Thought of the Day
A fall into a ditch makes you wiser just like mistakes are opportunities to learn.
November 2nd 2025
Nate Sheppard’s 3-yard TD, Duke’s 2-point conversion stun Clemson 46-45
By PETE IACOBELLI Associated Press
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Nate Sheppard ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left and Darian Mensah completed a 2-point-play to Shamar Hagans as Duke stunned Clemson 46-45 on Saturday for its first win in Death Valley since 1980.
The Blue Devils (5-3, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 45-38 and started the game-winning drive on their 6-yard line. Mensah led an 11-play drive in which he converted two fourth downs to set up Sheppard’s TD run.
There was no hesitation from Duke coach Manny Diaz, who kept the offense on the field and Mensah quicky found Hagans for the decisive points.
It was another low moment in a terrible season for Clemson (3-5, 1-4), the defending ACC champions and a trendy pick to win Dabo Swinney’s third national title. The Tigers have lost four home games for the first time since 1998.
The Tigers tried a desperation, pass the ball to anyone open play as the clock ran out. When Duke finally stopped the play, the sidelines jumped into joyous celebration. After all, it had been more than four decades since the football Blue Devils had left Death Valley with a victory.
Mensah finished with 361 yards passing and a career-best four touchdown passes.
Clemson piled up the yards and points, too — 560 yards and its most points this season — but could not get the critical stops to avoid a third straight home loss.
Cade Klubnik, in his first game back since getting injured against Boston College last month, passed for 385 yards and two touchdowns for Clemson.
Receiver Antonio Williams caught 10 passes for 139 yards, running for one score and catching another.
Likely NFL first-round defensive lineman Peter Woods added a 1-yard rush off a direct snap for Clemson.
The takeaway
Duke: The Blue Devils pulled out all the stops to snap a 15-game losing streak here. They finished 5-of-5 on fourth downs, four of those coming in the first half. Hagans also had a 100-yard kickoff return score in the third quarter.
Clemson: Things can’t get much lower for the Tigers, on the verge of their worst season of Dabo Swinney’s 17 full seasons. They play Florida State next week and have road games at Louisville and rival South Carolina.
Up next
Duke goes to UConn on Saturday.
Clemson plays its final ACC home game against Florida State on Saturday night.
November 1st 2025
Thought of the Day
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.
Heidi Klum reveals her much-anticipated 2025 Halloween costume
NEW YORK (AP) — Heidi Klum donned green scales and squirming snakes to transform herself into Medusa for Halloween on Friday.
Klum said she loves the Greek myth of Medusa, in which a goddess turns a beautiful woman into a monster with serpents for hair, the sight of which turns living things around her to stone.
“So I wanted to be really, really like a really ugly, ugly Medusa. And I feel like we nailed it — to the teeth,” Klum said before pointing to fangs in her mouth.
Her husband, musician Tom Kaulitz, dressed as a man turned to stone.
Klum said she spent 10 hours getting into costume for her annual Halloween party. She said it was all worth it because she loves the celebration.
The supermodel-turned-TV personality went viral in 2022 when she arrived at her party on the end of a fishing line, encased in a slithering worm costume.
In past years, Klum has come dressed as an 8-foot-tall (2.4-meter-tall) “Transformer,” a werewolf from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, a clone accompanied by several Klum-lookalikes, and Kali, the multiarmed Hindu goddess of death and destruction.
Klum has said she starts planning her costume for the next year immediately after her party wraps.
Among the other celebrities who walked the carpet at the Hard Rock Hotel New York were a green-painted Darren Criss as Shrek, Maye Musk as Cruella de Vil and Ariana Madix as Lady Gaga.
Last year, Klum and Janelle Monáe turned up to their respective parties in the same costume: E.T.
Monáe was hosting her annual party on Friday, too, and came dressed as a vampire attacked by a shark. The actress and singer-songwriter turned the entire month into a series of Halloween-themed immersive experiences across the Los Angeles area, concluding with a party at her home in Studio City. Earlier in the week, she had dressed as the Cat in the Hat.
