By DEWEY TERRILL JC Post

JUNCTION CITY —&nbsp;Justin Aaron of Junction City has advanced into the live round of "The 
Voice" on NBC. Aaron said there are four contestants on each team for a 
total of 16 contestants. 

"In the live playoffs, which happen Monday, every
 act gets to sing a song and after they sing the voting lines are open. 
Everyone go out and download 'The Voice' official app." 

You can vote 10&nbsp; times for your favorite artist.

"In the top 16 round, you are 
actually able to vote for two artists on each team. With that being said,&nbsp; the two artists with the highest number of votes on the Tuesday 
elimination show automatically move through. The bottom two stand before
 the coaches and each coach is able to pick one contestant. That will be
 the top three on each team."

Live rounds go from the top 16 down to the end of the season in mid-December when the next winner of "The Voice" is crowned.

By DEWEY TERRILL JC PostJUNCTION CITY —&nbsp;Justin Aaron of Junction City has advanced into the live round of "The 
Voice" on NBC. Aaron said there are four contestants on each team for a 
total of 16 contestants. "In the live playoffs, which happen Monday, every
 act gets to sing a song and after they sing the voting lines are open. 
Everyone go out and download 'The Voice' official app." You can vote 10&nbsp; times for your favorite artist."In the top 16 round, you are 
actually able to vote for two artists on each team. With that being said,&nbsp; the two artists with the highest number of votes on the Tuesday 
elimination show automatically move through. The bottom two stand before
 the coaches and each coach is able to pick one contestant. That will be
 the top three on each team."Live rounds go from the top 16 down to the end of the season in mid-December when the next winner of "The Voice" is crowned.

Kansas man will perform in the live playoff round of 'The Voice'

LONDON (AP) — Just minutes after finishing the last Premier League match before the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup">World Cup</a>, Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen both questioned the decision to stage the tournament in Qatar.

Fernandes
 said the World Cup “should be done in a better way,” criticizing the 
timing of the tournament and highlighting Qatar's treatment of migrant 
workers.

The Qatar World Cup — which starts next weekend — is the 
first to be played in November and December rather than in June-July 
because of the desert nation's searing heat in the summer. Qatar has 
also faced intense scrutiny of its treatment of the hundreds of 
thousands of migrant workers who were needed in the tiny emirate since 
the World Cup hosting rights were won 12 years ago. Amnesty 
International says dozens may have died from apparent heat stroke.

Qatar's
 views on homosexuality — which is criminalized in the country — has 
also been heavily criticized and the comments by Fernandes indicated 
that players will not hesitate to speak up about issues even as the 
tournament draws near.

“It’s not exactly the time we want to be 
playing in the World Cup,” Fernandes, who plays for Portugal, told Sky 
Sports after a 2-1 win over Fulham. “We know the surroundings of the 
World Cup, what has been in the past few weeks, past few months, about 
the people that have died on the construction of the stadiums. We are 
not happy about that at all. ... We want football to be for everyone, 
everyone has to be included and involved in a World Cup because a World 
Cup is the world. It’s for everyone, it doesn’t matter who. But for a 
World Cup it’s more than football, it’s a party for fans, players, 
something that’s a joy to watch, (it) should be done in a better way."

Eriksen,
 who will play for Denmark in Qatar after recovering from suffering 
cardiac arrest during a game at last year's European Championship, 
echoed Fernandes' comments.

“I totally agree with Bruno. There is a
 lot of focus on it, how the World Cup has happened and why it is in 
Qatar. Everyone agrees it hasn’t been done in the right way," Eriksen 
said. “We are footballers, we play football — politics is about 
something above us to make that decision. Of course we try to say our 
thing and do what we can. We want to get focus on it, but the change has
 to come from somewhere else.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668448327601.jpeg" alt="Fulham's head coach Marco Silva, left, speaks with Manchester United's Christian Eriksen during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Manchester United at the Craven Cottage stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Leila Coker)" />
 <figcaption>Fulham's head coach Marco Silva, left, speaks with Manchester United's Christian Eriksen during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Manchester United at the Craven Cottage stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Leila Coker)</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Just minutes after finishing the last Premier League match before the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup">World Cup</a>, Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen both questioned the decision to stage the tournament in Qatar.Fernandes
 said the World Cup “should be done in a better way,” criticizing the 
timing of the tournament and highlighting Qatar's treatment of migrant 
workers.The Qatar World Cup — which starts next weekend — is the 
first to be played in November and December rather than in June-July 
because of the desert nation's searing heat in the summer. Qatar has 
also faced intense scrutiny of its treatment of the hundreds of 
thousands of migrant workers who were needed in the tiny emirate since 
the World Cup hosting rights were won 12 years ago. Amnesty 
International says dozens may have died from apparent heat stroke.Qatar's
 views on homosexuality — which is criminalized in the country — has 
also been heavily criticized and the comments by Fernandes indicated 
that players will not hesitate to speak up about issues even as the 
tournament draws near.“It’s not exactly the time we want to be 
playing in the World Cup,” Fernandes, who plays for Portugal, told Sky 
Sports after a 2-1 win over Fulham. “We know the surroundings of the 
World Cup, what has been in the past few weeks, past few months, about 
the people that have died on the construction of the stadiums. We are 
not happy about that at all. ... We want football to be for everyone, 
everyone has to be included and involved in a World Cup because a World 
Cup is the world. It’s for everyone, it doesn’t matter who. But for a 
World Cup it’s more than football, it’s a party for fans, players, 
something that’s a joy to watch, (it) should be done in a better way."Eriksen,
 who will play for Denmark in Qatar after recovering from suffering 
cardiac arrest during a game at last year's European Championship, 
echoed Fernandes' comments.“I totally agree with Bruno. There is a
 lot of focus on it, how the World Cup has happened and why it is in 
Qatar. Everyone agrees it hasn’t been done in the right way," Eriksen 
said. “We are footballers, we play football — politics is about 
something above us to make that decision. Of course we try to say our 
thing and do what we can. We want to get focus on it, but the change has
 to come from somewhere else.”

'Not happy': Man United duo criticizes Qatar World Cup

By JAMES BELL 
Hays Post

The annual Festival of the Trees fundraiser silent auction is underway
at the Arc Thrift Shop in downtown Hays, showcasing incredible creativity that
results in Christmas decorations featuring an array of bold colors and dramatic
themes.

Funds from the event will go toward the ARC Park, 3300 Hillcrest Drive,
<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/7fc4457d-51ad-46fc-8e33-98d7ecd0f3f9">where
construction began on an amphitheater in September</a>.&nbsp;The park already
features a playground with accessible playground equipment and a splash pad.

While the fundraiser is decidedly a Christmas affair, the sale marks
the culmination of a year’s work.

“I
start in January, when donations are coming in, and I plow through all the
Christmas stuff, and I just set stuff aside,” said Kathy McAdoo, Arc of Central Plains executive director. “And then
from all that stuff that gets set aside, this gets created.” 

She said
unusual things come in, but that only makes for more unique decorations.

“The
more unusual, the better,” McAdoo said. “It's different every year because the
donations are different every year. But the cool thing is this to look at what
you can do with things you buy in a thrift store.”

After
setting items aside in June, work began handcrafting various Christmas
adornments from those donations made to the Arc Thrift Shop, 600 Main.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/064162df-c34f-4803-8f92-dc21f82eb50b">Those
creations that will soon help fund the park and brighten homes during the
holidays for years to come are the work of two dedicated volunteers, Donna McKenzie and Joan Heier, McAdoo said.</a>

“If it
weren't for them, this wouldn't happen,” she said. “Not at all.”

The pair’s creativity was on full display this
year, with decorations and trees made from items sometimes never thought of as Christmas
decorations.

Examples include a Christmas wreath made from a
horse collar and a neon Elvis sign that stands in as a tree topper.

But creating one-of-a-kind
Christmas decorations out of them is a valuable way to help the community and
more than a bit of fun, Heier said.

“When I
first started doing it, it was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, you can come and create
something from something that someone else has given away, And it will benefit
the IDD community as well.’ OK!” she said. “And through that process, I have
made wonderful friends. It just makes me feel good to see that something is
being used and reused and redone, and it's not being thrown away and going for
a wonderful cause.”

McKenzie said just recently she
saw a heartwarming reminder of why the months of work are so valuable in a post
on the ARC Park Facebook page that showed an area resident enjoying the accessible
playground.

“His smile
is just huge, and his mom says, 'We come here because this is the only park he
can be a kid at,' ” she said. “And so that's my purpose in being here.”

Exploring
fun ideas to create the decorations makes it even better, McKenzie said. 

Among her creations this year are felt mice — cleverly placed around one tree, visible
to only the most attentive passerby — and bees made out of old beads. 

“I like
to find things and turn them into entirely different things,” McKenzie said.

Among
her favorite decorations this year is a Nutcracker ballet-themed tree featuring the felt mice and ballet fixtures.

“And
then I have the Buddy the Elf tree, which I have a lot of the phrases from
Buddy the Elf the movie with Will Ferrell,” McKenzie said.

One of Heier’s favorites is a tree featuring a tabletop-sized
nativity.

