Adele announced she is taking a break from creating new music or performing after her Munich and Las Vegas residencies wrap up later this year. The singer/songwriter told the crowd at her 10th and last show in Germany over the weekend (per CNN): “I just need a rest .. I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it now .. I want to live the new life that I have been building.”
Adele’s Las Vegas residency, which began in November 2022, is slated to wrap up this November after more than 100 live stage shows. She wrapped up her residency in Munich, Germany om August 31st, where she delivered the speech to the audience about taking an extended break. In a video from her last Munich show, posted by fans to social media, the 36-year-old said: “I’m not the most comfortable performer, I know that, but I am very f—ing good at it. And I’ve really enjoyed performing for nearly three now, which is the longest I’ve ever done and probably the longest I will ever do .. I still have exactly five weeks of shows, but after that, I will not see you for an incredibly long time. And I will hold you dear in my heart for that whole length of my break. And I will fantasize about these shows and any shows that I’ve done over the last three years.”
Adele has previously said she suffers from sciatica and is uncomfortable performing live for long periods at time. The Grammy-winning artist has an 11-year-old son named Angelo, and is rumored to be engaged to longtime partner, Rich Paul.
Adele hasn’t released new music since her fourth album “30,” which arrived in November 2021. She told fans on stage earlier this year: “I just don’t think I’m going to write an album for quite some time. But next time I do, I’ll come to wherever it is you live.”
KROX Radio, a Minnesota Twins affiliate from day one in 1961, received the 2024 John Gordon Minnesota Twins Radio Affiliate of the Year before the Twins game on Saturday, August 31 at Target Field.
KROX received the award for not only carrying Twins baseball every year since they moved to Minnesota in 1961, but also for our service to Crookston and Northwest Minnesota. “We are honored to receive the award as die-hard Twins fans, but more importantly because we feel very similar to the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund,” said KROX Owner/President Chris Fee. “The Twins are a class-act organization, and for them to tell us they think we are doing a great job of serving the community and northwest Minnesota means a lot to us. Not only those of us working at KROX now but those that have worked here since 1961.”
KROX received a nice trophy and Chris Fee got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The Minnesota Twins Community Fund is also donating $5,000 to the Highland School Inclusive playground project. “The Twins Community Fund has a similar philosophy as KROX,” said Fee. “We give back to the community and especially to the kids and to get a $5,000 donation for the Highland Inclusive Playground project makes this award even better. We thank the Twins for their generosity and for being the best community-minded sports organization we deal with.”
Glen Perkins congratulates Chris Fee
Kris Atteberry interviews Chris Fee
Kris Atteberry, Chris Fee, Glen Perkins
Last week, I had the Section 8AA Football Coaches poll, and somehow, I pasted the 2018 team information. I still have no idea how that happened or how I had that email still. Anyway, I have included an updated Barnesville team preview.
BARNESVILLE – They are 93-15 over the last nine years and they are 26-1 over the last two seasons including a state championship in 2022 and a state runner-up in 2023. They are the heavy favorite and unanimous favorite to win the section for the 10th straight year. The last time they didn’t make it to state was nine years ago when they lost to United North Central 24-16 in the 8AA championship game. Barnesville will bring back Nick Robideau (one of the top defensive players last year), Gannon Bolgrean (rushed for over 1,000 yards and 200 yards receiving last year) , Collin Morey (one of the top defensive players last year), Jack Maesse, Brenen Thorkildson, Jack Bredman (over 400 yards rushing), Major Ness (over 400 yards rushing and over 300 yards receiving), and Cameron Halverson (Just shy of 400 yards rushing). Last years back-ups got a ton of time last season and they will be more than capable of filling in and the big question will be…..Can anybody come close to Barnesville this season, during the regular season.
— — —
Section 8A Volleyball is a little different and a little similar so far this year. Ada-Borup-West and Kittson County Central are looking very good so far this year, and that comes as no surprise to anybody.
