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, one of the most iconic figures in NBA history, is set to receive a remarkable honor from the -a statue in his name outside their legendary arena in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers made the announcement with pride, stating, " ." Riley's tenure as the Lakers' head coach . Over nine seasons, he led the team to four NBA championships, . With legends like and on his roster, Riley's tactical brilliance and magnetic leadership transformed the Lakers into a basketball dynasty. , who thrived under Riley's coaching, took to social media to share his excitement: " " He also thanked Lakers owner for honoring Riley, adding, " " Johnson's heartfelt post resonated with fans, earning Johnson and fans applaud Lakers' decision to honor Riley The announcement triggered an outpouring of tributes from NBA fans, with one tweeting, " ." Another chimed in, " ." Meanwhile, Miami Heat fans playfully lamented the news, with one writing, " ." Riley's influence extends far beyond his Lakers years. After leaving Los Angeles, he coached the and the , eventually transitioning into his current role as the Heat's president. Across 24 seasons, Riley cemented his legacy with At 79, Riley remains an enduring symbol of excellence in the sport. This statue, set to grace Star Plaza, isn't just a tribute to his achievements-it's a testament to his transformative impact on the NBA. As one fan perfectly summed it up: " ."
Most of us are not professional chefs or caterers or decorators, so the thought of cooking for and entertaining a Thanksgiving crowd can be daunting. That's why we turned to the experts — professional chefs and caterers and interior designers — to discuss some typical Thanksgiving mistakes and how to avoid them. "The overriding first mistake people make is they think they have more time than they do," said Bistro to Go Cafe and Catering executive chef Kate Kobylinski. She regularly hosts her extended family of 30 and knows "every single problem." "Food takes longer to cook, the table takes longer to set and houses take longer to clean than you think." Clean your house on Monday. On Wednesday, dice vegetables so they're "food-show ready," as Kobylinski put it. Prepare (but don't cook) your green bean casserole (leaving off garnishes like fried onions) so it can just be popped in the oven and set the dining room table. Don't feel that you have to do everything yourself. But be as specific as possible when doling out the assignments. "Don't let them make their own decisions!" Kobylinski said emphatically. Thanksgiving is "micromanager's heaven." For example, have someone bring ice on Thanksgiving Day because going out to buy it takes time and ice hogs freezer space. If you don't like making desserts, have someone bring one. If a guest wants to prepare a side dish, great, but decide beforehand what they will bring. Ahead of dinner, interior designer Kacie Cope likes to set out all of her serving platters with Post-it notes attached denoting what will go on them. "You'll be amazed if you have them labeled," she said. "People can help in a jiff." During the evening, Kobylinski gives people assigned jobs, such as serving drinks or taking charge of an after-dinner game. And the chef is forgiving about using premade ingredients, like gravy or cranberry jelly. "There's no right or wrong way to make any of your foods," she said. But you might want to give a homemade touch to prepared ingredients, like adding sauteed onions or celery to prepared gravy. "Everyone goes into Thanksgiving Day with a half-frozen turkey," said Kobylinski. "And you can't get the bag of giblets out because they're frozen in place." It takes one day for every 4 pounds of turkey meat to defrost in the refrigerator. (No, it is not safe to leave your frozen turkey out on the counter to thaw and breed bacteria.) So if you've got a 20-pound bird, you've got to start thawing on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. However, there are other methods. Kobylinski suggests submerging the bird and running a thin stream of cold water over it. "It doesn't have to be a lot of water." The U.S. Department of Agriculture says there are only three ways to safely thaw food: In the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave. To safely thaw turkey in cold water, the USDA says it takes about 30 minutes per pound. Put the turkey in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent cross-contamination and submerge it. Change the water every 30 minutes, and cook immediately when it's thawed. If opting for your microwave, follow its instructions for thawing and cook immediately. Then, if you're running late and need to speed things up to satisfy the hungry hordes, you can cut the bird in half before cooking (skin side up). This significantly reduces cooking time, requiring about 10 minutes per pound. Kobylinski also recommends resting the turkey on vegetables in the oven to keep the bottom from getting burned. Private chef and culinary educator Emily Larsen warns that