Monday, Jan. 2, 2023

Nations around the world ring in 2023 with bells and fireworks

larger celebrations.

Previewing the Cowboys at the Southern Scuffle

Rowdy Baribeau Staff Reporter

Twenty-two OSU wrestlers are being sent to Chattanooga for the Southern Scuffle OSU will be one of the most represented teams at the Southern Scuffle this year, which takes place on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2. No. 14 OSU will be wrestling with 20 teams across the country such as No. 3 Iowa State and No. 4 Missouri.

On the flip side, there are teams like Little Rock and Hofstra in the tournament. So, there’s a good mix

of highly-ranked wrestlers that will create some tight matches and some lower-tier wrestlers to build confidence against. Here’s who OSU is bringing to the tournament:

Kaden Gfeller, Luke Mechler, Daniel Manibog, Travis Mastrogiovanni

Sheets, Chance

Jalin Harper

Dustin Plott

Travis Wittlake, Gavin Stika, Kyle Haas

Luke Surber

Konner Doucet Coach John Smith said he feels like his middle weights need some burn and it’s for good reason. There are many backups that will wrestle in this tournament that will be eventual starters for OSU, especially considering Kaden Gfeller and Wyatt Sheets will be gone next year.

SEOUL, South Korea — Berlin and many other cities welcomed the new year with parties outdoors, following restrictions for the past two years.

A crowd was gathering at the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday after tourists flocked to the capital, according to Visit Berlin.

Hotels were expecting 80% to 90% occupancy while hundreds of emergency personnel were on standby, expecting a restless night.

However, the city’s celebration was smaller than in the past, and tickets had to be booked in advance. No fireworks were planned for midnight but organizers said there would be a light show.

Earlier, nations across Asia rang in the new year.

In South Korea, tens of thousands of people gathered in the center of Seoul to hear the 33 chimes of the over 3-meter-high Bosingak bell, local media reported.

People had only been able to watch the bell-ringing ceremony on television and in social media for the past two years due to the pandemic.

During the ritual act, a large bronze bell in the Bosin Pavilion is struck exactly 33 times starting at midnight, as the number 33 symbolizes good luck in Korea.

Celebrations in China, meanwhile, were muted due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, even though bars and restaurants were able to organize events since the easing of regulations.

New Year’s Eve is not a particularly important holiday in China, as people mark the new year on Jan. 22 with

Earlier, in Taiwan, fireworks were set off at the island’s landmark Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings.

It was expected to attract more than 1 million revelers despite rainy cold weather in Taipei.

About 16,000 fireworks were set off during the five-minute show, themed on “Caring for the World and Shining Dreams,” at the 509-meter-tall skyscraper.

Sydney had already welcomed the new year with a large-scale display of fireworks dubbed a “kaleidoscope of color” in the city’s harbor.

The show’s highlight was a luminous rainbow that poured down like waterfalls from the Harbour Bridge as the city looks forward to hosting World Pride in February.

One million people had been expected to flock to the spectacle that was held in front of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, according to broadcaster ABC. Many people had already secured a spot with a good view early in the morning. Meanwhile a further half a billion viewers watched the show remotely around the world, according to estimates.

The celebration involved around 9,000 fireworks, costing around $39 million, organizers said ahead of the event.

Australia’s show came after Samoa and Kiribati in the South Pacific were the first countries in the world to welcome 2023, in a celebration that included tourists for the first time in two years.

Both countries closed their borders to visitors in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kiribati reopened to the world in

Cowboys lose despite early lead against Kansas

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

LAWRENCE, Kan.

— John-Michael Wright, a senior OSU guard who transferred in from High Point, had been told plenty about the deafening noise. But hearing about it paled to actually hearing it “Coaches told us in practice how loud it gets in here,” Wright said. “I

honestly didn’t believe it. But once the game started, I couldn’t hear what anybody was saying. But it’s a good experience. I like that kind of environment. I feel like it actually pumps us up as a team.”

No. 4 Kansas beat Oklahoma State 69-67 on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. It was both teams’ first Big 12 game.

When the crowd was quietest, moments after OSU guard Bryce Thompson knocked down a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left to tie the game, it took just eight seconds for KJ Adams to knock down a jumper to reignite a frenzy.

Adams’ basket gave KU a 69-67 lead. It was the game’s final score. Thompson got loose on a baseline inbounds play with 1.1 seconds left, but KU’s Kevin McCullar blocked his crashing, right-handed layup attempt in the lane.