In the West – Kittson County Central is by far the top team. Climax-Fisher has had a solid start to the season after a marathon win over Kelliher/Northome and a win over Fosston (who we knew would be done a bit this year after a big loss to graduation.). BGMR will be tough again and Stephen-Argyle, Red Lake Falls, and lake of the Woods are all going to be solid.
In the East – Ada-Borup=West is the top team coming into the season, and so far, they have looked tough. Fertile-Beltrami is going to be tough with a lot of weapons. Clearbrook-Gonvick, Blackduck, and Fosston will all be solid teams.
Right now, I am putting my bets on KCC and ABW after week one. Stay tuned. It should be a fun year in Section 8A Volleyball.
— — —
Section 8AA Volleyball has two ranked teams: the Hawley Nuggets at #3 and Wadena-Deer Creek at #7. The section has some very good teams again, but this might be the highest level of talent they have had in a few years. One could argue that they could have three ranked teams at some point this season. Mark Tuesday, September 24 down on your calendar as the two teams will play in Wadena.
Wadena-Deer Creek has had a solid start to the season with 3-1 victories over three quality teams, East Grand Forks, Perham, and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton. They will be playing in a pretty good tournament on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how they do….I am guessing they will do very well.
Hawley has had a great start to the season beating teams easily, as expected. They beat Menahga and Perham 3-0. Some matches to keep an eye on are when they play Ada-Borup-West on September 10, the Wadena-Deer Creek match on September 24, and Pelican Rapids on October 3, just to name a few.
Pelican Rapids is 2-0, and they will have a tougher schedule starting in a few weeks. Thief River Falls is always competitive, and Park Rapids should be solid again this year. Barnesville and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton are always tough, and this year is no different.
— — —
The American League Central has five teams, and as of Tuesday’s final scores, they had a combined record of 331 wins and 365 losses. The crazy thing is that four of the five teams are above .500 on the year! That shows you how bad the Chicago White Sox are this year. They have 31 wins and 109 losses.
Worst winning % in a season – MLB history (min. of 135 games): .130- Cleveland Spiders (20-134 in 1899) .169- Pittsburgh Alleghenys (23-113 in 1890) .196- Louisville Colonels (27-111 in 1889) .221- #WhiteSox (31-109 in 2024) .235- Philadelphia Athletics (36-117 in 1916)
__ __ __
JOKES
A guy is walking around town when he sees a bar with a sign advertising “All the Beer You Can Drink for $1!” He thinks that’s a great deal so he goes in, sits down, hands the bartender a dollar, and asks for a beer. “Sure, right away” says the bartender as he pulls out a tiny shot glass and fills it up halfway. The man is stunned. “What the hell is this?” he asks. “That’s all the beer you can drink for $1.”
— — — A soldier stationed in the South Pacific wrote to his wife in the States to please send him a harmonica to occupy his free time and keep his mind off of the local women. The wife complied and sent the best one she could find, along with several dozen lesson & music books. Rotated back home, he rushed to their home and thru the front door. “Oh darling” he gushed, “Come here… let me look at you… let me hold you ! Let’s have a fine dinner out, then make love all night. I’ve missed your lovin’ so much !” The wife, keeping her distance, said, “All in good time lover. First, let’s hear you play that harmonica.”
— — — It was mailman George’s last day on the job after 35 years of delivering the mail through all kinds of weather. When he arrived at the first house on his route, the whole family came out, roundly congratulated him, and sent him on his way with a tidy gift envelope. At the second house they presented him with a box of fine cigars. The folks at the third house handed him a selection of terrific fishing lures. At the next house, he was met at the door by a strikingly beautiful woman in a revealing negligee. She took him by the hand, and led him up the stairs to the bedroom where she blew his mind with the most passionate love he had ever experienced. When he’d had enough, they went downstairs, where she fixed him a giant breakfast: eggs, potatoes, ham, sausage, blueberry waffles and fresh-squeezed orange juice. When he was truly satisfied, she poured him a cup of steaming coffee. As she was pouring, he noticed a dollar bill sticking out from under the cup’s bottom edge. “All this is just too wonderful for words,” he said, “but what’s the dollar for?” “Well,” she said, “last night, I told my husband that today would be your last day, and that I wanted to do something special for you. I asked him what to give you. He said, ‘Screw him. Give him a dollar.’” “Breakfast was my idea.”
