Carolina rookies Legault, Nystrom make team history by scoring 1st NHL points in win over Sabres

Carolina rookies Legault, Nystrom make team history by scoring 1st NHL points in win over Sabres

By BOB SUTTON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The injury-ravaged Carolina Hurricanes found new sources of offense from two rookie defensemen, and the pair made team history in the process.

Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom picked up their first NHL points in Saturday night’s 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Their performance marked the first time in the Hurricanes’ team history that two defensemen posted their first points in the same game. And, it was the fourth time in Carolina history — since the relocation from Hartford — that any two players recorded their first points in a game.

Legault had an assist and an empty-net goal, and Nystrom assisted on a goal early in the third period as Carolina extended its winning streak to three games.

“We don’t judge their game based on that,” Hurricanes coach Rod’Brind’Amour said. “But those are nice little bonuses for them. Both guys have been solid. We ask a lot of them.”

Legault scored by sending the puck nearly the length of the ice into the unattended net with 1:28 remaining in the game. But, his first point came when he assisted on Eric Robinson’s goal 29 seconds into the third period.

“You dream of scoring one since you’ve been a kid, so being able to get one tonight is a great feeling,” Legault said.

Nystrom’s assist came on Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s score 29 seconds into the third that extended Carolina’s lead to 3-1.

“Today I got my first point and I’m real happy for that,” Nystrom said. “… (Kotkaniemi) he did a really good shot. I have to thank him, too.”

In franchise history combining Hartford and Carolina, Mark Howe and Charles Luksa were the last defensive pair to get their first career points in the same game, in October 1979.

Legault and Nystrom have been living together since their somewhat unexpected additions to the NHL team this fall.

“We spent a lot of time together the last couple of weeks,” Nystrom said.

Carolina played without defenseman Jalen Chatfield for the first time this season. He left Thursday night’s game with an upper-body injury after a blow to the head from Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick, who was assessed a match penalty.

The Hurricanes have been without defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere for more than a week. That twosome, plus Chatfield, all played in 70 or more games last season.

The Hurricanes also recalled defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from Chicago of the AHL earlier Saturday, but he was a healthy scratch.

Lopez throws 2 TD passes, North Carolina beats Stanford 20-15

Lopez throws 2 TD passes, North Carolina beats Stanford 20-15

DOUG BONJOUR Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Gio Lopez threw for two second-half touchdowns and North Carolina’s defense relentlessly pressured Elijah Brown as the Tar Heels beat Stanford 20-15 Saturday for their second straight victory in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Jordan Shipp led the Tar Heels (4-5, 2-3 ACC) with 83 yards receiving on five catches. His 55-yard touchdown grab extended the lead to 20-3 early in the fourth quarter. Lopez, who was 18 of 25 for 203 yards passing, also connected with Davion Gause for a 20-yard score.

“Good win,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Good to win at home. Always good to win at home. Proud of our team.”

Brown, a redshirt freshman making his first start this season and the second of his career, threw for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception but was also sacked nine times.

Two late touchdowns, including a 24-yard catch by CJ Williams, made it a one-score game with 1:48 to play, but it was too little, too late for Stanford (3-7, 2-5 ACC), which dropped its third straight.

Williams finished with six catches for 61 yards, while Caden High added 10 receptions for 102 yards.

“I’m really happy with how Elijah fought back,” coach Frank Reich said. “Obviously, some of the protection stuff, he was just trying to hold on. He didn’t flinch, it didn’t faze him.”

The first half featured just 147 total yards and as many punts (six) as points.

Fittingly, North Carolina’s defense set up the first score when Andrew Simpson stripped Brown, allowing Smith Vilbert to recover at the Stanford 7. That led to a Rece Verhoff 27-yard field goal.

The Tar Heels’ 3-0 lead after the first quarter was their first since a Sept. 13 win over Richmond.

Ethan Kenney converted a 38-yard field goal on the half’s final play, making up for an earlier miss.

The takeaway

Stanford: Brown got into a rhythm after a quiet start, but protection issues were too much to overcome.

North Carolina: Considering how bleak things have looked early in Belichick’s tenure, the Tar Heels will take all the wins they can get. Sneaking into a bowl game is still a possibility.

Setting the tone

Melkart Abou Jaoude had three sacks, giving him eight in the last three games and 10 this season. Tyler Thompson also had three sacks and Simpson added two.

“When our defense shows up like that — they’ve been showing up the last couple of games — we’ve got to respond to them,” Lopez said. “It’s complementary football.”

Up next

Stanford hosts California on Nov. 22 following a bye.

North Carolina visits Wake Forest next Saturday.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrives in Manhattan, kicking off New York’s holiday season

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrives in Manhattan, kicking off New York’s holiday season

NEW YORK (AP) — The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was hoisted aloft at its new home in Manhattan on Saturday, marking the start of New York City’s holiday season.