“That
was the inspiration for the tree,” McAdoo said. “That is where that came from,
we built a tree around that nativity. And that happens frequently, one little
thing becomes the inspiration for a whole tree. Like the Elvis light.”

Another item of note during this
year’s auction features trains from volunteer Cal Mahin.

“He
donated all of these Hallmark Christmas ornaments,” Heier said. “And when they came in, it was like, ‘I really
want to do something with that tree.’&nbsp;

“And
we're calling it Cal’s Train Tree,” she said.

While many of the trees and decorations are
made of repurposed items, some of the auction items are vintage Christmas
decorations or fashionable modern pieces that had been donated.

“We get
things like Waterford ornaments and other things that are out in the hallway
that, you know, we don't have to do anything with,” McAdoo said. “But they're
unique enough that we include them in the auction because they're unique. And
they're a little more high-end.”

She said
the best way to experience the amount of detail and creativity put into
this year’s silent auction is to visit the Arc Thrift Shop, open from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“It's
important to go online and see them,” McKenzie said. “But coming in person, you
get to see the trees up close and personal and really look at them and kind of
go, ‘Oh, look what they did with this and turned it into that.’ ”

To view items online and bid, visit
<a href="https://www.haysarcpark.org/">haysarcpark.org.</a>

McAdoo
encourages everyone to “bid high and bid often.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110213933.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL 
Hays PostThe annual Festival of the Trees fundraiser silent auction is underway
at the Arc Thrift Shop in downtown Hays, showcasing incredible creativity that
results in Christmas decorations featuring an array of bold colors and dramatic
themes.Funds from the event will go toward the ARC Park, 3300 Hillcrest Drive,
<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/7fc4457d-51ad-46fc-8e33-98d7ecd0f3f9">where
construction began on an amphitheater in September</a>.&nbsp;The park already
features a playground with accessible playground equipment and a splash pad.While the fundraiser is decidedly a Christmas affair, the sale marks
the culmination of a year’s work.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668109981793.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“I
start in January, when donations are coming in, and I plow through all the
Christmas stuff, and I just set stuff aside,” said Kathy McAdoo, Arc of Central Plains executive director. “And then
from all that stuff that gets set aside, this gets created.” She said
unusual things come in, but that only makes for more unique decorations.“The
more unusual, the better,” McAdoo said. “It's different every year because the
donations are different every year. But the cool thing is this to look at what
you can do with things you buy in a thrift store.”After
setting items aside in June, work began handcrafting various Christmas
adornments from those donations made to the Arc Thrift Shop, 600 Main.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/064162df-c34f-4803-8f92-dc21f82eb50b">Those
creations that will soon help fund the park and brighten homes during the
holidays for years to come are the work of two dedicated volunteers, Donna McKenzie and Joan Heier, McAdoo said.</a> “If it
weren't for them, this wouldn't happen,” she said. “Not at all.”The pair’s creativity was on full display this
year, with decorations and trees made from items sometimes never thought of as Christmas
decorations.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110230038.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Examples include a Christmas wreath made from a
horse collar and a neon Elvis sign that stands in as a tree topper.But creating one-of-a-kind
Christmas decorations out of them is a valuable way to help the community and
more than a bit of fun, Heier said.“When I
first started doing it, it was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, you can come and create
something from something that someone else has given away, And it will benefit
the IDD community as well.’ OK!” she said. “And through that process, I have
made wonderful friends. It just makes me feel good to see that something is
being used and reused and redone, and it's not being thrown away and going for
a wonderful cause.”McKenzie said just recently she
saw a heartwarming reminder of why the months of work are so valuable in a post
on the ARC Park Facebook page that showed an area resident enjoying the accessible
playground.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHAYSARCPARK%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0jZCKN7kHfzfYY3tSFzrA84kZLDzKkPRjdB1smXih8DZ8bqj3h7hP3q5ZqjNrnqYbl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="748" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“His smile
is just huge, and his mom says, 'We come here because this is the only park he
can be a kid at,' ” she said. “And so that's my purpose in being here.”Exploring
fun ideas to create the decorations makes it even better, McKenzie said. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110287805.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Among her creations this year are felt mice — cleverly placed around one tree, visible
to only the most attentive passerby — and bees made out of old beads. “I like
to find things and turn them into entirely different things,” McKenzie said.Among
her favorite decorations this year is a Nutcracker ballet-themed tree featuring the felt mice and ballet fixtures.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668109939989.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“And
then I have the Buddy the Elf tree, which I have a lot of the phrases from
Buddy the Elf the movie with Will Ferrell,” McKenzie said.One of Heier’s favorites is a tree featuring a tabletop-sized
nativity.“That
was the inspiration for the tree,” McAdoo said. “That is where that came from,
we built a tree around that nativity. And that happens frequently, one little
thing becomes the inspiration for a whole tree. Like the Elvis light.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668109994716.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Another item of note during this
year’s auction features trains from volunteer Cal Mahin.“He
donated all of these Hallmark Christmas ornaments,” Heier said. “And when they came in, it was like, ‘I really
want to do something with that tree.’&nbsp;“And
we're calling it Cal’s Train Tree,” she said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110006728.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>While many of the trees and decorations are
made of repurposed items, some of the auction items are vintage Christmas
decorations or fashionable modern pieces that had been donated.“We get
things like Waterford ornaments and other things that are out in the hallway
that, you know, we don't have to do anything with,” McAdoo said. “But they're
unique enough that we include them in the auction because they're unique. And
they're a little more high-end.”She said
the best way to experience the amount of detail and creativity put into
this year’s silent auction is to visit the Arc Thrift Shop, open from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110019110.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“It's
important to go online and see them,” McKenzie said. “But coming in person, you
get to see the trees up close and personal and really look at them and kind of
go, ‘Oh, look what they did with this and turned it into that.’ ”To view items online and bid, visit
<a href="https://www.haysarcpark.org/">haysarcpark.org.</a>McAdoo
encourages everyone to “bid high and bid often.”The auction closes at 5
p.m. Nov. 15.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110192297.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668110272893.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Creativity on display during Festival of the Trees ARC Park fundraiser

By MARK PRATT Associated Press

A
 deeply personal collection of love letters in which a teenage Bob Dylan
 tells his high-school sweetheart that he envisions changing his name 
and selling a million records is going up for sale in Boston.

The 
Hibbing, Minnesota, boy — still known then as Bob Zimmerman — wrote the 
42 letters totaling 150 pages to Barbara Ann Hewitt between 1957 and 
1959. The missives, to be auctioned by RR Auction, have never before 
been made public and shed light on a period in the folk-rock icon’s life
 for which not much firsthand information is known.

“This archive 
is one of the most culturally important of the 20th century we have ever
 offered,” said RR Auction Executive Vice President Bobby Livingston, a 
big Dylan fan.

The collection, including a lavish Valentine's card, is a “first-person account of Dylan's formative years,” he said.

Hewitt's
 daughter found the letters after her mother died in 2020. They, along 
with the original envelopes addressed in Dylan's handwriting, are being 
offered as a single lot with a starting bid of $250,000. Bidding closes 
on Nov. 17.

RR Auction is not releasing the exact content of the 
letters ahead of time, but they deal with timeless and universal teenage
 concerns: clothes, cars, and musical tastes, the auction house said.

Dylan,
 now 81, also included snippets of poetry and professed his love for 
Hewitt. Perhaps most impressively, he also imagined his future success.

In
 one letter, he asks Hewitt for feedback about changing his name (Little
 Willie and Elston are mentioned in the letters), and writes about 
selling a million records (he's actually sold about 125 million) and 
appearing on “American Bandstand" in front of throngs of screaming 
girls.

“They really give an insight into how he's going to present
 himself," Livingston said. “It shows that Dylan dreamed all this up, 
and it all came true — he foresaw it."

Alas, like most teenage 
romances, it came to an end. In one of the last letters, the future 
Nobel laureate asks Hewitt to return the photographs he sent her.

But
 it seems likely Dylan did not forget her. Hewitt's daughter told RR 
Auction that Dylan called her mother sometime in the late 1960s after 
he'd hit the big time and asked her to come to California. She turned 
him down.

Hewitt was a redhead, and Livingston speculates that 
Dylan's references to redheaded or auburn-haired women in some songs 
were inspired by Hewitt, including “Tangled Up in Blue” where in one 
line he wonders “if her hair was still red."

Hewitt moved on, 
apparently. She married another Hibbing man, but divorced in the late 
1970s after seven years and never remarried, her daughter told the 
auction house.

