An 82-year-old Pontiac man died Oct. 10 from injuries he sustained four days earlier when he was hit by a truck while crossing the street, officials said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Larry Gene Howard, and said he was struck by a 2012 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck near the intersection of Walton Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue in Pontiac, shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 6.

A 68-year-old Pontiac man was driving the truck southbound on Baldwin Avenue and turning right onto Walton Boulevard when Howard was hit, the sheriff’s office said.

Howard was transported to an area hospital where he died Friday. The incident remains under investigation by the Crash Reconstruction Unit, the sheriff’s office said.

 

Tony Award-winning actor Barry Bostwick, alias Brad Majors from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” is going on a North American tour across 40 cities to celebrate the movie’s 50th anniversary.

Alongside co-stars Nell Campbell, alias Columbia, and Patricia Quinn, alias Magenta, Bostwick will appear at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. There will also be a live shadow-cast with Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society members, a memorabilia display and costume contest. The actors will speak about “Rocky Horror” and be available for a VIP Meet & Greet Experience. No outside props are permitted. However, every ticket purchased includes a bag of props.

“The crux of the evening is we’re just throwing a big party for those who want to come and witness what they remember from back in high school or college or if they’re a virgin to this whole phenomenon,” Bostwick said. “It’s an experience, a happening. It’s something that can’t be recreated. Every night we do it is different. Our job … is to continue that sense of party that you originally felt when you experienced it for the first time. We’re on our third generation of partygoers now; that’s a lot of beer in the bellies!”

Celebrations throughout metro Detroit mark ‘Rocky Horror’ 50th anniversary

Directed by Jim Sharman (who co-wrote the screenplay with creator Richard O’Brien), “Rocky Horror” blends comedy, parody, musical, horror and science-fiction, paying homage to low-budget 1950s-60s sci-fi and horror movies. It’s based on 1973’s musical stage production, “The Rocky Horror Show,” which O’Brien wrote.

“I’ve been a fan of this movie ever since we made it way back when. I continue to push its entertainment value. … It’s a one-off; it’s a phenomenon. It’ll never be recreated in the way that the fans created this entertainment. They really are the ones who made ‘Rocky Horror’ into what it is,” Bostwick said. “We just made a little movie in five weeks in 1974. When we left England in November of that year, it was like: ‘That was fun. That filled up a month-and-a-half of our lives. We sang good music and made some new friends.’”

“Rocky Horror” also stars future Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise”) as Janet Weiss and Tim Curry (“Legend”) as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who also originated this role onstage.

It begins with newly-engaged couple Brad and Janet, whose car breaks down. They walk to a nearby castle and meet mad scientist Frank-N-Furter, who creates his own Frankenstein’s Monster, the musclebound Rocky (Peter Hinwood). Subsequently, Frank-N-Furter seduces the couple. In the end, it’s revealed he’s an alien transvestite from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

Upon release, “Rocky Horror” received negative reviews. However, it became a hit on the midnight movie circuit. The screening of nonmainstream movies at midnight was aimed at building esoteric audiences, encouraging repeat viewing and social interaction. Fans began dressing up as the characters, spawning similar performance groups across the nation. Around the same time, fans began performing alongside the film and screaming back at the screen. Bostwick attributed its success to its legion of fans.

“I don’t think a lot of people were into it until it really took off on the midnight circuit,” Bostwick said. “I think the organic quality of how it became what it became is so special. Sal Piro was the first one to organize the audience into the party in which it became. Sal was always the host. He started the first fan clubs. He started working with 20th Century Fox to promote it, create the fanbase for it, and coalesce the fanbase worldwide. He published newsletters and wrote books about it. It’s him and the fans he was able to gather who created this entertainment.”

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alumnus Anthony Stewart Head played Frank-N-Furter in the 1990 West End stage revival. He offered his insight into the phenomenon.

“The original (stage) show was a massive success and, initially, the movie didn’t do as well as they expected,” Head said. “Someone said they left space in the edit for the audiences to laugh, which made it (drag) out a bit. It was because the audience then came up with the idea of heckling and chanting in the gaps that made it such a ‘live show’ film, and people would see it over and over. That then transferred back into the stage show, and the audience chanted and threw things onto the stage, (making) it a ‘Rocky Horror’ ‘community’ experience.”

Bostwick’s musical theater background on Broadway landed him “Rocky Horror.” He praised Curry, who had a stroke in 2012, calling him a consummate professional.

“Tim just blew the walls down! I wanted to work with him because he was such a phenomenon. When they offered it to Susan and me, it was a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t want to work with Tim and who wouldn’t want to be in something that was colorful, weird, and really different for the time? It propelled my musical career further than if I was just a guy on the Bowery, which I was just a guy on the Bowery, but I actually had some work behind me.”

Bostwick continued: “Tim had the grounded, sorta over-the-top wit that character needed with the undercurrent of evil, which that character had. Because he was such a good actor, there were so many layers to the character. I was a witness to this amazing creature that interacted with Susan and I on a daily basis making the film. At the same time, I knew Tim was a gentleman, a kind and compassionate human being, and not that character, who was weird and evil. I hope he continues to share his wit, sense of humor, and talents with the world – even though he’s been ill for many years now.”

Head also praised Curry.

“I loved Tim Curry’s manifestation of the character, both dark and funny,” Head said. “I will never get over the original live show; his performance was a real game-changer. You loved him and hated him at the same time. This should also be attributed to (O’Brien’s) creation of the character within the extraordinary story. The movie was a great translation of that, and we see deeper inside all of them, especially Tim’s Frank-N-Furter.”

Bostwick pointed out it’s the longest, continuous-running movie in film history because it’s always playing in movie theaters somewhere every week.

“It’s something when people say if we’d know that it would have the legs it would have, you have to say 'no' because this kind of entertainment didn’t exist – where the audience came in and threw stuff and yelled stuff and acted out the characters. And they still do!” he said. “I can only say it happened because of the fans. It happened simply because of the audience who wanted to act up, act out, and have an evening in the theater that they controlled with their enthusiasm and drunkenness.”

If you go

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Masonic Temple Theater, 500 Temple St., Detroit. Actors Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, and Patricia Quinn will appear at the screening at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. The event will run for about 2 hours and 10 minutes. No outside props allowed. Due to its content, viewer discretion is advised. Ticket prices range from $73-$301. Call 313-548-1320 or visit themasonic.com.

The Oct. 18 event at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit with actors Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn isn’t the only way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

So come on up to the lab and see what’s on the slab.

Barry Bostwick to appear with ‘Rocky Horror’ co-stars in Detroit to celebrate film’s 50th anniversary

The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society, a live performance group dedicated to the preservation of audience participation of “Rocky Horror,” hosts screenings of the 1975 cult classic twice a month in Wayne.

There will also be “The Rocky Horror Show Live” at the Redford in Detroit the weekend of Nov. 7-8.

“Our cast isn’t affiliated with the performance at the Redford, but we are all very excited to go see that cast! It’s not that often that the live musical is produced around (metro Detroit), so it’s a treat to go see,” said Isabella Levitt of Bingham Farms.

Levitt, an alumna of Groves High School in Birmingham and Oakland University, has been a member of the MiRHPS since 2021. She’s portrayed Janet onstage, among other characters.

“The mission of MiRHPS is to create a safe and productive space for folks to indulge in their passion and participate in keeping a queer legacy of 50 years alive,” she said. “Between hearing about the movie for the first time and attending a screening, I showed the movie to as many people as I could and became fascinated by its place in queer culture. I attended my first show and continued to be an audience member until I was 21, when I joined MiRHPS.”

At first, Levitt was adamant she wouldn’t get onstage. She was fine helping behind the scenes. However, an emergency arose, and she stepped in to play Janet at the last minute.

“The rest is history, but that moment did change my life in so many ways,” Levitt said. “Shadow-casting is just so much fun! (Actor) Sal Piro started the shadow-casting tradition shortly after the film was released, and the ability to jump onstage and transform into someone else, to express yourself entirely freely in an accepting space is something that will always be needed, especially in the queer community. For many shadow-casters, it isn't even about the movie anymore. As much as I love the movie, I continue to come back because of the love I have for preserving queer culture and the love I have for my chosen family.”

She’s looking forward to performing with her fellow MiRHPS members when Bostwick, Campbell and Quinn come to Detroit.

“We've performed with Barry and Pat in the past,” Levitt said. “We will have the pleasure of meeting them before the show, as well.”

Created by Richard O’Brien, “Rocky Horror” began as a musical in 1973, spoofing low-budget science-fiction and B-horror movies. Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry starred in the movie. Curry played mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the role he originated onstage and the franchise’s most popular character.

“There’s not a lot of words to describe Curry’s performance other than iconic,” Levitt said. “His voice and presence on the screen make it difficult to look at anyone or anything else. He captures your attention and never lets go. It never gets old to watch.”

Anthony Stewart Head, alias Rupert Giles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” portrayed Frank-N-Furter onstage in the 1990 West End revival. He saw the stage version when it debuted in 1973 at the King’s Road Theatre in London, calling Curry’s performance a “real game-changer.” Yet Head made the role his own.

“I felt Frank-N-Furter growing inside of me, his voice in my head – different from everyone else who’d played him. It was quite bizarre. I felt truly connected to him,” recalled Head. “When (designer) Sue Blane and I talked about how I wanted to look, I said I’d always thought of having high heels than the platform shoes that he normally wore because I wanted to be very active. The platforms were very fashionable in the 1970s … but I felt they were a bit clunky for me. I also changed the hospital gown he appears in when he unleashes Rocky; there’s a bunch of classic B-horror pic references, which I thought might be enhanced by being dressed as a 1940s nurse. I also thought about wearing a wig because my hair was short … but would that fit, being wigged up? Then I suddenly thought of him actually wearing one himself and removing it in his apparently emotional moment when he sings, ‘I’m Going Home.’”

One of the most flattering things to happen to Head was when two friends saw his performance and didn’t realize it was him onstage until 20 minutes into the show.

“Once they had, they couldn’t believe I could be so unpleasant,” he said. “Watching the show online … takes my breath away at how I legged it around and all over the stage. I had memories of being active, but seeing it manifest itself in reality leaves me speechless. I couldn’t do it now. I think I’d rather leave it out there in people’s minds – very glad to.”

Head spoke about if Giles and Frank-N-Furter were to meet.

“First, would he be attracted to him? Maybe not, but Frank-N-Furter might find a way to deceive him. I wonder if they would stretch back to when Giles was Ripper (his dark side). I definitely think he’d like him, but wouldn’t trust him. Maybe he’d think he was a sexy, songful demon,” offered Head. “I’ve been so lucky to have been part of so many iconic shows, the last being ‘Ted Lasso.’ They live in my heart, and I do not take any of it for granted. I grew both Giles and Frank-N-Furter from within me. I sensed them there and ultimately let them be heard. It’s wonderful to be a part of two shows that people have told me changed their lives.”

Both Head and Bostwick offered their advice to actors performing “Rocky Horror” onstage.

