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It’s Friday, December 13, and the Indiana Pacers (10-15) and Philadelphia 76ers (7-15) are all set to square off from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Pacers are currently 3-11 on the road with a point differential of -4, while the 76ers have a 3-7 record in their last ten games at home. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Game details & how to watch Pacers vs. 76ers live today Date: Friday, December 13, 2024 Time: 7 pm EST Site: Wells Fargo Center City: Philadelphia, PA Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page , along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Game odds for Pacers vs. 76ers The latest odds as of Friday: Odds: Indiana Pacers (+187), Philadelphia 76ers (-227) Spread: 76ers -6 Over/Under: 228.5 points That gives the Pacers an implied team point total of 113.2, and the 76ers 116.33. Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more! Expert picks & predictions for Friday Pacers vs. 76ers game Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. NBC Sports Best Bets Vaughn Dalzell’s (@VmoneySports) top play: 76ers Team Total Over 116.5 (-105) “In the last 10 meetings between the 76ers and Pacers, Philly has averaged 130.4 points per game and scored 117 or more points all eight times. You would have to go back to 2021 to find a performance under that (113).” Drew Dinsick’s top play (@whale_capper): Pacers +6.5 “Tough to put a fair price together for the Sixers but not a good matchup for a defense that has struggled to come up will consistent stops in the half court this season. Fair price is IND +4 by my numbers.” Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals. Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Pacers & 76ers game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Philadelphia 76ers on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Philadelphia 76ers at -6. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the OVER on the Game Total of 228.5. Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Pacers vs. 76ers on Friday The Pacers have lost 4 of their last 5 games as an underdog The Pacers’ last 7 games versus the 76ers have gone OVER the Total The 76ers have failed to cover in 13 of their 22 games this season If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: - Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)For years, school bus driver Herman Cruse would drop off Middle Township, New Jersey, students in the morning and then find ways to pass the time until his next run to pick them up at the end of the school day. Cruse lives too far from the school district to return home between routes, and he wanted to do something more meaningful than running errands, working out or napping between shifts. Overhearing one of the kindergartners on the bus talking about troubles with a reading assignment, Cruse approached the student’s teacher at Middle Township Elementary School No. 1 in Cape May Court House to ask if he could help. It was 2021, and Alex Bakley had Cruse meet with the student to read. The two connected, and word spread at the sprawling school. Other students and teachers requested reading time with Cruse. “It caught on quickly,” said Cruse, 56. “It took on a life of its own.” Since he started reading to that first boy three years ago, Cruse estimates that he has read with hundreds of students, mostly kindergartners and first graders. The students have been dubbed “Mr. Herman’s Kids,” and they view Cruse as a beloved mentor, role model and father figure. Some ride the yellow school bus Cruse drives. “He’s not just picking up kids,” said Principal Chris Paskalides. “He’s just taken it to another level. He really cares about the kids.” A section in the kindergarten wing has been designated as “Mr. Herman’s Kids Corner.” Sitting at a round table, Cruse reads with students one-on-one for about 20 to 30 minutes during their school day three times a week. Students may select a title from a bookshelf stocked by Cruse or a book from their classroom. On a recent morning, Cruse had about 2 1⁄2 hours between shifts and reported for his reading assignments. Cruse listened patiently as Octavia Hebron, 6, read aloud from “I’m Thankful Each Day.” He gently offered assistance when she stumbled over a word, encouraging her to sound it out as she followed with her finger. “Good job! Awesome!” Cruse told her, giving her a high-five. Cruse recruited another bus driver, Dan O’Connell, 70, to help with reading to reach more students. Both men voluntarily use their downtime for reading with students. The school has about 700 students in pre-K through second grade. Sitting on a mini-size chair across the room from Cruse, O’Connell read to students or let them read to him. He chuckled when 5-year-old Melody Roberto-Hammond wanted to read a second book. “We’re not reading them all,” O’Connell told her. “Maybe next time.” Experts say reading helps with language comprehension, vocabulary building and story structure. With Cruse, reading also acts as a relationship-building activity, particularly important with a male role model when most children are exposed to female teachers in lower grades, said Valarie G. Lee, an associate professor in the critical literacy, technology, and multilingual education department at Rowan University. “I think what they’re doing is wonderful. The evidence is in kids wanting to read with him,” Lee said. “Building that foundation early on is really critical.” Veteran teacher Linda Bakley said Cruse has a special knack with students. Sometimes they ask to read with him instead of her, she said, laughing. Some of them refer to Cruse as “Pop Pop.” “This man is loving and caring. The kids feel it,” Linda Bakley said. “The kids do adore him. When they say it takes a village, he is the village.” Cruse reinforces skills that students learn in the classroom, and he questions them about what they’ve read to build comprehension, Bakley said. He also asks how they are doing outside of school, which has built their trust, she said. A grandfather and father of five adult children, Cruse said he became an avid reader at a young age. His mother purchased an encyclopedia set for the family, and he devoured the reference books, along with books, maps and atlases, he said. “I read pretty much everything I could put my hands on,” he recalled. Cruse passed on that love of reading to his own children. He applies the same approach to the students at Middle Township. “I want to nurture every gift these children are exuding in these classrooms,” he said. “Whatever they learn from me, whatever they get, I hope they just go further, do more and be more as they grow.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!

