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Figure skater Alysa Liu retired for two years: How the time away helped her skating

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Whoever said “quitters never win,” never met Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu. Liu’s figure skating comeback has been remarkable: The 20-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the Milan Cortina Games and a 2025 world figure skating champ.Her free skate on Olympic ice on Thursday clinched the 20-year-old the gold, marking the first time a U.S. woman won an individual figure skating gold since 2002.”My family is out there. My friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them,” Liu told the Associated Press afterward. “When I see other people out there smiling, because I see them in the audience, then I have to smile, too. I have no poker face.”She sat in third place after the short program and is the top American in those standings. The approach she took was one with no pressure on herself.”I’m OK if I do a fail program. I’m totally OK if I do a great program,” she said after the short program, according to the Associated Press. “No matter what the outcome is, it’s still my story.”Looking at her career and why she leftLiu became the youngest U.S. figure skating champ at 13. She’s the first female figure skater to land a quadruple jump in international competition.But at age 16, she announced her retirement from figure skating. Liu said she hated skating by that point and had been planning her exit for a year before she did it. Liu had skated since the age of 5. Skating can be a solitary and controlled sport. She craved teen normalcy, time with friends and freedom. She put her skates in the closet and said she didn’t miss the ice at all. “I left the sport completely,” Liu said. “Like I wouldn’t step in the rink. Honestly, I was low-key traumatized.”Liu spent the next two years making up for lost time. She spent time with her siblings in Oakland, California. She’s the oldest of five kids. She hung out with high school friends, graduated and traveled the world, including hiking in the Himalayas. She enrolled at UCLA and picked up a new sport: skiing. Skiing reminded her of skating because of the sensation of the cold air on her skin. One day, she ventured into a rink with a friend. And, she didn’t hate it. In fact, she enjoyed it. Making a comeback She started skating again for fun and then floated the idea of coming out of retirement to her longtime coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo. “I said, ‘Please don’t.’ I really did. I said, ‘Please don’t. Respect your legacy as an Olympic bronze medalist,’” DiGuglielmo said.DiGuglielmo had coached Liu since she was 5. “We had a Zoom call for two hours,” DiGuglielmo said. “The story is, I had a lot of glasses of wine over those two hours. And she talked me into a comeback.”Liu and DiGuglielmo resumed training for just seven months, and she won the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. DiGuglielmo said no one has taken a two-year break from skating and pulled off such a feat. “It makes me think if I was one of those athletes, I’d be like, ‘Why did I just skate for the last year? I could have taken a vacation for two years. But that’s Alysa. She’s different,” DiGuglielmo said. Liu pointed out that she left her sport while still in puberty. At 20, she’s physically and mentally stronger. And, she’s competing on her own terms, taking an active role in choreography, competition and training. “I have a perspective not many of the athletes in the sport have,” Liu said. “So many people, their goal is the Olympics, and when they get there, and it’s over, they don’t know what to do. I’m really just doing this for fun.”PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

Whoever said “quitters never win,” never met Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu.

Liu’s figure skating comeback has been remarkable: The 20-year-old is a 2025 world figure skating champ and an two-time Olympic gold medalist in the Milan Cortina Games.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Alysa Liu of Team United States competes in the Women’s Single Skating – Short Program on Feb. 6, 2026.

Her free skate on Olympic ice on Thursday clinched the 20-year-old the gold, marking the first time a U.S. woman won an individual figure skating gold since 2002.

“My family is out there. My friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them,” Liu told the Associated Press afterward. “When I see other people out there smiling, because I see them in the audience, then I have to smile, too. I have no poker face.”

She sat in third place after the short program and is the top American in those standings. The approach she took was one with no pressure on herself.

“I’m OK if I do a fail program. I’m totally OK if I do a great program,” she said after the short program, according to the Associated Press. “No matter what the outcome is, it’s still my story.”

Looking at her career and why she left

Liu became the youngest U.S. figure skating champ at 13. She’s the first female figure skater to land a quadruple jump in international competition.

But at age 16, she announced her retirement from figure skating. Liu said she hated skating by that point and had been planning her exit for a year before she did it.

Liu had skated since the age of 5. Skating can be a solitary and controlled sport. She craved teen normalcy, time with friends and freedom. She put her skates in the closet and said she didn’t miss the ice at all.

“I left the sport completely,” Liu said. “Like I wouldn’t step in the rink. Honestly, I was low-key traumatized.”

Liu spent the next two years making up for lost time. She spent time with her siblings in Oakland, California. She’s the oldest of five kids. She hung out with high school friends, graduated and traveled the world, including hiking in the Himalayas. She enrolled at UCLA and picked up a new sport: skiing.

Skiing reminded her of skating because of the sensation of the cold air on her skin. One day, she ventured into a rink with a friend. And, she didn’t hate it. In fact, she enjoyed it.

Making a comeback

She started skating again for fun and then floated the idea of coming out of retirement to her longtime coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo.

“I said, ‘Please don’t.’ I really did. I said, ‘Please don’t. Respect your legacy as an Olympic bronze medalist,’” DiGuglielmo said.

DiGuglielmo had coached Liu since she was 5.

“We had a Zoom call for two hours,” DiGuglielmo said. “The story is, I had a lot of glasses of wine over those two hours. And she talked me into a comeback.”

WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images
Alysa Liu reacts after competing in the figure skating women’s single free skating final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 19, 2026.

Liu and DiGuglielmo resumed training for just seven months, and she won the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. DiGuglielmo said no one has taken a two-year break from skating and pulled off such a feat.

“It makes me think if I was one of those athletes, I’d be like, ‘Why did I just skate for the last year? I could have taken a vacation for two years. But that’s Alysa. She’s different,” DiGuglielmo said.

Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Gold medalist Alyssa Liu of Team United States celebrates after the medal ceremony for the Team Event on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 8, 2026, in Milan, Italy.

Liu pointed out that she left her sport while still in puberty. At 20, she’s physically and mentally stronger. And, she’s competing on her own terms, taking an active role in choreography, competition and training.

“I have a perspective not many of the athletes in the sport have,” Liu said. “So many people, their goal is the Olympics, and when they get there, and it’s over, they don’t know what to do. I’m really just doing this for fun.”

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February 20, 2026
‘A long time coming’: Figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek makes Olympic debut at 42

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A seasoned U.S.-born figure skater is making history: Deanna Stellato-Dudek is among the oldest figure skaters to make her Olympic debut in the last century, doing so at the Milan Cortina Games at 42 years old.Related video above: 44-year-old snowboarder Nick Baumgartner embraces experience and humor on his way to fifth Olympic GamesIt’s a dream that’s been many years in the making, but particularly over the last decade.Stellato-Dudek is competing in the pairs event with partner Maxime Deschamps for Canada’s Olympic team. They had a strong short program on Sunday until Stellato-Dudek’s fluke fall at the end of their reverse lasso lift. They scored just 66.04.”That has never happened before. It was the first time,” Stellato-Dudek said. “I guess it cost us around 10 points.”As of the end of the short programs for pairs, they sit in 14th place. They’re among the 16 teams that qualified for the free skate.”I feel like I’m going 100 miles per hour going down the highway,” Stellato said of her first Olympic experience to Olympics.com. “I hope that people learn to never limit themselves. The only limits are the ones that you put on yourself.”It’s far from her only recent setback. The former world champion and Dechamps weren’t even sure they would compete at these Olympics when she sustained a head injury in a recent practice fall. A remarkable comebackStellato-Dudek was a top singles skater for the U.S. in the late 1990s, but several injuries led her to retire from competition in 2001.Her comeback from retirement came more than a decade later in 2016, specifically seeking out the dream to compete on Olympic ice.Her return was prompted by a question she answered at a work retreat as an aesthetician. The question? “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”Her answer surprised even her.”I would win an Olympic gold medal.”That instance prompted her to lace up her skates and return to the ice. She began skating pairs at 34 years old with Nathan Bartholomay.She and Bartholomay medaled at the U.S. Championships, but he decided to retire due to nagging injuries.Her comeback success gained steam after she began skating with her current pairs partner, French-Canadian Maxime Deschamps. She continued to see through her Olympic dream, quitting her job and moving to Montreal to do so.The pair won the world title in 2024. With that win, Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to win a world title in any figure skating discipline.Stellato-Dudek retained Canadian citizenship in 2024.Olympic dream realizedHer arrival at the Milan Cortina Games has been surreal for the veteran skater. “Since we arrived here and we saw the Olympic rings, like, we’ve taken a bunch of photographs, and I’ve cried before every one, so I’ve looked hideous in every picture I’ve taken,” she told the Associated Press. “When I set out on this journey in 2016, not one person told me I would make it to the Olympics, and I thought I would be there at – god, 34, and I’m 42.”So to know me is to know that I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”But beyond anything else, her hope is to spark a trend among skaters who are older.It’s something that Hearst Television’s Get the Facts Data team has seen across all winter Olympians, too.During the past 40 years, the average age of winter Olympic medalists has steadily risen from 24 to 28 by the 2022 Games. The increase is even more pronounced among women, whose average age climbed from 23 to 28.Stellato-Dudek is among those paving the way for older Olympians.”I’m always really happy to represent for the millennials and the women in their 40s,” she told NBC Olympics. “You know, we’re constantly underestimated, and we’re constantly told no, and there’s not one person that told me that I could achieve this when I started.”She called her Olympic debut “a long time coming.””I always hope in the future that someone breaks my record,” she told Olympics.com. “That’s something that I would love to see.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A seasoned U.S.-born figure skater is making history: Deanna Stellato-Dudek is among the oldest figure skaters to make her Olympic debut in the last century, doing so at the Milan Cortina Games at 42 years old.

Related video above: 44-year-old snowboarder Nick Baumgartner embraces experience and humor on his way to fifth Olympic Games

It’s a dream that’s been many years in the making, but particularly over the last decade.

Stellato-Dudek is competing in the pairs event with partner Maxime Deschamps for Canada’s Olympic team.

They had a strong short program on Sunday until Stellato-Dudek’s fluke fall at the end of their reverse lasso lift. They scored just 66.04.

“That has never happened before. It was the first time,” Stellato-Dudek said. “I guess it cost us around 10 points.”

