Figure skater Alysa Liu gets hometown hero's welcome in Oakland after Olympics win

American figure skaterAlysa Liureceived a hometown hero's welcome in Oakland, California, Thursday, three weeks afterwinning Olympic gold.

Liu, who became the first American woman to win the gold medal in figure skating since 2002 at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, was celebrated with a rally in front of Oakland City Hall.

"We've got a lot of soul here," Liu said Thursday about her hometown, where she started figure skating at age 5 at a rink just one block from City Hall.

Liu watched from the stage and joined in the celebration as singers and dancers performed and fellow Oakland-born celebrities and elected officials spoke to the crowd.

One of the opening singers, current "American Idol" contestant Abayomi, sang  Donna Summers' "MacArthur Park Suite," which Liu performed her gold medal-winning free skate to at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Feb. 19.

Local Bay Area athletes boxer Andre Ward, who won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, who won the gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics, also attended the rally to support Liu.

"You've shown the world that being yourself is your greatest strength, Yamaguchi said to Liu in her remarks.

Alysa Liu wins gold; Team USA beats Canada in women's hockey

In addition to the in-person accolades, Liu also received video messages of support Thursday from fellow Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano, also an Oakland area native, and Golden State Warriors' star Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr.

Along with Thursday's rally, the Bay Area is also celebrating Liu's Olympic success with a billboard congratulating her,according toSan Francisco ABC station KGO-TV.

Olympic gold medalist skater Alysa Liu drops out of world championships

Liu, who at age 13 madehistoryas the youngest woman to win a U.S. Championship title, came out of retirement to compete in the Milan-Cortina Games.

In addition to her individual gold medal, Liu also took home a gold in the team figure skating event in Milan.

Shortly after the Olympics, Liu announced she would not compete in the International Skating Union Figure Skating World Championship at the end of March.

"As some of y'all already know, I withdrew from Worlds," she wrote in a since-expired Instagram story. "There's been a lot of exciting things happening since my return from Milan, so I'm taking some time for that. I will be cheering everyone on from afar -- see y'all next season!!"

bySator Tenet

in

March 12, 2026

Figure skater Alysa Liu gets hometown hero's welcome in Oakland after Olympics win

American figure skaterAlysa Liureceived a hometown hero's welcome in Oakland, California, Thursday, three weeks afte...

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Kirk Cousins' 5 best landing spots after Vikings sign Kyler Murray

Many anticipatedKirk Cousinsand the Minnesota Vikings could reunite during NFL free agency. Instead, Minnesota has tapped a different veteran quarterback to serve as its challenger toJ.J. McCarthyin 2026.

TheVikings have agreed to a one-year, veteran minimum contract withKyler Murray.

While Minnesota will only foot a $1.3 million bill for the No. 1 overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray will make a total of $36.8 million for the season. His former team – the Arizona Cardinals – will pay the remainder of the $35.5 million owed to him.

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard:Traded to Cleveland Browns(previous team: Houston Texans)

Murray was one of the final quarterback dominoes to fall during NFL free agency.Geno Smith,Tua TagovailoaandMalik Willishave all landed with new teams during the offseason whileDaniel Jonesreturned to the Indianapolis Colts after a successful 2025 season with the team.

Cousins is now the top veteran signal-caller available on the market. The 37-year-old should be in demand for several teams looking for experience and a potential stopgap starter at the position.

Where could Cousins go after the Murray signing? Here's a look at his top landing spots as the NFL's quarterback carousel continues to spin.

Kirk Cousins landing spots

Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas is almost certainly going to select Indiana's Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. However,The Athletic's Dianna Russinireported the Raiders would prefer not to start the Heisman Trophy winner immediately and that the team could target a potential veteran in NFL free agency because of that.

Cousins has 167 career starts under his belt and would be an ideal mentor for Mendoza as he acclimates himself to the NFL.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are still waiting onAaron Rodgersto make a decision about his future. If the 42-year-old returns for another season, Cousins wouldn't be an option for Pittsburgh. But if Rodgers calls it quits, Mike McCarthy could consider targeting Cousins as a different veteran stopgap to steer the team.

The Steelers were exceedingly patient with Rodgers last offseason – he didn't officially sign until June – and may give him that grace again in 2026. With that in mind, Cousins may not be willing to wait around to see if Pittsburgh's job opens up.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are another AFC North team that would be a sensible option for Cousins. Cleveland has a lot of resources tied up inDeshaun Watson,Shedeur SandersandDillon Gabriel, but Cousins has more experience than Sanders and Gabriel and has enjoyed far more sustained success than Watson.

That could be enough to convince new Browns coach Todd Monken to make his wide-open quarterback competition a three-way battle.

Cincinnati Bengals

If Cousins settles for a backup gig, he may have an interest in joining the Bengals.Joe Burrowhas missed a combined 16 games over the last three seasons andSean Clifford– who has never taken a regular-season NFL snap in his career – is currently his lone backup.

Cousins would provide the Bengals a steady hand behind Burrow in the event the No. 1 pick from the 2020 NFL Draft is banged up again. If he isn't granted an opportunity to compete for a starting job, he could relish a chance to play with a strong stable of weapons highlighted byJa'Marr ChaseandTee Higgins.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are another team that could use a backup quarterback.Gardner Minshewleft the team in free agency whileChris Oladokun(4.3 yards per attempt in 2025) andJake Haener(46.2% career completion rate) represent an uninspiring duo behindPatrick Mahomes.