OMAHA, Neb. — Brice Williams and Juwan Gary each scored 16 points, and Nebraska never trailed in a 74-63 victory over No. 14 Creighton on Friday night. The Cornhuskers (4-1) held preseason All-American Ryan Kalkbrenner to four points — all on free throws — while winning on their in-state rival's home court for the second time in the past three seasons. Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs scored 25 points for the Bluejays (4-1), while Kalkbrenner had 11 rebounds. Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian had 15 points for Nebraska. Berke Buyuktuncel added 12 points and Rollie Worster had 11. Nebraska held Creighton to 32.7% shooting from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range. The Cornhuskers led 31-13 late in the first half. Creighton got within 42-35 in the second half but Nebraska responded with an 8-1 run and was never seriously threatened from there. Takeaways Nebraska: The Huskers were active on defense throughout, forcing 17 Creighton turnovers and only turning the ball over 10 times. Nebraska's Rollie Worster (24) turns to shoot against Creighton's Jackson McAndrew, back, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. Credit: AP/Rebecca S. Gratz Creighton: The Bluejays' normally reliable 3-point shooting deserted them early and never returned. Key moment Creighton cut Nebraska's lead to eight points twice late in the second half, but the Huskers responded each time with defensive stops that ignited small runs. Key stat Kalkbrenner came in averaging 25.8 points per game but attempted just one field goal in the first half, a missed 3-pointer. Up next Nebraska hosts South Dakota on Wednesday. Nebraska's Juwan Gary (4) plays against Creighton during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. Credit: AP/Rebecca S. Gratz Creighton heads to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, beginning on Tuesday against San Diego State.

WEST FARGO — When Happy, a sweet but oblivious-to-danger 9-year-old mare scraped up her back leg once again, owner Alicia Severson was able to call on Casselton Veterinary Service to visit her Gandin, N.D., farm and patch up Happy. But when it comes to a recurring ligament injury Happy sustained while competing in a barrel competition, Severson and many other horse and farm animal owners are finding it more difficult every year to find big animal veterinarians, and especially ones that specialize in certain care. ADVERTISEMENT "There is absolutely a shortage," Severson said. For decades, ranchers have been sounding the alarm about a shortage of rural veterinarians and new big animal vets, and especially those who specialize in caring for horses, cows, pigs and sheep. The problem persists despite land grant universities such as North Dakota State University, who often send undergraduates interested in the profession to far-away schools for continuing education. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture , 500 counties across 46 states reported critical shortages of big animal vets. And while large animal veterinarians have long been a challenge to find in rural areas, where they are most needed, veterinarians who specialize in horses are also waning. That's despite the increasing popularity and availability in North Dakota and Minnesota for younger generations to compete in equine activities. According to an online database, about 43,200 horses call North Dakota home, which is about one horse per 18 people in the state. Leon Glasser, president of the North Dakota Quarter Horse Racing Association, has been breeding, raising and racing horses for more than 40 years, working to improve the quality of racehorses born in North Dakota. Over the years, he's watched the number of veterinarians willing to work with horses dwindle quickly. "Are we short of equine vets in this area? Absolutely, we are," Glasser said. He said a veterinary clinic in New Salem, N.D., will now only provide simple paperwork needed for owners to transport horses across state lines for care and Missouri Valley Vet Clinic in Bismarck has also limited equine services in the same way. Most newer veterinarians prefer to work on dogs and cats exclusively, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Severson agreed, noting it is also difficult to find a veterinarian who has experience treating goats, as the Seversons have two goats at their farm along with the horses and a cat. For Happy's ligament issue, of which she's had recurring surgeries and needs sporadic treatment, Severson worked with an equine sports medicine specialist based in the Twin Cities but would travel into western Minnesota. However, that veterinarian recently retired, leaving Severson on the hunt to find another specialist within a few hundred miles of the Red River Valley. "Nothing takes the place of a seasoned veterinarian," Severson said. "Thankfully, Casselton [Veterinary Service] is fabulous when it comes to when my horse is injured. But when it comes to long-term stuff that she's dealing with, it's difficult." Access to education