“Credit to these guys for executing (the baseline play).” Boynton said. “They were brought in to do what we asked them to do.”

Davis Cordova

OSU’s John Michael Wright scored 19 points and four 3-pointers in OSU’s 69-67 loss to Kansas on Saturday afternoon.

Sam Janicki

Victor Voinovich advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle

Dpa Correspondents

The tournament will be valuable to their progression as there’s a wide array of talent to wrestle against.

For this tournament, many know what Dustin Plott, Daton Fix, Kaden Gfeller and Wyatt Sheets bring to the table and it’s why they are a select few favorites to win or place at their weights, according to FloWrestling. However, it’s quite a toss-up across every other weight. There’s the potential for some rematches, considering Minnesota is in the tournament. The scuffle could also shake out to where certain OSU wrestlers will wrestle future opponents, such as some from Stanford and Northern Colorado.

The scuffle is a perfect opportunity for some OSU wrestlers that have struggled this year to gain more confidence going into the thick of the dual meets. Trevor Mastrogiovanni is one of those top names that come to mind and he could be primed for a nice run after placing first at the Reno Tournament of Champions earlier in December.

Konner Doucet, Luke Surber and Victor Voinovich are three wrestlers who could also end up with strong runs in the scuffle. They are also three wrestlers who are either fresh starters or wrestling in a new weight. All three last wrestled Dec. 11 in their Bedlam dual victory against Oklahoma.

For Voinovich and Doucet, the tournament will be about getting reps and gaining some confidence as they’re both still trying to get acclimated to the intensity of dual meets. The OSU starters are clear-cut guys to watch as they’ll be the main guys going forward in duals, but there’s a great group of freshmen and seasoned backups participating to keep an eye on.

Freshman 149-pounder Jordan Williams may be at the top of that list. The former No. 12 recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to FloWrestling, had his “welcome to NCAA Wrestling” moment in the Lindenwood Open thanks to a fall by Southern Illinois Edwardsville’s Saul Ervin. He went 2-3 in the tournament and will certainly be going against the higher-tier competition in Chattanooga.

Kyle Haas at 184 pounds, Cutter Sheets at 149 pounds and Teague

Travis at 141 pounds are all youngsters to watch in the tournament. Haas is a physical specimen that looks like a 197-pounder. He’s a weight room warrior that will look to flex his muscles at the scuffle. Cutter, the younger brother of Wyatt Sheets, will look to continue his strong run in tournaments as he’s 9-1 across the Drury Open and the Bob Smith Open. Travis placed first at 149 pounds in the Lindenwood open and

Viking Open this year, but he’ll be at 141 for this tournament.

The Southern Scuffle is one of, if not the premier tournament in NCAA Wrestling that is not the usual postseason tournaments. After some close showings by individuals and the team during dual meets, the Southern Scuffle could be more taxing on OSU than it may typically be. Smith has said it and wrestlers have said it: not many people

are counting OSU “in” this year. However, if OSU ends up with a good placement or even winning the tournament over top-ranked teams, it could be the spark the Cowboys need to roll through the rest of their schedule.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Molly Jolliff

OSU’s 184-pounder Travis Wittlake, Dustin Plott and Daton Fix are No. 1 seeds for the Cowboys at the Southern Scuffle.

sports

Fouls sideline Thompson’s career day

mates around him on the bench sat.

Standing was as close as he could get to playing.

He didn’t belong on the bench. Foul trouble, not performance, forced him out of the game.

Ben Hutchens Staff Reporter

LAWRENCE, Kan. — A lone figure broke the shape of players hunched on the OSU bench.

It looked like one player didn’t belong on the sideline for the critical second half portion of Kansas’ 69-67 win against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

For a seven-minute stretch in the second half, Thompson stood to watch a 69-67 Kansas win while his team-

Thompson tied a career-high 23 points playing just 29 minutes. He was efficient, making 7-of-10 3-pointers. Thompson’s biggest shot tied the game with 14 seconds left before the Cowboys surrendered the game-winning basket eight seconds later.

Thompson got his start in college basketball at KU. He played one season in Lawrence before transferring to OSU. Although it was his return to Allen Fieldhouse, OSU coach Mike Boynton doesn’t think revenge fueled the output.

“Bryce has been playing pretty well for about the last month, honestly,”

Boynton said. “He’s a really good player. It’s not the first time he’s been back, he came back last year so I don’t know if that really has much to do with it.