— — —
How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Emilee Tate is a freshman playing Softball at Northland Community and Technical College.
Halle Bruggeman is a Sophomore on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.
Grace Fischer is a Sophomore on the Concordia College (Moorhead) Women’s Golf team.
Ethan Boll is a Freshman on the University of North Dakota Football team.
Breanna Kressin is a Junior on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Emma Osborn is a Junior playing basketball at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Jacey Larson is a Sophomore playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Aleah Bienek is a Junior playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND..
Kaleb Thingelstad is a junior playing golf at Kansas Wesleyan.
Joslynn Leach is a sophomore playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.
Brady Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Ty Hamre is playing football at Bemidji State University.
Aleece Durbin is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Womens Track and Field team.
Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.
Crookston School District Coaches
Emilee Tate is the Pirate 7th grade volleyball coach.
Todd Miner is a Pirate Football assistant coach.
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach and assistant girls golf coach
Jeff Perreault is the Pirate Girls Golf head coach Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach Sam Melbye is the Pirate Boys J.V. Hockey coach Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson is the head Little Falls Volleyball coach.
Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball
Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.
Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.
Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.
Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of Wyoming.
Mike Hastings is the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s head Hockey coach.
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.
Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.
Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy.
Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.
Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and a grad of West Point and currently serving in the U.S. Army.
Erik Ellingson is serving our country with the U.S. Air Force at Minot.
Philip Kujawa class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome
That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments, and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com.
The Highland Elementary School Inclusive Playground fundraising continues with over $136,000 raised as of September 4.
It isn’t too late to donate to the project, so “All Can Play. ” You can donate online through the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, a 501C3 charity, below. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/heip-c/
If you want to mail a check (make it out to Highland School), send it to KROX Radio (P.O. Box 620, Crookston, MN, 56716), or mail it to Highland School (801 Central Avenue, Crookston, MN 56716)
The updated list of donations as of September 4, 2024 is below.
Business/Individual
Donation Amount
Crookston Valley Coop
$2,500.00
Crookston Fuel Co/Ampride
$100.00
Crookston Eye Clinic
$500.00
HN Quality Plumbing
$500.00
Widman’s Candy
$100.00
Carrie & Jay Michalski
$100.00
Michael and Caitlyn Michno
$225.00
Marianne Isaacs
$10.00
Widseth Smith Nolting
$500.00
Gary & Lori Hoerner
$500.00
Agassiz Optometry
$500.00
Sandra Knudsvig
$200.00
Marshall & Vicki Olson
$100.00
Benedictine Living Community
$1,000.00
John & Theresa Haggerty
$200.00
Christian Brothers Ford
$3,500.00