By MARK PRATT Associated PressA
 deeply personal collection of love letters in which a teenage Bob Dylan
 tells his high-school sweetheart that he envisions changing his name 
and selling a million records is going up for sale in Boston.The 
Hibbing, Minnesota, boy — still known then as Bob Zimmerman — wrote the 
42 letters totaling 150 pages to Barbara Ann Hewitt between 1957 and 
1959. The missives, to be auctioned by RR Auction, have never before 
been made public and shed light on a period in the folk-rock icon’s life
 for which not much firsthand information is known.“This archive 
is one of the most culturally important of the 20th century we have ever
 offered,” said RR Auction Executive Vice President Bobby Livingston, a 
big Dylan fan.The collection, including a lavish Valentine's card, is a “first-person account of Dylan's formative years,” he said.Hewitt's
 daughter found the letters after her mother died in 2020. They, along 
with the original envelopes addressed in Dylan's handwriting, are being 
offered as a single lot with a starting bid of $250,000. Bidding closes 
on Nov. 17.RR Auction is not releasing the exact content of the 
letters ahead of time, but they deal with timeless and universal teenage
 concerns: clothes, cars, and musical tastes, the auction house said.Dylan,
 now 81, also included snippets of poetry and professed his love for 
Hewitt. Perhaps most impressively, he also imagined his future success.In
 one letter, he asks Hewitt for feedback about changing his name (Little
 Willie and Elston are mentioned in the letters), and writes about 
selling a million records (he's actually sold about 125 million) and 
appearing on “American Bandstand" in front of throngs of screaming 
girls.“They really give an insight into how he's going to present
 himself," Livingston said. “It shows that Dylan dreamed all this up, 
and it all came true — he foresaw it."Alas, like most teenage 
romances, it came to an end. In one of the last letters, the future 
Nobel laureate asks Hewitt to return the photographs he sent her.But
 it seems likely Dylan did not forget her. Hewitt's daughter told RR 
Auction that Dylan called her mother sometime in the late 1960s after 
he'd hit the big time and asked her to come to California. She turned 
him down.Hewitt was a redhead, and Livingston speculates that 
Dylan's references to redheaded or auburn-haired women in some songs 
were inspired by Hewitt, including “Tangled Up in Blue” where in one 
line he wonders “if her hair was still red."Hewitt moved on, 
apparently. She married another Hibbing man, but divorced in the late 
1970s after seven years and never remarried, her daughter told the 
auction house.

'Love Sick': Trove of Dylan's teenage love letters for sale

The singer and Hays PD continue light-hearted jabs in latest round.

<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHaysPD%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0fvepjnPBXV6TUwtTAK2zmDBoAmaht9RaLjR3She1Bmy2PHvazyHiquAaym4wGBml&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="505" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The singer and Hays PD continue light-hearted jabs in latest round.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHaysPD%2Fposts%2Fpfbid033gLoPaAuoHW3JviBsM4zuXiRqMYeL5YhA1D6doMVUoVCQRdTNwTADxuoyTqzV3Psl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="521" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>

Ward Davis: Back on the Hays PD Facebook page

By STEFAN SZYMANSKI <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">The Conversation</a>

Football has “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLsFSsHnoxM">The Catch</a>,” baseball has “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrI7dVj90zs">The Shot Heard ‘Round the World</a>,” and basketball has “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zd62MxKXp8">The Block</a>.”

For soccer, it is Diego Maradona’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq0P03i4L-w">Hand of God</a>” – a sporting moment captured in time, the mere mention of which can conjure up strong emotions among supporters.

Such is its legacy, that some 36 years after bouncing into the back of the net, the soccer ball involved is set to be <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/football/diego-maradona-ball-auction-spt-intl">sold at auction on Nov. 16, 2022</a>, at an expected price of up to US$3.3 million.

So why does this goal, which should not even have been a goal, carry so much significance? As an <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">economist who studies sport</a>,
 I’ve long believed that you have to grasp the cultural significance to 
understand the financial dimension of sports. This goal was one of 
soccer’s most iconic events for a number of reasons.

The goal in question was scored by Argentinian great Maradona against
 England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup. It was the second 
half, no goals had been scored, and Argentina’s team was passing the 
ball around the edge of the England penalty box.

England midfielder Steve Hodge tried to clear the ball but only 
succeeded in kicking high above the goalkeeper. Normally one would 
expect the goalkeeper to catch it, especially against the 5-foot-5-inch 
Maradona. But somehow the ball ended up in the back of the net.

At first, it seemed that Maradona had headed the ball, but replays 
clearly showed him steering the ball with his clenched fist. This was 
three decades before the use of <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/1293321">video assistant referee</a>,
 or VAR, in soccer. There was no way to review. The referee’s vision was
 blocked, and he looked to the linesman for guidance – but the linesman 
saw nothing wrong, and the goal was allowed to stand.

Speaking after the game, Maradona told reporters that the goal was 
scored “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de 
Dios,” or in the English translation, “a little with the head of 
Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” The phrase stuck, and with 
it the legend of the goal.

The Argentina team of 1986 was not a great team. Rather, it was an 
average team combined with the greatest player in the world at the time,
 and many would say the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/diego-maradona-greatest-player-time-23086411">most talented footballer ever to grace a pitch</a>.

England were probably a better team if you took Maradona out of the game. So that is what <a href="https://www.givemesport.com/1807805-diego-maradona-viral-video-of-england-fouling-him-in-hand-of-god-game-is-eyeopening">England’s defenders tried to do</a>:
 shut him out by fair means or foul. England’s plan was to make it the 
responsibility of almost every player on the field to track him and try 
to stop him from advancing. They tried, but it was impossible.

Four minutes after the first goal, Maradona took the ball and at 
lightning pace skipped past three defenders and the England goalkeeper 
to score again. The goal was voted “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_CDPRG2j0">the goal of the [20th] century</a>” in a 2002 FIFA poll.

Argentina would go on to win the final in what is still known as “Maradona’s World Cup.”

3. No, it’s all about Argentina’s revenge!

There was no escaping <a href="https://theconversation.com/maradona-why-the-english-cant-let-go-of-the-hand-of-god-and-latin-americans-love-it-151011">the political context</a> of the game – or the goal. In 1982, <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-short-history-of-the-falklands-conflict">Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands</a>,
 or Las Malvinas – the name you use determines your allegiance – a 
British overseas territory some 300 miles off the Argentinian coast.

The islands had been occupied by the British since 1833, and former 
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher cemented her image as “The Iron Lady” 
by <a href="https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/sovereignty-since-the-ceasefire-the-falklands-40-years-on/#:%7E:text=The%20Falkland%20Islands%20has%20a,which%20calls%20them%20Las%20Malvinas.">sending a military task force 8,000 miles</a>
 across the Atlantic to recapture the islands. The U.K. claimed its 
primary motivation was respecting the self-determination of the 
islanders, but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc041686576e854f22e81a85c95c7951">valuable fishing rights</a> and a seat at the table in the administration of the Antarctic were also at stake. Among the neutrals, there was <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2015/gaspd580.doc.htm">considerable sympathy for the Argentine cause</a> in what seemed like an anachronistic act of colonial imperialism by the British.

The humiliation for Argentinian generals likely <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/falklands-defeat-ended-generals-plan-for-30-year-junta-mqddljchzx3">hastened the end of the military dictatorship</a>
 and the restoration of democracy in Argentina. But it bred resentment 
against the English – Argentinians believe in their heart that Las 
Malvinas belong to them, not to Britain – and that colored the build-up 
to the 1986 game, as <a href="https://hir.harvard.edu/from-defending-islands-to-defending-the-soccer-pitch-history-of-the-1986-england-argentina-world-cup/#:%7E:text=In%20his%20memoir%2C%20Yo%20Soy,%2C%20the%20survivors.%E2%80%9D%20Maradona's%20memoir">Maradona later recalled</a> in his memoir “Yo Soy El Diego,” or “I Am The Diego:”

“Somehow we blamed the English players for everything that had 
happened, for everything that the Argentinian people had suffered … we 
were defending our flag, the dead kids, the survivors.”

4. OK, it’s because Diego Maradona really is the GOAT

Few players have stamped their presence on a World Cup quite like 
Maradona. His performance in the England game stands as a memorial to 
his greatness, and the phrase “Hand of God” neatly puts his name in the 
same sentence as divinity. It wasn’t a one-off – the entire tournament 
became a showground for his outrageous skill – and he fittingly raised 
the trophy at the end.

But Maradona – who died in 2020 at age 60 – was also a troubled genius. A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/sports/soccer/diego-maradona-dead.html">child of the slums of Buenos Aires</a>,
 he never lost the anxiety that he would not receive his due. He became 
addicted to drugs – potentially as a result of all the painkillers he 
needed to keep playing in an era in which defenders were prone to 
bone-crunching tackles – and <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/how-cocaine-fame-and-the-mafia-destroyed-diego-maradona/">struggled with cocaine</a>.

He was frequently <a href="https://www.dailybreeze.com/2014/08/11/argentine-soccer-player-diego-maradona-slaps-reporters-face-outside-theater/">abusive toward the media</a>, was <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/diego-maradona-accused-violence-partner-25124560">accused of assaulting one girlfriend</a>, and he was alleged to have <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/how-cocaine-fame-and-the-mafia-destroyed-diego-maradona/">close connections to the mafia</a>.

But for most soccer enthusiasts, none of this really detracts from his greatness as a player.

There are simply some players – a very small number indeed – whose 
story transcends right and wrong and whose acts are forever remembered 
like the heroes of ancient Greek epics. Maradona is one such player. 
Like Achilles or Odysseus, his name will live on, remembered in the 
“Hand of God” goal.