Boynton said he was proud of Thompson’s aggressiveness but hated to see him pick up his fourth foul with 13:38 remaining in the game. Being forced to send Thompson to the bench was one part, rather than the reason, for a disastrous second half where OSU blew a 15-point lead.

“The offense started struggling to begin the second half, so it was before he picked up his fourth but certainly puts you in a little bit of a bind cause he’s one of our best scorers and he had it going today pretty good,” Boynton said.

Thompson helped stabilize the Cowboys when he reentered the game at the 6:38 mark tied at 55. He had a

look peeling off a screen to deadlock the score in the final seconds but was blocked from behind by Kevin Mccullar.

“We was getting through screens and (Thompson) kind of came off a little back screen and I just got through him, went up and timed my block and I thought it was a clean block,” Mccullar said.

Thompson’s career day nearly broke Kansas 31-game streak of winning Big 12 openers.

“We got to continue to get good performances out of the players that we need to give ourselves the best chance to win against obviously the best competition we can,” Boynton said.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

HIMALAYAN GROCERY STORE

Mackenzie Janish

OSU guard Bryce Thompson tied his career-high with 23 points against the Kansas Jayhawks. Foul trouble sent Thompson to the bench and the Cowboys lost the Big 12 season-opener 69-67.

McCullar and Thompson collided. Bodies went flying. Whistles were held. Boynton said he is grateful he does not have an official’s job.

“We got a one-foot shot and Kevin McCullar made a great defensive play,” Boynton said.

sports

The Cowboys dampened the spirit of KU fans for much of the game. OSU stretched an early lead to 15 on a Wright 3-pointer a second before the first half buzzer. Then, the Cowboys’ familiar struggle manifested again. They failed to hold a lead.

Kansas ramped up its defensive intensity after halftime. OSU scored just once, on a Thompson 3-pointer, in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Jayhawks quickly eroded their deficit. Junior forward Jalen Wilson led the way with 20 points, but the run came from many sources. When

Kansas missed a 3-pointer in the second half, it felt like a vessel to score in a different way, such as an Adams putback layup.

Wright, who made four 3-pointers, and Thompson, who made seven 3’s on ten attempts, kept the Cowboys afloat. But Kansas, which has won 31 consecutive conference openers, showed more poise down the stretch. The Jayhawks cut their turnovers down from 11 in the first half to one in the second. The extra scoring opportunities late in the game proved vital. “It was kind of like a fight, a

heavyweight fight,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Fortunately, we got the last blow.”

OSU has not won a Big 12 opener since beating TCU in the 201516 season.

“There are no moral victories. I told our guys that,” Boynton said. “It’s a hard league to play in. It’s the best league by two football fields, probably.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Jaiden Daughty

OSU guard Bryce Thompson helped the Cowboys lead Kansas throughout most of Saturday’s game.

August, with Samoa following in September.

Two separate fireworks displays in Samoa, one in the capital Apia, and the other in Savai’i, signaled the start

of the new year. The displays were synchronized by New Zealand pyrotechnic experts and fired simultaneously from both islands at the stroke of midnight.

Kiribati’s largest island, Kiritimati, home to about 5,000 people, is the first inhabited island to begin each new year, however no major events were planned.

As the first major international center to welcome in the new year, the

landmarks of New Zealand’s largest city Auckland were lit up.

Fireworks returned to the Sky Tower, along with a laser light and animation show synchronized with other landmarks, including the Harbour Bridge and Museum.

The event was canceled last year due to COVID, Mayor Wayne Brown said.

“It’s great news Auckland’s traditional Sky Tower New Year’s Eve

fireworks will finally be back in 2022. It is an event seen around the world and we are proud to be kicking off 2023 from our city.”

American Samoa, just 137 miles (220 kilometers) to the east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last to ring in 2023.

Courtesy of Tribune

New Year’s Eve fireworks light up the sky over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge during the fireworks display in Sydney on Jan. 1, 2023. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

World economy is headed for a recession in 2023, researcher says

The world faces a recession in 2023 higher borrowing costs aimed at tackling inflation cause a number of economies to contract, according to the Center for Economics and Business Research.

The global economy surpassed $100 trillion for the first time in 2022, but will stall in 2023 as policy makers continue their fight against soaring prices, the British consultancy said in its annual World Economic League Table.

“It’s likely that the world economy will face recession next year as a result of the rises in interest rates in response to higher inflation,” said Kay Daniel Neufeld, director and head of Forecasting at CEBR.