“Halloween gives context to what I already do every day,” Monáe told The Associated Press earlier in October. “As an artist, I’m always transforming, world-building and inviting people to play in the worlds I create.”
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This story has been corrected to show that Janelle Monáe was dressed as a vampire on Friday, not the Cat in the Hat.
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Associated Press journalists John Carucci in New York, Jordan Hicks in Los Angeles, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed reporting.
Deputy fatally shoots a 13-year-old boy wanted for grandmother’s killing in North Carolina
RAEFORD, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a 13-year-old boy wanted in the killing of his grandmother when the teenager charged toward the officer with a piece of lumber the boy had picked up during a chase, authorities said Friday.
The State Bureau of Investigation will review Thursday’s shooting involving the Lee County sheriff’s deputy, which is a standard protocol.
The events began in Raeford, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh, where the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said 68-year-old Connie Linen was pronounced dead in her home. Authorities say she was a victim of a homicide but haven’t released details about how she was killed. Deputies initially came to the home in response to a well-being check.
Detectives determined Linen’s grandson to be a suspect, and authorities had completed paperwork charging him with first-degree murder, the Hoke Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it was told about the homicide, and officers later found the boy behind an abandoned mobile home in the Cameron area.
When deputies approached the boy, he ran away, authorities said. The teenager grabbed a two-by-four from a yard during the pursuit and charged toward an officer, who shot the teen, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said. The office’s news released described the boy as 5 feet, 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and 150 pounds (68 kilograms).
Lee County Sheriff Brian Estes and the State Bureau of Investigation didn’t immediately respond to emails Friday seeking more information about the shooting and the investigation.
“This has been a tragic and emotional situation for everyone involved,” Hoke County Sheriff Roderick Virgil said Friday. “We ask that our community come together with compassion and understanding as we all process this difficult event.”
North Carolina lawmaker accused of sex crimes resigns from state House
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina state lawmaker accused by authorities of sex-related crimes involving a 15-year-old resigned his legislative seat on Friday. His departure came just after the House speaker announced a committee to investigate his alleged misconduct.
The House clerk’s office received a letter signed by Democratic Rep. Cecil Brockman of High Point to resign effective immediately.
House leaders from both parties, as well as Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, had called on Brockman to resign since his arrest three weeks ago on two counts each of statutory sexual offense with a child and taking indecent liberties with a child.
Brockman, who had served in the House since 2015, wrote that he needed to focus on his defense given the serious allegations against him.
“As a result, I am currently unable to fulfill my duty and service to my constituents,” Brockman said. Democratic officials in Brockman’s Guilford County district will now choose someone to complete his two-year term through the end of 2026.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall had announced earlier Friday a bipartisan House committee “to investigate the charges and recommend expulsion if necessary” from the chamber, a Hall news release said. The state constitution gives the House authority to remove its members. The full House last voted to remove a member in 2008.
Hall said later Friday that Brockman’s “departure spares the House from a difficult expulsion process and brings closure to this troubling chapter.”
Records show Brockman, 41, remained in jail Friday on a bond of just over $1 million. A court hearing on a request by Brockman’s attorney to reduce the bond is scheduled for Monday.
Birders going ‘cuckoo’ after unexpected sighting in New York City area
By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI Associated Press
A bird sighting on New York’s Long Island has avian enthusiasts flocking to the region in hopes of spotting a feathered friend that has never been seen before in the state.
The common cuckoo is typically found from Europe to Japan, with the majority of the population wintering in Africa. But one was recently spotted in Riverhead — a town on the north shore of Long Island about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from New York City — by a golfer who snapped a photo and sent it to his nephew, a birding enthusiast.
The information eventually was shared with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. Once the bird was confirmed as a common cuckoo, birders quickly shared the news in their communities.
The bird has since been spotted more than 200 times by enthusiasts who have noted their sightings on the birding site ebird.org and various social media sites, including the American Birding Association. Many people in other parts of the U.S. also have reported making special treks to the region in hopes of seeing it for themselves. The last confirmed sightings came late Sunday afternoon.
It’s not clear how or why the bird ended up in southern New York, or if it’s even still in the region. Experts say it’s a juvenile — meaning it hatched this spring or summer — so it’s reasonable to conclude it was trying to migrate for the winter but somehow got lost or blown off course.