“Do what Chris Malcolm (the original Brad) advised me to do in response to audience heckles: Write down a bunch of responses. I gathered a bunch of one-liners from all sorts of places, (including) a few from Rhea Perlman on ‘Cheers,’” Head said.

“They have to be grounded in reality with the characters. It’s not a comic book. That’s the mistake they make; they go out there and put a joke on top of a joke,” explained Bostwick. “It’s not as much fun if these people aren’t serious about who they are and where they are, even though the setting is absurd, their characters are not absurd.”

If you go

The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society hosts “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a live cast on the second and fourth Saturday of each month at Phoenix State Wayne Theater, 35310 W. Michigan Ave., Wayne. Doors open at 11:15 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and $5 for a bag of props. No outside props allowed. Viewer discretion is advised. For questions or more information, contact michiganrhps@gmail.com.

“The Rocky Horror Show Live” will be at the Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Road, Detroit, at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 and 3 and 8 p.m. Nov. 8. Tickets cost $25, which includes a bag of props. No outside props allowed. Viewer discretion is advised. For questions or more information, contact 313-537-2560 or visit redfordtheatre.com.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Donald Trump arrived in Egypt on Monday for a global summit on Gaza’s future as he tries to advance peace in the Middle East after visiting Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.

The whirlwind trip, which included a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

More than two dozen countries are expected to be represented at the summit, which Trump is hosting along with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

Despite unanswered questions about next steps in Gaza, which has been devastated during the conflict, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony.

“You’ve won,” he told Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”

“After tremendous pain and death and hardship,” he said, “now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.”

Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”

Trump is on a whirlwind trip to Middle East

Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.

“They might not be there by the time I get there, but we’ll give it a shot,” Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much.

Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a terrorist attack by Hamas. Trump talked with some of their families at the Knesset.

“Your name will be remembered to generations,” a woman told him.

Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump’s name and gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” caps, although these versions said “Trump, The Peace President.”

Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” and he promised to work with him going forward.

“Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace,” he said. “And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”

Trump, in an unexpected detour during his speech, called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as “one of the greatest” wartime leaders. Netanyahu faces corruption charges, although several hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.

The Republican president also used the opportunity to settle political scores and thank his supporters, criticizing Democratic predecessors and praising a top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the audience.

Trump pushes to reshape the region

The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump’s plan.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

Trump has said there’s a window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.

“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

He said the chance of peace was enabled by his Republican administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.

In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.

“I don’t know about the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s blasted. This is like a demolition site.” But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory. “I’d like to put my feet on it, at least,” he said.

The sides have not agreed on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

Roughly 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.

Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s been nearly three years since the Detroit Lions lost consecutive regular-season games, a testament to the resiliency and mental fortitude head coach Dan Campbell has hammered into a roster that’s 39-11 over its last 50 contests.

That streak will soon be put to the test.

The Lions, following a 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for “Monday Night Football” in Week 7. The Buccaneers, sitting atop the NFC after six weeks, are winners of two straight. They own a 5-1 record, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the NFL’s best.

If you believe what the Lions say, and if you believe in what they’ve accomplished over the last 36 months, don’t expect Sunday’s result at Arrowhead Stadium to linger into next week’s matchup with the Bucs.

“I mean, we’re men. We’re going to show up to work, we’re going to collect the film and we’re going to get back to work,” defensive tackle DJ Reader said. “I don’t think anybody on this team’s going to hang their head. I mean, s—, we’re 4-2. The sky’s not falling out of the air. … You’re 4-2, you’re still at the top of your conference. You just lost a game to a good team.”

Reader described Detroit’s loss to Kansas City as “frustrating,” and he rejected a notion that the Lions weren’t as focused as they typically are.

“We just got beat today, that’s just what it came down to. We didn’t respond well to all the adversity that was out there,” Reader said.

The Lions struggled in the biggest moments Sunday. The Chiefs converted two of their three fourth-down attempts. The Lions, meanwhile, went 0-for-2, including an atypical drop from receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth-and-short. Had the Lions converted, they could’ve built their lead going into halftime. Instead, the Chiefs took advantage by scoring a go-ahead touchdown before the break.

One of Kansas City’s fourth-down conversions was a 6-yard touchdown catch from Xavier Worthy, who beat cornerback Amik Robertson to the flat. Robertson tried to jam Worthy at the line of scrimmage, but the receiver evaded the contact, causing Robertson to lose his balance.

“At the end of the day, man, we’re not about to hold our heads down,” Robertson said. “We’re what, 4-2? It’ll be all right, man. Twenty-four-hour rule, get back to the drawing board. Like I always say, next game is the most important.”

St. Brown said bouncing back quickly from a loss is “mandatory” for the Lions, who hope they can respond in Week 7 like they did in Week 2, when they clobbered the Chicago Bears at home after opening the season with a troubling loss at the Green Bay Packers.

“We will watch the film and we will clean this stuff up. We’re going to have to,” Campbell said. “Tampa Bay is coming in and they’re a good football team. We’re going to have to be ready. … These only get harder and harder as you go. They are more meaningful every game that we go. I go back to this: Maybe we needed this.

“Maybe we needed to get kicked around a little bit, because that’s what happened.”

By FAY ABULGASIM and SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — The U.S. and Egyptian presidents are chairing a gathering of world leaders dubbed “Summit for Peace” on Monday to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal.

Israel and Hamas have no direct contacts and were not expected to attend Monday’s summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not travel to the venue because of a Jewish holiday, his office said. President Donald Trump headed to Egypt after a stop in Israel.

Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday afternoon, ahead of the gathering.

The summit comes as Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, crucial steps under the ceasefire that began on Friday.

But major questions remain unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of a slide back into war — even as the world pushes for peace.

A new page

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said the summit aims to “end the war” in Gaza and “usher in a new page of peace and regional stability” in line with Trump’s vision.

In Israel, Trump urged the country’s lawmakers to work toward peace. To the Palestinians, he said it was time to concentrate on building.

Israel and Hamas came under pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey to agree on the ceasefire’s first phase negotiated in Qatar, through mediators.

Ahead of the gathering, Egypt’s foreign minister said it was also crucial that Israel and Hamas fully implement the first phase of the deal so that the parties, with international backing, can begin negotiations on the second phase.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the success of Trump’s vision for Mideast peace will depend on his continued commitment to the process, including applying pressure on the parties, engagement and “even deployment on the ground,” with international forces expected to carry out peacekeeping duties in the next phase.

“We need American engagement, even deployment on the ground, to identify the mission, task and mandate of this force,” Abdelatty told The Associated Press.

Directly tackling the remaining issues in depth is unlikely at the gathering, expected to last about two hours. El-Sissi and Trump are expected to issue a joint statement after it ends.

Under the first phase, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home from areas they were forced to evacuate. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.

Critical challenges ahead

The next phase of the deal will have to tackle disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.

Abdelatty said the international force needs a U.N. Security Council resolution to endorse its deployment and mandate as a peacekeeping force.

He said Hamas will have no role in the transitional period in Gaza. A 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, with no affiliation to any Palestinian factions and vetted by Israel, will govern day to day affairs in Gaza. The committee would receive support and supervision from the “Board of Peace” proposed by Trump to oversee the implementation of the phases of his plan, Abdelatty said.

“We are counting on Trump to keep the implementation of this plan for all its phases,” he told AP.

Another major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank, and Egypt’s postwar plan, estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host a future reconstruction conference.

A state function

The summit in Egypt is likely to see world leaders praise Trump’s push for the ceasefire. For his part, el-Sissi is almost certainly relieved that plans to depopulate the Gaza Strip have been ditched.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are attending. Turkey, which hosted Hamas political leaders for years, played a key role in bringing about the ceasefire agreement.

King Abdullah of Jordan is in Sharm el-Sheikh. His country, alongside Egypt, will train the new Palestinian security force.

Germany, one of Israel’s strongest international backers and top suppliers of military equipment, plans to be represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He has expressed concern over Israel’s conduct of the war and its plan for a military takeover of Gaza.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who also is attending, has he said will pledge 27 million dollars to help provide water and sanitation for Gaza and that Britain will host a three-day conference on Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery. Speaking in Egypt, Starmer said Britain was ready to “play its full part” in ensuring that the current ceasefire results in a lasting peace.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, European Union President António Costa and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also are attending.

Iran, a main backer of Hamas, is not attending the summit in Egypt as the Islamic Republic finds itself at one of its weakest moments since its 1979 revolution. Iranian officials have portrayed the ceasefire deal as a victory for Hamas.

The deal, however, has underlined Iran’s waning influence in the region and revived concerns over possible renewed conflict with Israel as Iran still struggles to recover from the 12-day war in June.

The venue

Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has been host to many peace negotiations in the past decades.

The town was briefly occupied by Israel for a year in 1956. After Israel withdrew, a United Nations peacekeeping force was stationed there until 1967, when Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the peacekeepers to leave, a move that precipitated the Six-Day War that year.

Sharm el-Sheikh and the rest of the Sinai Peninsula were returned to Egypt in 1982, following a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Though now more known for luxury beach resorts, dive sites and desert tours, Sharm el-Sheikh has also hosted many peace summits and rounds of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians under President Hosni Mubarak, ousted in 2011, as well as other international conferences.

Monday’s gathering is the first peace summit under el-Sissi.

El Deeb contributed from Cairo.

By Richard Silva, The Detroit News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Richard Silva grades the Detroit Lions in their 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football.”

