Nordstrom Rack just dropped new online markdowns this week, including new discounts on popular New Balance sneakers.
During this online sale, Nordstrom Rack customers can get the stylish New Balance Unisex Made in USA 996 Sneaker for only $69.97 compared to its normal price of $189.99 while supplies last.
New Balance Unisex Made in USA 996 Sneaker – $69.97
Nordstrom Rack is offering $120 off the New Balance Unisex Made in USA 996 Sneaker while supplies last.
The New Balance Unisex Made in USA 996 Sneaker features a traditional lace-up design, combining blend of leather, textile and synthetic upper materials for durability and style.
“Highly textured suede mingles with breathable mesh on this throwback sneaker that exudes heritage style,” Nordstrom Rack’s product details state.
Highlighted Product Feature: One of the standout features of the New Balance Made in USA 996 Sneaker is its use of the ENCAP® midsole technology. This advanced system provides a unique fusion of cushioning and support, allowing wearers to enjoy comfort without compromising on durability, making it ideal for daily wear or active use.
Other Features: An additional aspect of this sneaker is its commitment to ethical manufacturing practices, as it is made in the USA and holds Fair Labor Association accreditation. This provides consumers with peace of mind, knowing that their purchase supports fair labor standards and sustainable practices.
The Winnipeg Jets play against the San Jose Sharks in an NHL game tonight. The matchup will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT on NHL Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Jets enter this matchup with a 40-14-3 record, and they have won nine consecutive games. In their most recent game, the Jets defeated St. Louis 4-3.
During the victory, Gabriel Vilardi led the Winnipeg offense. He ended the game with a team-high two goals, so Vilardi will try to perform similarly tonight. Notably, he is the third-leading scorer for Winnipeg this season.
The Sharks have struggled this season, as they enter this matchup with a 15-36-7 record. The team has lost five consecutive games, so San Jose will try to bounce back tonight.
In order to defeat Winnipeg, the Sharks will need to rely on their star forward Mikael Granlund. He currently leads the team in points and assists.
Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Week 3 Alabama High School Athletic Association soccer coaches’ polls brings big shakeups in both the girls and boys Top 10 rankings in the smaller classes.
Collinsville, with a 5-1-1 record, moved up into the top spot on the boys’ side in Class 1A/3A, replacing Tanner. In Class 4A, unbeaten Orange Beach jumped from No. 5 into No. 1. Last week’s No. 1, Trinity, slipped to second with a 3-1 mark.
Roberta Flack, a legendary R&B and pop singer who came to fame with 1970s hits such as “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” died on Monday at age 88.
“We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning February 24, 2025,” her publicist said in a statement. “She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.”
No cause of death was given. In November 2022, a spokesperson for Flack confirmed that the singer was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, according to her publicist. ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative disease that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles.
Flack, a North Carolina native, influenced generations of musicians during her distinguished career. She was best known as a romantic balladeer, delighting fans with her radio hits and topping Billboard charts with her “quiet storm” sound.
Along with “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time,” Flack’s enduring singles included “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” “The Closer I Get to You,” “Where Is the Love” and more.
’The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” stood out on the soundtrack of Clint Eastwood’s 1971 thriller “Play Misty For Me,” and the movie’s success helped spur her stardom.
Flack released about 20 studio albums during her lifetime, 1969-2012, along with live albums and greatest hits compilations. Her partnership with another majestic singer, Donny Hathaway, resulted in a million-selling record in 1972, “Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway,” with renditions of “Where Is the Love,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and more.
Flack earned four Grammy Awards — including two back-to-back trophies for Record of the Year in 1973-1974 — and 14 nominations from the Recording Academy. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2020.
Roberta Flack holds the Grammy Award for her record, “Killing Me Softly With His Song” as singer Isaac Hayes, right, looks on at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 4, 1974.(AP Photo/Harold Filan, File)
“I am humbled and honored to be recognized in the company of such esteemed and diverse talents,” Flack said in response to the lifetime achievement award. “The dreams and love that we sing of connect our hearts — reaching across oceans, generations, and time. Our music is the legacy we leave to our children, the world’s future.”
