Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda joined Newsweek in 2019 and had previously worked at the MailOnline in London, New York and Sydney. She is a graduate of University College London. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Khaleda by emailing k.rahman@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content A Black boy who reported being called a racial slur on the playground was expelled from a Catholic school in Portland after his parents complained to the principal Mike Phillips and Karis Stoudamire-Phillips told The Oregonian that Tresa Rast summoned police to the school's campus in late March after they demanded to know what actions the school would take after their son said he was called the N-word by another student saying the couple had violated the school's code of conduct for parents Newsweek has contacted the school via email and Phillips and Stoudamire-Phillips Rast is on leave following a firestorm over her handling of the incident Thousands have signed an online petition calling for the school to apologize and take accountability many others "have come forward to share similar stories of the school's failure to take racism seriously and provide a welcoming environment for all students." Stoudamire-Phillips told The Oregonian that she and her husband had rushed to the school after getting a call from the school's secretary who said her son had heard another student call him the slur as he headed back into the school after recess She also mentioned that they had been unhappy about how Rast had handled a previous racial incident involving their older son Stoudamire-Phillips said Rast asked her and her husband to leave her office but they refused because they wanted clarity on a plan of action requesting that officers come to the school A report from the Portland Police Bureau said officers were called because of "parents yelling at the employees and refusing to leave," The Oregonian reported Phillips said he went to wait outside for the police to arrive wanting to show that he was unarmed and calm Rast told the police the matter was under control and that the officers could leave Stoudamire-Phillips said she received a call from the school informing her that all involved students had denied using the slur She emailed Rast and Reverend Bonaventure Rummell writing that the principal had fostered a culture where "both overt and subtle racism are allowed and even encouraged." Stoudamire-Phillips added that it was "simply ludicrous to insinuate that one of the only Black boys in the entire Madeleine school would inflict such trauma on himself and lie [about the slur]." the family received an email from Rummell expelling their son "It has become clear that the relationship of trust and confidence that is necessary for a collaborative partnership between parent and school officials for the good of your child no longer exists," Rummell wrote "Our partnership is hereby immediately terminated as of the end of the day with some 50 parents signing a letter to Rummell asking him to reinstate the boy and overhaul internal policies and practices governing the school's response to racist incidents The letter did not call for Rast to resign but accused her of committing "an act of violence and overt racism" by calling the police The Oregonian reported that several families did not plan to reenroll their children next year or had already pulled their children out of the school including the family of a student who also reported hearing the slur That student's father told the newspaper that Rast told him and his wife that she suspected their son had made up the entire incident and recommended he see a therapist to be "deprogrammed" from the anti-racist training he received while previously attending public school Mike Phillips told The Oregonian: "You're calling the cops on me and kicking out my son because of what he heard Reverend Bonaventure Rummell told the newspaper he was unable to discuss the incident He provided an email he sent to families on April 23 which said: "The Madeleine School remains committed to building its community based on love and respect for the dignity of all people as modeled by Jesus Christ This specifically includes providing a safe environment for all staff and students that is free from discrimination the dismissal of the principal and an independent investigation into the school's handling of their son's complaint They also want the school to adopt anti-racist policies to address any future incidents and mandatory anti-racism training for all administrators They have hired a lawyer but said they hope the school will make changes so they can avoid taking legal action Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsletters in your inbox See all Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Cherished daughter of the late Dorothy Belle and Hoyt D Devoted mother of Pax Ananda Zachariah DeBejar and Bobby Watkins; loving grandmother of Justice Orion Ann Kannady and Michael Hoyt Kannady; dear sister of Hoyt D Karis had a deep appreciation for history and genealogy always eager to uncover the stories of the past capturing moments both big and small with artistic detail she also enjoyed immersing herself in video games finding both challenge and adventure in virtual worlds Karis was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew her This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors KOIN.com ‘The pain is real’: Parents say 10-year-old son was expelled from private school after being called N-word Read online: https://www.koin.com/news/portland/the-pain-is-real-parents-say-10-year-old-son-was-expelled-from-private-school-after-being-called-n-word/ VIDEO: Motorcyclist ‘intentionally’ sideswiped in Hwy 26 hit-run Mia Villanueva joins KOIN 6 News as the new 4pm anchor Bodies found in Portland rivers ‘pretty normal occurrence’ Mayor’s Portland budget: ‘Back to basics,’ ‘no easy answers’ Indigenous people ‘matter and are not disposable’ The body of a kayaker from California who went over Willamette Falls in April was found early Sunday afternoon the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said VIDEO: Driver 'intentionally' sideswipes motorcycle on Hwy 26 before fleeing Auto prowling incident now tied to Vancouver weekend shooting Data center developer Karis Critical has acquired land in Chicago As reported by the Daily Herald and Real Deal Karis acquired 180 acres of land in the Hoffman Estates area for $45 million from 5a7 is located at the northwest corner of Route 59 and Higgins Road Hoffman Estates have no formal plans have been submitted yet The site was previously earmarked as a residential development that would have hosted more than 1,000 family units and up to 200,000 sq ft (18,580 sqm) of commercial space “It was a pleasure dealing with the village of Hoffman estates and the buyer incredibly talented man that I’ve known for seven or eight years,” Anthony Iatarola of 5a7 told The Real Deal “I’m so confident that what he has in mind and the village is going to work cooperatively and become a tremendous success for the participants and the area.” Karis describes itself as an investor in land The company didn’t provide comment to The Real Deal The company last year filed to develop a nine-building campus outside Chicago in Merrillville, Northwest Indiana. Karis Critical is also developing a data center in Dekalb Karis’ portfolio includes 500 acres across two sites around Chicago; 200 acres across two sites in Colorado; 1,600 acres across four sites in Ohio; and a 200-acre site in South Carolina CEO Jake Finley also founded and leads Karis Capital and cold storage firm Karis Cold While Elk Grove is the main data center hub within the Chicago metro, Microsoft is developing two data centers in the Hoffman Estates area of the city, and Compass is redeveloping the former Sears HQ into a major campus Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia sent both of her children to The Madeleine School in Northeast Portland After another student allegedly called the family's younger son a racist slur the parents pushed the school's principal to take action summoned Portland police to the campus in late March when the parents of a Black student demanded to know her plan of action after their fourth grade son reported being called a racist slur on the playground coupled with what the family saw as a lack of empathy from the leaders of a community they had poured their hearts into for the last 10 years prompted them to both hire a lawyer and speak publicly about their story “You’re calling the cops on me and kicking out my son because of what he heard?” Mike Phillips asked charted in detailed emails between the Stoudamire-Phillips family school leaders and other Madeleine School parents have caused wrenching upheaval at the PK-8 school According to the emails and school community members several families do not plan to re-enroll next year or have already pulled their children out including the family of a child who also reported hearing the slur who did not want to be named to protect his child’s privacy Principal Tresa Rast told him and his wife that she suspected that their son had made up the entire incident and recommended that the child see a therapist so he could be “deprogrammed” from the anti-racist training he’d received while previously attending public school in Portland Around 50 parents have since signed a letter to the parish priest who oversees the school asking him to reinstate the Stoudamire-Phillips’ son and transparently overhaul internal policies and practices governing the school’s response to racist incidents Their letter stopped short of calling for Rast to resign But it said she had committed “an act of violence and overt racism” by calling the police an action they said was “entirely inconsistent with the values of The Madeleine and cannot be tolerated.” The family of one of the only other Black children at the school wrote a separate letter to Rummell calling for Rast to resign and outlining what they said were other incidents of racism at the school including “students being made fun of for their skin tone and hair texture and other slurs there was no schoolwide communication and no policies and procedures actioned.” director of Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Portland with a detailed list of questions about the incident Rummell responded that the school was unable to discuss any actions administrators took or the reasons behind them But he provided an email that he sent to the schools’ families on April 23 acknowledging that “recent conflicts have impacted our caring Catholic community” and inviting families to reach out to him directly with their concerns “The Madeleine School remains committed to building its community based on love and respect for the dignity of all people as modeled by Jesus Christ,” Rummell wrote in his email to families “This specifically includes providing a safe environment for all staff and students that is free from discrimination it wasn’t the first time that