Quarterback

Conventional wisdom says to ascribe blame to a quarterback when his offense musters only 17 points. But Jared Goff was his usual self, completing 79.3% of his throws for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and he protected the ball throughout. Two of his six incompletions were drops (we’ll get to one of those momentarily). Goff also made some difference-making throws, finding tight end Sam LaPorta over the middle for 26 yards four plays before he did the same to receiver Jameson Williams, hitting the speedster for a 22-yard touchdown. The pocket was closing in on both plays. It didn’t matter for Goff, who stayed patient and hung onto the ball long enough for his pass-catchers to come open. Goff didn’t produce off-script moments like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but he was far from the issue Sunday night. Grade: B

Running backs

There appeared to be some success for Jahmyr Gibbs early on — five of his first seven rushes went for four or more yards, and he had a 3-yarder to move the chains on third-and-short — but his final tally as a runner (65 yards on 17 carries) wasn’t as prolific as you’d hope, given the hot start. David Montgomery was curiously only given four carries and six total touches, a development we’ll discuss further in the coaching section. Montgomery chipped in most of his yards through the air, catching two passes for 37 yards. He was pivotal in getting the Lions down the field and into the end zone on their third-to-last drive, when the game was still within reach. Grade: B-

Wide receivers/tight ends

It feels unfair to criticize Amon-Ra St. Brown too heavily for his uncharacteristic drop in the second quarter, but it’s difficult to ignore the play’s magnitude. The Lions were driving and had a chance to extend their lead going into halftime, but St. Brown couldn’t corral a slightly low pass on fourth down, allowing the Chiefs to take over possession near midfield and later score, taking a lead they’d never give back. It’s worth mentioning Williams, who got back on track with his first touchdown since Week 2 (he was Detroit’s leading receiver, with 66 yards), and LaPorta, who snagged a wildly impressive touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The grade here is going to take a slight hit due to shoddy screen-pass blocking that killed the Lions’ first drive of the second half. Grade: B

Offensive line

The offensive line did an impressive job protecting Goff from Kansas City’s pass rush, especially defensive tackle Chris Jones and edge defender George Karlaftis; Goff was sacked once (by Charles Omenihu), but it came late, and in an obvious passing situation. The O-line was not as successful paving running lanes for Gibbs, who averaged a modest 3.8 yards per carry. That’s a passable average, but well below expectations for Gibbs, who had a 4.6 average heading into Sunday. It was especially disappointing versus a Chiefs defense that had been struggling against the run. From Weeks 1-5, Kansas City allowed 4.8 yards per rush on the season, the sixth-worst average in the NFL. Grade: C+

Defensive line

Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was a late scratch for the Chiefs, and yet Kansas City’s offensive line kept Detroit’s pass rush mostly in check. Aidan Hutchinson pulled his weight by recording a sack in his fifth straight game — setting a new franchise record, by the way — when he stripped Mahomes in the second quarter, but he let Mahomes out of his grasp on a play in the first half, leading to a 20-yard gain for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and he had a costly roughing the passer infraction in the fourth quarter. Al-Quadin Muhammad was the only other defensive lineman to sack Mahomes and it came with less than three minutes remaining. Grade: C+

Linebackers

Run defense falls within the defensive line’s scope, of course, but linebackers also are part of the equation. The Lions weren’t horrendous in slowing Isiah Pacheco, but they allowed the running back to post a season-high 51 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Considering the opponent (Mahomes is Kansas City’s leading rusher on the season), the Lions fell below their elite standards. Also of note: Jack Campbell missed at least two tackles, per Pro Football Focus’ live tracking data. He had two missed tackles total entering Sunday. Grade: C

Secondary

The Lions are down starters D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, and their absences were clearly felt against the Chiefs. Mahomes finished 22-for-30 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. His most popular target was Travis Kelce, who snagged six passes, including a third-down conversion while working against practice-squad call-up Arthur Maulet. Kelce also drew an impactful pass interference call against Rock Ya-Sin, putting the Chiefs in the red zone before his 17-yard catch placed them at the 1-yard line. Xavier Worthy scored because Amik Robertson missed his jam at the line of scrimmage, and Brown’s second TD was the result of miscommunication on the back end. Shout-out to defensive back Thomas Harper for having a pass breakup on fourth down. Grade: D+

Special teams

Punter Jack Fox did a solid job — Kansas City was forced to start drives on its own 7- and 11-yard lines due to a pair of Fox’s boots — but the Lions lost some of their advantage in the field-position battle when returning kickoffs. The Chiefs kicked the ball off to Craig Reynolds five times. He averaged 23.6 yards per return, a rate not good enough when the touchback comes out to the 35-yard line. Whether the fault is on the blocking or poor running from Reynolds, the Lions would benefit from being more explosive. Jake Bates was true on his one field goal attempt, which came from 28 yards out. Grade: C+

Coaching

Some of the offensive play-calling and personnel usage was curious. Namely, Montgomery’s lack of opportunity and back-to-back screen passes early in the second half. Neither play worked because there were missed blocks, but the calls were uninspiring, and perhaps telegraphed on second- and third-and-long. Defensively, Kansas City’s quick passing game was devastating, as nearly 70% of Mahomes’ passing yards came after the catch. The Lions never seemed to adjust. And if they did, it was ineffective. Grade: C

DETROIT ― When Kyle Finnegan was traded to the Tigers from the Washington Nationals on July 31, he brought with him a pedestrian 4.38 ERA and 1.282 WHIP. Understandably, the move didn’t have Tigers fans jumping all around.

But Tigers fans would probably welcome Finnegan, a free-agent-to-be, back for 2026.

After the trade, Finnegan was one of the Tigers’ most-consistent relievers, pitching in leverage situations and posting 1.50 ERA and 0.722 WHIP in 16 games in August and September. The veteran right-hander, 34, is a free agent this offseason, and he would welcome a return the team that helped him right the ship.

“You never know what the season has in store for you,” Finnegan said last Friday, following the Tigers’ season-ending loss in Seattle in the American League Division Series. “And, you know, getting traded over here I think was big for me. I think, you know, I unlocked a lot of things that will help me moving forward in my career. And that’s a testament to the people that this organization has.

“I can’t say enough about the staff and the players, and, just top to bottom, it was a first-class experience, and I was really happy to be a small part of it.

“I loved every second of my time here. And, you know, hopefully the feeling is mutual.”

In two months with the Tigers, Finnegan’s WAR was 0.8, per Baseball-Reference. His best WAR over a full season, in his first five major-league seasons, was 1.0. Pro-rated for a full season, Finnegan’s WAR with Detroit would’ve made him the team’s second-most-valuable pitcher, behind ace Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers saw Finnegan throw against them in Washington in early July, and he pitched back-to-back scoreless, hitless innings. A month later, they traded for him to help patch a leaky bullpen.

In 12 appearances in August, Finnegan didn’t allow a run. He struck out 19 in 14.1 innings, and saved three games.

But in early August, Finnegan landed on the injured list with a right adductor strain. Interestingly, he threw 14.1 innings in August, the most he’s ever thrown in a calendar month in the major leagues. He was out for nearly three weeks, and in his first appearance after his return, he allowed his first run with the Tigers.

Finnegan allowed a run in six of his last 10 appearances this season, including a run in three of the games against the Mariners, including the 3-2, 15-inning loss in the winner-take-all Game 5.

Finnegan was asked after Friday night’s game if he was fully healthy when he returned from injury, and he said he was.

“I felt good physically,” Finnegan said. “You know, I was on a pretty good roll (before the IL). And I think, you know, the injury kind of slowed the momentum, maybe a little bit. But I felt like I threw the ball pretty well all year.

“And, you know, happy with the season that I had.”

With the Tigers in the regular season, Finnegan allowed 4.5 hits per nine innings (down from 8.3 this season with the Nationals) and 2.0 walks per nine (down from 3.2), while striking out 11.5 per nine (up from 7.4). Finnegan this year credited the Tigers for increasing his splitter usage in strikeout situations.

Finnegan is likely heading for a raise from the $5.38-million contract he signed with the Nationals for 2025. Other free agents include trade-deadline pickup Rafael Montero and winter signing Tommy Kahnle, neither of whom would is a major priority from the Tigers. Will Vest, the bullpen leader, is arbitration-eligible, as is lefty Tyler Holton.

The Tigers’ bullpen was, by many measurements, middle of the pack in Major League Baseball this season, but Detroit’s bullpen was near the bottom of baseball in strikeouts.

One third of the NFL season has elapsed, and unless you’re the New York Jets, roughly nothing has been settled. At most, Week 6 will end with six one-loss teams. The only division leader with a lead of more than one game is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who at 4-1 stand head and shoulders above the disappointing NFC North. The next 11 weeks should be a wild ride.

Here is what to know:

 

Beware of the Seahawks

One early theme this season is that no truly dominant team has emerged. Don’t be surprised if the Seattle Seahawks eventually stake their claim. The Seahawks beat the Jaguars, 20-12, in Jacksonville to improve to 4-2, and the victory carried the hallmarks of what makes Seattle a potential sleeping giant.

Seattle’s ferocious defensive line can take over any game. Its depth – Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, Byron Murphy II, Boye Mafe and others – sets it apart. Coach Mike Macdonald’s creative simulated pressures give offensive lines nightmare. The Seahawks hit Trevor Lawrence an absurd 17 times Sunday and registered seven sacks.

No wideout is playing better than Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 696 receiving yards. He caught another eight passes for 162 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville. He has the body type and quickness of a slot receiver, but Smith-Njigba does his damage downfield: He entered Sunday second in the NFL behind Indianapolis’s Alec Pierce in yards per target.

He’s catching passes from Sam Darnold, who seems like a perfect conductor of new coordinator Klint Kubiak’s play-action heavy offense. Since the start of last season, Darnold is 18-5.

In both of Seattle’s losses this year, the Seahawks’ opponent scored go-ahead points with less than two minutes remaining. The Seahawks rarely get mentioned as an elite team, but they are playing like it.

Drake Maye’s breakout continues

One week after Drake Maye beat Josh Allen in Buffalo, he exploded in New Orleans for 261 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 25-19 victory for the New England Patriots. At 4-2, just a half-game behind the Bills in the AFC East, the Patriots have already matched their win total from both 2023 and 2024. The difference between misery and contention has been Maye, the third overall pick last year.

What stands out about Maye is his ability to mix accuracy and playmaking. Maye flicked darts downfield on the run, zipped passes from the pocket and scrambled to find open wideouts and gain yards. He converted a procession of third and longs.

The Saints defense offered little resistance and allowed receivers to roam free, but Maye was still one of the most impressive players of the day. His stat line would have been outrageous if not for two bizarre, suspect offensive pass interference flags that wiped out massive gains. It was a rough day for Adrian Hill’s officiating crew.

Maye entered Week 6 second in completion percentage and fifth in passing yards. His production, playmaking and poise have put him on track to become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, maybe sooner than later.

What’s gotten into Rico Dowdle?

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle’s 200-yard rushing game last week seemed like one of the great random stat lines of the season. After his performance Sunday in a 30-27 walk-off victory against the Dallas Cowboys it doesn’t seem quite as random.

Dowdle exploited his former team’s dismal defense with 183 rushing yards on 30 carries, plus four catches for a team-high 56 receiving yards. In the past two weeks, Dowdle has rushed for 389 yards. In his previous 56 career games, he ran for 1,547.

Dowdle surpassed 1,000 rushing yards last year for the Cowboys, who showed tepid interest in bringing him back. He began the year as a secondary back behind Chuba Hubbard, but Hubbard’s injury opened a path for him. He has taken advantage with two monster games. During the week, Dowdle warned that the Cowboys needed to buckle their chinstraps to play him. Then he went out and ran all over them.

Bo Nix is not making the leap

The Denver Broncos avoided disaster and escaped London with a 13-11 victory over the New York Jets, the NFL’s lone winless team, in a hideous game that may have set back United States-England relations. The Broncos remained clumped among the AFC’s best teams at 4-2, but they head home with diminished reason for confidence that quarterback Bo Nix can be the driving force behind a genuine contender.

As a rookie, Nix exceeded expectations and led Denver to the playoffs. Through six games, though, Nix has not progressed in his second season. Specifically, Nix remains unable to produce explosive plays to an extent that it places a hard ceiling on his ability. Nix’s average completion has sailed 3.6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, second-lowest in the NFL, just ahead of Aaron Rodgers. Against the Jets, it was only 3.1. Against a defense that has spewed big plays, the Broncos managed one play longer than 17 yards.