those plastic thermometers in supermarket turkeys are setting you up for failure. The USDA says that you should cook a turkey until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Plastic thermometers don't pop out until the breast meat is at about 180 degrees, "when your turkey is completely dry," Larsen said. Plus, people forget that meat continues to cook once it's out of the oven. She recommends taking a bird out of the oven when it is at 155 degrees — she likes to use an inexpensive instant-read folding probe thermometer — and continue to monitor it. (Insert it into the thickest part of the breast, avoiding the bone.) "Ten dollars [for the thermometer] can save your Thanksgiving," she said. Some feel that buying a frozen rather than fresh bird is another no-no, since freezing leaches water out of the turkey. However, if, despite your best efforts, your turkey is lacking moisture, Kobylinski has a fix: Put warm chicken or turkey stock and clarified butter into a mister and spritz sliced turkey with it before serving. "The same with stuffing if it's too dry," she said. Thanksgiving Day is not the time to try out a completely new recipe. And you don't have to lay out 10 side dishes. In addition to opting for a simple menu, Kobylinski also recommends figuring out how long your items will take to cook and what method of cooking it requires ahead of time. Your turkey will be monopolizing your oven for four hours, so other oven foods should be limited or be easily reheated during the time that the turkey is resting. (As for resting a turkey, the chef puts her turkey on a hot plate with towels over it so "the meat rebinds itself and stabilizes for a smoother cut.") "Stovetop items should be staggered," she said, so you don't have a frying pan and three pots all going at once. As a sample menu, she suggests you might have one baked potato dish and one mashed. And for vegetables, one baked dish and one that is blanched or grilled. Interior designers advise against going too crazy with holiday-specific décor. "There's a lot that's being sold to us that we feel like we need," said Pittsburgh interior designer Amanda Bock. Do you really need a turkey-shaped vase or pilgrim figurines? "They're out for two weeks, and then you have to figure out where to store them," agreed Cope. "It takes an already busy season and makes it stressful in an unnecessary way." Cope says you can take things that are already part of your menu and use them as décor — a bowl of nuts or cranberries, or even removing the label from a cranberry sauce tin and repurposing it as a vase for flowers and fall leaves. Bock adds that dining room table décor should be kept to a minimum, since you'll need space for your food. You don't have to have "big chargers and five plates and three different glasses, plus all of your Thanksgiving food on the table," Bock said. If you do have flowers or a centerpiece in the middle of the table, keep it low, Cope advised. "That way, you can actually see the person who's across the table from you." Tableware and tablecloths might be in fall colors, so they can be repurposed throughout the season. Water glasses or wine goblets could be amber-toned, Bock suggests. Well in advance of your guests' arrival, think critically about the setup of your home. Don't be afraid to rearrange your furniture so your guests move to different areas and don't all congregate in your kitchen. "You want to make sure that there are areas where people can sit and chat, watch the parade or just hang out together," Bock said. Set up a drinks station and an hors d'oeuvres station in different parts of the house, Bock suggests. Though, she admits, "I can't do that in my house because my dogs would just gobble up the hors d'oeuvres." She suggests repurposing a kitchen nook for kid seating, or as a serving area. Kobylinski might set up a half-built puzzle in a side room. She even puts out winter jackets and boots for "the gentlemen" for the moment when she urges them to go out on the porch to smoke cigars and drink brandy so they won't be underfoot. As a finishing touch, don't neglect to set the mood by using lamps around the room instead of harsh overhead lights. Putting out tapers or tea candles establishes an intimate feeling. "That just leans into the cozy fall vibe," Cope said of low lighting. But don't use scented candles, Bock warns. Or a smelly flower arrangement. "That can overwhelm you when you're eating," Bock said. Putting on a favorite music playlist can set the mood and take away self-consciousness, especially early in the evening. The most important thing on Thanksgiving is simply for everyone to enjoy each other's company. A little advance preparation can help you, the host, stay relaxed throughout the evening so you can interact with your guests. As Bock advised, "Keep it simple for Thanksgiving." Let friendship and fellowship be the stars of the show.Gibson Energy Announces Contract Extension at Gateway, Sanctioning of the Gateway Dredging Project and $200 million in 2025 Growth Capital & Share BuybacksThe