Nate and Amy Lubarski
$500.00
Jason and Kristi Morris Leas
$150.00
Bob & Terri Quanrud
$50.00
Utterspark – Erica Uttermark
$50.00
Highland PTO
$15,000.00
NW MN Foundation
$30,276.60
Chris & Tina Trostad
$500.00
Anonymous
$250.00
Choice Therapy – Molly Hanson
$500.00
Dave and Allyson Kuehn
$200.00
Kathy Lessard
$50.00
Shawn Coauette
$250.00
Greg Kempenich
$100.00
Ron & Connie Haller
$50.00
Dianna Amiot
$100.00
Laurie Coauette
$100.00
Cristin & Josh Hardy
$110.00
Kristy & John Fitzgerald
$100.00
Dave & Kim Davidson
$150.00
Thomas Hoeft
$100.00
Cody & Anna Brekken
$100.00
Mariann Bakken
$100.00
Jim and Lois Chandler
$100.00
Thomas and Leanne Hardy
$300.00
Kathy and Bob Altringer
$200.00
The Kofoed Boys
$300.00
Rodd and Francine Olson
$100.00
Erik & Judie Kanten
$1,000.00
Mike and Diane Elwood
$40.00
Anonymous
$5,000.00
Chris and Tiffany Fee
$500.00
Craig and Linda Morgan
$500.00
Nancy Kolstoe
$100.00
Justin & Ashley Cameron
$100.00
Tim and Marlene Dufault
$1,000.00
Gene and Sandy Tiedemann
$500.00
Outdoor Solutions of NW MN LLC
$500.00
Carol Solheim
$400.00
Jared & Janessa Quanrud
$100.00
LeBlanc Realty
$500.00
Dan’s Flying Service – Dan and Sara Geist
$1,000.00
H&R Block – Bobbie Torkelson
$1,000.00
Don and Mary Cavalier
$500.00
Ray and Terri Dusek
$100.00
Lynn Samuelson
$50.00
Christensen Tree Service
$100.00
John Janssen
$100.00
Wes and Linda Knutson
$100.00
Tommy Helgeson
$300.00
Nancy Hanson
$50.00
Penny Blokzyl
$120.00
Jennifer Cook
$100.00
Scott and Julie Kleven
$100.00
Jerry & Jackie Lindsay
$50.00
John and Jan Vallager
$200.00
Lauraine Jurchen
$100.00
Elizabeth Rose
$50.00
In Memory of Norman J. Ellingson
$1,000.00
Wonderful Life Foods
$500.00
Lori Ingeman
$100.00
Grove Mechanical
$1,000.00
Winston Johnson
$25.00
Derek Martin
$50.00
Lon & Chris Boike
$100.00
Leland & Judy Ellingson
$100.00
Stacey & Chris Bruggeman
$500.00
Brost Chevrolet
$500.00
Gasper Air Spray/Mike and Connie Gasper
$1,000.00
Punky and Carol Johnson
$500.00
Corky and Marilee Hanson
$100.00
Ray and Patty Frydenlund
$150.00
Pete & Trish Ramstad
$100.00
Nathaniel & Jana Hodgson
$100.00
LuAnnes Siekas
$30.50
Erin LaPlante State Farm
$250.00
Josh and Lizzy Wiese
$50.00
Leslie Stradinger-Flynn
$50.00
Megan Parenteau
$150.00
Monica Parenteau
$150.00
Duane Anderson
$5.00
Harper and Otto Hann
$100.00
Titan Machinery
$250.00
Anna Erickson and Curt Peterson
$100.00
Mark & Nancy Bruggeman
$100.00
United Valley Bank
$500.00
Andy and Katie Fee
$100.00
Adam and Crystal Maruska
$100.00
Crookston Eagles Club
$500.00
Eddie & Kris Derosier
$50.00
Kylie Simmons
$200.00
Casey and Sarah Johnson and Family
$250.00
Erickson Embroidery/2nd Street Botique/Steve and Laurie Erickson
Crookston Schools have begun a new school year, and thanks to a Crookston business, the teachers and staff of all the schools in town are getting a special treat to kick off the school year. Crookston High School, Highland Elementary, Washington, Cathedral, and Our Saviors schools all received the gift.
Wonderful Life Foods, owned by Shawn and Suzie Rezac, is giving every teacher, paraprofessional, janitor, bus driver, and staff member a gift certificate to their store as a thank-you.
“Just a couple of weekends ago, mywife and I were talking about doing something for the staff and faculty at the schools, especially with the school year starting; I thought it would be a good way to show appreciation and hopefully get the school year off to a great start,” said Shawn Rezac. “If you haven’t been into Wonderful Life Foods lately, we have grocery items, smoothies, coffee, homemade soups, sandwiches, wraps, and baked goods that are always popular. A variety of things for people to choose from, and now, with faculty getting these gift cards, they can come in and check everything out.”
