on it this offseason.

*What to do at quarterback? Moving on from Tua is a given. Does Sullivan like Green Bay free agent Malik Willis? And at what cost for a Dolphins franchise in salary-cap hell? The last time the Dolphins hired out of Green Bay, the public idea was coach Joe Philbin would bring quarterback Matt Flynn. But Philbin didn’t like Flynn’s game (which proved right). Willis looks more intriguing.

Green Bay might also be looked at for the Dolphins coach. There’s questions of head coach Matt LaFleur’s contract status with the Packers. But defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley could be a practical possibility if Sullivan is considering the Dolphins have to face Buffalo’s Josh Allen and New England’s Drake Maye in the AFC East for years to come.

Look what Seattle general manager John Schneider did in a similar position. Facing offensive minds like San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay in the NFC West, Seattle hired a top defensive mind as coach in Mike Macdonald.

It worked. Seattle’s the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It primarily worked because Schneider drafted like the star evaluator he is.

It takes talent to find talent. The Dolphins looked outside, cleaned the organizational slate and made the hiring of the talent evaluator the most important move of this offseason. It doesn’t mean it works, of course. It just means they’ve offered the best chance it will.

 

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside of Home Depot in West Boca on Saturday morning to protest ICE following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis this past week.

They carried signs reading “ICE: Innocent Citizen Executioners” and chanted “Say her name! Renee Nicole Good!” One man, wearing a Santa costume, walked around chanting, “Ho ho ho, ICE has got to go.”

The protest, which drew over 200 people to the intersection outside the Home Depot in the 9800 block of Glades Road, had been planned prior to the shooting to demand that Home Depot reject ICE raids targeting undocumented workers at its stores. But it quickly shifted focus after Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and legal observer, was shot and killed by an ICE agent on Wednesday, sparking national outrage. Dozens of similar protests were held throughout Florida and the rest of the country Saturday, including one in Wilton Manors; protesters also gathered in Coral Springs Friday evening.

Jennifer Jones, an organizer with Hope and Action Indivisible, which led Saturday’s protest, said only 50 people had signed up before the shooting; afterwards, more than 400 said they planned on attending.

The shooting struck a chord for many attendees, some of whom, like Good, are legal observers and activists who have followed ICE during enforcement operations in South Florida. Legal observers are volunteers who act as witnesses, Jones said, taking down names to ensure that families of those detained know where they are.

“We’re doing exactly what she was doing,” Jones told the South Florida Sun Sentinel, adding that “it definitely hit home. I have a wife; she had a wife. It’s like, oh my gosh, that could be me.”

Protesters along Glades Road outside the Home Depot in Boca Raton on Saturday January 10, 2026, call on Home Depot to take a clear stand against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Good’s shooting has sparked heavy backlash and debate. While critics have described it as an unjustified use of force, the Trump administration and its supporters defended the ICE agent’s actions as justified, saying it appeared that Good was attempting to hit him with her car. Journalists’ video analyses have argued that Good appeared to be attempting to turn her car away from the agents.

As protesters chanted Saturday, many passing drivers honked in support, while a few others gave the middle finger. One man blasted “Ice Ice Baby” from his car. The event was largely peaceful, though a few altercations took place between protesters and a small number of isolated counter-protesters. Pola Rae Leonard, 66, told the Sun Sentinel that a man punched her sign; she reported the incident to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies, who told the two to separate but did not make any arrests.

The majority of Saturday’s attendees were middle-aged or older. Several are members of South Florida’s activist community and have gone to several protests before, such as the “No Kings” anti-Trump rallies.

Many said they were struck by the footage of the shooting, as well as reports that a doctor attempted to render aid to Good but ICE stopped him.

“They’re not law enforcement, they’re just a bunch of guys cosplaying as law enforcement,” said Heidi Rabinowitz, 58, adding that the shooting was just “the top of the list,” and that she was also concerned about the U.S. involvement in Venezuela.

Lori Chops, 62, found out about the protest while celebrating her birthday Saturday morning and decided to join. She has attended other protests in the past, she said, but “today I’m here for Renee Good.”

She was particularly troubled by the fact that people could watch the same video of Good’s shooting that she had, but come away thinking it was justified.

“I’m saddened by the hatred that exists today,” she said, “and the willful blindness.”

Towards the peak of the demonstration, organizers spoke to the crowd and held a moment of silence for Good.

“Renee Good is one of many,” Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said in a speech. “The next day there was another shooting. It is not going to stop until the people of America say, ‘it must stop.'”

Petit encouraged attendees to help immigrants in the community avoid traffic stops by fixing their tail lights or removing illegal license plate covers.

Some attendees said they had not protested the administration before Saturday but felt spurred by recent events.

One of them, Alyssa Cordisco, 43, chose to attend with her 8-year-old daughter, Myla, and their dog, Pickles.

A combination of things brought Cordisco to the protest, including, she said, footage she has seen online of Good’s killing as well as immigrants being beaten or separated from their families. Cordisco also had a friend who was recently taken to the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in the Everglades; she was shocked to realize the facility hadn’t been shut down.

“I don’t know how we could possibly not come,” Cordisco said. “It is so out of control right now and appalling.”

Junior, Aly and Chris, best friends who grew up in Boca Raton together, also said Saturday was their first protest. They asked that their last names not be used, citing safety concerns.

“We think it’s gone too far already,” Junior, 28, told the Sun Sentinel. “It’s not the America we grew up in.”

Aly, 30, added that she felt that events like Good’s shooting might have a chilling effect on dissent, something that she wanted to counteract.

“I think showing up became important because it feels like they’re making a concerted effort to discourage people from coming out,” she said, “by making it feel unsafe, by making it feel like they’re watching you, by making it feel like you could die.”

Arrest at Boca Raton protest

At a Home Depot located in the 9800 block of Glades Road in Boca Raton, one criminal incident occurred during the event involving a physical altercation. Thomas Landry, of Boca Raton, was arrested and charged with battery. He was transported to the Palm Beach County Jail, where bond was set at $2,000. If bond is not posted, Landry will appear for first appearance tomorrow morning.