and access to vets Dr. Alexa Weyer at Casselton Veterinary grew up in Snohomish, Wash., a farm town north of Seattle, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of North Dakota before finishing her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in Alabama. Following graduation, she began working at Casselton Veterinary in early 2021. "There is definitely a shortage of people interested in large animal practice, and we would love to see more interest," Weyer said. To be a veterinarian requires a doctorate degree from a veterinary school or program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and passing the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam, which is an extensive 360-question exam on all species (dogs, cats, horses, cows, goats, pigs, birds, reptiles, rabbits, fish and more) and all aspects of veterinary medicine. ADVERTISEMENT Veterinarians can choose to either go straight into general practice after graduation or they can seek further education to become a specialist. To be a veterinarian technician requires a two- or four-year veterinary technology degree, depending on the program. Derine Winning, a veterinarian at Valley Veterinary Hospital in Fargo and public policy adviser for the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, said the vast majority — about 70% — of new graduate veterinarians became companion animal practitioners in 2023. Almost 10% became mixed animal practitioners and only 6% became equine practitioners. The data comes from the American Veterinary Medical Association's 2024 Economic State of the Profession Report. "There are a lot of different areas in which veterinarians can become board certified through advanced education and training," Winning said. Animal specialists of any kind can be difficult to find locally, although Winning said the Red River Animal and Emergency Hospital and Referral Center in Fargo does have some specialists in oncology, surgery, internal medicine and emergency and critical care. Casselton Veterinary provides many large animal services from emergency on-call care to posting a doctor and technician for nights and weekends. In addition to their vets traveling to farms, the clinic has a large treatment area with two stocks and stalls for hospitalization and breeding care. The clinic also has several portable imaging tools. Weyer said the trend of vets moving away from rural areas can be seen in the growing need for referrals. "Unfortunately, most referral facilities across the country for large and small animals are in areas of high population density. For large animals, there are even fewer facilities and they tend to be at universities with veterinary schools or in areas of high equine concentration," she said. ADVERTISEMENT While the Casselton doctors work with a variety of places for specialty referrals, Sturgis Equine in western South Dakota and the University of Minnesota are probably most used by the clinic. Still, the closest drive is about four hours. Weyer said referrals are typically needed for colic surgery, arthroscopic surgery, advanced imaging or advanced hospitalizations. "In general practice like we are, there are always times to refer. For our clients, it would be nice to have a closer option, but a lot of areas in the country are even farther from referral than we are," Weyer said. Beth Carlson, deputy veterinarian with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, said rural areas most in need of large animal veterinarians may not attract college graduates with those abilities. "The ratio of large animal veterinarians has shifted quite a bit," Carlson said. "Certainly there are areas of the state where it is difficult to hire veterinarians for a variety of reasons. In some cases it's challenging to hire veterinarians even in urban areas as well." One challenge is the cost of becoming a veterinarian. The USDA offers a program that provides up to $75,000 in veterinary school loan repayment to graduates who agree to work in underserved rural communities a minimum of three years. While some in Congress have recently proposed increasing that amount, it can still be daunting as new veterinarians, on average, face about $190,000 in school debt over the eight years needed to become a veterinarian. ADVERTISEMENT According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the mean starting salary for a veterinarian working predominantly in the treatment of food animals is about $85,000, but it was more than $100,000 for those who specialize in pet care. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture does work with residents interested in attending veterinary school. Carlson said her office assists with applications for veterinary loan repayment programs. "There are a few different ways that the state and federal government has approached that issue," Carlson said. While NDSU has a veterinarian technician program, there are currently no veterinary schools in North Dakota. In fact, there are only about 30 veterinary schools nationwide. The closest to North Dakota and some of the most renowned veterinary medicine schools are the University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and Kansas State. "NDSU is a great agricultural school and has a great veterinary technician program," Weyer said. "It might be nice to have a veterinary doctorate program at NDSU, but I am not sure that the population is there yet to support one."The Raiders entered this season riding an eight-game winning streak over the Broncos. Denver ended its losing streak to the Raiders in emphatic fashion in a 34-18 victory in Week 5, and bettors are all over the Broncos to win and cover again in Sunday’s AFC West rematch at Allegiant Stadium. Denver is a consensus 6-point favorite after the look-ahead line was 3 at the Westgate SuperBook and reopened at 4 after the Broncos blew out the Falcons 38-6 on Sunday and the Raiders lost 34-19 to the Dolphins. “There has been an avalanche of money on the Broncos,” Westgate vice president of race and sports John Murray said. “The most one-way game of the week is Denver. The Raiders are going to be our biggest sweat. Denver is a hot team right now. They’re playing some really good football, and everybody is going to bet on the Broncos.” The action also has been one-sided in favor of the Broncos at Station Sports, where 82 percent of the tickets are on Denver. “That’s really surprising, but the Raiders are just a team right now trending the wrong way, though they’ve had a history of success against the Broncos in recent years,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “We’re clearly going to be Raiders fans.” The consensus total is 41, with the number at 411⁄2 at Circa Sports. The Raiders are on a 7-2 over run, and the Broncos are on a 5-2 over run. The Raiders (2-8, 4-6 ATS) are tied for the NFL’s second-worst record behind the Jaguars (2-9) and have the league’s longest losing streak at six games. Denver (6-5, 8-3 ATS) is one of the NFL’s biggest surprises. It already has topped its season win total of 51⁄2 and is tied for the second-best spread record in the league behind the Lions (8-2 ATS). Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has thrown for 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions in his last nine games. The former Oregon star is the +325 second choice at Circa to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award behind Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the heavy -510 favorite. “Bo Nix has played great, they’re really good defensively, they’ve got a good offensive line and a coach (Sean Payton) that has a quarterback very similar to what he had (in New Orleans) in Drew Brees,” Esposito said. “These teams are definitely trending in opposite directions.” Best bets Professional sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw bet on the Broncos at -4 on Monday before the line shot up Wednesday to 6. “I don’t really see anything at this number (-6). This is about what I made it,” he said. “These teams are going in different directions. Denver is playing really well, and their defense is very, very good. The Raiders just seem to be in total disarray.” Three-time Review-Journal NFL Challenge champion Doug Fitz, 32-23 ATS in the contest this season, made the Raiders +6 his best bet this week. “The Raiders showed some signs of life on offense in offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s first game replacing Luke Getsy,” said Fitz (Systemplays.com). “The Broncos are obviously the better team, but this is a home division game for the Raiders. “I think the Raiders keep this close, and I expect a bit of a letdown from the Broncos after their dominant performance last week against a good Falcons’ team.” Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X. Player to score first touchdown At Caesars Sportsbook Up to 30-1 Javonte Williams 6-1 Courtland Sutton 7-1 Brock Bowers 11-1 Jakobi Meyers 11-1 Devaughn Vele 12-1 Audric Estime 12-1 Bo Nix 13-1 Tre Tucker 14-1 Jaleel McLaughlin 17-1 Marvin Mims, Jr. 18-1 Lil'Jordan Humphrey 18-1 Troy Franklin 19-1 Adam Trautman 21-1 DJ Turner 22-1 Gardner Minshew 30-1

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Could Fresno State have a high-powered offense next season? If hiring an offensive coordinator with a resume as such, then the Red Wave are probably in for a treat. Entz hired Josh Davis as the offensive coordinator, having served the same position while at South Dakota where he coached the 2023 and 2024 seasons and guided the Coyotes to their first-ever FCS playoff semifinal appearance. Davis had an offense that ranked No. 9 in total offense in the FCS, averaging 436.9 yards per game. got our guy Red Wave, welcome our offensive coordinator @Coach_JDavis to the Bulldog family pic.twitter.com/7uia8uEKQh His resume included coaching his two running backs to 1,000 yard seasons. That could bode well next season for running back Bryson Donelson who finished the season with 462 rushing yards and three touchdowns. South Dakota scored 35.8 points per game and averaged 215.9 rushes per game and 220.9 