Nix entered the league as a 24-year-old rookie after six seasons in college. He may be only in his second season, but he’s closer to being a finished product than most quarterbacks of his NFL experience. With their excellent defense and strong offensive line, the Broncos don’t need Nix to be a pyrotechnic passer. Nix remains first class at avoiding negative plays. But the Broncos need more explosive plays in the passing game to compete against the likes of Buffalo and Kansas City in the AFC.

Kyler Murray’s absence showed his shortcomings

What does it say that the Arizona Cardinals had their best offensive game of the season with Kyler Murray sidelined with a foot injury? That’s a question the Cardinals will have to grapple with after their 31-27 loss against the Indianapolis Colts, which ended with the Cardinals inside the Colts’ 10-yard line, threatening to score a game-winning touchdown inside the final minute.

Backup Jacoby Brissett passed for 320 yards, a total Murray has surpassed four times since 2020. Even with top wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. sidelined for most of the game with a concussion, the Cardinals’ offense functioned better with a journeyman backup at the controls than it has this year with Murray.

It’s not just a statistical comparison. Murray, 28, is an irrepressible playmaker, but his inconsistency managing the offense leads to persistent lulls. His speed and quickness allows him to conjure magic. His lack of height limits what the Cardinals can do in the passing game.

The Cardinals are financially wedded to Murray – his dead cap hit for next season is $57 million. Where does that leave them? Murray still has no playoff victories, and with the Cardinals at 2-4 it seems unlikely his first will come this season. The way the Cardinals played without him Sunday hints at uneasy questions Arizona should be asking itself.

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican attack on a core provision of the Voting Rights Act that is designed to protect racial minorities comes to the Supreme Court this week, more than a decade after the justices knocked out another pillar of the 60-year-old law.

In arguments Wednesday, lawyers for Louisiana and the Trump administration will try to persuade the justices to wipe away the state’s second majority Black congressional district and make it much harder, if not impossible, to take account of race in redistricting.

“Race-based redistricting is fundamentally contrary to our Constitution,” Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill wrote in the state’s Supreme Court filing.

A mid-decade battle over congressional redistricting already is playing out across the nation, after President Donald Trump began urging Texas and other Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines to make it easier for the GOP to hold its narrow majority in the House of Representatives. A ruling for Louisiana could intensify that effort and spill over to state legislative and local districts.

The conservative-dominated court, which just two years ago ended affirmative action in college admissions, could be receptive. At the center of the legal fight is Chief Justice John Roberts, who has long had the landmark civil rights law in his sights, from his time as a young lawyer in the Reagan-era Justice Department to his current job.

“It is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race,” Roberts wrote in a dissenting opinion in 2006 in his first major voting rights case as chief justice.

In 2013, Roberts wrote for the majority in gutting the landmark law’s requirement that states and local governments with a history of discrimination, mostly in the South, get approval before making any election-related changes.

“Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions,” Roberts wrote.

The challenged provision relies on current conditions

Challenges under the provision known as Section 2 of the voting rights law must be able to show current racially polarized voting and an inability of minority populations to elect candidates of their choosing, among other factors.

“Race is still very much a factor in current voting patterns in the state of Louisiana. It’s true in many places in the country,” said Sarah Brannon, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project.

The Louisiana case got to this point only after Black voters and civil rights groups sued and won lower court rulings striking down the first congressional map drawn by the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature after the 2020 census. That map created just one Black majority district among six House seats in a state that is one-third Black.

Louisiana appealed to the Supreme Court but eventually added a second majority Black district after the justices’ 5-4 ruling in 2023 that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in a similar case over Alabama’s congressional map.

Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined their three more liberal colleagues in the Alabama outcome. Roberts rejected what he described as “Alabama’s attempt to remake our section 2 jurisprudence anew.”

That might have settled things, but a group of white voters complained that race, not politics, was the predominant factor driving the new Louisiana map. A three-judge court agreed, leading to the current high court case.

Instead of deciding the case in June, the justices asked the parties to answer a potentially big question: “Whether the state’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution.”

Those amendments, adopted in the aftermath of the Civil War, were intended to bring about political equality for Black Americans and gave Congress the authority to take all necessary steps. Nearly a century later, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, called the crown jewel of the civil rights era, to finally put an end to persistent efforts to prevent Black people from voting in the former states of the Confederacy.

A second round of arguments is rare at the Supreme Court

The call for new arguments sometimes presages a major change by the high court. The Citizens United decision in 2010 that led to dramatic increases in independent spending in U.S. elections came after it was argued a second time.

“It does feel to me a little bit like Citizens United in that, if you recall the way Citizens United unfolded, it was initially a narrow First Amendment challenge,” said Donald Verrilli, who served as the Obama administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer and defended the voting rights law in the 2013 case.

Among the possible outcomes in the Louisiana case, Verrilli said, is one in which a majority holds that the need for courts to step into redistricting cases, absent intentional discrimination, has essentially expired. Kavanaugh raised the issue briefly two years ago.

The Supreme Court has separately washed its hands of partisan gerrymandering claims, in a 2019 opinion that also was written by Roberts. Restricting or eliminating most claims of racial discrimination in federal courts would give state legislatures wide latitude to draw districts, subject only to state constitutional limits.

A shift of just one vote from the Alabama case would flip the outcome.

With the call for new arguments, Louisiana changed its position and is no longer defending its map.

The Trump administration joined on Louisiana’s side. The Justice Department had previously defended the voting rights law under administrations of both major political parties.

Rep. Cleo Fields has been here before

For four years in the 1990s, Louisiana had a second Black majority district until courts struck it down because it relied too heavily on race. Fields, then a rising star in the state’s Democratic politics, twice won election. He didn’t run again when a new map was put in place and reverted to just one majority Black district in the state.

Fields is one of the two Black Democrats who won election to Congress last year in newly drawn districts in Alabama and Louisiana.

He again represents the challenged district, described in March by Roberts as “a snake that runs from one end of the state to the other,” picking up Black residents along the way.

If that’s so, civil rights lawyer Stuart Naifeh told Roberts, it’s because of slavery, Jim Crow laws and the persistent lack of economic opportunity for Black Louisianans.

Fields said the court’s earlier ruling that eliminated federal review of potentially discriminatory voting laws has left few options to protect racial minorities, making the preservation of Section 2 all the more important.

They would never win election to Congress, he said, “but for the Voting Rights Act and but for creating majority minority districts.”

Associated Press writer Gary Fields contributed to this report.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — James Franklin is out at Penn State.

The school fired the longtime head coach on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern all but ended whatever remote chance the preseason No. 2 team had of reaching the College Football Playoff.

Terry Smith will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season for the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten), who began the year with hopes of winning the national title only to have those hopes evaporate by early October with three consecutive losses, each one more stinging than the last.

Penn State, which reached the CFP semifinals 10 months ago, fell at home to Oregon in overtime in late September. A road loss at previously winless UCLA followed. The final straw came on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, where the Nittany Lions let Northwestern escape with a victory and lost quarterback Drew Allar to injury for the rest of the season.

Franklin went 104-45 during his 11-plus seasons at Penn State. Yet the Nittany Lions often stumbled against top-tier opponents, going 4-21 against teams ranked in the top 10 during his tenure.

Hired in 2014 in the wake of Bill O’Brien’s departure for the NFL, Franklin inherited a team still feeling the effects of unprecedented NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Armed with relentless optimism and an ability to recruit, Franklin’s program regularly churned out NFL-level talent, from Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons. Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten title and a seemingly permanent spot in the rankings.

There was hope this fall might be the one when Penn State would finally break through and win its third national championship and first since 1986. Yet after three easy wins during a light nonconference schedule, the Nittany Lions crumbled.

Athletic director Pat Kraft said the school owes Franklin — who is due nearly $50 million in a buyout — an “enormous amount of gratitude” for leading the Nittany Lions back to relevance but felt it was time to make a change.

“We hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships,” Kraft said.

Smith now will be tasked with trying to stop the bleeding on what has become a disastrous season. He will have his work cut out for him: Penn State’s next three games are at Iowa on Saturday, at No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 and home against No. 3 Indiana on Nov. 8.

The matchups with the Buckeyes and Hoosiers were expected to be a chance for the Nittany Lions to bolster their CFP credentials. In the span of a handful of weeks, Penn State will instead find itself in the role of spoiler.

The move will cost Penn State at a time the athletic department has committed to a $700 million renovation to Beaver Stadium. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.

Former athletic director Sandy Barbour signed Franklin to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $85 million in 2021. According to terms of the deal, Penn State will have to pay Franklin’s base salary of $500,000, supplemental pay of $6.5 million and insurance loan of $1 million until 2031.

It’s a steep price, but one the university appears willing to pay to find a coach who can complete the climb to a national title.

“We have the best college football fans in America, a rich tradition of excellence, significant investments in our program, compete in the best conference in college sports and have a state-of-the-art renovated stadium on the horizon,” Kraft said. “I am confident in our future and in our ability to attract elite candidates to lead our program.”

There will be no shortage of interested coaches. Kraft has ties to at least one. He was the athletic director at Temple when he hired current Nebraska coach Matt Rhule back in 2013.

Rhule and the Cornhuskers will visit Beaver Stadium in Penn State’s home finale on Nov. 22. What back in August looked like one of the final hurdles for the Nittany Lions to clear on their way to a CFP berth might instead be both an audition for Rhule and a chance for the Nittany Lions to potentially salvage a shot at a bowl game of any variety, let alone a premier one.

— By TRAVIS JOHNSON, Associated Press

AP National Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

Michigan’s dime deposit program is almost 50 years old and is always in the news because of efforts to expand or repeal it. But, do you know what happens to that plastic and aluminum when you take it back to a retailer?

Frederick Lawrence is a logistics faculty in CMU’s College of Business Administration and is the director of internships for the logistics management program. He answers questions about what happens behind the scenes.

Q. What do retailers do with bottles and cans after people return them?

Retailers take action based on their size, resources and capabilities. Generally, retailers collect cans, separate them by brand and store them in anticipation of pickup by distributors or third-party recyclers.

Larger retailers, like supercenters, commonly have reverse vending machines (RVMs) which allow customers to manually return their own cans. These machines are equipped with conveyors and scanners which detect what cans or bottles are being fed into the machine, if they are accepted by the retailer, and which brand the item is. Once this information is processed, the bottle or can is crushed by a compactor and sorted automatically.

Smaller retailers commonly store cans and bottles in bins or bags in a storage area and the retailer manually separates the containers according to the respective brand.

Q. How does storing those bottles and cans affect the layout of a store?

The storage of cans and bottles can impact store layout, but more accurately, how space is utilized. These effects vary based on store size, resources and typical volume of returns.

Large-scale retailers typically have a dedicated return area, often near an entrance or side of the store, with multiple RVMs to accept consumer returns. Stores design return areas with proper drainage, ventilation and easy-to-clean surfaces to manage spills and odors as manual can-return can be quite messy.