The report added that, “The battle against inflation is not won yet. We expect central bankers to stick to their guns in 2023 despite the economic costs. The cost of bringing inflation down to more comfortable levels is a poorer growth outlook for a number of years to come.”

The findings are more pessimistic than the latest forecast from the International Monetary Fund. That institution warned in October that more than a third of the world economy will contract and there is a 25% chance of global GDP growing by less than 2% in 2023, which it defines as a global recession.

Even so, by 2037, world gross domestic product will have doubled as developing economies catch up with the richer ones. The shifting balance of power will see the East Asia and Pacific region account for over a third of global output by 2037, while Europe’s share shrinks to less than a fifth.

The CEBR takes its base data from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook and uses an internal model to forecast growth, inflation and exchange rates.

China is now not set to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy

until 2036 at the earliest — six years later than expected. That reflects China’s zero COVID policy and rising trade tensions with the west slow, which have slowed its expansion.

CEBR had originally expected the switch in 2028, which it pushed back to 2030 in last year’s league table. It now thinks the cross-over point will not happen until 2036 and may come even later if Beijing tries to take control of Taiwan and faces retaliatory trade sanctions.

“The consequences of economic warfare between China and the West would be several times more severe than what we have seen following Russia’s attack on Ukraine. There would

almost certainly be quite a sharp world recession and a resurgence of inflation,” CEBR said.

“But the damage to China would be many times greater and this could well torpedo any attempt to lead the world economy.”

It also predicted that:

— India will become the third $10 trillion economy in 2035 and the world’s third-largest by 2032.

— The U.K. will remain the world’s sixth largest economy, and France seventh, over the next 15 years but Britain is no longer set to grow faster than European peers due to “an absence of growth-oriented policies

— Emerging economies with natural resources will get a “substantial boost” as fossil fuels play an important part in the switch to renewable energy.

— The global economy is a long way from the $80,000 per capita GDP level at which carbon emissions decouple from growth, which means further policy interventions are needed to hit the target of limiting global warming to just 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

and the lack of a clear vision of its role outside of the European Union.”

Philip Aldrick Bloomberg News

Courtesy of Tribune

People look at clothing for sale in the popular shopping area of Ueno in Tokyo on Dec. 23, 2022. Prices in Japan rose at their fastest pace since 1981 in November, data showed on Dec. 23, fueled in part by higher energy costs. (Richard A. Brooks/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Russia attacks Ukraine with exploding drones ahead of new year

Ulf Mauder Deutsche Presse-Agentur

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine reported Russian attacks using exploding drones as the turn of the year approached, just hours after Moscow sent in dozens of cruise missiles and rockets.

Air alerts sounded in the cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv in the south and Dnipro in the center of the country in the latest attacks, UNIAN news agency reported.

Mykolaiv military administrator Vitali Kim said that two formations of drones had been sighted in his area. Ukraine’s air defenses opened fire on the Iranian-made Shahed drones, he said.

Hours earlier, Russia targeted its neighbor with dozens of cruise missiles and rockets.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that an elderly man had been killed and 16 people injured in the capital. A journalist from Japan was among the injured.

One death was also reported from the Zaporizhzhya region.

Valery Salushnyi, commander in chief, said there had been 20 missile attacks nationwide, 12 of which were intercepted, including six in Kyiv alone.

Air raid alarms were issued across Ukraine and people were urged to seek shelter in bunkers.

The deputy head of the president’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, published a photo and video on the Telegram messaging service of a partially destroyed hotel in Kyiv, which is also used by journalists.

The windows of the Palace of Culture, Palace Ukraine, were also destroyed, he said.

Four people were reported injured in further attacks in the western regions of Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr, and in the southern region of Mykolaiv.

As a precautionary measure, electricity was cut off in several areas to reduce damage in the event of power supply hits.

Since mid-October, Russia has conducted 11 major waves of attacks on sites related to the energy system, the last one being on Thursday. Millions of people are affected by power cuts.

Ukrainian troops clapped back by attacking Russian positions in eastern Ukraine, targeting Pervomayskoye, a village in Luhansk, with at least two rounds from a Himars multiple rocket launcher, Russian news agency TASS reported, citing local authorities. No information was given on any casualties or damage caused.

Moreover, Ukrainian media reported explosions near Dzhankoi airport in Russian-occupied Crimea. Some social media users were quoted as saying that the blasts could have been due to the use of anti-aircraft missiles.