Although her pure, lovely voice was revered by the public, and abundantly praised by fans and colleagues, Flack was a skillful pianist, as well. She had classical training and a background in opera, along with a longstanding passion for education.
Before her breakthrough as a recording artist, Flack excelled as a piano prodigy. She earned a full music scholarship to Howard University at the age of 15, and was one of the youngest students ever to enter the iconic HBCU in Washington, D.C.
“She soon moved from specializing in piano studies to a music education major,” the statement from her publicist said. “Flack had been told that hope for being a classical concert pianist was improbable, given racial barriers in America. The change in majors, though, afforded her other opportunities, such as voice training, which was something she hadn’t concentrated on before.
“She became assistant conductor of the university choir, and she directed a production of Verdi’s ‘Aida’that received a standing ovation from the Howard University faculty. She hoped to become an opera singer. But her father’s sudden death in 1959 caused Flack to put that dream on hold. She returned to North Carolina and took a job teaching music in public schools. A year later she returned to D.C., where she taught at several middle and high schools for nearly a decade — the start of her lifelong commitment to education.”
Singer Roberta Flack posed for a portrait in New York on Oct. 10, 2018. The R&B great died on Feb. 24, 2025 at age 88.(Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP, File)
Flack emphasized her dedication to teaching in an interview with The Birmingham News, a few days before her January 2005 show at the BJCC Concert Hall.
“Once a teacher, always a teacher — people have told me that,“ Flack said. ”But it’s also a matter of investing in the community.”
At the time, the iconic signer was balancing her touring commitments with recording sessions, social and political activism, and the management of her own label, Real Artists Symposium. She also was working to open the Roberta Flack School of Music, a $3 million project planned for two brownstones Flack owned on 126th Street in Harlem. The school opened in 2006, providing free music education to underprivileged students.
In 2010, she also established the Roberta Flack Foundation, to support music education and animal welfare.
“I’m so passionate about what I believe in,” Flack told The Birmingham News. “It’s a daunting fact that I don’t have enough time in 24 hours to do what I want to do, and very, very well.”
Well into her 60s, Flack said she was happy to play her signature songs in concert, although she had done so countless times before.
“It gets hard to sing the same thing over and over again,” she told The Birmingham News. ”But you don’t ever want to seem ungrateful.”
Flack also mentioned that she was sorting through personal notes and letters, probing her memories and gathering photos for a memoir. While preparing to write a book, the star said, she had her legacy in mind.
“I want people to say, ‘She made a difference,’ and be able to define that,” Flack said.
Roberta Flack attended the Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif.(Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP)
Flack suffered a stroke in 2016 that affected her voice and ended her performing career, her publicist said. But she continued her efforts in the music world and participated in the making of “Roberta,” a 2022 documentary about her life.
In 2023, Flack published an autobiographical children’s book, “The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music,” in collaboration with writer Tonya Bolden and illustrator Hayden Goodman.
That year, Flack was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
“I wish that I could meet each of you, but through my words, know that I love you and am so proud of you,” Flack said in a speech delivered by her friend and former student, Gabrielle Goodman. “Your future lies ahead of you and is as bright as you are.”
As news of Flack’s death emerged on Monday, stars such as Carole King and Jennifer Hudson posted tributes to her memory on social media.
“Rest In Peace Roberta Flack,” Carole King said on Bluesky.
“So sad to hear of Roberta Flack’s passing,” Jennifer Hudson said on X (formerly Twitter). “One of the great soul singers of all time. Rest well, Ms. Flack. Your legacy lives on!!!”
Clarke County High School Coach Robert “Rob” Carter, 55, is charged with 11 crimes involving a student at the high school.
Court records made public Monday state the alleged crimes happened between December and early February.
Carter is charged in Clarke County with four counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student, four counts of distributing or soliciting obscene material from a student, and three counts of soliciting a sex act with a student.
His attorney on Monday declined comment.
Charging documents state Carter had sex with the student on Jan. 25, Jan. 29, Feb. 1 and Feb. 4.
Additionally, Carter is accused of sending photos of male genitalia to the student on four different occasions between Christmas Eve and Jan. 29.
In three other instances, records state, Carter solicited sex from the student.
