Kick-off 2025 with the addition of a monstera plant to your indoor garden. You’ll join other gardeners observing 2025 as the Year of the Monstera.

Each year, the National Garden Bureau (NGB) selects and celebrates one plant in each of the following categories: annual, perennial, bulb, edible, and shrub. The plants are chosen for their popularity, easy-care nature, adaptability, diversity and versatility.

Monstera certainly meets the criteria and as NGB declared it is “the world’s most iconic indoor plant.” The large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves have distinct perforations called fenestrations. Scientists speculate these holes allow tropical downpours to pass through, minimizing plant damage.

There are several different monsteras, ranging in size and leaf shape including some with variegated leaves. Some are easy to grow, while others are a bit fussier. Always check the plant label for specifics on caring for the monstera you select.

One of the most popular and readily available is the monstera deliciosa, commonly called split-leaf philodendron, even though it is not a philodendron. It’s known for its large, heart-shaped perforated leaves on thick stems. In its native habitat, it can grow 66 feet tall, but typically grows up to 7 or 8 feet indoors. The flowers that seldom appear indoors are like a peace lily with a cone-shaped structure (spadix) surrounded by a cupped white sheath (spathe). The flowers may be followed by an edible fruit that tastes like a combination of pineapple, banana and mango. This flavorful combination inspired its nickname, fruit salad plant, and the botanical name that translates to delicious monstrosity.

In general, these tropical beauties prefer growing conditions like that of their native habitat. They prefer bright, filtered indirect sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight that can scorch or cause leaves to turn yellow. Grow monsteras in a quality, well-drained potting mix in a container with drainage holes. Water them thoroughly when the top two inches of soil are dry. Pour off excess water or place the pot on pebbles in a saucer. The pebbles elevate the pot above any water that collects in the saucer to avoid root rot. As this water evaporates, humidity increases around the plant.

Further, boost the humidity by placing your monstera with other plants. As one plant loses moisture or transpires, the neighboring plants will benefit.

Only apply houseplant fertilizer when the plants are actively growing, usually March through October. Let the plant and your garden goals be your fertilization guide. Fertilizers provide needed nutrients to plants in need of a nutrient boost or when you want to stimulate more growth.

Support the plant with a moss pole or trellis as it starts to climb. The large aerial roots attach to nearby surfaces to help them climb. In nature, these roots help monsteras to climb trees and have been used to make rope in Peru and baskets in Mexico.

Use these beauties to create an indoor tropical paradise or to provide some green relief. No matter your indoor décor, this unique plant will make a welcome addition.

Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books, including “Small Space Gardening” and “Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition.” Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is MelindaMyers.com.

The following is a list of in-person and online worship services and events happening at churches and synagogues in the Oakland County area. Visit websites or call for service times and events.

• Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 1550 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, 248-651-6550, abidingpresence.org. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m., virtual services are available on the website.

• Adat Shalom Synagogue, 29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, online services via Zoom. To view daily Minyan video conferences; email Executive Director Michael Wolf at mwolf@adatshalom.org or visit adatshalom.org, 248-851-5100.

• All Saints’ Episcopal, 171 W. Pike St., Pontiac, allsaintspontiac.org, 248-334-4571, rector@allsaintspontiac.org.

• The Apostolic Church of Christ, 3655 N. Squirrel Road, Auburn Hills, theapostolicchurch.com, 248-373-4500, Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Archdiocese of Detroit, livestream Mass times, aod.org/livemasses.

• Auburn Hills Christian Center, 2592 Walton Blvd., Auburn Hills, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m., Servicio Evangelistico services (in Spanish) at 2-4 p.m. Sundays, 248-373-7139, www.myahcc.org.

• Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Troy, online services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, beaconcongregation.org, admin@beaconcongregation.org.

• Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 5631 N Adams Road, Bloomfield Hills, livestream services at 9 a.m. Sundays, and in person at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. at bslcmi.org, facebook/bslcmi, 248-646-5041.

• Berea Family Tabernacle of Faith, Pontiac, online worship services are noon Sundays, Berea’s YouTube Channel: youtu.be/5QnjxMyFwJ4 or visit experienceberea.org and click “Watch Now,” 248-338-4748.

• Berkley First United Methodist Church, 2820 12 Mile Road, Berkley, worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays in person and online at www.berkleyfirst.org. Christmas Eve worship services are at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. in-person and online at www.berkleyfirst.org.

• Bharatiya Temple, 6850 N Adams Road, Troy, www.bharatiya-temple.org, 248-879-2552.

• Big Beaver United Methodist Church, 3753 John R Road, Troy, worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays, http://bbumchurch.org.

• Birmingham First United Methodist Church, 1589 W Maple Road, Birmingham, www.fumcbirmingham.org. Sunday worship services in-person and online are at 9:30 a.m., and in-person only services at 11 a.m.

• Birmingham Unitarian Church, Bloomfield Hills, online worship services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays, bucmi.org, 248-647-2380.

• Bridge Community Church, 5700 Rochester Road, Troy, online worship services, 10:45 a.m. Sundays, bridgecommunitychurch.com/live, 248-879-9500.

• Brightmoor Christian Church, 40800 W. 13 Mile Road, Novi, www.brightmoorchurch.org.

• Calvary Chapel Oakland County, 1975 E. Long Lake Road, Troy, 248-457-9673, ccoaklandcounty.com. Worship 7 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m. Sundays.

• Calvary Church, 1361 Giddings Road, Pontiac, Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., https://ccpontiac.org, 248-373-0311.

• Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6805 Bluegrass Drive, Clarkston, calvary-lutheran.org. Sunday worship services are Traditional Worship at 7:55 a.m.; Modern Worship at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; and livestream at 9:30 a.m. Food pantry (drive-up or curbside pickup) is 9-11 a.m. Wednesdays.

• Central Church, 1529 Twelve Mile Road, Madison Heights, www.centralchurch.cc. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Central Oaks Community Church, 2005 Rochester Road, Royal Oak, www.centraloaks.com, 248-547-7755. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Central United Methodist Church, 3882 Highland Road, Waterford Twp., 248-681-0040, WaterfordCUMC.org. In-person worship at 8:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays and online at 10:30 a.m. at Live.WaterfordCUMC.org.

• Central Woodward Christian Church Disciples of Christ, 3955 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 248-644-0512, centralwoodwardchristian.com. Sunday worship services are at 10:30 a.m., in person and online at centralwoodwardchristian.com and Facebook at www.facebook.com/CentralWoodward.

• Chapel of Our Lady of Orchard Lake, 3535 Commerce Road, West Bloomfield Twp., www.sscms.edu, 248-683-0310.

• Christian Tabernacle Church, Southfield, ctabchurch.com, 248-213-4770.

• Christ Church Cranbrook, 470 Church Road, Bloomfield Hills, in-person and online worship services, 10 a.m. Sundays, ccc-info.org.

• Christ Lutheran Church, Waterford Twp., online worship services, christwaterford.org/livestream, 248-673-7331.

• Christ Lutheran Church and School, 620 General Motors Road, Milford, www.christlutheranmilford.org.

• Christ, Our Light! Catholic Church, 3077 Glouchester, Troy. Mass times are: Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; weekday Masses (followed by Rosary recitation) are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 9 a.m., and Friday at 12:05 p.m., www.coltroy.org, 248-649-5510.

• Christ the Good Shepherd Progressive Old Catholic Church, 3947 Twelve Mile Road Berkley, church services: Saturday Mass 4:30 p.m. and Sunday Mass 10:30 a.m., 248-439-0470, www.cgs-occ.org.

• Christ the Redeemer Parish, 2700 Waldon Road Orion Township, 248-391-1621, weekly online Mass at 10 a.m. Sundays, also in-person Masses, ctredeemer.org.

• Crown of Life Lutheran Church, 2975 Dutton Road  Rochester Hills, www.crownoflifechurch.org, 248-652-7720. Sunday worship services are 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• Bridgewood Church, 6765 Rattalee Lake Road, Clarkston, 248-625-1344, www.bridgewoodchurch.com. Sunday worship services are 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., also online services, and locations in Goodrich.

• Church of the Holy Spirit, 3700 Harvey Lake Road, Highland Twp., www.holyspirithighland.com.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations in Oakland County include: Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Commerce Twp., Farmington Hills, Lake Orion, Pontiac (Spanish), Rochester, Troy and White Lake Twp. The congregations host worship services on Sundays. For worship times and locations, visit churchofjesuschrist.org.

• Church of the Resurrection, 6490 Clarkston Road, Village of Clarkston, https://clarkstonepiscopal.com, 248-625-2325. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Clarkston Community Church, 6300 Clarkston Road, Clarkston, in-person and online services at 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, clarkstoncchurch.com, 248-625-1323.

• Clarkston United Methodist Church, 6600 Waldon Road, Clarkston, in-person and online faith services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, clarkstonumc.org, 248-625-1611.

• Commerce United Methodist Church, 1155 N. Commerce Road, Commerce Twp., commerceumc.org/media.

• Community Bible Church, 1888 Crescent Lake Road, Waterford Twp., https://cbcmi.com, 248-674-4871. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Community Fellowship Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 27800 Southfield Road, Lathrup Village, church services at 11 a.m. Saturdays, http://communityfellowship22.adventistchurchconnect.org, 248-469-8539.

• Community Presbyterian Church, 4301 Monroe Ave., Waterford Twp. In-person worship is 10 a.m., Sundays, cpcwaterford.org, 248-673-7805.

• Congregation Beth Ahm, 5075 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield Twp., 248-851-6880, cbahm.org.

• Congregational Church of Birmingham, UCC, 1000 Cranbrook Road, Bloomfield Hills. Worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, ccbucc.org, 248-646-4511.

• Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, offers virtual Jewish religious services including daily morning and evening Minyan services, Shabbat morning services and Youth Shabbat activities, shaareyzedek.org, 248-357-5544.

• Congregation Shir Tikvah, 3900 Northfield Parkway, Troy, www.shirtikvah.org.

• Cornerstone Baptist Church, Ortonville, livestream online worship services, Sundays at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Facebook at Cornerstone Baptist Church Ortonville, cbcortonville.com, 248 627-4700.

• Cornerstone Church, Highland, online services, cornerstonehighland.com, 248-887-1600.

• Crossroads Free Will Baptist Church, 4804 White Lake Road, White Lake Twp., https://crossroadswl.org, Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. The church has a Blessing Box that is stocked with non-perishable food items, books and other household items for those in need. Donations welcome.

