Abraham Lincoln grew up eating plain, simple foods, and as a child, he loved to bring these classic Southern hand-held treats along as snacks.
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Day: February 23, 2026
Duke’s win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The Blue Devils climbed two spots to top Monday’s poll, marking the 148th appearance at No. 1 to add to what was already the record for any program. Duke (25-2) claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant Michigan (25-2) after Saturday’s 68-63 win against the Wolverines in Washington. That win came in a matchup of the top two teams in the NCAA men’s selection committee’s preliminary top 16 seeds for March Madness, released hours before the game. The Blue Devils enter this week with a national-best 12 Quadrant 1 wins, along with nine wins against AP Top 25 teams. And now the latest such win has pushed the Blue Devils back to a No. 1 ranking for the second straight season under fourth-year coach Jon Scheyer. Last year’s Final Four team sat atop the last two polls entering the NCAA Tournament, the first time Duke had reached No. 1 since Scheyer took over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski in 2022. Arizona rose two spots to No. 2 after beating BYU and winning at Houston, and secured the other five first-place votes. Michigan fell to No. 3 as its first appearance at No. 1 since January 2013 turned into a one-week stay, followed by a pair of Big 12 teams in Iowa State and Houston. Besides the 25 ranked teams, 13 others received votes this week. Wisconsin led the way with 47, followed by Saint Mary’s (30), Villanova (15), Miami (10), Utah State (8), NC State (7), SMU (4), Texas A&M (3), Iowa (3), UCF (3), High Point (2), Stephen F. Austin (2) and Navy (1). Here is the full list of 25: 25. Vanderbilt, 21-6, SEC24. Louisville, 20-7, ACC23. Saint Louis, 25-2, A-1022. Tennessee, 20-7, SEC21. Miami (OH), 27-0, MAC20. Arkansas, 20-7, SEC19. BYU, 20-7, Big 1218. North Carolina, 21-6, ACC17. Alabama, 20-7, SEC16. Texas Tech, 20-7, Big 1215. St. John’s, 22-5, Big East14. Kansas, 20-7, Big 1213. Michigan State, 22-5, Big Ten12. Nebraska, 23-4, Big Ten11. Virginia, 24-3, ACC10. Illinois, 22-6, Big Ten9. Gonzaga, 27-2, WCC8. Purdue, 22-5, Big Ten7. Florida, 21-6, SEC6. UConn, 25-3, Big East5. Houston, 23-4, Big 124. Iowa State, 23-4, Big 123. Michigan, 25-2, Big Ten2. Arizona, 25-2, Big 121. Duke, 25-2, ACC The top tier UConn fell one spot to No. 6 after a week that included a home loss to Creighton, while reigning national champion Florida leapt five spots to No. 7 to return to the top 10 for the first time since late November. The Gators were ranked No. 3 in the preseason and spent a week among the unranked in early January. They have won seven straight and 12 of 13. Purdue, Gonzaga and Illinois rounded out the top 10. NCAA selection committee vs. AP Top 25 The selection committee had Michigan, Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the No. 1 seeds in Saturday’s reveal of the preliminary top 16 seeds. The Cyclones edged UConn and Houston for the fourth 1-seed, with the Huskies’ loss to Creighton and then Iowa State’s head-to-head win against Houston to start last week swinging the vote to T.J. Otzelberger’s squad. Monday’s poll largely aligns with the committee’s reveal, starting with the same four teams at the top in a shuffled order — with Iowa State moving up two spots even after Saturday’s loss at now-No. 19 BYU. In addition, the AP Top 25 and committee align on 15 teams being ranked among those top 16 seeds. The outlier is St. John’s at No. 15 in the AP poll, taking a slot that went to Vanderbilt — with the Commodores seeded 15th overall by the committee Saturday but sliding to No. 25 in Monday’s poll. Rising Alabama had the week’s biggest jump, rising eight spots to No. 17 after a thrilling double-overtime home win against Arkansas and a win at LSU pushed the Crimson Tide’s win streak to six games. Florida had the week’s second-biggest gain, while BYU rose four spots after the Arizona loss and Iowa State win. In all, 11 teams moved up from last week’s ranking. Sliding No. 14 Kansas joined Vanderbilt with the week’s biggest slide of six spots. The Jayhawks are coming off a 16-point home loss to a Cincinnati team that was reeling in early February but has won four straight. The Commodores lost at Missouri and at home to Tennessee last week, falling to 5-6 since a 16-0 start that carried them to a No. 10 ranking as of mid-January. Saint Louis tumbled five spots to No. 23 after last week’s loss at Rhode Island ended an 18-game winning streak, while 11 teams fell from last week but remained in the poll. Status quo Illinois and No. 20 Arkansas were the only two teams to hold their position from last week. Coming and going Tennessee was the lone new addition at No. 22, with the Volunteers beating Oklahoma and Vanderbilt last week to push its winning streak to four games. This starts a third stint in the poll for Rick Barnes’ Volunteers, who fell out for two weeks in mid-January, returned for a week at No. 25 to start February, then were unranked again for the past two weeks. The Vols replaced Wisconsin, which fell out from No. 24 after last week’s loss at Ohio State. Conference watch The Big 12 led all conferences with six ranked teams, while the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference each had five. The Atlantic Coast Conference was next with four, followed by the Big East with two. The West Coast Conference, Mid-American Conference and Atlantic 10 each had one ranked team. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Keelan Harvick, the 13-year-old son of former Cup champion Kevin Harvick, has signed a driver development deal with Toyota Racing Development. TRD has the deepest roster of prospects and integrates vendors (gas companies, windshield companies, speaker companies, and more) to sponsor their development. Harvick will have ExxonMobil as a sponsor. “Keelan has proven himself on-track, and despite his young age, has continued to be wise beyond his years with his professionalism and work ethic off of it,” TRD President Tyler Gibbs said in a news release. “TRD is thrilled to partner with Keelan and his family as Keelan continues to develop his racing craft. We see a bright future ahead for him, and everyone at Toyota is proud to be part of his journey.” Keelan Harvick has risen quickly up the ladder in racing stock cars and has etched his name as the youngest winner of some of the biggest national late model events. He is ranked 12th in my most recent Cup prospect rankings. “They win a lot, and I want to be with an organization that wins,” Keelan Harvick said in a statement. When it comes to driver development, manufacturers take different approaches. Both Toyota and Chevrolet have staff that helps drivers with both physical and mental development. Toyota also works closely with Tricon Garage in the truck series as its place for developmental drivers to prove themselves for opportunities at the Cup and O’Reilly (formerly Xfinity) level. Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup champion and current NASCAR On FOX analyst, never drove for Toyota. “We’ve concentrated a lot on development and have a theory on how it should go, and I felt like the Toyota process matched what we would do,” Kevin Harvick said in a statement. “I think that the effort that Toyota puts into, not only the driving piece of it but the human piece of it, is very important to us as a family. “That was really was one of the biggest reasons on why we went this direction.” Keelan Harvick will have to wait a couple of years before being able to compete in NASCAR on a national level. To race in trucks, a driver must be at least 16 years old to compete on road courses and ovals 1.25 miles or less in length. That rule is 17 years old for the O’Reilly Series. The minimum age for Cup is 18, which also is the minimum age for any oval bigger than 1.25 miles.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Kyle Pitts was set to become one of the top tight ends available in free agency this offseason, but the Atlanta Falcons might prevent that from happening. The Falcons plan on placing the franchise tag on Pitts with the hopes that they’ll be able to agree to a longterm deal, NFL Media reported Monday. If Pitts receives the franchise tag, he’d be able to sign a one-year deal worth roughly $16 million, which would be fully guaranteed. The Falcons could also trade Pitts if they’re unable to reach an agreement on a longterm deal. Pitts, 25, had a resurgent season in 2025 following a few down years. He posted career-highs in receptions (88) and receiving touchdowns (five) to go with 928 receiving yards. With Pitts having a strong year, FOX Sports’ Greg Auman placed him 19th in his top 100 NFL free agents ranking for this offseason. Pitts was also the highest-ranked tight end on the list, sitting ahead of Isaiah Likely (Baltimore Ravens), David Njoku (Cleveland Browns), Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) and Dallas Goedert (Philadelphia Eagles). Now, it appears Pitts will be remaining in Atlanta for at least another season. Pitts, who the Falcons took with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, will likely play a key role in Atlanta’s offense alongside wide receiver Drake Lodnon and running back Bijan Robinson while catching passes from third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Even though Atlanta already has some pretty talented playmakers, Pitts could be in line for another big season with the Falcons if he’s with the team in 2026 as well. New head coach Kevin Stefanski has relied on tight ends for success over the years, with Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr. having big roles in the Cleveland Browns’ offense when he was their head coach. Teams have until March 3 to place the franchise tag on pending free agents. Once a player receives the franchise tag, they typically have until sometime in mid-July to sign a multi-year deal.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Combining your favorite Chinese takeout appetizer with your Italian dish is underrated. One Iowa restaurant makes crab rangoon pizza, and Alton Brown loves it.
Food Republic – Restaurants, Reviews, Recipes, Cooking Tips
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We have tragic news to report out of the world of music today.
Luci4 — the rapper best known for his viral hit “BodyPartz” — was just 23 years old.
News of his death comes courtesy of a report from the Los Angeles Fire Department:
A spokesperson for the department tells TMZ that emergency personnel responded to a call about a medical emergency.
When they arrived, the person was already dead, and the incident is now being investigated as a crime.
Luci4’s passing is confirmed by his grandparents, who say they are suspicious of the circumstances surrounding his death.
They say that his wallet was completely emptied, and he had been expressing uncertainty about some of the people he had been spending time with since gaining fame.
Luci4 — whose real name was James Dear — reportedly died at the home of an unnamed friend in Los Angeles.
After first gaining notice on TikTok in 2021, Luci4 became an integral part of the online “Sigilkore” movement.
He signed to Atlantic Records, and “BodyPartz” went gold shortly after its release.
Though he had yet to gain mainstream fame, Luci4 was a wildly popular figure on social media, and he had a very bright future ahead of him.