Stefan Szymanski is a Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ccNkksrfls"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By STEFAN SZYMANSKI <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">The Conversation</a>Football has “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLsFSsHnoxM">The Catch</a>,” baseball has “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrI7dVj90zs">The Shot Heard ‘Round the World</a>,” and basketball has “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zd62MxKXp8">The Block</a>.” For soccer, it is Diego Maradona’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq0P03i4L-w">Hand of God</a>” – a sporting moment captured in time, the mere mention of which can conjure up strong emotions among supporters.Such is its legacy, that some 36 years after bouncing into the back of the net, the soccer ball involved is set to be <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/football/diego-maradona-ball-auction-spt-intl">sold at auction on Nov. 16, 2022</a>, at an expected price of up to US$3.3 million.So why does this goal, which should not even have been a goal, carry so much significance? As an <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">economist who studies sport</a>,
 I’ve long believed that you have to grasp the cultural significance to 
understand the financial dimension of sports. This goal was one of 
soccer’s most iconic events for a number of reasons.<h2>1. It’s about the controversy</h2>The goal in question was scored by Argentinian great Maradona against
 England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup. It was the second 
half, no goals had been scored, and Argentina’s team was passing the 
ball around the edge of the England penalty box.England midfielder Steve Hodge tried to clear the ball but only 
succeeded in kicking high above the goalkeeper. Normally one would 
expect the goalkeeper to catch it, especially against the 5-foot-5-inch 
Maradona. But somehow the ball ended up in the back of the net.At first, it seemed that Maradona had headed the ball, but replays 
clearly showed him steering the ball with his clenched fist. This was 
three decades before the use of <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/1293321">video assistant referee</a>,
 or VAR, in soccer. There was no way to review. The referee’s vision was
 blocked, and he looked to the linesman for guidance – but the linesman 
saw nothing wrong, and the goal was allowed to stand.Speaking after the game, Maradona told reporters that the goal was 
scored “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de 
Dios,” or in the English translation, “a little with the head of 
Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” The phrase stuck, and with 
it the legend of the goal.<h2>2. It’s really about that second goal</h2>The Argentina team of 1986 was not a great team. Rather, it was an 
average team combined with the greatest player in the world at the time,
 and many would say the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/diego-maradona-greatest-player-time-23086411">most talented footballer ever to grace a pitch</a>. <figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1wVho3I0NtU"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>England were probably a better team if you took Maradona out of the game. So that is what <a href="https://www.givemesport.com/1807805-diego-maradona-viral-video-of-england-fouling-him-in-hand-of-god-game-is-eyeopening">England’s defenders tried to do</a>:
 shut him out by fair means or foul. England’s plan was to make it the 
responsibility of almost every player on the field to track him and try 
to stop him from advancing. They tried, but it was impossible.Four minutes after the first goal, Maradona took the ball and at 
lightning pace skipped past three defenders and the England goalkeeper 
to score again. The goal was voted “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_CDPRG2j0">the goal of the [20th] century</a>” in a 2002 FIFA poll.Argentina would go on to win the final in what is still known as “Maradona’s World Cup.”<h2>3. No, it’s all about Argentina’s revenge!</h2>There was no escaping <a href="https://theconversation.com/maradona-why-the-english-cant-let-go-of-the-hand-of-god-and-latin-americans-love-it-151011">the political context</a> of the game – or the goal. In 1982, <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-short-history-of-the-falklands-conflict">Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands</a>,
 or Las Malvinas – the name you use determines your allegiance – a 
British overseas territory some 300 miles off the Argentinian coast.The islands had been occupied by the British since 1833, and former 
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher cemented her image as “The Iron Lady” 
by <a href="https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/sovereignty-since-the-ceasefire-the-falklands-40-years-on/#:%7E:text=The%20Falkland%20Islands%20has%20a,which%20calls%20them%20Las%20Malvinas.">sending a military task force 8,000 miles</a>
 across the Atlantic to recapture the islands. The U.K. claimed its 
primary motivation was respecting the self-determination of the 
islanders, but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc041686576e854f22e81a85c95c7951">valuable fishing rights</a> and a seat at the table in the administration of the Antarctic were also at stake. Among the neutrals, there was <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2015/gaspd580.doc.htm">considerable sympathy for the Argentine cause</a> in what seemed like an anachronistic act of colonial imperialism by the British.The humiliation for Argentinian generals likely <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/falklands-defeat-ended-generals-plan-for-30-year-junta-mqddljchzx3">hastened the end of the military dictatorship</a>
 and the restoration of democracy in Argentina. But it bred resentment 
against the English – Argentinians believe in their heart that Las 
Malvinas belong to them, not to Britain – and that colored the build-up 
to the 1986 game, as <a href="https://hir.harvard.edu/from-defending-islands-to-defending-the-soccer-pitch-history-of-the-1986-england-argentina-world-cup/#:%7E:text=In%20his%20memoir%2C%20Yo%20Soy,%2C%20the%20survivors.%E2%80%9D%20Maradona's%20memoir">Maradona later recalled</a> in his memoir “Yo Soy El Diego,” or “I Am The Diego:”“Somehow we blamed the English players for everything that had 
happened, for everything that the Argentinian people had suffered … we 
were defending our flag, the dead kids, the survivors.”<h2>4. OK, it’s because Diego Maradona really is the GOAT</h2>Few players have stamped their presence on a World Cup quite like 
Maradona. His performance in the England game stands as a memorial to 
his greatness, and the phrase “Hand of God” neatly puts his name in the 
same sentence as divinity. It wasn’t a one-off – the entire tournament 
became a showground for his outrageous skill – and he fittingly raised 
the trophy at the end.But Maradona – who died in 2020 at age 60 – was also a troubled genius. A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/sports/soccer/diego-maradona-dead.html">child of the slums of Buenos Aires</a>,
 he never lost the anxiety that he would not receive his due. He became 
addicted to drugs – potentially as a result of all the painkillers he 
needed to keep playing in an era in which defenders were prone to 
bone-crunching tackles – and <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/how-cocaine-fame-and-the-mafia-destroyed-diego-maradona/">struggled with cocaine</a>. He was frequently <a href="https://www.dailybreeze.com/2014/08/11/argentine-soccer-player-diego-maradona-slaps-reporters-face-outside-theater/">abusive toward the media</a>, was <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/diego-maradona-accused-violence-partner-25124560">accused of assaulting one girlfriend</a>, and he was alleged to have <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/how-cocaine-fame-and-the-mafia-destroyed-diego-maradona/">close connections to the mafia</a>.But for most soccer enthusiasts, none of this really detracts from his greatness as a player.There are simply some players – a very small number indeed – whose 
story transcends right and wrong and whose acts are forever remembered 
like the heroes of ancient Greek epics. Maradona is one such player. 
Like Achilles or Odysseus, his name will live on, remembered in the 
“Hand of God” goal.Stefan Szymanski is a Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan
 <div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193760/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 Why Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal is priceless – and unforgettable

ROCHESTER,
 N.Y. (AP) — The National Toy Hall of Fame's new honorees include an 
object dating to ancient times, a line of muscle-bound action figures 
and an iconic art set whose medium is colorful pegs. The hall on 
Thursday announced the top, Masters of the Universe and Lite-Brite as 
this year's inductees.

The trio was chosen from a field of 12 
finalists that also included bingo, Breyer Horses, Catan, Nerf, the 
piñata, Phase 10, Pound Puppies, Rack-O and Spirograph.

The Toy 
Hall of Fame inducts a new class of toys each year in a ceremony at The 
Strong museum in Rochester, where the hall is housed.

The top 
earned a place by being a childhood staple of cultures in Asia, Europe, 
the Americas, and Australia, according to the hall, which noted that 
ancient Greek pottery shows people playing with the twirling objects 
more than 2,000 years ago.

“The top is one of the oldest toys and 
an integral part of many cultures, where it developed independently as a
 plaything,” Chief Curator Christopher Bensch said in a news release. 
“With more than 5,000 years of history behind it, it’s about time that 
the top spun its way into the National Toy Hall of Fame!”

The hall recognizes toys that have inspired creativity and endured over time.

Hasbro’s
 Lite-Brite has maintained its popularity for more than 50 years, after 
being introduced 1966. Marketed in 1968 as a “magic light box,” the toy 
encourages kids to create glowing pictures by pushing colorful pegs into
 an illuminated black background.

Masters of the Universe grew in 
popularity in the 1980s, when the cartoon series “He-Man and the Masters
 of the Universe” allowed Mattel to introduce new characters and toys to
 the line, hall of fame experts said. A 2021 Netflix series underscored 
the franchise’s staying power.

“The team at Mattel understood that
 kids spend lots of time in fantasy play and like the opportunity to 
project themselves into the role of the hero,” curator Michelle 
Parnett-Dwyer said. “Masters of the Universe characters had the 
strength, weapons, and power to defeat the villain—and give kids 
confidence.”

The new inductees will be displayed alongside past 
honorees that range from everyday objects like the stick and cardboard 
box to technologic entries like Nintendo's Game Boy. American Girl 
Dolls, Risk and sand were inducted last year.

Anyone can nominate a toy. A panel of experts votes in the winners.

The
 Strong museum also houses the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian 
Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the 
American Journal of Play.