Large-scale retailers also coordinate frequent pickups with distributors or third-party recyclers to avoid recycling overflow and must allocate loading dock space for bottle and can removal. Smaller retailers, because of a lack of automation, face more spatial constraints and often adjust their layout, either by reducing product stock space or by limiting return volumes per customer (retailers in Michigan may limit refunds to $25 per person per day).

Returns can be stored in a variety of locations, including backrooms, basements, behind the checkout counter or even outdoor sheds. This is largely due to the space constraint of being smaller and not having an abundance of extra space available in the layout.

Since small stores typically lack automated compactors, they must store full-size bottles and cans, which take up more space than crushed cans and bottles. This may result in smaller retailers making tradeoffs in how they utilize space; as an extreme example, space that could be used to sell merchandise may have to be retrofitted to store returnable items.

Q. What kind of infrastructure is necessary to transport those bottles and cans?

Transporting returned bottles and cans in Michigan requires a specialized infrastructure that includes collection systems, storage facilities, transportation vehicles and processing centers.

Retailers play an integral role in the collection and storage of claimed returnables (cans and bottles that consumers return themselves). Following this, cans and bottles are picked up by distributors (like Pepsi or Coca-Cola) and third-party recyclers.

The transportation equipment varies, but can generally involve the use of box trucks, semi-trucks using specialized trailers with compartments for specific recycled materials or compactor trucks (which can be used to crush aluminum in plastic if the retailer has not already done this).

As cost control and value reclamation in this process are critical, haulers generally work to optimize their networks by developing designated collection routes based on retailer locations and return volume. This is called “network optimization” and is one of the many Logistics Management and Supply Chain skills/strategies that Logistics Management majors at CMU learn!

Cans/bottles are crushed and sorted, if they have not been already, and are transported to various processing facilities that can repurpose or reuse the materials.

Q. How much does transporting bottles and cans cost annually?

Exact cost figures are difficult to accurately calculate due to the number of stakeholders and partners involved in recycling bottles and cans and the various methods and resources used (including collection, sorting and transportation expenses). Additionally, not all cost figures associated with these processes are publicly disclosed.

According to Michigan.gov (2025), Michigan’s refund rate was approximately 73% in 2023 with total Michigan deposits of $389.5 million and total refunds of $284.6 million. This means that 27%, or approximately $105.3 million of deposits went unclaimed. An unclaimed can or bottle refers to a beverage container for which a deposit was paid at the time of purchase (by the consumer) but was never returned for a refund.

In Michigan, consumers pay a $0.10 deposit per container when purchasing certain beverages. To get this deposit back, individuals must return the empty container to a participating retailer or redemption center. The unclaimed deposit amount is simply the difference between the deposits collected and the deposits refunded statewide.

Of the statewide revenue generated by unclaimed deposits, the funds are divided so that 75% of the revenue goes to the state (used for environmental cleanup and pollution prevention) and 25% goes to retailers (to help cover the general costs of managing returns). Based on 2023 data on unclaimed deposits, the state received about $79 million, and retailers got around $26 million to help offset handling costs associated with returns.

At the statewide level, this process relies on financial tracking rather than container counting, so the state doesn’t need to locate unclaimed containers. In fact, many unclaimed cans and bottles may end up in landfills, as roadside litter, curbside recycling or even hoarded in garages.

Q. What ultimately happens to bottles and cans that are returned to stores?

Ultimately, once bottles and cans are returned to Michigan retailers and are picked up and transported by various distributors and recyclers, the material will be processed.

Aluminum cans are crushed, shredded, and melted down and the molten aluminum is rolled into sheets and used to manufacture new beverage cans. Interestingly, aluminum cans can be recycled and reused relatively quickly, with some recycled aluminum being returned to shelves as new products in as little as 60 days.

Plastic bottles may be washed for reuse, shredded into small flakes or melted. The recycled plastic can be used to create new beverage bottles or even repurposed in clothing (e.g., fleece jackets), carpeting, auto parts and many other plastic goods.

Overall, the goal is to reclaim value in the recycled goods and to reduce the creation and use of new “virgin” plastics. Michigan’s bottle return system works to ensure that a significant percentage of beverage containers are recycled and repurposed rather than ending up in landfills.

It would make sense that a home town show would be special for a band known as the Pan Detroit Ensemble.

And indeed it was on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre — especially as it was celebrating the release of its first album.

The nine-member troupe is the brainchild of Don Was, the award-winning elite producer and Blue Note Records label president from Oak Park. It’s been together less than two years and played its first “proper” concert on just over 16 months ago at Orchestra Hall. During the interim the Ensemble has toured internationally in addition to preparing the new “Groove in the Face of Adversity,” which came out the day before the concert.

And as Saturday’s hour-and-40-minute show demonstrated, the nonet has grown into an electrifying ensemble, one capable of — in the Detroit music tradition — exploring a repertoire that blends jazz virtuosity with funk energy and a fearless spirit. Was even acknowledged before a couple of the night’s 15 songs that “we sorta knows this, sorta don’t.”

“We’re on a…mission to promulgate the indigenous sounds of our home town,” Was told the Majestic crowd — which greeted the group with a standing ovation even as it walked on stage — before the Ensemble began the night with its rendition of Hank William’ “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time,” adding that in playing Detroit “it’s so nice to be somewhere we don’t have to promulgate.”

What’s changed for the Ensemble since that Orchestra Hall show is the benefits of time. Back then it was a band of players so skilled that their sheer chops belied its short time together. On Saturday, however, it was evident how it has grown into a true, well, ensemble during the intervening months; the arrangements flowed with instinctive acumen, freely improvising upon the songs’ frameworks and often reaching a place of intuitive, organic ecstasy.

It was clear throughout that the Ensemble didn’t necessarily know what was coming from its individual members but still knew exactly what it was doing.

 

Was made early mention of his 45-year association, dating back to his band Was (Not Was), with keyboardist Luis Resto and saxophonist David McMurray, who were featured on “You Asked, I Came” from Was’ score for the 1994 film “Backbeat” and Yusef Lateef’s trippy “Nubian Lady.” All of the players — drummer Jeff Canaday, trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, guitarist Wayne Gerard and percussionist Mahindi Masai — received spotlight moments throughout the night, while vocalist Steffanie Christi’an showed an even greater comfort in her role, commanding the stage with a ferocious, loose-limbed exuberance.

The substantial number of Deadheads at the Majestic did their part in twirling to Jerry Garcia’s “Loser” and a trio of tracks — “Help on the Way,” “Slipknot” and a euphoric “Franklin’s Tower” — from the Grateful Dead’s 1975 album “Blues For Allah.” The Ensemble dipped into the Was (Not Was) canon for the first-album favorite “Carry Me Back to Old Morocco” and, towards the end of the night, “Wheel Me Out,” which came out of a rendition of Cameo’s “Insane” and found Resto adding violin to the mix.

The Ensemble ended the show with the Impressions’ defiant “This is My Country,” which Was noted “is unfortunately becoming ore apropos every day.”

It’s still a young band, but it’s clear the Ensemble is a growing concern — it already has another tour set for January, including four shows Jan. 9-10 at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor — that’s only growing in potency and is promulgating its Pan Detroit heritage in a manner that does the city proud.

By KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — iPhone users have a new tool to combat the scourge of nuisance phone calls: a virtual gatekeeper that can screen incoming calls from unknown numbers.

It’s among the bevy of new features that Apple rolled out with last month’s release of iOS 26. The screening feature has been getting attention because of the ever-increasing amount of robocalls and spam calls that leave many phone users feeling harassed.

Here’s a run-through of the new function:

How to activate call screening

First, you’ll need to update your iPhone’s operating system to iOS 26, which is available to the iPhone 11 and newer models.

To switch call screening on, go into Settings–Apps—Phone. Scroll down and you’ll find a new option: Screen Unknown Callers.

You’ll be presented with three choices. The Never option lets any unknown call ring through, while Silence sends all unidentified numbers directly to voicemail. What you want to tap is the middle option: Ask Reason for Calling.

If the option isn’t there, try restarting your phone.

I still couldn’t find it after updating to iOS 26, but, after some online sleuthing, I checked my region and language settings because I saw some online commenters reporting they had to match. It turns out my region was still set to Hong Kong, where I lived years ago. I switched it to the United Kingdom, which seemed to do the trick and gave me the updated menu.

How it works

Call screening introduces a layer between you and new callers.

When someone who’s not in your contacts list dials your number, a Siri-style voice will ask them to give their name and the purpose of their call.

At the same time, you’ll get a notification that the call is being screened. When the caller responds, the answers will be transcribed and the conversation will pop up in speech bubbles.

You can then answer the call.

Don’t want to answer? Send a reply by tapping one of the pre-written messages, such as “I’ll call you later” or “Send more information,” which the AI voice will read out to the caller.

Or you can type out your own message for the computer-generated voice to read out.

If you don’t respond right away, the phone will continue to ring while you decide what to do.

Teething troubles

In theory, call screening is a handy third way between the nuclear option of silencing all unknown callers — including legitimate ones — or letting them all through.

But it doesn’t always work perfectly, according to Associated Press colleagues and anecdotal reports from social media users.

One AP colleague said she was impressed with how seamlessly it worked. Another said it’s handy for screening out cold callers who found his number from marketing databases.

“However, it’s not great when delivery drivers try to call me and then just hang up,” he added.

Some internet users have similar complaints, complaining that important calls that they were expecting from their auto mechanic or plumber didn’t make it through. Perhaps the callers assumed it was an answering machine and didn’t seem to realize they had to stay on the line and interact with it.

I encountered a different issue the first time it kicked in for me, when an unknown caller — whether mistakenly or not — threw me off by giving my name instead of theirs. So I answered because I assumed it was someone I knew, forgetting that I could tap out a reply asking them again for their name.

The caller turned out to be someone who had obtained my name and number and was trying to get me to do a survey. I had to make my excuses and hang up.

If you don’t like call screening, you can turn it off at any time.

As for Android

Apple is catching up with Google, which introduced a similar automatic call screening feature years ago for Pixel users in the United States.

Last month, the company announced the feature is rolling out to users in three more countries: Australia, Canada and Ireland.

If it’s not already on, go to your Phone app’s Settings and look for Call Screen.

Google’s version is even more automated. When someone you don’t know calls, the phone will ask who it is and why they’re calling. It will hang up if it determines that it’s a junk call, but let calls it deems to be legit ring through.

Google warns that not all spam calls and robocalls can be detected, nor will it always fully understand and transcribe what a caller says.

Samsung, too, lets users of its Galaxy Android phones screen calls by using its AI assistant Bixby’s text call function, which works in a similar way.

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

SEATTLE ― Home-field advantage doesn’t get talked about as much in baseball as some other sports, notably football.

And the electric factory that was T-Mobile Park on Friday might’ve made the difference. At the least, it certainly made a difference early in the game when the Seattle Mariners took a 1-0 lead in a game they eventually won, 3-2, in 15 innings, to cap off a spectacular American League Division Series.

The volume level was off the charts almost the entire night, from pitch No. 1 to pitch No. 472, which Jorge Polanco ripped for a winning single that sent the Mariners to the AL Championship Series, and sent the Tigers home.