their family had dealt with a racial incident at the Madeleine School who graduated last year and is now a freshman at a Catholic high school in Portland And the family had been unsatisfied with how Rast the family considered transferring their younger son this year she resolved to continue volunteering to help improve the school’s racial equity and social justice policies She had long done similar work professionally and had insight into practices at other organizations via her seat on the board of directors at De La Salle North Catholic High School the Portland Rose Festival Foundation and the Boise-Eliot Neighborhood Association she had her guard up when she got a call from the school’s secretary on the last Monday in March reporting that her younger son had heard another student call him the n-word as they headed back into school after recess She and her husband rushed to the school to comfort their son and talk to the principal you do understand that I don’t have confidence in you based on my previous experiences with you,” Stoudamire-Phillips recalled that Rast asked her and her husband to leave the office When they said they would not leave because they still had questions about how the school planned to respond to their son’s experience The report of the incident from the Portland Police Bureau states that they were called in due to “parents yelling at the employees and refusing to leave.” pictured here in a professional shot.Courtesy of Mike Phillips “You have to understand that a Black man having the cops called on him is a totally different implication,” Phillips said Phillips had excused himself to wait for them outside wanting to clearly show that he was unarmed and calm with nothing to hide Rast told police that the matter was under control and that the officers were free to leave the family said they waited for word that the parents of the students involved had been notified and that plans were underway for restorative conversations and disciplinary consequences Karis Stoudamire-Phillips got a call from the school during which she was told that all involved students had denied using the slur was that perhaps her son and his classmate had misheard them She responded with a blistering email to Rast and Rummell defending her son and writing that Rast had fostered a culture in which “both overt and subtle racism are allowed and even encouraged due to there not being real impactful and behavior changing consequences for racist action…[Rast] is completely inept…It is simply ludicrous to insinuate that one of the only Black boys in the entire Madeleine school would inflict such trauma on himself and lie [about the racist epithet].” the family received an email from Rummell with a terse subject line: “Termination of partnership.” “It has become clear that the relationship of trust and confidence that is necessary for a collaborative partnership between parent and school officials for the good of your child no longer exists,” Rummell wrote “Our partnership is hereby immediately terminated as of the end of the day This decision is final and from our perspective this matter is now concluded.” Their son was allowed to return to campus one more time “There wasn’t a dry eye in the classroom,” she said “Teachers from all over the school were coming in to say bye to him He knows that he is loved by that community He just doesn’t understand why these two leaders keep making decisions that have hurt him.” after news of the situation spread through the school community and other parents mobilized to demand explanations Rummell reached out to the Stoudamire-Phillips family to say that he was “open to dialogue” if they would like to meet he wrote that he knew it would be “no consolation” to them but that he “had been and am personally crushed by this experience.” the Stoudamire-Phillips family say they are seeking specific change at The Madeleine an independent investigation into the administration’s handling of their son’s complaint mandatory anti-racism training for all administrators faculty and families and the adoption of clear anti-racist policies to address any future incidents They have hired Portland lawyer Bonnie Richardson though they say they are hopeful that the school will make the changes they’ve outlined and put an independent review panel in place to monitor the response The exterior of the Madeleine School in Northeast Portland on April 24.Beth Nakamura sports participation and bathroom access should strictly match biological sex The Madeleine’s respected former parish priest, the Rev. Mike Biewend, retired that year, and he praised the former principal’s resistance to Sample’s guidelines in a farewell speech at the school’s eighth grade graduation. That section of his speech has since been silenced in a YouTube recording of the ceremony on the Madeleine Parish’s channel Amid rising backlash from parents to his new guidelines Sample temporarily dissolved the archdiocese’s department of Catholic schools to bring education operations under closer scrutiny by his office When the office reopened four months later it had a new focus on evangelical teaching and a new leader in Moo The National Catholic Review has since reported that Moo has close ties to the movement for Catholic Liberal Education more classical vision for Catholic schools that centers God and religious teachings across all subjects The Stoudamire-Phillips family are not Catholic but specifically chose the Madeleine for their children because they wanted their education to be guided by Christian values Now they are trying to help their son process his expulsion from the cozy Catholic school he’d attended since kindergarten his Oregon Battle of the Books team and the teachers who all knew his name ‘Why doesn’t this school love me?” Stoudamire-Phillips said “He asked me that to my face with tears in his eyes.” — Julia Silverman covers K-12 education for The Oregonian/OregonLive Reach her via email at jsilverman@oregonian.com Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices a biotechnology firm working on autonomous biomanufacturing for personalized regenerative medicines has signed a strategic collaboration with Karis Bio that will allow it to expand into the Asia-Pacific region The partners aim to industrialize what they claim will be the first clinical-stage autologous induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC) therapy for peripheral artery disease and coronary artery disease Karis Bio’s therapy uses patient-specific iPSCs to generate new blood vessels in ischemic organs to restore blood flow and repair damaged tissues It could be an effective alternative for patients to conventional invasive procedures such as stents or bypass surgery while eliminating the risk of immune rejection the partners will leverage Cellino’s Next-Generation Biomanufacturing Ultra-Scalable Approach (Nebula) platform to support scalable high-quality production of autologous iPSCs for use in therapies Nebula is a closed-cassette biomanufacturing system that automates traditionally manual processes using an AI-guided The system is designed to variability and increase the consistency of biomanufactured cell and tissue products Karis Bio is already conducting a first-in-human clinical study of its iPSC therapy in South Korea The initial phase of the collaboration will focus on industrializing the autologous iPSC manufacturing process for this first trial with plans to expand into Phase II trials through Karis Bio’s U.S.-based offices noted that the collaboration with Cellino leverages “the strengths of both organizations” and that pairing Cellino’s Nebula platform and Karis Bio’s vessel regeneration technology will “pave the way for the next generation of patient-specific cardiovascular disease therapies.” Last year, Cellino received $25 million in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Department of Health and Human Services to support Nebula’s development Copyright © 2025 Sage Publications or its affiliates including those for text and data mining and training of large language models Vice President Mike Pence said Putin "only understands power." About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:37 am)Ukraine's drones target Moscow second night in a row, Russian official claims, ahead of Victory Day parade. Debris from one of the drones reportedly fell on the Kashirskoye Highway The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce."  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysisFrance is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin The number includes 1,430 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" by Benjamin Nathans which covers dissent in the Soviet Union and Russia today Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 5 announced they had facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash's escape from Russia to France after she fled house arrest on April 21 A Russian drone attack on Odesa Oblast on May 5 killed one and caused damage to local infrastructure "We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" U.S Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5 by Abbey FenbertU.S and Estonian president Alar Karis arrive at the funeral of Pope Francis in St President Donald Trump has promised not to withdraw as a mediator in Russia's war against Ukraine Estonian President Alar Karis told the regional media outlet ERR on April 26 Karis said he spoke with Trump directly following the funeral of Pope Francis. Various world leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky convened in Vatican City to attend the ceremony Karis, who sat next to Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during the funeral, said he asked Trump directly about the progress of the peace talks. According to Karis, Trump promised that the U.S. would continue to work towards a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia "I asked him how the peace process was going and asked him to do everything to ensure that the process continued, so that the U.S. did not withdraw (from the peace process)," Karis told ERR "He promised to do so and said that we were quite close to a solution since he had just met with Zelensky." Karis said he did not press Trump closely on the details of his meeting with Zelensky Trump and Zelensky held a "productive" meeting in St. Peter's Basilica following the funeral ceremony — their first in-person encounter since their heated argument at the White House in February While both sides praised the April 26 meeting as constructive neither party disclosed the details of the leaders' conversation Following the meeting in the Vatican, Trump wrote on social media that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not seem interested in ending the war and suggested the U.S. may need to impose additional sanctions on Moscow Trump in recent days has said he believes Ukraine and Russia will reach a ceasefire agreement "very soon," though the deal reportedly proposed by the U.S. would entail significant concessions from Ukraine, including potentially recognizing the Russian annexation of Crimea Trump's optimistic remarks come after he threatened to withdraw from the peace process altogether citing impatience with both Russian and Ukrainian leadership in comments to reporters on April 18 Karis said that in addition to promising to stay involved in peace negotiations Trump discussed U.S.