passing yards per game. The Bulldogs, under Pat McCann, averaged 26.0 points per game and 98.2 rushes per game and 242.3 passing yards per game. The Bulldogs’ total offense averaged 340.6 yards per game. The Coyotes made the quarterfinal (2023) and semifinal (2024) in the FCS playoffs. John Baxter, meanwhile, was retained by Entz, and will enter his fourth season with the Bulldogs — but 17th overall at Fresno State (1997-09, 2022-24). Zach Crabtree was hired by Entz after spending three seasons at USC. He served as the assistant offensive line coach for the first time last season. He was an offensive graduate assistant in 2022 and 2023. Crabtree played for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-2018, but retired due to a knee injury.Over 7,000 Youth Engaged In CPF's 'Foundation In The Governorates' Campaign

Elon Musk's Business Ties to China—What to Know as MAGA Turns on Trump AllyFor travelers, Puerto Rico is a floating island of desirability

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Storm dumps record rain and heavy snow on Northern California. Many in Seattle still without powerPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A pair of conservative groups on Friday challenged a Maine law that limits donations to political action committees that spend independently in candidate elections, arguing that money spent to support political expression is "a vital feature of our democracy.” Supporters of the referendum overwhelmingly approved on Election Day fully expected a legal showdown over caps on individual contributions to so-called super PACs. They hoped the referendum would trigger a case and ultimately prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the matter of donor limits after the court opened the floodgates to independent spending in its 2010 Citizens United decision. The lawsuit brought by Dinner Table Action and For Our Future, and supported by the Institute for Free Speech, contends the state law limiting individual super PAC donations to $5,000 and requiring disclosure of donor names runs afoul of that Citizens United legal precedent. “All Americans, not just those running for office, have a fundamental First Amendment right to talk about political campaigns,” lawyers wrote in the lawsuit in federal court. “Their ‘independent expenditures,’ payments that fund political expression by those who are not running for office but nonetheless have something to say about a campaign, are a vital feature of our democracy.” Cara McCormick, leader of the Maine Citizens to End Super PACs, which pressed for the referendum, said the lawsuit attempts to undermine the will of the people after an overwhelming majority — 74% of voters — approved the referendum last month. “Super PACs are killing the country and in Maine we decided to do something about it. We want to restore public trust in the political process,” she said. “We want to say that in Maine we are not resigned to the tide of big money. We are the tide.” But Alex Titcomb, executive director of Dinner Table Action, argued Friday that the government “cannot restrict independent political speech simply because some voters wish to limit the voices of their fellow citizens.” Named in the lawsuit are Maine’s attorney general and the state’s campaign spending watchdog, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The ethics commission is reviewing the complaint, said Jonathan Wayne, executive director. The Maine referendum didn’t attempt to limit spending on behalf of candidates. Instead, it focused on limits on individual donations to super PACS, an area the Supreme Court has not ruled on, observers say. Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, a longtime advocate for campaign finance reform, contends the U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue of individual contributions to PACs, and long-established case law supports the notion that states can limit individual contributions to PACs despite a decision to the contrary by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Lessig, whose Equal Citizens nonprofit backed the Maine referendum, previously said the cap on donations imposed by the referendum "is not asking the Supreme Court to change its jurisprudence, not asking them to overturn Citizens United.”Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Related Articles Travel | Royal Caribbean reveals details, opening date for exclusive resort in Nassau Travel | Kennedy Space Center adds limited-time ‘Elite VIP Tour’ Travel | Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream crafts custom flavor for Caribe Royale Travel | Cut down your own Florida Christmas tree in Ocala National Forest Travel | Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort? Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Despite travels through Mexico City, South America, and the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, Luca Guadagnino ’s movie adaptation of “ Queer ,” William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novel, was surprisingly shot almost entirely on the famed Cinecittà soundstages in Rome, Italy. Speaking on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast , Guadagnino said that was necessary to allow the film’s production design to capture the complex and unspoken emotions between William Lee ( Daniel Craig ) and Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), an expat former soldier who makes the heroin-addicted Lee believe he might be finally able to establish an intimate connection with someone. “We conceived the movie not as a period drama, but as a visualization of the imagination of William S. Burroughs, and the possibility that cinema could let us to play with space as a mirror, as a box, as a canvas that could make us feel the power of the connection more,” Guadagnino said in what was his fifth appearance on Toolkit. The connection required the power of cinema, because on the surface, the younger Allerton often acts indifferent to the older Lee. While not quite an unrequited love story, Lee struggles to read Allerton’s emotions and at times wonders if he is even gay. It’s a connection (and misconnection) expressed in movement. Choreographers Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot (Nederlands Dance Theater) worked with Craig and Starkey for two month, creating a heightened sense of emotionally-charged reality within the artifice of the film’s sets. Guadagnino drew direct inspiration from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “The Red Shoes,” “Tales of Hoffman,” and particularly “Black Narcissus,” a colorful fever dream set inside a convent of nuns atop the Himalayas. “The movie is entirely shot on stage like a Powell and Pressburger fantasy, like a ‘Black Narcissus’ fantasy,” Guadagnino said. “The fate, and the contrast of culture, here is the desire, longing, and love.” Guadagnino even wanted to adopt those film’s use of old-school matte painting as a backdrop. But early on, he realized this would be at odds with how he worked with actors to stage a scene. “The way I like to shoot is that I like to have the actors own the scene before anything else. I give them the place, the space, and I look at them moving in the space. Once they do that, I then know where to put the camera,” said Guadagnino. “But in order to use a painted backdrop, you have to make sure that the camera is only in one place, which would have forced the actor to be in that place, and I didn’t like that. And that’s where 21st century technology comes to help.” While on the podcast, Guadagnino admitted his opinions of the latest digital technology had evolved considerably in recent years, having realized what he initially disliked about it was the “lazy” ways in which he believed many filmmakers had used it. On “ Queer ,” Guadagnino was liberated by CGI. The film went through hundreds of iterations in the concept phase, giving him the ability to find the exact amount of visible brush strokes and precise color to evoke the emotion of a scene. “The cold sameness of CGI can become uniqueness and warmth,” he said. It’s a surprise then that Guadagnino hired a first-time production designer, Stefano Baisi, to help him execute such a complicated concept and process. Baisi, a trained architect, had collaborated with Guadagnino in his interior design studio, working on projects like a home for Yoox founder Francesco Marchetti, prior to becoming the production designer on “Queer.” Baisi told IndieWire he initially met Guadagnino in 2017 when a colleague needed some help on a project they were doing. “I met Luca and passed an entire day discussing, designing a staircase railway, and then after a few months I joined the team,” said Baisi, who would go on to regularly work with Guadagnino for six years prior to “Queer.” “When he asked me [to design ‘Queer’] I was very surprised, I [couldn’t’] believe it, because for me something like working on a movie was impossible.” Baisi found the transition easier than he imagined because movies, unlike architecture, had a script and a longer concept phase that supplied far more direction about the overall vision. For his part, Guadagnino watched Baisi manage enormous architectural projects with ease and had a gut instinct he would have a strong cinematic sensibility. Any concerns about Baisi making the jump were outweighed by knowing Baisi wouldn’t be confined by preconceived notions about how movies are normally made. “With Stefano we drew all of these backdrops, the color palette was drawn, the clouds, the skies, the buildings, everything was really designed on paper in the months before shooting,” Guadagnino said of the months-long post-production process during which Baisi stayed on as a supervisor. “Stefano’s work ended basically a few weeks before presenting the movie at the [Venice Film] festival because this CGI work was not just CGI people putting up some backdrop or plates, it was taking these drawings and making them digital matte paintings of it.” While Baisi said Guadagnino had a very clear concept of how the backdrop related to the emotion of the scene, which