Vikings sign LS Jake McQuaide to active roster, waive LB Gabriel MurphyAs family and friends get together for Thanksgiving next Thursday, next week is packed full of hoops action that local fans can take full advantage. As a matter of fact, the only day next week that there isn’t a game is Thanksgiving Day. Take a look at some of the matchups and some of the special events taking place. The Rushville Lions open the 2024-25 season at home Wednesday against Shelbyville. The Lions were 5-19 last year under Coach Kerry Brown. Shelbyville went 11-12. At halftime of Wednesday’s game with the Golden Bears, there will be an unveiling of the POWMIA Chair of Honor in Memorial Gym. Members of the Rolling Thunder will be on hand to speak about the organization’s mission. The major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is to publicize POW/MIA issues. To educate the public that many American Prisoners of War were left behind after all past wars and to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners of War or Missing In Action. We are also committed to helping American veterans from all wars. Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a non-profit organization and everyone donates his or her time because they believe in the POW/MIA Issue. The junior varsity game tips at 6 p.m. Greensburg opens the season at home Tuesday in the annual county-battle with North Decatur. The Pirates are under the leadership of first year coach Collin Rigney. The JV game tips at 6 p.m. South Decatur also tips the 2024-25 season Tuesday as the Cougars face Trinity Lutheran. South is led by first year coach Josh Terwilleger. Trinity won the sectional last season, but return only two seniors and are young with eight sophomores on the roster. The JV game tips at 6 p.m. Due to the Bulldogs’ football team advancing to the Final Four, Batesville won’t open the basketball season until Dec. 6 at home against Greensburg. South Decatur travels to Milan (0-4) Monday. The JV game tips at 6 p.m. Prior to facing the Lady Indians, the Lady Cougars host North Decatur Saturday in a cross-country rivalry game. The game at Milan will end a busy month for the Lady Cougars of seven games. Class 3A No. 1 Greensburg (4-0 heading into Saturday’s game at Jennings County) looks to keep rolling at EIAC foe East Central Wednesday. The Lady Trojans are 4-0 heading into Saturday’s game at Mt. Vernon (Fortville). The JV game tips at 6 p.m. Next Saturday, the Lady Pirates host Seymour with a noon JV start. After traveling to country-rival South Saturday, the Lady Chargers host Switzerland County (0-3) Wednesday and travel to Knightstown (2-2) Saturday. The Lady Lions travel to New Palestine (2-2) Tuesday. The JV game tips at 6 p.m. Batesville (2-2) has a busy Thanksgiving week. The Lady Bulldogs host Seymour (2-1) Tuesday with a 6 p.m. JV start, host Jac-Cen-Del (1-3) Friday with a 6 p.m. JV start and travel to EIAC foe Connersville (3-1) Saturday with a 1 p.m. JV start.