This year’s tree is a 75-foot-tall (23-meter-tall) Norway spruce from the upstate town of East Greenbush, a suburb of Albany. After being cut down this week, it made the roughly 150-mile (240-kilometer) journey south on a flatbed truck, drawing curious onlookers along the way.

The crowds were much bigger at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where workers used cranes to hoist the 11-ton tree into position overlooking the iconic skating rink. People gathered with coffee cups and phones as crews secured the spruce and began the careful process of stabilizing it.

The tree will be soon be decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored, energy-efficient LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star weighing 900 pounds (408 kilograms).

It will be lit Dec. 3 during a live TV broadcast hosted by country music star Reba McEntire and remain on display until mid-January, after which it will be milled into lumber for use by the affordable housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity.

The tree was donated by homeowner Judy Russ and her family. She said it was planted by her husband’s great-grandparents in the 1920s.

“For this to now become the center of New York City Christmas is incredible,” Russ told the radio station 1010 WINS.

The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up by workers in 1931 to raise spirits during the Great Depression. The comparatively modest 20-foot (6-meter) balsam fir was outfitted with garlands handmade by the workers’ families.

The tradition stuck as the first tree-lighting ceremony was held in 1933.

Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments

Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments

By DAVID A. LIEB, MICHAEL CASEY, SCOTT BAUER and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown, even though residents in some states already have received the funds.

A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked an appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.

After a Boston appeals court declined to immediately intervene, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an order late Friday pausing the requirement to distribute full SNAP payments until the appeals court rules on whether to issue a more lasting pause. Jackson handles emergency matters from Massachusetts.

Her order will remain in place until 48 hours after the appeals court rules, giving the administration time to return to the Supreme Court if the appeals court refuses to step in.

The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes.

Officials in more than a half-dozen states confirmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday. But Jackson’s order could prevent other states from initiating the payments.

Which states issued SNAP payments

In Wisconsin, more than $104 million of monthly food benefits became available at midnight on electronic cards for about 337,000 households, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said. The state was able to access the federal money so quickly by submitting a request to its electronic benefit card vendor to process the SNAP payments within hours of a Thursday court order to provide full benefits.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said state employees “worked through the night” to issue full November benefits “to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries” by Friday.

Hawaii had the information for November’s monthly payments ready to go, so it could submit it quickly for processing after Thursday’s court order — and before a higher court could potentially pause it, Joseph Campos II, deputy director of Hawaii’s Department of Human Services, told The Associated Press.

“We moved with haste once we verified everything,” Campos said.

Trump’s administration told the Supreme Court that the fast-acting states were “trying to seize what they could of the agency’s finite set of remaining funds, before any appeal could even be filed, and to the detriment of other States’ allotments.”

“Once those billions are out the door, there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover those funds,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the court filing.

Officials in California, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington state also said they moved quickly to issue full SNAP benefits Friday, while other states said they expected full benefits to arrive over the weekend or early next week. Still others said they were waiting for further federal guidance.

Many SNAP recipients face uncertainty

The court wrangling prolonged weeks of uncertainty for Americans with lower incomes.

An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.

For some SNAP participants, it remained unclear when they would receive their benefits.

Jasmen Youngbey of Newark, New Jersey, waited in line Friday at a food pantry in the state’s largest city. As a single mom attending college, Youngbey said she relies on SNAP to help feed her 7-month-old and 4-year-old sons. But she said her account balance was at $0.

“Not everybody has cash to pull out and say, ‘OK, I’m going to go and get this,’ especially with the cost of food right now,” she said.

Later Friday, Youngbey said, she received her monthly SNAP benefits.

The legal battle over SNAP takes another twist

Because of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration originally had said SNAP benefits would not be available in November. However, two judges ruled last week that the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely because of the shutdown. One of those judges was U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who ordered the full payments Thursday.

In both cases, the judges ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing more than $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.

On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program and that the other money was needed to shore up other child hunger programs.

Thursday’s federal court order rejected the Trump administration’s decision to cover only 65% of the maximum monthly benefit, a decision that could have left some recipients getting nothing for this month.

In its court filings Friday, Trump’s administration contended that the judge usurped both legislative and executive authority in ordering SNAP benefits to be fully funded.

“This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers,” Sauer told the Supreme Court.

States are taking different approaches to food aid

Some states said they stood ready to distribute SNAP money as quickly as possible.

Colorado and Massachusetts said SNAP participants could receive their full November payments as soon as Saturday. New York said access to full SNAP benefits should begin by Sunday. New Hampshire said full benefits should be available by this weekend. Arizona and Connecticut said full benefits should be accessible in the coming days.