Ahead of the new year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Russian people, “A terrorist state will not be forgiven,” he said in the daily message that was released earlier than usual. “And those who order such attacks and those who carry them out are not forgiven, to put it mildly.”

In Russian, Zelenskyy said Russia was not at war with NATO, “as your propagandists lie.” Nor, he said, was the war for anything historical but “is for a person who will stay in power for the rest of his life,” he said, in a direct allusion to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin wants to show that he has the military behind him and is in front.

“But he is just hiding,” Zelenskyy said. “He hides behind the military, behind missiles, behind the walls of his residences and palaces, he hides behind you and burns your country and your future.”

No one will ever forgive Russia for terror, Zelenskyy said. “No one in the world will forgive you. Ukraine will never forgive you.”

Zelenskyy also wished Ukrainians a happy New Year and the “year of our victory” in a brief address to mark the turn of the year.

“Wishing for miracles today?

Ukrainians have been creating them for a long time,” he wrote on Telegram, and

posted a photo of himself and his wife Olena in front of a modestly decorated Christmas tree.

Further political undertones were evident in his New Year’s message. “Wishing for real friends? We have already found out for sure who they are,” he said in a reference to those supporting Ukraine.

And with reference to the repeated Russian attacks on the electricity grid, he said, “Do you want light? It is in each of us, even if there is no electricity.”

Asked whether he had any desire for adventure and travel, Zelenskyy noted the realities of war, saying, “Ukrainians have already had too much of that.”

He said there was only one wish left. “And it will come true not by a miracle, but by our work, by struggle, mutual help, humanity.”

He signed off, “Happy New Year! The year of our victory.”

In some good news, Russia and Ukraine also exchanged prisoners of war.

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office in Kyiv, Andrii Yermak, said 140 Ukrainian soldiers had returned home, in a statement on Telegram.

The Russian army received 82 of its fighters, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Courtesy of Tribune

A serviceman walks at the bottom of a hotel, which has been partially destroyed by a Russian strike in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Lifestyle

Spring semester shows at Tumbleweed

fused Nashville sound. Allen emerged into prominence through a viral Twitter video and an appearance on season 19 of “American Idol.”

Adam Engel Editor-in-Chief

Music never stops at the Tumbleweed.

Stillwater, the birthplace of red dirt music, consistently attracts the genre’s top talents for shows and the annual Calf Fry music festival.

As of Jan. 1, five shows are set for the spring. Some of red dirt’s biggest names are Stillwater bound.

This is not the final list for spring shows. Tumbleweed will add more throughout the semester along with the Calf Fry lineup.

Cam Allen and Wyatt Flores — Jan. 21, 8 p.m.

Two local talents return to a familiar stage.

Allen and Flores played at Calf Fry in May but will head to the indoor venue this month.

Allen and his Moore-based band mix bluesy hints into its red dirt-in-

Flores graduated from Stillwater High School in 2020 and immediately moved to Nashville to pursue his musical dreams. He’s a simple singer-songwriter who entertains with his guitar and vocals. Though he hasn’t released a full album, his nine tracks generated more than 1 million all-time plays on Apple Music.

Catch these guys before a potential breakthrough.

David Adam Byrnes and Curtis Grimes — Feb. 3, 8 p.m.

These Texas entertainers will shine with their old-school sounds.

Byrnes and Grimes played an intimate, acoustic Christmas set at Tumbleweed in December 2021.

February’s show should have a different vibe with full bands and amped-up guitars. Byrnes, an Arkansas native, plays a traditional country style that sounds a lot like his influences — Mark Chesnutt, Keith Whitley and George Strait.

It’s a classic western sound in 2023. Byrnes never forgets the fiddle.

His bass heavy, Arkansas-accented voice creates an unmistakable

sound. You’ll know Byrnes when you hear him.

Grimes remains a veteran in the Texas country music scene. Seven albums and a healthy body of work filled with steel guitar and strong vocals. Some of Grimes’ hits such as “From Where I’m Standing” and “River Road Dream” combine for more than 15 million Spotify listens.

Carson Jeffrey — Feb. 11. Real Texas. Real Cowboy. That’s Jeffrey and his music. He’s a young guy, 25, who earned his start in classic college bars in College Station and Lubbock, Texas. He’s published three albums and a handful of singles.

Red dirt mainstays, The Lowdown Drifters, will join Jeffrey for a night at the ‘Weed.