The common cuckoo has been found only three other times in the eastern U.S. and Canada, experts said.
Jay McGowan, a curator at the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library, said Thursday that the bird may still be in the area, but if it has relocated, it may be unlikely anyone will happen across it again. He urged anyone who does see it to report their sightings to the birder community.
“This is definitely a major event for anyone birding in New York state, and unusual enough for the broader region,” McGowan said, adding that he’s not surprised to see many people are willing to make long trips to the area for a chance to see a bird they would otherwise be unlikely to see unless they went to Europe or Asia.
”If people see it, they shouldn’t approach too closely for photos, but otherwise it’s fairly tolerant of people and traffic,” McGowan said. “It looks a lot like a small hawk, like the common Cooper’s hawk, so don’t be fooled if you see one of those.”
Furry Friday: Meet Baked Potato!
The word on the street is that you’re looking for a fun and loving unconditional partner. Here I am, Baked Potato. I would like to make my case that I truly AM the best boy in town!
My first check is that I am so quiet. My foster forgets about me when she puts me in a room! I also am a gentleman in the room. I know my business goes outside, my friend. Now, I don’t bother anything, but if you are more the crate type of person, count me in. You see, my goal is to make your life fun and comfortable. People are everything to me. My foster loves the way I cuddle nose to nose with her. Wherever the human is, that is where you will find me. I would be a terrific work buddy because I will be quiet and just sit by you. Now, I still have some zoomies in me, but I also have that calm cucumber vibe as well! Since I am young, I can learn new tricks and go with you on those great trails you would like to walk.
I am a pup who’s just so eager to play that I sometimes forgets my manners. I may pounce a bit hard or get a little overzealous, but it’s all in good fun. There is no malice in my zoomies… just a pure zest for life. Once I get my wiggles out, I can settle in and enjoy the company of my dog friends. I have played successfully with both males and females, but I do best with confident, tolerant dogs who don’t mind my bold playstyle. I might try to tip the scales with a dominant male, so a well-matched buddy (or slow introductions) will help me shine.
I know how to sit, takes treats gently, and love cuddles and sitting right by your side. I am easy to collar and don’t react at all when walking past barking dogs. Once outside, I am a good walker—no pulling—and I love to explore and to learn about the world.
If you’re interested in learning more about me, please reach out to our volunteer matchmakers at [email protected] with the subject line “Baked Potato 260890”.
Baked Potato is up to date on vaccinations, flea/tick, and heartworm prevention, is microchipped, and is neutered. If you have dogs or cats, we recommend slow introductions over time. If you have children in your home, we recommend supervision between animals and children at all times.
About Baked Potato:
Breed: American Staffordshire Terrier
Sex: Male
Age: 2 years, 4 months
Weight: 68 pounds
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Location: Shelter
Date In Shelter: 6/5/2025
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Halloween Sugar Cookies
Happy Halloween to those who celebrate! This recipe is great to serve to guests or as a fun activity for a Halloween night in.
Ingredients
- For the cookies:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla + ½ tsp almond extract)
- For decoration:
- Royal icing or store-bought white icing
- Food coloring (orange, black, purple, green)
- Sprinkles, candy eyes, or edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
1. Mix dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine wet ingredients
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). Then, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
3. Mix dry and wet ingredients
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until dough forms. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. *While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Roll and cut the dough
Roll dough to about ¼ inch thick. Use Halloween cookie cutters (pumpkins, ghosts, bats, cats) to shape into cookies.
5. Bake and cool
Bake 8–10 minutes or until edges are just golden. Cool completely before decorating.
6. Decorate!
Now for the fun part! Divide icing into bowls and tint with food coloring. Pipe or spread on cookies to make spooky designs. Some ideas are: spiders, ghosts, skeletons, pumpkins, or bats. Enjoy the process, then enjoy your treat!
October 31st 2025
Thought of the Day
Ghosts are going to be crazy in 100 years from now, someone is going to say “I saw a little boy in the hallway doing the Macarena then just disappeared!!”