-European relations and agreed it was a priority "We also talked about transatlantic relations not only from a European but also from an American point of view So we need to think about how to make these relations better," Karis said Karis invited Trump to visit Estonia, and was in turn invited to Washington, he said. Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker What happens if US soldiers withdraw from Europe, especially from the Baltic countries? And how safe are those Baltic states, given that they all neighbor Russia? DW put these and other questions to Estonia's President Alar Karis. Karis Orthodontics, located in Lewisville, is slated to open in April. (Courtesy Adobe Stock) Colby joined Community Impact in July 2022. He covers transportation and real estate for the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Prior to joining CI, he worked for student newspapers at Del Mar College and The University of Texas at Arlington while attending school. In his spare time, Colby enjoys playing guitar, writing music and camping. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas brings the ball upcourt against Burrell during a game in January. Thomas collides with Burrell’s Leah Waldsmith during a game in January. Thomas (front, center) celebrates scoring her 1,000th career point with teammates Dec. 1. Little did she know she was on the brink of scoring 1,000 points Thomas was leading the Bulldogs girls basketball team against Berlin Brothersvalley in a close notching her 1,000th career points in her third year of high school hoops Her teammates and coaches had kept it a secret so they could see her reaction “She was genuinely surprised when it happened,” coach Jonna Burke said “She didn’t know how close she was It was really nice to see the look on her face of genuine relief and happiness with all of her teammates It was a really cool thing to happen to a really good person.” who averaged 16.1 points per game last season was glad to be able to celebrate the moment with her teammates and coaches “I feel like I’m truly blessed just to have the teammates and the coaching staff and just that support system,” said Thomas “I was just really happy at that moment to celebrate it with my teammates and my coaches.” Thomas was confused at first while her teammates were laughing trying to wait for the right moment to tell her of the milestone just telling me how proud they were of me,” Thomas said but it was just a really good moment.” The great moments with her teammates didn’t end there as they treated her to a bacon cheeseburger with chips and a birthday cake milkshake at Burgatory afterward “She’s somebody that is welcoming She is somebody that they can always talk to She is someone they can hang out with if they need somebody to sit with at lunch,” Burke said and she is definitely a leader by example.” Burke said Thomas lets her abilities do the talking “Her most important quality is that she literally makes everybody around her better,” Burke said of Thomas who is averaging 25.7 points through three games “I’ve coached a really long time but the unique thing about her is being in that point guard spot the way that she really dictates everything for us Burke said Thomas stands out with her attitude is never in a bad mood and remains mentally steady “I’m really thankful for Coach Burke,” Thomas said “She’s really like a second parent to me and everything She’ll text us late at night or early in the morning and I’m just really blessed to have a coach like Coach Burke.” Thomas also said she is grateful for her grandparents “Ever since both of my parents passed away they stepped up and they took full responsibility for me and my sister,” Thomas said “I’m just really blessed to have them in my life to be able to raise me and take me to practices and games.” She has relished the support of her older sister “The reason I’m so thankful for her is because she has always been there for me especially when our mom and dad passed away,” Thomas said “She acts more like a mother figure to me than a sister and she always checks on me to make sure I’m good back at home.” Thomas carries qualities from each of her parents something that runs in her mom’s side of the family She also has an interest in sports marketing which comes from watching basketball and building a bond with her father and I’ve been watching LeBron James ever since in Miami,” Thomas said “We would watch every game he played with my dad in the living room all the time so LeBron James is a very inspirational figure to me His work ethic and leadership on the court is just amazing to watch.” Thomas has developed into a leader for her team Burke said she is proud of Thomas has grown into someone her teammates look up to “She’s very soft spoken and very humble and modest,” Burke said and she is somebody that really deserves to have success … She’s the heart and soul of our team is really exciting because it just leaves the door open for her to become the all-time leading scorer at Shady Side Academy.” Shady Side Academy captured its first WPIAL title last season and Thomas said the team chemistry is what makes them so special “We have a really strong bond that no one can break at all,” Thomas said and we take that with us anywhere and everywhere we go and play We have to do everything for each other.” Burke said it’s a natural progression that Thomas will keep on leading the team “I just look forward to getting to be her coach for the next year and a half,” Burke said “I am so lucky to be able to do that and just watch all of the things that she’s done observing all that she’s already accomplished There is still a lot in store for her.” who started 3-0 after wins against Belle Vernon “I just want to get better 1% every day and just keep having fun,” Thomas said basketball gave me many blessings and opportunities It allowed me to meet different players and coaches I’m just going to keep having fun.” If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas reacts after hitting a 3-pointer against Greensburg Central Catholic on Jan. 9. to lead top-seeded Shady Side Academy to a 69-33 win over No 12 Ellwood City in the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball semifinals Saturday at North Allegheny Leah Buford added 10 points for Shady Side Academy (24-0) 2 Greensburg Central Catholic in the championship game at 7 p.m Caitlin Kreitzer and Kayla Jones scored 10 points each for Ellwood City (15-9) Thomas Jefferson 43 – Natalie Wetzel scored 15 points and Daniela Radulovich added 13 points as No 2 Peters Township (22-3) overcame a slow start to defeat No 6 Thomas Jefferson (20-5) in the Class 5A semifinals at Mt 1 South Fayette in Friday’s championship game Taylor McCullough added 12 points for Peters Township which trailed 17-8 after the first quarter Maggie Spell scored 12 points to lead Thomas Jefferson Mars 32 – In the Class 5A semifinals at Mt Lailah Wright scored 17 points and Ryan Oldaker added 14 points as top-seeded South Fayette (24-1) advanced to Friday’s championship game by defeating No Juliette Leroux chipped in 10 points for South Fayette Beaver 49 – Aierra Jenkins scored 13 points and Miya Harris and Taylor Schwertfeger each added 11 as No 5 Beaver (17-7) in a Class 4A consolation game to clinch a state title berth Central Valley 42 – Bella Stromberg and Nika Contakos scored 13 points apiece and Hayley Bennett added 10 to lead No 6 South Park (17-6) to a Class 4A consolation victory The Eagles clinched a PIAA playoff berth and will meet No 8 Laurel Highlands in the fifth-place game Nyah Hayes scored 20 points and Izzy Miller added 15 for No Aquinas Academy 35 – Courtney Wallace had 20 points 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead top-seeded Neighborhood Academy (23-1) past No 4 Aquinas Academy (18-6) in the Class A semifinals at North Allegheny Syncer Nicholson had 17 points and hit four 3-pointers for Neighborhood Academy while teammate Shamar Simpson added 16 points and three 3-pointers Jake Guillen paced Aquinas Academy with 16 points while Sam Duer added 14 points 2 Serra Catholic in Thursday’s championship game Nazareth Prep 45 – Owen Dumbroski scored 26 points to lead No 2 Serra Catholic (21-3) to a Class A semifinal win over No.3 Nazareth Prep (18-5) at Peters Township Mark Johnson added 10 points for the Eagles Leon Harrison led Nazareth Prep with 12 points and Michael Keyes contributed 10 points Northgate 47 – Brady O’Rourke sank five 3-pointers on his way to 24 points as No 1 Greensburg Central Catholic (22-3) beat No 5 Northgate (14-11) in a Class 2A consolation matchup Liam Gallagher also hit five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points Tarpley added 13 points for the Centurions Northgate was paced by Anthony Barron’s 15 points 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the fifth-place game Chartiers-Houston 45 – Tiernan McCullough scored 17 points Jake Johnson added 16 and Vann Kavals finished with 13 to power No 6 OLSH (19-6) to a Class 2A consolation victory If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase Pittsburgh Union Progress A year after winning a WPIAL title in Class 2A Greensburg Central Catholic is a win away from doing the same in Class 3A Erica Gribble scored a game-high 16 points and No sparkled defensively on its way to a 41-18 win against No 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal Saturday at Peters Township will shoot for its seventh title overall when it takes on No 1 and defending champion Shady Side Academy (24-0) in Thursday’s final at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center twice in the regular season by 29 and 9 points OLSH (21-4) was looking to reach its first final since 2022 shot just 33% from the field (17 of 51) and finished with their fourth-lowest point total of the season But if the saying “defense wins championships” holds much weight the Centurions have to like where they are at defensively heading into the championship game “We only gave up two field goals in the last three quarters which came into the game having won 12 of 13 The Chargers shot just 13% from the field (5 of 38) were held to six or fewer points in each quarter and at one point went more than 20 minutes without a field goal Following Sara Daeschner’s basket two minutes into the second quarter OLSH didn’t convert another field goal until Claudia Ierullo’s 3-point play with 1:19 remaining in the game Greensburg Central Catholic outscored the Chargers Avery Jones (14 points) and Jayla Peterson (10 points) combined to score all but one of Greensburg C.C.’s points A Richmond recruit and one of the WPIAL’s top players but was held to 6 points below her average as she was the focus of the defensive game