“This ballpark was just loud from the first pitch and all the way through the 15th inning and kept us going tonight,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I think our guys fed off that very well.”

The decibel level certainly seemed to impact the game in the second inning, after Josh Naylor scraped a one-out double the opposite way to left field.

Naylor had been animated on second base all throughout the series, using hand motions as if he’s relaying pitch signs to the batter, though the Tigers downplayed that and suggested it was more about just trying to be a distraction.

Then, after the double early in a scoreless Game 5, Naylor started hopping off second base, and when he realized Tigers ace Tarik Skubal wasn’t turning around, Naylor, after starting and stopping, bolted for third, and he stole the base pretty easily. Second baseman Gleyber Torres was yelling at Skubal to step off, according to shortstop Javy Báez .

Skubal clearly couldn’t hear him, amid a crowd of 47,025 screaming fans, and he went home with the ball. Naylor was the first player to attempt a steal of third off Skubal all season. Naylor’s a smart base runner. He has the physical stature of a guy who can count his stolen bases on one hand, but he had 30 in the regular season in 2025.

“Being loud … communication is really hard,” Báez said in the Tigers’ quiet clubhouse after the game, while the Mariners continued to celebrate on the field with champagne. “He just played good baseball,.

“He did his homework. He know Tarik wasn’t going to pick (off) to second. But, you know, that’s part of the game.”

Naylor getting to third base proved huge, when the next batter, Mitch Garver, lofted a flyball to center field that was plenty deep enough to score Naylor for the first run of the game.

Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler was asked about the play after the game, and said he didn’t want to shout anything to his pitcher in that moment, because he’s fearful it could’ve caused a knee-jerk movement and, thus, a balk that would’ve gotten Naylor over to third base, anyway.

Dingler said maybe he could’ve called timeout when Naylor was just starting to dance off second base, but he didn’t even know if he could be granted a timeout if the runner was already in motion.

“I really don’t know, to be honest. I’ll have to figure it out,” Dingler said. “It’s one of those things where I didn’t know if he could maybe hear the people behind him, middle infielders, but it’s just one of those things, you don’t want make that situation worse.

“At the end of the day, if he gets to third, you know, he has a chance to punch out (Garver).”

It was a big early run off Skubal, who was outstanding all postseason, and Friday was no exception.

After the Naylor double, Skubal retired the last 14 batters he faced, including seven strikeouts in a row at one point. He finished with 13 strikeouts, and 36 for his three playoff starts in 2025, spanning 20.2 innings. Skubal’s playoff run, even going back to last year, has been so historic, the Mariners’ postgame notes included nine paragraphs about Skubal, invoking comparisons to such legends of the game as Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver and Justin Verlander.

Even though he’s a local boy of sorts, having pitched at Seattle U, Skubal was greeted by Mariners fans with the loudest boos, by far, during pregame introductions. Of course, you don’t boo the ones you don’t care about.

The atmosphere, with fans in the stadium for more than seven hours Friday night, was in stark contrast to Game 4 at Comerica Park, which wasn’t even sold out ― a first for a postseason game at that ballpark. Tigers fans eventually perked up, in a 9-3 win that forced a Game 5 in Seattle. At T-Mobile Park on Friday, where the roof was closed, Mariners fans never really perked down, even if alcohol sales were cut off with, as it turns out, many innings to go.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on social media called the stadium vibe ― they even lit off fireworks when the innertube-wearing Humpy the Salmon got his first-ever win in the “Go Fish” race, the second of the night, in the 14th inning, moments before the Mariners’ walk-off winner ― one of best in all of sports.

“That’s everything we would have wanted in a game, the atmosphere, the energy,” Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan said. “That environment was incredible.”

The get-in price for Game 5 tickets on the secondary market was more than $250 before first pitch Friday night, and there were far fewer Tigers fans in Seattle on Friday than there were Mariners fans in Detroit earlier in the week.

The Mariners now will host Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays next week. It’s Seattle’s first appearance in the ALCS since 2001.

Those games in Seattle will be sellouts, and they will be loud ― and fans just might, again, make a difference.

“I didn’t hear much. The crowd was very loud,” said Polanco, who had a big hand in both of Skubal’s starts in the ALDS, homering twice off the lefty in the Mariners’ 3-2 win in Game 2, and then hitting the walk-off against Tommy Kahnle in the 15th inning of Game 5. “I just want to say, ‘thank you’ for that.

“And, hopefully, they keep showing up.”

By Julia Cardi, MediaNews Group

Mourners who gathered in Fenton on Saturday to remember the life of Thelma Armstrong, 54, a victim of the September attack on a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, remembered her as a warm, loving person who had a deep devotion to her family and her faith.

Armstrong’s friends and family, who knew her as “Yia Yia,” said she lit up a room with her sunny personality, loved the colors pink and red and had a strong work ethic. She raised two children, Charne’ Lichtenberg and Damon Du Bruyn, on her own and had three grandchildren.

Her son, Damon, said during the memorial service the “world has lost a little bit of joy and a little bit of fire” with his mother’s passing.

“I think the thing that will stay with me forever is just my mom’s kindness. And she never knew how to hold a grudge,” he said.

Armstrong was worshiping at the Grand Blanc Township Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28 when Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton rammed his pickup truck into the side of the church, shot at congregants and set the building on fire, authorities said.

Two people died from the gunfire, eight were wounded and two bodies were discovered in the rubble of the church, The victims’ ages ranged from 6 to 78 years old. Police shot and killed Sanford at the scene.

Mourners, some dressed in red, filled a chapel in the Sharp Funeral Home in Fenton on Saturday. Pink, red and white flowers surrounded two photos of Armstrong.

Armstrong was born on May 8, 1971, in Klerksdorp, South Africa, according to her online obituary. She immigrated to the U.S. in 2019 to be near her grandchildren, her son-in-law said in remarks at her service.

“She had endured so many trials in her life, and she knew what it was to struggle,” said her son-in-law, Shane Lichtenberg. “And yet none of us knew that, because she shouldered it so well and she had a smile on her face no matter what happened in her life.”

She converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2011, but Armstrong had always been religious, her obituary said. Her daughter said she felt immediately connected to missionaries who came to her door because of their name tags reading “Jesus Christ.” The bonds she built with them earned her the nickname “Missionary Mother.” She taught a class for 5-year-olds at the Grand Blanc Township church.

In South Africa, Armstrong managed a local grocery store in Klerksdorp called Food Zone. After she moved to the U.S., she worked as a quality technician at American Axle.

Speakers said she was always proud of her children, and loved when her daughter picked out her clothes and helped her do her hair. But she considered everyone family, according to her obituary.

Armstrong’s daughter, Charne’ Lichtenberg, shared one of her favorite stories about her mother. On her seventh birthday, her mother told her she had a surprise. Excited about the possibility of a Barbie doll, Lichtenberg was disappointed to see a figure of Jesus in her hand instead − not knowing she would come to appreciate the gift later.

“But what I know now as an adult that − of course I didn’t know at the time as a 7-year-old girl − is that she had placed the biggest gift in my hand that day, and that was the gift of knowing my savior, Jesus Christ,” Lictenberg said.

Another weekend of college football is in full swing. Here are some of the more notable winners and losers so far:

 

Alabama (winner)

Is there a grand, overarching theme of the No. 8 Crimson Tide’s 27-24 victory Saturday at No. 14 Missouri? Probably not. It was a pairing of well-regarded teams, neither led by more than 10, and both defenses performed ably.

Frankly, it didn’t stray too far from what anyone imagines as a standard-issue game between teams in the top half of the SEC.

Yet it was another significant step for Alabama (5-1, 3-0) – toward a league title, sure, but also toward preserving some flexibility for playoff positioning.

The Crimson Tide has spent the past three weeks dealing Georgia, Vanderbilt and Missouri (5-1, 1-1) their first losses of the season. Maybe all of those triumphs don’t hold up come early December, but one or two of them probably will.

The schedule also turns in Alabama’s favor, at least a little. It has just one trip outside the state (Oct. 25 at South Carolina) in the regular season. Four of its final six are at home. And the three credible playoff contenders left – Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma – all have to visit Tuscaloosa.

Hefty though that may seem, just remember those are the games the Crimson Tide has largely aced in the past two seasons. Alabama is 6-1 against ranked teams under Coach Kalen DeBoer, with Saturday’s effort just the latest example of the Crimson Tide thriving in big games.

UCLA (winner)

At the professional level, an early-season firing in many sports can be spun not merely as ditching a losing coach but also an attempt to salvage a season. That’s a harder sell at the college level, especially in football. The season is too short, and there usually isn’t a realistic chance to hire someone from the outside until November or December.

So when a college football program pulls the plug on a coach’s tenure, the best thing that is likely to come from it is a head start in the search for a new sideline boss.

UCLA might be an exception. After firing DeShaun Foster after an ugly 0-3 start, the Bruins have progressed rapidly under interim coach Tim Skipper. They lost by a field goal at Northwestern, then stunned Penn State last week in the season’s most startling result to date.

But was it a fluke? Saturday’s 38-13 clobbering of Michigan State would suggest otherwise. UCLA (2-4, 2-1 Big Ten) dominated the middle of the game against the Spartans (3-3, 0-3), who gave up 38 straight points.

The Bruins still have trips to Indiana, Ohio State and Southern California to come, as well as a visit from Washington, so the path to even a .500 season remains challenging. But it was almost unthinkable to even dream of that possibility a few weeks ago. UCLA’s rapid progression to competency has secured much more of a short-term payoff than anyone could have anticipated from an early coaching change.

Florida State (loser)

So the Seminoles are not back, huh?

One of the belles of the ball on the opening weekend of the season, Florida State has backed up its upset of Alabama (and routs of East Texas A&M and Kent State) with … a double-overtime loss at Virginia, a one-possession loss to Miami and now Saturday’s 34-31 setback against Pittsburgh.

It isn’t to suggest the No. 25 Seminoles (3-3, 0-3 ACC) are a disaster like a year ago, when they went 2-10. That team would have loved to have had enough answers to score 30-plus points in a conference loss, as this one has twice in the past three weeks. Florida State cracked 17 points just once against a Football Bowl Subdivision team last season.

But between some recent injury issues and benefiting from an oddly feeble performance from Alabama back on Aug. 30, the Seminoles find themselves teetering into the territory of being a mild disappointment. An ACC title is basically out at this point, but this is clearly a better bunch than a year ago. There’s an urgent need to show it, and next week’s trip to Stanford provides an opportunity to do exactly that.

South Florida (winner)

When the Bulls were last getting national attention, they followed up opening victories over then-ranked Boise State and Florida teams with a 37-point thumping at Miami. Hey, it happens.

Since then, Coach Alex Golesh’s team has pounded a Football Championship Subdivision team (63-14 over South Carolina State) and worn out the scoreboard on back-to-back Friday nights against a pair of conference foes (54-26 at home against Charlotte and 63-36 at North Texas).