• Destiny Faith Church, 501 University Drive, Pontiac, Destinyfaith.org, 248-322-2200. Worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, in person and online.

• Divine Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3000 S. Lapeer Road, Orion Twp., divinegrace.net, Sunday worship services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., livestream.

• Door of Faith Christian Church, Pontiac, online services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, mydooroffaith.org.

• Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 23425 Lahser Road, Southfield, 248-357-1848, emmanuellutheransouthfield.org.

• Empowerment Church of Southfield, worship services are 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays at new worship center location, Shriner’s Silver Garden Events Center, 24350 Southfield Road, Southfield, 248-569-2299, empowerment.mi.org. Virtual worship services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays at empowermentmi.org/stream and on Facebook Live.

• Encounter Church, 600 North Campbell Road, Royal Oak, in-person and online services, 11 a.m. Sundays; Prayer and Bible study is 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, www.encounter360.org.

• Evanswood Church of God, 2601 E Square Lake Road, Troy, 248-879-9240.

• Faith Church in Rochester Hills offers free meals to the community, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Wednesdays, at the church,160 W Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, faithchurchrochesterhills.org/sharethetable.

• Faith Community Christian Church (meeting at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church), 1550 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, 586-703-6249, Reverend Tom Sayers. Traditional service is at 1 p.m., www.faithcommunitychristianchurch.org.

• Faith Covenant Church, 35415 W. 14 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, worship services are at 9:30 a.m. and 11a.m., Sundays, 248-661-9191, 4fcc.org.

• First Baptist Church, 2601 John R Road, Troy, fbctroy.org.

• First Baptist Church, 255 E. Scripps Road, Lake Orion, fbclo.org, 248-693-6203, info@fbclo.org.

• First Congregational Church, 5449 Clarkston Road, Clarkston, (just east of Sashabaw Road), 248-394-0200, www.fcclarkston.com, worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays.

• First Congregational Church of Rochester UCC, 1315 N. Pine, Rochester, worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays, fccrochester.org, 248-651-6225.

• First Congregational Church of Royal Oak, 1314 Northwood Blvd., Royal Oak. Worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, www.fccro.org.

• First General Baptist of Waterford, 2933 Frembes Road, Waterford, wgbchurch.com, 248-673-6481, Sunday school at 10 a.m., worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• First Missionary Church, 4832 Clintonville Road, Independence Twp., www.fmcclarkston.org, 248-674-3186. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• First Presbyterian Church Birmingham, 1669 W. Maple, Birmingham, worship services are Sundays, 8:30 a.m. in person, and 10 a.m. in person and livestream, fpcbirmingham.org, 248-644-2040.

• First Presbyterian Church of Pontiac, 99 Wayne Street, Pontiac, fpcpontiac.info.

• First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak, 529 Hendrie Blvd., 248-541-0108, fpcro.org, online services available anytime at fpcro.org, 248-541-0108.

• First United Methodist Church of Troy, 6363 Livernois, Troy. Church services are 10 a.m. Sundays in person and livestream on YouTube and Facebook, www.FUMCTROY.org, 248-879-6363.

• Five Points Community Church, 3411 E Walton Blvd, Auburn Hills, https://5pointscc.org, 248-373-1381. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1950 S. Baldwin Road, Lake Orion, 248-391-1170, goodshepherdlakeorion.net. Worship service is at 10 a.m. Sundays.

• Grace Gospel Fellowship, 65 East Huron Street, Pontiac; in-person and livestream online services are 11 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Livestream online services are at www.facebook.com/GraceGospelFellowshipPontiac, 248-334-2187.

• Greenfield Presbyterian Church, 2312 Greenfield Road, Berkley, both virtual and in-person worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, (Memorial Day through Labor Day, services are at 10 a.m. only), youtube.com/user/GreenfieldChurch, greenfieldchurch.com, 248-544-1800.

• Grace Church, 220 Bogie Lake Road, White Lake Twp. Sunday services are 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., Gracechurchinfo.net, 248-887-3700.

• Harvestland Church, 5848 Clintonville Road, Independence Twp., https://harvestland.church, 248-391-2063. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Hazel Park First United Methodist Church, 313 E. Nine Mile Road, Hazel Park, 248-546-5955, hpfirst.org. Sunday worship services at 11:15 a.m.

• Heart of the Hills Christian Church, 5085 Orion Road, Rochester, https://heartofthehills.com, 248-841-1679. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Hillside Bible Church, 73 N Church St, Ortonville, 248-627-2513, hillsidebible.org, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Hilltop Church of the Nazarene, 21260 Haggerty Road, Northville, hilltopnaz.org, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Holly Calvary Church, 15010 N Holly Road, Holly, hollycalvary.org, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m. in person and online, Wednesday worship is at 6:30 p.m.

• Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 4800 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp. In-person worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays, livestream on YouTube youtube.com/@spiritdrivenchurch, 248-682-5441, spiritdrivenchurch.com.

• Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield, 248-356-1020, hopeumc.org.

• Immanuel Congregational Church of Christ, Oxford, 248-628-1610, icucc.org, virtual service at 11 a.m. Sundays, facebook.com/oxfordimmanuelucc.

• International Christian Church, 3980 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, online and in-person services at 11:30 a.m. Sundays, 248-494-8757, myiccglobal.org, facebook.com/icchurch/live.

• Islamic Association of Greater Detroit, 879 West Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, www.childrenofabrahamday.org.

• Jewel Heart Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, 27745 Woodward Ave., Berkley, www.jewelheart.org.

• Journey Lutheran Church, (joined with Holy Cross Church) 136 S. Washington St., Oxford, online and in-person worship services, 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, education hour is at 10 a.m., journeylutheran.church, 248-628-2011.

• Kensington Church with locations in Birmingham, Clarkston, Clinton Twp., Orion Twp. and Troy, in-person Sunday worship times, and online services offered streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and website, kensingtonchurch.org.

• King of Kings Lutheran Church, 1715 S. Lapeer Road, Lake Orion, www.kingofkingslakeorion.org. Worship services are 9:30 a.m. Sundays, online streaming at www.facebook.com/kingofkingslakeorion.

• Kirk in the Hills, 1340 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills. Sunday worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., kirkinthehills.org, 248 626 2515.

• Lakecrest Baptist Church, 35 Airport Rd, Waterford Twp., www.lakecrestbaptist.com, 248-681-3214. Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Spanish service at 1 p.m.

• Lake Orion Church of Christ, 1080 Hemingway Road, Lake Orion, www.lococ.org, 248-693-7242. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Lake Orion Methodist Church, Lake Orion, www.lakeorionumc.org. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m., in person and online.

• LakePoint Community Church, 1550 W. Drahner Road, Oxford, https://lakepointcc.org, 248-628-0038.

• The Lakes Church, 1450 S Hospital Road, Waterford Twp., www.thelakes.cc, 248-254-7833, Sunday worship services are 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services are livestreamed.

• Liberty General Baptist Church, 3545 Joslyn Rd, Auburn Hills, https://libertygeneralbaptistchurch.org, 248-431-3498. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Lifepoint Church, 5601 Scott Lake Road, Waterford Twp., lifepointchristian.com.

• Life Renewal Church, 28312 Grand River, Farmington Hills, https://liferenewalchurch.org, worship is 11 a.m. Sundays.

• Madison Heights Church of the Nazarene, 555 E 13 Mile Road, Madison Heights, mhnaz.org, 248-585-5551.

• Maranatha Baptist Church, 5790 Flemings Lake Road, Clarkston, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m., www.mbcclarkston.org.

• Marimont Community Church, 424 W Walton Blvd., Pontiac, Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., https://marimontcommunitychurch.com.

• Masjid Mahmood, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center, 1730 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, ahmadiyyamosque.blogspot.com.

• Metro Detroit Christian Church, 33360 W. 13 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, https://metrodetroit.org, 248-562-7998. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Church, 25585 Berg Road, Southfield, https://mogccc.com, 248-356-0565.

• Motor City Church, 3668 Livernois Road, Troy, www.motorcitychurch.org, 248-524-2400. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

• Mt. Zion Church, 4900 Maybee Road, Clarkston, mtzion.org. Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• Muslim Unity Center of Bloomfield Hills, 1830 W. Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, Muslimunitycenter.org.

• Nardin Park United Methodist Church, 29887 W Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills, 248-476-8860, nardinpark.org, www.facebook.com/NPUMC.

• Nativity Episcopal Church, 21220 W. 14 Mile Road, Bloomfield Twp., nativityepiscopalchurch.org, 248-646-4100.

• New Heights Baptist Church, Grand Blanc, 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays, newheightsbc.com. For information, email pastornewheights@gmail.com or call 810-866-4563.

• New Hope Christian Fellowship, 6020 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp., https://newhopemi.org, 248-886-1500, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 23455 W Nine Mile Road, Southfield,  www.newhope-mbc.org, 248-353-0675. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m., in person and livestream.

• New Hudson United Methodist Church, 56730 Grand River Ave., New Hudson, newhudsonumc.org. Worship services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays.

• Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3633 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 248-644-5920. Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, in person and livestream, www.facebook.com/TroyNorthminster.

• Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 23925 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, www.northwestuu.org, 248-281-4902. Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays in person and virtual.

• North Congregational Church, 36520 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, northcongregationalchurch.org.

• North Hills Christian Reformed Church, 3150 North Adams Road, Troy, worship services, 9:30 a.m. Sundays, 248-645-1990, northhillscrc.org.

• North Oaks Church, 9600 Ortonville Road, City of the Village of Clarkston, worship services are 10:30 a.m., Sundays, northoakschurch.org, office@northoakschurch.org, 248-922-3515.

• Oakland Church, 5100 North Adams Road, Rochester, worship services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, www.oaklandchurch.me.

• Oakland Church of Christ, 23333 West 10 Mile Road Southfield, livestream and in-person worship services are 10:30 a.m. Sundays, TheOaklandChurchofchrist.org, 248-355-9225.

• Oakland Hills Community Church, Farmington Hills, ohcc.net, 313-686-4578.

• Oakland Woods Baptist Church 5628 Maybee Rd, Village of Clarkston, www.facebook.com/OWBCClarkston, 248-625-7557. Sunday worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

• Oak Pointe Church,1250 South Hill, Milford, in-person or online worship services are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, opcmilford.org.

