Vanderbilt football's Clark Lea, former QB Diego Pavia earn Tennessee college honors

Former Vanderbilt quarterbackDiego Paviawas named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's College Football Player of the Year, andClark Leawas named College Football Coach of the Year on May 4.

Pavia, who recently participated in the Baltimore Ravens rookie minicamp as anundrafted free agent, was the National Player of the Year by The Sporting News and CBS Sports, and runner-up in theHeisman Trophyvoting. He was the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner and a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell Player of the Year, and the Manning Awards Player of the Year.

Pavia signed a three-year free-agent deal with Baltimore on April 28.

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Pavia threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to a 10-3 record. He made the All-SEC team by the league's coaches and the Associated Press.

Clark Lea named TSWA College Football Coach of the Year

In his fifth season at Vanderbilt, Lea was named the FWAA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year. He was a finalist for the Walter Camp, AFCA, George Munger, Paul “Bear” Bryant, and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year awards.

Lea was selected SEC Coach of the Year by the league’s head coaches and the Associated Press after leading theCommodoresto back-to-back postseason bowl appearances.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:Vanderbilt football's Clark Lea, Diego Pavia nab TSWA top college awards

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 07, 2026

Vanderbilt football's Clark Lea, former QB Diego Pavia earn Tennessee college honors

Former Vanderbilt quarterbackDiego Paviawas named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's College Football Player of the Year, a...

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200 years of sacrifice: Rochester firefighters who died in the line of duty

In the Rochester Fire Department’s history that dates back more than two centuries, more than 65 firefighters have died in the line of duty. Some were killed battling fires — crushed by collapsing walls or chimneys, or falling from ladders. Others died in crashes while responding to emergencies. Several were electrocuted, and others suffered fatal heart attacks while working at fire scenes.

A number of firefighters later died from injuries or illnesses linked to their service. Below are notable line-of-duty deaths of Rochester firefighters, compiled by the Rochester Fire Department and the Democrat and Chronicle.

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Some deaths occurred before the city established a professional fire department in the mid-1800s, though organized volunteer firefighting in Rochester dates back to May 1826.

Rochester firefighting line-of-duty deaths

• Dec. 21, 1827 — Firefighter Thomas Rathburn, 25, was killed when a chimney collapsed at Peck’s Paper Mill on South Water Street.

• Aug. 26, 1840 — Firefighters George Benjamin and John Easton were killed while battling a fire in the Curtis Building on Main Street. A wall collapsed as they descended a ladder, burying both men.

• Nov. 21, 1857 — Firefighters Patrick Heavey, 25, and William Cleator, 20, were killed when a wall collapsed as they operated a hose line from a rooftop on East Main Street.

• May 4, 1867 — Firefighters John Pike, 51; Harvey Forscheler, 37; and Joseph Wernette, 25, were killed when a ceiling collapsed during a fire at Washington Hall on East Main Street, burying them in burning debris.

• Feb. 21, 1886 — Fire Chief Law Siddons Gibson died of pneumonia 11 days after being drenched in freezing conditions while fighting a fire on Chatham Street. He served as chief for 13 years, though not consecutively.

• Jan. 23, 1893 — Firefighters Joseph Byrne, 27, and Frederick Sackett, 26, were crushed by a collapsing wall while fighting a fire on Stone Street. Byrne died at the scene; Sackett died six weeks later.

• Dec. 17, 1894 — Firefighter Louis Rice, 37, was killed when two fire trucks collided as they responded to a call. He was thrown from his rig.

• Oct. 2, 1896 — Harry Austin, of the Protectives Volunteer Company, died after falling from a ladder while assisting at a fire at the Lamberton Building at Saint Paul and Andrews streets.

• July 2, 1899 — Lt. Frank Klueh, 35, was electrocuted while responding to a transformer fire on Liberty Street.