As of the end of the short programs for pairs, they sit in 14th place. They’re among the 16 teams that qualified for the free skate.

“I feel like I’m going 100 miles per hour going down the highway,” Stellato said of her first Olympic experience to Olympics.com. “I hope that people learn to never limit themselves. The only limits are the ones that you put on yourself.”

Elsa/Getty Images
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and partner Maxime Deschamps of Team Canada compete in Pair Skating – Short Program on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 15, 2026, in Milan, Italy.

It’s far from her only recent setback. The former world champion and Dechamps weren’t even sure they would compete at these Olympics when she sustained a head injury in a recent practice fall.

A remarkable comeback

Stellato-Dudek was a top singles skater for the U.S. in the late 1990s, but several injuries led her to retire from competition in 2001.

Her comeback from retirement came more than a decade later in 2016, specifically seeking out the dream to compete on Olympic ice.

Her return was prompted by a question she answered at a work retreat as an aesthetician. The question? “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

Her answer surprised even her.

“I would win an Olympic gold medal.”

That instance prompted her to lace up her skates and return to the ice. She began skating pairs at 34 years old with Nathan Bartholomay.

She and Bartholomay medaled at the U.S. Championships, but he decided to retire due to nagging injuries.

Her comeback success gained steam after she began skating with her current pairs partner, French-Canadian Maxime Deschamps. She continued to see through her Olympic dream, quitting her job and moving to Montreal to do so.

The pair won the world title in 2024. With that win, Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to win a world title in any figure skating discipline.

Stellato-Dudek retained Canadian citizenship in 2024.

Olympic dream realized

Her arrival at the Milan Cortina Games has been surreal for the veteran skater.

“Since we arrived here and we saw the Olympic rings, like, we’ve taken a bunch of photographs, and I’ve cried before every one, so I’ve looked hideous in every picture I’ve taken,” she told the Associated Press. “When I set out on this journey in 2016, not one person told me I would make it to the Olympics, and I thought I would be there at – god, 34, and I’m 42.

“So to know me is to know that I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and partner Maxime Deschamps of Team Canada compete in Pair Skating – Short Program on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 15, 2026, in Milan, Italy.

But beyond anything else, her hope is to spark a trend among skaters who are older.

It’s something that Hearst Television’s Get the Facts Data team has seen across all winter Olympians, too.

During the past 40 years, the average age of winter Olympic medalists has steadily risen from 24 to 28 by the 2022 Games. The increase is even more pronounced among women, whose average age climbed from 23 to 28.

Stellato-Dudek is among those paving the way for older Olympians.

“I’m always really happy to represent for the millennials and the women in their 40s,” she told NBC Olympics. “You know, we’re constantly underestimated, and we’re constantly told no, and there’s not one person that told me that I could achieve this when I started.”

She called her Olympic debut “a long time coming.”

“I always hope in the future that someone breaks my record,” she told Olympics.com. “That’s something that I would love to see.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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February 16, 2026
Freestyle skier Quinn Dehlinger’s Olympic dream takes flight

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Freestyle skier Quinn Dehlinger punched his Olympic ticket eight months before most of his fellow 2026 Olympians. Dehlinger found out last June that he’d earned a spot in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. It was a huge relief after he barely missed out on making the 2022 Beijing Team. It was a game-changer, mentally, heading into World Cup races this season.”Going into the competitions this year, if I got sick or had a minor injury, it lifted a little of the weight off the shoulders,” Dehlinger said. Dehlinger lives in Park City, Utah, where aerial skiers train year-round at the Utah Olympic Park. But he grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, skiing at Perfect North Slopes.It’s a far cry from the mountains out west. But it’s become a pipeline for aerial athletes. In fact, four skiers on the national team are from the Cincinnati area.Top aerial skiers spend their summers in Park City training at the Spence Eccles Olympic Freestyle Pool. The pool is aerated. Skiers go off plastic jumps similar to a regular ski jump. The aerated water provides a soft, safe landing and pushes skiers to the surface. The only hitch? Skiers have to hike more than 100 stairs to get to the top of the ramp.Aerialists are often called acrobats on skis. They rely on strength, flexibility and visualization techniques.”When you’re going down that jump at 45 miles an hour, and it’s 14 feet tall and 71 degrees, it looks like a wall of ice,” Dehlinger said. “You’re visualizing dropping your arms in a specific spot so that it either speeds up your twist or stops your twist, or helps you slow down your flip, or just controls everything.”Dehlinger said fans often get one thing wrong about his sport.”The biggest misconception is that we just don’t get scared. We do get scared, but we just deal with a different way. We just push it down and do what we need to do,” Dehlinger said. And what Dehlinger needs to do now is get to the top of the ramp at Milan-Cortina. He’s already visualizing gold and ready to find out if he’s got what it takes. The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games start Feb. 6.

Freestyle skier Quinn Dehlinger punched his Olympic ticket eight months before most of his fellow 2026 Olympians.

Dehlinger found out last June that he’d earned a spot in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. It was a huge relief after he barely missed out on making the 2022 Beijing Team.

It was a game-changer, mentally, heading into World Cup races this season.

“Going into the competitions this year, if I got sick or had a minor injury, it lifted a little of the weight off the shoulders,” Dehlinger said.

Dehlinger lives in Park City, Utah, where aerial skiers train year-round at the Utah Olympic Park. But he grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, skiing at Perfect North Slopes.

It’s a far cry from the mountains out west. But it’s become a pipeline for aerial athletes. In fact, four skiers on the national team are from the Cincinnati area.

Top aerial skiers spend their summers in Park City training at the Spence Eccles Olympic Freestyle Pool. The pool is aerated. Skiers go off plastic jumps similar to a regular ski jump. The aerated water provides a soft, safe landing and pushes skiers to the surface.

The only hitch? Skiers have to hike more than 100 stairs to get to the top of the ramp.

Aerialists are often called acrobats on skis. They rely on strength, flexibility and visualization techniques.

“When you’re going down that jump at 45 miles an hour, and it’s 14 feet tall and 71 degrees, it looks like a wall of ice,” Dehlinger said. “You’re visualizing dropping your arms in a specific spot so that it either speeds up your twist or stops your twist, or helps you slow down your flip, or just controls everything.”

Dehlinger said fans often get one thing wrong about his sport.

“The biggest misconception is that we just don’t get scared. We do get scared, but we just deal with a different way. We just push it down and do what we need to do,” Dehlinger said.

And what Dehlinger needs to do now is get to the top of the ramp at Milan-Cortina. He’s already visualizing gold and ready to find out if he’s got what it takes.

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games start Feb. 6.

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January 23, 2026
Olympic games a long time coming for Team USA curler Korey Dropkin

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I was born and grew up and raised at the Curling Club. That club, Broomstones in Wayland, Massachusetts, *** place with *** down to earth approach to the sport. It was so nice growing up there. Some curling clubs have more of *** commercial business feel, and then there’s curling clubs that have *** real homey feel, and Brimstones is top of the list in terms of. That home club feel, um, and that’s like one of the things, probably the thing I appreciate most about Brimstones. Dropkin learned precision, teamwork, and strategy there. Three core principles he mastered, resulting in early success, *** bronze medal at the Junior Olympics. You know, it was that moment where I was like, wow, this is incredible. Like look at this medal. Now I want some more of this. Unfortunately, international success eluded him until now. With his mixed doubles partner Corey Thiessen, he’s headed to his first Olympic Games, something he visualized would happen for *** very long time. It’s just knowing that if I keep my head down, if I keep working hard, and if I keep dreaming big, that one day I can get there, and it might not be smooth because it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but if I don’t, if I don’t let up, if I don’t. You know, if I keep going, I can get there. And now he’s there. Dropkin and Thiessen playfully use the nickname Corey and Corey to reference their team. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Fletcher Mackle.

Olympic games a long time coming for Team USA curler Korey Dropkin

Updated: 6:00 AM EST Jan 22, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

The first curling club was founded in Scotland in 1716, but curling didn’t become an Olympic medal sport until the 1998 games in Nagano.As a child, Korey Dropkin watched Olympic curling on TV, and it was love at first sight. “I was born and raised growing up at the curling club,” Dropkin said.That club, Broomstones in Wayland, Massachusetts, a place with a down-to-earth approach to the sport.”It was so nice growing up there, you know, some clubs have a commercial, business-like feel, and then there’s curling clubs that have a real homey feel, and Broomstones is top of the list in having that home club feel,” Dropkin said.Dropkin learned precision, teamwork and strategy there, three core principles he mastered, resulting in early success, a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics.”It was that moment when I was like, this is incredible, like look at this medal, now I want some more of this,” Dropkin said.Unfortunately, international success eluded him until now. Teaming with mixed doubles partner Cory Thiesse, he’s headed to his first Olympic Games, something he visualized for a long time.”Just knowing that if I keep my head down and I keep working hard and dreaming big, I could get there, and it might not be smooth because it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but if I don’t let up, if I keep going i can get there,” Dropkin said. And now he’s there. Dropkin and Thiesse use the playful nickname “Cory and Korey” for their team.

The first curling club was founded in Scotland in 1716, but curling didn’t become an Olympic medal sport until the 1998 games in Nagano.

As a child, Korey Dropkin watched Olympic curling on TV, and it was love at first sight.

“I was born and raised growing up at the curling club,” Dropkin said.

That club, Broomstones in Wayland, Massachusetts, a place with a down-to-earth approach to the sport.

“It was so nice growing up there, you know, some clubs have a commercial, business-like feel, and then there’s curling clubs that have a real homey feel, and Broomstones is top of the list in having that home club feel,” Dropkin said.

Dropkin learned precision, teamwork and strategy there, three core principles he mastered, resulting in early success, a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics.

“It was that moment when I was like, this is incredible, like look at this medal, now I want some more of this,” Dropkin said.

Unfortunately, international success eluded him until now. Teaming with mixed doubles partner Cory Thiesse, he’s headed to his first Olympic Games, something he visualized for a long time.

“Just knowing that if I keep my head down and I keep working hard and dreaming big, I could get there, and it might not be smooth because it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but if I don’t let up, if I keep going i can get there,” Dropkin said.