ROCHESTER,
 N.Y. (AP) — The National Toy Hall of Fame's new honorees include an 
object dating to ancient times, a line of muscle-bound action figures 
and an iconic art set whose medium is colorful pegs. The hall on 
Thursday announced the top, Masters of the Universe and Lite-Brite as 
this year's inductees.The trio was chosen from a field of 12 
finalists that also included bingo, Breyer Horses, Catan, Nerf, the 
piñata, Phase 10, Pound Puppies, Rack-O and Spirograph.The Toy 
Hall of Fame inducts a new class of toys each year in a ceremony at The 
Strong museum in Rochester, where the hall is housed.The top 
earned a place by being a childhood staple of cultures in Asia, Europe, 
the Americas, and Australia, according to the hall, which noted that 
ancient Greek pottery shows people playing with the twirling objects 
more than 2,000 years ago.“The top is one of the oldest toys and 
an integral part of many cultures, where it developed independently as a
 plaything,” Chief Curator Christopher Bensch said in a news release. 
“With more than 5,000 years of history behind it, it’s about time that 
the top spun its way into the National Toy Hall of Fame!”The hall recognizes toys that have inspired creativity and endured over time.Hasbro’s
 Lite-Brite has maintained its popularity for more than 50 years, after 
being introduced 1966. Marketed in 1968 as a “magic light box,” the toy 
encourages kids to create glowing pictures by pushing colorful pegs into
 an illuminated black background.Masters of the Universe grew in 
popularity in the 1980s, when the cartoon series “He-Man and the Masters
 of the Universe” allowed Mattel to introduce new characters and toys to
 the line, hall of fame experts said. A 2021 Netflix series underscored 
the franchise’s staying power.“The team at Mattel understood that
 kids spend lots of time in fantasy play and like the opportunity to 
project themselves into the role of the hero,” curator Michelle 
Parnett-Dwyer said. “Masters of the Universe characters had the 
strength, weapons, and power to defeat the villain—and give kids 
confidence.”The new inductees will be displayed alongside past 
honorees that range from everyday objects like the stick and cardboard 
box to technologic entries like Nintendo's Game Boy. American Girl 
Dolls, Risk and sand were inducted last year.Anyone can nominate a toy. A panel of experts votes in the winners.The
 Strong museum also houses the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian 
Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the 
American Journal of Play.

Top, Lite-Brite, Masters of the Universe in toy hall of fame

Fox's NFL pregame show is going international for the first time in 13 years for the annual Veterans Day show.

This
 week's “Fox NFL Sunday” will originate from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
 The last time the pregame crew went outside the United States was 2009,
 when the show was at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

“It is our 
favorite show of the year and one of the cool things I hear from people,
 even this week, is that viewers also tell me it is their favorite 
show,” said “Fox NFL Sunday” host Curt Menefee. “It means a lot to the 
people. One of the things I remember from when we did 2009 was that it 
meant so much to the troops there because I think they feel forgotten 
when they're on the other side of the world.”

The show — which 
also includes Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson
 and Jay Glazer — has originated from service academies two of the past 
three years. It was at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, 
last year and U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 2019.

The
 two-hour program, which will begin at 11 a.m. EST, will spotlight the 
75th anniversary of the Air Force featuring General Charles Q. Brown Jr.
 It will include features on Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry and former 
Dallas Cowboys defensive back Chad Hennings.

Landry, who passed 
away in 2000, flew B-17 Bomber missions during World War II before his 
playing and coaching career. Hennings graduated from the Air Force 
Academy and was drafted in the 11th round by the Cowboys in 1988, 
eventually being a part of three Super Bowl teams during a nine-year 
career.

Glen Powell of “Top Gun: Maverick” will narrate the show's opening at the top of the first and second hours.

Qatar is eight hours ahead of New York, meaning the show will take place during the evening.

The
 program will serve as an unofficial kickoff to Fox's coverage of the 
FIFA Men's World Cup, which begins Nov. 20. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter 
and lead FOX analyst Alexi Lalas will make appearances.

“From a 
company standpoint, having everybody kind of together is big,” said Fox 
Sports EVP Bill Wanger. “I don’t think there’s anything that as a group 
we’re more proud of.”

Fox has the doubleheader on Sunday, with the featured game of the Dallas Cowboys at the Green Bay Packers.

Associated PressFox's NFL pregame show is going international for the first time in 13 years for the annual Veterans Day show.This
 week's “Fox NFL Sunday” will originate from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
 The last time the pregame crew went outside the United States was 2009,
 when the show was at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.“It is our 
favorite show of the year and one of the cool things I hear from people,
 even this week, is that viewers also tell me it is their favorite 
show,” said “Fox NFL Sunday” host Curt Menefee. “It means a lot to the 
people. One of the things I remember from when we did 2009 was that it 
meant so much to the troops there because I think they feel forgotten 
when they're on the other side of the world.”The show — which 
also includes Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson
 and Jay Glazer — has originated from service academies two of the past 
three years. It was at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, 
last year and U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 2019.The
 two-hour program, which will begin at 11 a.m. EST, will spotlight the 
75th anniversary of the Air Force featuring General Charles Q. Brown Jr.
 It will include features on Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry and former 
Dallas Cowboys defensive back Chad Hennings.Landry, who passed 
away in 2000, flew B-17 Bomber missions during World War II before his 
playing and coaching career. Hennings graduated from the Air Force 
Academy and was drafted in the 11th round by the Cowboys in 1988, 
eventually being a part of three Super Bowl teams during a nine-year 
career.Glen Powell of “Top Gun: Maverick” will narrate the show's opening at the top of the first and second hours.Qatar is eight hours ahead of New York, meaning the show will take place during the evening.The
 program will serve as an unofficial kickoff to Fox's coverage of the 
FIFA Men's World Cup, which begins Nov. 20. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter 
and lead FOX analyst Alexi Lalas will make appearances.“From a 
company standpoint, having everybody kind of together is big,” said Fox 
Sports EVP Bill Wanger. “I don’t think there’s anything that as a group 
we’re more proud of.”Fox has the doubleheader on Sunday, with the featured game of the Dallas Cowboys at the Green Bay Packers.

Fox's NFL pregame will do Veterans Day show from Qatar

The Barton County Historical Society would like to show its appreciation for veterans on Friday, Nov. 11.

For Veterans Day, the museum, located at 85 US 281 Highway on the southern edge of Great Bend, will be offering free admission to veterans during business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1659971080044.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Barton County Historical Society would like to show its appreciation for veterans on Friday, Nov. 11.For Veterans Day, the museum, located at 85 US 281 Highway on the southern edge of Great Bend, will be offering free admission to veterans during business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Barton Co. Historical Society offering free admission to veterans Friday

ABILENE - After a multi-year absence, the Heart of American Band is back!

Sponsored by the Arts Council of Dickinson County, the 32nd Heart of America Band concert is scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 20 in the auditorium of Abilene High School, 1400 N. Cedar Street. The concert is open to the public at no charge.

The Heart of America Band is comprised of 70 musicians whose experience spans decades, including professors, instructors, and students.

"All are playing for the love of music and to share with the community. You'll no doubt hear familiar tunes ranging from pop music, patriotic music, movie tunes, and classic hits," the Arts Council of Dickinson County noted in a news release.

The performance will be the band's first since 2019.

By SALINA POSTABILENE - After a multi-year absence, the Heart of American Band is back!Sponsored by the Arts Council of Dickinson County, the 32nd Heart of America Band concert is scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 20 in the auditorium of Abilene High School, 1400 N. Cedar Street. The concert is open to the public at no charge.The Heart of America Band is comprised of 70 musicians whose experience spans decades, including professors, instructors, and students."All are playing for the love of music and to share with the community. You'll no doubt hear familiar tunes ranging from pop music, patriotic music, movie tunes, and classic hits," the Arts Council of Dickinson County noted in a news release.The performance will be the band's first since 2019.

Heart of America Band returns, to perform in Abilene

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Luke Combs was crowned entertainer of the year at Wednesday's&nbsp;<a href="https://cmaawards.com/">Country Music Association Awards,</a>&nbsp;the second year in a row that he's taken home the night's top honor.

“I want to thank country music for making my dreams come true,” Combs said, dedicating the award to his wife and newborn child. His win came after a performance-packed three hour show that honored country icons and new voices.

“Country is sounding more country than it has in a long time tonight,” Combs said. He also won album of the year for “Growin' Up.”

The show opened with Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire playing tribute to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/loretta-lynn-dies-5f1545e60e37e482faa42cbb25ae61e8">late country queen Loretta Lynn</a>.

The superstar trio performed a medley of Lynn’s hits including “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” as images of Lynn were projected behind them and audience members sang along.

Rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, who like Lynn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerry-lee-lewis-dead-165d562af27b23da9d6d11fc480541e8">died last month,</a>&nbsp;was honored with a fiery tribute by Elle King and the Black Keys.

Alan Jackson accepted&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/">the lifetime achievement award</a>, recounting how a movie about Hank Williams inspired him to move to Nashville when he was flat broke. He teared up during his speech, ending it by telling the audience, “I’m still living that honky tonk dream, y’all.”