• Oak Pointe Church, 50200 W. 10 Mile Road, Novi, in-person or online worship services are 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. oakpointe.org, 248-912-0043.

• Oak Pointe Church, 6343 Farmington Road, West Bloomfield, in-person or online worship services are 10:15 a.m. Sundays, oakpointe.org/westbloomfield.

• Oakwood Community Church, 5791 Oakwood Rd, Ortonville, www.oakwoodcc.org, 248-628-6388.

• Orchard Grove Community Church, 850 Ladd Rd; Bldg. C, Walled Lake, Sunday worship services are at 10:10 a.m., www.orchardgrove.org.

• Orchard Lake Community Church, Presbyterian, 5171 Commerce Road, Orchard Lake, worship services are at 9 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. Sundays, olccp.com, 248-682-0730.

• Orchard United Methodist Church, Farmington Hills, worship services, 10 a.m. Sundays and Weekday Worship Experiences at Noon at youtube.com/c/OrchardUMC and facebook.com/OrchardUMC/live_videos, 248-626-3620, orchardumc.org.

• Our Lady of La Salette, 2600 Harvard Road, Berkley, 248-541-3762, par8551@gmail.com, lasalette-church.org, Mass is at 4:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays.

• Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in-person Mass, Saturday at 5 p.m., Sunday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., weekdays at 8:15 a.m., 5481 Dixie Hwy., Waterford Twp. Livestream Mass at 5 p.m. Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, ollonline.org/live.

• Our Lady of Refuge Church, 3700 Commerce Road, Orchard Lake, olorcc.org, 248-682-4099, Mass is 5 p.m. Saturdays and  8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. Sundays.

• Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 23815 Power Road, Farmington, church.olsorrows.com.

• Our Mother of Perpetual Help, 13500 Oak Park Blvd, Oak Park, www.omoph.org. Saturday mass is at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday mass is at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

• Oxbow Lake Baptist Church, 10730 Elizabeth Lake Rd, White Lake Charter Township, www.oxbowbc.com, 248-698-3034. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• Oxford United Methodist Church, 21 E. Burdick St. Oxford, 248 628-1289, oxfordunitedmc.org. People Feeding People (PFP) free breakfast is 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturdays. In-person worship services and online at youtube.com/channel/UCN2R96oWdXzxDqwdz8YBlrQ.

• Paint Creek United Methodist Church, 4420 Collins Road, Rochester, www.paintcreekumc.org, 248-373-2360, Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m.

• Renaissance Vineyard Church, 1841 Pinecrest Drive, Ferndale, https://renvc.com, 248-545-4664. Sunday worship services at 10:33 a.m.

• The River Church of Auburn Hills, 315 S. Squirrel Road, Auburn Hills, http://riverchurch.faith, 248-853-1524. Worship services are 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sundays.

• The River Church, Holly, Lake Orion, Waterford and more locations, livestream and videos of sermons, theriverchurch.cc, 248-328-0490.

• River North Church, 67 N Lynn Ave, Waterford Twp., Sunday School is 10 a.m. Sundays, worship services at 11:15 a.m. Sundays and 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays, view sermons online at www.youtube.com/@rivernorthchurch2023, nondenominational family church, 248-724-6559, www.facebook.com/Rivernorthchurch.

• River Of Life Christian Church, 5482 Winell St., Independence Twp., 248-599-3074.

• Rochester Christian Church, 4435 Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, https://rcc4me.com, 248-652-3353, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Royal Oak First United Methodist Church, 320 W. 7th Street, Royal Oak, www.rofum.org, 248-541-4100. Worship services are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, in person and online, www.rofum.org/live.

• Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3400 S. Adams Road, Auburn Hills. Mass times are at 4 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday. Weekday Mass services are 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, www.esacredheart.org, 248-852-4170.

• St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church, 4571 John R Road, Troy, www.stanastasia.org, 248-689-8380.

• St. Anne Catholic Church of Ortonville, 825 South Ortonville Road, Ortonville. Mass times are Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Saturday at 5 p.m.; Monday at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m., 248-627-3965, churchofstanne.org.

• St. Augustine Lutheran Troy (SALT) Church, 5475 Livernois in Troy, saltchurch.net, communications@saltchurch.net, 248-879-6400.

• St. Benedict Catholic Church, 60 South Lynn Street, Waterford Twp., 248-681-1534. Sunday Mass times are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., streaming at stbencc.org/live-stream.

• St. David’s Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, www.stdavidssf.org. Sunday worship services are at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. both in person and via zoom. Food pantry is 9 a.m.-noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

• St. George’s Episcopal Church, 801 E Commerce, Milford, 248-684-0495. Sunday worship services 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., in person and online, www.stgeorgesmilford.org.

• St. George Orthodox Church, 2160 E Maple Road, Troy, 248-589-0480, www.stgeorgeoftroy.org, www.facebook.com/stgeorgeoftroymi.

• St. James Church, 46325 Ten Mile Road, Novi, Mass times are 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sundays, and 4 p.m. Saturdays. Livestream services, 4 p.m. Saturdays, 248-347-7778, stjamesnovi.org.

• St. John Lutheran Church & School, 1011 University Drive, Rochester. Traditional praise worship services are Sundays at  8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Modern praise services are Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 10:45 p.m. The 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday worship services are livestreamed and posted on the website at stjohnrochester.org.

• St. John Lutheran Church, 23225 Gill Road, Farmington Hills, www.stjohn-elca.org, https://form.jotform.com/242835058121149.

• St. John’s Episcopal Church Royal Oak, 26998 Woodward Ave. Royal Oak. Services are 8 a.m. Sundays, in person and 10:15 a.m. Sundays, online and in-person worship, stjohnsroyaloak.org, 248-546-1255.

• St. Joseph Catholic Church, Lake Orion, view Mass services on the church’s Youtube channel, youtube.com/user/stjosephmassarchive, or at Facebook page, facebook.com/StJoeLo, stjoelo.org, 248-693-0440.

• St. Joseph Chapel and Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 400 South Blvd. West, Pontiac, https://terrasanctaministries.net.

• St. Mark and St. Mary & St. Philopater Coptic Orthodox Church, 3603 Livernois Road, Troy, www.stmarkmi.org. Divine liturgy services are at 7 a.m. (Arabic) and 8:15 a.m. (English), Sundays.

• St. Mary Catholic Church, 730 S Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, www.stmaryroyaloak.com, 248-547-1818. Mass at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday.

• St. Mary of the Hills Roman Catholic Church, 2675 John R. Road, Rochester Hills. Live online Mass is 4 p.m. Saturday, on Facebook and YouTube. In-person Mass is 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. Sunday, sign up required, 248-853-5390, smoth.org.

• St. Mary’s In-the-Hills Episcopal Church, 2512 Joslyn Court, Lake Orion, 248-391-0663, www.stmarysinthehills.org. Sunday Services are at 8:30 a.m.-Simple service of Holy Eucharist and at 10 a.m.-Service of Holy Eucharist with choir and Children’s Church School-Service, livestream on YouTube or Facebook or www.stmarysinthehills.org. Adult Bible Study is held Tuesdays at 10 a.m.

• St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2040 S. Commerce Road, Walled Lake, 248-624-7676, st-matthew.org. Blended Worship services are 8:45 a.m. Sundays (also livestream on YouTube); Prayer & Praise Worship services are 11 a.m. Sundays; Monday Blended Worship services are 7 p.m.

• St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 48380 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 248-624-9525, st-matthew.org. Sunday worship services are 10 a.m.

• St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, 760 W Wattles Road, Troy, 248-362-9575, stnicholastroy.org.

• St. Owen Catholic Church, 6869 Franklin Road  Bloomfield Hills, stowen.org.

• St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 1413 E. Thirteen Mile Road, Madison Heights, 248-585-9591, in-person Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., or online at stpatsmh.org.

• St. Paul Community Lutheran Church, 1133 Joslyn Ave., Pontiac, www.stpaulpontiac.com. 248-758-9019. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 E. Fifth St, Royal Oak, worship services are 8:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays. Livestream also at 8:15 a.m. service, stpaulroyaloak.org, 248-930-3100.

• St. Paul United Methodist Church, 165 E. Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 248-338-8233, services are at 9:45 a.m. Sundays, SPUMC.net, facebook.com/spumcbloomfieldhills, 248-216-1657.

• St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 620 Romeo Street, Rochester. Open door worship services are at 9:30 a.m. Sundays and sanctuary worship services are at 11 a.m., Sundays, livestream available, facebook.com/stpaulsrochester, stpaulsrochester.org.

• St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 100 Romeo Road, Rochester, stpfeeds.org.

• St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 5500 N Adams Road, Troy, www.ststephenstroy.org, 248-641-8080, worship services at  8 a.m. and 11 a.m. online and in person.

• St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church, 69 S. Astor St., Pontiac, 248-335-5873, www.saintstephenmbc.com. Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m.

• St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church, 6900 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield Twp., www.stccc.org.

• St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. Sundays,  29150 W. 10 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, 248-471-1059, stthomasalbanianorthodoxchurch.org.

• St. William Parish, 531 Common St., Walled Lake, stwilliam.com, 248-624-1421.

• Sanctuary Church, 300 Willits St., Birmingham, in-person and online services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays, 248-644-0550, sanctuary-church.com.

• Sashabaw Presbyterian Church, Clarkston, worship services via Zoom, services at 11 a.m. on 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, and at 6 p.m. on 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. Email sashabawpresbyterianchurch@gmail.com for a link to services, sashabawpresbyterianchurch.org, 248-310-0792.

• Scott Lake Baptist Church, 811 Scott Lake Road, Waterford Twp., Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., also livestream, https://hisscottlake.org.

• Seymour Lake United Methodist Church, 3050 S. Sashabaw Road, Oxford, in-person or online services at 10 a.m. Sundays, 248-572-4200, email- office@seymourlakeumc.org, seymourlakeumc.org.

• Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church, 2905 S. Commerce Road, Walled Lake, worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. during Lent and Advent, www.shepherdlakes.org, 248-624-4238.

• Shrine Catholic Church, 12 Mile and Woodward, 248-541-4122, https://shrinechurch.com.

• Silver Lake Church Of The Nazarene, 20 W Walton Blvd., Pontiac, https://slcpontiac.org, 248-977-4698.