was fine-tuned with concept artists in creating dozens of variations for each scene, it was necessary to find the film’s balance between artifice and the real world environments it was recreating. As part of the pre-production process, Baisi went on a research trip that mirrored (but in reverse order) Burroughs’ real-life journey from Mexico City to Ecuador, seeing many of the real locations that inspired the author’s imagination. “The work of Burroughs is filled with this imaginary world he created; this is the first reason why Luca decided to create everything from scratch,” Baisi said. “We wanted to give the movie that kind of texture that comes from lighting [a movie shot in] technicolor.” The film’s painted backdrops of Mexico City, in particular the skies, use predominantly “acidic colors” that speak to the drug-fueled, dream-like haze Lee lives in. One notable exception: the quiet scene between Lee and Allerton after they make love in Lee’s ramshackle apartment. The set was complete with a red carpet directly inspired by Dorothy Vallens’ (Isabella Rossellini) look in “Blue Velvet.” “They are sitting in the couch, they’re reading their books, but they clearly are distracted by the desire within each other for each other,” said Guadagnino. “And they start to kiss and behind them there is this beautiful window that is like a big eye opening on them. There you have these incredible glowing, candied-colored, gold gilded sunset over Mexico City... that hugs and embraces the lovers in that moment. I’m very proud of the way the production design really became a protagonist of the story without being decorative.” Shooting against green and blue screens, part of what sells the scene and makes it soar is how cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom painted the sets with an additional expression layer of light that both aligns with the emotions and supplies a real light to match the backdrop’s artifice. “Sayombhu is a master,” said Baisi. “Luca gave him a lot of references for the lighting, one of the main references was Michaël Borremans, the Flemish painter, and we wanted to replicate that kind of light in his work.” Even Lee and Allerton’s journey to heart of the Amazon to find the Ayahuasca plant was shot at Cinecittà. The original concept was to shoot inside on a soundstage, but that proved to be a technical impossibility. Instead, Baisi found a hill of dirt from previous site work on the Cinecittà grounds and had a path dug through it to create the jungle pass. Then, with guidance from a botanical professor in Ecuador, Baisi’s team would surround it with plants that looked similar to what would be found in the Amazon, while blocking the Mediterranean pine trees of Rome and using visual effects set extensions for what could be seen beyond their make shift jungle-dirt pile. Besides the brief shots on the ocean beach late in the film, the only scene not shot at Cinecittà was when Lee visits the botanist to beg for information about where to locate the Ayahuasca plant. That scene was shot at a botanical garden in Palermo, Sicily. “I was born there and I grew up in Palermo, and then I left at the age of 22 just a few years after I bumped into this book,” said Guadagnino. “When we started to conceive this place where he meets the botanist... I brought to the table the memory of these gardens and I said, ‘I think those botanical gardens are really perfect and ready. We don’t need anything.’” For a movie in which so much is digitally drawn, Guadagnino takes pride in how little they altered this location rooted in his memory. “Behind Lee, when he sits outside and the guy tells him, ‘Okay, I’ll give you the map,’ there is a writing on the dust of the window, ‘Fox and Badger.’ This was written there by somebody and we kept it,” said Guadagnino with a grin. You can subscribe to the Toolkit podcast on Apple , Spotify , or your favorite podcast platform.Israel Vazquez, three-time world champion boxer, dies from cancer at 46New and Old Debates on Anti-imperialism and Socialism

LOCKERBIE victims’ families are split over a controversial new drama about the atrocity — amid fears it could undermine their 36-year fight for justice. Oscar-winning star Colin Firth takes the lead role of campaigner Dr Jim Swire, 88, who lost his daughter Flora in the 1988 tragedy. The bereaved dad has long argued that late Libyan spy Abdelbaset al-Megrahi — the only person ever convicted over Britain’s deadliest terror attack — was innocent. His book, A Father’s Search For Justice, is the inspiration for the forthcoming Sky Atlantic drama. Now other victims’ relatives are outraged at the portrayal ahead of a trial in the US next year. Victoria Cummock, 71, whose husband John died aboard Pan Am Flight 103, accused programme makers of trying to “influence uniformed audiences” and “instil doubt in potential jurors”. The American dad of three was among 259 passengers plus 11 in the Dumfriesshire town who perished when the London-New York flight exploded in mid-air on December 21, 1988 . And Victoria, who