Officials in North Carolina said they distributed partial SNAP payments Friday and full benefits could be available by this weekend. Officials in Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Dakota also said they distributed partial November payments.

Amid the federal uncertainty, Delaware’s Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer said the state used its own funds Friday to provide the first of what could be a weekly relief payment to SNAP recipients.

___

Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri; Bauer from Madison, Wisconsin; and Catalini from Newark, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Mark Sherman in Washington; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Anthony Izaguirre in New York; Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu; Mingson Lau in Claymont, Delaware; John O’Connor, in Springfield, Illinois; Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Colleen Slevin in Denver; and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Wilson, Veesaar, Trimble power No. 25 North Carolina’s 2nd-half push to beat No. 19 Kansas 87-74

Wilson, Veesaar, Trimble power No. 25 North Carolina’s 2nd-half push to beat No. 19 Kansas 87-74

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Caleb Wilson had 24 points, big man Henri Veesaar added 20 and No. 25 North Carolina dominated the second half to pull away from No. 19 Kansas 87-74 in Friday night’s battle of college basketball bluebloods.

Senior Seth Trimble added 13 of his 17 after halftime, proving to be a catalyst for the Tar Heels (2-0) in taking control of the second-half tempo as UNC roared out of the break.

North Carolina made 18 of its first 23 second-half shots — including back-to-back push-the-tempo scores by Trimble that had Kansas coach Bill Self first waving his hands in frustration and then burning a quick timeout barely two minutes in.

Kyan Evans added 12 points after a scoreless first half for the Tar Heels, who went from shooting 33% before the break to making 24 of 36 shots (66.7%) after halftime to lead by as many as 16 on the way to scoring 58 second-half points.

That 58-point output was tied for the second-most allowed in any half by Kansas under its 23rd-year coach, according to SportRadar.

Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson had 22 points to lead the Jayhawks (1-1), who led by 10 in the first half and 37-29 at the break.

The Jayhawks entered Friday having won five straight meetings between programs with a combined 10 NCAA titles, including in the 2008 Final Four, the 2012 NCAA Elite Eight and the 2022 national championship game. The Jayhawks won last year’s meeting at Allen Fieldhouse despite blowing a 20-point lead and were playing their first game in Chapel Hill.

Up next

Kansas: The Jayhawks return home to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

UNC: The Tar Heels continue a five-game homestand to open the season with Tuesday’s visit from Radford.

___

This story has been corrected to show UNC’s ranking is No. 25, not No. 24.

November 8th 2025

November 8th 2025

Thought of the Day

Photo by Getty Image

You don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step.

The shutdown has disrupted air travel. Will that drive a surge in car rentals and train bookings?

The shutdown has disrupted air travel. Will that drive a surge in car rentals and train bookings?

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government shutdown has rattled air travel — most recently with an unprecedented effort from the Federal Aviation Administration to cut flights by 10% at airports nationwide. And the disruptions are causing some to instead hit the road or buy a train ticket.

That could mean more business for car rentals, long-haul buses and commuter rails like Amtrak — particularly if flight delays and cancellations continue piling up as the U.S. approaches Thanksgiving and other peak holiday travel.

Amid the latest scramble, Hertz is already reporting a sharp increase in one-way car rentals. One-way reservations have spiked more that 20% through the coming weekend compared with the same period last year, according to the company, which has also pointed to the shutdown’s ongoing strain on travel overall.

“We join the airlines in urging Congress to swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution and restore certainty for travelers,” Hertz CEO Gil West said in a statement. “Every day of delay creates unnecessary disruption.”

A press contact for peer-to-peer car-sharing company Turo said Friday that the platform’s nationwide bookings were also up 30% year-over-year. And Avis simiarly noted it had also seen “an increase in one-way rental activity as airlines adjust flight schedules,” maintaining that it would continue “to serve customers in the best way possible as travel conditions evolve.”

Amtrak, meanwhile, is predicting record Thanksgiving numbers.

The rail service said it began to see those bookings grow before the shutdown began — but told The Associated Press on Thursday that it was also “reasonable to expect an increased share shift to Amtrak” if flight disruptions mount. Amtrak has maintained that its routes are running normally amid the shutdown.

Flix North America, the parent company of FlixBus and Greyhound, is also preparing for more demand.

“Our message is simple: you still have options,” said Kai Boysan, CEO of Flix North America.

Boysan maintained that intercity buses are “one of the most dependable ways to get around” — and not impacted by the shutdown like flights are. “We anticipate more travelers may turn to ground transportation in the days ahead, and we’re monitoring demand closely and prepared to add capacity where needed to ensure people can keep moving,” he added.

A Flix spokesperson said Friday that many of its bookings typically occur within 24 to 72 hours of departure, noting that the company should have a “clearer picture” of the overall impact in the coming days.

