Le Journal

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. (AP) — More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid off the interstate in Michigan on Monday as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday morning prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids near Hudsonville while officials worked to remove all the vehicles, including more than 30 semitrailer trucks. The State Police said there were numerous injuries, but no deaths had been reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for winter storms across several states starting in northern Minnesota and stretching south and east into Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. A day earlier, snow fell as far south as the Florida Panhandle and made it harder for football players to hang onto the ball during playoff games in Massachusetts and Chicago. Forecasters warned Monday that freezing temperatures are possible overnight into Tuesday across much of north-central Florida and southeast Georgia. The Ottawa County Sheriff’s office in Michigan said multiple crashes and jack-knifed semis were reported along with numerous cars that slid off the road. Stranded motorists were being bused to Hudsonville High School, where they could call for help or arrange a ride. Officials expected the road to be closed for several hours during the cleanup. Source

Several faith leaders called urgently for protecting the rights of worshippers while also expressing compassion for migrants after anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupted a service at a Southern Baptist church in Minnesota. About three dozen protesters entered the church during Sunday service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, some walking right up to the pulpit, others loudly chanting “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” referring to a woman who was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation. One of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, leads the local field office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of the leaders of the protest and prominent local activist Nekima Levy Armstrong said she’s also an ordained reverend. In a statement, the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention called what happened “an unacceptable trauma.” “I believe we must be resolute in two areas: encouraging our churches to provide compassionate pastoral care to these (migrant) families and standing firm for the sanctity of our houses of worship,” Trey Turner, who leads the convention, wrote to The Associated Press on Monday. Cities Church belongs to the convention. “The interference was so significant that services were forced to end prematurely. Video footage captured by the protesters themselves and others show them shouting insults and accusations at youth, children, and families,” the statement said. The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it has opened a civil rights investigation. The recent surge in operations in Minnesota has pitted more than 2,000 federal immigration officers against a mobilized network of community activists and protesters. The Trump Administration and Minnesota officials have traded blame for the heightened tensions. “No cause — political or otherwise — justifies the desecration of a sacred space or the intimidation and trauma inflicted on families gathered peacefully in the house of God,” Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, said in a statement. “What occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.” Ezell said his organization fully supports Jonathan Parnell, the pastor who was leading the disrupted service. Parnell is a missionary with Ezell’s group and serves dozens of Southern Baptist churches in the area. Cities Church did not return the AP’s requests for comment. U.S. Christians divided on immigration enforcement Christian voters and faith leaders in the United States are divided on the moral and legal dilemmas raised by immigration, including the presence of an estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally and the spike in illegal border crossings and asylum requests during the Biden Administration. There are divergent opinions among and within Christian denominations on whether the imperative is to care for the stranger and the neighbor or to obey laws and emphasize security. Broadly, white evangelical churches have supported stronger enforcement, while the Catholic hierarchy has spoken strongly in favor of migrant rights. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. and has a conservative evangelical theology. Miles Mullin, who leads the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said faith leaders can and often have led protests on social issues but that he urges a firm “red line” on actions keeping others from worshipping. “This is something that just shouldn’t happen in America,” Mullin said. “For Baptists, our worship services are sacred.” Federal protections for houses of worship Many faith leaders were dismayed when the Trump administration announced last January that federal immigration agencies could make arrests at churches, schools and hospitals, ending broader policies that protected sensitive spaces. While no immigration raids during church services have been reported, some churches, including in the Twin Cities, have posted…

Winter sport athletes will have their moment in the spotlight in February at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Italy, and several of Team USA’s competitors, including one of its brightest starts, are from the D.C. area. Among the athletes already qualified for both the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, there are athletes on Team USA from D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Qualifying events in certain sports are still taking place, but many athletes have already punched their ticket to the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Some local competitors have been named as alternates but are not listed below. A list of those from the D.C. region are below. Know of an area Olympian who is not listed? Reach out via the WTOP “Contact Us” page. Ilia Malinin — figure skating Ilia Malinin competes during the men’s short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Perhaps the best figure skater in the world, 21-year-old Ilia Malinin, figure skating’s “Quad God,” may reach a new level of stardom once the dust settles in Italy. Malinin was born in Fairfax, Virginia, to parents Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, both Olympic figure skaters in their own right. Malinin graduated from Marshall High School in Falls Church and currently attends George Mason University. Due to his young age in 2022, Malinin was passed over for Team USA’s Beijing roster. Since then, his meteoric rise in figure skating assures he’ll be leading the group of men’s figure skaters representing the U.S. WTOP spoke to Malinin in 2024 after he won the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships, and said then there’s no specific accomplishment that will satisfy him — he just wants to keep improving. “There’s not always a certain thing that I want to accomplish. I always try to see what I can improve on myself. And in terms of my skating, it’s what I can improve there — make more difficult jumps or make more difficult programs. But overall, I’m just really, try to see how it takes me and just enjoy the whole process,” Malinin told WTOP. Mystique Ro — skeleton CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY – NOVEMBER 21: Mystique Ro of United States competes in Women’s Skeleton during the Bob & Skeleton IBSF World Cup at Eugenio Monti Sliding Center on November 21, 2025 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Nokesville, Virginia, native and Brentsville High School graduate 31-year-old Mystique Ro will make her Olympic debut in Italy in the sport of skeleton. Originally a track and field athlete, Ro first saw bobsled and skeleton on TV during the Vancouver Olympics, but dismissed the idea of doing it because she thought “it was insane,” according to her Team USA bio. A college teammate of Ro’s invited her along to a combine test in the sport, and now she’s at the forefront of American success in skeleton. In 2024, she became the first American to win a skeleton race on the world cup circuit in eight years. At least year’s FIL World Championships, Ro became the first American to win a world medal in the sport in 12 years, taking home silver in women’s skeleton. She then won gold with Austin Florian in the mixed team skeleton event, an event that’s making its Olympic debut in Italy. Conor McDermott-Mostowy — long track speedskating HEERENVEEN, NETHERLANDS – DECEMBER 06: Conor McDermott-Mostowy performs in the 1000 m Men Division A race during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating at Thialf Ice Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Heerenveen, Netherlands. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images) Conor McDermott-Mostowy is a D.C. native and will be making his Olympic debut in Italy in long track speedskating at 26 years old. After battling illness leading up to 2022’s Olympic Trials, McDermott-Mostowy came up short. This time around, he captured first place at trials in the 1,000-meter race — the only event he’ll be competing in during the Olympics. After winning the national championship in…