Fans are calling Emma Roberts’ son her “mini me.” The actor’s son, Rhodes, celebrated his fourth birthday on Friday, Dec. 27. To mark the occasion, Roberts shared several photos of him on Instagram , starting with a sweet snap of her son smiling wide for the camera. In another pic, Rhodes lays down in his mom's lap while she took a selfie of the duo. In the last photo of the post, Rhodes stood on top of an arcade game with his mom by his side. “Happy Birthday angel boy,” Roberts wrote in the caption. “4!!” Some fans shared celebratory messages for Rhodes’ birthday while others made a point to call out the uncanny resemblance between the mother and son. “Tell me you’re Emma Roberts’ son without saying anything!” one commenter wrote. “He’s your double!” Another comment read, “I didn’t realize we were cloning people now lol. What a sweetie pie.” “He’s adorable and your mini me for sure!" one commenter pointed out. “I can see the Robert’s blood it runs strong!” an Instagram user added. “Mini you!” another comment read. “Happy birthday.” Rhodes also received a sweet birthday message from his great aunt, Julia Roberts, who wrote in the comments, “happy birthday Rhodeo.” Roberts shares Rhodes with her ex, Garrett Hedlund. The couple split in 2022, and the “American Horror Story” actor got engaged to Cody John in July 2024. Hedlund also shared a sweet Instagram post on Saturday that included several snaps of Rhodes to celebrate his birthday. “Happy 4th Birthday to my dearest Rhodes!” Hedlund wrote in the caption. “My ‘where the roses grow.’ My heart. Here’s to our new year of endless journeys!!!” In the past, Roberts has shied away from sharing her son’s face on social media, until a blunder with her mom, Kelly Cunningham. In February 2023, Cunningham posted a photo of Rhodes’ face without her daughter’s permission. Roberts opened up about how she is trying to raise her son to be a gentleman and practice good manners during an April appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. “I’m trying to reinforce the ‘thank you,’ but take away the ‘no,’” she shared. “To things that are simple, like dinnertime: (He says) ‘No, thank you,’ and I’m like, ‘Actually, you’re welcome.’ “I feel like the way to get kids to do stuff, you have to present it in a very grand way, so I’m like, ‘Your bath is ready, sir. Look at all these toys,’” she added. This story first appeared on TODAY.com . More from TODAY : San Jose State football player fatally struck by bus while riding scooter Uvalde McDonald’s features ‘Lexi burger’ in honor of slain student Matthew Perry recalls 'scary' confrontation with Jennifer Aniston: 'She was the one'Janet Yellen tells Congress US could hit debt limit in mid-January
OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF ( NYSEARCA:IVOO – Free Report ) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000. Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF during the second quarter worth $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF during the second quarter worth about $52,000. Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF Stock Performance Shares of IVOO stock opened at $113.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.55 and a beta of 1.11. Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF has a 52 week low of $85.89 and a 52 week high of $113.29. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.10. About Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF The Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF (IVOO) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P Mid Cap 400 index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index of mid-cap US companies. IVOO was launched on Sep 9, 2010 and is managed by Vanguard. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IVOO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF ( NYSEARCA:IVOO – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Trump picks Pam Bondi for next attorney generalThe Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLCAdams has 19 as CSU Northridge defeats Denver 89-60
State-owned IIFCL has urged the government to include the space sector in the harmonized list of infrastructure, aiming to ease the financing of satellite vehicle manufacturing in India. The move is seen as a strategic step to bolster the nation's space exploration capabilities. Under its subsidiary, IIFCL Projects Limited (IPL), IIFCL is currently providing advisory services to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). IIFCL's collaboration with ISRO encompasses various initiatives, including several satellite transfers to NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a commercial arm of ISRO striving to promote high-tech space activities in Indian industries. The request to streamline infrastructure financing coincides with the recent liberalization by the Union Cabinet that allows up to 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the sector. This development aims to enhance private sector involvement and technology assimilation, thereby contributing to India's self-reliance in space technology. (With inputs from agencies.)
