Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State's Michael Van Buren Jr., Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke and Cal's Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men's basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils (9-3) will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Mensah, viewed as one of the top players in the portal, threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns and completed 65.9% of his passes. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost 35-14 to Army. Tulane will play Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on Sunday. People are also reading... Van Buren, Mendoza and Locke announced on social media they had entered the portal. Van Buren started eight games as a true freshmen for the Bulldogs. He threw for 1,886 yards on 55% passing with 16 total touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8 Southeastern Conference). He took over as the starter when Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 loss to Florida on Sept. 21. Shapen has said he plans to return next season. Van Buren, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound passer from St. Frances Academy in Maryland, had two 300-yard performances for the Bulldogs, including 306 yards and three touchdown passes in a 41-31 road loss against Georgia. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards in 2024 with 16 TDs, six interceptions and a 68.7 completion percentage. "For the sake of my football future this is the decision I have reached," he posted. Locke passed for 1,936 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Wisconsin this season. He said he will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school. Michigan duo enters draft ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan cornerback Will Johnson has joined defensive tackle Mason Graham in the NFL draft. Johnson declared for the draft on Wednesday, one day after Graham decided he would also skip his senior season with the Wolverines. Both preseason All-America players are expected to be first-round picks. Johnson was limited to six games this year due to an injury. He had two interceptions, returning them both for touchdowns to set a school record with three scores off interceptions. Johnson picked off nine passes in three seasons. Graham played in all 12 games this season, finishing with 3 1/2 sacks and seven tackles for losses. He had 18 tackles for losses, including nine sacks, in his three-year career. AP announces All-SEC team Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is The Associated Press offensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference and South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard is the top defensive player. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was voted the top newcomer on Wednesday while the Gamecocks' Shane Beamer is coach of the year in voting by the panel of 17 media members who cover the league. Sampson led the SEC and set school records by rushing for 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is tied for third nationally in rushing touchdowns, recording the league's fifth-most in a season. Sampson was chosen on all but two ballots. Mississippi wide receiver Tre Harris and his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, each got a vote. Kennard led the SEC with 11-1/2 sacks and 15-1/2 tackles for loss. He also had 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles. Beamer led the Gamecocks to just their fifth nine-win season, including a school-record four wins over Top 25 opponents. They've won their last six games and ended the regular season with a win over eventual ACC champion Clemson. South Carolina plays Illinois on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Pavia helped lead Vandy to its first bowl game since 2018 after transferring from New Mexico State. He passed for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions. He ran for another 716 yards and six touchdowns, directing an upset of Alabama. Campbell gets new deal with ISU AMES, Iowa — Matt Campbell, who led Iowa State to its first 10-win season and became the program's all-time leader in coaching victories, has agreed to an eight-year contract that would keep him with the Cyclones through 2032. University president Wendy Wintersteen and athletic director Jamie Pollard made the announcement Wednesday, four days after the Cyclones lost to Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. “Given all the uncertainty currently facing college athletics, it was critical that we moved quickly to solidify the future of our football program,” Pollard said. “Matt is the perfect fit for Iowa State University and I am thrilled he wants to continue to lead our program. Leadership continuity is essential to any organization’s long-term success." The Cyclones won their first seven games for their best start since 1938 and are 10-3 heading into their game against Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 28. BRIEFLY FLAG PLANT: Ohio Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. MALZAHN: Gus Malzahn, who resigned as UCF’s coach last month to become Mike Norvell’s offensive coordinator at Florida State, said he chose to return to his coaching roots rather than remain a head coach distracted by a myriad of responsibilities. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Toronto Sceptres open PWHL season with 3-1 comeback win over Boston FleetThe future of American education is bright | GUEST COMMENTARYPAYSON, Ariz. — Firefighters were dispatched to Woods Canyon Lake on Sunday after three people reportedly fell through ice and into the water. The Forest Lakes Fire District said two of the individuals were able to get out of the water but a 26-year-old man from Phoenix was unaccounted for. Helicopter searches conducted on Sunday did not result in finding the missing man. A dive team was also not successful in finding the man and the search was called off Sunday due to darkness. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office said the man's body was eventually recovered Monday morning. The medical examiner will be brought in to help identity him. CCSO said lake visitors should avoid frozen waterways. Woods Canyon Lake is located east of Payson and north of Arizona State Route 260. Watch 12News for free You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12+ app! The free 12+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV . 12+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives. Roku : Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX." Amazon Fire TV : Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12+ app to add to your account , or have the 12+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.