plan of OLSH coach Don Eckerle And he junked a lot,” Skatell said of Eckerle Ierullo scored a team-best 7 points for OLSH which went 8 of 12 from the free-throw line • In one of the best individual performances in WPIAL playoff history Karis Thomas knocked down nine 3-pointers and scored a career-high 46 points to help No 1 and defending champion Shady Side Academy (24-0) remain unbeaten following a 69-33 win against No a junior guard averaging 18 points per game Leah Buford (10 points) was the only other player to score in double figures for Shady Side which played without second-leading scorer Cassie Sauer (injured) after one quarter and held a 37-13 lead at the half Caitlyn Kreitzer and Kayla Jones scored 10 points apiece for Ellwood City 4 Keystone Oaks in the first two rounds to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1995 1 and three-time defending champion South Fayette (24-1) raced to a big early lead before coasting to a 67-32 win against No after one quarter and took a 36-7 lead to the half Lailah Wright scored 15 of her game-high 17 points in the first half for South Fayette Ryan Oldaker added 14 points and Juju Leroux chipped in 10 The Lions defeated Mars in regular-season section play by 45 and 36 points Alexis Cashdollar scored 9 points for Mars The Planets had won 5 of 6 and were playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2016 2 Peters Township (22-3) advanced to its first final since 2019 by holding off section rival and No 6 Thomas Jefferson (20-5) for the third time this season Wetzel’s 3-pointer with just over a minute left snapped a 41-41 tie and Peters Township held on to win for the ninth time in its last 10 games Freshman Taylor McCullough connected on three 3-pointers and scored all 12 of her points in the second half for the Indians who also got 13 points from Daniela Radulovich Thomas Jefferson held a 24-22 lead at the half before Peters Township surged ahead who led Shady Side Academy to the WPIAL Class 3A title last season but only 3 of those came in the second half Peters Township defeated Thomas Jefferson by scores of 52-39 and 58-49 in the regular season Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette « Back Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores past Deer Lakes’ Tessa Hollibaugh during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas shoots a 3-pointer against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Deer Lakes’ Tessa Hollibaugh battles Shady Side Academy’s Becca Schriver for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Deer Lakes’ Olivia Ryan (left) and Bella Burk battle Shady Side Academy’s Becca Schriver for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford battles Deer Lakes’ Josie Farster for a rebound during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer battles for a rebound against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Cameron Capel shoots a 3-pointer against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy head coach Jonna Burke talks with Cameron Capel during their game against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer scores against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford scores against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Cassie Sauer added nine points and Cameron Capel had eight for the Bulldogs (12-0 Laurel 34 – Aunesty Johnson scored 24 points and Carla Brown followed with 11 for Aliquippa (9-2 Shyan Tindall scored 12 points for Laurel (4-8 Central Valley 39 – Ava Wright scored 18 points and Annsley Baker added 14 points to help Beaver (9-2 Mohawk 31 – Taylor Pullen (28) and Dreaven Haskins (25) combined for 53 points to lead Beaver Falls (5-3 Burgettstown 41 – Brooke Cornali scored 21 points and Olivia Kemp added 16 for Fort Cherry (9-2 Mars 43 – Jaedin Griggs (22) and Maria Depner (20) each cracked the 20-point mark to lead Moon (6-4 Freedom 15 – Payton Newman scored 18 points and Jaidon Nogay added 12 to lead Neshannock (10-2 Sophia Bonner and Maddie Arrow each added 10 for the Lancers Highlands 42 – Brady Wehner scored 22 points to lead North Catholic (10-2 Tyarah Woody scored 27 points and Bella Bonnett chipped in 10 for Highlands (2-9 Riverside 41 – Claudia Ierullo scored 19 points and Leah Parker added 12 for OLSH (10-2 Gabriella Finch scored 12 points and Emma Meyer finished with 11 for Riverside (7-6 North Hills 43 – Cate Gentile scored 27 points to power Pine-Richland (4-8 Delaney Amato had 18 points and Gia Minton added 11 for North Hills (3-8 Shenango 19 – Led by 17 points from Marque Taylor and 14 from Tia Yellock Butler 52 (OT) – Gracie Cato scored 23 points and Reece McFadden added 21 to power Seneca Valley (8-4 New Castle 29 – Ryan Oldaker scored 16 points and Luci LaMendola added 11 to help South Fayette (12-1 Montour 38 – Breana Grubba hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and Emma Ruperto added 10 points to send West Allegheny (8-3 Elizabeth Forward 2 – Brian Kalanish scored twice and Kamil Nurulin and Aidan Malay each had a goal and an assist to lead Bishop Canevin (8-5) to a Division 2 win had a goal and an assist and Riley Wright also scored for Elizabeth Forward (7-6) Greensburg Salem 0 – Darien Strosnider scored twice Richie Francis had a goal and an assist and Matt Colberg made 32 saves to lead Chartiers Valley (11-1) past Greensburg Salem (4-9) in Class A Baldwin 2 – Tucker Cullen had two goals and an assist Hayden Ferra added a goal and two assists and Liam Wiseman and Dominic Casile each had a goal and an assist for Fox Chapel (8-2-1) in Class 2A James Williams and Jeremy Pollard scored for Baldwin (3-9-1) Freeport 2 (OT) – Joey Stephenson’s second goal of the game was the overtime winner to lift Hampton (6-9) to a Class A victory Bantam Semanko scored a pair of third-period goals for Freeport (3-11-1) to force overtime Aiden Bauman and Landen Kozma assisted on both Butler 4 – Xavier Bossola scored four goals Ethan DaSilva added a pair and Jack Weaver and Ethan Vactor each had a goal and an assist to lead Mars (12-3) to a Class A win Seamus Griffith had a hat trick for Butler (2-8-3) Central Valley 1 – Sam Mezzanotte had two goals and an assist Kent Jones provided a goal and three assists and Brady Liguore added a goal and an assist to lead Neshannock (9-3-1) to a Division 2 victory Treyton Palocsik scored for Central Valley (4-9) Peters Township 0 – Aiden Ziolkowski scored the game’s only goal with 33 seconds left in regulation and Hayden Baych made 24 saves to lead Mt Ethan Williams made 29 saves for Peters Township (3-8-1) West Allegheny 2 – Bryce Radeke scored twice Miles Robinson collected a goal and two assists and Lukas Hixon had a goal and an assist to lead North Catholic (11-3) to a Class A win Maddox Luketic and John Wineland scored for West Allegheny (5-7) Hempfield 5 (SO) – Joey Vecchio scored twice and Zayn Zeravica added a goal and an assist to power Norwin (2-10) to a shootout win in Class 2A Mats Martz scored twice for Hempfield (3-7-1) Kiski 0 – Colby Bartos scored twice and Nick Majors collected a goal and three assists to lead Plum (8-6) past Kiski (0-13-1) in Class A Luca Lapiana had a goal and two assists and Tyler Bresso and Tyler Bartos each added a goal and an assist for Plum Meadville 2 – Max Modrovich scored twice Jacob Keisel added a goal and an assist and Hunter Kronk and Jace Vasbinder also scored to lead Quaker Valley (15-0) to a Class A win Ryan Yunik scored twice for Meadville (5-8) Knoch 3 – Landon Vacarro and Caden Doran had two goals and two assists apiece and Benito Pesi added a goal and three assists to power Ringgold (10-4) to a Division 2 win Mick Ritts and Synjun McHattie each had a goal and an assist for Knoch (6-5-2) Thomas Jefferson 5 – Robert Chiapetta scored the game-winning goal in the third period and added three assists to lead South Fayette (7-4-1) to a Class 3A win Trevor Dalessandro had two goals and an assist and Nathaniel Keller also scored twice for South Fayette Liam Mahoney had two goals and an assist and Lucas Blose collected a goal and two assists for Thomas Jefferson (6-9) Wilmington 1 – Seamus Coyle had a goal and an assist Cole Johnson and Colt Jones also scored and Cydney Mathers made 24 saves to help Trinity (4-9-1) to a Division 2 win Alex Rodgers scored and Craig Patterson made 29 saves for Wilmington (1-10-1) Roundup of Tuesday’s high school sports action from the Greater Spokane League two runs and four stolen bases and the visiting Bullpups (3-1 Zach Wetmore led Shadle Park with a hit and two RBIs Mead 1: Connor Moffitt hit a three-run double in the fifth inning and the Wildcats (3-0 Brayten Ayers and Reece Chimineti combined on a one-hitter for Mt three RBIs and two runs and the Bears (2-1 Tanner Marsalis added two hits and two RBIs for CV Lewis and Clark 4: Mikey Macall had two hits two stolen bases and picked up the save and the Falcons (1-3 Kyle Wilkinson led LC with three hits and an RBI Ferris 5: Logan Spradling went 3 for 4 with a triple Luke Warner went 2 for 4 with an RBI for Ferris Clarkston 9: Vaughn Holstad and Cash McCann collected three RBIs apiece and the Greyhounds (4-0 Rogers 1: Eric Wylie allowed one run over 6⅔ innings and struck out six and the visiting Tigers (3-1) beat the Pirates (0-7) Logenn Storer had two hits with a run for Rogers University 4: Addison Jay went 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs and struck out 13 in a 6⅔ innings and the Wildcats (6-0 Ashlyn Carver hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Titans Lewis and Clark 12: Sophia Salsburg went 3 for 4 with a double and four RBIs and the Bears (2-3 Izzy Heister had two hits with a homer and four RBIs for LC Ferris 4: Lilley Triplett went 3 for 3 with a homer and four RBIs and the visiting Falcons (3-2 Cadence Hyndman went 3 for 3 with an RBI for the Saxons Jill Buchmann had four RBIs and the Panthers (5-0 3-0) defeated the visiting Highlanders (2-3 McKenzie Duncan drove in a pair of runs for Shadle East Valley 5: Kapri Bailey had two hits and three RBIs and the visiting Stags (4-0 Shelby Swanson batted in three runs for the Knights West Valley 4: Taylor Cromie homered in the top of the seventh for an insurance run and the visiting Greyhounds (2-2 North Central 0: Veyah Craven struck out eighth in a no-hitter and and the Bantams (3-1 Rogers 2: Prestyn Gardner went 3 for 6 with a grand slam and six RBIs and the Tigers (3-1) topped the Pirates (0-2) Rogers 1: Juan Najera had a goal and an assist and the visiting Wolfpack (2-4-1 Josiah Torres scored in the 70th minute for the Pirates Deer Park 0: Weston Fracz scored twice and the Knights (3-3 Charles LaSalle of Ferris defeated Tiernan Waggoner 7-5 Ethan Hatzke/Nolar Lemberg of Gonzaga Prep swept Luke Roland/Tacen Cobb 6-4 LC’s Tate Thatcher beat Jackson Hieb in No LC’s Myles Delaney/Simeon Kolarsky defeated Luke Fredekind/Kellen Long in No U-Hi’s Nicollo Gentile swept Jacob Estock 6-2 U-Hi’s Riley Yates/Mike Coe defeated Reece Higbee/Dallin David 6-0 CV’s Sam Benedetti defeated Isaac Hewa 4-6 CV’s Tyson Shelby/Emmett Noakes beat Jacen Phillips/Kanoa