Brothers Osborne won vocal duo of the year and Old Dominion won the trophy for vocal group.

Chris Stapleton won male vocalist of the year, his sixth win in the category. Bryan, Combs, Eric Church and Morgan Wallen were also nominated.

“All the guys in this category deserve this award,” Stapleton said.

He dedicated the honor to his 12-year-old daughter, who’s birthday was Wednesday.

Emerging country superstar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-louisiana-country-cb5688167eb365bddb32165c7c4678a6">Lainey Wilson was the leading nominee</a>&nbsp;with six nods, taking home trophies for new artist and female vocalist.

Jordan Davis' “Buy Dirt” won song of the year. The song featured CMA Awards host Luke Bryan, who Davis called to the stage to hug.

Bryan co-hosted the show at Bridgestone Arena along with NFL great Peyton Manning.

Joining country's biggest stars for the evening were Katy Perry and actors Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, who are playing Tammy Wynette and George Jones in an upcoming Showtime limited series and presented Combs the night's top honor.

Perry took the stage and performed “Where We Started” with Thomas Rhett during the show.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Luke Combs was crowned entertainer of the year at Wednesday's&nbsp;<a href="https://cmaawards.com/">Country Music Association Awards,</a>&nbsp;the second year in a row that he's taken home the night's top honor.“I want to thank country music for making my dreams come true,” Combs said, dedicating the award to his wife and newborn child. His win came after a performance-packed three hour show that honored country icons and new voices.“Country is sounding more country than it has in a long time tonight,” Combs said. He also won album of the year for “Growin' Up.”The show opened with Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire playing tribute to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/loretta-lynn-dies-5f1545e60e37e482faa42cbb25ae61e8">late country queen Loretta Lynn</a>.The superstar trio performed a medley of Lynn’s hits including “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” as images of Lynn were projected behind them and audience members sang along.Rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, who like Lynn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerry-lee-lewis-dead-165d562af27b23da9d6d11fc480541e8">died last month,</a>&nbsp;was honored with a fiery tribute by Elle King and the Black Keys.Alan Jackson accepted&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/">the lifetime achievement award</a>, recounting how a movie about Hank Williams inspired him to move to Nashville when he was flat broke. He teared up during his speech, ending it by telling the audience, “I’m still living that honky tonk dream, y’all.”Brothers Osborne won vocal duo of the year and Old Dominion won the trophy for vocal group.Chris Stapleton won male vocalist of the year, his sixth win in the category. Bryan, Combs, Eric Church and Morgan Wallen were also nominated.“All the guys in this category deserve this award,” Stapleton said.He dedicated the honor to his 12-year-old daughter, who’s birthday was Wednesday.Emerging country superstar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-louisiana-country-cb5688167eb365bddb32165c7c4678a6">Lainey Wilson was the leading nominee</a>&nbsp;with six nods, taking home trophies for new artist and female vocalist.Jordan Davis' “Buy Dirt” won song of the year. The song featured CMA Awards host Luke Bryan, who Davis called to the stage to hug.Bryan co-hosted the show at Bridgestone Arena along with NFL great Peyton Manning.Joining country's biggest stars for the evening were Katy Perry and actors Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, who are playing Tammy Wynette and George Jones in an upcoming Showtime limited series and presented Combs the night's top honor.Perry took the stage and performed “Where We Started” with Thomas Rhett during the show.

Luke Combs tops CMA Awards; Loretta Lynn, Lewis honored

NEW YORK (AP) — Snoop Dogg is getting a big-screen biopic.

Universal
 Pictures announced Wednesday that the studio is developing a film about
 Snoop Dogg's life to be produced by the 51-year-old rapper. The film 
will be written by Joe Robert Cole, who co-wrote the two “Black Panther”
 films, and directed by Allen Hughes, the filmmaker of “Menace II 
Society.”

“I waited a long time to put this project together 
because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and 
the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand 
the legacy that I’m trying to portray on screen, and the memory I’m 
trying to leave behind," Snoop said in a statement. "It was the perfect 
marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”

Universal 
previously turned the story of rap group N.W.A. into the hit 2015 film 
“Straight Outta Compton" and also released the acclaimed Eminem biopic 
“8 Mile” in 2002. Cole said the studio “has proven they can guide a 
movie like this to something special.”

Donna Langley, chairman of 
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, said she met with Snoop shortly 
after he acquired Death Row Records. His acquisition was announced just 
days before <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-50-cent-kendrick-lamar-eminem-152c957ecffac7f8f85709ac47ba3d92">Snoop performed in the Super Bowl halftime show</a> in February with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

Snoop
 Dogg broke through in the early ‘90s as part of the West Coast rap 
scene as a collaborator of Dr. Dre’s. He's sold more than 35 million 
albums worldwide in his three-decade career. He'll produce the film 
along with Sara Ramaker and Hughes.

NEW YORK (AP) — Snoop Dogg is getting a big-screen biopic.Universal
 Pictures announced Wednesday that the studio is developing a film about
 Snoop Dogg's life to be produced by the 51-year-old rapper. The film 
will be written by Joe Robert Cole, who co-wrote the two “Black Panther”
 films, and directed by Allen Hughes, the filmmaker of “Menace II 
Society.”“I waited a long time to put this project together 
because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and 
the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand 
the legacy that I’m trying to portray on screen, and the memory I’m 
trying to leave behind," Snoop said in a statement. "It was the perfect 
marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”Universal 
previously turned the story of rap group N.W.A. into the hit 2015 film 
“Straight Outta Compton" and also released the acclaimed Eminem biopic 
“8 Mile” in 2002. Cole said the studio “has proven they can guide a 
movie like this to something special.”Donna Langley, chairman of 
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, said she met with Snoop shortly 
after he acquired Death Row Records. His acquisition was announced just 
days before <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-50-cent-kendrick-lamar-eminem-152c957ecffac7f8f85709ac47ba3d92">Snoop performed in the Super Bowl halftime show</a> in February with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.Snoop
 Dogg broke through in the early ‘90s as part of the West Coast rap 
scene as a collaborator of Dr. Dre’s. He's sold more than 35 million 
albums worldwide in his three-decade career. He'll produce the film 
along with Sara Ramaker and Hughes.

Snoop Dogg biopic is in development with Universal Pictures

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar on Wednesday unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan 
village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing 
toward the lower end of what's available for the upcoming World Cup just
 days away from starting.

As journalists toured the cabins, desert
 winds kicked up sand at the 3.1 square-kilometer (1.1 square-mile) 
site, which housed a metro station, a bus stop, and a planned temporary 
restaurant and convenience store. The area could in theory hold as many 
as 12,000 people if booked at capacity, officials said.

Artificial
 green grass coveredare the walkways outside, with common areas filled 
with large bean-bag style chairs under a gray sky Wednesday. Competing 
nations' flags flapped in the strong desert wind, a large screen also 
present at the site for fans to watch matches. Workers milled about the 
site, checking on its final touches.

The brightly colored cabins, 
each with thin walls, are designed to hold one or two people with twin 
beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet 
and a shower inside.

Each will go for around $200 a night — $270 
with board — as the tournament goes on. Some 60% of the cabins are 
already booked for the tournament, said Omar al-Jaber, the head of 
accommodation at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for 
the tournament.

There will be other rooms offered at $80 a night 
farther out than this site near Doha International Airport and Hamad 
International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours
 during the tournament. Planes rumbled overhead during the visit 
Wednesday.

Those staying at the Fan Village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.

“Most
 of the fan(s) they prefer if it’s not a hotel, they prefer the 
apartment and villa,” al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by
 French hospitality company Accor. However, those wanting budget 
accommodation will come to this site and the other for cheaper options, 
he said.

In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel 
room space and high prices for the rooms available have trailed Qatar, 
which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans 
at the World Cup. So Doha has created <a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-soccer-sports-international-world-cup-be7873252ed55295ad0d75c83b8fcbd8">camping and cabin sites, hiring cruise ships, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for games.</a>

Qatar has estimated it will have 130,000 rooms per day for the tournament.

Already, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-soccer-sports-health-travel-1fadb56a4ffb7b45837f7c26f168a436">nearby Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has planned for an influx of World Cup fans</a> who want to stay there where their money may go further.

“Now,
 the shuttle flights option, it’s one of the options for the people who 
stay already in our neighbor countries and ... they would like to just 
to spend a day for to attend the match,” al-Jaber said. “So this is a 
good option for them in a state of their case.”

He added: “If they
 would like to come and stay, they are more than welcome, of course, and
 there is a many, many options for them."

There are still multiple
 options available for fans in Qatar available to rent, ranging from 
hotels, cruise ship rooms, traditional dhow sailing vessels and tents, 
the fan village, porta cabins and caravans. al-Jaber said.