• Jan. 8, 1901 — Firefighters Edward Murphy, 32; John Slattery, 31; and George Long, 27, died from respiratory failure after exposure to nitric acid fumes during a chemical fire at Kodak Park.

• Jan. 28, 1902 — Lt. William Boon Jr., 28, was killed when a wall collapsed while he fought a fire at Rochester Screw Works on Caledonia Avenue.

• Oct. 12, 1902 — Assistant Chief William Boon Sr. died of a heart attack while responding to a church fire. His son, Lt. Boon Jr., had died 10 months earlier in a separate fire.

• Nov. 9, 1902 — Firefighter James O’Leary was killed when his truck overturned en route to a warehouse fire.

• April 27, 1905 — Lt. Theodore Fitzgerald died of smoke inhalation while searching for a fire in the basement of a State Street building. He had successfully entered once but died during a second attempt.

• Oct. 12, 1906 — Firefighter John Burke died from pneumonia contracted while fighting the Great Sibley Fire in February 1904.

• Nov. 9, 1907 — Firefighters John O’Brien, 36, and George Peartree Sr., 46, died after their truck crashed while responding to a call.

• Nov. 1, 1913 — Firefighter George Major, 32, was killed after being thrown from a fire engine in a crash.

• Dec. 6, 1913 — Firefighter Thomas Carmody, 47, died of a heart attack while responding to a fire.

• July 8, 1915 — Lt. Joseph Neidert, 32, was electrocuted while attempting to move a downed power line to protect nearby children.

• June 18, 1916 — Firefighter Alfred Gracey, 50, was crushed between a fire truck and firehouse doors while responding to a call.

• Feb. 26, 1919 — Firefighter Charles Byron, 53, suffered a fatal head injury after being thrown from a truck in a collision with a streetcar.

• Oct. 31, 1922 — Firefighters Thomas Sullivan and Edward Gommenginger died after their engine lost a tire and crashed into a bridge. Sullivan died the same day; Gommenginger died two days later.

• April 17, 1924 — Capt. Abraham Price, 50, died of a heart attack while fighting a fire.

• July 4, 1926 — Firefighter Patrick Donnelly, 35, was crushed beneath a fire truck responding to a call.

• May 4, 1930 — Firefighter Frederick Longmore died from pneumonia after rescuing two people from a fire the year before.

• Aug. 9, 1930 — Firefighter John Mahon, 35, died after being thrown from a ladder when a hose buckled during a fire.

• April 29, 1932 — Battalion Chief Charles Widdowson, 58, died of a heart attack at a fire scene.

• May 24, 1936 — Firefighter Jeremiah Coughlin, 38, died of smoke inhalation after being caught in a backdraft.

• Oct. 8, 1936 — Firefighter John McPartlin, 53, was overcome by smoke and gas fumes while fighting an attic fire.

• Nov. 22, 1937 — Battalion Chief Joseph Culligan, 53, fell from a ladder after being overcome by smoke. He died three weeks later.

• May 20, 1939 — Firefighter Adolph “Dutch” Wiemer died from injuries after falling from a ladder.

• Jan. 15, 1940 — Firefighter Henry Holburn died five days after being thrown from a fire engine into a bridge abutment.

• Oct. 7, 1940 — Firefighter Joseph Dansbach, 44, died of heart failure after battling a fire.

• Feb. 24, 1943 — Firefighter Henry Hoderlein, 60, died after falling into a grease pit and fracturing his skull.

• Dec. 29, 1943 — Firefighter William Wesley Smith collapsed and died after being overcome by smoke during a fire.

• March 15, 1944 — Firefighter William Long died after being thrown from a fire truck en route to a call.

• June 29, 1944 — Firefighter Ira Foote, 50, died of a heart attack after arriving at a fire scene.

• Feb. 6, 1946 — Firefighter Charles Dunbar, 64, collapsed and died while fighting a fire.

• Sept. 12, 1953 — Firefighter Alfred Long, 61, died from injuries sustained in a training fall.