And now he’s there. Dropkin and Thiesse use the playful nickname “Cory and Korey” for their team.

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January 21, 2026
Olympic games a long time coming for Team USA curler Korey Dropkin

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I was born and grew up and raised at the Curling Club. That club, Broomstones in Wayland, Massachusetts, *** place with *** down to earth approach to the sport. It was so nice growing up there. Some curling clubs have more of *** commercial business feel, and then there’s curling clubs that have *** real homey feel, and Brimstones is top of the list in terms of. That home club feel, um, and that’s like one of the things, probably the thing I appreciate most about Brimstones. Dropkin learned precision, teamwork, and strategy there. Three core principles he mastered, resulting in early success, *** bronze medal at the Junior Olympics. You know, it was that moment where I was like, wow, this is incredible. Like look at this medal. Now I want some more of this. Unfortunately, international success eluded him until now. With his mixed doubles partner Corey Thiessen, he’s headed to his first Olympic Games, something he visualized would happen for *** very long time. It’s just knowing that if I keep my head down, if I keep working hard, and if I keep dreaming big, that one day I can get there, and it might not be smooth because it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but if I don’t, if I don’t let up, if I don’t. You know, if I keep going, I can get there. And now he’s there. Dropkin and Thiessen playfully use the nickname Corey and Corey to reference their team. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Fletcher Mackle.

Olympic games a long time coming for Team USA curler Korey Dropkin

Updated: 3:00 AM PST Jan 22, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

The first curling club was founded in Scotland in 1716, but curling didn’t become an Olympic medal sport until the 1998 games in Nagano.As a child, Korey Dropkin watched Olympic curling on TV, and it was love at first sight. “I was born and raised growing up at the curling club,” Dropkin said.That club, Broomstones in Wayland, Massachusetts, a place with a down-to-earth approach to the sport.”It was so nice growing up there, you know, some clubs have a commercial, business-like feel, and then there’s curling clubs that have a real homey feel, and Broomstones is top of the list in having that home club feel,” Dropkin said.Dropkin learned precision, teamwork and strategy there, three core principles he mastered, resulting in early success, a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics.”It was that moment when I was like, this is incredible, like look at this medal, now I want some more of this,” Dropkin said.Unfortunately, international success eluded him until now. Teaming with mixed doubles partner Cory Thiesse, he’s headed to his first Olympic Games, something he visualized for a long time.”Just knowing that if I keep my head down and I keep working hard and dreaming big, I could get there, and it might not be smooth because it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but if I don’t let up, if I keep going i can get there,” Dropkin said. And now he’s there. Dropkin and Thiesse use the playful nickname “Cory and Korey” for their team.

The first curling club was founded in Scotland in 1716, but curling didn’t become an Olympic medal sport until the 1998 games in Nagano.

As a child, Korey Dropkin watched Olympic curling on TV, and it was love at first sight.

“I was born and raised growing up at the curling club,” Dropkin said.

That club, Broomstones in Wayland, Massachusetts, a place with a down-to-earth approach to the sport.

“It was so nice growing up there, you know, some clubs have a commercial, business-like feel, and then there’s curling clubs that have a real homey feel, and Broomstones is top of the list in having that home club feel,” Dropkin said.

Dropkin learned precision, teamwork and strategy there, three core principles he mastered, resulting in early success, a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics.

“It was that moment when I was like, this is incredible, like look at this medal, now I want some more of this,” Dropkin said.

Unfortunately, international success eluded him until now. Teaming with mixed doubles partner Cory Thiesse, he’s headed to his first Olympic Games, something he visualized for a long time.

“Just knowing that if I keep my head down and I keep working hard and dreaming big, I could get there, and it might not be smooth because it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but if I don’t let up, if I keep going i can get there,” Dropkin said.

And now he’s there. Dropkin and Thiesse use the playful nickname “Cory and Korey” for their team.

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January 21, 2026
Born on the slopes, moguls skier Jaelin Kauf favorite to win gold medal at Milan Cortina Olympics

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Jalen Gough was born on the slopes. The oldest child of professional mogul skiers, her mother Patty is *** 3-time X Games champion. One of the first Americans to qualify for the games in Italy, Jalen is one of the favorites to win gold. But before we talk about her skiing, let’s talk about her dancing. Last year, Cough and her US mogul’s teammates went viral after performing the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader’s famed thunderstruck routine. Impressed by her moves in ski boots, America’s sweethearts invited her to dance with them pregame last fall. I was very nervous. I was like shaking, meeting the cowgirls and dancing with them. Um, I mean, I feel like the nervous competing is, you know, you get the jitters, but like. I know that run. I know how to ski it. I’m nervous to like dance with professional dancers is like I don’t know how to dance. This is like not so out of my comfort zone, but um it was really cool to be able to do that. Something else that’s. Last March, she won the Mogul’s World Championship, conquering the course in Lavino, where she’ll be skiing during the Olympics. Like I feel really great with where my skiing is at right now. Prepared, focused, and ready to earn her first Olympic gold. And to indulge *** bit on some of the food at the games. I’m going to be eating *** lot of pizza and pasta the whole time. I could never get sick of either of those foods. So Kough’s longtime boyfriend Bradley Wilson is also *** mogul skier, *** three-time Olympian. He retired from the sport after the 2022 games in Beijing. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Fletcher Mackle.

Born on the slopes, moguls skier Jaelin Kauf favorite to win gold medal at Milan Cortina Olympics

Updated: 3:00 AM PST Jan 14, 2026

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Originally called “hot dogging,” freestyle skiing became an Olympic sport at the Calgary games in 1988, and for one American skier, freestyle is a family affair.Jaelin Kauf was born on the slopes, the oldest child of professional mogul skiers. Her mother, Patti, is a three-time X-Games champion.One of the first American athletes to qualify for the games in Italy, Jaelin is one of the favorites to win gold, but before we tell you about her skiing, let’s talk about her dancing.Last year, Kauf and her U.S. moguls teammates went viral after performing the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ famed thunderstruck routine.Impressed by her moves in ski boots, America’s Sweethearts invited her to dance with them pregame last fall. “I was very nervous. I was, like, shaking, meeting the cowgirls, dancing with them. I mean, I feel like skiing, I get nervous competing, you know, you get the jitters, but, like, I know that? I know how to see it. I’m nervous to, like, dance with professional dancers, I don’t know how to dance, so it’s like, so out of my comfort zone, but it was really cool to be able to do that,” Kauf said. Something else that’s cool, last March she won the moguls World Championship, conquering the course in Livigno where she’ll be skiing during the Olympics. “I feel really great with where my seeing is out right now,” Kauf said.Prepared, focused, and ready to earn her first Olympic gold, and to indulge a bit in some of the food at the games.”I’m going to be eating a lot of pizza and pasta the whole time. I could never get sick from either of those foods,” Kauf said. Kauf’s longtime boyfriend, Bradley Wilson, was also a moguls skier. A three-time Olympian, he retired from the sport after the 2022 Games in Beijing.

Originally called “hot dogging,” freestyle skiing became an Olympic sport at the Calgary games in 1988, and for one American skier, freestyle is a family affair.

Jaelin Kauf was born on the slopes, the oldest child of professional mogul skiers. Her mother, Patti, is a three-time X-Games champion.

One of the first American athletes to qualify for the games in Italy, Jaelin is one of the favorites to win gold, but before we tell you about her skiing, let’s talk about her dancing.

Last year, Kauf and her U.S. moguls teammates went viral after performing the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ famed thunderstruck routine.

Impressed by her moves in ski boots, America’s Sweethearts invited her to dance with them pregame last fall.

“I was very nervous. I was, like, shaking, meeting the cowgirls, dancing with them. I mean, I feel like skiing, I get nervous competing, you know, you get the jitters, but, like, I know that? I know how to see it. I’m nervous to, like, dance with professional dancers, I don’t know how to dance, so it’s like, so out of my comfort zone, but it was really cool to be able to do that,” Kauf said.

Something else that’s cool, last March she won the moguls World Championship, conquering the course in Livigno where she’ll be skiing during the Olympics.

“I feel really great with where my seeing is out right now,” Kauf said.

Prepared, focused, and ready to earn her first Olympic gold, and to indulge a bit in some of the food at the games.

“I’m going to be eating a lot of pizza and pasta the whole time. I could never get sick from either of those foods,” Kauf said.

Kauf’s longtime boyfriend, Bradley Wilson, was also a moguls skier. A three-time Olympian, he retired from the sport after the 2022 Games in Beijing.

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January 14, 2026
Rabbi who knew Bondi Beach victim emphasizes importance of celebrating Hanukkah amid tragedy