death of a woman this week in a car crash involving a police officer who was responding to a bomb threat against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Georgia home demonstrates the growing danger of swatting, police and experts said. Swatting refers to when a false threat is made to draw police and first responders to a location. The woman, identified by police as Tammie Pickelsimer, was killed after crashing into a bomb squad member who was responding to the call, according to a statement from the Rome Police Department. According to police, the threat was sent by email to them last week, but it was re-routed to a junk folder. Police on Monday discovered the email which correctly listed the congresswoman's home address. Greene was not home at the time, but the message from the email specifically targeted the congresswoman's mailbox, Greene posted on X. The email spurred a response from police who then sent an officer to monitor the mailbox while waiting for the bomb squad. MORE: Massachusetts congresswoman says family was targeted with a bomb threat Rome police sergeant and bomb squad member David Metroka was en route to join the bomb squad at their headquarters when he crashed into the 66-year-old Pickelsimer, Georgia State Patrol said. Picklesimer suffered significant injuries and later died at the hospital, according to GSP. The officer had minor injuries and was later released from the hospital. Police did not find a bomb at Greene's home. In a statement, the Rome Police Department addressed the dangers of swatting incidents. "The Rome Police Department continues to work closely with Congresswoman Greene's staff to address the growing concern of swatting incidents and has implemented protocols to ensure that emergency responses are only triggered when truly necessary," the police department said in a statement. "This particular situation did not require an emergency response." The police department added, "The Rome Police Department extends its heartfelt condolences to the Pickelsimer family during this difficult time. The department holds the individual responsible for sending the threatening email fully accountable for setting this tragic chain of events into motion. In collaboration with Congresswoman Greene's office, the Rome Police Department is working with federal authorities to ensure the perpetrator is apprehended and brought to justice." The Rome Police Department told ABC News the email had an IP address linked to Russia. Greene said she "felt heartsick," and expressed her concern over violent political threats in a statement on X . "These violent political threats have fatal consequences," she said. "It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act." MORE: Democratic members of Congress get bomb threats on Thanksgiving According to John Bandler, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, swatting is a harassment tactic used to dispatch an "arm of government" for emergency services. Bandler believes the uptick in swatting stems from cyber crimes allowing criminals to commit a crime against someone else without having to get close to it, he said. "It is a way people can do a crime and they think they won't get caught doing it," Bandler said. "And it seems much more an indirect way of doing it." Most people are never going to be swatted, Bandler said. But he notes it will be hard to protect yourself from this sort of crime, just like it is to protect yourself from all crime, he said. Bandler calls for all swatting attempts to be prosecuted as a felony in every state and on the federal level. Swatting becomes a felony on the federal level when it crosses state lines. He said swatting is extremely dangerous and scatters police efforts. "Not only are you wasting law enforcement's time, but you're triggering that emergency response and that is always going to be dangerous," Bandler said. Greene said her office is cooperating with local law enforcement and the FBI as they investigate the threat.
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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Zavian McLean scored 18 points to lead FGCU and Michael Duax secured the victory with a free throw with 21 seconds left as the Eagles defeated Florida International 60-59 on Sunday. McLean shot 7 for 12, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc for the Eagles (2-5). Rahmir Barno scored 11 points and added five assists and three steals. Jevin Muniz shot 2 of 7 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line to finish with nine points. Jayden Brewer finished with 18 points and eight rebounds for the Panthers (2-5). Jonathan Aybar added 12 points for Florida International. Dashon Gittens also had seven points and eight rebounds. McLean scored 14 points in the first half and FGCU went into the break trailing 30-29. Barno scored a team-high nine points for FGCU in the second half. FGCU outscored Florida International by two points over the final half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes got back to climbing on Wednesday after the latest update on inflation appeared to clear the way for more help for the economy from the Federal Reserve . The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to break its first two-day losing streak in nearly a month and finished just short of its all-time high. Big Tech stocks led the way, which drove the Nasdaq composite up 1.8% to top the 20,000 level for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, lagged the market with a dip of 99 points, or 0.2%. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