• Spirit of Grace Church, 2399 Figa Ave., West Bloomfield Twp., 248-682-0270, Sunday worship at 10 a.m., spiritofgrace.church, facebook.com/spiritograce/videos. The church has a diabetic food pantry for those in need with dietary restrictions. The church seeks donations of non-perishable food items for diabetics including: proteins, nuts, grains and beans, sugar-free foods, low carb and high fiber foods as well as shopping bags and unused boxes. Drive-up diabetic food pantry hours are 10 a.m.-noon, 3rd Saturdays of the month.

• Spiritual Life Center, Troy, www.slctroy.com, 248-925-6214. A Message of Hope is 10 a.m. Sundays at www.youtube.com/c/SLCTroy.

• Stone Haven Free Methodist Church, 1349 West Wattles Road, Troy, services are 11 a.m. Sundays, (limited in-person seating at 10:45 a.m.) online services at stonehavenfmc.org, 248-649-1465.

• Temple Beth El Synagogue, 7400 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, www.tbeonline.org, streaming page – tbelive.org and facebook.com/tbeonline/live, 248-851-1100.

• Temple Israel, West Bloomfield Twp., streaming video at temple-israel.org.

• Temple Kol Ami, 5085 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., tkolami.org, 248-661-0040.

• Temple Shir Shalom, 3999 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., www.shirshalom.org, 248-737-8700.

• Thrive Church, a Global Methodist Church, 680 W. Livingston Road, Highland Twp., www.thrive-church.us, 248-887-1311.

• Trinity United Methodist Church, 6440 Maceday Drive, Waterford Twp., Services, 11 a.m. Sundays, waterfordtrinityumc.org, 248-623-6860.

• Troy Church of the Nazarene, 6840 Crooks Road, Troy, troynaz.org, 248-802-7650. Worship Services and Bible Study, 11 a.m. Sundays and 6 p.m. Wednesdays.

• Unity of Farmington Hills worship service in person and online at 10 a.m. Sundays, youtube.com/channel/UCi90mgzXUDpw0k21_3JXlTg, Unityfh.com.

• Unity of Lake Orion, 3070 S. Baldwin Road, Orion Twp., unitylakeorion.org, 248-391-9211. Sunday worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, in person and livestream on Facebook.

• Unity of Royal Oak, 2500 Crooks Road, Royal Oak, unityofroyaloak.org, 248-288-3550. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m., livestream on YouTube and Facebook.

• Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, 25301 Halsted Road, Farmington Hills, uufarmington.org. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, in person and livestream.

• University Presbyterian Church, 1385 S. Adams, Rochester Hills, universitypres.org, 248-375-0400.

• The Village Church of Ortonville, 93 N Church St. Ortonville, www.facebook.com/oumvillagechurch, 248 627-3125.

• Walled Lake United Methodist Church, 313 E Northport St., Walled Lake. Sunday worship services at 9:30 a.m. in person, or at Facebook Live, facebook.com/walledlakeumc and YouTube, youtube.com/channel/UCjOTQmG5DAGUdd_ghKdp2FQ, walledlakeumc.org, 248-624-2405.

• Warren’s Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, 29860 Dequindre, Warren. Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m. in person and livestream at www.aglc-warren.org, 586-751-7750.

• Waterford Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5725 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp., www.waterfordadventist.org, 248-681-3334. Worship services in person and livestream, 11 a.m. Saturdays.

• Waypoint Church, 8400 Dixie Hwy., Clarkston, waypoint.org, 248-623-1224. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, 143 Oneida St, Pontiac, www.welcomemissionarybaptistchurch.com, 248-335-8740. Sunday worship services are at 8:30 a.m. in person and livestream on Facebook at www.facebook.com/welcomemissionary.church.

• Wellspring Bible Church, 485 Farnsworth, White Lake Twp., worship services are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, wellspringbiblechurch.org, 248-682-0319.

• West Bloomfield United Methodist Church, 4100 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., worship services are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, westbloomfieldumc.org, 248-851-2330.

• White Lake Presbyterian Church, 4805 Highland Road, White Lake Twp., worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, 248-887-4654, whitelakepc.org.

• Williams Lake Church, 2840 Airport Road, Waterford Twp., www.facebook.com/williamslakechurch, 248-673-5911, www.williamslakechurch.com.

• Woodside Bible Church, with 14 locations in Southeast Michigan, livestream online services, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sundays, live.woodsidebible.org, 248-879-8533.

• Zion Lutheran Church, 143 Albany St., Ferndale, in-person and online worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, www.zionlutheranmi.org.

To add a church or event to this list, visit the link to the online submission form at https://bit.ly/40a2iAm.

— MediaNews Group

WHITE LAKE – Lakeland won a defensive struggle over Walled Lake Northern 41-34 Friday night in Lakes Valley Conference play.

The game had the feel of a neck-and-neck battle right from the start. The teams combined for just seven points in the entire first quarter – and three of those came on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Chase Carson to give the Eagles a 5-2 lead after the opening period.

The offenses did a bit better in the succeeding quarters, but neither team could sustain anything resembling a rhythm on offense for more than a couple of possessions. Walled Lake Northern led only once, and briefly, at 8-7 in the second quarter, but the Eagles scored the next six points to take a 13-8 lead, and the Knights trailed the rest of the way, though they always stayed close. Each team’s swarming, physical defense leant a frenetic yet grinding tone to the game where the offenses were consistently struggling to find open shots or to produce points.

“That’s how it always is in this Battle of Bogie Lake – a low-scoring, tightly-contested physical battle, and this one didn’t disappoint. That’s for sure,” Eagles head coach Ron Thompson said. “They’re going to do what they do. We’re going to do what we do. No surprises.”

But once the second half rolled around, 6-foot-5 senior Nsikan Usen got rolling, and the Eagles always had an answer whenever the Knights started to creep close on the scoreboard.

“I think he (Usen) is a hard guy to referee because he’s bigger, stronger than a lot of guys out there. I think he gets beat up everywhere he goes, but he did a really nice job of handling the pressure, handling the physicality and not complaining and getting things done,” Thompson said.

Usen led the field with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ethan Rowley finished with seven points and seven rebounds, while Hayden Cross tallied eight points as Lakeland spread out the scoring.

Walled Lake Northern was led by seven points from Stone Seyburn and six points from E. J. Milan. But they couldn’t sustain any kind of offense all night, and that kept the Eagles just out of reach even when the Knights were playing well defensively.

“We have to score if we want to win,” Knights head coach Ryan Negoshian said. “We kind of hang our hats on playing solid defense and getting after it, but offensively if you want to win, you have to score. That’s the name of the game. and we just can’t score.”

Photo gallery from Lakeland vs. Walled Lake Northern in LVC boys hoops action

Lakeland (9-6 overall, 6-4 LVC) continues conference play next Tuesday when it travels to South Lyon East to face the Cougars.

“I thought it was a great team game. I think everybody stepped up and did what they were supposed to do. Everybody knew their role and did it,” Thompson said. “I thought all the guys played really well.”

Walled Lake Northern (5-10 overall, 4-6 LVC) will try to snap a four-game losing streak when the Knights host South Lyon on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to get back to basics, to making shots, to catching the ball ready to score, to passing the ball quicker, to doing fundamental things that basketball teams need to do that we are not executing right now,” Negoshian said. “We have the ability to do it, which is the frustrating part. We have done it. We know we can do it. We’re just not doing it right now.”

Ashlee Frankford was the recipient of the DAR Good Citizen Award from West Bloomfield High School.

The Piety Hill Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, honored 16 local high school recipients of the Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Essay Contest on Jan. 9 at the Bloomfield Township Public Library.

 

The DAR Good Citizen Award recognizes and rewards individuals who possess good citizenship qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. The students are selected by their teachers and peers because they demonstrate these qualities to an outstanding degree.

There are 3,000 chapters of the DAR nationwide. It was founded in 1890 as a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism.

Today is Saturday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2025. There are 340 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Jan. 25, 2004, NASA’s Opportunity rover landed on Mars and sent its first pictures of the planet to Earth; originally planned as a 90-day mission, the rover remained operational for over 15 years, travelling a total of 28 miles across the planet’s surface.

Also on this date:

In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix (shah-moh-NEE’), France.

In 1945, the World War II Battle of the Bulge ended as the German army concluded its final offensive on the Western Front; approximately 19,000 US soldiers were killed during the five-week campaign.

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city to add fluoride to its public water supply.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first live televised presidential news conference.

In 1971, Charles Manson and three of his followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.

In 2011, Egyptians began a nationwide uprising that forced longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak to step down amid the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed an order reversing a Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender people from military service.

In 2022, the Navy said it had discharged 23 active-duty sailors for refusing the coronavirus vaccine; it marked the first time the Navy had thrown currently-serving sailors out of the military over the mandatory shots.

Today’s birthdays:

• Football Hall of Famer Carl Eller is 83.
• Actor Leigh Taylor-Young is 80.
• Actor Jenifer Lewis is 68.
• Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios is 63.
• Actor Ana Ortiz is 54.
• Actor Mia Kirshner is 50.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 47.
• Soccer manager and former player Xavi is 45.
• Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is 44.
• Football Hall of Famer Patrick Willis is 40.
• Actor-singer Ariana DeBose is 34.

In the second game of a girls-boys doubleheader, Lakeland defeated Walled Lake Northern 41-34 on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025 at Lakeland.

WHITE LAKE – The White Lake Lakeland Eagles led from start to finish, knocking off the Walled Lake Northern Knights 43-33 in a key Lakes Valley Conference contest Friday evening.

The game was a defensive battle from the start. The teams are very familiar with each other, and it showed from the start.

“We’ve played them (Walled Lake Northern) three times last year, twice this year. We know each other so well. We have a lot of experienced players that came back, so we all know each other. I’m calling out their plays. They’re calling out our plays. That’s what it is when you play a rival like that,” Lakeland head coach Mike Leitheim said. “We just know each other so well, and both teams work so hard that it’s tough to get a good look sometimes.”

Neither team made a field goal in the first four minutes of the game, and the score was just 15-8 Lakeland at halftime.

“Lakeland basketball doesn’t have to be pretty,” Leitheim said. “We’re about whatever we can do to have one more point than the opponent at the end of the game. The first half, I went in the locker room, in a 15-8 game, and we all agreed that was beautiful basketball, because we know that sometimes we have to win that way, and we’re used to winning that way.”