Dow Jones Futures: Market Skids, But Nvidia Forges Base; Tesla Deliveries Loom
Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc. ( NASDAQ:SYBT – Free Report ) by 397.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,249 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,791 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Stock Yards Bancorp were worth $449,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stock Yards Bancorp during the third quarter worth $30,255,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Stock Yards Bancorp by 163.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 142,455 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,076,000 after purchasing an additional 88,364 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its stake in Stock Yards Bancorp by 534.3% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 43,057 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,139,000 after acquiring an additional 36,269 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in Stock Yards Bancorp by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 192,099 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,542,000 after purchasing an additional 28,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPS Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stock Yards Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $1,358,000. 56.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Stock Yards Bancorp Price Performance NASDAQ:SYBT opened at $76.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.06 and a 200 day moving average of $57.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91 and a beta of 0.81. Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.35 and a 52-week high of $77.82. Stock Yards Bancorp Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Stock Yards Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.07%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth SYBT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Hovde Group lowered Stock Yards Bancorp from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $67.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens lowered Stock Yards Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Stock Yards Bancorp from $65.50 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stock Yards Bancorp currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.25. View Our Latest Analysis on Stock Yards Bancorp Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director David P. Heintzman sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total transaction of $170,289.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,786 shares in the company, valued at $1,878,603.02. The trade was a 8.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Also, President Philip Poindexter sold 3,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.55, for a total value of $258,305.45. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 51,331 shares in the company, valued at $3,878,057.05. This trade represents a 6.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold a total of 31,769 shares of company stock worth $2,241,375 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders. Stock Yards Bancorp Profile ( Free Report ) Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc operates as a holding company for Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company that provides various financial services for individuals, corporations, and others in the United States. It operates in two segments, Commercial Banking, and WM&T. The Commercial Banking segment offers a range of loan and deposit products to individual consumers and businesses in all its markets through retail lending, mortgage banking, deposit services, online banking, mobile banking, private banking, commercial lending, commercial real estate lending, leasing, treasury management services, merchant services, international banking, correspondent banking, and other banking services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Stock Yards Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stock Yards Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Penn State seeks to stay perfect, takes on Fordham
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enowned sportscaster , a fixture in the world of and a beloved voice for decades, following a brave battle with cancer, his family confirmed on Friday. In a heartfelt statement, shared their sorrow: , earning him a revered place in sports broadcasting. Best known for his work with CBS, he became a household name as the host of the NCAA Tournament and as a play-by-play announcer for NFL games. left an indelible mark on fans and colleagues alike. CBS mourned Gumbel's passing Greg Gumbel's journey at CBS began decades ago, . After joining the network in 1998, he quickly became the lead play-by-play announcer . Later, he hosted for two seasons before returning to call NFL games in 2006, after the 2022 season. , president and CEO of CBS Sports, expressed his in a statement: An icon of sports journalism Though Gumbel due to his courage and determination . Greg Gumbel leaves behind . His iconic voice will echo , and his impact on the industry will not be forgotten.Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Blueprint Medicines Co. (NASDAQ:BPMC)