Still, train and bus routes are sometimes more available in certain parts of the country than others. And some have also encountered sold-out tickets or rentals in recent days — instead turning to other creative options.

Karen Soika from Greenwich, Connecticut, found out Friday morning that her flight out of Newark, New Jersey, was rebooked for an hour earlier. But she later learned her plane was actually leaving from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport instead, at least an hour away.

She unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip, before settling on another option: booking a U-Haul.

“I’m going to U-Haul and I’m going to drive a truck cross country,” said Soika.

Meanwhile, others are hoping to avoid lengthy alternatives.

Christina Schlegel, of Arlington, Virginia, is keeping an eye on the Wednesday flight she’s booked to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When word of cancellations broke, her husband suggested they just drive if their flight is among those affected, but Schlegel says she’d rather pivot to a different flight or airport.

“I don’t want to drive 12 hours,” said Schlegel, who is heading to Florida ahead of a Bahamas cruise.

It can be overwhelming for travelers to navigate whether or not their trips will be impacted — particularly if the trip is farther down the road. And the costs of buying backup options can add up overall. That’s caused some to sit on their current bookings.

“Everything is so fluid right now that many travelers are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach, especially looking ahead to Thanksgiving travel,” Aixa Diaz, spokesperson for motor group AAA, said in a Friday email.

Diaz urges consumers to stay informed, make flexible backup plans and take steps to reduce future headaches — such as carving out more travel time overall or taking a taxi or public transport to an airport instead of parking your own car, in case your return trip gets canceled or rerouted.

“Controlling what you can is key,” she noted.

_______

Associated Press journalists Matt Sedensky and Charles Sheehan in New York; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Ted Shaffrey in New Jersey contributed to this report.

Farmers’ Almanac says it will cease publication after 208 years, citing financial challenges

Farmers’ Almanac says it will cease publication after 208 years, citing financial challenges

A 208-year-old publication that farmers, gardeners and others keen to predict the weather have relied on for guidance will be publishing for the final time.

Farmers’ Almanac said Thursday that its 2026 edition will be its last, citing the growing financial challenges of producing and distributing the book in today’s “chaotic media environment.” Access to the online version will cease next month.

The Maine-based publication, not to be confused with the even older Old Farmer’s Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire, was first printed in 1818. For centuries it’s used a secret formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts.

The almanac also contains gardening tips, trivia, jokes and natural remedies, like catnip as a pain reliever or elderberry syrup as an immune booster. But its weather forecasts make the most headlines.

Both publications were among hundreds of almanacs that served a nation of farmers over two centuries ago. Most were regional publications and no longer exist.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the end of what has not only been an annual tradition in millions of homes and hearths for hundreds of years, but also a way of life, an inspiration for many who realize the wisdom of generations past is the key to the generations of the future,” Editor Sandi Duncan said in a statement.

Readers, saddened to hear the news, posted online about how they used it in their families for generations as a guide to help them plant gardens and follow the weather.

In 2017, when Farmers’ Almanac reported a circulation of 2.1 million in North America, its editor said it was gaining new readers among people interested in where their food came from and who were growing fresh produce in home gardens. It developed followers online and sent a weekly email to readers in addition to its printed editions.

Many of these readers lived in cities, prompting the publication to feature skyscrapers as well as an old farmhouse on its cover.

The Farmers’ Almanac was founded by David Young in New Jersey before moving to Maine in 1955. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is believed to be the oldest continually published periodical in North America.

Among Farmers’ Almanac articles from the past is one urging folks to remember “old-fashioned neighborhoodliness” in the face of newfangled technology like cars, daily mail and telephones in 1923. Editors urged readers in 1834 to abandon tobacco and in 1850 promoted the common bean leaf to combat bedbugs.

The almanac had some forward-thinking advice for women in 1876, telling them to learn skills to avoid being dependent on finding a husband. “It is better to be a woman than a wife, and do not degrade your sex by making your whole existence turn on the pivot of matrimony,” it counseled.

Lemon Asparagus

Lemon Asparagus

This side is quick and easy, and goes well with chicken, steak, or fish!

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh asparagus (about 1 lb), trimmed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Optional garnish: grated Parmesan or red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Prep the asparagus
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus (about 1–2 inches) and pat dry.

2. Cook the garlic
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant.

3. Add asparagus
Place the asparagus in the skillet in a single layer. Then, cook for 4–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green and tender-crisp.

4. Add the lemon
Squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus, sprinkle in the zest, and toss to coat. Then, season with salt, pepper and (optional) red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with parmesan for extra flavor.

5. Serve and enjoy
Serve warm and enjoy as a side to your favorite protein!

November 7th 2025

November 7th 2025

Thought of the Day

Photo by Getty Image

Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.

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