Lakeland kept driving toward the basket, and in the fourth quarter in particular it finally paid off. Whereas the Knights were able to stop the Eagles and force them into bad shots in the first half, by the fourth quarter, those Lakeland drives started to draw fouls, and the Eagles made their foul shots, going 12-for-16 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to hold the Knights. Aubrin Miller did most of the damage, making 8 of 10 free throws in that final stanza, and canning 10 of 12 on the night.

Walled Lake Northern hung around much of the evening. After getting down 13-2 by the middle of the second quarter, the Knights started chipping away. Twice they had the margin down to a single possession early in the fourth quarter, but they could never quite catch up.

Amal Younes led all scorers with 21 points for Walled Lake Northern, but the Knights couldn’t get anyone else going to help offset Lakeland’s balance.

“Right now, we’re just not doing a very good job of executing a game plan and paying attention to the little details that we need to be paying attention to to beat good teams like that. Early in the year, we did,” Knights head coach Joshua Pees said. “We’re just not there right now. We’ve got to get back to the way we were at the beginning of the year.”

Miller led Lakeland with 15 points. Alena Tiernan chipped in 10 points and Peyton Baer added seven points for the Eagles.

With the win, Lakeland improves to 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the LVC to maintain its chase of South Lyon (11-1, 8-1), who inched back ahead for the league lead by a half-game with a victory over Milford Friday.

Photos of Lakeland vs. Walled Lake Northern in LVC girls hoops action

The Eagles will continue league play on Tuesday when they host South Lyon East.

“I’m just really proud. Our senior group has been so tough. We’re seniors and juniors. We’re experienced,” Leitheim said. “We’ve been through the grind, so it’s just these are the kinds of games they love to be a part of.”

Walled Lake Northern slips to 8-5 overall and 4-3 in league play.

“You don’t lose. I tell the girls all the time we don’t lose games, we only learn. So this was a good game to learn from, correct our mistakes, and come back and get them next time,” Pees said.

The Knights travel to South Lyon on Tuesday for another important league contest.  Walled Lake Northern handed South Lyon its only conference loss earlier in the year.

Lakeland defeated Walled Lake Northern 43-33 in the Battle of Bogie Lake Road played at Lakeland on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Seemingly bound for overtime with fourth-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, junior Jacob Lamb helped Brother Rice avoid it with his game-winner underneath the basket as time expired to give the No. 3 Warriors a 66-64 victory Friday night.

Trailing by two after Lamb had split a pair of free throws with 32 seconds left, the ball in crunch time went into the hands of senior Isaiah Hines for the Eaglets at a time where they would have normally looked to their star player, Trey McKenney, who remains sidelined with a hand injury suffered in a Jan. 9 loss to IMG Academy.

Hines, though, proved capable in the clutch, as he drove to his right towards the baseline before pulling up and hitting a fallaway jumper over two defenders with just over 15 ticks to go to tie the game.

Brother Rice senior David Williams brought the ball up the floor quickly before meeting resistance and kicked it out to junior Greg Grays, whose 3-pointer from the right wing hit rim and bounced into the air as time ran under six seconds.

Then, as both teams volleyed for possession of the rebound in the paint, it appeared to briefly land in the hands of a St. Mary’s player, but Lamb rushed in from the opposite block, ripped the ball away, and put up an off-balance shot that left his hand with about nine-tenths of a second remaining that went in to win the game and prompt a court storming that engulfed Lamb.

“I mean, it was just everybody crashing, everybody getting to the basket,” said Lamb, who finished with eight points. “My teammates Jeremiah (Coffey) and Trevor (Smith) crashed to get in there, number two (for St. Mary’s) came down with it, but I crashed in there, and I took the ball right from him and put it back up. It’s an amazing feeling.”

His timely finish broke a five-game losing streak to the Eaglets (9-6), including ones that eliminated the Warriors from the playoffs the past two seasons and another in last year’s CHSL Bishop Championship game.

“That wasn’t our prettiest, but we found a way to get it done, and I’m really proud of our guys,” Warriors head coach Rick Palmer said after his team’s 11th win in a row. “They just battled all night. And credit to St. Mary’s, that’s why they’re defending state champs. We know who didn’t play, but their other guys — Sharod (Barnes) made four or five big shots, Zip (Hines) was unbelievable all night — they’re still a really good basketball team with six, seven, eight college athletes and five or six that are going to play college basketball, so we’re really excited we won, we’re playing the right way, and I thought our team basketball tonight worked.”

Regarding the play by Lamb, Palmer added, “We talk about being us, and being us is playing through the whistle through the horn. (Jacob) had two turnovers down the stretch, missed a free throw down the stretch, but Jacob’s maturing a lot as a young man. He couldn’t have made that play after making those mistakes a year ago … That’s just part of growing up and part of the maturity process, and we’ve got a lot of guys that are playing really mature.”

Both Grays and Williams already reached double figures by halftime, at which point Brother Rice led 31-27, but the Warriors began to cook behind that pair coming out of the lockers. Grays knocked down a triple and was fouled on a transition basket that helped the Warriors extend their lead to 16 points with over two minutes to go in the third and looked assuredly on course for victory by some margin.

The absence of McKenney, however, didn’t prevent the Eaglets from eventually striking back. They cut the lead to 11 by the start of the fourth quarter, which saw Barnes take over and score 13 of his team-high 23 points. He connected from the corner and was fouled in front of his team’s bench for a four-point play, then knocked down a step-back 3-pointer that made it a five-point game less than a minute later with 4:45 on the clock.

A conventional three-point play by Jayden Savoury got St. Mary’s to within three with just over three minutes left, then the Eaglets got it to within one when Barnes’ driving bucket dropped in with over a minute remaining, making it 63-62.

“I thought we were really getting in the lane and sharing the ball, but I thought we didn’t handle the end of the game well,” Palmer said. “Listen, they hit some bombs — that and-1 three by Sharod, Zip was good all night — and credit to them, they clawed back like a championship team does. The last minute-and-a-half, we were kind of stalling, kind of weren’t, we weren’t sharp with that, so we’ve got to go back and fix that. Honestly, surprisingly, in the stretch, we haven’t had that many tight games. We haven’t had a lot of guys who’ve played in these types of games, so I think we can grow from this.”

Photo gallery of Brother Rice vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in CHSL boys hoops action

Williams and Grays each knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 22 and 21 points, respectively.

"We just wanted to come out and win the game, and that's what we did," Grays said. "We prepared for it all week of practice. This was a big game for us. Our student section came out. They did what they're supposed to do and we had to win the game."

Senior Jeremiah Caffey added nine points, including seven in the third quarter, for the Warriors (14-1). Hines ended with 16 points and Savoury added 11 for St. Mary's.

Both teams will host Toledo-based CHSL opponents next. The Warriors get Central Catholic on Tuesday and St. Mary's takes on St. Francis De Sales on Jan. 31.

SOUTHGATE — Two local girls’ basketball teams stepped outside their respective conferences to square off against one another Friday night as Farmington made its way to the Downriver area to take on Southgate Anderson.

Both teams came into the non-league battle looking for some semblance of a mid-season spark. Farmington was hoping to shake a four-game losing skid, while Anderson their last time out more than a week ago earned just their second win of the campaign and snapped a seven-game slide in the process.

A big second half allowed for the hometown Titans to pull away for the eventual 32-20 victory over the visiting Falcons.

The win for Anderson gives them back-to-back victories overall since the tail end of the 2022-23 season. The Titans with the victory have also already matched their win total from the previous two seasons combined.

In fact, both Anderson and Farmington are in the midst of rebuilds after each team finished just 1-21 a season ago. And Friday’s matchup was one that both clubs have found themselves in often throughout this winter: tightly-contested, low-scoring affairs.

It was a slow burn offensively for both teams, who combined for just a dozen first-half points. Farmington, in particular, was held to just one made basket in the first 16 minutes of game action, that coming on a three-pointer from Sydney Nogas.

Nonetheless, the Falcons stayed within striking distance heading into halftime before Anderson started to create some separation. The Titans nearly matched their entire scoring output from the first half in the third quarter alone before turning in a 16-point fourth quarter to seal the deal.

Low-scoring outcome aside, both teams displayed depth as each saw seven different players find the scoring column.

Anderson got a big lift all evening long from sophomore Scarlett Sage, who was the game’s leading scorer with 13 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. Aiding in Sage’s efforts was senior Jenna Hinzmann, who finished with eight points on just one made basket from the floor but went 6-for-8 from the free throw line.

In addition to the triple from Nogas, Farmington got four points each out of Grace Lamott and Edimari King. It’s a very young Falcons squad with the sophomores Nogas and Lamott being two of nine underclassmen. King meanwhile is just one of two seniors.

UP NEXT

After returning home to host Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in another non-league affair on Jan 28, Farmington (3-9) will officially begin OAA Gold Division play when they visit Ferndale University two days later on Jan 30.

Anderson (3-8) meanwhile will jump back into Downriver League play with a makeup game at home vs Taylor on Jan 27. It will be the first of three games next week for the Titans, who will then do battle with conference foes Wyandotte Roosevelt and Allen Park on Jan 28 and 30, respectively.

PHOTOS: Girls Basketball – Farmington vs Southgate Anderson

By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is muscling Pete Hegseth’s nomination as defense secretary toward confirmation Friday, prioritizing his vow to create a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon over allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women.

With votes expected late in the evening, the Republican-led Senate is determined to install Hegseth, a former Fox News host and combat veteran, and round out President Donald Trump’s top national security Cabinet officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe won confirmation within days of Trump’s return to the White House.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune opened Friday’s session saying that Hegseth, as a veteran of the Army National Guard who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, “will bring a warrior’s perspective” to the top military job.

“Gone will be the days of woke distractions,” Thune said, referring to the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being slashed across the federal government. “The Pentagon’s focus will be on war fighting.”

The Senate’s ability to confirm Hegseth despite a grave series of allegations against him will provide a measure of Trump’s political power and ability to get what he wants from the GOP-led Congress, and use the potency of the culture wars to fuel his agenda at the White House.

Next week senators will be facing Trump’s other outside Cabinet choices including particularly Kash Patel, a Trump ally who has published an enemies list, as the FBI director; Tulsi Gabbard as director of the office of national intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, the anti-vaccine advocate at Health and Human Services.

So far, Trump’s nominees are largely on track.

Democrats, as the minority party, have little power to stop Hegesth, and instead have resorted to dragging out the process.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said during the debate there are few Trump nominees as “dangerously and woefully unqualified as Hegesth.”