Cousins would provide the Chiefs with plenty of experience behind Mahomes. He would also give the team insurance in case Mahomes isn't ready for Week 1, as the two-time NFL MVP attempts to recover froma torn ACL he sufferedin Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Best Kirk Cousins landing spots in NFL free agency after Kyler Murray deal

bySator Tenet

in

March 12, 2026

Kirk Cousins' 5 best landing spots after Vikings sign Kyler Murray

Many anticipatedKirk Cousinsand the Minnesota Vikings could reunite during NFL free agency. Instead, Minnesota has tappe...

Read More

Dakota Johnson Is 'Playing the Field' 9 Months After Her Split from Chris Martin (Exclusive Source)

Dakota Johnson is nine months removed from her split from Chris Martin and not rushing into any new romances, as a source close to the actress tells PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Martin and Johnson split in June 2025, ending an on-off relationship that began in 2017

• Johnson was most recently seen spending time with singer-songwriter Role Model in December and January

Dakota Johnsonis not rushing into any new romantic relationships, nine months after PEOPLE confirmed she and Coldplay lead singerChris Martinended their on-off relationship.

A source close to Johnson, 36, tells PEOPLE that theMaterialistsstar is "playing the field at the moment" when it comes to dating.

Johnson was seenspending time withsinger-songwriterRole Model(né Tucker Pillsbury)multiple timesin December and January, but the source says their connection was just casual.

Multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE on June 4 that Johnson and Martin had broken up, ending theirnearly eight-year relationship. The pair were first romantically linked in 2017 and photographed together as recently as May 16, 2025, when they stepped out together in Malibu, California.

In November 2025, a source told PEOPLE that Johnson "has been slowly dating again and she's happy" following her and Martin's split, noting that her previous relationship "was often hot and cold, and while she always hoped they'd work out, she seems lighter and more at peace now that it's final."

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Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Johnson nextmovieis an adaptation of author Colleen Hoover'sVerity, due in theaters Oct. 2. Beyond that, she is setting out ondirecting her own feature film for the first timewith a movie titledA Tree Is Blue, which will star Jessica Alba and Charli xcx.

The actress was also showcased in Calvin Klein's bold Spring 2026 campaign, which launched on March 9.

She spoke with Elleabout her decision to join the Calvin Klein brand. "Working with Calvin at this moment feels very symbiotic with where I am currently in my life. I'm at a place in my womanhood where I feel quite calm and centered. I spend a lot of time at home, I feel very comfortable in my body," she said.

Read the original article onPeople

bySator Tenet

in

March 12, 2026

Dakota Johnson Is 'Playing the Field' 9 Months After Her Split from Chris Martin (Exclusive Source)

Dakota Johnson is nine months removed from her split from Chris Martin and not rushing into any new romances, as a sourc...

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Dwight Howard officially announces retirement, 6 months after Hall of Fame induction: 'The game retired me'

After nearly 20 years in the NBA, Dwight Howard is officially calling it quits. In asocial media poston Thursday, the Basketball Hall of Famer announced he was retiring from the game, saying that he had "more left to give" but that it was "time to move on."

Howard has not played in the NBA since 2022, during his third stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his last time on a pro court was with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan in 2023. He wasinducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Famein 2025.

"Woke up today on the 12th of this month and I figured it's time to move on from Superman!" Howard wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram. "But now Im taking off the cape and retiring from all basketball to pour into my family and give back to communities worldwide. I know some of you might think I thought he already 'retired' but I didn't… the game retired me! I still had more left to give ! Yeah I did play professionally for 20 years and Im grateful to be able to say that but I can't lie seeing these other players still going at it at age 40 inspired me to want to keep trying but now I believe my duty will be to pass it down to the next generation."

In the post, Howard also wrote that he has a documentary that will release later this year, which he says will tell "the truth about EVERYTHING," including the story of how he was "taken advantage of by the world." Details of a documentary about Howard have yet to be announced.

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Howard also said he would be touring "cities all over the world" to do random acts of kindness on the 12th of every month, in lieu of a retirement tour.

"Since I didn't get a chance to ever have a farewell tour I decided to create a tour not for fans to appreciate me but for me to appreciate them for supporting me all these years and giving me a reason to smile doing what I love," Howard wrote.

The news of Howard's retirement also comes days after reports the Hall of Famer hasfiled for divorcefrom his wife, Amy Luciani.

Howard started his career with the Orlando Magic after being selected first overall in the 2004 NBA Draft, opting to go pro right out of high school. After eight seasons there, the center spent time with the Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.

In addition to being afirst ballot Hall of Famer, Howard was an eight-time All-Star and won the 2020 NBA Championship during his second stint with the Lakers.

bySator Tenet

in

March 12, 2026

Dwight Howard officially announces retirement, 6 months after Hall of Fame induction: 'The game retired me'

After nearly 20 years in the NBA, Dwight Howard is officially calling it quits. In asocial media poston Thursday, the Ba...

Read More