“We 
have enough accommodation and people still they can come and enjoy the 
tournament and of course they can choose what they are looking for from 
the accommodation," he said.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar on Wednesday unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan 
village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing 
toward the lower end of what's available for the upcoming World Cup just
 days away from starting.As journalists toured the cabins, desert
 winds kicked up sand at the 3.1 square-kilometer (1.1 square-mile) 
site, which housed a metro station, a bus stop, and a planned temporary 
restaurant and convenience store. The area could in theory hold as many 
as 12,000 people if booked at capacity, officials said.Artificial
 green grass coveredare the walkways outside, with common areas filled 
with large bean-bag style chairs under a gray sky Wednesday. Competing 
nations' flags flapped in the strong desert wind, a large screen also 
present at the site for fans to watch matches. Workers milled about the 
site, checking on its final touches.The brightly colored cabins, 
each with thin walls, are designed to hold one or two people with twin 
beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet 
and a shower inside.Each will go for around $200 a night — $270 
with board — as the tournament goes on. Some 60% of the cabins are 
already booked for the tournament, said Omar al-Jaber, the head of 
accommodation at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for 
the tournament.There will be other rooms offered at $80 a night 
farther out than this site near Doha International Airport and Hamad 
International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours
 during the tournament. Planes rumbled overhead during the visit 
Wednesday.Those staying at the Fan Village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666968926967.jpeg" alt="AP Photo/Darko Bandic" />
 <figcaption>AP Photo/Darko Bandic</figcaption>
 </figure>“Most
 of the fan(s) they prefer if it’s not a hotel, they prefer the 
apartment and villa,” al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by
 French hospitality company Accor. However, those wanting budget 
accommodation will come to this site and the other for cheaper options, 
he said.In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel 
room space and high prices for the rooms available have trailed Qatar, 
which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans 
at the World Cup. So Doha has created <a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-soccer-sports-international-world-cup-be7873252ed55295ad0d75c83b8fcbd8">camping and cabin sites, hiring cruise ships, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for games.</a>Qatar has estimated it will have 130,000 rooms per day for the tournament.Already, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-soccer-sports-health-travel-1fadb56a4ffb7b45837f7c26f168a436">nearby Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has planned for an influx of World Cup fans</a> who want to stay there where their money may go further.“Now,
 the shuttle flights option, it’s one of the options for the people who 
stay already in our neighbor countries and ... they would like to just 
to spend a day for to attend the match,” al-Jaber said. “So this is a 
good option for them in a state of their case.”He added: “If they
 would like to come and stay, they are more than welcome, of course, and
 there is a many, many options for them."There are still multiple
 options available for fans in Qatar available to rent, ranging from 
hotels, cruise ship rooms, traditional dhow sailing vessels and tents, 
the fan village, porta cabins and caravans. al-Jaber said.“We 
have enough accommodation and people still they can come and enjoy the 
tournament and of course they can choose what they are looking for from 
the accommodation," he said.

Qatar unveils 6,000-cabin World Cup fan village near airport

In a Securities and Exchange Commissioner filing Wednesday, Gannett Co. Inc. said <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/maribel-perez-wadsworth-is-leaving-gannett/">Maribel Perez Wadsworth</a>, president of Gannett Media, has announced her intention to resign from the company.

Gannett is the owner of the USA Today Network. Its predecessor company, Gatehouse, formerly owned the Hays Daily News before selling it and several other properties to Cherryroad Media.

In Kansas, Gannett still operates newspapers in Hutchinson, Salina and Topeka.

Gannett, which still operates more than 200 newspapers across the country, recently announced it had lost $54 million in the second quarter — <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/gannett-announces-new-cuts-including-mandatory-unpaid-leave-and-buyouts/">a result that led to the severe cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, mandatory furloughs and suspension of 401(k) contributions.</a>

Hays PostIn a Securities and Exchange Commissioner filing Wednesday, Gannett Co. Inc. said <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/maribel-perez-wadsworth-is-leaving-gannett/">Maribel Perez Wadsworth</a>, president of Gannett Media, has announced her intention to resign from the company.Gannett is the owner of the USA Today Network. Its predecessor company, Gatehouse, formerly owned the Hays Daily News before selling it and several other properties to Cherryroad Media.In Kansas, Gannett still operates newspapers in Hutchinson, Salina and Topeka.Gannett, which still operates more than 200 newspapers across the country, recently announced it had lost $54 million in the second quarter — <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/gannett-announces-new-cuts-including-mandatory-unpaid-leave-and-buyouts/">a result that led to the severe cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, mandatory furloughs and suspension of 401(k) contributions.</a>

Gannett Media president announces resignation

By JAKE COYLE Associated Press

Made in the wake of tragedy, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z3QKkl1WyM">“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”</a>
 reverberates with the agony of loss, piercing the usually less 
consequential superhero realm. Like someone going through the stages of 
grief, Ryan Coogler’s movie is at turns mournful and rootless, full of 
rage and blessed with clarity. In the fantastical Marvel Cinematic 
Universe where mortality is almost always a plaything, wrestling with 
the genuine article, in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-race-and-ethnicity-ca-state-wire-entertainment-sc-state-wire-5f4352111fdead278da3651b44d311b8">the death of T’Challa star Chadwick Boseman</a>, makes for an unusually uncertain, soul-searching kind of blockbuster-scale entertainment.

It’s
 a fine line, of course, between paying tribute and trading on it. I did
 cringe a little when the Marvel logo unspooled with images of Boseman 
within the letters: Eulogy as branding. That “Black Panther,” a cultural
 phenomenon and a box-office smash, would get a sequel, at all, was 
momentarily in doubt after Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer 
in 2020. Radically reworked by Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole, 
“Wakanda Forever” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-health-movies-covid-6852dcc0e6cc687a42a45907cff1bfac">pushed ahead in hopes of honoring both Boseman and the rich Afrocentric world of the landmark original.</a> In its admirably muddled way, it succeeds in both.

Part of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-film-reviews-north-america-ap-top-news-ryan-coogler-90ba27dfd7ed46a98092857ab92dda27">the profound appeal of Coogler’s first “Black Panther”</a>
 resided in its deft channeling of the real world into mythology. It fed
 centuries of colonialism and exploitation into a big-screen spectacle 
of identity and resistance. In an invented African nation, Coogler 
conjured both a fanciful could-have-been history and emotional right-now
 reality.

“Wakanda Forever,” which opens in theaters Thursday, 
expands on that, weaving in a Latin American perspective with a similar 
degree of cultural specificity in the introduction of the Aztec-inspired
 antagonist Namor (Tenoch Huerta), king of the ancient underwater world 
of Talokan. At the same time, Boseman’s death is poignantly filtered 
into the story from the start, beginning with off-screen death throes.

“Time
 is running out,” we hear whispered while the screen is still black. 
Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s tech-wiz sister, is frantically 
trying to craft something in her AI lab to save her brother. But in a 
moment, their mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), informs her: “Your
 brother is with the ancestors.” He’s laid to rest in a glorious, 
celebratory procession, carried through a multi-tiered channel of 
white-clad, singing-and-dancing Wakandans. It’s as stunning as anything 
Coogler has shot.

After this prologue, “Wakanda Forever” shifts to
 a year later. “Black Panther” took some of the spy-thriller shape of a 
Bond movie, and the sequel carries that on in a new geopolitical 
context. At the United Nations, the United States and France are 
pressuring for access to vibranium, the rare metal that Wakanda has 
built its empire on. Soon after, a U.S. military expedition discovers 
vibranium at the bottom of the ocean. But just as they’re celebrating, a
 mysterious tribe of blue underwater people, led by Namor, a 
pointy-eared monarch in green short-shorts with wings on his ankles, 
ruthlessly wipe out the entire expedition.

You can feel “Wakanda 
Forever” searching for a way forward in these early scenes. After such 
an anguished beginning, how much care can we summon for the whereabouts 
of magical ores? And more blue people? “Avatar,” you might think, has 
already laid claim to them. What steadies the film is Bassett. Her 
awesome presence leads “Wakanda Forever” through grief with a staunch 
defense of Wakanda that rebalances the newly king-less kingdom. She 
carries on.

What follows is a globe-trotting plot that draws the 
film away from perhaps its greatest asset in Wakanda but uncovers new 
places of latent power among historically exploited people. Shuri and 
Okoye (Danai Gurira), the Dora Milaje general, travel to Cambridge, 
Massachusetts, to seek the student (Dominique Thorne) who created a 
vibranium detector. In the Washington D.C. area, Wakanda’s friendly CIA 
officer (Martin Freeman) experiences new scrutiny from his boss, played 
by an unannounced comic actress familiar to Beltway politics.

But,
 mostly, a series of exchanges draw Wakanda and Talokan closer. Are they
 friends and foes? They are, at least, a captivating tweak to the 
mythology of Atlantis. Talokan, dark and watery, is no Wakanda, though, 
and there’s less hint this time of a larger society. Still, Huerta 
brings a magnetism to Namor. In many ways, he’s a corollary to Michael 
B. Jordan’s Killmonger, a non-villain whose fury is in many ways 
justified. His anger appeals to the still-grieving Shuri who finds 
herself ready, after T’Challa’s death, to “burn the world.”

As in 
the first “Black Panther,” the question again hangs in the balance of 
whether, in a pain-ridden and prejudiced world, rage is the answer. This
 time, it applies to another powerful civilization, too. "Wakanda 
Forever,” where the role of Black Panther is passed down, is in more 
ways than one about the transfer of power.