The latter game came this Friday night against the previously unbeaten Mean Green, which was on the cusp of taking a 21-14 lead into the break before muffing a punt in the final minute of the first half. The No. 24 Bulls (5-1, 2-0 American) scored a touchdown with two seconds to go, setting off a surge that continued well into the third quarter.

South Florida opened the second half with a four-play touchdown drive. Two plays after North Texas (5-1, 1-1) threw an interception, the Bulls reached the end zone again. And four snaps into the next drive, Jhalyn Shuler returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-21.

The final tally was four touchdowns (and three North Texas turnovers) in a little more than four minutes. When coaches preach about the value of the “middle eight” – the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second – they could do a lot worse than point to how South Florida flipped this game and remained part of a scrum of unbeatens in American play that also includes Memphis, Tulane and Saturday’s Navy/Temple winner.

Kennesaw State (winner)

The Owls endured a less-than-stellar FBS debut last season – a midweek upset of Liberty notwithstanding – and the firing of coach Brian Bohannon with three games to go was bungled in absurd fashion. They finished 2-10, and there was little optimism outside the Atlanta suburbs that Kennesaw State would venture too far from the Conference USA cellar this season.

All of which makes the Owls’ 35-7 rout of Louisiana Tech on Thursday more than mention-worthy a couple of days later. After a one-point defeat at Wake Forest in Coach Jerry Mack’s debut and a blowout loss at Indiana, Kennesaw State has rattled off four consecutive victories (all at home) and might be one of the sport’s most improved teams.

Georgia Southern transfer Dexter Williams II threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns Thursday as the Owls remained one of three undefeated teams in CUSA. The back half of the schedule includes four road games out of six (including a trip to Jacksonville State), but things are clearly on the right track at Kennesaw State.

Demond Williams Jr. (winner)

The Washington sophomore, fresh off helping the Huskies erase a 20-point deficit in a victory last week at Maryland, authored a career night Friday in a 38-19 defeat of Rutgers.

Williams threw for a career-high 402 yards and rushed for 136 yards while totaling four touchdowns as Washington (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) beat a team coming off an open date for the second consecutive week.

The Huskies went 6-7 last season, a transition year after the bulk of their national runner-up team (including DeBoer) departed and Jedd Fisch arrived from Arizona. But Williams played in every game, gradually getting some experience before starting against Oregon in the regular season finale and against Louisville in the Sun Bowl.

He has settled in quite well, throwing for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception while adding 382 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Those are solid half-season stats, and if the Huskies and Williams can both thrive the next two weeks at Michigan and at home against Illinois, the quarterback could well start drawing more national attention.

By Rae Ellen Bichell, KFF Health News

Stacey Knoll thought the court summons she received was a scam. She didn’t remember getting any medical bills from Montrose Regional Health, a nonprofit hospital, after a 2020 emergency room visit.

So she was shocked when, three years after the trip to the hospital, her employer received court orders requiring it to start funneling a chunk of her paychecks to a debt collector for an unpaid $881 medical bill — which had grown to $1,155.26 from interest and court fees.

The timing was terrible. After leaving a bad marriage and staying in a shelter, she had just gotten full custody of her three children, steady housing in Montrose, Colorado, and a job at a gas station.

“And that’s when I got that garnishment from the court,” she said. “It was really scary. I’d never been on my own or raised kids on my own.”

KFF Health News reviewed 1,200 Colorado cases in which judges, over a two-year period from Feb. 1, 2022, through Feb. 1, 2024, gave permission to garnish wages over unpaid bills. At least 30% of the cases stemmed from medical care — even when patients’ bills should have been covered by Medicaid, the public insurance program for those with low incomes or disabilities. That 30% is likely an underestimate since medical debt is often hidden behind other types of debt, such as from credit cards or payday loans. But even that minimum would translate to roughly 14,000 cases a year in Colorado in which courts approved taking people’s wages because of unpaid medical bills.

Among the other findings:

• Patients were pursued for medical bills ranging from under $30 to over $30,000, with most of the bills amounting to less than $2,400. As the cases rolled through the legal system, accumulating interest and court fees, the amount that patients owed often grew by 25%. In one case, it snowballed by more than 400%.
• Cases trailed people for up to 14 years after they received medical care, with debt collectors reviving their cases even as they moved from job to job.
• Medical providers of all stripes are behind these bills — big health care chains, small rural hospitals, physician groups, public ambulance services, and more. In several cases, hospitals won permission to take the pay of their own employees who had unpaid bills from treatment at the facilities.

Colorado has company. It is one of 45 states that allow wage garnishment for unpaid medical bills. Only Delaware, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas have banned wage garnishment for medical debt.

As KFF Health News has reported, medical debt is devastating for millions of people across the country. And now the problem is likely to grow more pressing nationwide. Millions of Americans are expected to lose health insurance in the coming years due to Medicaid changes in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law and if Congress allows some Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire. That means health crises for the newly uninsured could lead them, too, into a spiral of medical debt.

And the hurt will linger: Large unpaid medical bills are staying on credit reports in most states after a July decision from a federal judge reversed a new rule aimed at protecting consumers.

“If you can’t maintain your health, how are you going to work to pay back a debt?” said Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, a nonprofit aimed at lowering health costs. “And if you fundamentally can’t pay the bill, wage garnishment isn’t going to help you do that. It’s going to put you in more financial distress.”

Flying blind on medical debt

When someone fails to pay a bill, the creditor that provided the service — whether for a garage door repair, a car loan, or medical care — can take the debtor to court. Creditors can also pass the debt to a debt collector or debt buyer, who can do the same.

“At any given point, about 1% of working adults are being garnished for some reason,” said Anthony DeFusco, an economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who studied paycheck data from ADP, a payroll processor that distributes paychecks to about a fifth of private sector U.S. workers. “That’s a big chunk of the population.”

But specific research into the practice of garnishing wages over medical debt is scant. Studies in North Carolina, Virginia, and New York have found that nonprofit hospitals commonly garnish wages from indebted patients, with some studies finding those patients tend to work in low-wage occupations.

Marty Makary, who led research on medical debt wage garnishment in Virginia at Johns Hopkins University before joining Trump’s cabinet as Food and Drug Administration commissioner, has called the practice “aggressive.” He co-authored a study that found 36% of Virginia hospitals, mostly nonprofit and mostly in urban areas, were using garnishment to collect unpaid debts in 2017, affecting thousands of patients.

The Colorado findings from KFF Health News show that hospitals are far from the only medical providers going after patients’ paychecks, though.

Researchers and advocates say that, in addition to a dearth of court case data, another phenomenon tends to obscure how often this happens. “People find debt shameful,” said Lester Bird, a senior manager at the Pew Charitable Trusts who specializes in courts. “A lot of this exists in the shadows.”

Without data on how often this tactic is employed, lawmakers are flying blind — even as a 2024 Associated Press-NORC poll showed about 4 in 5 U.S. adults believe it’s important for the federal government to provide medical debt relief.

‘Blood from a turnip’

Colorado was among the first of 15 states to scratch medical debt from credit reports. Debt buyers in the state aren’t allowed to foreclose on a patient’s home. If qualified patients opt to pay in monthly installments, those payments shouldn’t exceed 6% of their household income — and the remaining debt gets wiped after about three years of paying.

But if they don’t agree to a payment plan, Coloradans can have up to 20% of their disposable earnings garnished. The National Consumer Law Center gave the state a “D” grade for state protections of family finances.

Consumer advocates said they aren’t sure how well even those Colorado requirements are being followed. And people wrote letters to the courts saying wage garnishment would exacerbate their already dire financial situations.

“I have begun to fall behind on my electricity, my gas, my water my credit cards,” wrote a man in western Colorado in a letter to a judge that KFF Health News obtained in the court filings. Court records show he was working in construction and at a rent-to-own store, with about $8,000 in medical debt. He wrote to the judge that he was paying close to $1,000 a month. “The way things are going now I will lose everything.”

The people being sued in KFF Health News’ Colorado review worked in a wide array of jobs. They worked in school districts, ranching, mining, construction, local government, even health care. Several worked at stores such as Walmart and Family Dollar, or at gas stations, restaurants, or grocery stores.

“You’re really kicking people when they’re down,” said Lois Lupica, a former attorney working with the Denver-based Community Economic Defense Project and the Debt Collection Lab at Princeton. “They’re basically suing the you-can’t-get-blood-from-a-turnip population.”

In 2022, court records show, Valley View health system based in Glenwood Springs was allowed to garnish the wages of one of its patients over a $400 medical bill. The patient was working at a local organization that the health system supported as part of the community benefits it provides to keep its tax-exempt status. Nonprofit hospitals like Valley View are required to provide community benefits, which can also include charity care that covers patients’ bills.

Stacey Gavrell, the health system’s chief community relations officer, said it offers options such as interest-free payment plans and care at reduced or no cost to families with incomes up to 500% of the federal poverty level.

“As our rural region’s largest healthcare provider, it is imperative to the health and well-being of our community that Valley View remains a financially viable organization,” she said. “Most of our patients work with us to develop a payment plan or pursue financial assistance.”

The collection agency that took the employee to court, A-1 Collection Agency, advertises itself on its website as empathetic: “We understand times are tough and money is tight.”

Pilar Mank, who oversees operations at A-1’s parent company, Healthcare Management, said it accepts payment plans as small as $50 a month and that most of the hospitals it works with allow it to offer a discount if patients pay all at once.

“Suing a patient is the absolute last resort,” she said. “We try everything we can to work with the patient.”

If you can’t maintain your health, how are you going to work to pay back a debt?

Hospitals sometimes also garnish wages from their own employees for care they provided them. In one case, a hospital employee worked her way up from housekeeper to registrar to quality analyst. She even participated in public events representing her employer and appeared on the hospital’s website as a featured employee — while the court issued writs of garnishment until her $10,000 in medical bills from the hospital was paid off.

“Hospital care costs money to deliver,” said Colorado Hospital Association spokesperson Julie Lonborg about hospitals’ garnishing their own employees’ wages. “In some ways, I think it’s funny to be asked the question. I would understand if someone said, ‘Why aren’t you garnishing their wages?’”

Studies show that hospital debt collection efforts through wage garnishment bring in only about 0.2% of hospital revenues, said April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, which advocates for people with low incomes.

“We also know that there are states that don’t allow this at all,” she said. “Hospitals are continuing to provide medical care to consumers.”

Smooth sailing for collectors —but not for patients

Health care providers appeared as the plaintiffs in only 2% of the medical debt cases. Instead, cases were filed almost entirely by third-party debt collectors and buyers, with BC Services and Professional Finance Company behind more than half of the cases, followed by A-1 Collection Agency and Wakefield & Associates.

Debt buyers make money by buying debt from providers who’ve given up on getting paid then collecting what they can of the money owed, plus interest. Debt collectors get paid a percentage of what they recover. Some companies do a bit of both.

BC Services declined to comment, and Wakefield & Associates did not respond to questions.

Charlie Shoop, president of Professional Finance Company, said his company initiates wage garnishment on less than 1% of all accounts placed with it for collection.

