By Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — To get to the “Sinners” exhibit on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, you have to navigate past the backlot’s iconic water tower, cross through the New York Street and then skirt city hall and the fountain from the opening credits of “Friends.” Eventually, you wind up at Stage 48, home of the Central Perk Cafe, a gift shop selling all manner of “Friends” bric-a-brac and offering a smattering of knockoff furniture from Monica’s palatial apartment to enjoy.

Comparatively, the newly installed “Sinners” showcase, featuring costumes and a couple of props, is, to use a real estate agent’s euphemism, “cozy,” certainly smaller than Rachel’s closet. On the night of its opening, “Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw are inside sitting on a sofa — not the sofa, but close enough. A few hours ago, they were celebrating with their fellow Oscar nominees at the academy’s annual luncheon.

“She’s a regular,” Arkapaw says, her arm around Beachler, who won an Oscar in 2019 for her work on “Black Panther.”

The two women and the rest of the “Sinners” team have been hobnobbing with Oscar and guild voters for months now and talking about their work on the film, which was released in April, for even longer. At the time of this “Sinners” event on the Warner Bros. lot, which included yet another screening of the movie for guild members, the Oscars were still more than a month away.

“I can believe it,” Beachler says. Adds Arkapaw: “Me too. I’m stressing about the stuff they’re having us doing. But I think Teyana Taylor said it best: ‘Don’t be complaining about answered prayers.’”

“Sinners” had a lot of prayers answered when Oscar nominations were announced last month — 16, to be precise.

Now the question is whether that record-breaking haul might be enough to catapult Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying American horror story to a best picture Oscar victory.

When it opened in September, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” immediately took the pole position in the best picture race, and it remains the front-runner. But all those “Sinners” Oscar nominations do complicate things. Put it this way: When you submit your movie in 16 different categories and hit in each and every one of them, you have a film boasting broad support across a dozen voting branches. That’s significant.

And if you’re a voter and you weren’t necessarily a fan of the film — or had put off watching it because the horror genre gives you pause — the nominations total does something else. It prompts you to take stock. What is everyone else seeing? Maybe you watch “Sinners” again. Maybe you finally clear the deck and press play for the first time. Perhaps you see that it’s just as much a movie of the moment as “One Battle,” what with the unapologetic, overt racism coming from the White House.

So if you’re on the fence and you do reconsider “Sinners,” maybe it’s not a complete reversal. But it might be enough for you to put the movie higher on your ranked ballot when you vote for best picture.

As you may know, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses a preferential ballot for the best picture category and only the best picture category. When the academy’s 10,136 voting members mark their ballots this year, they cast a single vote in 23 of the 24 Oscar categories. The nominee with the most votes wins.

For best picture, though, members are instructed to rank the 10 nominated movies. The system, in place since the academy expanded the best picture field from five to 10 nominees in 2009, is designed to reflect the wishes of the greatest number of voters. This means that the winner is sometimes not the movie that is most passionately loved but the picture that is most generally liked — or, if you’re a glass-half-empty kind of person, the picture that is least disliked.

The process works like this: Once voting ends, PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants sort the best picture ballots and place them in stacks based on members’ No. 1 votes. They then eliminate the movie with the fewest first-place votes, giving those votes to each ballot’s second-ranked film. The process continues — smallest stacks eliminated, votes redistributed to the next choice down — until one movie has more than 50% of the vote.

The math to “Sinners” winning best picture necessitates it being the No. 1, 2 or 3 choice on more ballots than “One Battle After Another.” And that plays into what a couple of awards consultants told me about the psychological effect the movie’s record-breaking 16 nominations might have on voters when they rank the nominated movies.

“Maybe it’s not your favorite, but you still rank it high because of that overwhelming level of respect,” says one rival campaigner. “Who knows if the math adds up. But at this point in the season, you’re looking for any advantage you can find.”

A test of that math will come Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards, a ceremony that uses the same preferential ballot system to determine its best picture. The PGA winner more often than not repeats at the Oscars, though in the last decade there have been two notable exceptions — “Moonlight” besting PGA winner “La La Land” in 2017 and, three years later, “Parasite” taking the Oscar over “1917.”

Should “Sinners” prevail at the PGA and then the next night go on to win the cast prize at the Actor Awards (formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards), then the race will be dramatically recast. Both ceremonies take place in the middle of the window of final voting for the Oscars, which runs Feb. 26 through March 5.

“It’s a miracle that we were all nominated,” Beachler says. “That’s rare for everyone to get that recognition.”

For a film with a hero named Preacher Boy, one last miracle certainly isn’t out of the question. And if the last few months have taught us anything, it’s that you underestimate “Sinners” at your peril.

©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Kory Woods, Tribune News Service

INDIANAPOLIS — Miami’s Keionte Scott didn’t answer if he met with the Detroit Lions at the NFL scouting combine, likely because he missed the start of the question. Still, he shared what it would mean to join Lions defenders Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, a pair many defensive back prospects admire.

“Brian Branch is a guy I’ve watched a lot, too, on tape,” Scott said. “Definitely a guy that’s very versatile, plays the game the right way. So that’d be meaningful to be able to get out there and be with them.”

With Branch and Joseph both dealing with injuries, it’s uncertain when any new Lions defender from this year’s draft will get to play alongside them. The Lions’ secondary is also in flux because of those injuries and possible departures, such as Amik Robertson, who was their main nickelback over the past two seasons.

That makes Scott an interesting candidate.

At 6 feet and 193 pounds, Scott is already bigger than Robertson and more similar in size to Branch. Last year at Miami, he played 756 snaps, with 489 in the slot and 196 at other spots on the field. This kind of versatility should help him in the NFL.

Scott believes this is the key to succeeding as a hybrid defensive back, a role Miami called the “STAR,” where he covered receivers, blitzed, and defended against the run.

“When you look at the position, it’s a very unique position. At times, you’ve got to be a defensive end, you’ve got to be a linebacker, you’ve got to be a safety, you’ve got to be a corner,” Scott said. “So I think it’s just the ability to be a Swiss army knife and be able to do multiple things and also thrive at it. I feel like it’s a key to defenses at times, and I feel like it needs to be evaluated that way.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Scott is a well-rounded nickel defender who could fill in if Branch needs more time to recover.

His 91.2 run defense grade shows he’s strong in the box, and his 87.1 coverage grade proves he can handle coverage duties. While he may not be a pure man-coverage specialist, his balanced skills make him a good fit as a versatile, every-down slot defender.

Last season, Scott recorded 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. He returned both interceptions for touchdowns.

Scott has a second-round grade and could be a Day 2 option for the Lions, depending on how they handle their other needs in free agency. He’s especially likely if the team adds another second-round pick.

The main concern teams like the Lions could have about Scott is his age.

He’ll be 25 when the NFL season starts, after playing several seasons at Snow and Auburn before his final year at Miami. When asked, Scott said he wasn’t worried about it.

“I’ve heard that going around, but I feel like this game we play now is a win-now game,” Scott said. “And I feel like that takes a lot of the age things away. Some of these teams, some of these coaches don’t have time to wait. So I feel like you evaluate players as they can play the game of football, because if you play this game, it doesn’t matter how old you are…I don’t think age is something that teams should be worried about.

“I know it’s obviously contract-wise, but when you’re in a win-now situation, you get the best guys.”

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Andrew Kahn, Tribune News Service

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Giving a postgame interview in the bowels of the State Farm Center, Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. spotted former Illinois teammate Tomislav Ivisic.

“All right, Tommy, where’s my hug? Come here. No hug? Bro!”

Johnson was in mock disbelief as Ivisic flashed a particular finger in his direction. They would later chat as old friends do.

Against his former school, Johnson balled out: 19 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes of a 84-70 victory that clinched a Big Ten regular-season title.