Beckley 7-5 Mead’s Peter Farley defeated Tony Gomez 6-0 Mead’s Bryce Lynd/Josh Knaggs beat Kye Hill-Roy/Ethan Stewart 6-0 EV’s Joe Moughan defeated Arthur Wedge 6-0 Rogers’ Eli Borders/Jahan Terrells beat Mason Comstock/Darren Shelley 6-2 Pullman’s Nathan Sutton swept Gabe Duenas 6-2 Pullman’s Reed Newell/Mir Park beat Marvin Cojoch/Makai Love 6-3 U-Hi’s Kailee Alteneder defeated Madison Anderson 6-0 U-Hi’s Annie Gubler/Kiara Henderson beat Victoria Baycroft/Leah Pettet 6-4 Shadle Park 0: Mead’s Lexi Mattox swept Dani Cozzetto 6-2 Mead’s Julia Benton/Addy Oglesbee beat Milla Harrington/Emma Stewart 6-3 Lewis and Clark at Ridgeline: At Ridgeline LC’s Daphne Rabinovitch defeated Gianna Longo 6-1 LC’s Charlotte Burns/Sophia Dibble beat Mia Longo/Stella Taylor 7-5 G-Prep’s Devyn Pirwitz defeated Annika Rossow 7-5 G-Prep’s Emma Sandberg/Molly Davidson swept Michelle Chen/Hannah Coulson 6-3 EV’s Ava Adolfson/Dahlia Autrey beat Peyton Remmington/Ella Makarova 0-6 Pullman’s Rhoda Wang swept Ava Dalton (NC) 6-0 NC’s Abby Liezen/Emma Pell defeated Daun Park/Azriah Seeber 6-4 Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get the day’s top sports headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox by subscribing here © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores off a steal past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jayla Peterson on Jan. 9. Karis Thomas and Maggie Spell made for an awesome backcourt that helped Shady side Academy first become a district runner-up in 2023 leaving Thomas as the focus of opposing teams’ game plans to Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game After scoring 16 points in a PIAA first-round win over Cranberry 21 points in a second-round victory over Northwestern and 17 points as the Bulldogs ousted Camp Hill Trinity in the state quarterfinals Thomas led the way again with 21 points as Shady Side Academy punched its ticket to Chocolate Town with a victory over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the state semifinals Background: Thomas is wrapping up her junior year but is already getting interest to continue her basketball career in college she is considering all her options from a major standpoint but has thought about nursing or sports management While basketball has been her focus in high school softball was her favorite sport when she was young Her older sister Randi played high school basketball at Washington Her father Randy was a multi-sport athlete whose favorite sport was baseball Thomas scored 401 points during the regular season She has been the Bulldogs’ leading scorer in all seven district and state playoff games including a 46-point performance in a WPIAL 3A semifinal victory over Ellwood City What coach says: “I could tell that Karis really wanted that game,” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said about her performance against OLSH in the district semifinals She stepped up her game which has already been at an elevated level.” “She is just remarkable,” Burke said “The things she can do with the ball aren’t typical for high school players which allows her to push the ball and control the ball like no one I’ve ever coached before She is quick to get in lanes and to help on defense “She has improved defensively from her sophomore year leading our team in steals,” Burke said “But probably the most significant area of improvement is just her belief in herself which has really allowed her to have more confidence “Karis has been a leader on this team since she was a freshman,” Burke said “Her abilities on the court make her a natural leader 2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Players of the Week Week 1 – Oumou “Mimi” Thiero This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Love Island winner Josh Oyinsan has gone public with girlfriend Love Island series 11 winner Josh Oyinsan, who picked up the trophy with Mimii Ngulube, has gone public with his new girlfriend, R&B singer Jaz Karis. Josh was a late arrival on last year's summer series of the ITV dating show, but found a connection with Mimii, who eventually went on to win the show and scoop up a cash prize of £50,000. The 30-year-old football player and his ex Mimii split just weeks after leaving the villa, but he appears to be loved-up with the 'Safe Flight' singer. Taking to Instagram, Josh posted a carousel of images from a romantic Paris trip. In one of them was an image of Jaz looking at some delicious pastries, confirming the relationship rumours. She also commented a love heart emoji underneath his post, and similarly posted some snaps from Paris. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Josh Oyinsan (@joshoyinsan26) Jaz is a singer/songwriter who released her first song in 2017 and has continued to create music releasing her debut album 'Safe Flight' in 2024 The duo have hard-launched their relationship and we are here for it This means Uma Jammeh and Wil Anderson are the only remaining couple from season 11 See more Latest Music News Tickets members of the Hardin girls track team were involved in a minor car accident days before the Class A state track and field meet A few bumps and bruises were primarily the result though a side airbag deployed and caused a hairline fracture in the left shoulder of Karis Brightwings-Pease The decorated then-freshman battled through the pain just days later but wasn’t able to defend her state titles in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs It was just hard,” Brightwings-Pease said in response to what was the most difficult part of the state weekend “I couldn’t run normal and all my hard work went out the door “Just so proud of how they handled the situation and came out and performed the way they did despite everything that happened,” Hardin head coach Cindy Farmer said Brightwings-Pease said she’s feeling like she’s back to her old self now She went through the rigors training once again this summer including taking a stab at the Montana Mile Then my arm started hurting,” Brightwings-Pease said As lofty as the expectations are surrounding Brightwings-Pease and her teammates who are in search of a third consecutive team cross country title the boys are holding themselves to a high standard Sophomore Ben Bird set a Class A record in the 1,600 in the spring and is hoping he and his teammates can ride that momentum to a successful fall I think I’m doing more this year than last year Kind of setting the tone for the team,” Bird said “Every year we come in with high expectations but we take it one meet at a time and one practice at a time And (Bird) pushes these guys,” Farmer said because he knows to be successful as a team what we need.” The Bulldogs will be hoping to leave Missoula with more hardware at the state cross country meet in late October As BRIT school graduate and South London native Jaz Karis reveals her long-awaited debut album she opens up to Kayleigh Watson about broadening her horizons and baring her heart this pause in her hometown is quite a feat and it has been two weeks since she touched down on British asphalt following a sojourn in Los Angeles where she was shooting the music video for her next single; prior to that she was playing a gig during a pitstop in her favourite city ones well earned following a decade of hard graft in the music industry She is currently cocooning before the release of first long-player SAFE FLIGHT she can’t help but question whether she’s ready to put out her long-awaited debut I’ve been dying to do it and I think I deserve to do it.” Growing up singing in a gospel choir where she was the only child vying for a solo in a room full of adults Karis went on to study at London’s prestigious BRIT School whose alumni include Adele BRITs set her up for the “real world” as an artist and introduced her to her band half of whom she still performs with to this day Four EPs and seven years since the release of her debut collection Into The Wilderness it’s fair to say that she has paid her dues “I definitely feel like I’ve taken the stairs instead of the lift or the elevator; I’m very proud of myself for sticking to my guns and I’m very glad I didn’t just sign a deal straight after [Into The Wilderness],” she says it’s like listening to my younger self – the way I wrote was very raw we’re always trying to get back to that point because you wasn’t thinking so calculated It made waves and it was my most honest self.” While her hometown of South London inspired Karis' tales in her earliest work – including the reflective R&B of 2018’s viral track “Petty Lover” – the itch for adventure became impossible to ignore and jetting around the globe becam a process of self-discovery “I think I needed that in order to make better music.” It was during this time that Karis realised she was missing a trick by not discussing her new and while the title SAFE FLIGHT makes perfect sense in the present settling on the concept for her long-dreamt for debut album proved tricky “Why am I not talking about the fact that I’m a girl from South London potentially moving her life across the world That’s really what the album is,” she says and peers was never too far away – so much so that their well-wishes encapsulated all the feelings Karis was struggling to surmise “I realised that the one thing my mum and my friends [would say] every time was just wishing me a ‘safe flight’ It embodies the whole message of the album.” Karis challenges herself to take bigger leaps A move to Ghana – a culture where “you party until the sun comes up” – revealed an “outside” part of her she didn’t know she loved SAFE FLIGHT doesn’t just mean landing securely; it symbolises the ascent of her career and the broadening reach of her music as well as seeking the unfamiliar – all while having faith that what is meant for her will not miss her The music in question has seen Karis traverse sub-genres as diverse as afrobeats and gospel, amapiano and hip hop, pop and R&B. Recent single, “Tequila”, imbued with sludgy bass and smatterings of saxophone, captures the heated intimacy of an island romance. The accompanying video shooting in the Caribbean felt like coming home “There’s nowhere like it on Earth,” she says This penchant for sentimentality is woven throughout SAFE FLIGHT with each song serving as a snapshot of a bigger picture and this time was actually a really nice feeling of butterflies when you feel like you’re falling for someone but it’s exciting,” Karis explains of the track “It’s that great little buzz you have when you realise you’re actually catching feelings for somebody.” Featuring Nigerian sensation Reekado Banks “Tequila” is but one of a clutch of collaborations that appear on SAFE FLIGHT and document the connections Karis has made around the world In this instance and as a big fan of his work Banks featuring on “Tequila” was an act of near manifestation for Karis he was my alarm clock for about a year before!” she laughs “I had his song on repeat – my friends were sick of me – but I didn’t know him.” Her executive producer contacted her to say Banks was keen to