Janus Decision: New York Stops Collecting Union Fees From 31,000 State Workers

It’s Christmastime. It’s that time of year when we have warmth in our hearts, a spirit of togetherness and the urge to reconnect with loved ones. A time to express gratitude for the people who made us what we are. A time to rediscover the magic of coming together once again. The perfect time for Frosty the Showman — aka Scott Frost — to load up his pyrotechnic offense and dashing sideline demeanor to make his triumphant return to Orlando. Everybody sing along: “Frosty the Showman, made UCF dreams come true, With a playbook bold, of Black and Gold, He’s back to start anew! There must have been some magic in that UCF hat he wore, For when Frosty placed it on his head, The Knights began to soar.” We can only hope. We can only hope that Frosty can rediscover the magic and resurrect the fading Knights like he did before — while also re-igniting his own once-promising coaching career. There were certainly many UCF fans and donors at Frost’s introductory news conference Sunday night who are willing to take that leap of faith.

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Sunday night’s 122-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers: – The simplicity is the spacing. – With the simplicity going by a familiar name. – This is why Duncan Robinson was moved into the Heat’s starting lineup 10 games ago. – Not only because of the threat. – But because of the reality. – For the second consecutive night, Robinson was on target. – Which meant the Heat’s 3-point game did not solely have to be a Tyler Herro show. – Further enhancing Robinson’s Sunday effort was also getting to the line. – No, not as dramatic a performance as what Herro threw at the Cavaliers on this night. – But complementary. – Which is what is needed to balance out Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. – This Robinson and that Herro and plenty of warts can be masked. – And plenty of problems can be created. – With Sunday as Exhibit A. – The Heat again opened with a lineup of Butler, Adebayo, Herro, Robinson and Haywood Highsmith. – Entering 6-2 with that lineup. – Heat coach Erik Spoelstra going into Sunday night’s game, “We’re searching for consistency.

MIAMI — The search is over. This is the statement win the Miami Heat have been needing and seeking. Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers were without Evan Mobley for the second half with an ankle sprain. Yes, they were playing for the third time in four days. But still, they entered a league-best 21-3, still had Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen in their Sunday mix. So: Heat 122, Cavaliers 113. With feeling. And, for the first time this season, the Heat with a three-game winning streak “You want your team to see the possibilities,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins guard Rob Jones has been here through some ups and downs. He was here for the 1-7 start in 2019. He was here for the five-game losing streak in 2022. He was here for the late-season defensive injury wave in 2023. And he’s been here for the 2-6 start in 2024. Jones sees a theme. “Down, up, down up,” he said.

MIAMI GARDENS — Most of his teammates were dressed and out of the locker room, but Tua Tagovailoa sat at his locker still in his full uniform talking to someone on the phone late Sunday afternoon. Down the hall, the New York Jets already were gone, their locker room empty, because after another loss like this in a season like this they just wanted to get home. “Thanks,” Tua said to fullback Alec Ingold, who stopped on his way out of the locker room to give his quarterback congrats on a good day and a hug. The Dolphins won in overtime against the New York Jets, 32-26, to keep their season flickering.

In this Dolphins Deep Dive video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins and Dave Hyde discuss Miami’s “gutty, gritty performance” in Sunday’s overtime victory over the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium to keep its postseason hopes alive. (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=40bacbdb-084a-4980-bafa-92da3b5cd8f1&cid=38d5daa3-18ac-4ee1-a905-373c67622f25'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "40bacbdb-084a-4980-bafa-92da3b5cd8f1" , mediaId: "5c876eac-943f-4f74-921e-9c47859970c9" }).render("6e6ac8a74c9a4fcd9a67613467d2291a"); });