“Morez got every ball,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said, not with any disdain but matter-of-factly. Johnson is a beast and he played like one.

Last season, he did that for Illinois. This year, he’s doing that and more for Michigan. The 6-foot-9 sophomore forward is averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

On Friday, he ignored — or at least blocked out — all the noise surrounding his return to Champaign. And there was a lot. Students were let in two hours before tip and they made their presence known during pregame warmups and through all but the final seconds of the game.

One fan held a fat head of Johnson’s face painted with clown makeup. Another had him in a navy blue jersey that read “TRAITOR.” Obscenities were shouted his way before and during the game. Johnson said his phone number was leaked Friday morning and he received a lot of messages as a result. His hotel room Thursday night was suspiciously warm.

Regardless, he was excited for Friday’s game. Before the game, he didn’t interact with as many Illinois personnel as Aday Mara had done during his UCLA reunion or Roddy Gayle Jr. when he faced Ohio State. That being said, Illinois, like Michigan, has a lot of transfers, so there aren’t many people there from his time in Champaign. He said there was no bad blood but beating his former school did make the Big Ten title even sweeter.

He welcomed the cooler poured on his back during the postgame celebration after his teammates waited for his arrival.

“Morez, from the jump ball, was a force,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “I thought his defense was equally as impressive as his offense. Being able to guard bigs, guard smalls. He’s such a competitor.

“His day to day, his minute by minute is as impressive as any player I’ve ever been around. And I know that the Illinois staff and program and players have helped him on his journey as well to get to where he’s at. He’s a heck of a player.”

Michigan’s starting frontcourt — Johnson, Yaxel Lendeborg, Mara — was dominant against Illinois. Johnson and his ability to elevate his play, as opposed to letting the emotions of the night weigh him down, was big reason for that.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Matt Wenzel, Tribune News Service

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Michigan State won the opening tip, scored on its first possession then took one on the chin.

Purdue immediately put together a 9-0 run as the sellout crowd at Mackey Arena went bonkers.

It looked like more of the same for the No. 13 Spartans, who fell behind big early while getting thumped in each of their previous two road games. This time, they fought back by answering every challenge in a 76-74 win at No. 8 Purdue on Thursday night.

“I think that we just understood the moment,” Michigan State freshman forward Cam Ward said.

Michigan State (23-5, 13-4 Big Ten) picked up its first top-10 road win of the season and snapped a seven-game losing streak at Mackey dating back to 2014. That qualifies as a successful trip to what was a house of horrors for the Spartans.

“All in all,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said, “we couldn’t play much better.”

The Spartans won with a balanced effort and shortened rotation at one of the toughest arenas in the nation. They’re unlikely to repeat as Big Ten champions but that was a strong performance heading into March.

“This win is huge, especially on the road,” said center Carson Cooper, who led the Spartans with 15 points and six rebounds. “Historically, this year we haven’t been great on the road, kind of had some nasty wins, some bad losses.”

A month ago, Michigan State was 19-2 overall before losing three of four to basically fall out of the Big Ten race. The Spartans have won three straight since and are still playing for a potential triple-bye in the conference tournament to go with March Madness seeding.

“I think it was the best in a couple years, if you really look at it,” Izzo said of the significance of Thursday’s road win. “I have enormous respect for this program, this place, those players and that coach. … I did think we played with a different mentality that we haven’t been playing with as much lately. Hopefully that can catapult us.”

Michigan State followed a recent lull with a players-only meeting on Sunday night after a lackluster win against Ohio State. It was an opportunity to gauge where everyone was at and goals remaining.

“We knew this whole week it was just sticking together, being together, being connected,” point guard Jeremy Fears said. “We just had to figure out why, what we needed to do, how were we getting off to slow starts and kind of look in the mirror. We have four games left in the Big Ten schedule and just understand how can we be better as a team, be better as a player, be better as a group? I think today we built and we bonded.”

Michigan State trailed at halftime on Thursday for the seventh time in the last eight games but the fight was there before and after the break. The Spartans shot 57.7 percent from the floor in the second half and led by eight with less than four minutes to play before holding on to win.

“We put ourselves in a position where now we have a measuring stick to say this is what you can do when you prepare well,” Izzo said. “This is what you can do when the walk-though in the hotel was good, film sessions are good and you played with some passion, some toughness and some togetherness and that’s what’s going to move us forward.”

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Linda Gassenheimer, Tribune News Service

Chicken simmered in a tomato sauce infused with onion, green pepper, and paprika forms the comforting foundation of this Hungarian goulash.

The key to its authentic flavor is using good-quality Hungarian paprika. It’s available in both mild and hot varieties and found in most supermarkets. This rich, savory goulash is served over pappardelle, a broad, flat pasta similar to extra-wide fettuccine, perfect for catching every spoonful of sauce.

HELPFUL HINTS:

• Any type of pasta can be used.
• Any type of sliced mushroom can be used.

To save preparation time, use diced onion and green pepper found in the produce section.

COUNTDOWN:

Place water for noodles on to boil.

Make goulash.

Boil pasta.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 1/2 pound cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 jar reduced sodium marinara sauce, 1 green bell pepper, 1 medium tomato,1 container sliced portobello mushrooms, 1 small container reduced fat sour cream, 1 bottle Hungarian paprika, 1 container caraway seeds, 1 package pappardelle

Staples: olive oil, onion, salt, black peppercorns

Chicken Hungarian Goulash

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika or 1 1/2 tablespoons ordinary paprika
• 1 cup reduced sodium marinara sauce
• 1/2 pound cooked boneless skinless chicken breast 1/2-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
• 1 medium tomato cut into wedges

Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Saute 3 minutes. Sprinkle paprika over vegetables and saute 2 minutes. Add marinara sauce and simmer 1 minute. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve over pappardelle. Dot the goulash with sour cream. Arrange tomatoes on the side.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 369 calories (32 percent from fat), 13.0 g fat (3.0 g saturated, 4.3 g monounsaturated), 114 mg cholesterol, 38.0 g protein, 26.5 g carbohydrates, 7.1 g fiber, 132 mg sodium.

Caraway Pappardelle

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

• 1/4 pound pappardelle (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot with 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pappardelle and boil 3 to 4 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain leaving about 2 tablespoons water on the pappardelle. Toss with olive oil and caraway seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Divide in half and serve on two dinner plates with the Goulash.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 262 calories (20 percent from fat), 5.8 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 2.5 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 8.1 g protein, 44.1 g carbohydrates, 3.0 g fiber, 3 mg sodium.

©2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

By Evan Woodbery, Tribune News Service

TAMPA, Fla. — Let’s start with the good, because it’s brief.

Rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle smoked an opposite-field single in his first at-bat of spring training. Veteran outfielder Corey Julks homered. There were a handful of solid defensive plays.

That about covers it.

Everything else about the Detroit Tigers’ Grapefruit League opener Saturday at George Steinbrenner Field was pretty lousy.

The Tigers lost to the New York Yankees 20-3 in a game that lasted three hours but felt about double that. Seven of the Tigers’ eight scheduled pitchers issued walks. The Yankees poured on nine runs in the eighth inning, drawing four walks against Matt Seelinger before hitting a grand slam and a three-run homer off Woo-Suk Go.

Yankees pitchers were far more efficient, though the Tigers did manage a couple of runs against well-regarded prospect Carlos LaGrange.

McGonigle smacked a 100 mph fastball to left field in the first inning. He dashed to third on a wild pitch and then scored when the catcher’s throw sailed into the outfield.

It was just a spring game, but McGonigle had done his homework, checking out some video of his past matchups against LaGrange.

“I just went back and looked at the film from last year when I faced him, and he threw me a lot of off-speed,” McGonigle said. “I knew he would try to go with a heater and beat me. He threw that first one, and I was late on it, and I told myself, ‘I can’t be late again.’ So I got it again and was able to put it in play.”