get involved “He said ‘Reekado’ and I genuinely screamed I couldn’t believe it – it was such a full circle moment.” At the opposite end of sentimentality, the slinky seduction of “Met You At The Bar” captures the frivolity of an intense opportunistic fling – something Karis had a lot of fun embellishing with her lyrics This [track] in particular was actually about the same person I ended up writing ‘Tequila’ about and it was just how we met.” Featuring the smooth vocal of Tone Stith perhaps best known for the murky R&B of “FWM” Karis was surprised when he turned out an energy opposite to that she expected – one which captures the suspicion and lack of attachment in modern “[People would] rather hurt you before they get hurt – which was really raw and honest.” It was a sentiment Karis could relate to at a time when she was only tentatively stepping back into the dating world herself “Being a lover girl out here is a bit scary – no one is actually trying to commit So it was actually fun and insightful to hear his perspective as a man.” Fittingly, a woman’s perspective on dating gets plenty of airtime on the Mahalia-featuring “Nice Girls”. Echoing the dreamy, whimsical acoustics of SZA, the track was written in a moment where Karis “really wanted to vent. I wanted a song the same way ‘Petty Love’ was for the girls where they feel heard, and they can relate.” Having the chance to reflect has given Karis space to consider her own role within her relationships. Following on from aptly-titled album-opener, “Nostalgia”, the gospel-R&B fusion of “LYTM” – or "Love You That Much" – contemplates the conflicting emotions that came with the ending of a long-term relationship. “It was putting the listener’s head in the mindspace I was in, making them feel vulnerable, a bit unsure, reminiscent. Because I didn’t want to lie – I was not in a healthy or secure place when I started making all of these songs,” Karis says. “‘Nostalgia’ was the last one made, so it was very reflective on where I ended. I think our minds embellish the nostalgia, because sometimes it was actually not that good – we just make it feel like that.” And while romance hashas a stronghold on SAFE FLIGHT, the album takes opportunity to celebrate multitudes of love – especially that of friendship, which is easy to take for granted. Perhaps the most sensitive track on the album, “Water (Interlude)” plays with cyclical strings and harmonies before giving way to a vulnerable voice note left by Karis’ friend – one that brought her to tears. I ask Karis if she finds it difficult to write about love and, without hesitation, she says it’s the opposite. “It’s like free therapy. It’s actually a very freeing experience, the more vulnerable I get, the more relatable it seems to be – like the more passionate or the more heightened the feeling is. “‘Petty Lover’, ‘Soweto Blues’, ‘Side Of You’ – all of them have been written in a place of pure, raw honesty of what I was feeling,” she continues. “I don't even think about it – I just loved the songs because it was like I was talking to myself. It’s nice for me, I just feel bad for the people I’ve written about! SAFE FLIGHT is released on 20 September via MNRK Music Group Get the Best Fit take on the week in music direct to your inbox every Friday Quaker Valley’s Keira Watson scores against Eden Christian Academy on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Eden. Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero scores against Eden Christian Academy on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Eden. Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero plays against Eden Christian Academy on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Eden. Quaker Valley’s Keira Watson battles Eden Christian Academy’s Emmie Smith for possession during their game on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Eden. Quaker Valley’s Keira Watson shoots a three-pointer against Eden Christian Academy on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Eden. Laila Banner added 11 for the Bulldogs (3-0) Thomas now has 1,040 career points after cracking the 1,000 mark in a win over Berlin Brothersvalley on Sunday Isabella Niles scored 12 points and Mary Vargo and Lynsey Bernotas had 11 points apiece for the Highlanders (0-1) Charleroi 15 – Callie Dorsey scored 11 points for Beth-Center (2-1) in a nonsection win over Charleroi (0-3) Northgate 19 – Led by 18 points from Isabella Sysak and 16 from Kya Cooley Bishop Canevin (2-0) picked up a nonsection win Cassidy Auth scored 11 for Northgate (0-2) Brentwood 19 – Ava Capozzoli scored nine points for Chartiers-Houston (2-0) in a nonsection win over Brentwood (0-1) Washington 36 – Delaney Sturgeon scored 20 points and Caitlin Kreitzer and Kayla Jones added 17 points apiece to lead Ellwood City (1-1) to a nonsection win Olivia Woods scored nine points for Washington (1-1) Berlin Brothersvalley 50 – Erica Gribble led with 24 points Jayla Pederson followed with 14 and Avery Jones added 10 for Greensburg Central Catholic (2-1) in a nonsection win Coral Prosser scored 21 points for Berlin Brothersvalley (1-2) Valley 32 – Harper Gibbons scored 16 points and Ellie Klocko added 12 to lead Hampton (3-0) to a nonsection win Janelle Norman scored 12 points for Valley (1-3) Franklin Regional 26 – Julia Antonucci led Indiana (2-1) with 12 points and Emily Betsinger contributed eight in a nonsection win over Franklin Regional (0-2) Knoch 27 – Naomi Venesky scored 21 points and Brooklyn Taylor added 10 to lead Karns City to a nonsection win Jefferson-Morgan 25 – Nicole Barerra and Makenna Lotspeich scored 12 points apiece to lead Mapletown (2-2) to a nonsection win Leighana Gooden scored eight points for Jefferson-Morgan (0-3) Lincoln Park 38 – Claudia Ierullo scored 22 points and Lola Gardner delivered 17 to help OLSH (2-0) to a nonsection win Patty Weselowski scored 13 for Lincoln Park (2-1) Neighborhood Academy 15 – Jasmin Smith scored 10 points for Propel Braddock Hills (1-0) in a nonsection win over Neighborhood Academy (0-1) Nazareth Prep 10 – KaNiyah Barbour scored 17 points to lead Propel Montour (1-1) to a win Lauri Jones led Nazareth Prep (0-2) with eight points Eden Christian 14 – Mimi Thiero scored 20 points and Keira Watson followed with 15 to lead Quaker Valley (1-2) to a nonsection win over Eden Christian (0-2) Springdale 33 – Katerina Tsambis scored 23 points and Lily Bauer added 11 to lead Riverview (1-0) to a nonsection win Ashlyn Ferderbar scored 17 points for Springdale (0-4) Moniteau 27 – Emma Eannarino led Sewickley Academy (1-1) with 23 points in a nonsection win Alyssa Thompson scored 11 points for Moniteau Pine-Richland 22 – Juliette Leroux scored 17 points Ryan Oldaker had 12 and Lailah Wright added 10 to lead South Fayette (3-0) to a nonsection win Catherine Gentile scored 10 points for Pine-Richland (0-1) Derry 21 – Olivia Aumer scored 19 points to lead Southmoreland (1-1) past Derry (0-1) in a nonsection win Gia Richter followed with 20 and Bella Bartolovic added 10 in a nonsection win Tyarah Woody scored 27 points for Highlands (0-2) Frazier 52 – Peyton Cowell scored 21 points Avery Davis had 14 and Mya Smith added 11 to lead Waynesburg (1-1) to a nonsection win Allie Yauch scored 16 points and Clea Bozek had 10 for Frazier (0-2) South Allegheny 10 – Hailey Bock scored 11 points for Yough (3-1) in a nonsection win over South Allegheny (0-2) Leechburg 50 – Sam Duer scored 22 points and Jake Guillen followed with 21 to lead Aquinas Academy (1-1) to a nonsection win Mason Scitticat scored 19 points and Jake Cummings had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for Leechburg (1-3) Beaver Falls 32 – Isaiah Jeter scored 13 points and Ryan Conti had 10 to lead Central Valley (2-0) to a nonsection win Braylon Pitts scored 13 points for Beaver Falls (0-4) Derry 60 – Carson Kane scored 24 points and Bryson Paga added 18 to power Freeport (1-1) to a nonsection win Mike Graczyk added 12 for the Yellowjackets Stan Rajkovich scored 23 points and John Wasnick added 18 for Derry (1-1) Berlin Brothersvalley 39 – Liam Gallagher scored 13 points and Samir Crosby and AJ Tarpley each added 12 as Greensburg Central Catholic (1-0) opened its season with a nonsection win over Berlin Brothersvalley Hopewell 53 – Drew Wrona led with 26 points Bobby Fadden followed with 21 and Joey Nail added 10 for Mohawk (1-0) in a nonsection win Zach Kovell scored 13 points for Hopewell (2-2) Clairton 71 – Noah Kaszer scored 26 points Nick Trklja had 15 and Kane Eggerton added 14 to lead Thomas Jefferson (2-2) to a nonsection win Taris Wooding scored 19 points and Brandon Murphy had 16 for Clairton (0-1) Ellwood City 40 – Tristan Reed scored 19 points to lead Washington (1-1) to a nonsection win William Callan added 14 and Vincent Johnson chipped in 12 for the Little Prexies Chuckie Schweinsberg had 12 for Ellwood City (0-1) Southmoreland 36 – Jason Myers (215) Clayton Bollinger (133) and Kage Churby (145) had pins and Roman Smith (189) and Julius Poole (127) won by tech fall to lead Albert Gallatin (1-0) to a nonsection win Micah McGeary (139) and Shawn Hollis (160) recorded pins for Southmoreland (0-1) Brashear 36 – Javen Woods (139) won by fall to lead Allderdice (1-0) to a City League win Brashear won six of the seven contested bouts but lost on tiebreaking criteria Recording pins for Brashear were Vincent Lenger (215) Isaiah Thompson (152) and Mustafa Gurakar (189) West Greene 24 – Avella used six pins and three forfeits to pick up a nonsection win Winners for Avella (1-0) were Jace Lloyd (107) Brayden Bedillion (189) and Broden Hamm (215) Levi Yeater (152) and Colin Whyte (285) won by fall for West Greene (0-1) Peters Township 29 – Daniel Noel (127) Jack Viti (189) and Joseph Geller (215) recorded pins as Fox Chapel (1-0) opened its season with a nonsection win Youssef Abdelsalam (139) and Milo Chiu (160) won by tech fall and Adam Haines (145) had a major decision for the Foxes Nicholas McGarrity (114) and Darius McMillon (152) had pins and Parker Nave (172) won by tech fall for Peters Township (0-1) Domenic Willis (189) and Kolton Carlson (215) had pins to lead Laurel (1-0) to a nonsection win Braxton Carr (160) won by tech fall and Reid Ketzel (127) by decision Bryson McGath (145) won by fall for Blackhawk (0-1) Pleasant 17 – McGuffey used seven pins and two forfeits to pick up a nonsection victory Tucker Main (121) and Emmett Wolfe (133) won by fall for the Highlanders (1-0) Aidan Teaters (215) and Payton Schaum (285) recorded pins and Tristan Wtorkiewicz (145) won by tech fall for Mt Chartiers Valley 10 – Evan Schomburg (121) Mason Hartung (215) and Bradyn McConneha (285) recorded pins to lead North Allegheny (1-0) to a nonsection win Griffen Reid (152) and Kellen Buggey (160) won by tech fall and Kyran Rautenbach (189) picked up a decision for the Tigers Logan Connolly (139) and Mike Lawrence (172) recorded tech falls for the Colts (0-1) Caden Seymour (172) and Slayton Williams (215) recorded pins and Ryder Carr (127) picked up a major decision in a nonsection win for South Side (1-0) Atlas Kosmal (107) won a decision for Beaver Jefferson-Morgan 34 – Brock Evans and Ky-Mani Sumpter won by decision and Jacob Stephenson won by fall in three straight bouts from 160 to 189 pounds to lead Waynesburg (1-0) to a nonsection win Jesse Huff (128) and Luke Rush (139) also had pins for the Raiders.Johnny Gilbert (145) Dominic Sowden (152) and Landon Heath (285) won by fall and James Dulaney (133) picked up a major decision for Jefferson-Morgan (0-1) TrendingDevelopmentChicagoAData center player drops $45M on suburban site eyed for huge housing planIatarola’s Plum Farms vision for Hoffman Estates was put to rest as Karis Critical scooped up land A photo illustration of Karis Cold CEO Jake Finley and seller Anthony Iatarola along with renderings of the Plum Farms project (Plum Farms Listen to this article00:001xKey PointsAI Generated.