• Nov. 29, 1953 — Firefighter Abram DeNagel, 50, died of a heart attack at a fire scene.

• Sept. 18, 1961 — Firefighter Lawrence Koen, 63, died of a heart attack while fighting a fire.

• June 3, 1962 — Lt. Elmer Adkins, 63, died of a heart attack at a fire.

• May 15, 1968 — Lt. Theodore Freed, 47, died from injuries sustained while fighting a fire.

• July 14, 1968 — Firefighter Joseph D’Ovidio, 47, died of a heart attack after a prolonged fire.

• Sept. 29, 1969 — Firefighter John Vadas, 59, died of a heart attack while fighting an arson fire.

• Jan. 6, 1978 — Firefighter Walter Hauck Jr. died from complications related to injuries suffered in a 1953 fire.

• Dec. 30, 1981 — Lt. William Nixon died of a heart attack after a fire.

• Sept. 12, 1986 — Lt. Bernard Spillman, 44, died after running out of air while searching for a fellow firefighter.

• March 10, 1987 — Firefighter Carmen Russo, 57, died of a heart attack after a fire.

• Feb. 3, 2004 — Firefighter Anthony Lambiase Jr., 42, died of leukemia linked to his service.

• Sept. 4, 2010 — Lt. Paul Skelly died after battling melanoma, a cancer associated with firefighting.

• July 2, 2011 — Walter Hauser, 62, died after years of health complications stemming from a 1981 fire rescue.

• Aug. 3, 2011 — Douglas Fair, 55, died after battling stomach cancer linked to his service.

• June 24, 2016 — Retired Capt. Stephen Erb, 60, died following esophageal cancer linked to his firefighting career.

• Sept. 21, 2022 — Elvis Reyes, 54, died from complications related to an on-duty injury after more than two decades of service.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:Rochester firefighters who died in the line of duty

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 07, 2026

200 years of sacrifice: Rochester firefighters who died in the line of duty

In the Rochester Fire Department’s history that dates back more than two centuries, more than 65 firefighters have died in the line of ...

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Spike Lee Defends “Michael” from Criticism Over Omitting Sex Abuse Allegations

Filmmaker Spike Lee stated in a new interview that he enjoyed the Michael Jackson biopic and criticized movie critics for calling attention to a lack of emphasis placed on child sex abuse allegations made against Jackson in the '90s

NEED TO KNOW

• Michael notably ends in 1988, and multiple outlets have reported that legal complications prevented the movie from dramatizing allegations first made against Jackson in 1993

• Lee notably directed two music videos for Jackson and directed a 2016 documentary on the early portions of Jackson's career

Spike Leethinks those who are criticizing theMichael Jacksonbiopic for not including allegations of child sex abuse made against the late pop star are simply asking for a different movie.

Lee, 69, toldCNNin a recent interview that he has already seenMichaeltwice since the movie hit theaters on April 24. The famed filmmaker simply stated, "Love it," when asked for his thoughts on the movie, which stars the King of Pop's real-life nephewJaafar Jacksonas Michael throughout the 1970s and '80s.

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On review aggregators likeRotten Tomatoes,Michaelholds negative reviews from professional film critics, but positive reviews from audience members. While speaking with CNN, Lee said he thinks it's unfair that the negative reaction to the movie has centered around its exclusion of the firstallegations of child sex abuse made against Michael in 1993.

"First of all, if you're a movie critic and you're complaining about the [allegations] that you know, all this other stuff, but the movie ends in '88," Lee said, when asked what he makes of the criticism against the movie. "You're talking about accusations [that] happen [later], so you're critiquing the film on something you wanted, but it doesn't work in the timeline of the film."

"But the people who showed up, they showed up worldwide," he continued. "People showed their love."