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HANUKKAH CELEBRATIONS ARE WELL UNDERWAY. AND TONIGHT A LOCAL CONGREGATION IS MAKING SURE THEY STAND TOGETHER IN THE WAKE OF A DEADLY MASS SHOOTING IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, TARGETING A HANUKKAH EVENT. ORGANIZERS AT THE MONROEVILLE LIGHT OF NIGHT CELEBRATION SAY THEY COORDINATED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AHEAD OF THE EVENT, COVERING ALLEGHENY COUNTY IN MONROEVILLE, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER JORDAN CIOPPA HEARD WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY TO KEEP THE TRADITION GOING THIS YEAR, DESPITE THE ANTI-SEMITISM OVERSEAS. IT’S THE SECOND NIGHT OF HANUKKAH, AND TONIGHT, THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN MONROEVILLE WENT ALL OUT WITH A MENORAH MADE OF ICE. PEOPLE. THE CELEBRATION EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SPREADING LIGHT IN A TIME OF DARKNESS. LET US DEDICATE THE LIGHTS OF THESE CANDLES IN THEIR MEMORY, SO THAT WE CAN ONLY INCREASE IN THE LIGHT. THE CONGREGANTS OF CHABAD JEWISH CENTER OF MONROEVILLE CELEBRATED NIGHT TWO OF HANUKKAH WITH THEIR JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN AUSTRALIA. ON THEIR MINDS, JUST REALLY HEARTBROKEN. RABBI MENDY SHAPIRO SAYS HE WAS CLASSMATES WITH RABBI ELI SCHLANGER, ONE OF THE 15 PEOPLE KILLED IN AN ATTACK ON HANUKKAH CELEBRATION ON SYDNEY’S BONDI BEACH. SHAPIRO SAYS HE GREW UP WITH SCHLANGER IN NEW YORK AND HAD RECENTLY CONNECTED WITH HIM AT AN EVENT THERE. HE’S JUST A SPECIAL PERSON AND HIS MESSAGE, I KNOW THAT HE HE WAS THERE AT THIS EVENT, SPREADING LIGHT IN THE FACE OF ALL THE DARKNESS THAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD, AND THAT THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW HE’S BEEN TEACHING. SHAPIRO MADE SURE TO DO THE SAME MONDAY NIGHT. BUNDLED UP IN HEAVY COATS, HATS AND GLOVES, THE CROWD DIDN’T LET THE FRIGID TEMPS HINDER THEM FROM CARRYING ON BELOVED HANUKKAH TRADITIONS. WELL, FOR SURE, OF COURSE, WE’RE LETTING THE MENORAH EVERY NIGHT. WE ALWAYS HAVE THE BATTLE IN OUR FAMILY, WHICH IS WHICH WE LIKE BETTER. THE THE LATKES OR THE JELLY DONUTS. SO WE COMPROMISE AND DO BOTH. AND IT TURNS OUT THE COLD WEATHER MADE THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE MENORAH ICE SCULPTURE, WITH THE WEATHER BEING LIKE IT IS RIGHT NOW AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP, IT’S JUST IT JUST SHOWS THE IDEA OF COMMUNITY AND IT’S JUST A GREAT TIME. TO. THE CELEBRATION WRAPPED UP WITH CHOCOLATE COINS RAINING DOWN ON THE CHILDREN IN WHAT’S CALLED THE GUILT DROP THROUGH SMILES, LAUGHTER AND LIGHT. THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF MONROEVILLE SPREADING A POWERFUL MESSAGE THIS HOLIDAY, AND A WAY TO PUSH AWAY DARKNESS IS NOT TO FIGHT. IT IS TO BRING MORE LIGHT. AND WHEN YOU LIGHT SOME MORE LIGHT, YOU PUSH AWAY THE DARKNESS. ORGANIZERS SAY THEY’RE TAKING PRECAUTIONS FOR HANUKKAH DINNER ON THURSDAY AS WELL, COVERING ALLEGHEN

Rabbi who knew Bondi Beach victim emphasizes importance of celebrating Hanukkah amid tragedy

Updated: 2:43 AM PST Dec 16, 2025

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Members of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroeville near Pittsburgh celebrated night two of Hanukkah with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia on their minds. “Let us dedicate the lights of these candles in their memory so that we can only increase in the light,” Rabbi Mendy Schapiro told the crowd at Monroeville’s 10th annual Light up the Night event on Monday. Schapiro told sister station WTAE that he was classmates with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the 15 people killed in an attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The rabbi said he grew up with Schlanger in New York and had recently connected with him at an event there. “He’s such a special person and his message, I know that he was there at this event spreading light in the face of all of the darkness that’s going on in the world,” Schapiro said. “That’s something that I know that he’s been teaching.”Video above: Sacramento rabbi mourns family friend killed at Bondi BeachSchapiro made sure to do the same on Monday night. Bundled up in heavy coats, hats, and gloves, the crowd didn’t let the frigid temps hinder them from carrying on beloved Hanukkah traditions. “Of course, we’re lighting the menorah every night. We always have the battle in our family, which do we like better, the latkes or the jelly doughnuts? So we compromise and do both,” Michael Edelstein said. It turns out the cold weather made the perfect environment for the event’s menorah ice sculpture. “With the weather being like it is right now and the amount of people that showed up, it just shows the idea of community, and it’s a great time,” said Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie. The celebration wrapped up with chocolate coins raining down on the children in what’s called the “gelt drop.”Through smiles, laughter, and light, the Jewish community of Monroeville spread a powerful message this holiday. “The way to push away darkness is not to fight it; it’s to bring more light. And when you light more light, you push away the darkness,” Schapiro said. Organizers said they coordinated with local law enforcement ahead of Monday’s event and an upcoming Hanukkah dinner on Thursday in the name of safety.

Members of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroeville near Pittsburgh celebrated night two of Hanukkah with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia on their minds.

“Let us dedicate the lights of these candles in their memory so that we can only increase in the light,” Rabbi Mendy Schapiro told the crowd at Monroeville’s 10^th annual Light up the Night event on Monday.

Schapiro told sister station WTAE that he was classmates with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the 15 people killed in an attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

The rabbi said he grew up with Schlanger in New York and had recently connected with him at an event there.

“He’s such a special person and his message, I know that he was there at this event spreading light in the face of all of the darkness that’s going on in the world,” Schapiro said. “That’s something that I know that he’s been teaching.”

Video above: Sacramento rabbi mourns family friend killed at Bondi Beach

Schapiro made sure to do the same on Monday night. Bundled up in heavy coats, hats, and gloves, the crowd didn’t let the frigid temps hinder them from carrying on beloved Hanukkah traditions.

“Of course, we’re lighting the menorah every night. We always have the battle in our family, which do we like better, the latkes or the jelly doughnuts? So we compromise and do both,” Michael Edelstein said.

It turns out the cold weather made the perfect environment for the event’s menorah ice sculpture.

“With the weather being like it is right now and the amount of people that showed up, it just shows the idea of community, and it’s a great time,” said Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie.

The celebration wrapped up with chocolate coins raining down on the children in what’s called the “gelt drop.”

Through smiles, laughter, and light, the Jewish community of Monroeville spread a powerful message this holiday.

“The way to push away darkness is not to fight it; it’s to bring more light. And when you light more light, you push away the darkness,” Schapiro said.

Organizers said they coordinated with local law enforcement ahead of Monday’s event and an upcoming Hanukkah dinner on Thursday in the name of safety.

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December 16, 2025
Decades-old murder solved after new analysis, investigators say

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Officials announced Monday that they have solved a 50-year-old murder case in which a 22-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment in Concord, New Hampshire.Attorney General John Formella said a review of the 1975 death of Judy Lord determined that she was killed by her neighbor, Ernest Theodore Gable.”I’m proud to say but also solemnly say that we can bring long-awaited closure to this case,” Formella said.He said Gable will not face justice in the case because he was stabbed to death in 1987 in Los Angeles. Lord was 22 years old when she was found strangled to death inside her home at the Royal Gardens apartment complex on May 20, 1975. She was living with her 20-month-old son at the time, and the baby’s cries led the building’s apartment manager to discover Lord’s body.”The scene police discovered more witnesses to a violent and desperate struggle,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Christopher Knowles.Knowles, who runs the state’s Cold Case Unit, said the original Concord police investigation was thorough, and Gable, who was 24 at the time, was identified as a suspect early in the case. But he said a flawed FBI hair analysis incorrectly excluded Gable as a suspect.Gable had a lengthy arrest history, and Lord had told her friends that she was afraid of him.Knowles said there was evidence that Lord was sexually assaulted. Semen found on a towel matched Gable’s blood type, and fingerprints at the scene also matched, Knowles said.Knowles called the circumstantial evidence “overwhelming” before hair samples were sent to the FBI, which conducted a microscopic analysis of the hairs. That technique was considered to be the gold standard in hair analysis, and the FBI was the leading authority, Knowles said. But the technique has since been discredited, and Knowles said it is no longer a tool used by investigators. New DNA analysis definitively linked Gable to the crime, and the new analysis by the Cold Case Unit allowed investigators to remove the FBI report from the case, Knowles said.Investigators said that if Gable were still alive, he would be charged with first-degree murder.”This case demonstrates that no cold case is ever truly closed until we find the truth, and that time is only one impediment,” Formella said. “Time is also an asset, because we will continue to work year after year, decade after decade, until we find the answers in these cases.”Several of Lord’s family members were at Monday’s press conference watching the announcement. Her son, Gregory Lord Jr., was watching virtually and sent a statement saying his mother will always be with him.”I’m told I look just like my mom, and I’m proud of that,” he said.

MANCHESTER, N.H. —

Officials announced Monday that they have solved a 50-year-old murder case in which a 22-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment in Concord, New Hampshire.

Attorney General John Formella said a review of the 1975 death of Judy Lord determined that she was killed by her neighbor, Ernest Theodore Gable.

“I’m proud to say but also solemnly say that we can bring long-awaited closure to this case,” Formella said.

He said Gable will not face justice in the case because he was stabbed to death in 1987 in Los Angeles.

Lord was 22 years old when she was found strangled to death inside her home at the Royal Gardens apartment complex on May 20, 1975. She was living with her 20-month-old son at the time, and the baby’s cries led the building’s apartment manager to discover Lord’s body.

“The scene police discovered more witnesses to a violent and desperate struggle,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Christopher Knowles.

Knowles, who runs the state’s Cold Case Unit, said the original Concord police investigation was thorough, and Gable, who was 24 at the time, was identified as a suspect early in the case. But he said a flawed FBI hair analysis incorrectly excluded Gable as a suspect.

Gable had a lengthy arrest history, and Lord had told her friends that she was afraid of him.

Knowles said there was evidence that Lord was sexually assaulted. Semen found on a towel matched Gable’s blood type, and fingerprints at the scene also matched, Knowles said.

Knowles called the circumstantial evidence “overwhelming” before hair samples were sent to the FBI, which conducted a microscopic analysis of the hairs. That technique was considered to be the gold standard in hair analysis, and the FBI was the leading authority, Knowles said. But the technique has since been discredited, and Knowles said it is no longer a tool used by investigators.

New DNA analysis definitively linked Gable to the crime, and the new analysis by the Cold Case Unit allowed investigators to remove the FBI report from the case, Knowles said.

Investigators said that if Gable were still alive, he would be charged with first-degree murder.

“This case demonstrates that no cold case is ever truly closed until we find the truth, and that time is only one impediment,” Formella said. “Time is also an asset, because we will continue to work year after year, decade after decade, until we find the answers in these cases.”