Even in a lopsided spring game, there was a moment of perspective for the rookie.

“Always the first game, no matter where I’m at, the nerves and adrenaline are going,” he said. “Just looking across the diamond and seeing (Aaron) Judge and all those guys, it’s really special. But after that first pitch of the at-bat, it was go time. Once that game starts, it’s game on.

“I always treat every game as the same. Whether it’s Fall League, regular season, or spring training, I always try to go out and compete and help the team win. So yeah, I definitely did some study last night (on LaGrange).”

Julks, a non-roster invite who spent the last two seasons in the Chicago White Sox system, homered to left field in the third to score the other run off LaGrange.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off reliever Burch Smith in the third inning and then another two-run bomb off Ricky Vanasco in the fourth.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Ansar Khan, Tribune News Service

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat played youth hockey with Megan Keller while growing up in Farmington Hills and saw at an early age how good she was.

“She was one of the best players on our team,” DeBrincat said.

Keller, who went to North Farmington High School and played basketball and softball in addition to hockey, grew up to be one of the best players on her women’s teams and on Thursday scored in overtime to lift the United States past Canada 2-1 for the Olympic gold medal, capping a dominant run for Team USA.

“Really happy for her,” DeBrincat said. “I was tuned into that. I was pretty pumped, so it’s awesome. This is her third Olympics, and she’s already got two gold (medals), so definitely cool for her and we’re excited for them.”

DeBrincat and Keller played together for a few years around ages 8-10 when girls played on boys teams. He is a close friend of Keller’s brother, Ryan, who plays for the Utah Mammoth.

“Definitely cool to see her career and what she’s been able to do,” DeBrincat said. “She’s a big spokesperson for the women’s hockey community, really growing the game and one of those faces that has really taken the game to the next level.”

Todd McLellan’s oldest son, Tyson, also played with Keller as a youth.

“I think of where she was and watching her do what she did yesterday is really remarkable,” McLellan said. “She was one of the better players on that boys team.

“Like a lot of the dads, you go out and help in practice and stuff, and she was committed and you could see she was not by any means out of place and a lot of times leading the way.”

Keller, 29, tied for the team lead with nine points (three goals, six assists). The U.S. went 7-0, outscoring opponents 33-2.

“It was pretty crazy to see they only let up two goals the whole tournament,” DeBrincat said. “For a minute there, I thought they were going to lose giving up two goals the whole tournament. Obviously, Canada looked good, too, but I think the U.S. right now is probably on the next level.”

McLellan noted how far women’s hockey has come over the past couple of decades.

“I think the athletes are exceptional,” McLellan said. “They’ve just gotten so much better than they were in the past and it’s great they’re getting the support they get.”

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Ryan Zuke, Tribune News Service

Tyrone Wheatley is headed back to the Big Ten.

The former Michigan star running back was named Illinois’ running back coach on Monday – six days after he resigned as Wayne State’s head football coach.

Wheatley, 54, last coached in the Big Ten from 2015-16, when he served as the Wolverines’ running backs coach under Jim Harbaugh. The 1992 Big Ten Player of the Year has had limited success as a college head coach but has extensive experience as a running backs coach at the NFL and Power Four levels.

Wheatley went 5-28 over three seasons at Wayne State, including an 0-11 mark in 2025. As head coach at Morgan State from 2019-21, he finished with a 5-18 record. The former star athlete at Dearborn Heights Robichaud has had stints as running backs coach with the Denver Broncos (2022), Jacksonville Jaguars (2017-18), Michigan, Buffalo Bills (2013-14), Syracuse (2010-12) and Eastern Michigan (2009).

“Coach Wheatley is an accomplished coach with proven success in both the NFL and college football,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said in a statement. “Our program will benefit immediately from his experience as a running backs coach and head coach. He has been an outstanding player and coach in the Big Ten and has developed some of the top running backs in football. We are excited to welcome Coach Wheatley to Champaign.”

Wheatley helped mentor several high-profile running backs such as Leonard Fournette (Jaguars), Latavius Murray (Broncos), Melvin Gordon (Broncos), C.J. Spiller (Bills), and Fred Jackson (Bills).

In 2016 at Michigan, the Wolverines led the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns with 41 and ranked second in the conference with 212.9 rushing yards per game.

“I want to sincerely thank Coach Bielema for his trust, belief, and invitation to join his staff,” Wheatley said in a statement. “Coach Bielema has built a culture defined by toughness, discipline, and accountability. To coach under a leader with his experience, vision, and championship pedigree is an absolute honor. To the Illini community, alumni, players, and fans, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. I look forward to getting to work.”

As a player for Michigan, he totaled 4,187 rushing yards, 510 receiving yards and 53 touchdowns during his career and was named to three consecutive all-Big Ten teams. Illinois is slated to play Michigan in 2027.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Miriam Fauzia, The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS — While Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love, for the 250 million roses and other floral bouquets produced for the holiday, it means a slow death.

That countdown is driven in part by ethylene, a natural plant hormone that speeds up aging in cut flowers. Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are testing new ways to blunt ethylene’s effects, with the goal of helping bouquets and fresh produce last longer. Here’s what to know.

What is ethylene?

Plants produce ethylene — an odorless, colorless gas — as they age, when damaged and in response to shifts in temperature, sunlight and other environmental stressors.

“Ethylene plays a vital role in nature, from fruit ripening to leaf drop to seed germination,” Rasika Dias, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UT Arlington leading the research, said in a news release. “For instance, fruits such as bananas, avocados and pears ripen because of ethylene. This ripening process transforms starch into sugars, which explains why ripe fruit tastes sweet.”

Because ethylene can drift through the air, it can affect nearby plants, which is why a ripe banana can speed the ripening of other fruit. Depending on how much ethylene is circulating, the gas can visibly age a plant, triggering the yellowing and dropping of leaves, and shortening how long a bouquet can last, according to the American Floral Endowment.

Shipping and storage can amplify those aging effects. Stress and mechanical damage can spur plants to release more ethylene, hastening deterioration unless growers and distributors intervene with anti-ethylene treatments.

Switching off ethylene

To slow ethylene’s effects, floral and produce industries often use 1-methylcyclopropene, or 1-MCP, a chemical discovered in the mid-1990s. It works like an ethylene decoy, attaching to the same places in plant cells that ethylene normally would. But unlike the gas, 1-MCP doesn’t trigger ripening or aging. Instead, it blocks ethylene’s signal from getting through, slowing a plant’s wilting or a fruit’s ripening.

But using 1-MCP has drawbacks. The chemical is highly reactive, can be tricky to handle and typically must be applied in sealed or enclosed spaces to work effectively, according to the American Floral Endowment. And because its effects can last for an extended period, 1-MCP may prevent some fruits from ripening.

With support from the American Floral Endowment and the United States Department of Agriculture, Dias and his lab at UT Arlington are testing alternatives to 1-MCP that aren’t volatile. Some of the most promising candidates include compounds built around metals such as copper. To see whether they slow the wilting process, the researchers take about 30 freshly cut flowers and divide them into three groups: untreated, treated with existing commercial products and treated with the new compounds.

“You monitor how long each group lasts — how fast petals drop, how quickly they wilt,” Dias said in the news release. “If the treated flowers last significantly longer than the untreated ones, that compound shows promise.”

In addition to helping with flowers, Dias hopes the research will reduce food waste. In 2019, 66.2 million tons of wasted food were generated in the food retail, food service and residential sectors, with about 60% ending up in landfills; another 40.1 million tons came from food and beverage manufacturing and processing, according to a 2019 report by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Fruits and vegetables are thrown away when they over-ripen — bananas turn brown, tomatoes become too soft and people won’t buy them,” Dias said. “This is a major issue during shipping, since most food travels long distances. Without treatment, much of it deteriorates before reaching stores. That’s a huge economic and food-security problem.”