Vikings withstand Bears' furious rally, win on field goal in OTAxios CEO Jim VandeHei got fired up over Elon Musk ’s claims that users on Twitter-turned-X are replacing legacy media. While delivering a fervent speech at the National Press Club last Thursday, VandeHei slammed the tech billionaire for suggesting that social media users who aren’t professional journalists can provide news coverage without formal training. “Everything we do is under fire. Elon Musk sits on Twitter every day — or X today — saying like, ‘We are the media,’ ‘You are the media,’” VandeHei, a former political reporter for The Washington Post and co-founder of Politico, said at the time. “My message to Elon Musk is: Bullshit. You are not the media.” VandeHei added, “You having a blue checkmark, a Twitter handle and 300 words of cleverness doesn’t make you a reporter. ... You don’t do that by popping off on Twitter. You don’t do that by having an opinion. You do it by doing the hard work.” In the clip, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough cosigned VandeHei’s speech, noting it “needed to be said.” On Monday, Musk publicly disagreed with VandeHei’s response in a post on X , the platform he purchased in 2022 . “Yeah, whatever lmao. You are the media now. And legacy media know it,” the Tesla CEO wrote alongside a clip of VandeHei’s speech. Musk has ramped up his use of the phrase “you are the media” since Donald Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. “The reality of this election was plain to see on X, while most legacy media lied relentlessly to the public,” Musk posted days after the election. “You are the media now.” Trump tasked Musk to co-head his proposed “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside biotech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy . “Please encourage more citizen journalism! You can do live video easily from your phone,” the SpaceX founder wrote in a separate post on X in September 2023. “More on-the-ground reporting from regular citizens will change the world.” Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. In a clip uploaded to X on Nov. 2, Musk claimed “citizen journalism” is “better than conventional journalism” because “you’ve got real-time aggregation of the collective wisdom of tens of millions of people.” Watch a clip of VandeHei’s speech below. Related From Our PartnerFraud in the Digital Age: Why Shared Intelligence is the Key to Staying Ahead
Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. If ever a year deserved to be summed up in a cheap meme, it was 2024. It was the year that felt like being awake during surgery . Sometimes the social media chuckle gallery hits the nail right on the head, but for all the spot-on accuracy of that assessment, it’s also a year that warranted a search for its better angels; a sifting through the flotsam and jetsam for the fairy dust and joy. And there were halos to be found if you looked hard enough. “This is the biggest show we’ve done on this tour or any tour,” Taylor Swift told the crowd of 96,000 at the MCG. Credit: Jason South There was, for instance, a moment back in February when the MCG – traditionally a place that brings the feels during footy in September or the cricket on Boxing Day – seemed to swallow the entire city in a joyous embrace as host to the largest crowd of Taylor Swift’s entire 149-show Eras Tour . It was a tour, and a show, unlike anything Australia or Swift herself had ever seen. “You’re making me feel like I get to play a show for 96,000 beautiful people in Melbourne tonight,” a visibly stunned Swift told the heaving crowd, which was boosted by several thousand more fans “Taylor-gating” outside the stadium. “This is the biggest show that we have done on this tour, or any tour, ever.” The Swiftian joyfest then moved north to Sydney, where the total turnout was even bigger (320,000 across four shows). “Sydney, you are making me feel absolutely phenomenal,” she declared. The feeling was clearly mutual and spread far beyond the venues. As she had done on other stops on the Eras tour, Swift proved a human tonic to everything that ails us — from economic worries (Swiftonomics became a subject worthy of study) to general social malaise. We spend much of our time worrying about the yoof; especially young women. Well, in 2024 Taylor Swift turned up to show us that the kids are alright. And she wasn’t alone. Swiftmania was the herald of what would become the year that “girl power” – a worn and slightly tatty ’90s concept – received a fresh, ferocious update for the 21st century as something deeper, stronger and powered by a kind of worldly-wise joy. Year of the brat Forget sense and sensibility; 2024 was all sass and sensibility. Sabrina Carpenter parlayed her supporting status on the Eras Tour into a blockbuster year that elevated her to near the very top of the tree with no need for Swift’s booster seat. In Carpenter, pop music added another voice that was savvy, sassy, sexy and smart — from the unavoidable bop of Espresso to the come-to-bed brashness of her smash album Short n’ Sweet . Charli XCX took things a step further. The British singer staked her claim to the year by giving 2024 a word, a colour and an attitude all wrapped up in one album – Brat . She summed it up like this: “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.” Was 2024 the year of the brat? Charli XCX fans certainly thought so. If it doesn’t make sense to you, that’s probably because it isn’t meant to. But as a sensibility, it rode a cultural wave – the joy wave – so adroitly Kamala Harris even hitched her (ill-fated) Joy Wagon to the phenomenon. On a similar train was American Chappell Roan – dubbed the Joy Rebel of the Year – whose success confirmed young women were increasingly sailing different seas from the rest of the culture, and landing in happier places. Gold medal to Celine Dion’s Paris Olympics performance. Credit: Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images In July, it was a diva of a different era who elevated the Paris Olympics, as a wet and occasionally weird opening ceremony gave way to the thing we mostly remember about it – the moment we heard the voice and then spotted the figure of a glistening Celine Dion perched within the Eiffel Tower . It was a moment of extraordinary power – of personal resilience and vocal artistry – that lifted the event out of the damp Paris streets and elevated it to a moment of genuine collective emotion. Paris in summer