Several of Lord’s family members were at Monday’s press conference watching the announcement. Her son, Gregory Lord Jr., was watching virtually and sent a statement saying his mother will always be with him.

“I’m told I look just like my mom, and I’m proud of that,” he said.

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November 25, 2025
Sisters on the slopes: These 3 Olympic skiing hopefuls are competitive siblings

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The recipe for the Masuga Sisters, *** trio of Olympic hopefuls, fearless, fast, and *** lot of fun. Don’t let the glitzy photo shoot fool you. No matter what it is, we are going for the win. The Masuga Sisters are fierce competitors, even without their skis. The game of spoons is banned in our household because we. In the Christmas tree over it and they come by it honestly. Allie absorbs the bumps of moguls with ease. Lauren, she’s flat out fast in the downhill, and Sam, Sam defies gravity high above the slopes. The air gets underneath your skis. It picks you up by all that surface area and you actually feel it rotate you over and take you away from the ski jump. It’s it’s incredible. It feels really cool. Their flight on and above the snow in pursuit of gold takes them far from the starting gate and from each other. Usually I’m stalking them on the app and seeing the live results. I’m like, Lauren’s on course. Sam’s about to jump. I’m like, oh my gosh, but I think all of us just appreciate it so much because we’re all so excited for each other. We just want to see each other succeed. I think it’s hard tracking your two sisters. Their mother has resorted to *** spreadsheet to keep tabs on all three. And my mom just learned how to color code incredible work she’s doing. So when you get to the travel, it’s like travel, travel, travel, travel, travel. All of us traveling all across the world, you’re like, oh my gosh, I, I don’t know how she keeps track of it and figures out how to watch everyone the same amount of times. Now the hope is the tracking will get. In February, *** family reunion in Milan. It’s been the dream. That was the first, the original dream, and it still is, and I just can’t wait. And how about this? There is another Masuga and you guessed it right. Their brother Daniel is also in the ski business and they say he is fast. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Jason Newton.

Sisters on the slopes: These 3 Olympic skiing hopefuls are competitive siblings

Updated: 11:34 AM EST Nov 24, 2025

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The Macuga sisters from Park City, Utah, are Olympic hopefuls in skiing, each excelling in different disciplines while maintaining a strong family bond and competitive spirit.Alli Macuga, an Olympic moguls hopeful, said, “No matter what it is, we are going for the win.” The Macuga sisters are fierce competitors, even without their skis. Alli Macuga’s sister, Sam Macuga, said, “Yeah, the game of spoons is banned in our house because we threw our cousin into the Christmas tree over it.”Alli Macuga absorbs the bumps of moguls with ease, Lauren Macuga is known for her speed in downhill skiing, and Sam Macuga defies gravity with her ski jumps. Sam Macuga described the sensation of ski jumping:”The air gets under your skis. It picks you up by all that surface area, and you actually feel it rotate you over and take you away from the ski jump. Wow. It’s incredible. It feels like, really cool.”Despite competing in different events, the sisters support each other from afar. Alli Macuga said, “Usually, I’m stalking them on the FIS app and seeing the live results. I’m like, Lauren’s on course, Sam’s about to jump. I’m like, oh my gosh. But I think all of us just appreciate it so much because we’re all so excited for each other. We want to see each other succeed.”Their mother has devised a spreadsheet to keep track of their competitions. Lauren Macuga said her mom just learned how to color-code her calendar to keep it all straight. “I don’t know how she keeps track of it and figures out how to watch everyone the same amount of time,” she said.The sisters hope to all make it to Milan in February for the Olympics. Lauren Macuga expressed her excitement, saying, “That’s just, it’s been the dream. That was the first, the original dream. And it still is. And I, you know, I just can’t wait.”Adding to the family’s skiing legacy, their brother Daniel is also a skier and is known for his speed. The sisters credit youth sports programs in Park City for allowing them to try out and find their sport at little to no cost.

The Macuga sisters from Park City, Utah, are Olympic hopefuls in skiing, each excelling in different disciplines while maintaining a strong family bond and competitive spirit.

Alli Macuga, an Olympic moguls hopeful, said, “No matter what it is, we are going for the win.” The Macuga sisters are fierce competitors, even without their skis.

Alli Macuga’s sister, Sam Macuga, said, “Yeah, the game of spoons is banned in our house because we threw our cousin into the Christmas tree over it.”

Alli Macuga absorbs the bumps of moguls with ease, Lauren Macuga is known for her speed in downhill skiing, and Sam Macuga defies gravity with her ski jumps. Sam Macuga described the sensation of ski jumping:

“The air gets under your skis. It picks you up by all that surface area, and you actually feel it rotate you over and take you away from the ski jump. Wow. It’s incredible. It feels like, really cool.”

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. skier Lauren Macuga, U.S. skier Sam Macuga, and U.S. skier Alli Macuga talk on stage during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at the Javits Center, in New York City on Oct. 28, 2025.

Despite competing in different events, the sisters support each other from afar. Alli Macuga said, “Usually, I’m stalking them on the FIS app and seeing the live results. I’m like, Lauren’s on course, Sam’s about to jump. I’m like, oh my gosh. But I think all of us just appreciate it so much because we’re all so excited for each other. We want to see each other succeed.”

Their mother has devised a spreadsheet to keep track of their competitions. Lauren Macuga said her mom just learned how to color-code her calendar to keep it all straight. “I don’t know how she keeps track of it and figures out how to watch everyone the same amount of time,” she said.

The sisters hope to all make it to Milan in February for the Olympics. Lauren Macuga expressed her excitement, saying, “That’s just, it’s been the dream. That was the first, the original dream. And it still is. And I, you know, I just can’t wait.”

Adding to the family’s skiing legacy, their brother Daniel is also a skier and is known for his speed. The sisters credit youth sports programs in Park City for allowing them to try out and find their sport at little to no cost.

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November 24, 2025
Bride helps crash victim while still in her wedding dress

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Moments after tying the knot on her wedding day, a bride who works as a nurse stepped in to save a life while she was still wearing her wedding dress.The same night Heather Schubert walked down the aisle celebrating her new union, she ended up at a crash scene.”We saw a man laying across the road, and his car, all the airbags were deployed,” Heather Ramsey Schubert said.Schubert and her husband were driving home on a Louisiana highway Saturday night, and the off-duty nurse saw a call to action.”When you’re a nurse and you always put other people first, that’s always my first instinct,” Schubert said.She wasted no time, rushing to help a man critically injured in a crash, before EMS arrived.”I assisted in the manner of seeing what his pupils were like if we had any trauma responses, which he, in fact, did have trauma. His pupils were not reactive to light,” Schubert said.Schubert works to save lives every day as a nurse at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. She says it’s just in her blood to protect.”There’s never a question or a hesitation; I will probably always be the person to run into the accident and see if I can help,” Schubert said.Critical care paramedic Steven Tafoya said emergency teams are trained on how to respond to situations like this.”Just because we’re off the clock doesn’t mean that instinct stops,” Tafoya said. “So what this lady did on her wedding day was remarkable and shows her commitment to health care in general.”Although it was not the ending Heather expected for her wedding day, she said she would not change a thing.”I would hope that anybody, whether they’re a nurse or not, anybody if they see someone in trouble would run and do the same thing,” Schubert said.The victim’s condition is unclear, but everyone involved hopes for a full recovery.

NEW ORLEANS —

Moments after tying the knot on her wedding day, a bride who works as a nurse stepped in to save a life while she was still wearing her wedding dress.

The same night Heather Schubert walked down the aisle celebrating her new union, she ended up at a crash scene.

“We saw a man laying across the road, and his car, all the airbags were deployed,” Heather Ramsey Schubert said.

Schubert and her husband were driving home on a Louisiana highway Saturday night, and the off-duty nurse saw a call to action.

“When you’re a nurse and you always put other people first, that’s always my first instinct,” Schubert said.

She wasted no time, rushing to help a man critically injured in a crash, before EMS arrived.

“I assisted in the manner of seeing what his pupils were like if we had any trauma responses, which he, in fact, did have trauma. His pupils were not reactive to light,” Schubert said.

Schubert works to save lives every day as a nurse at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. She says it’s just in her blood to protect.

“There’s never a question or a hesitation; I will probably always be the person to run into the accident and see if I can help,” Schubert said.

Critical care paramedic Steven Tafoya said emergency teams are trained on how to respond to situations like this.

“Just because we’re off the clock doesn’t mean that instinct stops,” Tafoya said. “So what this lady did on her wedding day was remarkable and shows her commitment to health care in general.”

Although it was not the ending Heather expected for her wedding day, she said she would not change a thing.

“I would hope that anybody, whether they’re a nurse or not, anybody if they see someone in trouble would run and do the same thing,” Schubert said.

The victim’s condition is unclear, but everyone involved hopes for a full recovery.

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November 24, 2025
Ukraine and Western allies meet in Geneva to discuss US peace plan

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Talks between Ukraine and its Western allies on a U.S.-proposed peace plan to end Russia’s invasion got underway in Geneva on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.The head of the Ukrainian delegation, presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak, wrote on social media that they held their first meeting with the national security advisers from the U.K., France, and Germany. The allies have rallied around Kyiv in a push to revise the plan, which is seen as favoring Moscow.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to join the talks together with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.”The next meeting is with the U.S. delegation. We are in a very constructive mood,” Yermak said. “We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was waiting for the outcome of the talks. “A positive result is needed for all of us,” he said.”Ukrainian and American teams, teams of our European partners, are in close contact, and I very much hope there will be a result. Bloodshed must be stopped, and it must be guaranteed that the war will not be reignited,” he wrote in a post on Telegram on Sunday.Ukraine and allies have ruled out territorial concessionsThe 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals. Zelenskyy has said his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.The plan acquiesces to many Russian demands that Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. The Ukrainian leader has vowed that his people”will always defend” their home.Speaking before Sunday’s talks, Alice Rufo, France’s minister delegate at the Defense Ministry, told broadcaster France Info that key points of discussion would include the plan’s restrictions on the Ukrainian army, which she described as “a limitation on its sovereignty.””Ukraine must be able to defend itself,” she said. “Russia wants war and waged war many times in fact over the past years.”Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “final offer.””I would like to get to peace. It should have happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended.”Trump didn’t explain what he meant by the plan not being his final offer, and the White House didn’t respond to a request for clarification.Rubio’s reported comments cause confusionPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that Warsaw was ready to work on the plan with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, but also said that it “would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”Some U.S. lawmakers said Saturday that Rubio had described the plan as a Russian “wish list” rather than a Washington-led proposal.The bipartisan group of senators told a news conference that they had spoken to Rubio about the peace plan after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.”A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it “blatantly false.”Rubio himself then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, even though they said he was their source for the information. The Secretary of State doubled down on the assertion that Washington was responsible for a proposal that had surprised many from the beginning for being so favorable to Moscow.___Associated Press writers Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

GENEVA —

Talks between Ukraine and its Western allies on a U.S.-proposed peace plan to end Russia’s invasion got underway in Geneva on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

The head of the Ukrainian delegation, presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak, wrote on social media that they held their first meeting with the national security advisers from the U.K., France, and Germany. The allies have rallied around Kyiv in a push to revise the plan, which is seen as favoring Moscow.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to join the talks together with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Win McNamee/Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

“The next meeting is with the U.S. delegation. We are in a very constructive mood,” Yermak said. “We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was waiting for the outcome of the talks. “A positive result is needed for all of us,” he said.