Miriam Fauzia is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.

©2026 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Tanda Gmiter, Tribune News Service

MENOMINEE – Authorities say the body of a 24-year-old woman who had been missing for a week has been found in a wooded area near the Wisconsin border with the Upper Peninsula.

The body of Gabriella Alexis Cartagena was found on Tuesday in the area of Birch Creek Road in Menominee County, investigators announced today, according to WLUC. An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death.

In a press conference today, authorities said they believe they found a possible crime scene in Red Arrow Park in nearby Marinette, Wisconsin. Cartagena, who was described by police as an involuntary missing person, was believed to be in the area of that park on Feb. 4 with her boyfriend when she was last in contact with her family.

Relatives told police they were on the phone with her when they heard Cartagena saying, “Please don’t shoot me, I’m sorry,” WLUC reported.

Witnesses have described hearing a couple arguing at that time.

Cartagena’s vehicle, a red Toyota Prius with a Wisconsin license plate, was seen between 9:25 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. the day she went missing. It was traveling along Highway 41 in the city of Menominee and Menominee Township, on the Michigan side of the border. The Menominee County Sheriff’s Office had asked residents and businesses in that area to check their cameras for the vehicle.

Michigan authorities had been assisting in the search, Marinette police said.

Cartagena’s boyfriend was arrested in Minnesota on Feb. 5 for allegedly fleeing a police officer during a police chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, WISN reported. An AR-15 rifle was found in his vehicle. He remains in custody and has not been charged with any crime linked to Cartagena at this time.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Kyle Stock, Bloomberg News

Despite a barren start to Colorado’s ski season, Winter Park Resort opened on Halloween and served up holiday powder.

The ski area’s secret is a contraption a few miles upwind of the chairlifts that looks like a meat smoker strapped to the top of a ladder. When weather conditions are just right, a Winter Park contractor fires up the machine, burning a fine dust of silver iodide into the sky — a process known as cloud seeding. Ideally, the particles disappear into a cloud that is cold enough and wet enough to produce snow, but may need a nudge. The silver iodide becomes the nuclei for water droplets, like iron filings to a magnet. Those droplets freeze and fall from the sky as snowflakes, freshening up the slopes of the resort as it tries to lure the Gore-Tex-clad masses between Denver and larger, showier ski destinations further west.

Doug Laraby, who has helped run Winter Park for nearly four decades, says the resort leaned heavily on its cloud seeding equipment over the Christmas holiday, sprinkling the skies as fresh powder fell days before the critical New Years weekend. At the moment, Winter Park has more snow than Breckenridge, Keystone and a host of bigger resorts nearby.

“For us,” Laraby explains, “that was a million-dollar storm.”

Resorts are increasingly seeking solutions to freshen up the brown slopes spanning the American West this winter, even as the East Coast grapples with back-to-back storms. Last month, Vail Resorts Inc. — which owns nearly 50 resorts across the U.S. and Canada — said it would miss revenue projections due to subpar snowfall this season. The dramatic lack of precipitation in the Rockies “limited our ability to open terrain” and, in turn, crimped spending by both locals and destination guests, Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz said in a statement.

In a battle to improve — or at least maintain — snowpack in the face of rising temperatures and drought, Winter Park, operated by Vail rival Alterra Mountain Co., is one of a growing number of groups in the American West doubling down on cloud seeding, from state governments and ski hills to utilities and watershed management agencies.

Desperate for water — ideally snow — they’re banking on the strategy to buoy the $6 billion U.S. ski industry, while keeping rivers and reservoirs at healthy levels come spring. Despite the promise, though, companies are still trying to amass data showing the technology can actually deliver appreciable amounts of powder. And scientists studying cloud seeding have cast doubt on just how effective it is.

Katja Friedrich, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Colorado, concedes that cloud seeding works in a lab. “But out there,” she says, gesturing to cirrus clouds sweeping over the Front Range outside of her office, “it’s a totally different business.”

Storms are volatile, complex and unforgiving places to gather data. “The application is so far ahead of what the science actually shows,” Friedrich explains. “Usually, it’s the other way around.”

The idea of cloud seeding dates back to the 19th century, and it got an unexpected boost thanks to research at General Electric in the wake of World War II. DRI, a nonprofit research institute in Nevada, started cloud seeding in the 1960s. Putting particles in clouds to create precipitation gained traction in recent years as waves of drought hit the U.S., tallying $14 billion in damages in 2023 alone.

DRI now runs cloud-seeding operations all over the West, including the program at Winter Park. In 2023, the Winter Park generators burned for the equivalent of five straight days, planting an estimated 24 inches of powder on the slopes that wouldn’t have been there otherwise, according to DRI. That equates to 13% of what would have fallen naturally.

“The main driver [for our clients] is water resources,” says Frank McDonough, a DRI research scientist. But, he notes, “we can help the entire mountain economy.”

Private companies are also playing a growing role, most notably Rainmaker Technology Corp., a startup that is now the lead cloud seeding contractor for Utah, which has built one of the most aggressive programs in the American West. From a warehouse in Salt Lake City, founder Augustus Doricko, a 25-year-old with a resplendent mullet that belies his Connecticut childhood, manages a crew of 120, mostly young people working to make it snow on mountains they might otherwise be climbing or skiing.

When the weather looks right, Rainmaker crews pile into 12 pickups, each loaded with two drones, and convoy up the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains. They send half of the drones whirring into the soup of clouds and spray silver iodide for about an hour. When the machines come down to recharge, the team launches the second wave. The cycle is repeated until the clouds move on or get too warm.

Doricko says his company is creating a fresh supply of water with no ecological impact; silver iodide is inorganic and even if ingested, won’t dissolve in the human body.

This year, the state of Utah will pay Rainmaker $7.5 million, part of a cloud seeding blitz that began three years ago. With the Great Salt Lake at historic low levels, Utah lawmakers approved a tenfold increase in funding, committing at least $5 million a year to operations and another $12 million to upgrade and expand a fleet of almost 200 cloud seeding machines on the ground.

Rainmaker is charged with generating enough snow to help partially refill the lake. The company also has a contract with Snowbird Resort, located to the east of Salt Lake City, and much of its seeding will happen near Powder Mountain and Snowbasin resorts, located further north, although neither ski area is a client.

“Anything we can do to increase water levels is going to be well worth the funding,” says Jonathan Jennings, a meteorologist with the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

The list of stakeholders clamoring for more water in the American West is long, ranging from ski resorts to wildfire fighters, reservoir managers to farmers.

“Every state in the West is either cloud seeding or thinking of cloud seeding,” says Friedrich, the University of Colorado researcher.

It’s also popular, in part, because it’s cheap. Jennings estimates that it costs about $30 to produce 325,000 gallons of water, or what experts call an acre-foot of water. Recycling or desalinating a similar amount would cost somewhere around $1,000. Snowmaking, meanwhile, is more expensive and uses more water than it produces.

When Doricko visits potential customers, be they utilities, ski resorts or state agencies, his sales script is simple: “It’s the only way you can bring new water supply to the Rocky Mountain West.”

More often than not these days, the pitch lands. Idaho has also hired Rainmaker this winter, eager to fill its reservoirs and keep farmers happy. All told, the company has about 100 drones flying across Western skies.

In Colorado, where arid conditions have exacerbated wildfires, officials are curious about the capabilities of Rainmaker’s drones while waiting to see this winter’s snow tallies from Utah. In the meantime, they’re working to replace decades-old, ground-based seeding machines with ones that can be switched on remotely. Without the need of a human to light the burner, the new units can be tucked into more remote places and at higher elevations that are colder for longer, improving the odds for snow.