Wakanda and Talokan are
 brought together a little haphazardly in conflict, as Namor pressures 
the African nation to join his brewing surface war. “Wakanda Forever” 
proceeds as a murky, middle-act film that may ultimately serve as a 
bridge to future “Black Panther” chapters. But along the way, there are 
countless marvels that Coogler conjures with returning magic-workers 
like production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. 
Carter. How the Talokan are flung into the air by whales. The fierce 
friendliness of Gurira’s performance. Lupita Nyong’o is unfortunately 
less central here, but every time her Nakia (who has been laying low in 
Haiti) is present, she graces the film.

“Wakanda Forever” is 
overlong, a little unwieldy and somewhat mystifyingly steers toward a 
climax on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic. But Coogler's fluid 
command of mixing intimacy with spectacle remains gripping. He extends 
the rich detail and non-binary complexity that distinguished “Black 
Panther” in sometimes awkward but often thrilling ways. “Wakanda 
Forever," grappling in the aftermath of loss, ultimately seeks something
 rare in the battle-ready superhero landscape: Peace.

"Black 
Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG-13 by 
the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of strong 
violence, action and some language. Running time: 161 minutes. Three 
stars out of four.

By JAKE COYLE Associated PressMade in the wake of tragedy, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z3QKkl1WyM">“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”</a>
 reverberates with the agony of loss, piercing the usually less 
consequential superhero realm. Like someone going through the stages of 
grief, Ryan Coogler’s movie is at turns mournful and rootless, full of 
rage and blessed with clarity. In the fantastical Marvel Cinematic 
Universe where mortality is almost always a plaything, wrestling with 
the genuine article, in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-race-and-ethnicity-ca-state-wire-entertainment-sc-state-wire-5f4352111fdead278da3651b44d311b8">the death of T’Challa star Chadwick Boseman</a>, makes for an unusually uncertain, soul-searching kind of blockbuster-scale entertainment.It’s
 a fine line, of course, between paying tribute and trading on it. I did
 cringe a little when the Marvel logo unspooled with images of Boseman 
within the letters: Eulogy as branding. That “Black Panther,” a cultural
 phenomenon and a box-office smash, would get a sequel, at all, was 
momentarily in doubt after Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer 
in 2020. Radically reworked by Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole, 
“Wakanda Forever” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-health-movies-covid-6852dcc0e6cc687a42a45907cff1bfac">pushed ahead in hopes of honoring both Boseman and the rich Afrocentric world of the landmark original.</a> In its admirably muddled way, it succeeds in both.Part of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-film-reviews-north-america-ap-top-news-ryan-coogler-90ba27dfd7ed46a98092857ab92dda27">the profound appeal of Coogler’s first “Black Panther”</a>
 resided in its deft channeling of the real world into mythology. It fed
 centuries of colonialism and exploitation into a big-screen spectacle 
of identity and resistance. In an invented African nation, Coogler 
conjured both a fanciful could-have-been history and emotional right-now
 reality.“Wakanda Forever,” which opens in theaters Thursday, 
expands on that, weaving in a Latin American perspective with a similar 
degree of cultural specificity in the introduction of the Aztec-inspired
 antagonist Namor (Tenoch Huerta), king of the ancient underwater world 
of Talokan. At the same time, Boseman’s death is poignantly filtered 
into the story from the start, beginning with off-screen death throes.“Time
 is running out,” we hear whispered while the screen is still black. 
Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s tech-wiz sister, is frantically 
trying to craft something in her AI lab to save her brother. But in a 
moment, their mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), informs her: “Your
 brother is with the ancestors.” He’s laid to rest in a glorious, 
celebratory procession, carried through a multi-tiered channel of 
white-clad, singing-and-dancing Wakandans. It’s as stunning as anything 
Coogler has shot.After this prologue, “Wakanda Forever” shifts to
 a year later. “Black Panther” took some of the spy-thriller shape of a 
Bond movie, and the sequel carries that on in a new geopolitical 
context. At the United Nations, the United States and France are 
pressuring for access to vibranium, the rare metal that Wakanda has 
built its empire on. Soon after, a U.S. military expedition discovers 
vibranium at the bottom of the ocean. But just as they’re celebrating, a
 mysterious tribe of blue underwater people, led by Namor, a 
pointy-eared monarch in green short-shorts with wings on his ankles, 
ruthlessly wipe out the entire expedition.You can feel “Wakanda 
Forever” searching for a way forward in these early scenes. After such 
an anguished beginning, how much care can we summon for the whereabouts 
of magical ores? And more blue people? “Avatar,” you might think, has 
already laid claim to them. What steadies the film is Bassett. Her 
awesome presence leads “Wakanda Forever” through grief with a staunch 
defense of Wakanda that rebalances the newly king-less kingdom. She 
carries on.What follows is a globe-trotting plot that draws the 
film away from perhaps its greatest asset in Wakanda but uncovers new 
places of latent power among historically exploited people. Shuri and 
Okoye (Danai Gurira), the Dora Milaje general, travel to Cambridge, 
Massachusetts, to seek the student (Dominique Thorne) who created a 
vibranium detector. In the Washington D.C. area, Wakanda’s friendly CIA 
officer (Martin Freeman) experiences new scrutiny from his boss, played 
by an unannounced comic actress familiar to Beltway politics.But,
 mostly, a series of exchanges draw Wakanda and Talokan closer. Are they
 friends and foes? They are, at least, a captivating tweak to the 
mythology of Atlantis. Talokan, dark and watery, is no Wakanda, though, 
and there’s less hint this time of a larger society. Still, Huerta 
brings a magnetism to Namor. In many ways, he’s a corollary to Michael 
B. Jordan’s Killmonger, a non-villain whose fury is in many ways 
justified. His anger appeals to the still-grieving Shuri who finds 
herself ready, after T’Challa’s death, to “burn the world.”As in 
the first “Black Panther,” the question again hangs in the balance of 
whether, in a pain-ridden and prejudiced world, rage is the answer. This
 time, it applies to another powerful civilization, too. "Wakanda 
Forever,” where the role of Black Panther is passed down, is in more 
ways than one about the transfer of power.Wakanda and Talokan are
 brought together a little haphazardly in conflict, as Namor pressures 
the African nation to join his brewing surface war. “Wakanda Forever” 
proceeds as a murky, middle-act film that may ultimately serve as a 
bridge to future “Black Panther” chapters. But along the way, there are 
countless marvels that Coogler conjures with returning magic-workers 
like production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. 
Carter. How the Talokan are flung into the air by whales. The fierce 
friendliness of Gurira’s performance. Lupita Nyong’o is unfortunately 
less central here, but every time her Nakia (who has been laying low in 
Haiti) is present, she graces the film.“Wakanda Forever” is 
overlong, a little unwieldy and somewhat mystifyingly steers toward a 
climax on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic. But Coogler's fluid 
command of mixing intimacy with spectacle remains gripping. He extends 
the rich detail and non-binary complexity that distinguished “Black 
Panther” in sometimes awkward but often thrilling ways. “Wakanda 
Forever," grappling in the aftermath of loss, ultimately seeks something
 rare in the battle-ready superhero landscape: Peace."Black 
Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG-13 by 
the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of strong 
violence, action and some language. Running time: 161 minutes. Three 
stars out of four.

Review: In 'Wakanda Forever,' an empire mourns and rebuilds

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Houston Astros' six-game victory over the 
Philadelphia Phillies finished as the second least-watched World Series 
on television.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667851581822.jpeg" alt="Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, foreground, a prolific Texas gambler, and the Houston Astros players gather before a victory parade for the Houston Astros' World Series baseball championship Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Phillip)" />
 <figcaption>Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, foreground, a prolific Texas gambler, and the Houston Astros players gather before a victory parade for the Houston Astros' World Series baseball championship Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Phillip)</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Houston Astros' six-game victory over the 
Philadelphia Phillies finished as the second least-watched World Series 
on television.The six games averaged 11,784,000 on Fox, down 1.3%
 from the 11,940,000 for the Atlanta Braves' six-game win over the 
Astros last year and ahead of only the 9,946,000 for the Los Angeles 
Dodgers' six-game victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020.Houston’s
 3-1 win in Game 6 on Saturday night was seen by 12,549,000 viewers on 
Fox, down 11% from 14,140,000 Atlanta’s 7-0 victory over the Astros in 
last year’s finale, played on a Tuesday night. Including Fox Deportes 
and streaming, this year's Game 6 was viewed by 12,871,000.Game 6
 was played opposite several college football games, including 
Alabama-LSU on ESPN, Clemson-Notre Dame on NBC and Florida State-Miami 
on ABC.The Series finished with a 6.1 Nielsen rating and 17 
share. The rating was the second-lowest behind the 5.2 for 2020, which 
had a 12 share. This year's share marked a 1% increase from last year.Including Fox Deportes and streaming, this year's Series averaged 12,023,000 viewers.Viewers peaked at 51,560,000 for Game 7 of the 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.Totals declined with the rise of cable television and then of streaming services, giving viewers more choices.The Series had a 25.0 rating and a 52 share in Philadelphia and a 24.0/55 in Houston.The
 rating is the percentage of television households tuned in to a 
broadcast. The share is the percentage viewing a telecast among those 
households with TVs on at the time.