“Ukrainian and American teams, teams of our European partners, are in close contact, and I very much hope there will be a result. Bloodshed must be stopped, and it must be guaranteed that the war will not be reignited,” he wrote in a post on Telegram on Sunday.

Ukraine and allies have ruled out territorial concessions

The 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals. Zelenskyy has said his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.

The plan acquiesces to many Russian demands that Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. The Ukrainian leader has vowed that his people”will always defend” their home.

Speaking before Sunday’s talks, Alice Rufo, France’s minister delegate at the Defense Ministry, told broadcaster France Info that key points of discussion would include the plan’s restrictions on the Ukrainian army, which she described as “a limitation on its sovereignty.”

“Ukraine must be able to defend itself,” she said. “Russia wants war and waged war many times in fact over the past years.”

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “final offer.”

“I would like to get to peace. It should have happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended.”

Trump didn’t explain what he meant by the plan not being his final offer, and the White House didn’t respond to a request for clarification.

Rubio’s reported comments cause confusion

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that Warsaw was ready to work on the plan with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, but also said that it “would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”

Some U.S. lawmakers said Saturday that Rubio had described the plan as a Russian “wish list” rather than a Washington-led proposal.

The bipartisan group of senators told a news conference that they had spoken to Rubio about the peace plan after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.”

A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it “blatantly false.”

Rubio himself then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, even though they said he was their source for the information. The Secretary of State doubled down on the assertion that Washington was responsible for a proposal that had surprised many from the beginning for being so favorable to Moscow.

___

Associated Press writers Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

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November 23, 2025
Investigators make arrest in 1987 killing of 34-year-old mother

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Authorities this past week announced the arrest of a 76-year-old man in the 1987 killing of Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old mother found shot outside a laundromat near her home at the Palmetto Apartments.Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner on Wednesday said Cortez Sabino Lake, a former Navy corpsman stationed at Parris Island, who lived in the same apartment complex at the time, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder. Lake is being held pending a bond hearing.Schuller was last seen between 8:15 and 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1987, folding clothes inside the complex laundromat. Her 12-year-old daughter later found her under a tree outside. Investigators determined Schuller had been shot inside the laundromat and crawled outside. A second blood trail leaving the scene indicated the assailant was injured.Cold case investigator Bob Bromage said DNA taken from that trail in 1987 was first profiled in 2005 and uploaded to CODIS, but produced no hits. In 2019, forensic genealogy and a composite analysis by Parabon Nanolabs helped narrow the focus. Investigators recently obtained Lake’s DNA – first through noncooperative means and then via a court-ordered sample – which matched in the “septillions,” Bromage said. Detectives also recovered the murder weapon in 1989 at a construction site on U.S. 21 and matched it to a casing found in the laundromat. Bromage said investigators believe sexual assault was the motive based on evidence at the scene.Lake, who lived at Battery Creek Apartments in 1987 and later worked more than three decades at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, was not named as a suspect at the time, Bromage said. The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who knew Lake in the late 1980s – particularly residents of Battery Creek or Palmetto Apartments – to come forward with information. Tips can be provided to investigators or through Crime Stoppers.Schuller worked as a cardiac care nurse. Her husband, Jozsef, a Navy corpsman, was deployed for training in San Diego when the killing occurred. They were both originally from Hungary and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982.

BEAUFORT, S.C. —

Authorities this past week announced the arrest of a 76-year-old man in the 1987 killing of Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old mother found shot outside a laundromat near her home at the Palmetto Apartments.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner on Wednesday said Cortez Sabino Lake, a former Navy corpsman stationed at Parris Island, who lived in the same apartment complex at the time, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder. Lake is being held pending a bond hearing.

Schuller was last seen between 8:15 and 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1987, folding clothes inside the complex laundromat. Her 12-year-old daughter later found her under a tree outside. Investigators determined Schuller had been shot inside the laundromat and crawled outside. A second blood trail leaving the scene indicated the assailant was injured.

Cold case investigator Bob Bromage said DNA taken from that trail in 1987 was first profiled in 2005 and uploaded to CODIS, but produced no hits. In 2019, forensic genealogy and a composite analysis by Parabon Nanolabs helped narrow the focus. Investigators recently obtained Lake’s DNA – first through noncooperative means and then via a court-ordered sample – which matched in the “septillions,” Bromage said.

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office

Detectives also recovered the murder weapon in 1989 at a construction site on U.S. 21 and matched it to a casing found in the laundromat. Bromage said investigators believe sexual assault was the motive based on evidence at the scene.

Lake, who lived at Battery Creek Apartments in 1987 and later worked more than three decades at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, was not named as a suspect at the time, Bromage said. The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who knew Lake in the late 1980s – particularly residents of Battery Creek or Palmetto Apartments – to come forward with information. Tips can be provided to investigators or through Crime Stoppers.

Schuller worked as a cardiac care nurse. Her husband, Jozsef, a Navy corpsman, was deployed for training in San Diego when the killing occurred. They were both originally from Hungary and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982.

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November 23, 2025
Cleaning worker who was mom of 4 fatally shot after mistakenly going to wrong home, police say

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A 32-year-old cleaning crew worker who went to the wrong home to work was shot and killed in Whitestown, Indiana, on Wednesday morning, police said. The worker, identified as Maria Florinda Rios Perez , according to NBC News and WTHR-TV, had tried to use keys in her hand to get into a new client’s home when she was shot.The home she intended to go into was behind the one where she and her husband went, The New York Times reported. Rios’ brother told reporters that his sister fell into her husband’s arms after being shot through the door of the home.”It’s so unjust. She was only trying to bring home the daily bread to support her family,” Rios told NBC News. “She accidentally went to the wrong house, but he shouldn’t have taken her life.”She was a mother of four children, with the youngest being 11 months old.Officers initially responded to a report of a possible home invasion about 20 miles outside of Indianapolis. Police are still investigating what happened. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting. The facts gathered do not support that a residential entry occurred,” the police department said in a statement on its Facebook page.

WHITESTOWN, Ind. —

A 32-year-old cleaning crew worker who went to the wrong home to work was shot and killed in Whitestown, Indiana, on Wednesday morning, police said.

The worker, identified as Maria Florinda Rios Perez , according to NBC News and WTHR-TV, had tried to use keys in her hand to get into a new client’s home when she was shot.

The home she intended to go into was behind the one where she and her husband went, The New York Times reported. Rios’ brother told reporters that his sister fell into her husband’s arms after being shot through the door of the home.

“It’s so unjust. She was only trying to bring home the daily bread to support her family,” Rios told NBC News. “She accidentally went to the wrong house, but he shouldn’t have taken her life.”

She was a mother of four children, with the youngest being 11 months old.

Officers initially responded to a report of a possible home invasion about 20 miles outside of Indianapolis. Police are still investigating what happened.

“This remains an active and ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting. The facts gathered do not support that a residential entry occurred,” the police department said in a statement on its Facebook page.

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November 7, 2025
Iconic ‘Dawson’s Creek’ house for sale for the first time since it was built 150 years ago

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the house I know there’s some friend in that this. The I know there’s some printing that this.

Iconic ‘Dawson’s Creek’ house for sale for the first time since it was built 150 years ago

Updated: 3:22 AM PDT Oct 17, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

A historic home featured in the beloved 90s teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” is now on the market for the first time since its construction nearly 150 years ago.Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, the four-bedroom house sits on nearly two acres and includes a private dock, a familiar sight for fans of the show.Iconic scenes, such as Joey Potter crawling through the window into Dawson’s bedroom, were filmed outside this very house.The structure has a unique history, built using wood from a shipwrecked schooner and moved to its current location over log rollers pulled by a single horse.While the listing states the house is livable, it requires significant renovations due to its age.The asking price is set at $3.2 million.

WILMINGTON, N.C. —

A historic home featured in the beloved 90s teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” is now on the market for the first time since its construction nearly 150 years ago.

Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, the four-bedroom house sits on nearly two acres and includes a private dock, a familiar sight for fans of the show.

Iconic scenes, such as Joey Potter crawling through the window into Dawson’s bedroom, were filmed outside this very house.

The structure has a unique history, built using wood from a shipwrecked schooner and moved to its current location over log rollers pulled by a single horse.

Columbia TriStar
Dawson’s Creek season 3 cast

While the listing states the house is livable, it requires significant renovations due to its age.

The asking price is set at $3.2 million.