Stock market today: Wall Street gets back to climbing, sending Nasdaq to a record
Oprah was right: Gratitude rules . In an effort to take stock of this last year in theater, I ended up not with a “best-of” list (too subjective by a mile) so much as a retroactive gratitude journal for all the good work done in 2024. Combing through my Leaning Tower of Programs, I reflected on how much I’d seen (and even more that I missed — forgive me, time is a finite resource). While not every show hit every mark, focusing on the following highlights reminded me why I love what I do. Here’s a look back at my 12 favorite Seattle-area theatrical experiences of the last year. Let’s start with the individual performances that have stuck with me for months. As part of a tight ensemble cast that passed their show’s central role like a baton, MJ Sieber delivered a ferocious, bewildered performance in The Feast’s fall production of “ The Adding Machine ,” which incorporated AI into Elmer Rice’s 1923 play about a man being rendered obsolete by technology. (As a bonus favorite, Sieber was also excellent as an equally bewildered divorced dad in “The Bed Trick” at Seattle Shakespeare Company , which leaned more into his always-impressive comedy chops.) Alexander Kilian stopped my heart in its rhythm as the desperate, overburdened student Moritz in “ Spring Awakening” at The 5th Avenue Theatre . Not only did his anguished, hopeful performance spark like a downed power line onstage, he nailed both the gawky physicality of a teenager and the difficult articulations in the rock score by Duncan Sheik. At the much smaller-scale Theatre Off Jackson, Jessie Selleck sang like a baseball-playing angel in the gender-swapped lead role of Joe Hardy in September’s “Damn Yankees” by Reboot Theatre Company . She’s a performer I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for in the future. On an even smaller scale, we had Mary Ewald’s “Ages of Being,” an evening of Shakespeare sonnets and speeches created in concert with her husband and director John Kazanjian, and performed in spring in their Capitol Hill home for an audience of a dozen. Grounded, honest and simple in her performance, Ewald created a sublimely intimate experience for those lucky enough to witness it. Sometimes an entire cast shines brighter than any individual performer, and such was the case for Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer-winning play “Primary Trust,” at Seattle Rep , directed by Kaytlin McIntyre. Though led by the excellent Stephen Tyrone Williams as Kenneth, a man with a traumatic history and an imaginary friend, Williams was ably aided by co-stars Andrew Lee Creech, Rob Burgess and Allyson Lee Brown, with Justin Huertas as an anonymous musician who shows up throughout the play. (This last one was kind of a mystifying choice, because why use Huertas without using Huertas, you know? But still, the ensemble was outstanding.) While a two-hander doesn’t exactly have an ensemble, the duo in Samuel D. Hunter’s “A Case for the Existence of God” deserves laurels for both individual performances and their palpable connection as a pair. Conner Neddersen and Nathaniel Tenenbaum both delivered complex, emotionally detailed portrayals of two unlikely friends who bond over the complications of mortgages and parenthood. Then there are the excellent shows that you cannot separate into component parts. I left Sanaz Toossi’s “English” at ArtsWest , a coproduction with Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble, floating on air and filled with curiosity. Toossi’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning play centers on a group of students in Tehran studying for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). When a production encourages you to think about your place in the world and expands your thinking about the world around you, what more could you want? Similarly thought-provoking was the drag-theater “Threesome” at Sodo auto shop Repair Revolution , featuring Cherdonna Shinatra, Martha Graham Cracker and Jarbeaux. Together these three top-tier performers pushed themselves into new artistic territory, and the end result was a glittery, emotional and entirely unexpected evening of music, dance, drag and performance art. And finally, we have those unique individual elements or experiences that don’t fit neatly into any category. Immersive and/or interactive theater is a kind of third rail — when done well it’s an incredible experience but when it’s bad, it is skin-crawling bad. Pony World Theatre’s interactive preshow fun for “Edgar & Annabel” integrated interaction expertly. The play, about political revolutionaries living under the radar, lent itself well to the (totally optional) audience activities: sifting through evidence, listening to audio recordings, spotting anomalies on the kitchen-sink set. It was a genuine value-add to the experience of the show, and prepped the audience for a more lighthearted time than otherwise expected. One of my most heartening days this year was spent at ACT Contemporary Theatre’s annual stage management camp , which trains young people in the ways of an absolutely essential role in the live performing arts. Without stage managers, the show cannot go on. Rebuild that talent pipeline, baby! Speaking of heartening: Did you hear that Book-It is back ? After the emotional loss of the theater company in 2023 , it was a joy to hear from co-founders Jane Jones and Myra Platt about their return to creating the work they love, and the logistical morass that many overhead-burdened theaters find themselves in, at the expense of their art. Designers rarely get much space in reviews, but scenic designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz’s work on “The Skin of our Teeth” at Seattle Rep stood out in the best way. Realistic with touches of the cartoonish, evoking both cosmic expansiveness and workaday human intimacy, Schwartz’s work elevated Thornton Wilder’s complex, time-hopping play to satisfying heights. Making art is hard, and being an artist is arguably harder , but our lives are all so much richer for the work that they do. In this last year, I’ve seen plays I’ve loved and plays I’ve hated, but I haven’t seen much that made me feel nothing . So yes, I am grateful. And until we dive headfirst into the new year, I’m going to appreciate that.Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’