Lee notably directed music videos for Michael's 1996 song "They Don't Care About Us" and the 2009 track "This Is It," as well as the 2016 documentaryMichael Jackson'sJourney from Motown to Off the Wall. He referred to Michael, who died at 50 in 2009, and the late musicianPrinceas "beautiful people" during the interview.

When asked again if Lee thought it "wouldn't be appropriate" forMichaelto dramatize those allegations, Lee added, "The allegations came post-'80s. The film ends in '88. So people said [rude gesture], and have seen it more than once, like me."

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The biopic of the "Thriller" singer's life has attracted as much news for what it ultimately did not depict as for what moments from Michael's life it did feature. On April 20,Michael's directorAntoine Fuquashared new details aboutthe massive overhaulMichaelunderwentin 2025 after lawyers reportedly learned of a previously overlooked clause in a settlement agreement between the singer and one of his accusers in an interview withThe New Yorker.

In 1993, Michael was accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. He ultimately settled with the Chandler family out of court for a reported $25 million.

The producers behind the movie had to rewrite and reshoot significant portions of the movie after lawyers realized that the settlement included an agreement that the Chandlers could never be mentioned or dramatized in a movie, per a January 2025 report fromPuck.

At the time, the outlet claimed the Chandler saga was a key "backbone" of the movie, which Fuqua confirmed while speaking withThe New Yorker. The outlet additionally reported that the movie was initially meant to open on the 1993 police raid onNeverland Ranch, the singer's infamous California compound, as investigations into those allegations began.

Despite critics' negative reaction to the movie,Michaelis already thethird-highest grossing movie of the year in North Americaand the fourth-most popular movie of the year at thebox office around the world, behindProject Hail Mary, the Chinese racing moviePegasus 3andThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Varietyalso reported on April 7 that the movie's studio Lionsgate believes "roughly 30%" of footage shot for the movie that did not make it intoMichael's final cut could be reused for a sequel. It is unclear how much of that footage involves the legal complications related to dramatizing Chandler's allegations.

The movie itself ends with a title card that reads: "His Story Continues."

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 07, 2026

Spike Lee Defends “Michael” from Criticism Over Omitting Sex Abuse Allegations

Filmmaker Spike Lee stated in a new interview that he enjoyed the Michael Jackson biopic and criticized movie critics for calling atten...

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Who was the top Cape Cod and Islands Boys Lacrosse Player last week

Welcome to our latest Cape Cod and Islands High School Player of the Week Poll.

High school sports fans can vote for which boys lacrosse players they think were standouts during the previous week.

The poll will be open from Thursday through Wednesday. The winner will be announced on Thursday along with the new poll. Votes are unlimited.

Rules of the Road

Votes must be cast via the Cape Cod Times website/mobile sites. Votes submitted via email and social media will NOT be accepted. To vote for this week's Player of the Week, scroll down on this page.

Last week's winner

Ty Hawkes, Bourne/Mashpee

Hawkes won his first poll of the season with 34% of the votes. He had five goals and one assist as the Canalmen beat Old Rochester.

This week's candidates

Jack Balfour, Bourne/Mashpee

Balfour notched his 200th career point with three goals and three assists as the Canalmen beat Upper Cape 20-8.

Brady Banks, Bourne/Mashpee

Banks recorded six goals and one assist in a victory over Upper Cape.

He scored three goals and dished out two assists in a 10-6 win over Old Rochester.

Oliver Barton, Upper Cape

Barton scored nine goals and added one assist as the Rams defeated Bristol-Plymouth 14-3.

Teddy Black, Upper Cape

Black was strong in net with 17 saves as the Rams defeated Bristol-Plymouth.

Max Blake, Dennis-Yarmouth

Blake tallied a season-high five goals in a 15-6 win over Monomoy.

Izaiah Freeman, Monomoy

Freeman led the charge for the Sharks with three goals and four assists in a loss to St. Mary's (Lynn).

He then had four goals and two assists in a loss to D-Y.

Arann Hanlon, Nantucket

Hanlon scored five goals in a 17-4 win over Barnstable.