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October 17, 2025
Hamas releases all 20 remaining living hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire

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Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.The hostages, all men, returned to Israel, where they will be reunited with their families and undergo medical checks. The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.Meanwhile, a convoy of Israeli vehicles, Red Cross jeeps and buses left Ofer Prison for the occupied West Bank on Monday afternoon, carrying some of the 250 long-term prisoners set to be released in the exachange. The buses are headed to the center of Beitunia, the nearest Palestinian town, where friends and families await their arrival.In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square broke into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home, including one showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.Earlier, while Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the region, where he plans to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.”Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday. Living hostages being released firstThe hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.It remains unclear when the remains of 28 dead hostages will be returned. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.Meanwhile, buses lined up in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning in anticipation of the release of prisoners.The exact timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.Trump is traveling to Israel and EgyptTrump arrived Monday in Israel, where the White House said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.”The war is over,” Trump told to reporters as he departed — even though his ceasefire deal leaves many unanswered questions about the future of Hamas and Gaza.Among the most thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, according to a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.___Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.

Seven of the hostages were released early Monday, while the remaining 13 were freed a few hours later.

The 20, all men, were being reunited with their families and expected to undergo medical checks.

The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.

Families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square in Tel Aviv broke into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.

Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home, including one showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.

The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.

Palestinians, meanwhile, awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. In the West Bank, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd waiting near Ofer Prison. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.

The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the region, where he plans to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.

The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.

The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

“Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday.

Living hostages being released first

The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.

As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.

With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.

It remains unclear when the remains of 28 dead hostages will be returned. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

Meanwhile, buses lined up in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning in anticipation of the release of prisoners.

The exact timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

Trump is traveling to Israel and Egypt

Trump arrived Monday in Israel, where the White House said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.

“The war is over,” Trump told to reporters as he departed — even though his ceasefire deal leaves many unanswered questions about the future of Hamas and Gaza.

Among the most thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.

The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.

Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, according to a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.

The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

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October 13, 2025
Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning actress, dies at 79, according to reports

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Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has died, People magazine and the New York Post reported. She was 79 years old.One of her most memorable roles was “Annie Hall” in 1977, for which she won an Academy Award. She was also known for 1991’s “Father of the Bride” alongside Steve Martin.Her cause of death was not immediately available.This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has died, People magazine and the New York Post reported. She was 79 years old.

One of her most memorable roles was “Annie Hall” in 1977, for which she won an Academy Award. She was also known for 1991’s “Father of the Bride” alongside Steve Martin.

Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
Diane Keaton at the Ralph Lauren Spring 2024 Ready To Wear Fashion Show at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Sept. 8, 2023, in Brooklyn, New York.

Her cause of death was not immediately available.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

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October 11, 2025
19 people dead or missing after massive blast at Tennessee military explosive plant, officials say

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Nineteen people are dead or missing after a massive blast obliterated a building at a Tennessee explosives facility on Friday, authorities said — a “mass detonation” so significant that it rattled homes miles away.The early-morning explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, which manufactures military and demolitions explosives, left charred debris and mangled vehicles across a vast area. The blast was felt as far as 15 miles away and scattered debris over half a square mile.Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said there are fatalities, but did not want to declare a death toll yet — just that “we’re missing 19 souls.”“I always wish for the best,” Davis said. “Is there a possibility that somebody might be injured somewhere, or somebody that we don’t know about? Yes.”Davis described the aftermath of the explosion as “the most devastating scene that I’ve seen in my career.”“It’s hell,” Davis told reporters Friday evening. “It’s hell on us. It’s hell on everybody involved.”Video below: Aerial footage shows the extent of the damageWork at the explosion site will continue into the night, he said.“We’re working for our people, and we want to take care of our families,” an emotional Davis said. “I understand that some families get mad. I understand that some people get upset … We’re doing the very best we can to take care of this.”Davis said investigators from multiple agencies have been assisting with the response, but have not yet determined what caused the explosion. The FBI will be assisting.“Do I see a short-term explanation? No. Do I see us being here for many days? Yes, I do see that,” he said.Families of the victims were still being notified, said Davis, noting that people were undergoing a “gauntlet of emotions” as first responders continued to search the area. The tragedy hit close-knit communities.“I can tell you right off the top of my head that there’s three families that’s involved in this that I’m very close to,” Davis said. “When you have small counties like this, we know each other, we communicate with each other, we love each other.”The blast shook nearby homes and set off smaller explosions, local officials say.The explosion, which happened around 7:45 a.m. local time, was a “devastating blast,” but responders were able to secure the scene by late morning, Davis said.Three people with “minor injuries” from the explosion were treated at TriStar medical facilities in Dickson, Casey Stapp, the spokesperson for TriStar Health, said. Stapp said two people were released, and one person is still receiving treatment at an emergency room.Accurate Energetic Systems is located about an hour southwest of Nashville, Tennessee, on the Hickman and Humphreys County line, the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office told CNN.Numerous law enforcement resources from across the state of Tennessee have been dispatched to assist in the investigation, a source familiar told CNN. Those personnel include federal agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, among other agencies. The relatively remote area is typically patrolled by smaller law enforcement departments, the person said, which has prompted other agencies to volunteer resources for support.Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates said the facility has about 80 employees, but it’s unclear how many were in the building when the explosion happened. Bates said one building on the site was completely destroyed.“It’s pretty devastating to see this,” Bates said.“It’s going to be an investigation that’s probably going to go on for days,” the mayor said. “This facility, they do manufacture, not only military, but demolition explosives for road work and things like that.”Tennessee state Sen. Kerry Roberts told CNN the facility sits on a 1,300-acre campus and is a beloved employer for many people in the community.He said it’s common to see employees at community events and people wearing baseball caps with the company name on them.“It is a well-loved company in the area,” Roberts said. “So this is going to have a devastating impact on quite a few families … it is heartbreaking.”Residents who live near the facility say they felt the impact of the explosion.“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” Gentry Stover told The Associated Press by phone. “I live very close to Accurate, and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”Cody Warren, who lives in Lobelville, which is 21 miles away from the facility, said the sound from the explosion woke him up, and he thought lightning struck his house.Accurate Energetic Systems specializes in making military explosives, according to the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office.The company’s Facebook page says it manufactures “various high explosive compositions and specialty products for the U.S. DoD and U.S. Industrial markets.”In April 2014, one person was killed and four others injured during a blast at the plant, CNN affiliate WSMV reported. The explosion, in the back of a building that housed shotgun ammunition, caused extensive damage. At the time, authorities said several companies operated on the Accurate Energetic Systems property but the blast happened in an area operated by Rio Ammunition.In the player below: Here is a look at what the plant looked like after the 2014 explosionLast month, the US Department of Defense awarded Accurate Energetic Systems a contract for nearly $120 million “for the procurement of TNT.”The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office is asking everyone to avoid the area as emergency responders do their work.

Nineteen people are dead or missing after a massive blast obliterated a building at a Tennessee explosives facility on Friday, authorities said — a “mass detonation” so significant that it rattled homes miles away.

The early-morning explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, which manufactures military and demolitions explosives, left charred debris and mangled vehicles across a vast area. The blast was felt as far as 15 miles away and scattered debris over half a square mile.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said there are fatalities, but did not want to declare a death toll yet — just that “we’re missing 19 souls.”

“I always wish for the best,” Davis said. “Is there a possibility that somebody might be injured somewhere, or somebody that we don’t know about? Yes.”

Davis described the aftermath of the explosion as “the most devastating scene that I’ve seen in my career.”

“It’s hell,” Davis told reporters Friday evening. “It’s hell on us. It’s hell on everybody involved.”

Video below: Aerial footage shows the extent of the damage

Work at the explosion site will continue into the night, he said.

“We’re working for our people, and we want to take care of our families,” an emotional Davis said. “I understand that some families get mad. I understand that some people get upset … We’re doing the very best we can to take care of this.”

Davis said investigators from multiple agencies have been assisting with the response, but have not yet determined what caused the explosion. The FBI will be assisting.

“Do I see a short-term explanation? No. Do I see us being here for many days? Yes, I do see that,” he said.

Families of the victims were still being notified, said Davis, noting that people were undergoing a “gauntlet of emotions” as first responders continued to search the area. The tragedy hit close-knit communities.

“I can tell you right off the top of my head that there’s three families that’s involved in this that I’m very close to,” Davis said. “When you have small counties like this, we know each other, we communicate with each other, we love each other.”

The blast shook nearby homes and set off smaller explosions, local officials say.

The explosion, which happened around 7:45 a.m. local time, was a “devastating blast,” but responders were able to secure the scene by late morning, Davis said.

Three people with “minor injuries” from the explosion were treated at TriStar medical facilities in Dickson, Casey Stapp, the spokesperson for TriStar Health, said. Stapp said two people were released, and one person is still receiving treatment at an emergency room.

Accurate Energetic Systems is located about an hour southwest of Nashville, Tennessee, on the Hickman and Humphreys County line, the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office told CNN.

Numerous law enforcement resources from across the state of Tennessee have been dispatched to assist in the investigation, a source familiar told CNN. Those personnel include federal agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, among other agencies. The relatively remote area is typically patrolled by smaller law enforcement departments, the person said, which has prompted other agencies to volunteer resources for support.

Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates said the facility has about 80 employees, but it’s unclear how many were in the building when the explosion happened. Bates said one building on the site was completely destroyed.

“It’s pretty devastating to see this,” Bates said.

“It’s going to be an investigation that’s probably going to go on for days,” the mayor said. “This facility, they do manufacture, not only military, but demolition explosives for road work and things like that.”

Tennessee state Sen. Kerry Roberts told CNN the facility sits on a 1,300-acre campus and is a beloved employer for many people in the community.

He said it’s common to see employees at community events and people wearing baseball caps with the company name on them.

“It is a well-loved company in the area,” Roberts said. “So this is going to have a devastating impact on quite a few families … it is heartbreaking.”

Residents who live near the facility say they felt the impact of the explosion.

“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” Gentry Stover told The Associated Press by phone. “I live very close to Accurate, and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”

Cody Warren, who lives in Lobelville, which is 21 miles away from the facility, said the sound from the explosion woke him up, and he thought lightning struck his house.

Accurate Energetic Systems specializes in making military explosives, according to the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office.

The company’s Facebook page says it manufactures “various high explosive compositions and specialty products for the U.S. DoD and U.S. Industrial markets.”

In April 2014, one person was killed and four others injured during a blast at the plant, CNN affiliate WSMV reported. The explosion, in the back of a building that housed shotgun ammunition, caused extensive damage. At the time, authorities said several companies operated on the Accurate Energetic Systems property but the blast happened in an area operated by Rio Ammunition.