Industry insiders who worked with the young star reported that his talent and work ethic were unparalleled.
Clearly, there’s a whole lot that we still don’t know about Dear’s passing.
We will continue to keep you updated on this developing story as new information becomes available.
In the meantime, our thoughts go out to Luci4’s loved ones as they begin to try and process this unthinkable tragedy.
Luci4 Cause of Death: Beloved Rapper Was 23 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Eric Church’s life changed forever in 2018 when his brother Brandon suddenly died. In the weeks that followed, he was in a very vulnerable state, struggling to make sense of it all, but then he received a call from country legend Vince Gill who offered him a perspective on the situation that he would never forget.
The North Carolina native’s brother died at age 36 on Friday, June 29, 2018. According to an autopsy report obtained from TMZ, Brandon suffered two seizures, one of which led to cardiac arrest. Many of his health issues were reportedly tied to years of alcohol use, which had damaged his heart and liver, and left him with a history of seizures triggered by alcohol withdrawal.
During an appearance on the CNN Podcast All There Is with Anderson Cooper, Church opened up about this tragedy and how it impacted his life.
“When my brother died, I didn’t comprehend that it’s never going to be the same again — with my parents, with their relationship, with the whole family, the family dynamic. When my brother died, I wasn’t prepared for that part,” he admits.
He went on to recall a conversation he had with Gill shortly just a few days after the loss. The pair of artists had met before, but they weren’t close friends at the time. Gill could relate to what Church was going through as he had unfortunately also lost his own brother, Bob Gill, to a heart attack in 1993. While sharing their stories of grief, the Grand Ole Opry member offered some guidance to Church that has stuck with him to this day.
“I didn’t really know Vince very well. I’d met him. And he actually was the first one that said to me, he said, ‘You don’t understand this now, but you’re never going to be the same. Your mom and dad are never going to be the same. Your sister’s never going to be the same. Y’all are never going to be the same as a unit. Nothing’s ever going to be the same. And the quicker you understand that, the better you’ll deal with it.’”
The “Hands of Time” singer explained that at the time, he wasn’t quite able to grasp what Gill was telling him. Eventually, he came to understand just what those powerful words meant and realized that he spoke nothing but the truth in that moment.
“I was sitting there thinking, well, it was grief. We’ve always been the family. But looking back on it…he’s exactly right. It never is the same. When something like that happens, it changes everything. And it becomes a new normal,” Church added.
The critically acclaimed country star and his brother always shared a love for music. They started off in a band together, and then once Church embarked on his solo career, his brother became a huge supporter. Brandon is even credited on at least two of Church’s songs: “How ‘Bout You” and “Without You Here.”
All these years later, Church says that he might not have ever gotten to this point if it weren’t for Brandon’s encouragement during the difficult moments of his musical journey.
“When I came to Nashville, like any experience for a young artist and Nashville songwriter, it’s tough. You think you’re really good, I would say this to any artist out there: you think you’re really good till you get to Nashville and you see what really good looks like. And I went through a couple of years of trying to make it and it wasn’t working.”
He revealed that one night, he was feeling extra defeated and was ready to throw in the towel and give up on Music City all together. First, he called his brother, who ended up doing everything in his power to make sure that Church didn’t give up on himself.
“He said, ‘What’s going on?’ I said, ‘Man, it’s not gonna work.’ I said, ‘I feel like life’s passing me by. I feel like all my friends and everybody back there is moving on with their life. They’re getting married, they’re doing this stuff. I’m out here treading water,’ right? And the next day he showed up in Nashville. We drove and I had a one-bedroom apartment,” he recalled. “He slept on my foldout couch for a year, just to keep me there. And he just moved in and we found our own rhythm and our own life, but he wouldn’t let me go. He said, ‘No, you’re not. You don’t come here. I’ll come to you.’ And he moved out and it kept me in town.”
A year of living together changed everything. Slowly, Church began to see movement in his dreams, and looking back, he realizes just how pivotal that support was.
“I don’t tell a lot of people that, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him doing that, because that was an ultimate commitment. He dropped everything where he was and said, ‘Pack a bag, I’ll sleep on your couch.’ And that’s what he did.”
Losing his brother was obviously a major moment in Eric Church’s life. Since then, he has witnessed several other losses and tragedies. Church not only opened up to Anderson Cooper about his brother’s death but also about the grief he dealt with after the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting and the 2023 Covenant School tragedy, which hit especially close to home since his own children attended school nearby.
This conversation found Church opening up in a way he doesn’t often do publicly, while reflecting on how loss has changed the way he views life, family, and the world around him.
The post Eric Church Opens Up About Losing His Brother And The Call From Vince Gill That Helped Him Heal appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
It’s not in your head: Bloody Marys do taste different on planes, according to research. It has to do with how flights affect your taste buds.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
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6 Best Olive Oils At Trader Joe’s, Ranked
Trader Joe’s is known for its private label products, and it’s got several unique and tasty olive oils to choose from. So which one is the absolute best?
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The reality TV star recently talked about her diagnosis on TikTok, the latest in a line of celebrities who have opened up about cervical cancer in recent years.
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