✨This summary is reviewed by TRD Staff Anthony Iatarola’s grand vision for a mixed-use campus of more than 1,000 homes and commercial retail in Chicago’s northwest suburbs has been replaced with a haul of cash from a data center developer Iatarola’s firm 5a7 and its affiliates sold more than 180 undeveloped acres in Hoffman Estates for $45 million to a venture of Naples which will prep the land for a data center operator according to public records and the seller The deal nixes a long-envisioned plan Iatarola’s firm had for the land that it was calling Plum Farms It proposed to erect between 500 and 750 multifamily units townhome and rowhouse units and more build-to-rent homes across as many as 33 acres along with up to 200,000 square feet in other mixed-use commercial space The land is at the intersection of Higgins Road and Route 59 and has been owned by Iatarola’s family for decades The Plum Farms proposal also included a meditation facility But the high prices being paid for development sites by data center players proved too tempting to stick with the plan which encountered several speed bumps during years of planning While Plum Farms required timing the housing and commercial market as well as negotiating complex tax increment financing incentives with local officials in order to get utility service to the development site data center firms are shelling out big bucks for real estate as they scramble to provide more computing capacity to meet an anticipated surge in demand from artificial intelligence and increasing cloud storage SIGN UPSeveral massive data center proposals — including one by Compass Datacenters that’s replacing the sprawling former Sears office headquarters just across Higgins Road from the Plum Farms site — are in the works across Chicagoland which has proven attractive to the sector due to its power supply At more than $240,000 per acre, Karis’ purchase of Plum Farms exceeds that of two recent purchases by data center player T5 for undeveloped land in Grayslake incredibly talented man that I’ve known for seven or eight years.” Iatarola told The Real Deal according to its website; the firm did not respond to a request for comment Karis also has a cold storage division which may pursue a facility alongside a data center building Iatarola has made a career in Chicagoland real estate development His family developed the 400,000-square-foot Poplar Creek shopping center completed in 2006 and featuring a Target just south of Higgins from the Plum Farms site He also previously led the real estate business of the Wirtz family Iatarola waited out the real estate downturn sparked by the 2008 financial crisis Plum Farms also became subject of a lawsuit brought by residents of the Regency at the Woods of South Barrington retirement community A Barrington school district intervened in the suit on behalf of the residents objecting to the potential for additional students’ costs to exceed the increase in tax revenue from the development the Daily Herald reported the Plum Farms team hadn’t yet reached an agreement with the village of Hoffman Estates over which of costs for the plan could be reimbursed through a tax increment financing plan singer-songwriter Jaz Karis’ debut album SAFE FLIGHT takes listeners on a cyclical journey through sounds memories and continents that expand upon traditional R&B breezy acoustic instrumentation and loose afropop — all guided by the singer’s supple Built around the concept of tracking Karis’ travels between her native London and Los Angeles The record’s title arrives midway through the album on the interlude “WATER,” on which a voice recording from a friend of Karis’ wishes her a safe flight something she’d heard countless times from loved ones amid her travels The theme of travel is spread throughout the project accompanied by a strong presence of sentimentality as nostalgia (as clearly evidenced in the album’s intro track of the same name) An excess of sentimentality can infect music but Karis is careful to allow herself these pit stops briefly before pivoting back to her in-flight contemplations Karis will be commemorating the record’s release, and nodding to the travel between the locations that informed the album’s theme, by performing two shows this November in LA and London on Nov Karis spoke with Melodic Magazine about her knack for nostalgia crafting her debut LP and elevating her art Keep up with Jaz Karis: Spotify / X / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube […] Karis plans to commemorate the album with performances in both Los Angeles and London later this year further cementing her place as a rising star in the global music scene ​(UPROXX)​(Earmilk)​(YouGotSoul)​(Melodic Magazine) Independent and fueled by love and dedication Donate to fuel us figuratively and literally Mention "☕️" or "coffee" and $5 of your donation will go to a random staff member to keep them energized Shady Side Academy has been one of the most impressive teams in the WPIAL during the opening month of the season These Bulldogs are talented and boast one of the area’s most successful coaches but another reason they are 8-0 and one of only five unbeaten teams in the WPIAL is experience a factor that has twice helped the team rally back from double-digit deficits to grab victories having had the WPIAL championship experience last season and even prior to that a deep playoff run in the state playoffs [the season before],” said coach Jonna Burke Shady Side Academy had never won a WPIAL title before last season The Bulldogs will now shoot for a second in a row Considering their early success and the fact they have one of the WPIAL’s top players in junior point guard Karis Thomas Thomas is a three-year starter who surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season along with junior forward Cassie Sauer and sophomore forward Leah Buford all started on last year’s championship team The Bulldogs would have returned four starters the star of the WPIAL Class 3A title game when she scored a game-high 31 points Sauer and Buford in the starting lineup have been senior guards Cameron Capel and Makiyah Mitchell Spell led Shady Side Academy in scoring the past two seasons (she averaged 19.8 points a game last season) a role that has since been taken over by Thomas who is averaging 21.7 and has reached 30 points twice Sauer leads the team in rebounding with 13 per game “The team chemistry is very good,” Burke said but they do really get along well and they care about each other I think she’s playing even better than she had in the past.” Shady Side Academy has had a challenging schedule, and so far the Bulldogs have been up to the challenge. The Bulldogs, who are 3-0 in Class 3A Section 2, own wins against defending PIAA Class 4A champion Blackhawk, Avonworth (a WPIAL Class 3A finalist last season) and District 5 power Berlin Brothersvalley The wins against Berlin Brothersvalley and Blackhawk were among the most impressive Burke said that the Bulldogs rallied from 10 points down to beat Berlin and stormed back from 12 points behind against Blackhawk Both of those games were played at neutral sites while the triumphs against Baldwin and Avonworth were on the road Thomas — the Bulldogs are 59-7 in her career — and Shady Side Academy continue to show a lot of fight as they pile up the wins and the Bulldogs will hope to keep their perfect record intact Friday and Saturday when they host the Pete Sauer Memorial Classic The Bulldogs are scheduled to face two more Class 6A teams It has been 10 months since London Creach last played in a game but it looks like the Oakland Catholic star could be making her season debut soon a 5-8 senior guard and Robert Morris recruit has spent much of the year recovering from a torn ACL she suffered in a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal win against North Hills on Feb Creach had surgery on her left knee on April 10 and has been working her way back since who said she has been practicing since August said she’s currently at about 85% to 90% and is “hoping to come back early January.” Oakland Catholic is off to a 4-2 start (2-1 in Class 4A Section 1) under first-year coach Henry Schechter The Eagles figure to be even better with Creach in the lineup 2.3 assists and 2.9 steals a game for an Oakland Catholic team that finished 26-3 and reached the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals When you pump in the points like Clairton’s Iyanna Wade does on a game-by-game basis Some milestones Wade is on pace to reach soon are 2,500 points and becoming her school’s all-time leading scorer once again leads the district in scoring as she has averaged 42.7 points per game while helping Clairton to a 5-2 start (3-0 in Class 1A Section 2) Wade poured in a season-high 56 points in her most recent game Wade now has 299 points this season and 2,448 in her career That puts her only 255 away from the school record of 2,703 achieved by 2003 graduate Kamela Gissendanner whose total stands as fifth best in WPIAL history Gissendanner is now the women’s coach at La Roche Gissendanner’s single-game high was 60 points which stood as the school record before Wade scored a WPIAL-record 65 against Steel Valley last season Crops Lifestyle News SmartNews By Published: October 29 Halloween enthusiasts have been flooding social media with myriad costumes But what hadn’t made the list until now was an homage to Karis Dadson the viral pig showman known for her unwavering focus in the show ring an Arizona couple perfectly captured Dadson’s likeness and mannerisms in their costume complete with an impressively intense stare and an equally compelling pig by their side A post shared by Haley Hanson (@haleyrhanson) Haley Hanson explained that a coworker had come up to her asking about her plans for a Halloween costume ‘You need to be Karis'” said Hanson A post shared by Haley Hanson (@haleyrhanson) a 13-year-old from California’s Dadson Farms Show Pigs skyrocketed to viral fame last year thanks to a video showcasing her concentration while showing her pigs steady eye contact has become a main ring trend at livestock shows and Dadson’s eye contact is top-notch whether she has a pig or lamb in hand Her unique style and