“We feel comfortable saying we can get an additional eight to 12% of precipitation per storm,” says Andrew Rickert, a weather modification program manager with the Colorado Water Conservation Board. “And if we have a great winter in Colorado, there are 30 to 35 storms we can seed.”

Friedrich isn’t so sure about that estimate, despite being regarded as a bit of a rockstar in the cloud seeding field. In 2017, her research team zig-zagged a plane rigged with seed flares through a cloud in Wyoming that wasn’t producing snow. Sure enough, snow fell in the same pattern as the flight, results that fueled much of the recent seeding boom.

However, Friedrich points out, there wasn’t that much snow. And she notes that much remains unknown, like how wind affects the amount of silver iodide that gets into a cloud, and whether the particles trigger much precipitation beyond what would occur naturally.

“I understand why people are buying it, because they’re so desperate,” she says. “But if you ask me, there’s no scientific proof” that it produces a meaningful amount of water. Friedrich is working on a new study to try to figure out how effective ground-based cloud seeding can be and the best operating conditions.

Cloud seeding has also faced pushback from conspiracy theorists who say it works too well. Despite no evidence, Rainmaker was inaccurately implicated in last summer’s deadly Texas floods, and bills to ban weather modification have been filed in dozens of statehouses across the U.S., including those of Colorado and Utah. Former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also introduced a federal cloud-seeding ban in Congress in the wake of last July’s floods.

Doricko, at Rainmaker, has been working to convince lawmakers that cloud seeding does no harm and, on the other front, win over skeptical scientists like Freidrich. Rainmaker spent much of the spring and summer building its own radar system and deploying a layer of on-the-ground weather stations to measure results. It’s also working with independent researchers to provided peer-reviewed validation. As Friedrich did years ago, Rainmaker tries to spray silver-iodide in zig-zag patterns, so its results are more visible on radar — a so-called “seeding signature.”

Doricko acknowledges the challenge of teasing out the exact influence of manmade cloud seeding — which he jokingly refers to as “magic beans” — from natural precipitation. “Our fundamental research on now at Rainmaker is all about what kitchen sink of sensors can we throw at this problem to actually validate” our work, he says.

Vail abandoned its cloud seeding program in 2020, shifting its resources to invest heavily in machines that use water to spray artificial snow. The newest snow guns monitor weather in real time and can be programmed remotely.

“This technology means that Vail can make the most of every moment that conditions allow for snowmaking,” says spokeswoman Michelle Dallal. Still, the resort is feeling the pinch of an abnormally dry winter.

State officials are trying to get Vail back on board. Cloud seeding, they argue, can be cheaper than snowmaking, both in terms of cost and carbon, and it adds water to the ecosystem, rather than taking a share of it away. The state is also trying to get other ski areas to buy in: This year, Colorado positioned a ground system to seed clouds on the slopes of Aspen, in hopes that the resort will help fund future programs.

Meanwhile, Winter Park has emerged as one of the state’s biggest cloud seeding cheerleaders. Laraby says only 10% of the mountain is covered by snowmaking gear, and there are no plans to install more. And yet, when the storms rolled through the state Dec. 28, Winter Park says its cloud-seeding efforts conjured 12 inches of snow, triple what fell on Vail.

“If you ask me, it enhances the efficiency of these storms,” Laraby says. “I think it’s awesome.”

©2026 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Jacob Richman, Tribune News Service

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons are different than most modern NBA teams. They’re just fine with that.

It’s only Year 2 with coach J.B. Bickerstaff and president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon leading the franchise ahead, but their rapid rise to success is undeniable.

They took a team in the dregs of the league and made the playoffs in their first year and have held the top spot in the Eastern Conference since early November.

Their culture is unmistakable, focused on team accountability and an imposing defensive effort that has stifled some of the best players in the NBA this season.

So when they had a modest NBA trade deadline that involved one deal — trading Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls to bring in Kevin Huerter — it didn’t look exactly like a potential finals contender going all-out for a championship.

That’s not how the Pistons believe they get to the peak of the NBA or build a team that can compete for years to come.

“It wasn’t just, for us, let’s take a shot for one year and have that impact us going forward. Philosophically that didn’t fit,” Langdon said during a press conference on Friday. “If there was a move we could make, a carry-forward move that not only helped us this year, but we could carry that thing forward. That’s kind of what we were looking for.”

The Pistons were linked to countless players at the deadline as a team with multiple expiring contracts to salary match almost any player potentially coming in for the short term and all of their first-round draft capital for the next seven years.

On paper, the Pistons could use another high-level scorer to work with star Cade Cunningham or an elite three-point shooter to help spark the offense.

Instead they potentially boosted their first-rounder in 2026 with a pick swap as part of the Ivey deal and added a rotation player in Huerter, whose gravity could help open things up on the court.

Huerter’s a decent threat from deep as a career 37% shooter, joining the NBA’s 19th-ranked three-point shooting team. His numbers dipped this season without a true playmaker beside him in Chicago, but there’s still potential for the 27-year-old to be impactful.

The moves that looked good on their face — like trying to add a player like the Brooklyn Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. — to building the prototypical finals competitor didn’t seem to interest the Pistons all that much.

“I think there’s different ways to skin a cat,” Langdon said. “And I think we’ve been doing it different, doing it on the defensive end and really getting after it. And I think we’ll continue to do that.”

Even though the last seven NBA champions have been from different teams, the Pistons don’t truly match any of them.

Their defense is top of mind, leading the NBA in steals, blocks and, yes, personal fouls with their unrelenting physical play.

It’s leading to an unusual level of success. Since 2000, only two teams — the Indiana Pacers in 2023-24 and Utah Jazz four times in the 2000s — have led the NBA in fouls per game and finished with a record above .500.

No team in NBA history has had a winning percentage over 70% while leading the league in fouls. The Pistons own a 38-13 (74.5%) record coming off a lopsided win over the New York Knicks on Friday.

Their defensive focus and energy is the heartbeat of the team and what they have confidence will make them unique for years to come.

“Not everybody has to do it the same way,” Bickerstaff said Tuesday. “I think that’s where our league has come to a point where everybody’s just trying to follow one example and do things just one way because it’s easier, right? It’s easier to justify.

“They do it and it works, so (others) can do it. But it’s not a matter of that for us. We’re confident in the group of guys that we have that, no matter what situation you put them in, they’re going to be competitive and give themselves an opportunity. ”

Offensively, Bickerstaff understands the analytics behind being a high-volume three-point shooting team. Four of the last five NBA champions were in the top 10 for three-point attempts per game and the Pistons are currently 28th.

But when it comes down to winning games, his approach remains keyed in on being consistent in finding layups, dunks, paint attempts and mid-range shots because if they shoot them well enough, it’s more valuable to match with Detroit’s brand of defense that limits possessions.

“We’re not going to panic and try to be somebody else because that’s just not the way we’re built,” Bickerstaff said.

Langdon said there were some deals out there at the deadline that did tempt him, but between other teams pulling out and the Pistons’ staff saying “now’s not the right time for that” they didn’t get particularly close to doing any other business.

The Pistons are keen on continuing to develop their young group helmed by Cunningham, All-Star center Jalen Duren and rising defensive star Ausar Thompson. Langdon plans to use the end of the season and however deep Detroit can go in the playoffs as a jumping off point after getting another season of data and experience with this group.

Cunningham is the only player on the team locked up long term and contract negotiations are coming up soon for Duren and Thompson.

The Pistons are starting to see what that trio can accomplish and they could be the core of Detroit’s future. That path forward meant the Pistons’ front office would be frugal with their commitments in the short term and leads to them going at this year’s playoffs with something of a by-committee approach to a lot of their offense.