It is the picture of the week. Nigel Farage’s Reform Party now have more members than the Tories and projected the figure onto Conservative Party HQ. That magic number - 131,680 - will haunt Kemi Badenoch this Christmas. A gleeful Farage has declared himself the official Leader of the Opposition and says No10 is next. There is no doubt Reform are the insurgents on the rise. And I think Nigel Farage can become Prime Minister. But I think it will take Nigel and the Reform Party two - or maybe even three elections - before they can get to Downing Street. Just a couple of weeks ago, Reform were causing quite a stir with another photo. Nigel Farage and Reform’s new Treasurer Nick Candy were snapped with Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s effective headquarters at Mar-A- Lago, Florida. The meeting took place as speculation swirls that Musk may be about to donate a multi-million-pound sum to what he sees as the British answer to MAGA: Reform UK. Most read in Politics Such a donation would have a big impact. Reform put in a respectable showing at the General Election, pulling in 14% of the vote. But it lacks a ground game. That crucial component in politics – printing leaflets, knocking doors, collecting data – needs hard cash, especially if the party wants to get on the same footing as the Tories and Labour. Musk already helped one insurgent win this year. His resource, in the shape of $200 million, bolstered Trump’s operation and sponsored ads, digital content, and people knocking on doors around the country. There are lessons any UK campaign can learn from their techniques. Donald Trump – who Elon Musk is rarely spotted far from these days – is minded to help out Nigel Farage. He frequently praises Farage at speeches. Trump World likes him too. I attended two Trump rallies this year; each time he was mobbed by activists and generated genuine buzz in the room. That’s no mean feat for a Brit. But can even Musk’s millions propel Farage to 10 Downing Street? There is no doubt that Reform is in a strong position. Since the election they have crept up in the polls to at or over 20%. In 89 seats – like Angela Rayner’s constituency - Reform is second place to Labour; in 9 other seats – like the former Tory stronghold of Brentwood and Ongar - they are second to the Conservatives. Farage faces the best of both worlds: a deeply unpopular incumbent government and an Opposition party that voters have lost trust in. Voters are also desperate for a plain speaker who says it how it is, even if they do not agree on every issue. That might go some way to explaining why Farage is now the most popular politician in Britain. Reform are arguably in the best position for a third-party force in British politics in decades. That is why I do believe it is possible Nigel Farage can become Prime Minister. But given the way our political system works, it is going to take two - or maybe even three elections - to get there, even with Musk’s cash. The reason why it is so difficult for Reform to make it into the government is the same reason that the Conservatives struggle to win with Reform doing well. It is hard to foresee Kemi Badenoch’s party winning a majority – just as it was for Rishi Sunak – with Reform above 10%. The same applies the other way round too. When both parties on the right are doing OK, but neither is doing amazingly, Labour sneaks in. Someone suggested to me the other day that if all three parties were on a similar footing come the election – say on 25% each in the polls – then Reform could squeak a win. But even if the three parties were tied nationally, few seats in our system look like the whole country. Instead, they skew either more Labour or more Conservative. In July’s election, only 6 of 650 seats were won by a party with a winning vote share under 30%. With right-wing voters split between Tories and Reform, it means opposition to Labour is fractured and – even if Tory and Reform votes exceed Labour’s – it is Starmer’s party that either holds or snatches the seat. Reform’s rise is also limited by the fact that voters are so used to the two main parties being the contenders for 10 Downing Street. That is why it took Labour so long to become a party of government in the early twentieth century. It took Labour 45 years to go from its first seats to a majority in the House of Commons. The same is likely to apply to Reform at the next election. They could do well and win up to 75 or so seats. But with the right divided, it is more likely we walk into another Labour government. In the coming years we may hear about a new divide in the Conservative and Reform parties: between those who are ‘pro-pact’ and those who are ‘anti-pact’. READ MORE SUN STORIES For now, I am in neither camp. But looking just at the numbers it is hard to refute the fact that the Tories’ and Reform’s best chance of power is by working together rather than apart.NoneRussell relishing the chance to fight at front