Ty Hawkes, Bourne/Mashpee

Hawkes had four goals and two assists as the Canalmen defeated Upper Cape.

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He also pitched in a hat trick and two assists in a win over Old Rochester.

Luca Mockabee, Dennis-Yarmouth

Mockabee made 14 saves in a 8-5 win over Martha's Vineyard.

Alex Morin, St. John Paul II

Morin recorded three goals, including his 100th career goal, as the Lions beat Cape Cod Academy 19-6.

Parker Philbrick, St. John Paul II

Parker Philbrick recorded his 100th career point with four goals and two assists in a loss to Rockland.

Jack Peno, Nauset

Peno finished with seven goals and four assists as the Warriors beat Martha's Vineyard 14-1.

Taylor Richardson, St. John Paul II

Richardson added five goals and an assist in a victory over Cape Cod Academy.

Charlie Seitz, Bourne/Mashpee

Seitz finished with three goals and two assists in a win over Upper Cape.

He then had one goal and three assists and notched his 200th career point in a win over Old Rochester.

Jackson Smith, Falmouth

Jackson had four goals, which included his 100th career point, in a 13-2 win over Sandwich.

Travis Smith, Falmouth

Travis won all of his face-offs and set a career mark of 1,000 face-off wins in a victory over Sandwich. He also scored four goals with an assist.

Jacoby Staruski, Upper Cape

Staruski tallied a hat trick with two assists for the Rams in a loss to Bourne/Mashpee.

Noah Stringer, Nantucket

Stringer found the back of the net five times as the Whalers beat Barnstable.

Mike Valois, Bourne/Mashpee

Valois had three goals and four assists and was 100% on face-offs in a win over Upper Cape.

Courtney Jacobs is the Sports Editor for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him atcjacobs@capecodonline.comand follow him on X: @coolinwithCJ.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription.Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times:Vote for the Cape and Islands Boys Lacrosse Player of the Week

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 07, 2026

Who was the top Cape Cod and Islands Boys Lacrosse Player last week

Welcome to our latest Cape Cod and Islands High School Player of the Week Poll. High school sports fans can vote for which boys la...

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The Gem of Venus Williams’s Met Gala Look Is Her Swarovski Breastplate

"Hearst Magazines and AOL may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Venus Williamshas made her grand entrance at the 2026 Met Gala. Thetennis legendis following in sisterSerena Williams’s footsteps tonight, as she is acting as co-chair for the evening—a position Serena held in 2009—alongside Beyoncé and Nicole Kidman.

The evening’s honorary chairs (and sponsors) are Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, while the host committee includes Zoë Kravitz and Sabrina Carpenter.

Ahead of the ceremony, Williams made her way up the carpeted steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in a stunning black strapless gown with sparkles all over. But the real highlight of her look was the massive, elaborate necklace that acted as a breast plate, from Swarovski.

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Adding to the romance of the look, Williams had her hair styled in a rosette updo.

And adding to the romance of the moment, she walked the beige carpet with her husband,Andrea Preti, and the two could not stop kissing.

Her ensemble honored the dress code of the night, “Fashion Is Art,” inspired by the museum’s “Costume Art” exhibition, which explores the relationship between fashion, art, and the human body through history and through different artistic mediums, The show juxtaposes garments and works of art “to illuminate new connections,” the museum says.

Williams is a Met Gala veteran, having attended fashion’s biggest night several times over the years, including last year, for the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" theme. Then, she put a high-fashion spin on the traditional tennis uniform in a forest-greentennis dress by Lacoste, which featured a pleated skirt that transformed into a long train in the back. She added further drama to the look with a matching green coat, decorated with shimmery black tasseled fringe.

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 06, 2026

The Gem of Venus Williams’s Met Gala Look Is Her Swarovski Breastplate

"Hearst Magazines and AOL may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Venus Williamshas made her...

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