In the player below: Here is a look at what the plant looked like after the 2014 explosion

Last month, the US Department of Defense awarded Accurate Energetic Systems a contract for nearly $120 million “for the procurement of TNT.”

The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office is asking everyone to avoid the area as emergency responders do their work.

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October 10, 2025
Des Moines police arrest 13-year-old suspect after chase and crash with stolen Amazon delivery van

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Des Moines police have taken a 13-year-old into custody after the teen allegedly stole a delivery van.Police say an investigation began Wednesday afternoon when an Amazon delivery driver reported their van had been stolen from the 600 block of Walker Street. The van was later spotted by officers near Southeast 14th Street and Park Avenue.The stolen van fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a pick-up truck on Southeast 14th Street. Two occupants in the van ran from the crash but were taken into custody, according to police.The driver, a 13-year-old, was referred to juvenile court for charges of first-degree theft, second-degree theft and eluding.The passenger was not charged.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Des Moines police have taken a 13-year-old into custody after the teen allegedly stole a delivery van.

Police say an investigation began Wednesday afternoon when an Amazon delivery driver reported their van had been stolen from the 600 block of Walker Street. The van was later spotted by officers near Southeast 14th Street and Park Avenue.

The stolen van fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a pick-up truck on Southeast 14th Street. Two occupants in the van ran from the crash but were taken into custody, according to police.

The driver, a 13-year-old, was referred to juvenile court for charges of first-degree theft, second-degree theft and eluding.

The passenger was not charged.

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October 10, 2025
Teen Zuza Beine, who inspired millions on social media, dies after long cancer battle

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GRATEFUL. A WAUKESHA TEEN INSPIRING MILLIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA PASSED AWAY FROM CANCER THIS WEEK. ZUZA BINEY BATTLED FOR 11 OF HER 14 YEARS OF HER LIFE AND AS 12 NEWS REPORTS, SHE DID IT WITH A GRACE AND COMPASSION THAT REALLY GAVE PEOPLE HOPE. SWEET HONEY BEE AND IF I WAS A TREE GROWING ZOZIBINI. LIKE MANY 14 YEAR OLD GIRLS, LOVED CLOTHES. LOVE SKINCARE. THESE ARE LITERALLY LIKE MY FAVORITE SKINCARE PRODUCT EVER. LOVED TAYLOR SWIFT. SWIFT. I LOVE YOU, BUT SPEND A FEW SECONDS SCROLLING THE WAUKESHA TEENS SOCIAL MEDIA. GET READY WITH ME WHILE I TELL YOU MY CANCER JOURNEY AND YOU’LL SEE THE STRUGGLE SHE SO BRAVELY SHARED WITH THE WORLD. AT JUST THREE YEARS OLD, ZUZA WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA, WHICH IS A BLOOD CANCER THAT IS MOST COMMONLY FOUND IN OLDER PEOPLE. YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO GO AND HAVE PLAYDATES, AND YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO GO TO THE MALL. THIS PLATFORM IN HER REACH FILLED THAT FOR HER. HER GODMOTHER, ELLEN MENEFEE, WATCHED AS ZUZA, IN SPITE OF HER ILLNESS, GREW RESILIENT AND STRONG. HER FOLLOWING GREW TO WITH MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS ON TIKTOK AND INSTAGRAM. I DIDN’T DO MUCH TODAY BESIDES GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR CHEMO. HER FAMILY’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF SOUSA’S PASSING TUESDAY HEARTBREAKING FOR THE ONLINE COMMUNITY THAT CALLED HER A FRIEND. SHE TOOK HER FOLLOWERS ON THAT JOURNEY. AND SHE SHARED THE INCREDIBLE MOMENTS OF TRIUMPH. AND SHE SHARED THE RAW MOMENTS. HOW RARE IS THAT COURAGE AT SOMEONE HER AGE NOW? I. I DON’T I DON’T KNOW, I DON’T KNOW ANOTHER 14 YEAR OLD LIKE ZUZA, I NEVER WILL. THE LESSONS THAT SHE TAUGHT US AND TAUGHT ADULTS TAUGHT HER FOLLOWERS HER PLATFORM, THEY’RE LESSONS THAT EVEN, YOU KNOW, MANY OF US DON’T. WE HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT OURSELVES. HER FAMILY FORCED TO FIGURE OUT THIS NEW WORLD WITHOUT ZUZA, LOOKS BACK ON THE DOZENS OF VIDEOS WHERE SHE’S LAUGHING, SMILING AND LIVING. THAT’S THE LESSON. PERHAPS ZUZA LEFT BEHIND. SHE NEVER FOCUSED ON HER DYING. SHE WAS WAY TOO BUSY LIVING, AND SUPPORTERS HAVE STARTED A GOFUNDME TO HELP THE FAMILY PAY FOR THE MANY MEDICAL BILLS AND FUNERAL COSTS. WE’LL HAVE THAT LINKED ON THE 12 NEWS APP. AND I ASKED ELLEN WHAT LESSONS ZUZA WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM HER SOCIAL MEDIA. SHE SAYS ABOVE ALL, BE KIND AND BE GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE HARDSHIPS ENDURED. ELLEN SAYS THAT SHE WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE LIFE SHE HAD. JUST SUCH A POWERFU

Teen Zuza Beine, who inspired millions on social media, dies after long cancer battle

Zuza Beine, a 14-year-old from Wisconsin, bravely shared her cancer journey on TikTok and Instagram to millions of followers

Updated: 10:07 AM PDT Sep 26, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Zuza Beine, a 14-year-old from Waukesha, Wisconsin, who inspired millions by sharing her cancer journey on social media, passed away this week after battling the disease for most of her life.Zuza, like many 14-year-old girls, loved clothes, skincare, and Taylor Swift. But spend a few seconds scrolling through her social media, and you’ll see the struggle she bravely shared with the world. Zuza was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at just 3 years old. AML is a blood cancer, more commonly found in adults. Her TikTok account, with 2.8 million followers, has videos that range from her trying new skincare products to viral “get ready with me” videos where she dives into explaining her cancer journey. “You’re not able to go have play dates. You’re not able to go to the mall,” said Ellen Menefee, Zuza’s godmother. “This platform and her reach filled that for her.”Menefee said Zuza’s online presence and friends online often filled the void left by her illness. Despite her illness, Zuza grew resilient and strong, amassing millions of supporters on TikTok and Instagram. Her family’s announcement of her passing on Tuesday was heartbreaking for the online community that considered her a friend.”She took her followers on that journey. And she shared the incredible moments of triumph, and she shared the raw moments,” Menefee said.Zuza’s followers cheered her on through her many treatments and multiple bone marrow transplants. But Menefee said Zuza did have to build a thick skin against the unkind parts of social media, too.”I don’t, don’t know another 14-year-old like Zuza. I never will,” she said. “The lessons that she taught us. Taught adults, taught her followers, her platform — they’re lessons that many of us haven’t figured out ourselves.”Zuza’s family is now cherishing the videos where she is laughing, smiling, and living. “She never focused on her dying. She was way too busy living,” Menefee said. Supporters have started a GoFundMe to help with medical bills and funeral costs.

Zuza Beine, a 14-year-old from Waukesha, Wisconsin, who inspired millions by sharing her cancer journey on social media, passed away this week after battling the disease for most of her life.

Zuza, like many 14-year-old girls, loved clothes, skincare, and Taylor Swift. But spend a few seconds scrolling through her social media, and you’ll see the struggle she bravely shared with the world.

Zuza was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at just 3 years old. AML is a blood cancer, more commonly found in adults. Her TikTok account, with 2.8 million followers, has videos that range from her trying new skincare products to viral “get ready with me” videos where she dives into explaining her cancer journey.

“You’re not able to go have play dates. You’re not able to go to the mall,” said Ellen Menefee, Zuza’s godmother. “This platform and her reach filled that for her.”

Menefee said Zuza’s online presence and friends online often filled the void left by her illness. Despite her illness, Zuza grew resilient and strong, amassing millions of supporters on TikTok and Instagram. Her family’s announcement of her passing on Tuesday was heartbreaking for the online community that considered her a friend.

“She took her followers on that journey. And she shared the incredible moments of triumph, and she shared the raw moments,” Menefee said.

Zuza’s followers cheered her on through her many treatments and multiple bone marrow transplants. But Menefee said Zuza did have to build a thick skin against the unkind parts of social media, too.

“I don’t, don’t know another 14-year-old like Zuza. I never will,” she said. “The lessons that she taught us. Taught adults, taught her followers, her platform — they’re lessons that many of us haven’t figured out ourselves.”

Zuza’s family is now cherishing the videos where she is laughing, smiling, and living.

“She never focused on her dying. She was way too busy living,” Menefee said.

Supporters have started a GoFundMe to help with medical bills and funeral costs.

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September 26, 2025
Explosion heard in Qatar’s capital as Israel says it carries out strike on Hamas leadership

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Israel’s military said Tuesday it carried out an airstrike targeting Hamas leadership, without saying where.The announcement came as an explosion could be heard in Doha, Qatar’s capital.The Qatari-funded news network Al Jazeera has linked an explosion in Doha to an Israeli announcement that it targeted Hamas’ leadership in a strike. The blast Tuesday echoed in Doha, sending black smoke into the air. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured in the attack.Hamas’ exiled leadership has long been based in Qatar, which has served as a mediator in talks between Hamas and Israel for several years, even before the latest war in the Gaza Strip.A strike on its top leadership could further complicate negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

DOHA, Qatar —

Israel’s military said Tuesday it carried out an airstrike targeting Hamas leadership, without saying where.

The announcement came as an explosion could be heard in Doha, Qatar’s capital.

The Qatari-funded news network Al Jazeera has linked an explosion in Doha to an Israeli announcement that it targeted Hamas’ leadership in a strike. The blast Tuesday echoed in Doha, sending black smoke into the air. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured in the attack.

Hamas’ exiled leadership has long been based in Qatar, which has served as a mediator in talks between Hamas and Israel for several years, even before the latest war in the Gaza Strip.

A strike on its top leadership could further complicate negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

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September 9, 2025

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