“Sometimes it will be difficult. Sometimes we’ll have to be creative. I think what’s been good for our team is different people step up every night,” Langdon said. “Cade, obviously, has been consistent. (Duren) has taken a step. We have to have other guys be aggressive and step up at different times. We’ll have to be creative in the way we play. But I think our identity has always been defense and we can’t stop doing that.”

Detroit’s unwavering confidence in being defense first has them 4.5 games ahead of the closest team in the Eastern Conference and a real threat to reach its first NBA Finals since 2005.

For them, it wasn’t the time to introduce a heavy-hitter at the trade deadline.

The Pistons want to dig in and let the players who have bought into their distinctive style and put them in this prime position to get the opportunity to show just how far they can take it this season.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s promises on affordability in 2024 helped propel him to a second term in the White House.

Since then, Trump says, the problem has been solved: He now calls affordability a hoax perpetrated by Democrats. Yet the high cost of living, especially housing, continues to weigh heavily on voters, and has dragged down the president’s approval ratings.

In a poll conducted this month by the New York Times and Siena University, 58% of respondents said they disapprove of the way the president is handling the economy.

How the economy fares in the coming months will play an outsize role in determining whether the Democrats can build on their electoral success in 2025 and seize control of one or both chambers of Congress.

With housing costs so central to voters’ perceptions about the economy, both parties have put forward proposals in recent weeks targeting affordability. Here is a closer look at their competing plans for expanding housing and reining in costs:

How bad is the affordability crisis?

Nationwide, wages have barely crept up over the last decade — rising by 21.24% between 2014 and 2024, according to the Federal Reserve. Over the same period, rent and home sale prices more than doubled, and healthcare and grocery costs rose 71.5% and 37.35%, respectively, according to the Fed.

National home price-to-income ratios are at an all-time high, and coastal states like California and Hawaii are the most extreme examples.

Housing costs in California are about twice the national average, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, which said prices have increased at “historically rapid rates” in recent years. The median California home sold for $877,285 in 2024, according to the California Assn. of Realtors, compared with about $420,000 nationwide, per Federal Reserve economic data.

California needs to add 180,000 housing units annually to keep up with demand, according to the state Department of Housing. So far, California has fallen short of those goals and has just begun to see success in reducing its homeless population, which sat at 116,000 unsheltered people in 2025.

What do the polls say?

More than two-thirds of Americans surveyed in a Gallup poll last month said they felt the economy was getting worse, and 36% expressed approval for the president — the lowest total since his second term began.

The poll found that 47% of U.S. adults now describe current economic conditions as “poor,” up from 40% just a month prior and the highest since Trump took office. Just 21% said economic conditions were either “excellent” or “good,” while 31% described them as “only fair.”

An Associated Press poll found that only 16% of Republicans think Trump has helped “a lot” in fixing cost of living problems.

What have the Democrats proposed?

The party is pushing measures to expand the supply of housing, and cut down on what they call “restrictive” single-family zoning in favor of denser development.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats plan to “supercharge” construction through bills like California Sen. Adam Schiff’s Housing BOOM Act, which he introduced in December.

Schiff said the bill would lower prices by stimulating the development of “millions of affordable homes.” The proposal would expand low-income housing tax credits, set aside funds for rental assistance and homelessness, and provide $10 billion in housing subsidies for “middle-income” workers such as teachers, police officers and firefighters.

The measure has not been heard in committee, and faces long odds in the Republican-controlled body, though Schiff said inaction on the proposal could be used against opponents.

And the Republicans?

A group of 190 House Republicans this month unveiled a successor proposal to the “Big Beautiful Bill,” the sprawling tax and spending plan approved and signed into law by Trump in July.

The Republican Study Committee described the proposal as an affordability package aimed at lowering down payments, enacting mortgage reforms and creating more tax breaks.

Leaders of the group said it would reduce the budget deficit by $1 trillion and could pass with a simple majority.

“This blueprint … locks in President Trump’s deregulatory agenda through the only process Democrats can’t block: reconciliation,” said Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who chairs the group. “We have 11 months of guaranteed majorities. We’re not wasting a single day.”

Though the proposal has not yet been introduced as legislation, Republicans said it would include a mechanism to revoke funding from blue states over rent control and immigration policy, which they calculated would save $48 billion.

President Trump has endorsed a $200-billion mortgage bond stimulus, which he said would drive down mortgage rates and monthly payments. And the White House, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the two enterprises that back most U.S. mortgages — continues to push the idea of portable and assumable mortgages.

Trump said the move would allow buyers to keep their existing mortgage rate or enable new homeowners to assume a previous owner’s mortgage.

The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has launched a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the Fed’s renovation costs, as Trump bashed him over “his never ending quest to keep interest rates high.”

The president also vowed to revoke federal funding to states over a wealth of issues such as child care and immigration policy.

“This is not about any particular policy that they think is harmful,” California Democratic Rep. Laura Friedman said. “This is about Trump’s always trying to find a way to punish blue states.”

Is there any alignment?

The two parties are cooperating on companion measures in the House and Senate.

The bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act seeks to expand housing supply by easing regulatory barriers. It passed the Senate unanimously and has support from the White House, but House Republicans have balked, and it has yet to receive a floor vote.

A bipartisan proposal — the Housing in the 21st Century Act — was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a 50-1 vote in December. It also has yet to receive a floor vote.

The bill is similar to its twin in the Senate, with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) working across the aisle with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). If approved, it would cut permitting times, support manufactured-housing development and expand financing tools for low-income housing developers.

There was also a recent moment of unusual alignment between the president and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who both promised to crack down on corporate home buying.

What do the experts say?

Housing experts recoiled at GOP proposals to bar housing dollars from sanctuary jurisdictions and cities that impose rent control.

“Any conditioning on HUD funding that sets up rules that explicitly carve out blue cities is going to be really catastrophic for California’s larger urban areas,” said David Garcia, deputy director of policy at UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation.

More than 35 cities in California have rent control policies, according to the California Apartment Assn. The state passed its own rent stabilization law in 2019, and lawmakers approved a California sanctuary law in 2017 that prohibits state resources from aiding federal immigration enforcement.

The agenda comes on the heels of a series of HUD spending cuts, including a 30% cap on permanent housing investments and the end of a federal emergency housing voucher program that local homelessness officials estimate would put 14,500 people on the streets.

In Los Angeles County, HUD dollars make up about 28% of homelessness funding.

“It would undermine a lot of the bipartisan efforts that are happening in the House and the Senate to move evidence-backed policy to increase housing supply and stabilize rents and home prices,” Garcia said.

The president’s mortgage directives also prompted skepticism from some experts.

“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were pressed to get into the riskier parts of the mortgage market back in the housing bubble and that was a part of the problem,” said Eric McGhee, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California.

©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Evan Woodbery, Tribune News Service

DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers have pulled off a bold, last-minute addition to their rotation by landing the top pitcher remaining on the market.

The Tigers have agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with veteran right-hander Framber Valdez, ESPN first reported on Wednesday night.

The deal, which is pending a physical, allows Valdez to opt out of the contract after Year 2 and defers some of his salary.

Valdez, 32, has spent all eight years of his career with the Houston Astros, where he was 81-52 with a 3.36 ERA in 1,080 innings.

Over the last four seasons, he’s been one of baseball’s most reliable workhorse pitchers, averaging more than 30 starts a season.

Valdez joins a rotation with two-time defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Reese Olson. The Tigers also have Drew Anderson, who signed a one-year, $7 million deal earlier this winter and was expected to be in the rotation, and Troy Melton, who was a key arm late last season.

Valdez is a native of the Dominican Republic who signed with the Astros as a teenager in 2015. This will be just the second organization of his career.

After some shaky seasons as a youngster under then-Astros manager A.J. Hinch in 2018 and 2019, he came into his own in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, striking out 76 in 70 innings. He’s been a full-time member of Houston’s rotation ever since, with his only significant injury coming on a fluke play in 2021 when he was struck by a ball on his finger.