It's been one month since the U.S. presidential election. And while Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump have been busy setting up a new White House administration, Democrats have spent the past four weeks trying to diagnose why they lost and how to move forward as a party. One person who thinks he has an answer to that is Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. He's now running to become the new chairman of the national Democratic National Comittee because he says it's time to reassess what matters most to voters. RELATED STORY | DNC chair slams Bernie Sanders' criticism of Democratic Party "There's clearly a lot that we need to learn about what just happened, but one thing that jumps out is that a lot of voters who were taking it on the chin with high prices — frustrated by those prices — weren't hearing from either campaign and were voting for change," Wikler told Scripps News. "Well those voters, I think that we have a chance to reach out to them and say 'look, Democrats actually want to fight for an economy that works for working people and Trump wants to give multi-trillion tax cuts to billionaires at your expense. And that is a message we know can win because it's won downballot, it won in 2018, and it won in 2006 when George W. Bush tried to privatize social security." Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is currently hearing a potentially landmark case on gender affirming care for minors — which has been a big point for Democrats to campaign on. But a Scripps News/YouGov poll released early this year showed that more Americans support than oppose laws aimed at restricting transgender care for minors. RELATED STORY | Scripps News poll: Americans largely support restricting trans rights Wikler told Scripps News that if he were to be named chair of the DNC, it's a no-brainer that he'd support American's right to make their own private medical decisions without worrying about government intervention. "Republicans want to talk about trans issues and go on the attack against trans people because that is their way of trying to divide the public," he said. "People do disagree about this. Republicans want to focus on that disagreement and use attacks on trans people in order to distract folks from the big legislation that they are planning right now — which is a multi-trillion dollar tax cut for billionaires." "Democrats are always going to fight for people to have their basic personal freedom," Wikler continued. "And at the same time, we're going to fight against those who want to dismantle the federal government and the programs like social security and medicare and medicaid that people rely on for their their basic needs and health care." You can watch Scripps News' full interview with Ben Wikler in the video player above.Ilkay Gundogan questioned Manchester City’s mentality after they in 10 games and effectively ended their chances of finishing in the top eight in the Champions League. The 2-0 defeat by Juventus means that City will at best probably face a two-legged play-off at best, and yet more demanding fixtures, although they are in danger of crashing out of European competition completely. Asked about City’s apparent lack of confidence, with just one win in that sequence of games, Gundogan said that teams did not have to “do that much” to score against them. The midfielder added that a lack of confidence “is a big part of it” and added: “Obviously that’s a mental issue as well. You can see that. We sometimes, one action we miss the ball, lose a duel and you see that we drop immediately, lose the rhythm, they are able to break our rhythm with the easiest of things. They don’t even need to do much. “You have to do the simple things as good as possible. Work hard again, this is how you get confidence back, even in the game if you miss something, by doing small and simple things you get confidence back. At the moment we are always doing the wrong things. “I feel like we know exactly what’s going wrong. If you look at the most part of games, even today, we actually didn’t play bad, created chances, just missed to score, in these kind of games if you give away once chance it’s not easy to bounce back. “We know what’s going wrong, it’s just finding the switch to turn things around because even though we are not getting results, it doesn’t feel like we are far off. “As long as we don’t find that click, it’s going to be tough. Every single player needs to question themselves, to do better, how the player can