Shanen Ebersole sonríe, vigilando a sus vacas mientras pastan. La temporada de partos se acerca, así que la temporada de elecciones tendrá que esperar. “Las llevaremos caminando los dos kilómetros y medio a casa en (el lapso de) un mes más o menos”, le dijo Ebersole a un visitante. “Luego parirán en un potrero como este. Así que estas son todas nuestras vacas madres”. Mientras caminamos, las vacas nos miran de vez en cuando, pero la mayor parte del tiempo siguen con sus cosas, con calma y con ocasionales golpes de alegría. “Ojalá Washington se las arreglara como las vacas”, dijo Ebersole. “Tienen que encontrar la manera de que nos vaya bien, porque para eso les pagamos los contribuyentes”. Ebersole apoyaba a Nikki Haley cuando nos conocimos a principios del ciclo electoral de 2024. Al final, votó por Donald Trump, creyendo que sus políticas eran mejores para la granja de su familia. Ahora, sin embargo, hay indicios de agotamiento respecto a Trump de cara a las contiendas de 2026. “Tenemos opciones”, dijo Ebersole. “Podemos pedir que se tranquilice. Podemos pedir que hable con amabilidad”. Trump lleva un año de regreso en la Casa Blanca, y será su prestigio, más que cualquier otra cosa, lo que definirá el ánimo y el rumbo de la campaña de mitad de mandato. Ebersole calificó su desempeño con un 3 sobre 5. La economía le parece un poco mejor y los cruces fronterizos ilegales han disminuido. Pero ella se opuso al plan de Trump de aumentar las importaciones de carne de res argentina con aranceles bajos, ya que lo considera poco alineado con el lema “Estados Unidos primero”. Ahora, el tema de tomar de alguna manera el control de Groenlandia parece otra desviación de su agenda de campaña. “No estoy de acuerdo con eso en ningún sentido”, dijo Ebersole. “Tenemos que cuidar los 50 estados que tenemos”. La granja ganadera Ebersole se encuentra en Kellerton, un pueblo rural de Iowa cerca de la frontera con Missouri. El condado de Ringgold luce radiante tras los resultados electorales de las últimas décadas; es un lugar con el que cuentan los republicanos, especialmente en años importantes como este. Iowa elegirá un nuevo gobernador en 2026, además de un nuevo senador estadounidense. Y Kellerton se encuentra en el tercer distrito del Congreso de Iowa, un objetivo demócrata mientras el partido intenta capturar la mayoría de la Cámara en las elecciones de mitad de término de este año. Ebersole tiene una visión negativa de Washington. Está a favor de los límites de mandato y afirma que, en su opinión, los miembros del Congreso están obsesionados con la recaudación de fondos y el poder, y se olvidan de los agricultores familiares como ella; se olvidan de intentar llegar a acuerdos en temas como la atención médica. Ella incluye a su propio representante, el representante republicano en dos mandatos Zach Nunn, en esa crítica. “Queremos un cambio”, dijo. “Necesitamos más frescura”. Ebersole, por supuesto, es solo una votante. Pero su opinión es potencialmente ilustrativa. Los demócratas tendrían que ganar solo unos pocos escaños para obtener la mayoría en la Cámara de Representantes, pero necesitarían avances en estados republicanos como Iowa para construir una pequeña ventaja. Para lograrlo, probablemente requerirían convencer a un buen número de votantes reticentes a Trump en 2024, quienes ven un Gobierno dividido como una forma de contrarrestar las características de Trump que no les gustan. “Creo que hay que votar por la persona que mejor se adapte a tus objetivos”, dijo Ebersole. “Cada vez que nos encontramos con un nuevo ciclo electoral, mantengo la mente abierta”. La historia reciente aquí favorece al Partido Republicano. Trump ganó Iowa en sus tres campañas para la Casa Blanca, con un margen cada vez mayor. El último gobernador demócrata terminó su mandato en enero de 2011. El último senador demócrata estadounidense dejó el cargo en enero de 2015. Los cuatro escaños de la Cámara de Representantes están ahora en manos republicanas, pero…

LORETTO, Pa. (AP) — Ahmad Harrison scored 16 points as Saint Francis beat Stonehill 63-61 on Monday. Harrison also contributed five rebounds for the Red Flash (5-14, 3-3 Northeast Conference). Chris Moncrief scored 15 points and added four steals. Skylar Wicks had 11 points and went 5 of 14 from the field. Chas Stinson led the Skyhawks (6-13, 3-3) in scoring, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Hermann Koffi added 18 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Source