Ian Munsick and Ashland Craft — March 3

Munsick, one of the hottest Nashville musicians, brings his act to Stillwater.

He pays homage to his Wyoming roots with heavy fiddle and western sound. He creates almost a hybrid of western/Nashville music. He’s one of the biggest names to hit Tumbleweed this semester. He averages 2 million monthly Spotify listeners and continues to entertain.

Monday - Wednesday: 10:00am - 10:00pm Thursday - Saturday: 10:00am - 11:00pm

128 N Main St. Stillwater, OK 74075

Ashland Craft, one of the top up and coming female country musicians, will share the stage. CMT named her to the 2021 Next Women of Country class.

Her hits include “Make it Past Georgia” and “Your Momma Still Does.”

Get your tickets to this show now and avoid a potential sell-out.

Kolby Cooper and Logan Jahnke— April 1

In May, Cooper rocked Calf Fry as the prelude to Zach Bryan. He’s a familiar name, who like Munsick, recently emerged as a top young talent.

He stepped onto the scene with singles such as “Fall” and “Boy From Anderson County.”

Cooper recently released a 13-track album, “Boy From Anderson County To The Moon.”

Jahnke, another Texas musician, graduated high school in 2021. He’s fresh to the professional music scene but plays a serious, rock inspired set. Jahnke created four only singles but will continue to rise.

Tickets for all shows can be purchased at calffry.com.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

File photo

Some of red dirt music’s biggest names are Stillwater bound for shows in the spring semester. Rising names such as Ian Munsick and Kolby Cooper headline a few of the venue’s spring shows.

Houses for rent

Vegetable pod that thickens gumbo

Photoshop maker

NPR journalist Totenberg

Rotary phone part

Add to an email, as a gif

*Frozen structures that help with some winter migration

*Food that lacks nutritional value

Bubble bath spot

“Just messin’ with ya!”

Jagged rock

Leafy vegetable rich in 14-Across

Group of pundits on a TV news show, e.g.

Braugher of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown Open 10-6 Monday thru Saturday

Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (1/2/23). Deepen connections with your roots and shoots this year. Your disciplined work attracts money and acclaim. Redirecting winter passion projects inspires springtime domestic beautification. Support your team with summer challenges, before your professional status and influence rise next autumn. Recharge in your secret garden. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — Review professional data closely, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Misunderstandings could cause delays. Guard against communication breakdowns. Backup hard drives and archives. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 5 — Make educational plans and itineraries, with Mercury retrograde. Expect travel delays. Communicate carefully. Keep confidences and secrets. Trust your intuition. Make your deadlines.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 6 — Consider financial strategies with your partner to secure what you’ve gained. Review statements and accounts for errors over the next three weeks, with Mercury retrograde.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 6 — Support each other. Resolve misunderstandings with your partner, with Mercury retrograde. There’s almost too much information. Accept encouragement. Adapt around barriers. Regroup and go again.

Respect

Entry on Indeed. com, e.g.

Like many sumo wrestlers

Narrow piece

Female horse

Distilled alcohol made with fruit

Played a part

Drew (in)

“The Phantom of the __”

Salt Lake state

“Hamilton” song about destroying love letters, or what one can do to the ends of the answers to the starred clues

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 7 — Keep equipment

repaired. Delays, misunderstandings or mistakes could frustrate your work and health over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde. Slow down to finish faster. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Phone home. Romantic overtures could backfire, with Mercury retrograde. Clarify misunderstandings right away. Find your sense of humor and reconnect. Share love and compassion.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 7 — Review papers, photos and possessions. Clean, sort and organize at home over, with Mercury retrograde. Maintain equipment and backup files. Revise and repair household infrastructure.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Take extra care with communication and transportation, with Mercury stationing retrograde. Allow for delays. Clarify misunderstandings immediately. Listen carefully. Launch creative projects later.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 6 — Monitor cash flow. Allow extra time for travel, transport, payments and collections, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Double-check numbers. Review financial records and budgets. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — Consider consequences before speaking. Reaffirm personal commitments, with Mercury retrograde in your sign. Review what works and doesn’t. Edit communications. Upgrade your brand. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Avoid misunderstandings, with Mercury retrograde. Revise and refine plans. Anticipate mechanical or digital delays or breakdowns. Review lessons from the past. Private rituals soothe. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Team practice makes perfect, with Mercury retrograde over three weeks. Nurture old friends and new connections.

Solution to Saturday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

The best selection of beer, wine and liquor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

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