The warrants against Carter were issued Friday.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrested him at 4:15 p.m. Friday during a traffic stop on State Road 85 near Niceville, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Michele Nicholson.
Carter was booked into the Okaloosa Department of Corrections just before 5 p.m. Friday.
He was released Sunday afternoon and booked into the Clarke County Jail on bonds totaling $122,000.
As a condition of release, Carter is prohibited from having any contact with the victim. He is also required to wear an ankle monitor and remain in the state.
Beauregard coach Rob Carter celebrates the 27-13 win over Wenonah in the AHSAA Super 7 Class 5A championship at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. (Julie Bennett/[email protected])Julie Bennett | [email protected]
Clarke County Schools superintendent Ashlie Flowers confirmed to AL.com on Saturday that Carter was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 18.
In a release, Flowers said she has been in close contact with law enforcement during the course of the investigation and said the school system has fully cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so.
“As the leader of Clarke County Schools, I expect professionalism and integrity from my faculty and staff,” Flowers said in the release.
“I and the school system take reports of misconduct by employees seriously and work closely with the school administration or law enforcement to ensure appropriate action is taken. The safety and well-being of our students is always top priority. I appreciate the outstanding work of our administrative team, dedicated school resource officer and local law enforcement during this process.”
The suspension came amid the investigation led by the Grove Hill Police Department, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office and the 1st Judicial Major Crimes Task Force.
Carter is 15-10 in two seasons as Clarke County’s head coach. His team went 8-4 in Class 2A in 2024, losing at Ariton in the second round of the playoffs.
He spent seven years, from 2014 until 2020, as head coach at Beauregard, leading the team to the Class 5A state title in 2016.
He was head coach at Sylacauga in 2021 and 2022.
In 12 years overall as a head coach, he is 73-51 with a 12-7 playoff record.
AL.com reporter Ben Thomas contributed to this report.
Alabama men’s basketball is no longer the No. 4 team in either the AP top 25 rankings or the coaches poll rankings.
The Crimson Tide dropped to No. 6 in the coaches poll and No. 6 in the AP top 25.
Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) is fresh off a victory over Kentucky 96-83 at Coleman Coliseum, preventing a three-game losing streak. Before the game against the Wildcats, Alabama lost to Auburn and Missouri.
Next up is a matchup against No. 24 Mississippi State on Tuesday (ESPN 2) at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama won the first matchup of the season against the Bulldogs 88-84 on Jan. 29.
Here’s good news for Dunkin’ customers who order plant-based milk.
Starting March 5, the coffee and doughnut chain will officially remove the upcharge on plant-based milk for all beverages. While consumers would normally pay extra to substitute dairy milk for soy, oat, coconut or almond milk, the cost for a plant-based latte will now be the same as a latte with whole milk, reports Eating Well.
Dukin is one of several chains that stopped charging patrons extra money for dairy milk alternatives.
If you were a soda drinker in the 80s, you might remember Slice, the fizzy beverage launched by Pepsi as a competitor to Sprite and 7-Up.
The soda enjoyed about 20 years on grocery store shelves before Pespi sundowned the brand. Now, the soda is back.
Wellness platform Suja Life bought Slice in May 2024. The brand, known for the Suja Organic and Vive Organic beverages, created a new version of Slice soda. Press materials for the drink tout ” real ingredients, only 5grams of sugar (or less), no high fructose corn syrup and features a Gutsy Blend™ of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics,”
Slice is everything you loved about the soda as a kid, now with grown-up benefits, the company said.
“We’re thrilled to usher in a new era for Slice, bringing this beloved brand back with a modern and exciting twist,” said Maria Stipp, CEO of Suja Life. “Our mission at Suja Life is to revolutionize America’s health through what we drink. While we know not everyone is reaching for a wellness shot, soda is a staple in nearly every American’s refrigerator. By transforming this everyday beverage into a leveled-up version with benefits, we’re making a significant impact on the health and well-being of our consumers.”
The new soda flavors include Orange, Lemon Lime, Classic Cola and Grapefruit Spritz. They are now available at select Costco, Albertson’s, and select HEB locations.