determined stare have captured the attention of millions of viewers online sparking countless comments about her piercing gaze The Arizona couple’s costumes pulled off every detail with uncanny accuracy: the unmistakable intensity of “Karis’s” eyes A post shared by Dadson Farms Show Pigs (@dadsonfarms) the couple’s performance has sparked laughter and applause with fans loving the way they captured Dadson’s iconic stare and look Dadson Farms Show Pigs even commented on the video The AGDAILY Digest is the information superhighway for your country road Purchase a new subscription and qualify for $100 of fine dining A vintage Volkswagen bus with a snow-dusted Christmas tree strapped to the top is particularly important to Karis; it reminds her of her childhood when the day after Thanksgiving was reserved for family to go out in the woods to look for a tree to cut down and bring home On HGTV’s hit series “House Hunters,” couples and families tour home after home in search of their next perfect residence it’s all about the kitchen; others need vast closets or bright sunlight streaming through the windows searches for a single thing and won’t consider buying the house — no matter how perfect it seems — without it: a place to put the Christmas tree On the opposite end of the spectrum are Karis and Jordan Loewen who moved into their home on Kipling Road in Columbia a couple of weeks before Christmas in 2022 with absolutely no idea where the tree would end up “I never thought about it when we were looking at houses because it’s important to me to sit and feel a place before I make any decisions,” says Karis “I figured that wherever we naturally gravitated would be the right location.” Though Karis and Jordan got their tree up and the house decorated in time for Christmas it wasn’t until the next year that the couple really got their plan together — if that’s what one can call it so we don’t have a huge plan about what actually goes where,” says Karis Take the Christmas tree in the Loewen’s front room and Karis’s grandmother’s crystal ornaments the statuesque but slightly imperfect Leyland cypress is — in that impossibly chic thrown-together way of French women — impeccably festive “It’s super simple because I wanted the presents to be the focus,” says Karis as she points to a huge pile of boxes done up in red “I even lopped the top off the tree to make it fit.” Karis says that while she didn’t create a color scheme for the gifts she found herself reaching for red as she wrapped each one “I was pretty excited about the whole idea so I wrapped each package the day it arrived.” While the front room tree is all about restraint the tree in the den — a more formally shaped fir — is a riot of color colored lights cast their rainbow glow over an assortment of ornaments lovingly gathered from both Karis’s and Jordan’s lives “They’re our growing-up ornaments,” says Karis a vintage Volkswagen bus with a snow-dusted Christmas tree strapped to the top the day after Thanksgiving was reserved for going to a local Christmas Tree Farm to pick out a tree to cut down and bring home,” she says Then we’d spend the rest of the weekend decorating it Karis and her family didn’t have to go far to find their tree she lived in what she calls “the country,” with her father a minister who founded Marketlife Ministries; her mother; and three sisters Karis was born when her dad was learning Greek in seminary; her name means “grace” in that language have spent all of their Christmases in South Carolina “It can be quite cold in Winnipeg at Christmas so we tend to go in the summer when we need a reprieve from the heat here,” says Karis with a laugh “Our family traditions were mostly about cold weather,” he says “We had a family hockey game in the backyard skating rink and a competition to see who could stand in the snow for the longest after jumping out of the hot tub I have wonderful memories of listening to my dad as he read the Christmas story every year before we opened our presents.” Karis says that these days Jordan enjoys South Carolina’s mild Christmas weather particularly since he is responsible for decorating the exterior of the two-story home “He designed the garland; I just told him I wanted it to look a little messy,” says Karis I used pine cones and white and burlap bows so it would look festive but not overdone and wouldn’t compete with the colors on the front of the house.” While the exterior of the Loewens’ home is done up in cool neutrals the inside’s color-drenched palette of mossy greens and warm reds against pale walls is both warm and welcoming It’s also a perfect foil for Karis’ festive touches like the plethora of light-strewn fir boughs that line the pass-through from the kitchen to the den — they’re hung from a tension rod — and a whimsical Christmas tree print by Teil Duncan Henley including clear vases of white roses clustered on tables add just the right touch to the rest of the home supporting the decor without overwhelming it Though Karis and Jordan enjoy their Christmas decorations from the moment they go up the couple heads to Karis’ parents’ home for a traditional dinner but we’re back the next morning for stockings and just spending the day with our family,” says Karis who was the epitome of a gracious Southern lady made macaroni pie and sweet potato souffle for Christmas and Thanksgiving It’s just not the holidays without these two special dishes There’s just nowhere we’d rather be at Christmas.” Jordan suggests making this a day ahead so the flavors have time to blend Layer all ingredients in a large trifle dish in the following order: Cool Whip Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil Layer ½ of the cooked macaroni over the bottom of the prepared dish then cover with ½ of the cheddar; repeat layers once more Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean Combine all ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon and sprinkle the topping over the entire dish Combine brown sugar and flour; cream into the butter «  back to issue Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInJACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WALA) - A desperate overnight search for four missing children ended this morning when they were found safe with a relative in Gautier according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department He is charged with murder and domestic violence/aggravated assault following a shooting Wednesday night in the St Martin community that left one man dead and a woman seriously wounded The department said investigators believed Hamilton took his children around 10:30 p.m The shooting happened at the children’s home on Santa Fe Avenue Officials said the father eventually was found and arrested in the neighborhood Sheriff John Ledbetter said it was a 20-year-old St Martin man who was shot to death by Hamilton during a domestic fight that turned violent Deputies found Devin McDaniel deceased at the scene was shot and airlifted to a New Orleans hospital with life-threatening injuries (WXXV)- New details in the case of a Jackson County man arrested for murder early Thursday morning in what investigators say was a domestic fight turned violent Twenty-four-year-old Karis Hamilton is accused of shooting and killing 20-year-old Devin McDaniel at a home on Santa Fe Avenue in the St was also shot and was airlifted to a New Orleans hospital with life-threatening injuries Sheriff’s investigators then say Hamilton fled with his four children They were later found safe at a relative’s home in Gautier Hamilton is now charged with murder and domestic violence and is being held at the Jackson County jail Karis Anderson and Fleur East join forces in Tina – The Tina Turner Musical TV and Radio presenter and recording artist Fleur East is joining the cast of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical sharing the role of Tina alongside one of its current stars which also extends booking until 10 January 2026 marks East’s West End and theatrical debut East will perform in the musical from 24 June to 13 September 2025 Patrons are advised to check the website for her performances dates East rose to fame when she placed second in the 2014 series of hit ITV talent show The X Factor Her widespread acclaim on the show where she performed ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars in the live semi-final saw her bag a record deal with Syco and release the single ‘Sax’ which hit number three in the charts and stayed in the top 10 for seven weeks In 2022 she was a fan favourite competing on BBC talent show Strictly Come Dancing where she narrowly missed out on winning the illustrious Glitterball trophy with partner Vito Coppola East has become co-host of the BBC2 sister show Strictly: It Takes Two and presents the Hits Radio Breakfast Show alongside Will Best and James Barr East has also appeared on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here been part of the Saturday Night Takeaway presenting team hosted ITV game show The Void and appeared in three episodes of Ted Lasso Producer Tali Pelman said: “I am a huge admirer of Fleur who has always struck me as an extraordinary woman; an exceptional talent who will not allow herself to be defined by others kindness and determination are all qualities that are truly Tina and we are thrilled she has decided to make her stage debut in our musical I am tremendously excited that our journey together has begun!” The musical has been running in the West End for over seven years making it the longest-running show ever to play at the Aldwych Theatre Developed in London together with Tina Turner the critically acclaimed production received its world premiere in April 2018 and has subsequently broken all box office records at the Aldwych Theatre 10 first-class productions have opened worldwide on Broadway A new UK and Ireland tour opened in March 2025 with a Brazilian production opening in February 2026 The full 2025/26 cast will be announced in due course Tina – The Tina Turner Musical opened at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End in 2018 before a global roll-out that brought the show to sold-out audiences across the world the Broadway production opened in November 2019 and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical and can currently be seen across the continent on tour Tina – The Tina Turner Musical has had productions at Stage Operettenhaus in Hamburg Netherlands and at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid The musical recently finished touring across Australia with sell-out seasons at Theatre Royal Sydney the musical will open in Sao Paulo in Brazil marking its eleventh worldwide production Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins Tina – The Tina Turner Musical is choreographed by Anthony van Laast with set and costume designs by Mark Thompson hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates casting by Pippa Ailion CDG and Natalie Gallacher CDG and fight direction by Kate Waters , , , , Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.