regularly travels to the UK to visit John’s grave in Lockerbie’s Tundergarth cemetery, described the five-part series as an attempt to “undermine the course of criminal justice”. The widow added: “I feel that the casting of Colin Firth, depicted as the lone, courageous champion of truth and justice, will elevate Swire’s story, filled with unproven conspiracy theories and politically biased interpretations.” Al-Megrahi was jailed for life in 2001 after being convicted of 270 counts of murder at a 72-day trial at a special Scots court convened in The Netherlands. Controversially, Scottish ministers released him back to his homeland eight years later on compassionate grounds after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He then survived for another three years. Alleged spy Abu Agila Masud is set to stand trial in Washington DC in May accused of assembling the Lockerbie bomb. The King’s Speech A-lister Firth, 64, was spotted walking past reconstructed plane wreckage while filming Lockerbie: A Search for Truth earlier this year in Bathgate, West Lothian. Victoria revealed the scenes had upset relatives — with the real-life plane’s remains set to be sent to the US to be used in evidence against the alleged bomb maker. Slamming the telly drama, she added: “It discredits the exemplary efforts and integrity of thousands of first responders and law enforcement personnel who combed for evidence for months, in the bitter, wet cold, across 2,200sq km. It was the largest crime scene in UK history.” Dr Swire has maintained that the true bombmaker was a Jordanian “double agent, or possibly even a triple agent”. He has insisted this man was a valuable CIA asset — prompting the US and UK Governments to instead pin the blame on tyrant Muammar Gaddafi and Libyans. But bereaved loved ones are concerned millions of viewers will be swayed by his theories. Bert Ammerman, 77, whose brother Tom, 36, died in the attack, questioned the TV show’s agenda — despite retaining “respect” for Dr Swire’s decades of campaigning. He said: “Jim Swire was the key person that wanted to keep the Lockerbie story going until we found out the truth. “And for this entire period he has been a leader. For that he will always have my respect and gratitude. I disagree that Megrahi was wrongly convicted and that it was not Libya to blame. Jim really went off the beaten path.” Vowing to keep fighting for convictions, Bert, of New Jersey, US, insisted: “It’s not just Megrahi and Gaddafi that were involved — and that alone keeps us going 36 years later. My power to keep going is my brother being blown out of the air at 31,000 feet.” Among the victims when the tragic flight exploded 38 minutes after take-off were 35 students from Syracuse University in New York. Sue Lowenstein, 80, lost her son Alexander, 20 — who had been among the group studying abroad. She accused the forthcoming small-screen portrayal of deliberately courting controversy. The sculptor, of Montague, New York, said: “Controversy always creates an interesting story for TV and most of us haven’t been in agreement with Jim Swire and his beliefs.” Campaign groups told of their horror that the series was allowed to get off the ground after pleading with producers to pull the plug. A spokesman for the US-based Victims of Pan Am 103 said: “We have raised our concerns with the producers of the project. “We feel they are amplifying and highlighting a false narrative about the bombing. “A narrative that the great majority of us who lost loved ones do not align with and have fought very hard against. “They risk dishonouring the memories of those that were lost, the lifetime of work of the families, and worst of all they may put doubt in the public about those that committed this heinous act.” But Swire’s supporters insist the series, set to debut on January 2, will be a force for good. His friend, Reverend John Mosey, 84, lost daughter Helga in the tragedy — and continues to hope the “hidden” truth will emerge. Rev Mosey said: “Somebody in the US government or security departments has something they want to hide from the public and will do anything to stop it from coming out. “It’s frustrating getting nearer the end of our days so people are waiting for us to shuffle off our mortal coil and keep quiet until we do so. “Those who kept secrets ought to be brought to justice.” Dr Swire declined to comment. Last night a Sky spokesman said: “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth is based on Dr Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph’s book, The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice. “We understand there are opposing opinions and do not attempt to tell the definitive version of the Lockerbie disaster or present a conclusion. "We do not underestimate the responsibility of telling this story sensitively. We engaged with victims’ families and support groups through- out production and in the lead-up to the series launch.”Supply chain software firm Logility explores sale, sources say

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