Valdez’s durability is one of his strongest selling points. He’s thrown nine career complete games and three shutouts. He’s averaged 6 1/3 innings per start over the last five seasons. He set an MLB record in 2022 with 25 consecutive quality starts.

But Valdez’s free agency aspirations were hurt by his age. At 32, he was hitting the market for the first time a couple of years later than most front-line starters.

While The Athletic projected a seven-year, $196 million deal and the MLB Trade Rumors foresaw a five-year, $150 million contract, Valdez had to opt for a shorter-term arrangement that will probably net him in the neighborhood of $100 million when the deferred money is adjusted to present-day value.

The Tigers’ 40-man roster is full, although they will be able to open a spot by placing Jackson Jobe on the 60-day injured list when spring training opens next week.

This story will be updated.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Ben Warren, Tribune News Service

The long-term cold spell that has settled over Michigan has quickly expanded the ice cover on the Great Lakes and other waterways, forcing vessels to adapt, creating fears of ice jams and providing leisure activities for those wanting to take advantage of the thick ice.

On Friday, a Canadian ice breaker helped to lead a group of tankers through the ice on the Detroit River. The U.S. Coast Guard only has one heavy icebreaker to cover the entire Great Lakes region, so Canadian vessels sometimes help out.

During the weekend, along the St. Clair River in St. Clair County, sheets of ice dominated the river around Marine City and created the threat of ice jams for homeowners along the river, especially those with docks.

Others took to the lakes for activities like ice fishing. At Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown, dozens of ice-fishing tents were visible on the frozen lake. The park is located a short drive south of Detroit and has acres of trails and a golf course. But this time of year, the thick ice near the shores of Lake Erie is a major draw.

Mike Shankelton, 68, of Monroe was fishing out on the ice at the Metropark on Saturday with two friends, Tom Clark of Temperance and Dave Wagenknecht of Ida, both also in their 60s. Shankelton said, “it hasn’t frozen that good for years.”

He added, “The ice is solid in a lot of areas, but you’ve still got to be cautious.”

The ice coverage of the Great Lakes has expanded in January as temperatures have occasionally hit subzero levels in recent weeks.

The total ice cover across the five lakes reached 51% on Saturday, up from 5.5% on Jan. 14, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor.

Shankelton’s strategy for staying safe out on the ice is to watch where other people are already walking. When there’s no one else around, he uses a drill to see how deep the ice really is.

Shankelton was looking for perch, but he said, “of course if a walleye wants to bite it, that’s OK too.” He said he preferred to deep fry what he caught to eat.

All of Lake St. Clair is frozen over at this point, according to research lab data, while 95% of Lake Erie is covered with ice and 68% of Lake Huron is covered with ice. The largest Great Lake, Superior, has nearly 40% ice coverage despite being farther north, while Lake Michigan is at 37% and Lake Ontario is at 34%.

While St. Clair is not one of the five official Great Lakes, it is often considered part of the same lake system.

In just the last week, ice coverage in Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Superior has doubled. Across all the lakes, ice coverage has expanded beyond what is typical for this time of the year, and above long-term January averages.

The culprit is what meteorologists call an “Arctic air mass,” which has hovered over much of the eastern United States in recent weeks. That weather pattern is responsible for the below-average temperatures across Michigan through the end of January, according to the National Weather Service.

Typically, ice coverage in the lower lakes peaks in mid-to-late February, while the upper lakes reach maximum coverage between late February and early March.

When Great Lakes ice coverage is higher than normal, it can impact weather patterns across the region: there’s often less lake-effect snow and it takes longer to warm up in the spring, according to the NOAA. This happens because the ice cover prevents water from evaporating, leading to drier conditions. And the ice reflects sunlight, meaning the water underneath remains colder for longer.

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Adam Graham, Tribune News Service

It’s almost like a movie.

The Milford Independent Cinema will no longer be closing its doors, its Board of Directors announced Saturday.

On what was slated to be the one-screen cinema’s final day, the theater’s board said the theater can remain sustainable “in the near term,” according to a press release. The news comes following a successful crowdfunding effort that was “nothing short of remarkable,” the cinema’s operators said in a statement.

“We are truly blown away by the support, passion, and resilience of this community,” said the Milford Independent Cinema Board of Directors. “This theater exists because of the people who believe in it, show up for it, and see its value far beyond the screen.”

The theater announced in mid-January that it would be closing its doors at the end of the month, due to “significant and ongoing changes within the film exhibition industry.”

But then the community spoke up, and on Jan. 24, operators shared a message on social media saying that donations were pouring in and that they may be able to stave off closing. “There is hope!” they said at the time.

In recent years, Metro Detroit has seen the closure of several movie theaters and multiplexes, including the AMC Star Southfield, AMC Fairlane 21, Main Art Theatre, Maple Theater, Cinema Detroit and Regal Cinemas UA Commerce Township.

The Milford theater has been open since 1972 and has operated as a non-profit since reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saturday’s announcement didn’t come with a timeline attached, but operators said the theater will expand its offerings going forward with live events, “new and fun” film series, and new members will be added to its board. There will also be increased volunteer efforts and a new membership program for the theater.

The theater will take a short hiatus, and operators plan to reopen its doors on Feb. 11.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you,” the Board said in its statement. “Because of you, we are here— and we will continue to show up for this community just as you have shown up for us.”

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Woe to the cookie, cake or waffle lover who discovers, often after years of stomach upset, fatigue and skin issues, that the culprit of their health issues is gluten, the protein found in grains like wheat, barley and rye.

Most everything you find in a bakery, grocery store cookie aisle or on the sweet side of a breakfast menu is made with flour. Which means that those with gluten sensitivities or allergies are often out of luck when it comes to sweet treats.

One of my sons has celiac disease so I’m always on the lookout for gluten-free products that don’t include hidden sources of gluten such as soy sauce or malt vinegar and actually taste good, or at least good enough to justify the high cost. (Gluten-free cereals, pasta and snacks can be up to 139% more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts, according to the nonprofit Celiac Disease Foundation.)

Dilettoso, a gluten-free baking mix brand founded by Italian nutritionist Stefania Dilettoso in 2024, offers a tasty and super-convenient solution for the home cook.

Made with a blend of finely ground organic whole oat and brown rice flours, organic tapioca starch and natural flavorings, its Amore mixes are low-fat, preservative-free and because no sugar is added, fairly low cal (a serving counts just 120 calories).

For many people, texture is just as important as taste in baked goods. Because these mixes are made with naturally absorbent oat flour, the batter retains its hydration and bakes up light and fluffy. When it comes to breakfast foods, that translates into pancakes and waffles that rise beautifully, with an airy, light interior.

They’re available in three kid-friendly flavors — Choco-Lotta, Bella Berry and Vava Vanilla — and can used to make pancakes and waffles with the addition of water or milk (and an egg, if you want the extra protein). They also can be used as a gluten-free base for cookies, brownies, cakes and muffins with the addition of other ingredients.

One 10-ounce box of the Amore mixes — Italian for “love” — makes around 15 4-inch mini waffles or a half-dozen 7-inch regular waffles.

We tried the Vava Vanilla variety, which like the other mixes is leavened with baking soda and cream of tartar.

My toddler grandson gobbled them down just as quickly as the “regular” pancakes he gets to eat on weekends with my husband and me at Eat’n Park. But the real thumbs up came from my son, who said they were “pretty good” for a gluten-free product.

However, their price means they will probably be reserved for special occasions. They were $13.95 per box on Amazon (or $35 for a three-pack and $49.50 for a six-pack). That’s nearly $2 a waffle or 93 cents per mini waffle.