individually sacrifice more to contribute to the team so we can get collectively back on our way.” Once again City, who have conceded 23 times in their last 10 matches, appear to give away goals cheaply with simple mistakes. “At the moment it feels like every attack we concede is just so dangerous,” Gundogan said. “I don’t know, I have a feeling sometimes we are a bit careless with duels, instead of playing simpl,e we overcomplicate things, and we missed the right timing to release the ball. Just lose the ball and give them counter-attacks. “We are built for possession, keep the ball, be strong, if you can’t do anything don’t lose it. At the moment it’s not working out for us.” Pep Guardiola disputed Gundogan’s analysis. “I am not agreeing with Ilkay, of course it is tough, except one or two games in this period that were not good, the rest we played good,” the City manager said. He added that he questions himself. “Of course. I have my thoughts,” he said. “We play really good. You say what happened in the results. What happened today we played good. Of course I question myself. I’m stable in good moments, bad moments. “I’m incredibly honest, if we play good we play good. Always the game will save us. We can do it, today we concede few chances.” Guardiola rejected the idea that he was facing the biggest challenge of his career with City’s current crisis. “My biggest challenge is to get results to continue to work in the first seasons. It’s life, it happens, sometimes you have a bad period. I’m going to insist until we’re there,” he said, adding that the aim now was to qualify for the play-offs. “It’s the target, we need one point, three points. Go to Paris [to face PSG in January] to try to do it and the last game at home [against Club Brugge].” Rio Ferdinand claimed no one is scared of City anymore and no great team had lost the ability to inspire “fear” in their opponents as quickly as they have. Former Manchester United captain Ferdinand also said he had not seen any Guardiola side “ever be this bad” after watching them crash to their latest defeat. Ferdinand’s fellow TNT Sports pundit Joleon Lescott claimed City’s opponents had lost the “fear factor” when playing the defending Premier League champions. Former City defender Lescott said: “We all talk about the confidence of City, but they’re also losing the fear factor from the opposition, and that’s a big thing. When Rio played for United, you went there and you were in fear. If they went in front, you were in fear. But then, all of a sudden, when that goes, it just breeds confidence to the opposition.” Ferdinand added: “You’ve never seen it go out of a team so quick. The dominant teams, like the Chelseas and the Arsenals or even the teams that I played in or before me, I don’t think the dominance was kind of zapped out of the team and that fear factor was taken out immediately like this. This is like in a seven or eight-game spell. “A team that’s been so dominant, it’s so surprising to see that change so quickly.” Ferdinand had earlier said: “We just haven’t seen a Pep Guardiola side – forget Man City – a Pep Guardiola side in general ever be this bad. And he’s got to find a way of galvanising this team and reinstalling some form and confidence. “And I think it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, this is a stark reminder to any young footballer or any players that play football, anyone can lose confidence and it really, really hurt performance, and it really hurt form, and really hurt outcomes in terms of games and winning games.” He added: “For City, there’s a lot of work to be done behind the scenes now. They’ve never been here and you’re going to find out about a lot of the players here. Because it’s a nice ride to be on, it’s a nice journey to be on, when you’re winning. When it’s not going well, who is going to help you get back on the straight and narrow, back to normality? Pep will learn a lot about his players in this period.” Juventus became the latest team to ruthlessly punish City when winning possession. Ferdinand said: “Turnovers are killing them massively. As soon as they turn the ball over, they look vulnerable. Teams are slicing through them, running off players. There are big holes and big, big spaces on the pitch for teams to exploit. And they’re getting punished. And that’s a big key as well.” Lescott added: “City need to find an alternative to scoring the perfect goal and it looking slick and it being a great pass and a great touch and a great finish. Maybe just create some uncertainty in the opposition that leads to a tap-in.” City’s defeat puts them in real danger of being dumped out of the Champions League before the knockout phase, amid their worst run of results for almost two decades. It comes after they became the first club to be crowned champions of England in four successive seasons. Ferdinand said of their fans: “They’ve been able to gloat and they’ve been able to take the mickey out of people. They’re going to be the butt of a few jokes now and they’re going to have to take it on the chin.”