was where we went looking for hope during the Australian winter, and our team delivered. Well, the women did anyway, bringing home 13 of the 18 gold and 27 of the 45 medals overall for our greatest Games ever. Alongside the usual heroics in the pool ( Kaylee McKeown became the first Australian to win four individual gold was one stand-out among a team of them) there were more eccentric goings-on elsewhere in the Olympic city. You could, if you so chose, react to Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s zero-point car crash with a scowl and a sneer, and many did, but the open-hearted were able to see the funny side. As were comedians around the world, who found in the Australian breakdancer one of the year’s true unifying comedic moments . In a year of much misery, this achievement should not be underappreciated. There were happy cultural warriors elsewhere, too. In Hollywood, Nicole Kidman seemed to star in every other movie and series – as Steve Martin quipped at the Emmys , “when I see an actor I don’t know, I just say, ‘I loved your scene with Nicole Kidman’, and nine times out of 10, I’m right”. Our Nic took time out from starring in everything to win everything. This included inhaling the very rare air of an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award . Flying the flag for the younger generation, Adelaide’s Sarah Snook carted home an Emmy and a Golden Globe and warmed up for her 2025 Broadway run in The Picture Of Dorian Gray with a Laurence Olivier Award for the same tour de force in London. Ms Everywhere: It was a big year for Nicole Kidman. Credit: Dave Benett/WireImage Loyalty to royalty Acting royalty elevated us to higher planes. Garden variety royalty also played its part. Mary Donaldson, erstwhile of Hobart and Sydney, became Queen of Denmark in January, giving hope to everyone who met someone in a bar during the Sydney Olympics almost 25 years ago. You don’t have to love royalty to breathe the occasional sigh of relief at the distraction they provide from the daily grind, and you don’t have to be a monarchist to be pleased that the Princess of Wales faced and emerged from a cancer diagnosis in strong and dignified spirit. In the natural world, bad news abounds when it comes to climate change – but there were bright spots. Did you know Britain closed its last coal power station in September ? Or that renewables surged even in the US, where wind generation outpaced coal for the first time? Or that in the Amazon, deforestation reached record lows this year? It did. All is not lost yet. For some old-fashioned cheer from Mother Nature, you could wallow in dog and cat videos on social media (and millions of us did) – or you could turn your gaze to another heroine we didn’t know we needed, the Tay Tay of the Choeropsis liberiensis world. In September, the world fell in love with Moo Deng , a pygmy hippo, a girl whose social media fame drew attention to the plight and past of her species. Who knew the pygmy hippo came with a history this rich, star of a Liberian legend in which Moo Deng’s kind find their way through the forest at night by carrying diamonds in their mouths to light the way? This pigmy hippo has become a viral sensation. Credit: Khao Kheow Open Zoo Now we know, and we are the better for it. Closer to home, Pesto the king penguin gained global fame as a social media superstar , famous on TikTok as the largest chick Melbourne’s Sea Life aquarium has ever seen. Big, beautiful and comfortable in his own skin, Pesto was the kind of hero – “calm, curious and friendly” – we needed in a year when male humans to admire were thin on the ground. For other bright lights in the darkness, we needed look no further than our own southern skies, with the return on several occasions of the Aurora Australis , which made rare and spectacular appearances as far north as Queensland in May, September and October. Scientists and citizens alike were dazzled by a liquid light show of pinks and whites and purples and greens. Was there a better symbol of hope than this – a phenomenon named for Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, announcing the arrival of a new day? It was as if we had been given a celestial preview of what would become the year’s biggest cultural event, one that also asked us to look skyward – or in the words of the song of the year, Defying Gravity , “look to the western sky”. Bright lights, all right. Aurora Australis seen in Victoria. Credit: Facebook/Travis Carroll The screen adaptation of Wicked landed in cinemas in mid-November, amid one of the strangest promotional tours in memory and hot on the heels of an American political earthquake two weeks earlier. The weird on-camera adventures of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were at times almost as entertaining as the film they starred in. And the movie’s storyline, adapted from the 2003 stage musical, could have been taken as a contemporary riff on the state of the world , very specifically, at the end of 2024. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in Wicked. Credit: Out.com Wicked is a tale of defiance and friendship forged in the most difficult of circumstances; of surmounting challenges and differences; of flying, literally, in the face of a world that seeks to define you. It was, as so many of the hopeful things were in 2024, a message delivered by and to young women startling in their confidence and talent, happy to defy the doom with which the times seek to burden them. The song that ends the film became the year’s musical battle cry – a moment when art and heart met irresistible force, and art and heart won. If ever a year needed an anthem , it was this one – and in Defying Gravity it found it. In a year that insisted we be sad and scared – or summed up in a cheap meme – it was proof there was still space for hearts and minds to soar. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .
‘Drill, baby, drill’: What Trump’s directive for public land management means for Colorado
Alex Ovechkin expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left legWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season at the White House on Monday by issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in southern Minnesota. Biden welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles. “It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. That's when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability. Biden is 82. Until Inauguration Day, the president and first lady Jill Biden will continue a busy run of festivities that will double as their long goodbye. The White House schedule in December is replete with holiday parties for various constituencies, from West Wing staff to members of Congress and the White House press corps. Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president's home state of Delaware. “The peach pie in my state is one of my favorites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Biden's right. “Peach is making a last-minute plea,” Biden said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters. Biden introduced Peach as a bird who “lives by the motto, ‘Keep calm and gobble on.’” Blossom, the president said, has a different motto: “No fowl play. Just Minnesota nice.” Peach and Blossom came from the farm of John Zimmerman, near the southern Minnesota city of Northfield. Zimmerman, who has raised about 4 million turkeys, is president of the National Turkey Federation, the group that has gifted U.S. presidents Thanksgiving turkeys since the Truman administration after World War II. President Harry Truman, however, preferred to eat the birds. Official pardon ceremonies did not become an annual White House tradition until the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1989. With their presidential reprieve, Peach and Blossom will live out their days at Farmamerica, an agriculture interpretative center near Waseca in southern Minnesota. The center's aim is to promote agriculture and educate future farmers and others about agriculture in America. Separately Monday, first lady Jill Biden received the official White House Christmas tree that will be decorated and put on display in the Blue Room. The 18.5 foot (5.64 meters) Fraser fir came from a farm in an area of western North Carolina that recently was devastated by Hurricane Helene . Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm lost thousands of trees in the storm “but this one remained standing and they named it ‘Tremendous’ for the extraordinary hope that it represents,” Jill Biden said at the event. The Bidens were also traveling to New York City on Monday for an evening “Friendsgiving” event at a Coast Guard station on Staten Island. Biden began his valedictory calendar Friday night with a gala for hundreds of his friends, supporters and staff members who gathered in a pavilion erected on the South Lawn, with a view out to the Lincoln Memorial. Cabinet secretaries, Democratic donors and his longest-serving staff members came together to hear from the president and pay tribute, with no evidence that Biden was effectively forced from the Democratic ticket this summer and watched Vice President Kamala Harris suffer defeat on Nov. 5. “I’m so proud that we’ve done all of this with a deep belief in the core values of America,” said Biden, sporting a tuxedo for the black-tie event. Setting aside his criticisms of Trump as a fundamental threat to democracy, Biden added his characteristic national cheerleading: “I fully believe that America is better positioned to lead the world today than at any point in my 50 years of public service.” The first lady toasted her husband with a nod to his 2020 campaign promise to “restore the soul of the nation,” in Trump’s aftermath. With the results on Election Day, however, Biden’s four years now become sandwiched in the middle of an era dominated by Trump's presence on the national stage and in the White House. Even as the first couple avoided the context surrounding the president's coming exit, those political realities were nonetheless apparent, as younger Democrats like Maryland Gov. Wes Moore , Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Biden's Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg not only raised their glasses to the president but held forth with many attendees who could remain in the party's power circles in the 2028 election cycle and beyond. ___ Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