Hegseth faces allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Republican conference in California, though he has denied the claims and said the encounter was consensual. He later paid $50,000 to the woman.

More recently, Hegseth’s former sister-in-law said in an affidavit that he was abusive to his second wife to the point that she feared for her safety. Hegseth has denied the allegation, and in divorce proceedings, neither Hegseth nor the woman claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.

But Republican senators have stood by Hegseth, echoing his claims of a “smear” campaign against him.

A Princeton and Harvard graduate, Hegseth represents a newer generation of veterans who came of age in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He went on to a career at Fox News as the host of a weekend show, and was unknown to many on Capitol Hill until Trump tapped him for the top Defense job.

Hegseth’s comments that women should have no role in military combat drew particular concern on Capitol Hill, including from lawmakers who themselves served. He has since tempered those views as he met with senators during the confirmation process.

All but two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have stood by Hegseth amid an avalanche of pressure from Trump’s allies — and their own fellow GOP senators — to back Trump’s nominees or face recrimination.

Murkowski said in a lengthy statement ahead of a test vote on Hegseth that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the military.

“I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” Murkowski wrote on social media.

Collins said that after a lengthy discussion with Hegseth, “I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”

But one prominent Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, came under harsh criticism for her skepticism toward Hegseth and eventually announced she would back him.

“It’d sure be helpful if Republicans stood together to confirm Trump’s cabinet,” fellow GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted online ahead of Friday’s voting.

Hegseth would lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

During a fiery confirmation hearing, Hegseth dismissed allegations of wrongdoing one by one, and vowed to bring “warrior culture” to the top Pentagon post.

Hegseth has promised not to drink on the job if confirmed.

In exercising its advise and consent role over Trump’s nominees, the Senate is also trying to stave off his suggestion that the GOP leaders simply do away with the confirmation process altogether, and allow him to appoint his Cabinet choices when the Congress is on recess.

Trump raised the idea of so-called “recess appointments” during a private White House meeting with Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson. But that is an extreme, and potentially difficult, step that some GOP senators want but several other senators on both sides of the aisle are trying to avoid.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and CHRISTINE FERNANDO, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new Justice Department leadership issued an order Friday to curtail prosecutions against people accused of blocking reproductive rights facilities, calling the cases an example of the “weaponization” of law enforcement.

Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle said in a memo obtained by The Associated Press that prosecutions and civil actions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or “FACE Act” will now be permitted only in “extraordinary circumstances” or in cases presenting ”significant aggravating factors.”

Mizelle also ordered the immediate dismissal of three FACE Act cases related to 2021 blockades of clinics in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ohio. One man was accused of obtaining “illegal access to a secure patient space at a Planned Parenthood facility in Philadelphia without staff permission or knowledge” and barricading himself in a restroom, according to court papers.

The news comes after Trump pardoned several anti-abortion activists convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances in violation of the FACE Act, which is designed to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats.

Motorists travelling on Interstate-75 in northern Oakland County may want to give themselves a little extra time.

I-75 will be closed in both directions at Evans Road, between Baldwin Road and Grange Hall Road in Holly Township, for multiple 15-minute intervals on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 25-26.

The closures will allow a utility company to place cables across the freeway.

The closures will occur from 8-10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Detours will be:

– Northbound I-75 to Grange Hall to northbound Dixie Hwy to northbound 75

– Southbound I-75 to Dixie Hwy/Saginaw to southbound Dixie to westbound Grange Hall to southbound I-75.

Sheriff: ‘Religious complaint’ may have spurred stabbing of refugee caseworker

Where is Creg Lyles? Waterford man went missing 4 years ago

Sheriff: Snowmobiler from Novi dies in northern Michigan crash

How wildfire investigators painstakingly comb through evidence to learn how a blaze began

 

By Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse

If in the new year you’ve resolved to become a better and smarter traveler, there are some simple steps you can take in 2025.

Whether it’s streamlining your airport experience, avoiding the pitfalls of following the crowd or maximizing your luggage, there are easy-to-remember dos and don’ts to ensure you fly like your best self in the year ahead.

Do apply for TSA PreCheck, trusted traveler programs

If you fly multiple times per year it’s wise to invest in TSA PreCheck and other trusted traveler and expedited security screening programs like Global Entry to minimize stress and time spent at the airport.

TSA PreCheck costs just $85 for a five-year membership that travelers can easily renew online after enrollment. While the U.S. Customs and Border Protection implemented fee changes to Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI last fall, these programs offer convenience and peace of mind that can’t be beaten in 2025.

Don’t join the ‘gate lice’

“Gate lice” refers to those impatient or easily influenced travelers who crowd the gate area prior to boarding, and the issue has become so serious that airlines have begun to crack down on the impolite crowds.

Southwest Airlines is the last major carrier to offer open seating and will be transitioning to assigned seating, so there’s no need to rush the gate before your group has been called. Your seat will be waiting for you, and you don’t need to get there any faster than your fellow passengers.

Do understand DOT’s new refund rules

Late last year the U.S. Department of Transportation implemented its final rule on automatic airline refunds, which is expected to save Americans more than $500 million annually.

It only takes a few minutes to read up on what constitutes a refund and what qualifies. The new rule applies not only to canceled flights but also to significantly altered trips, significantly delayed checked baggage return and a failure to provide ancillary services that were purchased.

Don’t check luggage (if you can help it)

It’s always best to avoid checking a bag if you can, as it will trim time off of your trip both before and after your flight. The carry-on size limit for most airlines is 22 x 14 x 9 inches, which is plenty in most cases, especially if you pack smart by rolling your clothes and using compression bags to maximize space.

Do be flexible to save on flights

Try to be as flexible as possible when planning your getaway. Traveling during the shoulder seasons such as the weeks after Labor Day can net you significant savings on flights. Booking those flights on weekdays such as Tuesday and Wednesday can also provide some relief for your wallet.

What’s more, booking an early morning flight could save you more while reducing the risk of a delay or cancellation.

Don’t remove your shoes or socks

For the vast majority of us, air travel is a public experience, so it’s always advised to practice common courtesy even if that means sacrificing personal comfort. That includes keeping your shoes and or socks on for the duration of the flight.

The cringy behavior of removing them routinely ranks among the rudest as far as airline passengers are concerned. A 2023 study from travel search engine KAYAK found that roughly three-fourths of respondents said taking your socks off is unacceptable. More than half said it’s not OK to remove your shoes on a flight.

Other annoying behaviors to avoid when flying include hogging the armrests, asking to switch seats, engaging in unwanted conversation with strangers, using the volume on your phone and engaging in personal grooming.

©2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome and motivational speaker/retired wrestler Anthony Robles went to the mat for one another while working on “Unstoppable,” the inspirational sports-themed drama, now streaming on Amazon Prime and poised to take its spot among history’s great stirring sports movies. It’s based on Robles’ extraordinary against-all-odds life and career as a three-time All American college wrestler at Arizona State University.

Born with one leg, the determined Robles proved to be a beast on the mat and is one of the nicest guys off it. Jerome certainly felt that way after getting to know Robles on the set.

“Anthony was my body double,” Jerome revealed during an interview last fall in San Francisco before an appearance at October’s Mill Valley Film Festival. “He wasn’t just on the side (saying) ‘hey, tell my story.’ He was hands-on. He taught me how to wrestle. He taught me how to move like him…. Usually, you know, actors are used to this. At least one other guy looks like you on the set. The guy who looked like me (in this case) was the guy I’m actually portraying. It was just special.”

In turn, Robles considered it special to observe Jerome flinging himself fully into the part, not only for the wrestling scenes but the emotional ones.

“He dialed it in and he nailed it,” Robles said during a Zoom interview. “He went for hours learning how to adjust and move around on the crutches the way I do. His dedication to pushing himself to go upstairs, to go up rocks, to maneuver without his hands. All these little details about me, which I spent my whole life learning, and being able to learn them in such a short amount of time. I was just in awe of that.”

Robles detailed his awe-inspiring journey in the memoir, “Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion,” and the bestseller serves as the basis for director William Goldenberg’s rousing debut feature.

“Unstoppable” costars Jennifer Lopez as Robles’ supportive mom Judy and Don Cheadle as his Arizona State Sun Devil wrestling coach Shawn Charles who, at least initially, possessed some doubts about the athlete’s abilities but was happy to be proven wrong.

Since Robles’ mom Judy is such an integral force in his life, she, along with Robles, frequented the set and consulted with both Jerome and Lopez, who excels at playing a loving mother stuck in a toxic relationship with a brutish man (Bobby Cannavale), Robles’ abusive step-father.

To fashion an authentic portrait of Robles, Jerome — who received a BAFTA Rising Star nomination this year — met and hung out with the relatively new dad and athlete who defied odds and skeptics and went on to win a 2011 NCAA National Wrestling Championship — a climatic moment in “Unstoppable” that’ll get you all teary-eyed.

Jerome said he felt a responsibility to embody Robles in every way — athletically, emotionally and physically. Preparation required a barrage of chest presses, deadlifts and weigh-ins to make the 27-year-old star of Boots Riley’s quirky Oakland-set series “I’m a Virgo” Robles-ready.

Having never wrestled before, the actor and singer and basketball lover says the role proved to be his most physically demanding yet. The part called for emulating someone who wrestled in the lean-mean 125-pound weight division.

To get in shape, he trained five days a week for five to six months straight. He would meet with his trainer Jason Walsh at the gym from 9 to 11 a.m. and then hit the mat with Robles and assistant Sun Devil wrestling coach Brian Stith from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., learning the techniques of a new sport.

He also practiced how to move like Robles on crutches and focused on movement and balance in general, tapping the expertise of movement coach Allison Diftler, who is also director Goldenberg’s wife. She showed Jerome how to hop on one leg and how to walk and run on crutches so he could approximate Robles’ daily routine. (One of the film’s most inspiring scenes finds Robles, with hands bleeding, racing up a mountain trail on crutches to prove he had the “right stuff” to his coach, teammates and even himself). Jerome also worked on putting his New York accent on hiatus so he could capture Robles’ Southwest dialect.

The hard work and strict regimen paid off with Jerome packing on muscle mass and, in the process, amassing huge respect for wrestlers and athletes, especially Robles.

“This man has gone through 10-times-harder things,” he said. “And there’s not a production (company) called Amazon paying him money to do it.”

He realized he never would approximate Robles’ physical dominance. “I think it would have taken four more years and for me to take steroids to meet this man exactly where he was.”