Health care providers in Colorado can no longer hide behind debt collectors’ names when they sue people, according to a 2024 state law prompted by a 9News-Colorado Sun investigation in partnership with a Colorado News Collaborative-KFF Health News reporting project.

In many states, the path for filing a case against a debtor and garnishing their wages is relatively smooth — especially if the debtor doesn’t appear in court.

“It’s unbelievably easy,” said Dan Vedra, a lawyer in Colorado who often represents consumers in debt cases. “If you have a word processor and a spreadsheet, you can mass-produce thousands of lawsuits in a matter of hours or minutes.”

Within KFF Health News’ sample, nearly all the medical debt cases were default judgments, meaning the patient did not defend themselves in court or in writing. Missing a court date can happen for a variety of reasons, such as not receiving the notice in the mail, assuming it was a scam, knowingly ignoring it, or not having the time to take off from work.

Vedra and other debt law experts said a high rate of default judgments indicates a system that favors the pursuers over the pursued — and increases the chances someone will be harmed by an erroneous bill.

But in New Hampshire, creditors now have to keep going to court for each paycheck they want to garnish, because the state allows creditors to garnish only wages that have already been earned, said Maanasa Kona, an associate research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

“It might not look like much on paper,” she said. “It’s just not worth it if they have to keep going back to court.”

If you have a word processor and a spreadsheet, you can mass-produce thousands of lawsuits in a matter of hours or minutes.

Wrongly pursued for bills

The nation’s medical billing setup is already prone to errors due to its complexity, according to Barak Richman, a law professor at George Washington University and a senior scholar at Stanford Medicine who has studied medical debt collection practices in several states. “Bills are not only noncomprehensible, but often wrong,” Richman said.

Indeed, Colorado’s Health Care Policy & Financing Department, which runs Medicaid in the state, said it sent out nearly 11,000 letters in the past fiscal year to health providers and collectors that erroneously went after patients on Medicaid. Bills for Medicaid recipients are supposed to be sent to Medicaid, not the patients, who typically pay a nominal amount, if anything, for their care.

Shoop said his industry has pushed Colorado, without success, for access to a database that would allow them to confirm if patients had Medicaid coverage.

Colorado’s Medicaid program declined to comment.

Patricia DeHerrera in Rifle, Colorado, had to prove that she and her children had Medicaid when they received care at Grand River Health — but only after A-1 contacted her employer at the time, the gas station chain Kum & Go, with court-approved paperwork to take a portion of her paychecks.

She contacted the state, which sent letters to the hospital and the collector notifying them they were engaging in “illegal billing action” and telling the collector to stop. The companies did.

Theresa Wagenman, controller for Grand River Health, said if a patient can present a letter from a Medicaid caseworker saying they’re eligible, then their bills get removed from the collections pipeline. Wagenman also said patients get at least eight letters in the mail and several phone calls before Grand River gives the go-ahead for the collector to send them to court.

DeHerrera’s main advice to others in this situation: “Know your rights. Otherwise, they’re going to take advantage of you.”

Yet fighting back isn’t easy.

Nicole Silva, who lives in the 900-person town of Sanford in south-central Colorado, said she and her family were all on Medicaid when her daughter was in a car crash. Still, court records show, her wages were garnished for a $2,181.60 ambulance ride, which grew to more than $3,000 from court fees and interest.

She tried to prove the bill was wrong, contacting her county’s social services office, but Silva said it wasn’t helpful and she wasn’t able to reach the right person at a state office. The state Medicaid program confirmed to KFF Health News that her daughter was covered at the time of the wreck.

Fighting the bill felt like too much for Silva and her husband to handle while parenting a growing number of kids, one of them severely disabled, and working — she as a preschool teacher and he as a rancher.

Not receiving the roughly $500 a month that she said came out of her pay was enough to affect their ability to pay other bills. “It was deciding to buy groceries or pay the electric bill,” Silva said.

When their electricity got shut off, she said, they had to scramble to borrow money from colleagues and friends to get it turned back on — with an extra fee.

She said the saga makes her hesitant to call an ambulance in the future.

Fox, of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, said consumers often think they cannot do anything to stop their wages from being garnished, but they can contest it in court, for example by pointing out they should have qualified for discounted — or charity — care if the hospital that provided the treatment is a nonprofit.

DeFusco, the economist, believes filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy is an underused option for debtors. It halts garnishment in its tracks, though not always permanently, and it comes with other consequences. But he understands it’s a Catch-22: It’s a complex process and typically necessitates hiring a lawyer.

“To get rid of your debt, you need money,” he said. “And the whole reason you’re in this situation is because you don’t have money.”

Methodology

We wanted to know how often Coloradans get their wages garnished due to medical debt. Courts don’t compile this information, and researchers and advocates haven’t tracked it systematically.

So we created our own database. We requested a list of all civil cases across the state in which judges gave permission for a person’s earnings to be garnished — known as writs of garnishment in court lingo — from Feb. 1, 2022, through Feb. 1, 2024. The Colorado Supreme Court Library provided a list from all courts except for Denver County Court, which provided its own records. The combined list comprised nearly 90,000 unique court cases. We split up the cases by county population — small (fewer than 10,000 people), medium (10,000 to 100,000 people), and large (more than 100,000 people) — then generated a random sample of 400 cases from each group to ensure we evaluated medical debt across counties of all sizes.

To identify medical debt cases, we looked at the original creditors named in court records, primarily the complaints or affidavits of indebtedness. Often, this information was available through a state website. When it wasn’t available online, we asked county courthouses to send us supporting documents. We counted dentists as medical providers. We excluded 14 cases in which the debt wasn’t exclusively medical.

We looked only at cases in which courts approved money to be garnished from someone’s paycheck, as opposed to from other sources such as their bank accounts. We did not review garnishment cases involving child support, taxes, or federal student loans.

KFF Health News intern Henry Larweh, data editor Holly K. Hacker, Mountain States editor Matt Volz, and web editor Lydia Zuraw contributed to this report.

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

EAST LANSING — Fans booed Jonathan Smith’s Spartans off the field Saturday afternoon, but the Michigan State coach insists he’s facing no more pressure than he was at the start of the season.

Favored by more than a touchdown in front of a homecoming crowd, Michigan State (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) staggered through a 38-13 loss to a UCLA team that fired its own head coach a month ago. It’s the third straight loss for the Spartans since entering Big Ten play, packed with frustration for coaches, players and fans.

Now 8-10 overall and 3-9 in Big Ten play in his 18 games in East Lansing, the pressure is on Smith to turn this season around. He insists that’s nothing new.

“I think there’s always pressure,” Smith said. “This is what you sign up for. You want to be … a head coach, you want to be a play caller, you want to be a quarterback in the Big Ten, you want to play defensive line in the Big Ten. There’s always a, call it, pressure, but your own expectations (are) really what you’re chasing, and we’re focused on that.”

That answer is a familiar refrain from Smith, who made a similar comment about pressure at Big Ten media days in July. In the era of revenue sharing and NIL money, the financial incentive to win football games — or more adequately, not to lose them — never has been greater. New athletic director J Batt made that evident in June at his introductory press conference.

“It’s imperative we support all our sports, but do not be confused — every athletics department competing at the highest level must be successful in football,” Batt said. “… We’ll do everything we possibly can to dive in and help Coach Smith.”

There’s a lot riding on Smith to be successful this season — a more than $12 million internal loan to cover revenue share perhaps the most impactful. In July, Batt said he expected Smith to continue to make progress this season. Halfway through the season, it’s not clear he has.

Saturday’s game made it clear that fans had lost both faith and interest in Smith. A large contingent of the 72,109 fans in attendance headed to the exits before halftime, and those who stayed booed the Spartans off the field. Fans also booed Smith’s picture when it came up on the video board during a third quarter timeout, UCLA having scored 38 unanswered points by that point in the game.

Asked about those boos, Smith diverted the question to a compliment of MSU fans.

“I like playing at a place and being a part of a program that people genuinely care, have some energy and passion behind it,” Smith said. “And that’s a two-way street when you’re at a place (where) there’s a high amount of care factor and passion with it. So you’re asking for that. You’re going to get it on both ends.”

About the energy he felt from a booing crowd? Smith made clear he couldn’t speak for all the fans in attendance.

“Call it frustrations at halftime, all of us got the same ones,” he said.

The body language and energy of his players looked defeated by the second quarter. Smith chalked that up to a surprise.

“Very surprised by it,” Smith said. “And again, I think all of us that went through the week felt good, back to work. Guys (had) call it energy and focus through the week. So yeah, surprised that this performance looked the way it did.”

Smith already had caught flak from fans ahead of this game, losses at Southern Cal and Nebraska exposing clear flaws in talent, execution and even play calling. All those showed up in abundance against UCLA.

Like a fourth-and-1 call on his own 34 that saw Michigan State run a toss play behind Ashton Lepo, a right tackle who has looked visibly out-of-sorts since stepping in due to injury. Or the many times his defense was burned by underneath routes and crossers, exposing the same coverage issues of the linebacker room that showed all of last season.

This is the third three-game losing streak of Smith’s tenure, and it may last even longer. The Spartans are set to visit No. 7 Indiana next week, then host No. 15 Michigan. Minnesota and a once-ranked Penn State follow, neither to be taken lightly.

What happened Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium may go down as the lowest point of Smith’s tenure at Michigan State. It’s the kind of loss that can cause a program to cut ties with a head coach, like UCLA itself did by firing DeShaun Foster in Week 3. Sam Pittman at Arkansas, Brent Pry at Virginia Tech, even Mike Gundy after 21 years with Oklahoma State — Power Four institutions have acted fast to maintain momentum, and with it fundraising, in football.

Cutting ties with Smith would be expensive for Michigan State. Former athletic director Alan Haller signed him to a seven-year, $52.85 million contract in November 2023, looking for a program builder to guide it out of the gloomy end to Mel Tucker’s scandal-clad tenure as coach.

Michigan State fired Haller in May seeking a jolt in administration. Might it seek another jolt with a new head coach? There’d be a hefty sum involved, at least a $33 million buyout for the 85% guaranteed on Smith’s contract. Barring internal promotion, there’d also be a buyout for assistant coaches.

Then there’s the all-important question of who exactly to hire as a replacement. That’s a lot of money, and Michigan State’s athletic department is operating on a limited budget.

For their part, players who spoke Saturday maintain faith in their coach.

“Belief, I mean, it’s not a week-to-week thing that changes,” linebacker Jordan Hall said. “It’s something that we’ve been doing since January. We still believe in the guys on this team and the coaching staff, so that doesn’t change just because we have to go to Indiana or whoever we play next.”

“We all believe in who we are and who we’re led by,” center Matt Gulbin added. “We just gotta face this loss in the face, get better from it, watch the film and move on and get better. That’s all we can do.”

But the pressure is on for Smith, if not for losing games then losing the interest of fans and potential donors.

Saturday’s performance left a lot of questions for Smith to answer as head coach, and he may just be running out of time to answer them.