Highland School Principal Chris Trostad said the gesture is appreciated. “It is a nice gesture to reach out to educators to show their appreciation for everything that they do,” said Trostad. “We appreciate the donation to the school and appreciate our educational staff here.”
Crookston School District Superintendent Randy Bergquist also appreciated the donation and looks forward to one item in particular. “My experience is they have the best protein balls so I am happy to get a gift card to use towards a purchase of protein balls,” said Bergquist. “But, geez. When businesses see the value of incorporating things like this for our teaching staff and other staff members, it is great because we utilize these businesses. It was awfully nice of him to do this.”
Chris Trostad and Shawn Rezac
CHS/District – Kari Moe, Kayla Snyder, Marilyn Wahouske, Shawn Rezac, Superintendent Bergquist, and Nate Lubarski
Lake Agassiz Regional Library invites the public to experience multicultural concerts featuring traditional tunes from Ireland, Scotland, England, Medieval & Renaissance Europe, India, and much more. Four Shillings Short will perform for audiences of all ages using more than 30 instruments.
The tour is sponsored by Lake Agassiz Regional Library and will include visits to the following locations:
Crookston Public Library on Monday, September 16, at 6 p.m.
McIntosh Senior Living, 600 Riverside Ave., on Tuesday, September 17, at 2 p.m.
Hawley Public Library on Wednesday, September 18, at 6:30 p.m.
Moorhead Public Library on Thursday, September 19, at 6:30 p.m.
Halstad Living Center, 133 4th Ave. E. on Friday, September 20, at 6 p.m.
Detroit Lakes Public Library on Saturday, September 21, at 1 p.m.
Admission is free, thanks in part to funding from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Legacy Fund. More information is available at larl.org/legacy.
About Lake Agassiz Regional Library
Lake Agassiz Regional Library is a consolidated public library system comprised of 13 branch libraries and nine LINK sites serving the residents of seven counties in northwest Minnesota. For more information on this and other LARL events and services, contact the Lake Agassiz Regional Library office at 218-233-3757 or online at www.larl.org.
The Minn Farm Bureau Political Action Committee (MFB PAC) congratulates candidate Steve Gander from District 1B on receiving its endorsement for the upcoming 2024 state House of Representative election.
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Minnesota Farm Bureau. When we consider the importance of agriculture to our region—family farms, ag-related industries, and all the jobs they create—we see that agriculture is the foundation of our economy. And we have them to thank for our abundant and affordable food supply.”
“Engaging our grassroots membership in connecting with candidates for political office is a key part of the PAC Committee endorsement process,” said Committee Chair Leah Johnson. “As a result of the interview process, the membership has the opportunity to hear firsthand the viewpoints of candidates on key agricultural issues.”
PAC endorsements are based on a candidate’s support of MFBF policy. Candidates participate in interviews with Farm Bureau members from their districts, who in turn make recommendations to the State PAC Committee. Once interviews are completed and recommendations submitted, the State PAC Committee comes together to make the final endorsement decisions.
The PAC Committee is comprised of county Farm Bureau members from across the state. The MFB and MFBF PACs are voluntary and do not receive financial support from MFBF membership dues.
In one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began, two ballistic missiles blasted a military academy and nearby hospital Tuesday in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 200 others. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian military forces on Tuesday launched missile strikes in the city of Poltava, a city of under 300,000 citizens located in Poltava Oblast in the east-central part of the country (about 75 miles from the Russian border, in a region known to be a regular target of Russian missile or drone strikes).
Reuters reports that Poltava Gov. Filip Pronon announced that at least 50 people were killed and 271 wounded in the strike as Ukraine’s defense ministry said that the missile strike caught people as they tried to evacuate.The missiles struck the Poltava Military Institute of Communication’s main building, causing several stories to collapse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel: “People found themselves under the rubble. Many were saved. They targeted an educational institution, and a nearby hospital, partially destroying one of the telecommunications institute’s buildings.” Zelensky said “all necessary services” had been deployed to aid in the rescue operation, adding that he had ordered a “full and prompt investigation into all of the circumstances of what happened .. The Russian scum will surely pay for this strike.”
