Ask Ira: Readers Sound Off, Pro And Con, On Pat Riley (bonus Edition)

By MARY CLARE JALONICK WASHINGTON (AP) — Some lawmakers emotionally recalled the violence. Others said they’d rather move on. And some said it wasn’t violent at all. The certification Monday of Donald Trump’s presidential victory further exposed the divide, and the tension, among members of Congress over Jan. 6, 2021 — as Trump has called the bloody attack by his supporters “a day of love” and has promised to pardon rioters who have been convicted of crimes related to that day once he is in office. Related Articles National Politics | Can Washington handle two weeks of high-security pomp along with a heavy burst of snow? National Politics | Lawmakers brace for Trump’s promised Jan.

Noah Galle was 17 years old when he crashed his BMW at 151 mph in western Palm Beach County, killing six workers  who were heading home from Pero Family Farms late on a night nearly three years ago. He will spend the entirety of his 20s in prison, after pleading guilty in their deaths. The Jan.

By ZEKE MILLER, JAIMIE DING and COLLEEN LONG WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is signing a proclamation to establish two new national monuments in California, in part to honor two tribes, a person familiar with the decision said Monday. The proclamation will create the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans that were to be announced Tuesday in California. Related Articles National News | Louisiana AG orders security investigation as Biden directs resources to help New Orleans National News | Artists who boycott Israel push back against Florida government’s ban on hiring them National News | Louisiana person is the first US bird flu death, health officials say National News | Minneapolis OKs police reform deal with US government in wake of George Floyd’s murder National News | McDonald’s is the latest company to roll back diversity goals The declaration bars drilling and mining and other development on the 600,000-acre (2,400-square-kilometer) area in Southern California and roughly 200,000 acres (800 square kilometers) in Northern California. The establishment of new monuments were first reported in The Washington Post.

GAINESVILLE — After Florida’s SEC-opening loss at Kentucky, unbeaten and top-ranked Tennessee could complete an head-spinning and dispiriting 1-2 punch in a four-day span to kick off conference play. Gators coach Todd Golden instead welcomes the Vols’ visit Tuesday night at the O’Connell Center. A loss would not necessarily undo Florida’s 13-0 start, but a win would deliver a boost of momentum in a league with very little let-up on the schedule. Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr.

By ASHRAF KHALIL WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s capital is often not a place that handles winter weather well. Cold-weather transplants complain about the inability of local drivers to navigate snowy roads and the tendency of the school systems to shut down at the first sign of falling flakes. Now the ceremonial pomp of Washington is colliding with the circumstance of a major snow storm, forecast to dump up to a foot in some places by Monday night.

A self-described struggling artist from Missouri, Jacob Burmood says he could have used the $3,500 offered by the city of Sunrise to exhibit one of his abstract metal sculptures. But his heart “just sank” when he learned the city contract prohibited him from “engaging in a boycott of Israel.” Burmood turned down the offer, saying he couldn’t sign in good faith “because that would normalize this type of language in contracts.