He did experience the after-effects from all those vigorous workouts. He also got obsessed with his goals.

“I was sore every day and could barely get out of bed,” Jerome recalls. “I’m in the gym, throwing up at the end of my sessions. I’m getting on the scale and I needed to lose 3 percent body fat, but I gained 1 (percent) instead. So now it’s a mental body dysmorphia problem. I’d look in the mirror and people around me were like, ‘Oh, Jharrel, you’re so in shape. You’re getting there.’ And I’m like, ‘no I’m not even close. I’ve got more work to do.’ It was a mental, a physical and an exhausting process.”

That was all prep work, the main event came right after.

“The last day of training was then followed by the first day of shooting.”

But Jerome’s performance goes beyond the physical and into the emotional, as well as reflecting how major an influence Robles’ mom is the wrestler.

“He wasn’t the one alone doing it,” Jerome said. “His mother was there. So I wanted to show his heart beyond the mat.”

Robles agrees it was of the utmost importance to make his unstoppable mom a major part of the film.

“It was so important to me that her story was also shared in this film, about what she had to wrestle and go through and the pain she dealt with but overcame, ultimately.”

Jerome relates he’s drawn to projects that demand a lot from him and also have something to say.

His first major role put him on the map, playing the 16-year-old Kevin in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar winner “Moonlight.” The performance paved his way for future roles, including an explosive turn in the powerhouse 2019 Netflix miniseries “When They See Us,” from director Ava DuVernay. Jerome received an Emmy for his portrayal of real-life activist Korey Wise, one of  five teens of color known as the Central Park Five, all suspects falsely accused of sexually assaulting a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989. He was 21 when he received the honor.

Other roles included voicing Miles Morales in the animated hit “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (he reprises that role for the upcoming “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse”) and the 13-foot-tall Oakland resident Cootie in Oakland filmmaker Riley’s stand-alone comedic series “I’m a Virgo.”

Both Jerome and Robles hope that by watching “Unstoppable,” others will be inspired.

“I don’t think it’s crazy to say the world is at a very fragile place right now,” Jerome said. “It almost feels like this kind of black cloud is over the world, not even over a group of people anymore. It’s kind of over us all. And so I think this is one of those films that you can just take two hours away from the black cloud and remember that you’re not alone in that intense struggle.”

“We all are on a wrestling mat in some shape or form,” he added. “You know, we all have an opponent that we have to face, whether it’s yourself or a job or a vice or something you’re trying to get rid of. And so it’s one of those movies that by the end, hopefully there’s a tear you wipe off your eye and you kind of pick your head up, and dust your shoulders off and go, ‘OK, if Anthony could do it, I sure can do it too.’”

That was a primary goal for Robles, who recalls watching the film with an audience for the first time and experiencing a mix of emotions since it is such a personal story. He noticed how key scenes moved the audience.

“It reminded me why we chose to share our story in the first place,” he said. “Because we wanted to inspire people out there who are wrestling through similar challenges in their life. We’re dealing with obstacles. We’re dealing with pain”, he said.

“We wanted them to know that they too could be unstoppable.”

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

January can be something of a slog for home cooks.

The excitement and extravagance of holiday cooking is in our collective rearview mirror, and with fresh green vegetables at a minimum, we’re back to the hearty casseroles, warming stews and meaty one-pot dishes that define winter cooking.

Yet there is at least one bright spot you can count on in the new year: the big bags of sweet and juicy oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit from Florida and California that are so easy to find on store shelves. January is when the colorful citrus season is in full swing, bringing a much-needed dose of sunshine to the table along with a healthful shot of vitamin C and other antioxidants.

This easy dessert recipe combines the bright, tangy bite of lemon with the sweeter, mellower flavor of orange in a classic, buttery tart.

The original recipe calls for making one large tart to be cut into slices, but after cooking and serving so many meals over Christmas and New Year’s, I decided to portion the crust and filling into 12 mini-tartlet pans to make it an easy grab-and-go dessert. I also topped the tartlets with a dusting of powdered sugar, but you could dollop on a teaspoon of whipped cream.

The tarts are best at room temperature or when slightly chilled (which allows the filling to set). You definitely want to blind bake the pastry (without filling) to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom.

Once assembled, the citrus tartlets should be kept in the fridge. They’ll stay crispy for two days.

Citrus Tartlets

PG tested

For pastry crust

• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 tablespoons salted butter, cut into slices and chilled
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

For filling

• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons orange juice

For crust:

In small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Microwave until set, 30 to 40 seconds, stirring halfway through. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Once cornstarch mixture is chilled, in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt, then process until mixed, about 5 seconds.

Add the cornstarch mixture, and pulse until ground. Add the butter and sour cream, then process until dough comes together and begins to collect on the blade.

Pat the dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (and up to 48 hours).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle position.

On a well-floured counter, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Hang the dough over the rolling pin and transfer to a 9-inch tart pan.

Gently ease the dough into the pan. Trim the edges, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Tuck overhang under itself so the dough is flush with the rim of the pan.

Crimp the dough with your fingers or tine of a fork, then chill in freezer for 15 minutes,

Blind bake the crust: Line the chilled crust with heavy-duty foil and fill with enough pie weights to come three-quarters up.

Bake until the edges are light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.

Remove the foil and weights and bake until the bottom of the crust just begins to color, another 5 to 7 minutes. Let coil on wire rack for 1 hour before filling. (Once baked, crust can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

For filling:

In a bowl, combine sugar, both zests and salt. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant and mixture begins to clump.

Add the eggs and yolks and whisk until pale and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk in the cream and juices; skim the foam off the top.

Pour the filling into the warm tart shell and bake on baking sheet on the middle rack until set, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack until room temperature, at least 1 hour.

Remove the outer metal ring and serve, or chill completely before serving.

Makes 1 9-inch tart or 12 individual-sized tartlets.

— Adapted from “Milk Street: The New Home Cooking” by Christopher Kimball

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ

NEW YORK (AP) — The trouble started every day at around 3 p.m., after Cathy Higgins had spent five or six hours staring at an array of computer screens at her desk. Her university job overseeing research projects involved peering closely at numbers and details on contracts, applications and budgets.

“My vision was so blurry, I couldn’t even see what was on the screen, and I was squinting so much that I could not function,” Higgins said.

When her eyesight got bad, Higgins walked around and spoke with members of her staff. She began planning in-person meetings for afternoons. But she would resume the computer work late at night after her children went to bed.

“If I had to continue working through the blurry vision, that’s when the migraines would happen,” Higgins said.

Digital screens are pervasive, not only at work but in our homes, schools and shops. An estimated 104 million Americans of working age spend more than seven hours a day in front of screens, according to the American Optometric Association. All that screen time can take a toll.

Too much exposure to screens can lead to dry or watery eyes, fuzzy vision and headaches. It can also lead to myopia, or nearsightedness, in some people, especially children. Some technology workers even describe short bouts of vertigo when they look at screens for too long.

Overworked eyes

One reason for the discomfort is that staring closely at screens for prolonged periods causes the muscle that helps eye focus to tighten up.

“That muscle’s not supposed to stay tight all day long. And if it does, it’s like picking up a light weight and trying to hold it over your head for hours,” American Optometric Association President Steven Reed said. “It’s not hard to pick it up. But after a while, even though it’s not a heavy lift, your body just gets tired.”

Fortunately, exposure to blue light from computer screens and devices has not been shown to cause permanent eye damage, according to the American Academy of Opthalmology.

Nevertheless, symptoms can disrupt work, family time and rest. As an optometrist in Mississippi, Reed sees patients who complain of frequent eye pain, headaches and blurry vision associated with computer use. He advises getting an eye exam and taking frequent breaks.

For Higgins, trying to catch up on the work she couldn’t do when her eyes were too fatigued on weekdays cut into time she spent with her daughters on weekends. “They’d be playing together, and I couldn’t be as engaged as I would have liked to have been in what they were doing,” she said.

Here are some tips from eye health professionals to reduce eye strain caused by devices.

Follow the 20-20-20 rule

Take a break every 20 minutes from sitting at a computer. During the break, focus your eyes on something that’s about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Pausing close-up work and looking at something in the distance gives tired, tight muscles time to relax.

“Luckily, eye strain is temporary,” said Raj Maturi, an ophthalmologist at Midwest Eye Institute in Indianapolis who serves as spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The best way to avoid these symptoms is by taking breaks from our screens or near work activities and using lubricating eye drops, if needed.”

People usually blink about 18 to 22 times per minute. But when looking at a screen, the rate drops to three to seven times per minute, according to the Cleveland Clinic. That’s where eye drops come in.

It’s good to move around and go outside, but when you don’t have time for an outdoor walk, frequent 20-second breaks can help.

Change your desk setup

Some people find that using a larger computer monitor helps reduce eye fatigue. You can also increase the font size on your laptop, monitor or smartphone screen.

Higgins did all of the above after she started a new job as senior vice president at Stand Up to Cancer. Since she works remotely from home in Midlothian, Virginia, she got a 29-inch monitor and sits about three feet away from it, about a foot farther than in most office setups.

The changes helped. She still has occasional issues with blurriness, but not as frequently. “When I have an extended day, like a 12-hour day, that’s when I start to have vision issues again,” she said.

Sitting an arm’s length away from your screen and adjusting it so you’re looking slightly downward also can help reduce eye strain, according to the American Academy of Opthalmology.

Be wary of product claims

Some products, such as blue light glasses, are marketed with claims that they will reduce digital eye strain, improve sleep and prevent eye disease. But several studies have found the glasses are not very effective, according to the American Academy of Opthalmology. It’s really our behavior with digital devices that causes symptoms, not the small amount of blue light coming from screens, the group said.

Extracurricular optics

After stepping away from computers at work, many people find themselves reading or scrolling on smartphone screens. It’s not just workers: children are using laptops, tablets and smart screens in school settings throughout the day.

Too much screen time or focusing on nearby objects can accelerate the onset and progression of nearsightedness, especially in children, said Ayesha Malik, pediatric optometrist in the division of ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Anyone streaming shows should do so on a television, instead of a tablet, to help relieve eye strain, she said.

Children should follow the 20-20-20-2 rule, which includes an extra “2” at the end to encourage playing outdoors for 2 hours a day, which helps with eye development, she said.

“The reality is that most children are engaging with screens throughout the day at school and home. It becomes difficult to track the total number of hours,” Malik said. “Aim for not more than 20 minutes during any one session.”