The Ukrainian defense ministry called the strike a ‘barbaric attack’ and added in a statement: “We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. This tragedy is yet another evidence of the enemy’s cunning, which stops at no crime to try to intimidate Ukrainians.” The ministry added that emergency personnel managed to save 25 people, 11 of whom were trapped underneath the debris.
Ukraine’s land forces said military personnel had been killed: “the Land Forces Command is conducting an investigation to determine whether enough was done to protect the lives and health of the soldiers at the facility.” The strike followed Sunday’s airstrikes also by Russian military forces on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv which injured more than 40 people including five children.
Editorial credit: OSCAR GONZALEZ FUENTES / Shutterstock.com
Federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday that Linda Sun – a former top-level aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul – schemed to advance the interests of China while working in New York State government. Sun had worked directly for Hochul’s administration for roughly 15 months following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2021 resignation from the governor’s office amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
The indictment charges Sun with failure to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors added that Sun’s husband, Christopher Hu, also allegedly facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain. According to federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York and the FBI, Sun, 40, and Hu, 41, were arrested at their home on Long Island’s North Short on Tuesday morning on unspecified charges, after the FBI had searched the Manhasset home in July.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years before she was fired last year from her job as deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York State Department of Labor. She previously served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff and in the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. According to Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small, Sun was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago, before being fired last year. Small said in a statement to ABC News: “we terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”
The indictment alleges that Sun blocked Taiwanese government officials from having access to high-level New York State officers, acting at the request of Chinese government officials and representatives of the Chinese Communist Party. According to the indictment, it is also alleged that Sun changed New York State officers’ messaging about China and arranged meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials. In return for these and other actions, Sun allegedly received economic and other benefits from China, including the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the China-based business activities of Hu; travel benefits; tickets to events; promotion of a close family friend’s business; employment for Sun’s cousin in the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents.
United States Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement: “As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP. The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
ABC has ordered a new sitcom starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. According to multiple reports (including Deadline and Variety) Allen and Dennings will team up in a new comedy titled “Shifting Gears.”
The pilot for Shifting Gears was announced in March, but the show was just officially green-lit. Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully — who were originally announced as writers and executive producers on “Shifting Gears” — have since exited the series, but will be credited as executive producers on the pilot episode. The search is now on for a new showrunner.
Shifting Gears is said to revolve around Allen, a widower who runs a classic car workshop, and his estranged daughter, Dennings who shows up with her own teenage children. A network synopsis said the show follows Matt (Allen), “the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter (Dennings) and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.”
Veteran actor Daryl “Chill” Mitchell is also cast on the showas Stitch, with Maxwell Simkins as Carter, and Barrett Margolis as Georgia. Allen serves as an executive producer in the series along with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina and John Pasquin.
Apple TV+ series is teasing the new show Before, described as a “supernatural mystery series”starring Billy Crystal and Judith Light. A social media post read: “When a troubled young boy suffering from violent fears and frequent nightmares shows up on Eli’s doorstep, he must unravel the unexplained connection between them. The new psychological thriller series #Before premieres October 25 on Apple TV+”
A series synopsis reads: Eli (Crystal), is navigating the loss of wife Lynn (Light), when he meets Noah (Jacobi Jupe), who is suffering with severe anxiety and nightmares. The child “seems to have a haunting connection to Eli’s past … as Eli attempts to help Noah, their mysterious bond deepens.” In addition to Crystal, Light and Jupe, Before also stars Rosie Perez, Maria Dizzia and Ava Lalezarzadeh.
Crystal executive produces with Eric Roth and showrunner and writer Sarah Thorp. Adam Bernstein is the pilot director and Jet Wilkinson is the producing director.
Apple TV+ will release the first two episodes Oct. 25, with additional episodes dropping on a weekly basis after that.