©2026 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Coty M. Davis, Tribune News Service

SAN FRANCISCO — For six years, Detroit Pistons fans have grown accustomed to watching Isaiah Stewart serve as an enforcer and defensive anchor. In the first 46 games of this season, Stewart has elevated his production on defense even more.

He is leading the league’s second-best defense and is currently in the running for several defensive awards. While registering a career-best average of 1.9 blocks per game, Stewart ranks sixth in total rejections with 78. He leads the NBA in defended field-goal percentage at the rim, holding his opponents to 43.0% shooting.

Stewart will be honored with a bobblehead giveaway before the Pistons’ home game against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. But the bobblehead won’t feature Stewart defending the rim. Instead, it’s Stewart riding a tractor and dressed in farmer’s overalls.

“This bobblehead represents my love and passion for farming. I have a tractor that I operate and use on my land,” Stewart told The Detroit News. “I’m interested in all different kinds of crops. If my mind isn’t on basketball, my mind is on farming. I am always researching something about farming every single day. I feel like it’s my calling.”

In southern California, Stewart owns two agricultural properties called Paraiso De La Luz, which is Spanish for “Paradise of Light.” His main hub focuses on producing tropical and subtropical fruits such as figs, finger limes, grapes, kumquats, mangos, passion fruit and pomegranates. Two hours down the road, he owns a desert hub that solely produces dates, in partnership with Sam Cobb Farms.

During the offseason, Stewart works diligently on his crops. When the Pistons are in season, however, he relies on his employees and the property manager for daily updates.

“It speaks to his character, his intelligence. He’s a guy who wants to make the world better. He understands what the world needs, in terms of farming and the environment. I think it is amazing,” Jalen Duren said to The Detroit News. “He’s always coming in here, talking about the new cows he’s got, or whatever new trees he planted. I think what he’s doing is great. I’m inspired.”

Stewart’s passion for farming began at his childhood home in Rochester, N.Y. He has fond memories of watching his father, Dela Stewart, tending to the family’s backyard garden. His father grew a variety of vegetables, including cucumbers, greens and tomatoes. Stewart’s favorite part of watching his father was seeing him transform his work into delightful meals.

The hard work that the elder Stewart put into the family garden instilled a strong work ethic in his son, which ultimately helped him reach the NBA. However, he could never have predicted that his efforts would later inspire his son to pursue farming as a second career more than 20 years later.

“He had a garden in our backyard. Every year, as soon as the weather got good enough, he would go back there and clean it up. Uproot everything. Make a fence with sections of different plants,” Stewart said. “I know he is proud of what I am doing. With him being from Jamaica, and his father did it – that is who he got it from – and now, I’m doing it.”

Stewart’s upbringing and passion have laid the groundwork for his farming career as he strives to be a pioneer in the industry.

Black farmers once dominated the agricultural business, but over several decades, the demographic has significantly diminished. As he continues to inspire a generation of NBA hopefuls in Detroit, Stewart hopes his agricultural work will increase the number of Black farmers nationwide.

Stewart intends to sell his harvest in grocery stores one day to provide consumers with high-quality produce. It’s his way of bringing better fruits and vegetables to consumers, who might be missing out because of infrastructure problems some farmers face when trying to deliver their crops to supermarkets.

“My family loves it. They see how invested I am in it and how much I care about it,” Stewart said. “They know what I’m striving to be. I am not doing this for fun. I’m doing it because I want to be one of the best farmers in the world when it is all said and done.”

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Ted Kulfan, Tribune News Service

DETROIT – After the magic of the evening had faded, after all the history of the moment had soaked in, Patrick Kane was ready to put it in the background.

Kane achieved history in Thursday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Washington, assisting on Ben Chiarot’s second-period goal. Kane passed Westland’s Mike Modano with 1,375 points, making the Hall of Fame-bound Buffalo native the NHL all-time leader in points among U.S.-born players.

The Wings knew Kane was going to break the record eventually. It was just a matter of time. But in Kane’s estimation, it was nice to finally get the record, and now concentrate on what the Wings can accomplish the rest of the season. The Wings are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference and poised to break their nine-year playoff drought.

“It’s nice to have it over with in some ways,” Kane said. “Just kind of worry about the rest of the season, and what we can accomplish as a team and hopefully go do something special as a group. At the start of the season there’s a lot of attention and talk about 500 goals and possibly getting this record.

“So, it’s nice to get there, be done with it and move on.”

Kane scored goal No. 500, another impressive milestone, Jan. 8 against Vancouver, also at Little Caesars Arena.

That was an exciting moment for Red Wings fans. But Thursday night might have been even more special.

“One of those hockey moments that you’ll remember where you were when he got it, if you’re a big fan of Patrick Kane or you’re part of our team,” coach Todd McLellan said. “Now he can just move on and stack numbers on top of that number. But you have to work hard to get it and we’re all happy for him.”

On the record-smashing play Thursday, a nice passing play, Kane found Alex DeBrincat, who set up Chiarot for a one-timer.

“Great play all-around,” Kane said. “(Andrew Copp) Copper pulling up, hitting me with some speed, hitting Cat, pulling up and hitting the late guy. Copper gets to the net and a great shot by Benny.”

Kane’s teammates streamed onto the ice and mobbed him. The LCA crowd, which gravitated toward Kane as soon as he signed with the Wings in 2023, erupted in cheers.

“Incredible for him and his family and really special to just be able to witness that live,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “I know a lot of those points were in Chicago (that Kane scored), but to see how our fans have embraced him and how he’s embraced our city is really special and says a lot about how much he loves the game. No matter where he’s playing, if people appreciate him, he’s going to give love back to them.”

The depth of the moment, the history of it all, wasn’t lost on Kane’s teammates.

“It’s hard to really grasp how special it is,” said DeBrincat, a long time teammate of Kane’s in Chicago and now in Detroit. “A lot of people have known he’s going to hit it (get the record) and is one of the best American players to ever play, and we knew that before tonight.

“But it is special to pass Modano. He’s been working hard for it, so he deserves it. It’s part of what makes him special.”

Kane looked to set the record in the first period, setting up DeBrincat for a goal. But video confirmed both players looked to be offside, erasing the goal.

“Pretty crazy the way you think you have it and then it comes back for offside,” Kane said. “I don’t think many of us knew it was offside on the ice, but there was a feeling something was going on when the guys didn’t come from the bench.”

Kane has long been an American player that U.S. youngsters have gravitated to because of his offensive wizardry and team success with the Blackhawks (three Stanley Cups). Thursday’s record was another watershed moment in an impactful career.

“Throughout my career, there’s been some American guys that have come up to me and said some really nice things, some younger guys that appreciated the way I played when I was younger and they were younger and I was a guy they looked up to,” Kane said. “(It’s) pretty cool to hear that when it’s something you’re not really expecting.”

Kane also appreciated a video message Modano supplied that was broadcast during the next timeout after Kane set the points record.

“He’s one of the best American players of all time,” Kane said of Modano. “He’s a guy I looked up to a lot when I was younger. I remember the moment he passed Phil Housley in San Jose on a breakaway goal, and to see him up there (on the scoreboard), as a former Red Wing too, sending a message like that was pretty classy.”

Kane, 37, didn’t immediately delve into his future, other than focusing on the Wings’ potential the rest of this season. He’s playing this season on a one-year, $3 million contract. But it’s extremely likely Kane will play at least one more season, given his success this season.

“He’s still got it,” DeBrincat said. “He’s still one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with, and obviously the skill is there. As long as he wants to go, he’s going to be able to go and be a difference-maker in the league for a while.”

Top of the charts

Most NHL points by U.S.-born players:

Patrick Kane: 1,375

Mike Modano: 1,374

Phil Housley: 1,232

Jeremy Roenick: 1,216

Joe Pavelski: 1,068

Note: Brett Hull (1,391 points) was born in Canada but represented the U.S. in international events.

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.