Sleeping soundly

The blue light that digital screens emit can increase alertness, so watching Netflix on an iPad or scrolling through social media feeds in bed may make it hard to get restful sleep.

To give your eyes and brain the rest they need, doctors recommend turning off screens one to two hours before going to sleep. You can also set devices to “dark mode” in the evening to reduce the impact of bright light. If you’re used to streaming videos at night, try listening to an audiobook or podcast instead.

Have you overcome an obstacle or made a profound change in your work? Send your questions and story ideas to cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well.

By CORA LEWIS

NEW YORK (AP) — If you live in a part of the world prone to wildfires, floods, blizzards, tornadoes, or earthquakes, there are ways you can make sure you’re financially prepared for disaster, beyond insurance.

The Federal Emergency Management Association and the Red Cross advise that households gather important documents and contacts in a safe place, take photographs or record a video of the rooms in your home and any valuable belongings, and to have cash on hand, in case ATMs and electronic or online banking resources aren’t available, among other guidance.

Lisa Berdie, director of policy and research for the Financial Health Network, an organization that focuses on underserved consumers, refers to these steps as “preparedness,” but stresses the need for “investments in efforts to lessen the severity of climate impacts, reduce risks, and minimize financial harm.”

“Key here is recognizing that it is not just the headline-grabbing events, but smaller-scale events and chronic stressors (for example, heat) that have dramatic financial consequences for households,” Berdie said. “Some of the action steps that households can consider (there)… include weatherizing homes and addressing health hazards that are worsened by climate hazards, like mold and air quality.”

Here’s what you can do to be more financially prepared and organized in case of disaster:

First, compile and assess

According to FEMA, the first thing to do is compile important documents. These include: birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, military service records and your pet’s ID tags, microchip and vaccination records.

Other documents to have organized include: housing payments, utility bills, credit/debit card information, receipts from child support, checking, savings, and retirement account numbers, insurance policies, paystubs, tax statements, and wills, according to FEMA.

Medical information to have on hand includes: health insurance and pharmacy cards, records of immunizations and allergies, copies of prescriptions, and records of medical devices or equipment for disabilities.

Also make records of important contacts, such as:

1. Landlord or mortgage representatives

2. Doctors, dentists, or other health care providers

3. Insurance agents

4. Representatives in charge of military benefits and social and disability services

5. Assistive technology or medical equipment providers

6. Lawyers

7. Financial advisors

8. Banking institutions

9. Neighborhood, civic, and house of worship contacts

“Make sure you store important phone numbers somewhere besides just your cell phone,” FEMA advises.

Why is this information necessary?

When you apply for disaster assistance, you may need to show proof of ID or income. You may also need to re-establish financial accounts if checks are destroyed or if online access is down.

Other records can help you prove the identity of household members, maintain or re-establish contact with family and friends, maintain contact with employers, and apply for other forms of assistance.

How else can I organize my financial life to prepare for disaster?

If you don’t have an original version of a document listed above, contact the appropriate company or agency to request a copy. If you receive paper checks for any federal benefits, consider enrolling in automatic benefits, and if you receive paper checks from an employer, consider requesting direct deposit or prepaid debit cards.

FEMA also advises printing or downloading statements of any bills paid automatically, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, loan payments, and membership fees. Downloading banking and bill payment apps for your phone can also help you stay mobile in times of emergency.

Photographing or recording a video of the rooms in your home and any valuable belongings is also advisable as a form of record keeping.

Store cash along with important documents

FEMA and the Red Cross advise individuals to keep cash in the same safe location as one’s important documents to pay for emergency purchases in the event that ATMs aren’t functioning or banks are closed. The amount of cash should be based on the basic needs of your family, including gas, food, and medications.

Make sure your information is up-to-date

Review insurance policies and financial paperwork to be sure they’re accurate and current — that includes homeowners, auto, and renters insurance.

Store documents securely

Store paper and electronic copies of all files in safe locations. Consider keeping paper copies in a fireproof and waterproof box or safe, a bank safe deposit box, or with a trusted friend or relative.

If you’re already using a safe deposit box, check state laws to confirm who can and can’t access the safe if the owner dies or can’t access it themselves due to injury or illness, FEMA advises.

To store electronic copies of important documents, use a password-protected format on a flash or external hard drive, which you can also keep in the fireproof, waterproof box.

Finally, update consistently

Revisit and update your documents regularly.

Updates are especially important when significant changes in your life occur, such as: when your insurance changes, when you move, open or close bank accounts, become married or divorced, when you have a child, when your child changes schools, during retirement planning, and if there’s a death in the household.

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

By JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like most presidents, Donald Trump faces an economy that seldom bends to political ambitions.

The Republican has promised strong growth, high tariffs, income tax cuts and booming oilfields. But despite the solid job market and low 4.1% unemployment rate, he has to contend with headwinds like inflation, a budget deficit, increased tensions over trade, the fallout from his plans to curtail immigration and a persistent wealth gap.

Each of these issues could help to shape how voters feel about a president they returned to the White House with the specific goal of fixing the economy.

For his part, Trump wants to blame all the challenges before him on his predecessor, Joe Biden, who in turn blamed Trump in 2021 for the problems his own administration had to tackle.

“This begins with confronting the economic chaos caused by the failed policies of the last administration,” Trump told the World Economic Forum on Thursday.

Here are five economic forces that could shape the first year of Trump’s presidency:

For voters, the price still isn’t right

Whipping inflation is easier said than done.

In AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of last year’s electorate, 4 in 10 voters called inflation the “single most important factor” in their choice for president. About two-thirds of this group voted for Trump — a sign he owes his victory in large part to the high cost of groceries, gasoline, housing, autos and other goods.

Going forward, monthly reports on the consumer price index will be a clear measure of whether Trump can deliver. But inflation has actually increased in recent months. Consumer prices were increasing at a healthy 2.4% annual rate in September, compared with 2.9% in December. Economists say inflation could worsen if Trump imposes tariffs and uses deficit-funded income tax cuts.

Republicans often hit Biden hard on egg prices. But Democrats could use similar attacks on Trump. Over the past year, coffee costs have risen just 1% for U.S. consumers, but the International Monetary Fund has the price of the actual beans climbing 55% in a sign that lattes, espressos and plain old cups of joe could soon cost more.

Then there’s housing. Voters are still frustrated by high mortgage rates and prices staying elevated due to a shortage of properties. Shelter is 37% of the consumer price index. Price increases for housing have eased, but shelter costs are still rising at 4.6% a year, compared with annual increases averaging 3.3% before the pandemic.

Trump is betting that more energy production can cut into inflation rates, but domestic production is already near record levels, according to the government.

Which tariffs are really coming

Trump says 25% tariffs are coming for Mexican and Canadian imports as soon as Feb. 1. He’s also talked about additional tariffs of 10% on Chinese goods. His stated goal is to stop illegal border crossings and the flow of chemicals used to make drugs such as fentanyl.

For Trump, tariffs are a diplomatic tool for his policy goals. But they’re also a threat possibly meant to jumpstart trade talks. They’re also a revenue raiser that he claims could bring trillions of dollars into the treasury.

Trump did increase tariffs during his first term, with revenue collection more than doubling to an annual rate of $85.4 billion, which might sound like a lot but was equal to just 0.4% of the gross domestic product. Multiple analyses by the Budget Lab at Yale and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, among others, say the threatened tariffs would increase costs for a typical family in a way that effectively raises taxes.

What really matters is whether Trump delivers on his threats. That is why Ben Harris, a former Biden adviser who is now director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution, says voters should focus on average tariff rates.

“Trade is really tricky” Harris said. “But in broad terms, look at what he does and not what he says.”

What happens with the national debt

Trump likes to blame inflation on the national debt, saying Biden’s policies flooded the U.S. economy with more money than it could absorb. But about 22% of the $36 trillion outstanding total debt originated from the policies of Trump’s first term, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog.

Paul Winfree, a former Trump staffer who is now president and CEO of the Economic Policy Innovation Center, warned in a recent analysis that the U.S. is getting too close for comfort to its fiscal limits. His analysis suggests that if Trump can preserve 3% growth he could extend his expiring 2017 tax cuts while keeping the debt sufficiently stable by cutting spending $100 billion to $140 billion a year.

The risk is that higher borrowing costs and debt can limit what Trump does while keeping borrowing costs high for consumers. Lawmakers who once viewed the debt as problem years away increasingly see it as something to address now.

“One of the biggest vibe shifts I’m picking up on now among policymakers is they’re beginning to realize the long-term is today,” Winfree said.

Winfree said the key number to watch is the interest rates charged on U.S. debt — which will tell the public if investors think the amount of borrowing is problematic. Interest on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note is at roughly 4.6%, up a full percentage point since September.

Immigrants are still needed to fill jobs

Trump’s executive orders are a clear crackdown on immigration — and that could be a drag on economic growth and cause monthly job gains to slow. Trump often frames immigration as a criminal and national security issue by focusing on people crossing the border illegally.

But economies that can’t add enough workers are at risk of stagnating — and the U.S. labor market at this stage needs immigrants as part of the jobs mix. About 84% of America’s net population growth last year came from immigrants, according to the Census Bureau. That’s 2.8 million immigrants.

“They not only work in the economy, but they spend in the economy,” said Satyam Panday, chief U.S. economist at S&P Global Ratings. “Their spending is somebody else’s income in the economy.”

If Trump were simply to put immigration back at his 2017 and 2019 averages of 750,000 immigrants annually, growth could slow from an estimated 2.7% last year to 2% going forward, Panday’s analysis found. The construction, agriculture and leisure and hospitality industries would probably struggle to find employees.

In other words, it’s worth monitoring the monthly jobs report and immigration flows.

Mind the wealth gap

Trump is going to have to figure out how to balance the interests of billionaires with those of his blue- collar voters. His inaugural events included several of the world’s wealthiest men: Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and LVMH’s Bernard Arnault. Each is worth roughly $200 billion or more, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index.

Scott Ellis, a member of the group Patriotic Millionaires, said it’s worth monitoring just how much their wealth increases under Trump. This year, as of Friday, Arnault’s net worth has risen $23 billion, Bezos is up by $15 billion, Zuckerberg is up by $18 billion and Musk’s wealth has risen by $6 billion. Those are all monthly increases.

By contrast, the most recent available Census Bureau data show that the median U.S. household wealth rose $9,600 in 2021-2022, to $176,500.